The former Madame De Niro was born Diahnne Eugenia Abbott on January 1, 1945 in New York, United States. Very little is known about Abbott’s upbringing or the family she grew up in, but it is a well-known fact that she is the cousin of 80s hit musician Gregory Abbott.
They have the same last name which means Diahnee and Gregory are paternal cousins. Diahnne’s breed can be traced to the island of Antigua where her father is from. Details of his mother’s origin are unknown, but his cousin Gregory’s mother was from Venezuela.
Artistic genes seem to flow through the Abbott family. Diahnne’s cousin, Gregory, is not only a singer, but also a composer and producer. In the mid-1980s, he hit it big with his song Shake You, which was certified platinum by the RIAA. Greg continues to record music to this day.
Abbott was unknown to the general public until she got attached to her longtime boyfriend, Robert De Niro. Her acting career reportedly officially began in 1976, the year she married Robert. Abbott made his debut in Robert’s 1976 film Taxi Driver as directed by Martin Scorsese. Set in post-Vietnam War New York, Abbott starred as a concession girl in the film.
Also in 1976, Abbé appeared in Welcome to LA.; the film that won actress Geraldine Chaplin the British Academy Film BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actress. Abbott’s next two films also starred her husband Robert.
They include musical drama films New York, New York (1977) where she portrayed a Harlem Club singer and sang Fats Waller’s classic song Rose of Honeysuckle, as well as The King of Comedy (1983) a satirical film black comedy in which she plays the character of Rita Keane the love interest of De Niro’s character. Both films were directed by Robert’s friend Martin Scorsese.
Diahnne Abbott’s next film would include Love Streams (1984), Jo Jo Dancer, Your Life Is Calling (1986), Before Night Falls (2000), and Soliloquy (2002). In 1988, she appeared in three episodes of the NBC crime drama series A Crime Story
