Hugh Jackman is starring in one of the most highly-anticipated movies of the year, to put it lightly, and yet we might not know as much about Jackman’s life away from the screen as we wish we did. That means we’re super curious to hear more about his family.
There are actors who appear in stellar movies but who don’t seem all that fun or interesting offscreen, but we would say Hugh Jackman is impossible not to love. Between watching him skillfully host the 2009 Oscars and admiring him in movies ranging from the X-Men franchise to Kate and Leopold, we’d say we’re big fans. But while we sit around and hope that Ryan Reynolds is right about how good Deadpool & Wolverine is, let’s learn more about Hugh Jackman’s children.
Who are Hugh Jackman’s kids, who are named Oscar and Ava?
Hugh Jackman and his ex-wife Deborra-Lee Furness adopted two kids: Oscar Maximilian Jackman and Ava Eliot Jackman. According to Today.com, Oscar is the older sibling at 23 years old. His birthday is May 15th, 2000. Ava is five years younger, and was born on July 10th, 2005. While the couple isn’t together now, they all lived in a West Village, New York City apartment that was 11,000 square feet, according to Closer Weekly.
Jackman and Lee-Furness have told fans about their painful fertility challenges, and Jackman explained in a 2017 interview with People that after they chose to adopt, they found “the biggest need is in mixed-race kids,” and they adopted Oscar. Before that, Lee-Furness went through IVF and had miscarriages.
Based on their ages, it seems likely that Ava is getting ready for college now since she entered her final year of high school in the fall of 2023, and Oscar might have recently finished a four-year program. We’re not sure what their career dreams are, but we have a feeling that thanks to their dad’s successful yet humble nature, he’ll help steer them in a helpful direction. But while Jackman is, of course, super famous, we don’t know the details of his kids’ lives the way we have followed his long and awesome career. While a few photos have been snapped of the actor with each of his two kids, they seem to keep family time away from the paparazzi. (We get it, but we’re nosy, so we’d love to see more.)
Of course, we’re all thinking the same thing: what’s it like to have a literal superhero for a dad?! If we already liked Hugh Jackman a lot (and what’s not to like?), we’re going to love hearing some of the sweet things he’s said about being a dad. In a 2006 interview with Oprah.com, he said about his son, “I constantly tell Oscar about destiny. I tell him that he was always meant to come to us.” Jackman also told Deadline in 2022 that he makes sure that Ava and Oscar see him as a true human being, and not just a dad who doesn’t show them his emotions. He said, “I’m not hiding from them my vulnerabilities or my doubt or my worry.”
We also wish we could meet Oscar and Ava, because we want to thank them for Hugh Jackman’s decision to star in Deadpool & Wolverine. He said in an interview with The Daily Telegraph that while he initially turned it down, he realized that this was the right next step because he had a conversation with Oscar and Ava about “what do you want to do with your life? What is it you want to do if you could do anything?” We’re not only grateful he is teaming up with Ryan Reynolds… but we also think that’s the best advice we’ve ever heard, whether we have kids or not.