Robert De Niro, 79, makes a very rare sighting with his fifth child, son Elliot, 24

Robert De Niro, 79, made a rare sighting Friday with his son Elliot, 24, in New York City.

Elliot’s mother is Robert’s ex-wife Grace Hightower, to whom he was married from 1997 to 2018.

And Elliot is the youngest and fifth child De Niro has: in addition to Elliot, the actor is the father of Drena, Raphael, Julian, Helen and Aaron.

Rarely seen in public with his kids, the Meet The Fockers star wore a black beanie and scarf and layered in a zip-up fleece under a puffy jacket for warmth.

The veteran actor completed his casual look in black slacks and sneakers and appeared relaxed as he followed Elliot down the sidewalk and into a building.

Rare sighting: Elliot looked relaxed in a black and red North Face jacket with gray sweats and carried two blue bags. Elliot is De Niro’s son from his second marriage to actress Grace Hightower

Elliot looked relaxed in a black and red North Face jacket with a gray sweatshirt and carried two blue bags.

Before entering the building, The Godfather star stopped to talk to another man in a black outfit and green beanie who appeared to be showing him items of clothing.

Although he is one of the world’s most respected actors, he is known for keeping his off-screen life private.

De Niro became a father in 1976 when he had a son Raphael with his first wife, Diahnne. He also adopted his wife’s daughter, Drena, from a previous marriage.

The couple divorced in 1988 and Robert welcomed twin sons Julian and Aaron in 1995 with his then-partner, model Toukie Smith.

The Taxi Driver star married Hightower in 1997 and had Elliot in 1998. Robert and Grace welcomed a daughter via surrogate in 2011 and raised both children together until they separated in November 2018.

The father of six has made sure that his children’s lives are kept out of the media and there are very few photos of Elliot in circulation.

In 2016, the two-time Oscar winner revealed that Elliot had been diagnosed with autism as a young child.

Taking a closer look: The Godfather star stopped to talk to a man who appeared to be showing him items of clothing before entering the building behind Elliot

In 2013, Robert alluded to the challenges of raising a special needs child during an interview promoting The Silver Linings Playbook written by David Russell for his son, who has bipolar disorder.

“I don’t like to get emotional, but I know exactly what he’s going through,” De Niro admitted.

Elliot’s loving parents tried to get him involved in sports at a young age to help him with his autism.

He started playing tennis as a child, and although he initially resisted learning, he has since become a skilled player.

Loving Dad: In 2016, the two-time Oscar winner revealed that Elliot had been diagnosed with autism as a young child – photographed in France May 2011

His second wife: The Taxi Driver star married Grace Hightower in 1997 and had Elliot in 1998. They split in November 2018 – pictured in June 2018 at the 72nd Tony Awards at Radio City Music Hall in NYC

The iconic actor told the Special Olympics in 2019, “Finding things for kids to do is a tough part of the whole situation with parents of kids with special needs.

‘[Playing tennis] helps him. He gains confidence when he sees that he is really good at this. That’s the best self-motivator anyone can have,” said Robert.

Elliot’s athleticism and skill, cultivated through years of coaching and motivation from his parents, was featured on the ESPN series Special Olympics: 50 Game Changers to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Special Olympics.

Elliot previously said of playing tennis, “it feels good, I feel uplifted sometimes.”