Three-time Oscar winner Michelle Pfeiffer is a mom of two.
The Hollywood star shares her daughter, Claudia, and son, John, with her husband, TV writer and producer David E. Kelley.
Pfeiffer had initially entered into private adoption proceedings before meeting Kelley, and in March 1993, she welcomed a newborn daughter, Claudia Rose, into her family. Pfeiffer and Kelly wed in November 1993, and less than a year later, they welcomed their son, John Henry.
In 2007, when her children were still growing up, Pfeiffer opened up to Good Housekeeping about her hopes for Claudia and John.
“I want them to be fighters; I want them to be survivors; I want them to have something they believe in and to stay true to themselves,” she said. “My grandmother raised five children during the Depression by herself … She was a real survivor, so that’s my stock. That’s how I want my kids to be too.”
MICHELLE PFEIFFER INSTAGRAM
Pfeiffer also took a break from Hollywood to focus on family but made a return to acting once her children grew up.
“I’m an empty nester now,” Pfeiffer told Interview in 2017. “I’ve never lost my love for acting. I feel really at home on the movie set. I’m a more balanced person, honestly, when I’m working. But I was pretty careful about where I shot and how long I was away, whether or not it worked out with the kids’ schedule. And I got so picky that I was unhirable. And then … I don’t know, time just went on … I disappeared, yeah.”
During an appearance on The Skinny Confidential Him & Her Podcast in 2023, the Hairspray actress revealed it was her two children that prompted her to take on more projects again. “So I remember actually it was my kids,” she recalled. “They said, ‘Mom, are you ever gonna go back to work?’ I said, ‘What do you mean? Isn’t it great that I’m home?’ “
Here’s everything to know about Michelle Pfeiffer’s two children.
Claudia Rose Pfeiffer, 31
Pfeiffer adopted her daughter Claudia in March 1993. Claudia’s arrival came two months after Pfeiffer met Kelley on a blind date.
“The adoption process was already in motion when he and I met,” Pfeiffer explained to Good Housekeeping in 2007. “So when she came, he and I had only been together for about two months. So we had this child with us right away, and most people don’t have that. But I really got to see him in a situation that certainly would separate the boys from the men. Obviously, he really rose to the occasion.”
In the same interview, the Scarface actress also gushed about then-14-year-old Claudia, whom she called “a force to be reckoned with, and an amazing human being.”
“Boy, there’s nothing typical about my girl,” she said. “I wanted her to be a really independent, outspoken young woman, and I sure got that! She’s also very creative and inquisitive. And what’s exciting about this age is that she’s really coming into her own. She’s everything I’d hoped she would be.”
KEVORK DJANSEZIAN/GETTY
Claudia received a bachelor’s degree in Slavic languages and literatures from Princeton University in 2015. She went on to earn two degrees from Columbia University: a master’s degree in Russian literature in 2019 and a master of philosophy in Slavic languages in 2021.
And while she has largely stayed out of the spotlight, she has made a few appearances with her family over the years. In 2007, Claudia joined her family at the premiere of Hairspray and also posed for a photo with her parents at the 2010 Oscars.
In June 2021, the Stardust actress shared a rare selfie with her daughter on Instagram. The sweet shot showed the mother-daughter duo smiling into the camera.
“Out on the town with my girl,” Pfeiffer captioned the post, adding a red heart emoji.
John Henry Kelley, 29
KEVIN WINTER/GETTY
Pfeiffer and Kelley welcomed their son, John Henry Kelley II — who was named after Kelley’s father, U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Coach John Henry “Jack” Kelley – in August 1994.
Like his older sister, John has stayed out of the public eye. He did, however, join his family at the 2007 premiere of Hairspray. He also supported his mother when she received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame the same year.
John and Claudia also inspired some of their father’s material when they were younger. During a 2022 appearance on Live with Kelly and Ryan, Pfeiffer admitted that Kelley “once wrote a scene” about one of their children’s experience with lice.
“One of them got hair lice in elementary school,” the actress explained. “And it took three of us working on these kids’ heads to get rid of those nits.”
“And I turned to [Kelley] and said, ‘If I see this in one of these shows…’ And of course, it was in one of his shows,” she added.
In September 2021, the Pfeiffer posted an adorable black-and-white picture of herself and her then-young children on Instagram to celebrate National Daughter and Son Day.
“I love these two rascals,” she captioned the post. “From the moment they were born they gave me and continue to give my life a depth of meaning beyond measure. 18 months apart. Best friends. Inseparable.
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