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Michelle Pfeiffer‘s iconic takes as Elvira in Scarface, Stephanie in Grease 2, and Catwoman in Batman Returns, are unforgettable to fans. What they may not know, however, are the intimate details of Michelle’s personal life.
The movie star is also mother to two children, an adopted daughter Claudia Rose Pfeiffer, and John Henry Kelley, whom she shares with husband David E. Kelley. Her children were, in fact, a major reason why the actress took some time away from the industry. “Raising kids is just consuming, and before I knew it three and a half years had gone by, and then it was five years,” she once told the New Yorker. “Then I must have been hankering to work again because I started thinking about it, and then my kids were ready for me to go back to work.”
Below we break down all you need to know about Michelle’s kids.
Claudia Rose Pfeiffer
Claudia Rose Pfeiffer is Michelle’s daughter she adopted in 1993 as a newborn, and, eight months later, the little one was christened at Michelle and David’s wedding.
“The adoption process was already in motion when he and I met,” Pfeiffer told 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.”
During the interview, Michelle also revealed how Claudia and her son, John, got along. “They’ve been close their whole lives, and they’re close in age. But don’t get me wrong: They have their moments of sibling conflict.”
She added, “Well, one thing that’s great about having kids, especially given my career, is that it forces you out of your narcissism. I mean, I’m in a career where my product is me. So it was nice to have something, someone, come along and take the focus off me. I really needed to give myself some distractions from myself.”
John Henry Kelley II
In August 1994, Michelle and David welcomed son, John Henry Kelley II, who was named after David’s father, US Hockey Hall of Fame Coach John Henry “Jack” Kelley. Michelle generally keeps John out of the spotlight, as not much is really known about her son.
In the aforementioned Good Housekeeping interview, Michelle shared a few more details about John’s early beginnings as a child. “When [John and Claudia] were little, they couldn’t have been more different — John was into trucks and Claudia was into kitty cats, and he was eating bugs and she wasn’t. But I just feel like I’ve been so blessed to have these two children.”
The actress has publicly gushed about David being an incredible father to both John and Claudia. “I chose really well with David. I got really lucky,” she once told Parade. In 2020, Michele shared a heartfelt Instagram post to mark her anniversary with the Big Little Lies producer and father to her kids. “My one and only for 27 years. Happy Anniversary to my love @davidekelleyproductions,” she wrote.
