Kieran Culkin bio, wife, net worth, height, relationships, siblings, brother, age 2025

Biography of Kieran Culkin

Kieran Culkin is a Hollywood actor who spent a long time overshadowed by his older brother Macaulay, the lead in the Christmas comedy "Home Alone". Kieran also made his debut in that film, playing Kevin's cousin Fuller McCallister, though his character might not have been as memorable to many.

Later, as his brother's career began to decline, Kieran, who was never as heavily pressured by their father as Macaulay was, started landing more significant roles: "Igby Goes Down", "Scott Pilgrim vs. the World", "Fargo". Eventually, his work in the dramatic TV series "Succession" (2018-2023) earned him well-deserved accolades, including a Screen Actors Guild Award, a Golden Globe, and an Emmy.

Childhood, Adolescence, Family

Kieran Kyle Culkin (the actor's full name) was born in the fall of 1982 to Christopher Cornelius Culkin and Patricia Brentrup in New York City. His father, a former Broadway actor, worked as a church sexton on the Lower East Side, while his mother, a former traffic controller, was a telephone operator. Only his paternal aunt, Bonnie Bedelia, was an actress.

Kieran Culkin (far right) with his brothers and sisters

Although his parents were never officially married, they had seven children in addition to Kieran: Macaulay Carson, Shane Arliss, Christian Patrick, Rory Hugh, and two girls – Dakota and Quinn Kay. The eldest sister was killed in a car accident in 2008.

The Culkins lived very modestly, the entire family attended Catholic church and was devoted to its traditions. Recalling life in a cramped Manhattan apartment, Kieran shared:

It was just a hallway with no doors, except for the bathroom, which, admittedly, had no lock. Our parents raised seven kids in that one apartment for so many years! They just kept bringing babies into this tiny space. Mom must have been out of her mind, but she said she was happy back then! To keep the brood busy, she often took us to the American Museum of Natural History, which has everything a child could marvel at – from life-size dinosaur skeletons to a giant model of a blue whale. She'd throw a quarter in the box, and we'd vanish.

Like his older brother Mac, Kieran had a knack for performing. He was only two years old when his mother took him to a children's theater studio, and soon he was playing a role, albeit a tiny one, on the stage of Manhattan's Symphony Space Theatre.

Kieran Culkin and Macaulay Culkin in childhood

While Macaulay also acted in plays and charmed audiences, the more introverted Kieran remained in his shadow. Simultaneously, he attended Saint Joseph's Catholic School and, a few years later, switched to a special school for children acting in films and on stage. Later, he took dance lessons at the School of American Ballet.

Film Career

Kieran's film career started when he met screenwriter and director John Hughes, who cast him in the comedy "Home Alone". His older brother Macaulay played the main character, Kevin McCallister, who is accidentally left behind by his family during Christmas, while Kieran played a minor character – his annoying cousin Fuller with silly glasses, constantly drinking Coke.

Mac's father took on the role of his manager, which significantly harmed his future acting career. Kieran was luckier in this respect: his father placed his main hopes on Macaulay and practically ignored him. Nevertheless, his role in the family Christmas comedy earned Kieran Culkin a part in "Father of the Bride" with Steve Martin and Diane Keaton.

Kieran Culkin in the movie 'Father of the Bride'

In the next two films – "Only the Lonely" and "Home Alone 2: Lost in New York" – Kieran acted alongside his incredibly popular brother.

Meanwhile, Mac was psychologically exhausted from the monotonous roles and his father's pressure, who practically forced him to continue acting for the sake of earnings. Their mother supported her son's desire to rest and left her husband, stating that he ruined Macaulay's career. By that time, the actor's net worth was around twenty million dollars, and the parents began fighting for custody over their minor son, mainly for the right to manage his money.

Kieran Culkin with his brother Macaulay in his youth

Kieran was so shocked by the court proceedings and the media attention that he wrote to the judge: Your Honor. I ask you, please, to spare my family any further embarrassment by letting the press in the courtroom. It has already been hard on us, and I see no point to it. The request was denied, and the media constantly harassed the family, intruding on their privacy.

Despite the difficulties, Kieran continued to act in films. He worked with Jean-Claude Van Damme on the set of the action film "Nowhere to Run", and in 1996, he played his first leading role in Bobby Roth's drama "Amanda". His character, Biddle Farnsworth, along with his horse named Amanda, is transported back to the times of knights, where he gets caught up in a whirlwind of incredible events.

Kieran Culkin in the movie 'Nowhere to Run'

After that, the teen was noticed, and two years later, the film "The Mighty" by Peter Chelsom was released, with a soundtrack by Sting. Culkin played the main role of the crippled prodigy Kevin Dillon, and Sharon Stone portrayed his mother on screen.

Kieran worked with Meryl Streep in the biographical drama "Music of the Heart" (1998), with Paul Walker in the comedy "She's All That" (1999), and with Charlize Theron and Michael Caine in "The Cider House Rules" (1999). The film won an Oscar, and Kieran finally began to be mentioned independently of his older brother's achievements.

Kieran Culkin in the movie 'The Cider House Rules'

For his lead role – a young man trying to get rid of his mother's overprotection – in the youth film "Igby Goes Down" (2002), he received several award nominations, including the MTV Movie Awards for "Breakthrough Performance-2002" and the Golden Globe for "Best Actor in a Musical/Comedy". However, in the first case, he was surpassed by Eminem in the drama "8 Mile", and in the second by Richard Gere in "Chicago".

Kieran Culkin in 'Igby Goes Down'

Soon, Kieran landed central roles in the dramedy "Paper Man" (Christopher), the dramas "The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys" (Tim Sullivan), and the hipster comedy "Scott Pilgrim vs. the World" (Wallace Wells).

Kieran Culkin's Best Moments - Scott Pilgrim vs The World

In 2015, he joined the cast of the crime series "Fargo", and then played leading roles in the film "Wiener-Dog" and the fantasy comedy "Infinity Baby". But the real breakthrough for Kieran was the role of Roman Roy in the satirical series "Succession".

Kieran Culkin in the series 'Succession'

His character – the youngest of the oligarch Logan Roy's (Brian Cox) children and the most cunning among them – throughout the series, it becomes clear that he enters the game for the inheritance.

Kiernan Culkin as Roman Roy (Succession)

Reflecting on Roman, the actor said that he is very similar to his father and therefore has found his voice:

I don't think Roman is lagging in this power struggle. His brother and sister are constantly talking about some kind of game – I think Roman also enjoys this game. And he tries to win. I think he loves his family, though he, of course, won't say it out loud. I believe he has a sense of deep attachment, and when his father gets sick, it really bothers Roman. You can say that this is his weakness, the reason he lags behind. But I think that's where his strength lies.

For this role, Culkin was nominated for a Golden Globe for the second time and won the Critics' Choice Television Award in 2022. In 2023, the fourth and final season of "Succession" was released.

Kieran Culkin in the movie 'No Sudden Move'

Additionally, Kieran starred in Steven Soderbergh's mystical thriller "No Sudden Move" (2021). His co-stars were Don Cheadle and Benicio Del Toro.

Kieran Culkin's Personal Life

In the mid-2000s, Kieran dated Canadian actress Anna Paquin for about a year.

Later, on the set of "Paper Man" (2009), he met his colleague Emma Stone who played a girl named Abby, while he played Christopher, her fictional friend.

They dated for two years and successfully kept the details of their romance private. The celebrity couple parted ways on good terms. Later they reunited on the set of "Movie 43" and convincingly played a passionately arguing couple at the checkout.

In 2012, Kieran went to a bar with a friend where he noticed an attractive girl. She was not alone, so Culkin waited for her companion to go to the restroom before approaching her. Learning her name was Jazz, he joked that it sounded like music. They left the cafe together and took a long walk.

Two years later, Kieran Culkin and Jazz Charton, who is not related to the film industry, got married. In 2019, they welcomed a daughter, Kinsey Sioux, and two years later, a son, Wilder Wolf, was born.

The actor admits that he and his wife have a family tradition: every Valentine's Day, they lie in bed, watch horror movies on TV, and enjoy donuts.

Kieran Culkin Now

The actor continues to develop his film career. The year 2024 brought him the long-awaited Golden Globe and Emmy awards for his role as Roman Roy in "Succession".

Kieran Culkin with an Emmy Award in 2024

While receiving the awards, Culkin confessed his tender feelings for his wife from the stage, and mentioned that Jazz promised to have their third child once he finally won an Emmy.

Kieran Culkin on Succession's Final Season

Kieran continues to act in films. In 2023 and 2024, he worked on the drama "Real Pain". Jesse Eisenberg directed and co-starred with Culkin, while the producers of this tragic Holocaust story were Emma Stone and Dave McCary. The premiere is set to take place at the Sundance Festival.

Interesting Facts

From an early age, Kieran Culkin felt sympathy for his older brother, though it seemed he should have been envious. He considered such fame at a young age to be detrimental. "Even when I was a kid, I remember thinking, 'This really sucks for him.' He was little, and he had to accept that level of fame as reality," the actor lamented.

After Culkin finished filming the second season of "Succession," he invited his wife to lunch at a restaurant, where he outlined the main milestones of the upcoming year: "I've just booked this movie and I'm going to go straight from it to the next season, to this play I'm in, to this." It was four jobs back-to-back. I thought, 'This is the next year and a half of our lives.' I raised my glass, and she asked, 'Are you sure? You probably won't like to jinx it. I think such things aren't celebrated until they happen.' I said, 'It'll be fun. It all seems to be happening.' A week later: lockdown, no work." Since then, Kieran listens to his wife and only celebrates those happy events that have already happened with her.

Kieran Culkin has a very specific sense of humor. Colleagues who know him closely note that the actor uniquely combines audacity and vulnerability, sincerity and sarcasm.

Culkin ironically refers to his extensive filmography as a "career version" and claims that it all started with "jerk Fuller" and that all his roles thereafter are Fuller McCallister.

Kerrie Steele Journalist