Tiffany Chen: Robert De Niro’s Partner, Tai Chi Champion and Mother of His Youngest Child
Robert De Niro, 83, and his partner Tiffany Chen made a rare joint public appearance on Wednesday 11 November 2026, walking hand in hand into the New York premiere of Focker-in-Law at the Beacon Theatre. The outing came one week after the death of De Niro’s former partner Toukie Smith, and it put the spotlight on Chen, the martial arts champion who has shared the actor’s life since 2021 and is the mother of his youngest child.
Chen is not a Hollywood actor chasing fame. She is a world-champion Tai Chi competitor and instructor, the daughter of a Tai Chi grandmaster, who met De Niro because of her skill, not his celebrity. Their story runs from a film set in 2015 to a daughter born in 2023, and it has mostly played out far from the cameras.
| Tiffany Chen — Quick Reference Profile | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Tiffany Chen |
| Date of birth | Not publicly verified (widely reported to be around 46 in 2026) |
| Birthplace | Not publicly verified |
| Nationality | American |
| Primary role | Martial arts instructor and world-champion Tai Chi competitor; actress |
| Famous anchor | Partner Robert De Niro (together since 2021; not married) |
| Children | Gia Virginia Chen-De Niro, born 6 April 2023 |
| Net worth | Not publicly verified |
| Height | Not publicly verified |
| Social media | Private — no public handles verified |
| Father | Grandmaster William C.C. Chen |
Raised in a Tai Chi Dynasty
Tiffany Chen grew up inside one of the most respected families in Tai Chi. Her father, William C.C. Chen, is a Grandmaster of Yang-style Tai Chi ch’uan, and Chen’s official biography records that she took up ballet, hula dance, swimming and gymnastics at the age of five before adding martial arts training with her uncle Howard Lee.
She started figure skating at eight and had won three gold medals in regional figure skating competitions by the age of 11. Her competitive record in martial arts is far deeper: dozens of gold medals and world titles, including induction into Inside Kung-Fu magazine’s Hall of Fame as Competitor of the Year at the age of 26 in 2011. She also competed in Lei Tai, the full-contact platform fighting discipline, and served as a senior instructor at her father’s school.
That background matters because it explains how she entered De Niro’s world. She was hired for her expertise, and she stayed in his life because the two built a family together, not because she sought a public profile.
The Intern Scene That Started Everything
Chen and De Niro first met on the set of the 2015 comedy-drama The Intern, in which De Niro played a retired executive who takes up Tai Chi in the park. Chen was brought in as his instructor and appeared on screen in the role herself. She later told CBS Mornings that De Niro had not been her best student, adding with a smile that he had a lot of other things to do in the film.
The two were first photographed as a couple in August 2021, holding hands on a yacht in the South of France. They kept the relationship largely private for the next two years. In April 2023 they welcomed their daughter, Gia Virginia Chen-De Niro, on 6 April 2023. She is De Niro’s seventh child and his first with Chen, and De Niro confirmed the birth himself on CBS Mornings in May 2023.
Shortly after giving birth, Chen was diagnosed with Bell’s palsy, a condition that causes sudden, temporary facial paralysis. She spoke about the experience on CBS Mornings, and has since recovered. The episode is one of the few personal details she has ever shared in public, and it underlines how private she has chosen to remain.
A Red Carpet Return After a Week of Loss
The Focker-in-Law premiere on 11 November 2026 was the couple’s first major joint appearance in weeks, and it carried a sombre backdrop. De Niro’s former partner Toukie Smith, the model and actress best known for her role in the sitcom 227, died on 4 November 2026 at the age of 74 after a long battle with multiple sclerosis. Her death was confirmed on 9 November by the twins she shared with De Niro, Julian and Airyn.
Smith and De Niro were together from 1988 to 1996, and their twins were born via surrogate on 20 October 1995. De Niro has not publicly commented on her death. The premiere appearance, with the couple posing hand in hand for photographers, was widely read as a quiet return to public life after a painful week for the wider De Niro family.
The couple were out again the following night, 12 November, at the Museum of Modern Art Film Benefit honouring Steven Spielberg. Focker-in-Law is the latest film in the Meet the Parents franchise, and the premiere run has put De Niro and Chen back in front of the cameras together for the first time since the summer.
Motherhood, Recovery and a Life Away From the Cameras
Gia, now three, is the centre of the couple’s life together. De Niro has seven children in all: Drena and Raphael with his first wife Diahnne Abbott; twins Julian and Airyn with Toukie Smith; Elliot and Helen with his second wife Grace Hightower; and Gia with Chen. The gap between his eldest and youngest child spans more than five decades.
Chen, like David E. Kelley, Michelle Pfeiffer’s husband of 33 years, has built her public standing on her own work rather than on her famous partner. Her competitive record, her teaching and her occasional film consultancy all predate her relationship with De Niro, and she has given almost no interviews about the relationship itself.
That privacy is deliberate. Chen has no verified public social media presence, and the couple have never publicly discussed marriage. As of 2026 they are not married, and reports consistently describe Chen as De Niro’s partner, not his wife.
The Money Question Around Tiffany Chen
No reliable public estimate of Tiffany Chen’s personal net worth exists, and any figure circulating online should be treated as unverified. Her income comes from teaching, competition and film consultancy work, and she has never publicly discussed her finances.
De Niro’s own fortune is a separate matter, and it is not hers. Reports about the couple’s shared lifestyle, including their New York estate, describe property held by De Niro, not wealth belonging to Chen. Until a credible source publishes a verified figure for Chen herself, her net worth stays recorded here as not publicly verified.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Who is Tiffany Chen?
A: Tiffany Chen is an American martial arts instructor and world-champion Tai Chi competitor, the daughter of Grandmaster William C.C. Chen. She has been Robert De Niro’s partner since 2021 and is the mother of his youngest child, Gia.
Q: How did Tiffany Chen meet Robert De Niro?
A: They met on the set of the 2015 film The Intern, where Chen was hired as De Niro’s Tai Chi instructor and appeared on screen in the role. They were first photographed as a couple in August 2021.
Q: Are Tiffany Chen and Robert De Niro married?
A: No. As of 2026 they are not married. They have been in a relationship since 2021 and share a daughter, Gia, born on 6 April 2023.
Q: How old is Tiffany Chen?
A: Her exact date of birth has not been publicly verified. She is widely reported to be around 46 in 2026, which would make the age gap with De Niro, 83, roughly 35 years, though the precise gap cannot be confirmed without a verified birth date.
Q: Who is Gia Virginia Chen-De Niro?
A: Gia Virginia Chen-De Niro is the daughter of Tiffany Chen and Robert De Niro, born on 6 April 2023. She is De Niro’s seventh child and his first with Chen.
Q: Myth-busting: is Tiffany Chen the Hong Kong film producer married to Charles Heung?
A: No. That is a different Tiffany Chen, a Hong Kong film producer. Robert De Niro’s partner is the American martial arts instructor and daughter of Grandmaster William C.C. Chen, and the two women should not be confused.
