A year after De Niro married actor Grace Hightower, the couple welcomed their son Elliot on March 18, 1998. Although not much is known about Elliot, De Niro confirmed in March 2016 that his son has autism while showing his support for the anti-vaccination documentary "Vaxxed" that screened at the Tribeca Film Festival, which he co-founded. "Grace and I have a child with autism and we believe it is critical that all of the issues surrounding the causes of autism be openly discussed and examined," De Niro said in a statement at the time, People.
However, following backlash, De Niro ultimately decided to pull the film. "My intent in screening this film was to provide an opportunity for conversation around an issue that is deeply personal to me and my family," he told The Hollywood Reporter. "But after reviewing it over the past few days with the Tribeca Film Festival team and others from the scientific community, we do not believe it contributes to or furthers the discussion I had hoped for."
