Toukie Smith, Top Runway Model and ‘227’ Actress, Dies at 74

Toukie Smith, the model and actress known for her role on the NBC sitcom 227 and her former relationship with Robert De Niro, has died at 74. Parade Magazine reported that Smith died Wednesday at a hospital in New York following a long battle with multiple sclerosis, according to an announcement from her twins, Airyn and Julian, whom she shared with the Oscar-winning actor.

People.com later reported that Smith died on Nov. 4 at a New York hospital following a "long, courageous battle" with multiple sclerosis, as shared in an announcement from her twin children, Airyn and Julian, per The Hollywood Reporter. She was 74.

People.com added biographical detail not included in Parade Magazine's report, noting she was born Doris Smith on Sept. 25, 1952, in Philadelphia, and took the stage name Toukie from a nickname her grandmother gave her. The outlet also said she attended the Fashion Institute of Technology and began modeling by 1972 for magazines including Vogue and Ebony and designers including Hubert de Givenchy, Thierry Mugler, Issey Miyake and her brother Willi Smith.

Parade Magazine said Smith worked with her brother Willi Smith as well as illustrators Alvaro and Antonio Lopez and photographers Jean-Paul Goude and Guy Bourdin. People.com said Willi Smith died in 1987 of complications from AIDS at age 39.

On acting, Parade Magazine said Smith was best known for playing Eva Rawley on 227. People.com said she joined the cast of 227 in 1989 as Eva alongside Marla Gibbs and also appeared in season 4 of Miami Vice as Angie opposite Don Johnson, as well as in '90s films including Talkin' Dirty After Dark, I Like It Like That and The Preacher's Wife.

The outlets agree on the core facts: Smith died at 74 after a long battle with multiple sclerosis, and her death was announced by her twins Airyn and Julian, whom she welcomed with Robert De Niro via surrogate on Oct. 20, 1995. Parade Magazine said the pair were together from 1988 to 1996, while People.com said they began dating in 1988 and reportedly split in 1994 before getting back together, per the New Yorker.

Smith's children have largely maintained private lives despite their connection to the Hollywood star. Airyn made headlines in 2025 when she publicly discussed her identity as a transgender woman.