Culture
Kelsey Grammer and Other Famous Dads Who Became Fathers Later in Their Lives
Kelsey Grammer, an already father of seven, made the family bigger by one with Kayte Walsh
On the Oct. 27 episode of the Pod Meets World podcast, Kelsey Grammer disclosed that he and wife Kayte Walsh welcomed their fourth child together — and his eighth — just a few days before.
“We just had our fourth one, so it just became eight kids,” Grammer mentioned, and later he added, “Christopher just joined the family,”
Kelsey Grammer and Kayte Walsh are parents to three daughters and two sons: Faith (13), Gabriel (11), and James (8). Grammer’s seven kids are fully grown children Spencer (42) with ex Doreen Alderman, Greer (33) from a past relationship with Barrie Buckner, Mason (24) with ex Camille Grammer, and Jude (21), and young ones Christopher, Faith, Gabriel, and James.
Kelsey Grammer, 70, embraces fatherhood again — “a real gift”
After the birth of his eighth child, Kelsey Grammer said that becoming a dad again at 70 has been “a real gift.” In an interview with The Guardian he said he was “in a place that I’ve never been happier workwise” and now he has time for the family, calling later‑life parenting a chance “to kinda try it again.”
Glemmer told People that he is “playing catch up with some of the older ones” and he is trying to make up for those times when the kids were neglected: “I’m still their dad, so you can always have [a] chance to show up.”
Al Pacino, 83, welcomes his son Roman – fatherhood later in life
The representative of the never-married Al Pacino announced in 2023 that the Oscar winner and girlfriend Noor Alfallah are the parents of a son named Roman.
Moreover, Pacino has a daughter Julie Marie (born 1989) with Jan Tarrant and twins Anton James and Olivia Rose (born 2001) with ex Beverly D’Angelo.
When talking about the new member of the family, Pacino called the moment “very special” and he pointed to the fact of becoming a parent again at such a late stage of life as the most important one.
Robert De Niro, 79, and girlfriend Tiffany Chen, 37, welcomed their daughter Gia Virginia Chen De Niro — fatherhood later in life
Robert De Niro and Tiffany Chen became parents to their daughter Gia Virginia Chen De Niro on April 6, 2023. The actor was 79 years old and it is his seventh child. De Niro has a total of seven children, including one adopted daughter Drena (adopted, 1971), Raphael (1976), twins Julian and Aaron (1995), Elliot (1998) and Helen Grace.
Reflecting on parenthood, he told Access Hollywood that “you know you have your responsibility,” calling raising children “a mystery… a lot of excitement. But it’s scary and you do your best.”
Jeff Goldblum, 62, refers fatherhood as “revivifying” – admires Emilie for “heroic” parenting
Jeff Goldblum and his wife Emilie Livingston were 62 when they had son Charlie Ocean on July 4, 2015; their second son, River Joe, was born on April 7, 2017. Goldblum in an interview with TODAY in 2022 shared that being a father at 70 was “revivifying” and couldn’t stop admiring Emilie – “She is beyond heroic of the most unimaginable.” He also acknowledged parenting’s ups and downs, describing children as “sometimes maddening and very volatile… feral creatures unleashed,” yet at the same time, he was praising the tenderness and delight they brought.
Mick Jagger, 73, has welcomed another child, making him a father for the eighth time–the prodigal rocker fatherhood continues
Mick Jagger at the age of 73 became a father for the eighth time. The Rolling Stones front man and ballerina girlfriend Melanie Hamrick are the parents of a son, Deveraux Octavian Basil Jagger, who was born on Dec. 8, 2016. Jagger’s other children are Karis Hunt (1970), Jade Jagger (1971), Elizabeth “Lizzy” Scarlett (1984), James (1985), Gabriel (1987), Lucas (1999) and Georgia May (1992).
Mick Jagger: Granddad and great-grandfather who says parenthood “is a lot of work”
On the other hand, the Rolling Stones frontman, a granddad of five and a great-grandfather to daughter Jade’s two little girls, has not hesitated to talk about the teething troubles of parenthood. “It’s very hard to be a good father, it doesn’t matter what your profession,” he said, while adding that being a good parent “is a lot of work – you need a lot of time.” Jagger confessed that he thinks of his children when he is on the road and watching their conduct, chuckling that they already get into a “rock’n’roll routine” at such an early age: “Oh my god, 6 and you’re already doing it.”
Ronnie Wood: Twins, grandfather of six and studio dad at 69
One of the six children is the Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood. In addition, he is a proud grandfather of six. Together with his third wife, Sally Humphreys, he became the father of twin girls, Gracie Jane and Alice Rose, on May 30, 2016, only two days before his 69th birthday.
“Ronnie and I are very fortunate to have life,” Sally told Hello! in September 2018. “We take nothing for granted.” She has been sharing sweet stories of how the twins very soon loved going with their dad to work: the girls wear little ear defenders in the studio, they press buttons on the sound desk and get to watch him in his element. “The girls absolutely have him under their spell,” she said, while describing the playful, hands‑on moments that come with being a musician’s family.
Rod Stewart: Children later in life and a surprise family reunion
Rod Stewart and his third wife Penny Lancaster were 60 and 58 years old respectively when son Alastair Wallace Stewart was born on Nov. 27, 2005, and they were 66 and 64 respectively when their youngest, Aiden Patrick Stewart, was born on Feb. 16, 2011.
Rod re-established contact with Sarah Streeter, the daughter he had at 18 with Susannah Boffey and put up for adoption, when he was 65. “Since mom has passed, Rod has really made a big entrance in my life,” Sarah said in 2010 after the death of her adoptive mother. “Now we’re starting a whole new chapter, and that’s great.”
Besides this, Rod is the father of Kimberly Stewart (Aug. 21, 1979) and Sean Stewart (Sept. 1, 1980) from his first marriage with Alana Hamilton; Ruby Stewart (June 17, 1987) with Kelly Emberg; and Renee (June 1, 1992) and Liam (Sept. 5, 1994) with second wife Rachel Hunter.
Paul McCartney: Fatherhood across decades — Beatrice born when he was 61
Paul, during his 29 years of marriage with Linda, became a father to Mary, Stella, and James and also adopted Linda’s daughter Heather. On Oct. 28, 2003, when Paul was 61, he and his second wife, Heather Mills, had a daughter named Beatrice. The two parted ways in 2008. In 2011, McCartney tied the knot with Nancy Shevell.
“When it comes to being a dad, I have always just tried to give my kids a bit of guidance, if they seemed to need it—however, that was mostly when they were young,” McCartney stated in an interview in January 2023. “Since they are grown up now, they are the ones who guide me! … I am very glad to be the person they come to if there is ever a problem.”
Clint Eastwood: Father of eight — had a son again at 66 and later met an eldest daughter
Clint Eastwood, almost as extravagant off-screen as he was on, is a father of eight and was 66 when he and ex-wife Dina Ruiz brought daughter Morgan Eastwood into the world on Dec. 12, 1996. Besides that, he didn’t get to know his eldest daughter, Laurie Murray — she was born in 1954 and was given up for adoption — until she was in her 30s; it is said that they got in touch again in the 1980s and from then on they have stayed in contact.
Clint Father of eight – both biological and across eras, a kind of vintage heritage
The children of Clint Eastwood are actually his grandchildren as well: Kimber Lynn Eastwood (born June 17, 1964) with Roxanne Tunis; Kyle Eastwood (May 19, 1968) and Alison Eastwood (May 22, 1972) with first wife Maggie Johnson; Laurie Murray (born 1954, adopted) whom he met again in the 1980s; Scott Eastwood (March 21, 1986) and Kathryn Ann Eastwood (Feb. 2, 1988) with Jaclyn Reeves; Francesca Eastwood (Aug. 7, 1993) with Frances Fisher; and Morgan Eastwood (Dec. 12, 1996) with Dina Ruiz. The Dirty Harry star has spread the branches of the family tree to include five grandchildren. Son Scott has acknowledged his father’s traditional way of working and moral quality: “He brought me up with integrity—to be places on time, show up, and work hard.”
Steve Martin
The building was full of adults only until Martin turned 67 and he and his second wife, Anne Stringfield, had a daughter in early 2013—after which they have not only never revealed the name but also never shared the photo.
“If I had a child earlier, I would have been a bad father,” Steve Martin, the Father of the Bride star, told AARP The Magazine in 2017, “because I would have taken my career for my attention.”
He recognized the life pattern he had and said, “It really has been a nice gentle climb up to real, real happiness.”
Anthony Quinn: Late Parenthood and Becoming “a Better Father”
Anthony Quinn, the two-time Oscar winner, had a total of 12 children with different relationships, fathered 5 children with first wife Katherine DeMille, 3 with Jolanda Addolori, 2 with Friedel Dunbar, and 2 with Katherine Benvin. In 1997, at 82 years old, he married Benvin and was parenting little kids — daughter Antonia Patricia Rose (then 4) and son Ryan Nicholas (17 months). The actor stayed with Benvin until he passed away at 86 in 2001. Looking back at his last years as a parent, Quinn told Larry King in 2000, “I think that this time I’m a better father… I’m absolutely madly in love with my two children… I only spent one day, and I resented that day that I had to go away.”
Charlie Chaplin: the “Little Tramp” and his multigenerational family
With his second wife Lita Grey, Charlie Chaplin fathered two sons – Charles Spencer Chaplin III (born May 5, 1925) and Sydney Earl Chaplin (born March 30, 1926). Later on, in 1943, he got married to Oona O’Neill (she was 18, and he was 54) and thus, his fourth marriage brought him eight children. They were named Geraldine Leigh (born July 31, 1944), Michael John (born March 7, 1946), Josephine Hannah (born March 28, 1949), Victoria Agnes (born May 19, 1951), Eugene Anthony (born Aug. 23, 1953), Jane Cecil (born May 1957), Annette Emily (born Dec. 1959), and Christopher James (born July 8, 1962) – Chaplin was 73 when Christopher was born.
Later, Geraldine embodied her grandmother Hannah Chaplin in the biopic Chaplin (1992) and revealed that Charlie Chaplin movies were their family viewing traditions which they commonly did.
Elton John and David Furnish Become Parents at 63 — Zachary and Elijah Were a Total Game
On Christmas Day, 2010, 63-year-old Elton John and his husband, David Furnish, welcomed their son, Zachary Jackson Levon Furnish‑John, via surrogate. Their son, Elijah Joseph Daniel Furnish‑John, was born on Jan. 11, 2013. John refers to the experience of having children as “changing everything” and says that his kids taught him the value of the simplest of moments, whereas Furnish, who is 12 years younger, has admitted that he feels fortunate to have become a parent when he was more mature and ready for the challenge.
Billy Joel: Fatherhood across decades — Alexa, Della Rose and Remy
First Billy Joel became a father of Alexa Ray Joel with Christie Brinkley on Dec. 29, 1985, later at 66 he became a father again when he and wife Alexis Roderick welcomed daughter Della Rose on Aug. 12, 2015, and then came Remy Anne on Oct. 22, 2017. “It feels fantastic,” Joel told Extra after Remy’s arrival, saying that he and his wife are probably “awake when they’re awake and … sleeping when they’re sleeping” in a very humorous way.
Larry King: Father of five — had two more sons Chance and Cannon at 65
Larry King had eight marriages and fathered five children. Out of his children, Andy (65) and Chai (51), he lost them before his own death in 2020. At the time of King’s death at 87 in 2021, he was survived by Larry Jr. (born 1961), his son from a previous marriage and younger sons with seventh wife Shawn Southwick — Chance (born March 1999, when King was 65) and Cannon (born May 2000). Looking back at those newborns in his family, King told The Guardian in 2015 that before Chance and Cannon he had been ‘so work‑oriented’ and he had to pay for it, which lead him to realize that ‘nothing is more important than your home life.’
