Laura Dern’s Kids: Meet Her Rarely Seen Son & Daughter

Laura Dern, 56, has been one of the most beloved actresses in the entertainment business for nearly 40 years. After early success with movies like Blue Velvet, she became a certified international superstar in 1993 as Ellie Sattler in the first Jurassic Park film, a role she reprised for the 2022 sequel Jurassic World: Dominion. Other than the blockbuster hit, Laura’s received much recognition for her acting abilities in Academy Award-nominated performances in Wild and Rambling Rose. She took home her first Oscar in 2020 for Best Supporting Actress for her work in A Marriage Story.

In 2005, Laura married rocker Ben Harper, after dating for five years. Before they tied the knot, the pair had a son and daughter together in 2001 and 2004, respectively. While the marriage ultimately didn’t last (the pair divorced in 2013), the actress clearly has a very special bond with her two kids. Laura and Ben are still on good terms and they reunited for their daughter Jaya‘s high school graduation on June 4.

The Big Little Lies star has opened up about the difficulties of raising kids post-divorce. “On the hard days, it’s stressful and there is too much going on as a single parent—and it can be hard to carve out a minute for yourself. I have never had anybody else bully me in my single parenting life. I am lucky to have champions around me, but I can definitely do it to myself,” she told Boston Common in a 2019 interview.

Regardless of the tough times, Laura is definitely a loving and caring mom. Find out everything you need to know about both of them here!

Ellery Walker Harper

Laura’s first child Ellery, 21, was born in August 2001. Like his mom, Ellery definitely takes an interest in the arts, although it doesn’t seem like he’s focusing on acting. Ellery has dabbled in photography, shooting photos of his mom for a Valentino campaign in July 2020. His mom made his interest in fashion known in a Women’s Wear Daily interview.  Ellery also made his New York Fashion Week debut, when he walked the runway in September 2018, per People. One of the highlights of the then-teen model’s outfit was a graduation cap, but Ellery wouldn’t celebrate his real graduation until May 2020, when his mom posted a photo of him in a cap and gown.

The Marriage Story star is definitely a caring mom, and she’s opened up about having hard conversations with her teens. She recalled hearing her kids talking about their peers vaping and asking her questions about its safety in an August 2021 interview with Romper. “As a parent we don’t always understand that that’s what happening until we have an almost-20 year old who tells us years later ‘I was asking because I was curious and I needed to have some guidance,’” she said, before speaking about her parenting style. “Giving them room to be treated in a very adult way has helped me stay open to how much they teach me each day.”

Jaya Harper

Ellery’s younger sister Jaya, 18, was born in November 2004. In the same interview where she showed that Ellery is into fashion, she said that her daughter Jaya has embraced an interest in acting. She’s even gotten her first role in 2021, appearing in Teenage Emotions, per IMDb.

While Jaya may share her mom’s passion for acting, Laura has also spoken about how she shares politics with her kids. “I focus on what I’ve decided is this country and the country that I describe to my children. And there are very few things that seem clear, but there is zero tolerance for a few things, because we’re Americans, and we’re clear about a few things: Nazis, racists, people who denounce people based on their cultural or religious or sexual preference — like that doesn’t fly in this country,” she told WWD in August 2017.

Jaya graduated from her Los Angeles high school on June 4, 2023, and both of her parents and her brother were there for the ceremony. Jaya’s famous grandmother Diane Ladd, 87, was also at the graduation.

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