Toukie Smith, “227” actress and Robert De Niro’s ex-partner, dies at 74
Toukie Smith, “227” actress and Robert De Niro’s ex-partner, dies at 74
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Shelby StivaleMon, November 9, 2026 at 7:22 PM UTC
Toukie Smith in 1992Credit: Al Pereira/Michael Ochs Archives/GettyKey Points -
Toukie Smith died at age 74 following a battle with multiple sclerosis.
The actress and model’s twins confirmed the news on Nov. 9.
Smith was romantically linked to Robert De Niro from 1988 to 1996.
Toukie Smith, who appeared in NBC’s 227, died at age 74.
The actress’ twins, Airyn and Julian, whom she shared with ex-partner Robert De Niro, confirmed the news to The Hollywood Reporter on Monday. Smith died on Nov. 4 in a New York hospital following a “long, courageous battle” with multiple sclerosis, the outlet reported. (Further details about her MS battle have not been publicized.)
Smith was known for playing Eva Rawley during the fourth and fifth seasons of 227. Aside from her acting career, Smith was also known as a model and worked with high-fashion brands like Chanel, Versace, Norma Kamali, Thierry Mugler, and Patrick Kelly. She also modeled for her brother Willi Smith’s line before his death at age 39 in 1987 from pneumonia. It was later confirmed that his death was AIDS related.
Toukie Smith and Robert De Niro in 1990Credit: Robin Platzer/IMAGES/Getty
Smith was born Doris A. Smith on Sept. 25, 1952. The name Toukie was “a nickname from my grandmother,” the late star told The Los Angeles Times in a 1990 interview. It “came from a children’s record about a little red fire engine with lots of energy,” she explained at the time. “I’ve always had lots of energy.”
Before her modeling career kicked off in 1972, Smith attended the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City. She was named Bloomingdale’s Model of the Year in 1978. A decade later, Smith started an acting career, appearing in Miami Vice. Her other acting credits include Talkin’ Dirty After Dark, Joe’s Apartment, and The Preacher’s Wife.
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In the same LA Times interview, Smith shared her dream of opening a fashion museum to showcase the contents of her “storage room,” which was everything she had worn in the past. “I have everything Willi made for me from my sixth-grade graduation dress on,” she said. “I kept it all.”
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Smith also had an interest in food, opening Toukie’s Taste, a catering business that lasted three years. They notably catered Sean Penn and Madonna’s wedding anniversary. (Penn was married to Madonna from 1985 to 1989.) The fashion icon briefly had an NYC restaurant named Toukie’s, which closed in the mid-1990s.
She started dating De Niro in 1988, but kept their relationship largely out of the public eye. “What’s great about a private life is it’s private,” she told the LA Times. They welcomed twins via surrogate in October 1995 and officially parted ways the following year.
on Entertainment Weekly
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
