Christian Slater is nothing less than a Hollywood icon. Born Christian Michael Leonard Slater in New York City, on August 18, 1969, Slater is now 56 years old.
He’s the son of the later actor Michael Hawkins, who passed away in 2022 at the age of 83, and Mary Jo Slater (née Lawton), an actor’s agent who is currently 79.
Slater’s upbringing was a happy one, and his education saw him attend the Dalton School, the Professional Children’s School, and the Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts.
As a child, his family regularly took him to Central Park, where he can be seen playing with a briefcase in this adorable picture from around 1973.
Getty.In fact, all four of these wonderful pictures, which give a great insight into Slater’s loving childhood, were taken in Central Park.
The next two you will see show Slater with both of his parents circa 1971, while the final one is Slater with his father that same year.
Christian Slater’s Early Career
Given the jobs Slater’s parents did, a career in acting was practically inevitable.
His first acting role came in 1978, as a 9-year-old, when he played Tiny Tim Cratchitt in a production of ‘Mister Scrooge’ at New York’s Trinity Theatre. From then, he never looked back.
Per IMDb, he landed his first on screen role in 1981, playing a character called Billy in an episode of the entertainment series ‘Standing Room Only.’
Subsequent TV work included the television film ‘Living Proof: The Hank Williams Jr. Story,’ ‘Tales from the Darkside,’ and ‘All My Children,’ before landing his first movie role playing Binx Davy in the 1985 action drama ‘The Legend of Billie Jean.’
More television work followed, including another role on ‘All My Children,’ six episodes of ‘Ryan’s Hope,’ and roles on ‘Crime Story,’ ‘The Equalizer,’ and ‘L.A. Law.’
Getty.Additional movie credits during this period included the 1985 psychological thriller ‘Twisted,’ 1989’s satirical black comedy ‘Heathers,’ and the coming-of-age movie ‘Pump Up the Volume’ and Western ‘Young Guns II’ in 1990.
Major Hollywood Success
Slater’s role in ‘Young Guns II’ fired him to mainstream success, and he became a major Hollywood player in the 1990s.
His major roles through the decade include playing Will Scarlet in 1991’s adventure movie ‘Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves,’ voicing Pips in 1992’s animated musical fantasy movie ‘FernGully: The Last Rainforest,’ playing Clarence Worley in the brilliant ‘True Romance’ in 1993, playing Daniel Molloy in the gothic vampire movie ‘Interview with the Vampire’ in 1994, and playing Captain Riley Hale in the 1996 action movie ‘Broken Arrow.’
Throughout the decade, his television credits also became more glitzy, with multiple appearances on ‘Saturday Night Live‘ and taking up hosting duties at the 1993 MTV Video Music Awards.
Getty.Continued Success From 2000 Onwards
Christian Slater’s success continued into the new millennium, with prominent roles on stage, in movies, and, in particular, on television.
In the 2000s, he portrayed Randle Patrick “Mac” McMurphy in a production of ‘One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest’ at the Garrick Theatre in London’s West End. He appeared in movies like the 2000 political drama ‘The Contender,’ the 2004 comedy ‘Churchill: The Hollywood Years,’ the 2005 horror ‘Alone in the Dark,’ and the 2007 sci-fi movie ‘Slipstream.’ His television credits included ‘The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron, Boy Genius,’ ‘Robot Chicken,’ ‘My Name is Earl,’ and ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm.’
In the 2010s, he played Sir Galahad in ‘Spamalot’ at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles. His big screen credits included 2013’s erotic art movie ‘Nymphomaniac,’ the 2014 drama movie ‘Ask Me Anything,’ and the 2016 biopic ‘King Cobra.’ On the small screen, he appeared in the likes of ‘The Office,’ ‘Entourage,’ ‘Two and a Half Men’ and a major role in ‘Mr. Robot,’ on which he also served as a producer.
Since the 2020s began, he’s played West Tate on stage at the Pershing Square Signature Center in New York, in a production of ‘Curse of the Starving Class.’ He’s appeared in movies like the 2020 superhero flick ‘We Can Be Heroes,’ the 2023 fantasy adventure ‘Chupa,’ the 2023 action comedy ‘Freelance,’ the 2024 comedy ‘Unfrosted,’ the 2024 psychological thriller ‘Blink Twice,’ and the 2025 psychological comedy-drama ‘If I Had Legs I’d Kick You.’ On television, he’s lent his voice to the adult animated sitcom ‘Inside Job’ and appeared in the likes of ‘Willow,’ ‘Fleishman Is in Trouble,’ ‘The Spiderwick Chronicles,’ and in a main role on ‘Dexter: Original Sin.’
Frankly, it’s fantastic to see him thriving.
Getty.Christian Slater’s Personal Life
Slater is now a father himself, having had four children with the two women he’s been married to.
He married Ryan Haddon, the daughter of model Dayle Haddon, in 2000. They have two children together: a son named Jaden Christopher, born in 1999, and a daughter named Eliana Sophia, born in 2001. Slater and Haddon divorced in 2007.
He is currently married to consultant Brittany Lopez, after the couple wed in 2013. They also have two children together: a daughter born in August 2019, and a son born in July 2024.
It’s clear from these lovely pictures that he had a happy and carefully nurtured childhood. While he has endured some personal issues in his life (which, thankfully, he appears to be over), that childhood set him up to succeed, and he’s undoubtedly done exactly that.
We wish him continued success in the future.
