The two have shared a friendship going back to the late 1960s and have stayed close ever since. However, they’re now among the oldest dads in Hollywood.
De Niro, who has seven children, welcomed his newest family member in May 2023 at age 79 with his partner Tiffany Chen.
The latest addition to the De Niro family, Gia Virginia Chen-De Niro, is over 50 years younger than her eldest sibling.
De Niro, celebrated as one of the most impactful actors of his time, spoke to ABC about his baby daughter, saying, “Well, she’s pure joy. There’s nothing about her, there’s no judgment, there’s nothing. She just is what she is, and it’s just pure joy, for God’s sake.”
The Goodfellas star De Niro welcomed his first child back in 1971, making his oldest daughter now 57 years old. De Niro himself is 81, meaning he’ll be 97 when his youngest daughter reaches 18.
Recently, Pacino surpassed De Niro as Hollywood’s oldest father. In June 2023, he had a baby boy with his then-29-year-old girlfriend, Noor Alfallah.
The couple started dating in April 2022 and revealed her pregnancy just weeks before the birth of Roman Pacino.
The Scarface actor has three adult children, and at 83, he is already one of the oldest celebrity fathers.
Now 84, Pacino will be 101 when his son turns 18.
In an interview with People, The Godfather star expressed his joy, saying, “It’s just so wonderful to have children. For me, I loved it.”
“It changed me for, if you want to say, the better. It changed me for life. And the idea that you’re throwing your focus on other humans who happen to be your children… there’s the love.”
Although both actors are widely respected in Hollywood, their choice to have children at such an advanced age has stirred up criticism.
Many people have expressed disapproval of them becoming fathers again. Regarding Pacino’s recent baby, one commenter said, “That’s the most selfish thing I have ever heard. The child will never really know its dad.”
Another person shared concerns about De Niro’s daughter: “What I’m concerned about is he’s already 80 years old, she’s going to have to deal with his passing at a young age.”
Someone else added: “I’m sorry but this is wrong. He’s going to die, probably sooner than later, and she will be very young, and very traumatized for the rest of her life. It’s cruel.”
It’s not just social media users who have spoken out; journalist Jaci Stephen also criticized both actors for having children at their age, suggesting it might be morally questionable.
In Daily Mail, she wrote: “In contrast to the gushing celebrations from De Niro’s celeb pals, I found the whole thing rather creepy – and not a little bit sad.”
Stephen went on to say, “And that’s because the hard reality for geriatric dads like De Niro, and now Pacino, is that they’ll barely live long enough to be remembered by their new babies.”
She also remarked, “It’s also rather depressing – for it shines a light on a rather uncomfortable hypocrisy when it comes to the reception of women who become mothers in older age.”
The journalist highlighted an irony with Pacino, who has previously spoken about the absence of his own father, a situation he may now unintentionally create for his own young child due to his age.
While men don’t face an abrupt end to fertility like women do, they continue to produce testosterone and sperm cells, allowing some to father children well into their 90s, according to The Conversation.
However, as men get older, the chances of damaging DNA in their sperm grow significantly.
The National Institutes of Health states, “Paternal age increases the frequency of congenital diseases such as heart malformations as well as oral, palate and lip cleft.”
“Moreover, mental disorders (autism, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, low IQ level as well as ADHD) also occur more frequently in advanced father’s age.”
However, there is no indication that De Niro or Pacino’s children have experienced any medical issues related to their age.
