Robert De Niro has become a father for the sixth time.

The Oscar-winning actor and his wife Grace Hightower have welcomed a daughter named Helen Grace, who was born through a surrogate mother and weighed 7lbs 2oz, according to the 68-year-old actor's spokesman Stan Rosenfield.

Helen is the second child for the couple - who met in London in 1987 and later got married in 1997 - after they had Elliot, 13, in March 1998.

Robert had a son, Raphael, with his first wife Diahnne Abbott and he adopted her daughter Drena, from a previous relationship.

The Hollywood star also has twin sons, Julian Henry and Aaron Kendrik, who were conceived by in vitro fertilization and delivered by a surrogate mum in 1995, from a long-term relationship with ex-model Toukie Smith.

Last year, Robert revealed he likes it when his children all come together as one family unit.

He explained: "I like my kids to be all around. I don't like them to be off here and there unless they really have a reason or a job that pulls them there.

"I think the Italian thing is really good because the communities stay together and there are other countries and other cultures that have this. They stay together. You know, the whole family lives in different apartments in a building, that's nice stuff if you can do it. I don't think there's anything wrong with that."