Most guys approaching 70 are planning retirement trips or enjoying grandparent duties. Not these celebrities. They’re having sleepless nights, dealing with school applications, and the chaos of raising young children while their peers settle into quieter routines.
Late-in-life fatherhood isn’t precisely new in Hollywood, but becoming a dad past 65 takes dedication. While the average man welcomes his first child around age 30, these celebrities prove parenthood doesn’t follow a timeline. Some are first-timers discovering fatherhood, while others are seasoned pros adding another little one to an already bustling household.
From Academy Award winners to rock icons, these famous fathers bring something younger dads often lack: patience earned through decades of experience, financial security that removes everyday stress, and the wisdom to know that this matters more than any red carpet moment.
Kelsey Grammer
The Frasier star just became a father of eight at 70. Kelsey Grammer and wife Kayte Walsh welcomed their fourth child, Christopher, in October 2025, marking their fourth child together since tying the knot in 2011. The Emmy winner casually dropped the news on the Pod Meets World podcast, mentioning it happened just days earlier with his characteristic dry humour.
Grammer’s family tree spans four decades. He shares daughter Spencer, 42, with his first wife, Doreen Alderman, and daughter Greer, 33, with his ex-girlfriend, Barrie Buckner. His second marriage to Camille Grammer produced a daughter, Mason, 24, and a son, Jude, 20. With Kayte, he’s created another branch: daughter Faith, 13, sons Gabriel, 11, and James, 8, now joined by baby Christopher.
Being an older dad offers unexpected advantages, according to Grammer. He’s openly admitted to neglecting his older children during his career-focused years, consumed by work pressures and ambition. Now, with established success and more free time, he’s fully present in ways he couldn’t manage before. The chance to course-correct and actually show up for his younger kids gives this chapter of fatherhood deeper meaning than simple biology.
Al Pacino
When The Godfather star became a father at 83, he made headlines as one of Hollywood’s oldest new dads. Al Pacino welcomed son Roman in June 2023 with then-girlfriend Noor Alfallah, who was 30 at the time. Roman joins his three older siblings: daughter Julie, 35, and twins Anton and Olivia, 24.
Pacino’s reflections on late fatherhood mix honest concern with genuine joy. He’s acknowledged that he wants to be around for Roman, hoping his son stays healthy enough to know him properly. In his 2024 memoir, he called having a baby at 84 nothing short of miraculous, emphasising how children fundamentally shift your perspective and change you for the better.
Although Pacino and Alfallah have since ended their romantic relationship, they remain committed co-parents. Alfallah has full physical custody while Pacino maintains visitation rights and involvement in major decisions about Roman’s life. The legendary actor doesn’t live with his youngest son but stays connected, acknowledging the limitations while embracing the love that comes with being a parent.
Robert De Niro
Robert De Niro caught everyone off guard in May 2023 when he casually mentioned during an ET Canada interview that he’d just welcomed his seventh child. Daughter Gia arrived when De Niro was 79, making him another octogenarian embracing newborn chaos. He shares Gia with girlfriend Tiffany Chen, whom he met years earlier on the set of The Intern.
Now 82, De Niro approaches late fatherhood with trademark pragmatism. He doesn’t pretend it’s easy at his age, but he accepts reality with grace. When asked how parenting has changed, he’s refreshingly honest: he’s older, things are different, and he has no choice but to embrace whatever life gives him.
Despite the challenges, De Niro describes time with Gia as pure joy. He’s admitted he doesn’t handle the heavy lifting, crediting Chen for doing the work while he provides support. But watching Gia brings him genuine peace. Everything he’s worried or consumed by melts away when he looks at her. Whether you’re a new dad at 30 or 79, the fundamental job remains the same: doing your best.
Mick Jagger
The Rolling Stones frontman welcomed his eighth child, son Deveraux, in 2016 at age 73 with ballerina Melanie Hamrick. Jagger’s children span five different relationships, creating a family dynamic that ranges from great-grandfather to father of a young child. He embodies the complexity and chaos that comes with decades of parenthood.
Jagger jokes about being out of practice, noting it’s not quite like riding a bike. With eight kids under his belt, he’s developed a more relaxed approach. The more children you have, he admits, the more laissez-faire you become about certain things. Each child brings their own personality, and as a parent, you can guide them to some extent while respecting their natural inclinations.
What made Deveraux different from his older children? Simple timing. When Deveraux was born, Jagger wasn’t touring constantly or maintaining a brutal work schedule. That luxury of time and presence meant he could actually be there in ways his earlier career wouldn’t permit.
Richard Gere
Richard Gere became a father again at 70 when he and his wife, Alejandra Silva, welcomed their second son in April 2020. They’d previously had a son, Alexander, in February 2019, when Gere was 69. With his eldest son, Homer, 25, from his marriage to Carey Lowell, the Pretty Woman star is now dad to three boys.
Gere credits fatherhood with transforming his entire perspective. All the small stuff that used to matter no longer registers when measured against what’s truly important. The cliches about parenthood? Turns out they’re all true.
Silva describes Gere as a devoted, present father who loves bedtime stories and quality time with their sons. The family now lives in Spain, Silva’s home country, raising their bilingual children immersed in Spanish culture. It’s a move Gere embraces enthusiastically, recognising the advantages of exposing his boys to different languages and experiences from an early age.
Billy Joel
The Piano Man first became a dad in 1985, but decades later, he and his fourth wife, Alexis Roderick, decided to expand their family. Billy Joel was 66 when they welcomed their daughter, Della, in 2015, and 68 when they welcomed their sister, Remy, in 2017.
Joel initially believed he was too old for more children. But having Della and Remy completely changed his thinking. The joy they bring at this stage of his life feels almost overwhelming in the best possible way. Unlike his earlier years, dominated by touring and career pressures, he now has time actually to be present.
That intentionality makes all the difference. Joel took fatherhood seriously this time around, making sure his younger daughters got everything they needed from him. The luxury of time and reduced professional demands mean family comes first in ways that wouldn’t have been possible during his peak performing years.
Reality of Older Fatherhood
Society typically raises eyebrows at men becoming fathers past retirement age. Fair enough. There are legitimate concerns about energy levels, health risks, and the uncomfortable mathematics around being present for major life milestones.
But these celebrities have genuine advantages that often get overlooked. Financial security removes enormous stress around providing for children. Career goals are already achieved, so work doesn’t constantly compete with family time. Decades of life experience provide wisdom that younger dads can’t access yet. And perhaps most crucially, they possess the emotional maturity to recognise that nothing else they’ll ever accomplish matters more than raising these children well.
