- James Spader is a father of three sons.
- He and his ex-wife, Victoria Khell, share two sons: Sebastian and Elijah.
- James and Leslie Stefanson welcomed Nathaneal in 2008.
Everyone seems to know James Spader. Maybe they saw him rise to fame in the 1980s with Pretty In Pink, Mannequin, Less than Zero, Wall Street, and Sex, Lies and Videotape. Perhaps they know him from his ’90s work in Crash or Stargate. Perhaps they celebrated his comeback in the 2000s with films like Secretary and series like The Practice and Boston Legal? Or maybe they know him as Red from The Blacklist? But, one thing people might not know about this celebrated thespian is that he’s a proud family man.
“I’ve been very successful keeping a private face on things, even out in public,” told Playboy magazine in 2014. “If you’re recognizable and you want to draw people to you in public, you can do that. I don’t. If people put their lives in the public eye a lot, people feel as if they’ve gotten to know them through the media. I try not to open the door to my private life in a public way.” So, it might catch some by surprise to learn that James is the father to three boys. So, let’s find out about James and his family.
Sebastian Spader
Sebastian Spader (b. 1989) is James’ first son, born to the Avengers: Age of Ultron actor and Victoria Spader. James met Victoria in the 1980s when they both lived in New York. While working “an untraditional roster of penniless actor jobs – yoga instructor, manure shoveler, railroad-loader,” per The Independent, he met Victoria, who was an actual yoga instructor. The couple married in 1987.
They welcomed Sebastian in 1989. According to an IMDB profile attributed to Sebastian, he worked as a producer, editor, and director on a few short projects – the last being 2013’s Starting Over with Brook Shields. Since then, he seems to have transitioned toward the lucrative real estate industry.
“After graduating from Harvard Westlake, Sebastian attended New York University before beginning his professional career in the film industry,” reads a bio for Sebastian on The Agency real estate website. “He worked in the camera and editorial departments, honing his creative eye and eventually becoming a producer. Most notably, he moved to Austin for two years to work at Robert Rodriguez’s Troublemaker Studios. His work as a producer overseeing large projects helped prepare him for his role overseeing the real estate transaction process and seamlessly coordinating the moving parts and various people involved.”
Elijah Spader
James and Victoria welcomed their second son, Elijah Spader, in 1992. Elijah also worked in the entertainment industry, and like his brother, his work was not in front of the camera. Elijah reportedly graduated from the Los Angeles Film School with a degree in Audio Production, which he’s put to good use.
According to an IMDB profile attributed to Elijah, James Spader’s second son has worked as a mix technician on shows like Barry, The Blacklist, The Resident, and Insecure. He most recently worked on the Ryan Reynolds-Will Ferrell holiday movie Spirited. Plus, an Instagram page attributed to an ElijahSpader (“audio guy,” reads the bio) shows that he likes music, Star Wars, and cats.
Nathaneal Spader
James and Victoria split in 2001 and finalized their divorce in 2004. In 2002, James began dating his Alien Hunter costar, Leslie Stefanson. In 2008, Leslie gave birth to her and James’ son, Nathaneal Spader.
When speaking to Playboy in 2014, James was coy about his home life. When pressed about his relationship with Leslie – who would retire from acting to become a sculptor – James went literary. “‘Be of love a little more careful than of everything,’ wrote E.E. Cummings. Pay attention. Take great care, especially in things that are taken for granted,” he said.
In 2014, James also spoke with Rolling Stone, who dubbed him “The Strangest Man on TV.” During this, James admitted that Nathaneal would be his last child. “I believe in a negative population growth,” he said. “The other two were with another mother, so we have three boys that will replace all three of us.”