Grace Hightower
| Grace Hightower | |
|---|---|
Hightower attending the premiere of The Union at the 2011 Tribeca Film Festival.
|
|
| Born |
April 7, 1955 Kilmichael, Mississippi, United States |
| Occupation | Philanthropist, socialite, actress, singer, flight attendant |
| Years active | 1994–present |
| Spouse(s) | Robert De Niro (m. 1997) |
| Children | 2 |
Grace Hightower De Niro (born April 7, 1955) is an American philanthropist, socialite, actress, and singer. She has been married to actor Robert De Niro since 1997.
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'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 of New York City.
As a socialite, Hightower's gala 55th birthday party was covered in Vogue magazine by André Leon Talley. In 2010, she presented the Pratt Institute's Creative Spirit Award to director Lee 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, 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.
Hightower is of African-American and Blackfoot descent and grew up in Kilmichael, Mississippi. She grew up in a poor family and worked various odd jobs to help support them. Hightower became a flight attendant for Trans World Airlines, attracted by the possibility of traveling and expanding her horizons. Settling in Paris and later London, she worked variously as a mutual fund trader and restaurant worker. In 1987, while working at Mr. Chow, an upscale London Chinese restaurant and celebrity hangout, she met and began dating Robert De Niro.
...
Wikipedia