14 celebrities who became first-time dads after 50

Al Pacino and Robert De Niro have both made recent headlines for becoming dads again at the ages of 83 and 79, respectively. But they're not alone while the average age for a man in the US to become a dad is 30, some of Hollywood's biggest names welcomed their first child after 50.

Updated
  • Some celebrity dads have children later in life.
  • Elton John, Anderson Cooper, and Andy Cohen had their children through surrogates.
  • George Clooney became the father of twins at age 56 with his wife, Amal.

Al Pacino and Robert De Niro have both made recent headlines for becoming dads again at the ages of 83 and 79, respectively.

But they're not alone — while the average age for a man in the US to become a dad is 30, some of Hollywood's biggest names welcomed their first child after 50.

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From John Stamos to Andy Cohen, here are 13 celebrity dads who had their first child after their 50th birthdays.

James Earl Jones became a father at 51 to his son, Flynn.

James Earl Jones. Kevin Winter/Getty Images

Jones — who voiced the famous line "I am your father" to Luke Skywalker in "The Empire Strikes Back" — and his second wife, Cecilia Hart, who died of ovarian cancer in 2016, welcomed their son Flynn in 1982.

David Letterman became a dad when he was 56 years old.

David Letterman with his son, Harry, in 2017. ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images

Letterman's then-girlfriend Regina Lasko gave birth to their son, Harry, in 2003. Lasko and Letterman married in 2009.

He told the "Today" show's Willie Geist in 2019 that he feels "most secure" when he's with his son.

"People always say, 'Well you're not going to be the kid's best friend,'" Letterman said. "And I say, 'Screw that! Look at me. How much longer am I going to be around?' I want to be the best friend."

Sir Elton John became a father with husband David Furnish at 63 via surrogate.

Sir Elton John and David Furnish with their two sons. Dan Mullan/Getty Images

The couple has two children: Zachary Jackson Levon born in 2010, and Elijah Joseph Daniel born in 2013.

John told People that he wrote his 2019 memoir, "Me," for his sons.

"I wanted my boys to know what I was like and what happened, so that when I'm not here, they can read the book and read the truth," he said. "I just want them to understand what I was like when I went through the journey I had before I had them. How they made my life complete. How they've, you know, finished the circle. And that, you know, they were the last chapter in an incredible life."

Hugh Grant was 51 years old when he became a father in 2011.

Hugh Grant. Juan Naharro Gimenez / Getty Images

Grant has a total of five children — two with his ex, Tinglan Hong, and three with his wife, Anna Elisabet Eberstein.

Warren Beatty and Annette Bening had the first of their four children when Beatty was 54.

Annette Bening and Warren Beatty. Mark Von Holden/Invision/AP

The couple met when Beatty cast Bening in his 1991 film "Bugsy," and they tied the knot in 1992, two months after their first child was born.

"That's the biggest thing that's ever happened to me — and their mother," Beatty told People about his children in 2016. "That's bigger than fame, and it came not a moment too soon."

Steve Martin became a first-time father at 67 when his wife, Anne Stringfield, gave birth to their daughter in 2012.

Steve Martin and Anne Stringfield in 2007. JOE CORRIGAN/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images

"If I'd had a child earlier, I would have been a lousy father, because I would have misplaced my attention on my career," he told AARP in 2017.

When he was 54, Simon Cowell and girlfriend Lauren Silverman became parents to their son, Eric.

Simon Cowell and Lauren Silverman along with their son Eric in 2021. John Walton-Pool/Getty Images

Eric was born on Valentine's Day in 2014.

"When you become a dad, something clicks in you," he told the Daily Mail in 2019. "It's all about them ... You become very protective and importantly, part of the reason I changed everything in my life."

Jeff Goldblum became a father at 62.

Jeff Goldblum, his sons River Joe and Charlie Ocean, and his wife, Emilie Livingston, in 2017. Stephane Cardinale - Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images

Goldblum shares two sons, Charlie Ocean (born in 2015) and River Joe (born in 2017), with wife Emilie Livingston.

"Weekend at Bernie's" actor Jonathan Silverman became a dad at 51 with his wife, Jennifer Finnigan, in 2017.

Jennifer Finnigan and Jonathan Silverman with their daughter, Ella Jack. Charley Gallay/Getty Images for Heifer International

Silverman shared the news of his daughter Ella Jack's birth on Instagram.

"First we had each other. Then we had you. Now we have everything. Welcome to the world my sweet daughter," he wrote.

George Clooney welcomed twins Ella and Alexander with his wife, Amal, in 2017 at age 56.

Amal and George Clooney. Clemens Bilan/Getty Images

Clooney told Hoda Kotb on "Today" that he didn't realize what his life had been missing before having kids.

"I wasn't looking at life, going, 'My life will be unfulfilled without children,'" he said in 2021. "I felt like I had a pretty full life. Then I met Amal and realized that my life had been pretty empty. And then when you throw these two kids in there, then suddenly you realize how incredibly empty it was."

At 54 years old, John Stamos became a dad to his son, Billy, with his wife, Caitlin McHugh.

John Stamos with his son, Billy Stamos, and wife Caitlin McHugh in 2019. Paul Morigi/Getty Images for Capital Concerts, Inc.

Stamos named Billy, born in 2018, after his father.

Andy Cohen was 50 years old when his son, Benjamin Allen, was born in 2019 via surrogate.

Andy Cohen and his son in 2020. Gotham/GC Images

Cohen named his son after his grandfather, Ben Allen.

"I'm in love. And speechless. And eternally grateful to an incredible surrogate. And I'm a dad. Wow," he wrote in an Instagram post announcing his son's birth.

Cohen also has a daughter, Lucy Eve, who was born in April 2022. She was born via a different surrogate, but Cohen has said Ben and Lucy are "biological siblings."

Anderson Cooper welcomed his first son, Wyatt Morgan, in 2020 at age 53.

Anderson Cooper. Steven Ferdman / Stringer / Getty Images

"He is sweet and funny, happy and kind, and i love him more than I ever thought possible," Cooper wrote in an Instagram post on his son's first birthday in April.

He welcomed his second son, Sebastian, in February 2022.

Musician Bryan Adams is dad to two daughters. His first, Mirabella Bunny, was born when he was 51.

Bryan Adams on "The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon" in January 2023. Todd Owyoung/NBC via Getty Images

Adams and his partner, Alicia Grimaldi, now have two children: Mirabella Bunny, who was born in April 2011, and Lula Rosylea, who was born in February 2013.

"My second daughter Lula Rosylea arrived at tea time this week," Adams wrote on Facebook in 2013, Today.com reported. "The name Lula comes from Gene Vincent's 1958 song 'Be-Bop-A-Lula' and Rosylea is a play on the expression 'a rosie lee' which is cockney rhyming slang in London for 'a cup of tea' and pronounced the same.

"She was born in London and...she's my cup of tea."

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