14 celebrities who became first-time dads after 50, from Elton John and George Clooney, to Simon Cowell, Andy Cohen, David Letterman and Star Wars voice talent James Earl Jones

Jul 4 , 2022

Simon Cowell, Elton John, Andy Cohen and 11 other celebrities who became first-time dads after 50. Photos: AP, @bravoandy/Instagram

Like Elton John, Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen also had their kids through surrogates, while Clooney said he didn’t realise how ‘empty’ life was until marriage and children

Warren Beatty and Annette Bening had their first child when he was 54, while Hugh Grant has had five kids since he was 50, and Jeff Goldblum has had two kids in his 60s

By the time most men reach 50, they’ve got adult children and are quite often already grandfathers (or the thought of it is dawning on them). But for some celebs, it’s only then that they get started on a family.

Here are 14 celebrities who became first-time dads after 50 …

James Earl Jones

James Earl Jones, now 91, became a father at 51 to his son, Flynn.

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

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

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

In 2019, he told the Today show, Willie Geist, 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.”