Robert De Niro and Grace Hightower De Niro

Grace Hightower De Niro is a philanthropist, actress, singer, and an entrepreneur.  She is a supporter of Bring Change 2 Mind, Autism Speaks, and JobPath. She is inspired to help create a path for young adults with disabilities to enter the workforce and to be part of their communities by developing tools to utilize their many talents. Grace is a member of Ronald Perelman’s Women’s Heart Health Advisory Council and the International Women’s Coffee Alliance. She is an honorary Battalion Chief of the esteemed Fire Department of the City of New York. Grace partnered with coffee farmers in Rwanda to create Grace Hightower & Coffees of Rwanda, to promote direct sourcing, fair trade and ethical, environmentally sound agricultural and production practices.

Robert De Niro launched his motion picture career in Brian De Palma’s “The Wedding Party” in 1969. By 1974 he won the New York Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actor in “Bang the Drum Slowly” and from the National Society of Film Critics for “Mean Streets.” De Niro won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for “The Godfather, Part II” in 1974. In 1980 he won his second Oscar, as Best Actor, for “Raging Bull.” De Niro takes pride in his production company, Tribeca Productions, the Tribeca Film Center (which he founded with Jane Rosenthal in 1988), and in the Tribeca Film Festival, which he founded with Rosenthal and Craig Hatkoff. The festival was conceived to foster the economic and cultural revitalization of Lower Manhattan through an annual celebration of film, music, and culture.