Dustin Hoffman's children and how they carry the legacy of one of Hollywood’s greats

Dustin Hoffman's children and how they carry the legacy of one of Hollywood’s greats

Dustin Hoffman's children are Karina, Jenna, Jacob, Rebecca, Maxwell, and Alexandra. Most have pursued careers in acting, film production, and screenwriting, carrying on their father’s legacy while making their own mark in the spotlight.

Dustin is seen at the Getty Images Portrait Studio. Karina, Dustin, and Jenna are taking a selfie.
Dustin visits the Getty Images Portrait Studio in Toronto (L). Karina (L), Dustin (M), and Jenna (R) during the New York City Premiere in NYC. Photo: Gareth Cattermole, Dimitrios (modified by author)
Source: Getty Images

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Key takeaways

  • Dustin Hoffman's children are from his ex-wife, Anne Byrne Kronenfeld, and current wife, Lisa Jo Gottsegen Hoffman.
  • Dustin's first child is an adopted daughter, Karina Hoffman-Birkhead.
  • Dustin became Karina's father through his marriage to her mother, Anne Byrne.
  • Hoffman's oldest son is Jacob Edward, whom he shares with Lisa.

Dustin Hoffman's profile summary

Full name

Dustin Lee Hoffman

Gender

Male

Date of birth

8 August 1937

Zodiac sign

Leo

Age

88 years old (as of 2025)

Place of birth

Los Angeles, California, United States

Current residence

Los Angeles, California, United States

Nationality

American

Ethnicity

White

Religion

Jewish

Sexuality

Straight

Height in feet

5'6''

Height in centimetres

168

Weight in pounds

155

Weight in kilograms

70

Hair colour

Gray

Eye colour

Dark brown

Father

Harry Hoffman

Mother

Lillian

Siblings

1

Marital status

Married

Wife

Lisa Jo Gottsegen

Children

6

Education

Los Angeles High School, Santa Monica College

Profession

Actor, producer, reality TV personality

Net worth

$100 million

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Dustin Hoffman's children: his journey into fatherhood

Hoffman has six children, four daughters and two sons. Here are more details about Dustin Hoffman's kids​, including their ages and career paths.

Karina Hoffman

Dustin Hoffman and Karina at the performance party for The Merchant of Venice.
Dustin Hoffman and Karina Hoffman attend the performance party for The Merchant of Venice. in New York City. Photo: Ron Galella
Source: Getty Images
  • Full name: Karina Hoffman-Birkhead
  • Date of birth: March 1966
  • Age: 59 years old (as of 2025)
  • Mother: Anne Byrne Kronenfeld
  • Profession: N/A

Karina is Dustin's adopted child. Her mother is Anne Byrne Kronenfeld, an American actress. The actor became Karina's father after marrying Kronenfeld in 1969.

Birkhead studied at the U.N. International School in New York City. According to Entertainment Now, she was married to Simon Birkhead, an artist, from 1992 to 1998, with whom she shares one daughter named Bryce. Dustin Hoffman's grandchild was born in 1993.

The Rain Man star revealed to The Washington Post in 1979 that Karina kept him up to date on the latest trends. He said,

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I love it when Karina teaches me a bump and a grind, which is the latest dance. The first time it happened I got very shocked -- and I'm not easy to shock. I was embarrassed. It was a revelation.

Karina has spent most of her life away from the spotlight. However, according to The Guardian, in the late 1990s, she found herself in the media spotlight after she was accused of embezzling £5,358 in cheques from a Cambridgeshire company, her former employer.

Jenna Byrne

Jenna Byrne, Dustin, Karina, Lisa Hoffman, arrive at the premiere of "Rain Man".
From (R-L)Jenna Byrne, Dustin, Karina, and Lisa Hoffman, seen at the premiere of "Rain Man" in New York City. Photo: Ron Galella.
Source: Getty Images
  • Full name: Jenna Byrne
  • Date of birth: 15 October 1970
  • Age: 55 years old (as of 2025)
  • Mother: Anne Byrne Kronenfeld
  • Profession: Actress

Jenna is the only biological child of Hoffman and his ex-wife, Anne Byrne. In 1979, during an interview with The Washington Post, the American producer confessed how Jenna and Karina were affected by his separation from their mother. He stated,

You kid yourself if you think being separated does not have a traumatic effect on the children. They are going to feel that it is somehow expected that they favor one parent over the other, and that causes conflict.

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He continued,

It is important for them to know that they can love both, that they can talk to Daddy about Mommy in positive terms and Mommy about Daddy in positive terms.

Dustin Hoffman's daughter, Jenna, briefly pursued an acting career like her father. According to her IMDb profile, she gained fame for starring in films such as Outbreak, Wag the Dog, and Edtv. However, her last acting role was in 2001, in Love & Support, where she portrayed Valerie (as Jenna Hoffman).

Jacob Edward Hoffman

Hoffman and his son Jake attend the after-party for the Cinema Society and Piaget screening.
Hoffman and his son Jake at the after-party for the Cinema Society and Piaget screening of Last Chance Harvey in New York City. Photo: Neilson Barnard
Source: Getty Images
  • Full name: Jacob "Jake" Edward Hoffman
  • Date of birth: 20 March 1981
  • Age: 44 years old (as of 2025)
  • Mother: Lisa Jo Gottsegen Hoffman
  • Profession: Actor, producer, director, screenwriter

Jacob is Lee and Lisa's first child. Lisa is Lee's second wife. The two exchanged marriage vows in 1980. Jacob was born a month earlier than his due date, and at birth, his lungs had not developed yet.

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Edward attended New York University, where he earned a degree in film in 2003. He has followed in his father's footsteps in the entertainment industry as an actor, producer, director, and screenwriter. According to his IMDb page. Jacob rose to stardom for playing Steve Madden and Allen Dorfman in The Wolf of Wall Street and The Irishman, respectively.

Jacob took on the role of his father's son in a film in 2022, co-starring with Dustin in Sam & Kate. Edward has one upcoming directing role. The Wolf of Wall Street star is married to Amit Dishon, an Israeli designer. The two have been married since July 2022.

Rebecca Lillian

Dustin and his daughters, Ali (left) and Becky, are seen at the Ziegfeld Theater.
Dustin and daughters Ali (left) and Becky are spotted at the Ziegfeld Theater for the New York premiere of the movie "Proof." Photo: Richard Corkery
Source: Getty Images
  • Full name: Rebecca Lillian Hoffman
  • Date of birth: 17 March 1983
  • Age: 42 years old (as of 2025)
  • Mother: Lisa Jo Gottsegen Hoffman
  • Profession: Actress

Rebecca is Dustin and Gottsegen's second-born child. She attended Barnard College in New York City and also studied in Berlin, Germany, until 2004.

Like her father and older siblings, Rebecca is also an actress. According to her IMDb page, she has only starred in two films, Hook and Le nozze di Figaro, and her last onscreen role was in 1996.

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Maxwell Geoffrey

Dustin Hoffman and son Max Hoffman are spotted at the T-Mobile Magenta Carpet.
Dustin Hoffman and son Max Hoffman arrive on the T-Mobile Magenta Carpet at the 2011 NBA All-Star Game in Los Angeles. Photo: Alberto E. Rodriguez
Source: Getty Images
  • Full name: Maxwell Geoffrey Hoffman
  • Date of birth: 30 August 1984
  • Age: 41 years old (as of 2025)
  • Mother: Lisa Jo Gottsegen Hoffman
  • Profession: Actor, screenwriter, director

The reality TV personality and Gottsegen welcomed their third child and second son, Maxwell, in Los Angeles in 1984. Maxwell attended Brown University in 2007 and the Film and TV School of the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague.

Like many of his siblings, Geoffrey is slowly building his name to fame by following in his father's footsteps as an actor, screenwriter, and director. He made his acting career debut in 1991, starring in the comedy film Hook.

The actor has since starred in several movies and TV series, including Greenberg, Ask Me Anything, and On Holiday. Maxwell has one upcoming acting project.

Alexandra Lydia

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Dustin Hoffman and Alexandra Hoffman during the 31st Annual Toronto International Film Festival
Dustin Hoffman and Alexandra Hoffman during the 31st Annual Toronto International Film Festival - Holt Renfrew Presents Burberry in Toronto. Photo: George Pimentel.
Source: Getty Images
  • Full name: Alexandra Lydia Hoffman
  • Date of birth: 27 October 1987
  • Age: 38 years old (as of 2025)
  • Mother: Lisa Jo Gottsegen Hoffman
  • Profession: Actress, film additional crew member, producer

Alexandra Lydia, the youngest of Dustin and Gottsegen's four children, was born in Los Angeles in October 1987. Like her famous father, Lydia has pursued a career in the entertainment industry as an actress, film additional crew member, and producer.

The American actress has one acting credit in the 2002 hit romance film Moonlight Mile, where she played Diner Granddaughter. Alexandra has also served as an additional crew member in films such as How the Grinch Stole Christmas and Star-Crossed: The Film. Additionally, she played a production assistant role in Star-Crossed: The Film.

Dustin Hoffman's youngest child, Alexandra, dated American actor Jonah Hill for nine months from 2011 to 2012.

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Do Dustin Hoffman and Sissy Spacek have kids together?

Dustin and Spacek, an American actress, do not have kids. However, many assume the two have children because of the 2022 film Sam & Kate, where Dustin and his real-life son, Jake Hoffman, play a father and son, while Spacek and her real-life daughter, Schuyler Fisk, play their love interests.

FAQs

  1. Who is Dustin Hoffman? Dustin is an iconic actor, producer, and reality TV star.
  2. How old is Dustin Hoffman? The actor is 88 years old as of 2025. He was born on 8 August 1937.
  3. Who is Dustin Hoffman's wife? His wife is Lisa Jo Gottsegen, an American businesswoman. The two have been married since 1980.
  4. Who are Dustin Hoffman and Lisa Jo Gottsegen's children? The couple shares four kids: Jacob Edward, Rebecca Lillian, Maxwell Geoffrey, and Alexandra Lydia.
  5. Did Dustin Hoffman have children with his first wife? Hoffman and his first wife, Anne Byrne, are parents to two daughters, Jenna Byrne and Karina Hoffman-Birkhead.
  6. Does Dustin Hoffman have grandchildren? One of his grandchildren is Bryce. Dustin has other grandchildren through his children, Karina, Lydia, and Jacob.
  7. Why did Dustin Hoffman stop acting? Hoffman has not stopped acting. According to his IMDb page, he has three upcoming acting projects as of this writing.

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Dustin Hoffman has six children from his two marriages. Some of Dustin Hoffman's children include Rebecca, Karina, Jacob, and Maxwell. Most of his kids have followed in his footsteps and are pursuing careers in the entertainment industry.

Yen.com.gh recently published an article on Gillian Anderson's children. Actress Anderson is a mother of three children: a daughter, Piper Maru, from her first marriage to Clyde Klotz, and sons, Oscar and Felix Griffiths, from her relationship with Mark Griffiths.

Gillian Anderson's daughter, Piper, is pursuing a career in art and design. While her sons, Oscar and Felix, are up-and-coming downhill mountain bikers. Discover more about her children from this article.

Proofreading by Samuel Gitonga, copy editor at YEN.com.gh.

Source: YEN.com.gh

Authors:
Peris Wamangu avatar

Peris Wamangu (Lifestyle writer) Peris Wamangu is a reporter with more than four years of experience as a content writer. Peris joined Yen in 2024. Before that, she worked with Legit's team from 2021 to 2024. Peris graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Nairobi in 2019. She enjoys writing about various topics such as fashion, currency, biographies, entertainment and business. In 2023, Peris finished the AFP course on Digital Investigation Techniques and the Google News Initiative course. Email: wamanguperis@gmail.com