De Niro + Smith Attend Mandela's Birthday Dinner

ROBERT DE NIRO, WILL SMITH, OPRAH WINFREY and SIR BOB GELDOF attended a private dinner to celebrate NELSON MANDELA's 90th birthday on Wednesday night (25Jun08).

The former South African president hosted the dinner in London's Hyde Park - the same venue his birthday concert will be held in on Friday (27Jun08).

In a tribute to the former premier, U.S. talk show host Winfrey said: "What is so special is that you spend 27 years in prison, you come out and you do the thing that everyone thought was impossible to do - become president of the nation and change the way people feel about Africa, and then you get to live to celebrate 90.

"I just don't know anybody who deserves this more or anybody who we should be gathered around literally at his feet to say thank you for all that he has given the world."

The fundraising dinner party is just one of a week-long series of events in the U.K. to honour Mandela.