When it comes to having children, not everyone can or wants to make the leap at a young age. And the same goes for famous people. In fact, many celebrities choose to become parents in their forties, fifties, sixties, and even seventies. Robert De Niro just became a dad at 79 years old — although, if you think that’s impressive, the Guinness World Records lists the oldest-ever father at 92! There are plenty of older famous parents like De Niro, too. So, here are the oldest celebrities to have had kids, ranked. Any ideas about who takes the top spot?
40 years: Brooke Shields
Looking to add a second new face to her family, Brooke Shields was convinced that her efforts would be in vain after years of struggle. She and her hubby Chris Henchy had tried IVF and explored various other avenues, too, all to no avail.
But their luck finally changed in 2006 when Shields gave birth to a little girl named Grier.
42 years: Bradley Cooper
After making it big in Hollywood, Bradley Cooper turned his attention towards building a family with his then-girlfriend Irina Shayk. The actor became a dad for the first time in 2017; the pair named their daughter Lea De Seine Shayk Cooper.
And while they’re no longer together now, it’s believed the parents have joint custody.
42 years: Madonna
After years spent cementing herself as an icon in the music industry, Madonna switched her sights to motherhood in the 1990s. She’d welcomed her first child in 1996 when she was 38, before giving birth to Rocco in 2000.
And since then, Madonna has adopted four more kids. Just imagine how lively that household must’ve got from time to time!
43 years: Vince Vaughn
The year 2010 was a big one for Hollywood funnyman Vince Vaughn. You see, not only did he tie the knot with Kyla Weber, but he also became a dad for the first time a little while later, too.
Vaughn was 40 when his daughter Lochlyn arrived; a second new face was added to the family in 2013 following the birth of Vernon.
43 years: Nicole Kidman
Having battled fertility issues for years, Nicole Kidman had some extremely happy news to share in 2008 at the age of 41. Yes, the Hollywood star welcomed her first biological child into the world during that period alongside her hubby Keith Urban.
They named the baby Sunday Rose. From there, the pair had their second kid via a surrogate in 2010. The younger children joined Connor and Isabella — the two children Kidman had adopted while she had been married to Tom Cruise — in the Kidman clan.
43 years: Milla Jovovich
Already a mom to two daughters, Milla Jovovich revealed that she was expecting a third in 2019. Mind you, the actress was very candid in sharing her fears, having suffered a miscarriage prior to that.
“Because of my age and losing the last pregnancy I didn’t want to get attached to this potential baby too quickly,” she noted on Instagram. Thankfully, though, Osian Lark Elliot Anderson arrived safe and sound in February 2020.
43 years: Michelle Duggar
When Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar’s reality TV show started in 2008 on TLC, it was called 17 Kids and Counting. But as the pair added two more faces to their huge family, the title eventually changed to 19 the following year.
Michelle’s last pregnancy to date ended prematurely, with baby Josie arriving after six months and tipping the scales at a mere 1 lb, 6 oz.
45 years: Susan Sarandon
Between the ages of 39 and 45 Susan Sarandon gave birth to three children. But motherhood wasn’t something that had always been part of her life-plan!
The Hollywood star explained to Time Out New York, “I wasn’t in a hurry, but I actually had a medical condition and was told I could never be a mother. It was just such a freak [thing] that I got pregnant that I thought I can’t ignore this. And so I jumped.”
45 years: Iman
Famed model Iman had got her first taste of motherhood during her 20s, welcoming Zulekha into the world prior to her relationship with David Bowie. But she had to wait until her mid-40s before giving birth to her second little girl, Alexandria.
Speaking in 2009 to Parade magazine, Iman noted, “People talk about the miracle of birth. No. There’s the miracle of conception. I did IVF, but nothing happened. So, I began to think of adoption, and then I got pregnant. It was definitely a miracle.”
45 years: Alanis Morissette
Not content to settle for just two children with her hubby Mario Treadway, Alanis Morissette looked to become a mother-of-three in her mid-40s. And the famous musician got her wish in 2019.
She delivered baby Winter that August: would the couple have named him Summer if he had arrived a few months later? He joined his brother Ever and sister Onyx at the family home.
47 years: Halle Berry
During a May 2014 appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Halle Berry opened up about the birth of her seven-month-old child Maceo. The actress, who had been 47 at the time, said, “They call it a geriatric pregnancy.
I was, you know, on my way… this is probably TMI, but I was really, you know, kinda premenopausal. So to have this happen was a huge [shock].”
47 years: Jay-Z
A legend in the music industry, Jay-Z entered the world of parenthood with his wife Beyoncé when he was 43 years old. Their little girl, Blue Ivy, arrived in 2012.
But the famous couple didn’t stop there: a few years on from that big moment, two more faces joined the family in 2017 in the shape of twins Sir and Rumi. Jay-Z and Beyoncé’s home life must be pretty hectic now!
48 years: Hilary Swank
A two-time Oscar-winner, Hilary Swank boasts a Hollywood career that few other actresses can touch. But away from the big screen, the star shared some wonderful news on Good Morning America in 2022.
“I’m gonna be a mom,” she beamed. “And not just of one, but of two. I can’t believe it.” Swank eventually gave birth to her twins in April 2023 and soon posted a sweet snap on her Instagram page.
48 years: Rachel Weisz
By the time that Rachel Weisz and Daniel Craig had their first child together in 2018 the actress already boasted plenty of parenting experience: her son was almost a teenager at that point. But as Weisz admitted in 2020 to magazine Harper’s Bazaar, “I’m more tired than I was last time; this car has more miles on it.
But I’m really having fun, I’m really enjoying it, it’s a real blessing.”
49 years: Laura Linney
Years before she gave birth to her son, actress Laura Linney was desperate to have a child. The big moment finally came when she was nearly 50, welcoming baby Bennett into the world.
“I’m certainly not an advocate for having children later, but for me, it’s been wonderful and I’m deeply grateful,” Linney told newspaper The Guardian in 2017. “People would say to me, ‘Your life’s going to change.’ Good! I want my life to change.”
50 years: Janet Jackson
Janet Jackson’s fans were in for a big shock in 2017 following a major announcement. Yep, the music superstar had given birth to a baby boy named Eissa.
And she couldn’t have been happier! Speaking to magazine InStyle, Jackson admitted, “I feel most beautiful when I’m with my son, because of the gift that God has given me and that he allowed me to do so at that age.”
50 years: Naomi Campbell
Naomi Campbell has been no stranger to the spotlight across the years. But in May 2021 the superstar model was making headlines for a very different reason: she’d become a mom for the first time.
“I always knew that one day I would be a mother, but it’s the biggest joy I could ever imagine,” Campbell told magazine Vogue in 2022. “I’m lucky to have her and I know that.”
52 years: Katey Sagal
Already a mom-of-two from a previous relationship, Katey Sagal thought about welcoming a third kid into her home after tying the knot with Kurt Sutter. To start with, the TV star had looked into the adoption process, only to realize that was more complex than she had originally anticipated.
So instead, Sagal had a baby daughter via a surrogate in 2007.
53 years: Dennis Quaid
In his 50s Dennis Quaid became a father-of-three following the birth of his twins through a surrogate. This wasn’t a Parent Trap situation, either: he had a boy and a girl!
Their names are Zoe and Thomas. In a terrifying moment, though, the actor nearly lost them after they received an accidental blood thinner overdose. Fortunately, the babies survived the ordeal.
54 years: Brigitte Nielsen
After welcoming her fifth kid into the world, actress Brigitte Nielsen shared some strong words with People magazine in 2018. She said, “Some women think, ‘Oh my God, I’m too old.’ I can understand people saying, ‘How dare she?’ But how many men have their first kids in their 60s and 70s and they never doubt it?
I respect the fact that not everybody likes it and agrees with it, but it is my life.”
56 years: George Clooney
Hollywood has had its fair share of eligible bachelors over the decades, but few could touch George Clooney at the peak of his powers. Would he ever find love?
Well, the movie star eventually found his soulmate in the form of Amal Alamuddin, whom he married in 2014. From there, Clooney then became a dad for the first time three years later.
56 years: David Letterman
A TV legend, David Letterman was a mainstay on our screens from the mid-1970s. But away from the cameras, the iconic host didn’t feel the need to build a family until his mid-50s.
In 2003 Letterman and his partner, Regina Lasko, had their first kid together: a baby boy named Harry. After that, they got married in 2009.
57 years: Hugh Grant
In March 2018 when Elizabeth Hurley was a guest on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen, she made the most surprising of announcements. On the subject of her former partner Hugh Grant, the actress said, “He had another [baby] last week.
He has five. He was over 50 when he spawned them all. He’s an enchanting dad. Really, really sweet.”
60 years: Al Pacino
On the acting front, Al Pacino ended a four-year hiatus in 1989 with the thriller Sea of Love. And that wasn’t the only significant moment from that year, either: the Hollywood legend also became a parent for the first time!
Yep, Al said hello to baby Julie Marie Pacino during that exciting spell. Then, in 2001, he fathered twins.
61 years: Paul McCartney
After adopting his first daughter at the end of the 1960s Paul McCartney went on to father four biological children over the next 30-plus years. The youngest arrived in 2003 when The Beatles icon was in his 60s; the new arrival was named Beatrice Milly McCartney.
And it’s a job that Paul wouldn’t give up for anything. “I love being a dad,” he enthused to newspaper The Daily Telegraph in 2009.
61 years: Kelsey Grammer
How’s this for a magnificent seven? Between 1983 and 2016 Kelsey Grammer fathered seven children from four different relationships, welcoming his youngest, Auden James Ellis Grammer, in his seventh decade.
“It’s the greatest experience in the world, the joy every day of being with my kids,” the beloved actor informed People in February 2023. “[My life has] never been better.”
62 years: Cary Grant
One of Hollywood’s greatest leading men, Cary Grant enjoyed an incredible career on the big screen. His personal life was pretty eventful as well: he got hitched five times prior to his passing in 1986 when he was 82.
Despite all those marriages, though, the iconic actor had his one and only child in his 60s, with Jennifer Grant arriving in 1966.
64 years: Jeff Goldblum
No matter his age, Jeff Goldblum just oozes cool. And in his mid-60s he became a father-of-two following the arrival of River Joe in April 2017.
“I’m glad I waited [to become a parent],” the actor said to People. “It feels great to do it right now, because all the things I’m considering are perfectly suited to the big questions and challenges of having kids, and what you want to expose them to.”
64 years: Alec Baldwin
Alec Baldwin’s clan was already pretty sizable prior to September 2022. At that point, the patriarch had seven kids from two separate relationships.
But the Hollywood star added an eighth to the total when Hilaria Baldwin gave birth to a little girl named Ilaria Catalina Irena that month. Their epic family portraits just got even bigger!
66 years: Clint Eastwood
As a dad to eight kids, Clint Eastwood has certainly been busy away from the cameras. Yet compared to his past efforts, he believes that he’s been a “better father” to his youngest child, Morgan, since her birth in 1996.
“My daughter takes precedence over everything,” Eastwood revealed to The Daily Telegraph in 2008. “I go to all the softball games and look ridiculous out there because almost everybody's got a much younger father than me. But it’s fun.”
66 years: Nick Nolte
In the fall of 2007 sixty-something Nick Nolte and his partner Clytie Lane had their first baby together: a little girl named Sophie. She was the actor’s second child, and the pair have since gone on to share a rather unique rapport.
As Nolte in 2018 told newspaper the New York Post, “She calls me ‘Grandpa.’ I asked her why, and she said, ‘Because you’re twice the age of most of my friends’ parents!’”
66 years: Rod Stewart
Few musicians can touch the career Rod Stewart’s enjoyed over the years. And there are probably even fewer who can match the size of his family!
Yep, the singer is a father to eight kids, with his youngest, Aiden, arriving in 2011. Stewart was in his mid-60s at the time, having welcomed his first child at the age of 18 in 1963.
66 years: Larry King
After becoming a dad for the fourth time in 1999 in his mid-60s, few people could’ve predicted that Larry King would have another baby just a year later. But that’s exactly what happened when his spouse, Shawn Southwick King, gave birth to Cannon Edward King.
She was Larry’s seventh wife, in case you were curious.
67 years: Steve Martin
While lots of people will know him best for his paternal role in Father of the Bride, Steve Martin didn’t become a dad until he was well into his 60s. Mary was delivered by his spouse in December 2012.
Speaking to David Letterman a short time later, the Hollywood star beamed, “It’s going great, because I have a wonderful wife and mother.”
68 years: Billy Joel
Some two years after he became a father-of-two, Billy Joel welcomed his third child in 2017. And that’s since led to a couple of awkward moments!
The musician informed Rolling Stone magazine, “I take [them] to school and one of the other parents will go, ‘Oh, your granddaughter’s so cute.’ I still love being a dad. I didn’t know that I’d be a father again at this age, but I’m glad I am. They keep you young.”
69 years: George Lucas
George Lucas’ name will forever be tied to the Star Wars franchise. After all, he created it!
Outside of that, though, the Hollywood legend boasts a solid family unit, having adopted three kids. And he added his first biological child to that line-up in 2013 when he and his partner, Mellody Hobson, had a daughter via a surrogate.
70 years: Richard Gere
At the age of 50, Pretty Woman star Richard Gere had become a first-time dad. But then, around 19 years later, he welcomed his second kid into the world in 2019.
And the good news kept coming from the Gere household. In April 2020 it was confirmed that the actor had become a father once again. We wonder if he could’ve predicted that two decades ago?
73 years: Charlie Chaplin
One of Hollywood’s most famous silent-movie stars, Charlie Chaplin had 94 big-screen credits to his name across his career. And the actor’s home life was equally busy: he fathered 11 kids between 1919 and 1962.
Charlie was in his early 70s when his youngest, Christopher James Chaplin, was welcomed into the world. These days Christopher plies his trade as a musical composer.
73 years: Mick Jagger
Just weeks before 2016’s festive period, music icon Mick Jagger became a dad once more. Yes, he welcomed his eighth child at that time: Deveraux Octavian Basil Jagger.
So it’s fair to say that he’s had a lot of experience! Plus, the Rolling Stones star was already a grandfather and great-grandfather when his youngest son arrived.
79 years: Robert De Niro
How was this for a big surprise? While chatting with ET Canada in May 2023 Robert De Niro was asked a question about his six kids.
The acting heavyweight then responded, “Seven, actually. I just had a baby.” Yep, just a few weeks prior, he and his girlfriend Tiffany Chen had become the proud parents of a little girl named Gia Virginia. Quite the way to announce it!