James Marsden's 3 Kids: All About Jack, Mary and William

Among his dozens of credits across television and movies, the role James Marsden is most proud of is being a dad.

Marsden is the father of three children: Jack, Mary and William. The actor welcomed Jack and Mary with his ex-wife of 11 years, Lisa Linde. He shares his youngest child, William, with his ex-girlfriend, Brazilian model Rose Costa.

Though the Jury Duty star has taken on lead roles in several projects, including Dead to Me, 27 Dresses and Enchanted, he has declared fatherhood as his greatest accomplishment, telling Men's Health in 2018, "being a father is the one thing I’m most proud of."

He added, “It is the most fulfilling. I’m always self-deprecating, but I don’t have a problem saying that I am a great dad.”

The actor tends to keep his children out of the spotlight, but he has given fans a glimpse into his family life. He shares occasional photos of his children on social media and brought Jack, Mary and William to the red carpet premiere of Sonic the Hedgehog 2 in April 2022.

In January 2024, Marsden told PEOPLE that his favorite holiday tradition is all about spending time with his children.

"I've traveled so much and it's always great and I love what I do and get to move around quite a bit, but there's something about just feeling like you're home and doing those Christmas traditions that we do with my kids, to get all my kids together and everybody and just being home," he said.

Here's everything to know about James Marsden’s three children.

Jack Marsden, 22

Marsden and Linde welcomed their son, Jack Holden, on Feb. 1, 2001.

In July 2017, Marsden told Wonderwall that his children were “underwhelmed” by his career when they were younger — although he did catch his older son’s interest with HBO’s Westworld.

The actor explained that Jack, then 16, enjoyed the show overall, although some of its themes were a bit too advanced for the teen. Nevertheless, Marsden said Jack was “proud” of his dad, adding that he then wanted “to show up on set and see how it's all done and everything."

So far, none of Marsden's children have followed in his footsteps as actors. Jack has, however, carved out a space for himself in the modeling world.

In January 2018, Marsden celebrated his son on social media after he made his runway debut in a Dolce & Gabbana men’s fashion show. Marsden shared two separate Instagram photos from the show, calling himself a “#proudpapa” and “#oversharingprouddad” in the captions.

Marsden reflected on this milestone in his son’s career during his May 2018 interview with Men’s Health.

“I’m so proud of him," he told the outlet. "Is it weird to say my son is the person I wish I was more like?”

Before Jack's runway debut, Marsden spoke to Wonderwall about his son delving into the world of modeling. The actor said Jack was “testing it out” to see “if it feels right for him.”

“He's 16 and figuring out his world and who he is and what his strengths are and what his passions are and what he wants to do,” Marsden explained. “This is something that we're just sort of testing out. ... It would have been crazy for me at 16, but nowadays, this is when people start. It's nuts. But we're supporting him.”

Outside of his modeling career, Jack has pursued music as well. In his Instagram bio, he describes himself as a producer, musician and engineer and has an at-home recording studio, JM Recording Studio. He has also been dating Soleil Jace since November 2019.

Marsden and Jack have bonded over a shared interest in cars and racing, too. In April 2019, the father-son duo enjoyed a day at CalSpeed Karting. Two years later, in August 2021, Marsden appeared on Celebrity IOU Joyride, sharing photos from set posing with his son and Ant Anstead.

Mary Marsden, 18

Marsden and Linde welcomed their daughter, Mary James, on Aug. 10, 2005.

Mary tends to keep a low profile compared to her older brother. Over the years, she has made a few public appearances with her father, including attending the premieres for 2020’s Sonic the Hedgehog and 2022’s Sonic the Hedgehog 2 alongside her father and her younger brother, William.

Though Marsden seldom shows his daughter on social media, he has posted a few throwback photos and videos of Mary over the years, documenting sweet moments from her childhood.

As a child, Mary was a fan of Where the Wild Things Are, as displayed in a video Marsden shared. The clip showed 3-year-old Mary donning the same white, furry suit the book’s character, Max, wore. In the caption, he shared an adorable fact about his daughter, writing, “Mary wore the Max suit every day for well over a month.”

As for his daughter’s interests, Marsden has revealed some of Mary's possible career aspirations. He opened up to PEOPLE in February 2023 about whether his three children are interested in following a similar career path as their father.

"A little bit. My daughter has [interest], but my boys, not yet. Not so far," he said. "My daughter is ... a very, very talented young lady, and so we'll see. We'll see. I wouldn't discourage them for sure.”

Ahead of Mary's 18th birthday in 2023, Marsden showed off his daughter's natural talent for music by sharing a throwback video of her playing the drums. In the clip, Marsden encouraged his daughter before joining her in playing "Lose Yourself" by Eminem.

"Hard to believe the little 5 year old drummer girl is turning 18 in just a few hours!" the actor wrote in the caption. "Happy Birthday, angel. ❤️."

William Luca Costa-Marsden, 10

Marsden and Costa welcomed their son, William Luca, on Dec. 14, 2012.

With a seven-year age gap between Mary and William, Marsden had to adjust to life with a newborn again, an aspect of fatherhood he felt prepared for. He told ABC News in February 2014, "Once you become a father ... it's like riding a bike — once you learn it, you sort of got it.”

The Enchanted actor doesn’t often share photos of his youngest child on social media, but William attended the red carpet events for both Sonic the Hedgehog movies with his father.

In June 2019, Marsden marked Father’s Day with adorable photos capturing the playful side of his children, including William. The first frame showed the father-of-three on a trampoline as William and Mary pulled on the sleeves of Marsden’s sweatshirt. The second frame showed Marsden holding William on his lap while Mary and Jack snuggled beside and behind him.

William appears to spend a lot of time with his mom, with the mother-son duo traveling the world together. Alongside a photo of the pair enjoying Puglia, Italy, Costa called William her “travel buddy” and said that before he turned 10, he already had the opportunity to visit 13 countries.

In addition to his travels, William has taken up skiing, with his mom calling him a “pro” just after turning 9.

To mark William's 10th birthday, Costa shared a lengthy post on Instagram featuring a baby photo of her son and a video of him blowing out his candles on cupcakes. In the caption, she described her son as an inquisitive child with “so much empathy and wonder."

She added: "You’re genuine, funny, smart and most of all have the kindest heart I’ve ever known. You think about everything and are so thoughtful.”