Robert de Niro Felt It Was His Obligation to Reveal Sexuality of Late Father Who Loved & 'Adored' Him

Years after losing his father, Robert de Niro Jr. honored his memory by speaking a truth nobody knew about. The Hollywood celebrity felt obligated to publish his dad's journal, revealing his sexuality. Also, Robert Sr. was an unaccomplished man, yet he loved his son.

The "The Irishman" star, Robert de Niro, was from a talented family. His father, Robert de Niro Sr., was an excellent artist but did not get the due recognition during his time.

The actor's dad honed his artistic skills from a young age; he was a child prodigy. Robert Sr. was born into an Irish-Italian, and at age 11, he already knew what he wanted to do.

The young man enrolled in the Syracuse Museum of Fine Arts. As a young adult, his arts were inspiring, even to critics.

When he was 23, his debut solo exhibition gained the attention of the prominent critic Clement Greenberg. Peggy Guggenheim also patronized his works.

Many years after his death, his son, an accomplished actor and producer, honored him by publishing his journals, revealing some never-before-heard details about his life, including his professional hardships and continuous battle with his inner demons.

In the publication, Charles Stuckey, a man who worked as a museum curator, noted that Robert Sr. was an artistic genius in New York during the 1940s and 1950s. He added:

"But like many of his equally ambitious contemporaries…DeNiro has too often been omitted from accounts of the so-called New York School."

The career setback affected Robert Sr., he always thought about being successful, but that did not hinder him from being happy when his son's acting career kicked off.

Also, Robert Jr. never neglected his dad when his fortune and fame came; he helped the struggling artist. When asked how his dad coped with his success, he said:

"He was very proud of me. At the same time, part of him might have been saying, 'I wish I had some success too.' He always used to say to me 'great artists are recognised many, many years after they're gone.'"

The Hollywood star admitted that during his early years, he did not have a smooth relationship with his dad and did not live with him often due to his parent's divorce.

However, they always had a connection, and that enabled him to care for his dad at a more advanced age. The "Goodfellas" star shared that amid the limitations, he had a good dad.

He explained, "but my father wasn't a bad father or absent. He was absent in some ways. He was very loving. He adored me."

In 1993, Robert Jr. lost his dad to cancer, and that was when he realized that the artist had locked his innermost thoughts behind the pages of some journals.

Robert de Niro Sr. Chose to Express His Thoughts in a Journal

As mentioned earlier, Robert Sr. was talented but never really had the chance to etch his mark in history the way he wanted. The artist struggled to be recognized professionally, and he was aware.

In one of the pages, Robert Sr. seemed restless about his mental and emotional health; he also asked God to cure his homosexuality.

He wrote about how finding enough money in his journals was challenging. He also shared how it all affected his mental health. Finally, Robert Sr. wrote about his broken marriage to a fellow artist, revealing that the main cause was his homosexuality.

Although he was never bold enough to confront his fears or inner demons following his death, the actor was generous with these personal details, wanting to share who his father truly was with the world.

A few years ago, while referencing the published journals, Robert Jr. admitted that he was yet to read them and would choose a good time to immerse himself in his father's thoughts.

However, he had already read the excerpts and was aware of the content. The actor regretfully spoke about how challenging it was for his dad to reveal his sexual orientation, adding that it was a tragic story.

In one of the pages, Robert Sr. seemed restless about his mental and emotional health; he also prayed, asking God for help. Finally, the artist asked God to cure him but revealed that he did not want to be cured of his homosexuality. According to his words:

"If God doesn't want me to be homosexual (about which I have so much guilt), he will find a woman whom I will love and who will love me. But I really don't want my homosexuality to be cured."

Robert Jr. Became the Voice His Father Never Had

Robert explained that his father had to go through the entire episode alone as he never shared his anxieties with anyone.

He mentioned that his father's homosexuality was never spoken about but that, as an adult, his mother vaguely implied it, and he connected the dots.

Truly, the artist's truth tormented him, and he felt he was an affliction. Years later, his son maintained that it would have been different if he had shared it. Robert Jr. wished his dad had confided in him and revealed that he was not very attentive when his mother spoke about it.

Now a father himself, the iconic movie star admitted that he would love his children to understand the power of doing things now. In his words:

"I want them to stop and take a moment and realize that you sometimes have to do things now instead of later because later may be 20 years from now — and that's too late."

Despite the regret of not being able to understand his dad's plight soon enough, he felt responsible for speaking his undiluted truth. Unapologetically, he revealed:

"I felt I had to. I felt obligated. It was my responsibility to make a documentary about him."

Robert Jr. Is Set to Keep His Father's Legacy

The actor has gone the extra mile to preserve his father's legacy, including sharing his life through a documentary and publishing his journals.

He focused on sharing the hidden texts and who his dad truly was with his family. He also intended to extend this memory throughout his generation to everyone interested in knowing about the patriarch, whom he described as a "wonderful artist."

The "Irishman" star also preserved his dad's beloved studio on West Broadway. He chose not to sell it but retained the property exactly how his dad had left it.

Robert Jr. mentioned that he had never thought about selling the property. Instead, he kept it in the family and researched about his dad in the studio.

To date, the 79-year-old appears proud of his choices to pass down his roots to his kids and continues to inspire the world after sharing hidden details that were once forbidden topics.