Hugh Jackman and Deborra-lee Furness raised two children together over the course of their 27-year marriage.
The couple got married in April 1996 and went on to adopt their two beloved children after struggling with devastating miscarriages and failed rounds of IVF.
They had both always planned to adopt, but fast-tracked their plans after struggling to conceive naturally and started their family.
They tend to keep their children out of the spotlight, but their family reached a difficult period when Hugh and Deb separated in September 2023.
Now, they remain focused on co-parenting their two now-adult children, who are rarely photographed in public.
Scroll on for everything we know about Hugh and Deb’s family.
Does Hugh Jackman have children?
Hugh shares his two adopted children, Oscar and Ava, with his ex-wife, Deb.
The couple became parents for the first time when they adopted their son Oscar, who was born in May 2000.
They initially started to look at adopting within Australia but were forced to move their search to America as a result of complicated local adoption laws.
Hugh previously said they were motivated to adopt children in the most need, adding, “We just knew from talking with people in that space, when we were looking around, that the biggest need is in mixed-race kids.”
Hugh and Deb honoured Oscar’s heritage when he was growing up and bought him a Bosnian cookbook at a young age so he could learn more about his background.
“He was very proud to carry that around when he was seven years old,” Deb told PEOPLE in 2020.
When Oscar turned 18, he made the brave decision to reunite with his birth family.
Oscar was introduced to his biological sisters Olivia and Nyomi Lanham, who were raised by their birth mother Amber Lanham’s sister, Rochelle, in the US midwestern town of Vinton, Iowa.
In an Instagram post in February 2018, Oscar touchingly penned a tribute to his aunt and sisters. His mother, Amber, died in 2005.
“Today has undoubtedly been the most important day of my life. I finally got to meet my biological family. Although I was only in Iowa for half a day, I felt that I got to know each of you personally,” he wrote.
“You are some of the kindest people I’ve ever met, and I promise I’m not just saying that.”
Olivia responded, “I feel like I’ve known you my whole life. Love you forever and always little brother.”
Her message also appeared to confirm that Hugh and Deb were also there for the special occasion.
“You and your family are very kind and accepting humans that I hope to get to know better,” she wrote.
After adopting Oscar in 2000, Hugh and Deb’s family grew again in 2005 when they adopted their second child, a daughter Ava.
“I’m so blessed to have a beautiful boy and girl,” Hugh said shortly after becoming a father-of-two.
“I hold her and think, ‘I don’t want you to face anything bad ever in your life’,” he added of Ava, who was born on July 10, 2005.
Hugh has previously spoken of the challenges of raising children in Hollywood, and they have always maintained their kids’ privacy over the years, rarely sharing photographs of them publicly.
“My kids have so many advantages, and I want them to know that they have a responsibility to use those advantages to help others,” Hugh previously told PEOPLE.
“My kids are constantly reminded about how lucky we are in our family. We’re ridiculously blessed. We live in a beautiful home in places that other people dream of.”
Hugh and Deb have often gushed over their beloved children, and consider parenthood to be one of their biggest achievements.
“It’s so interesting being a parent, and they’ve both made me smarter than I think I ever could have been on my own,” Deb said of her kids in 2020.
“But when you’re a parent, you can’t lie to them or yourself. They will shine a light on every one of your flaws, your Achilles heel, whatever. You’ve got to look at yourself.”
Hugh has proudly said he doesn’t think of Oscar and Ava as adopted, but rather as he and Deborah’s blood children.
“We feel things happened the way they are meant to. Obviously, biologically wasn’t the way we were meant to have children,” The Greatest Showman star told the Herald Sun of his family unit.
“Now, as we go through life together, sure there are challenges, but everyone’s in the right place with the right people. It sounds airy-fairy, but it’s something we feel very deeply.”
Hugh and Deb’s IVF heartbreak
Before adopting their two children, Hugh and Deb struggled to start a family, with Deb going through several miscarriages and failed rounds of IVF.
The couple have spoken openly about the difficult time over the years to raise awareness and combat the stigma surrounding miscarriages.
“We did IVF and Deb had a couple of miscarriages. I’ll never forget it, the miscarriage thing… It happens to one in three pregnancies. But it’s very, very rarely talked about. It’s almost secretive,” Hugh said during an appearance on the Katie Couric talk show in 2012.
“It’s a good thing to talk about it. It’s more common and it is tough. There’s a grieving that you have to go through,” he added.
While the two had always intended to adopt, they fast-tracked their plans after realising they wouldn’t be able to conceive naturally.
After being inspired by her own experience, Deb has become an adoption advocate, campaigning to change international adoption laws to make it easier for loving families to welcome in-need children into their homes.
“I can’t think of anything more important than ensuring that every child in this world has at least one person who has their best interests at heart, someone who cares about them so they know they are loved and valued,” the actress explained in an impassioned essay for The Australian Women’s Weekly in 2011.
“Every child deserves to be educated and nurtured so they can grow in a positive way and be able to eventually become a happy and contributing member of their community.”
Are Hugh Jackman and Deborra-lee Furness still together?
Hugh and Deb announced their separation after 27 years of marriage in September 2023.
“We have been blessed to share almost 3 decades together as husband and wife in a wonderful, loving marriage,” they in a statement at the time.
“Our journey now is shifting and we have decided to separate to pursue our individual growth.”
Deb officially filed for divorce from Hugh in May 2025.
In January, Deb spoke with The Advertiser about her next chapter as a single woman.
“It’s kind of exciting,” she said at the time. “You know what, change, transition, evolution is a little frightening, and we are all a bit scared of it, but I think it is probably our greatest gift.”
Meanwhile, Hugh has since found love again with Broadway star Sutton Foster, whom he began dating in January 2025.
They have gone from strength to strength, and they are already living together in the New York penthouse Hugh used to share with Deb.
Sutton split from her husband, Ted Griffin, in October 2024. They share an adopted daughter, Emily, seven.
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