Grace Hightower De Niro is an American philanthropist, socialite, actress, and singer. She married

Robert De Niro Robert Anthony De Niro Jr. ( , ; born August 17, 1943) is an American actor. Known for his collaborations with Martin Scorsese, he is considered to be one of the best actors of his generation. De Niro is the recipient of various accolades ...

in 1997, and they separated in 2018.

Career

As a philanthropist, Hightower launched Grace Hightower & Coffees of Rwanda in 2013 with the mission of improving Rwandan livelihoods by marketing their products internationally. She is a board member of the New York Women's Foundation and the New York Fund for Public Schools as well as a member of

Ronald Perelman Ronald Owen Perelman (; born January 1, 1943) is an American banker, businessman and investor. MacAndrews & Forbes Incorporated, his company, has invested in companies with interests in groceries, cigars, licorice, makeup, cars, photography, t ...

's Women's Heart Health Advisory Council and the International Women's Coffee Alliance. Hightower has been honored for her work by numerous institutions including the

American Cancer Society The American Cancer Society (ACS) is a nationwide voluntary health organization dedicated to eliminating cancer. Established in 1913, the society is organized into six geographical regions of both medical and lay volunteers operating in more than ...

of New York City. As a socialite, Hightower's gala 55th birthday party was covered in ''

Vogue Vogue may refer to: Business * ''Vogue'' (magazine), a US fashion magazine ** British ''Vogue'', a British fashion magazine ** ''Vogue Arabia'', an Arab fashion magazine ** ''Vogue Australia'', an Australian fashion magazine ** ''Vogue China'', ...

'' magazine by

André Leon Talley André Leon Talley (October 16, 1948 – January 18, 2022) was an American fashion journalist, stylist, creative director, and editor-at-large of ''Vogue'' magazine. He was the magazine's fashion news director from 1983 to 1987, its first Africa ...

.André Leon Talle
"Grace Hightower's Birthday Party"
, ''Vogue'', April 8, 2010, Retrieved December 18, 2010 In 2010, she presented the

Pratt Institute Pratt Institute is a private university with its main campus in Brooklyn, New York. It has a satellite campus in Manhattan and an extension campus in Utica, New York at the Munson-Williams-Proctor Arts Institute. The school was founded in 1887 ...

's Creative Spirit Award to director

Lee Daniels Lee Daniels (born December 24, 1959) is an American film and television producer, director and screenwriter. His first producer credit was ''Monster's Ball'' (2001), for which Halle Berry won the Academy Award for Best Actress, making Daniels ...

. As an actress, Hightower has had minor roles in various movies including '' Precious'' (2009) and '' The Paperboy'' (2012). Additionally, she had a minor part in the ABC TV series, ''

NYPD Blue ''NYPD Blue'' is an American police procedural television series set in New York City, exploring the struggles of the fictional 15th Precinct detective squad in Manhattan. Each episode typically intertwines several plots involving an ensembl ...

'', in the 1994 Season One episode entitled "Zeppo Marks Brothers". As a singer, she performed the lead vocals for the track, "Somethin's Comin' My Way", written by Dan Manjovi for the 2009 ''Precious'' movie soundtrack.

Personal life

Hightower is of African-American descent and was raised in

Kilmichael, Mississippi Kilmichael is a town in Montgomery County, Mississippi, United States. Per the 2020 Census, the population was 639. History The population in 1900 was 227. The Bank of Kilmichael was established in 1904. In 2001, the all-white board of alderm ...

. She grew up in poverty, and worked various odd jobs to help support her family. Hightower became a

flight attendant A flight attendant, also known as steward/stewardess or air host/air hostess, is a member of the aircrew aboard commercial flights, many business jets and some government aircraft. Collectively called cabin crew, flight attendants are prima ...

for

Trans World Airlines Trans World Airlines (TWA) was a major American airline which operated from 1930 until 2001. It was formed as Transcontinental & Western Air to operate a route from New York City to Los Angeles via St. Louis, Kansas City, and other stops, with F ...

, attracted by the possibility of traveling and expanding her horizons. Settling in Paris and later London, she worked variously as a

mutual fund A mutual fund is a professionally managed investment fund that pools money from many investors to purchase securities. The term is typically used in the United States, Canada, and India, while similar structures across the globe include the SICA ...

trader and restaurant worker. In 1987, while working at

Mr. Chow Mr Chow is a series of upscale Chinese restaurants founded by British-Chinese restaurateur Michael Chow. There are locations in London, New York, Beverly Hills, Miami, and Las Vegas. History In the 1960s, London was experiencing a cultural rev ...

, an upscale London Chinese restaurant and celebrity hangout, she met and began dating

. Hightower and De Niro married in 1997. In 1998, she gave birth to the couple's first child. De Niro filed for divorce in 1999 and sued Hightower for custody of their son in 2001. However, the two resolved their differences, and by 2004 the divorce was dropped and they renewed their vows. In 2011 the couple had their second child, via

surrogate A surrogate is a substitute or deputy for another person in a specific role and may refer to: Relationships * Surrogacy, an arrangement where a woman agrees to carry and give birth to a child for another person who will become its parent at bir ...

. The couple separated in November 2018.

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hightower, Grace Living people African-American actresses American film actresses American television actresses American people of Blackfoot descent People from Kilmichael, Mississippi Flight attendants De Niro family 1955 births