Get to Know Cate Blanchett’s Four Children: Dashiell, Roman, Ignatius, and Edith

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Cate Blanchett, an Oscar-winning actress and mother of four, continues to navigate her high-profile career while prioritizing her family. She shares three sons—Dashiell, 24, Roman, 21, and Ignatius, 17—with her husband, Andrew Upton, as well as a daughter, 10-year-old Edith.

Despite her fame, Blanchett has noted that her children remain largely unaware of her celebrity status. In early 2022, she received the Chaplin Award at Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall in New York City. In an interview with Page Six, she mentioned that her children had “no idea” why they were attending the event and described their disinterest in her career as “the best possible, healthiest way.”

While maintaining a private life for her children, Blanchett emphasizes the importance of education and critical thinking skills. In 2021, she discussed teaching her kids the significance of verifying information from social media sources, stating in an interview with Porter, “I’m old enough to have been taught at school what a primary, secondary and tertiary source is. I say to the children when they mention something, ‘Where did you read it? Who has [authenticated] that? You have to learn how to read an image and article. And if you’re going to share something, you’d better make sure you have checked the sources.'”

Dashiell John Upton, 24

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Dashiell John Upton, born on December 3, 2001, is the eldest of Blanchett’s children. Although she expressed a desire for theater to not feel like a family business, Dashiell has shown an interest in performance. In 2009, Blanchett revealed that he was already creating his own interpretation of Hamlet

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Roman Robert Upton, 21

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Roman Robert Upton, born on April 23, 2004, is Blanchett’s second son. While he often stays out of the public eye, he has joined his mother on the red carpet for events like the 2014 Critic’s Choice Awards. Blanchett expressed her admiration for his name’s uniqueness during a 2015 appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, explaining, “Roman … Polanski, but it’s also the French word for book.”

In September 2024, Roman was spotted at the Albie Awards alongside his mother, embodying a stylish presence in a navy blue suit, while Blanchett donned a sparkly outfit.

Ignatius Martin Upton, 17

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Born on January 1, 2008, Ignatius Martin Upton is Blanchett’s third child. He shares a unique connection to literature in his name, as Blanchett humorously described during an interview about his name’s origins linked to the children’s series Captain Underpants.

She explained, “I was eight months pregnant and hallucinating, and there’s a section in the book where he gets so upset that everyone teases him because his name is Professor Pee-Pee Poopypants. They give these examples of names. You go down to ‘I’ and the example is Ignatius.” She reflected on her joy in raising a house full of boys, stating, “Having boys is great. It’s a neat position to be in and I love the high energy that comes along in raising boys.”

Ignatius made a rare appearance with his mother at Paris Fashion Week in June 2024, taking in the glamorous surroundings at the Giorgio Armani Privé Haute Couture show.

Edith Vivian Patricia Upton, 10

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Cate Blanchett and Andrew Upton adopted their daughter Edith Vivian Patricia Upton on March 6, 2015. Blanchett has noted the impressive bond between Edith and her older brothers, describing it as “extraordinary.”

In a 2022 interview, Blanchett discussed her experience home schooling her children during the COVID-19 lockdown, revealing, “My older kids were fine, they would self-direct. But I had to sort of do my 7-year-old, and I realized that I couldn’t even teach her grade 1 math.” She humorously recounted having to argue as her daughter’s teacher, referring to the experience as a “weird kind of cross between The Muppets and MasterClass.”