They may not always be up for performing their own risky stunts these days, but older actors are repeatedly proving they are up to the task of fathering children.
At 83, Al Pacino is the latest A-lister of grandparent age to take on a role beyond the silver screen — announcing his girlfriend, Noor Alfallah, 29, has welcomed a baby boy named Roman.
And he is in good company as his buddy and Heat co-star Robert De Niro has just confirmed he has become a dad for the seventh time at 79.
But they are not alone in what is quickly becoming an old dad’s club — which is assembling a cast to match a film directed by George Lucas (who is also on this list!) or even Clint Eastwood, who is 93.
Comedian Chelsea Handler poked fun at the “epidemic” of older men having children late in life.
In a video posted to Twitter, Handler, 48, said: “There’s a new epidemic sweeping [America], and no, it’s not another virus.”
“Don’t even get me started on these four horny old men, who have never met a broken condom they didn’t like,” Handler said. “They cannot stop procreating.”
Here are 10 celebrities who might be among the eldest to turn up for parents’ evening — if there is even such a concept in Hollywood.
Sir Elton John
Sir Elton was 63 and approaching retirement age (as if!) when he and his partner fulfilled a dream to become dads, back in 2010. They had their son by surrogate and then, three years later, welcomed a second child into the family.
George Lucas
The American Graffiti director (that’s his most famous film, right?) most recently became a dad in 2013, aged 69. He had his first child back in 1981 — shortly after Luke Skywalker found out his true ancestry, to reference a lesser-known Lucas film that came out in 1980.
Clint Eastwood
Today Clint Eastwood turns 93. You've known each other for many years, played golf together and starred in his movie True Crime. What are your impressions of working with him? Do you have favourite Eastwood's movies? pic.twitter.com/7ogzKTDWIN
— Финист Ясный Сокол (@AndrewFinist) May 31, 2023
Another legendary actor/director with a connection to Noor Alfallah — although the two were only ever friends, according to Pacino’s girlfriend. Eastwood is 93 today (May 31) and had his latest child at the tender age of 63, bringing his total to eight.
Billy Joel
The musician was 71 when his fourth and current wife, Alexis Roderick, gave birth to Remy Anne in 2017 aged 35. Joel is set to perform at British Summer Time in Hyde Park this year.
Mick Jagger
Joel and Jagger have little in common musically but might be able to swap notes on parenting in their 70s as the latter had his most recent child at 73. In 2016, Jagger fathered a son who he gave the refreshingly down-to-earth name of Deveraux Octavian Basil Jagger. He is also the former boyfriend of Alfallah.
Steve Martin
In Cheaper by the Dozen, Martin’s character has… well, 12 children — but it wasn’t until 2012, when he was 67, that he had a child of his own. Mary Martin was born from his marriage with Anne Stringfield.
Jeff Goldblum
Surprisingly, Goldblum is now 70 but fathered his first child at the age of 62. Sons River Joe and Charlie Ocean entered the lives of him and wife Emilie Livingston in 2014.
Alec Baldwin
At the age of 62, Baldwin had his youngest daughter, Ilaria Catalina Irena, with his wife, Hilaria. The actor now has eight offspring from two marriages.
Robert De Niro
One of the elder statesmen, even on this list, is De Niro — whose career has taken a turn for the better with recent roles in The Irishman, Joker, and Amsterdam, offsetting the mid-2010s slump of Dirty Grandpa and Grudge Match. This month he announced he welcomed his seventh child; this latest arrival is with girlfriend Tiffany Chen.
Al Pacino
Not to be outdone by his fellow Italian-American acting contemporary, Pacino revealed today that he has had a baby with Kuwaiti-American film producer Noor Alfallah. This is his fourth child.
He might have trumped De Niro in terms of fathering at a late age (83 vs 79) but the internet is now debating which of the two was the better looking at a younger age. Not that their age appears to be hampering their abilities to get lucky.
