Actor Luke Wilson has confirmed he is a first-time father at 54, welcoming a baby with his girlfriend Kendall Yates, 24. The Old School and Legally Blonde star expressed pride in his new role during the premiere of his Netflix series The Hawk.
Baby news confirmed at premiere
Wilson revealed the news while attending the Los Angeles premiere of The Hawk alongside co-star Will Ferrell. Reports earlier in the week suggested the couple had recently welcomed their first child after they were seen arriving at the Resort at Pelican Hill in Newport Beach, California, carrying a baby carrier for the show's press reception. The couple have not publicly disclosed the baby's name or sex.
Long-held ambition fulfilled
Speaking to Entertainment Tonight at the premiere, Wilson said: 'It's just what everybody says about it, but I'm just trying to do a good job. I'm very proud to be a dad.' The actor has long spoken about wanting children, inspired by his older brothers Owen Wilson, 57, and Andrew Wilson, 61, who are fathers. In a 2020 appearance on Conan O'Brien's show, Wilson said: 'I get along great with (my family's kids); they are really fun kids. ... they're great little kids and definitely the kind that make me want to have some kids of my own, which I should get on sooner rather than later.'
Later-in-life fatherhood
Wilson previously joked about becoming a father later in life, referencing actor Anthony Quinn, who had a child at 80. 'I just don't want to be one of those dads that has to pay somebody in the neighbourhood to throw the football with his kid (when) he can't,' he quipped. Wilson has dated Drew Barrymore and Gwyneth Paltrow in the past.
Wilson family dynasty
Alongside his best-known film roles, Wilson is recognised for The Royal Tenenbaums, Idiocracy, Stargirl and the TV series Enlightened. The Wilson family remains one of Hollywood's best-known acting dynasties. In a 2023 interview with The Knockturnal, Wilson said of children: 'I try, for better or worse, treat (children) as adults, as equals.'
