Dennis Quaid's Three Kids: Everything You Need to Know About Jack, Thomas, and Zoe
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- UPDATED AUGUST 25, 2024
by Tasha Mayberry
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Dennis Quaid might be known for his role as a father in *The Parent Trap*, but in real life, he’s a dad of three. Quaid welcomed his first child, son Jack, 32, with his second wife, Meg Ryan, in 1992. Over a decade later, in 2007, he became a father again with the birth of his twins, Thomas and Zoe, 16, whom he shares with his third wife, Kimberly Buffington. In March 2018, Quaid shared that his happiness now revolves around his children’s well-being. As his kids have grown, he’s opened up about what he cherishes most about fatherhood. His “favorite time” is the morning routine of taking his younger two to school. “During breakfast, getting them up, you really get to know them,” Quaid explained. “They’re as fresh as they’re going to get. It’s not the witching hour at night when all the excuses come out. A lot of bonding happens in the morning, talking about life.” Jack, his eldest, has followed in his famous parents’ footsteps and become an actor himself. With roles in *The Hunger Games*, *Scream*, and a starring role in Amazon’s *The Boys*, Jack is carving out his own path in Hollywood. “When he said he was ready to act, I told him I’d help him out, but he said, ‘No, I want to do it myself,’” Quaid recalled. “Now I’m like, ‘Hey, how about a little help?’ I’m not too proud to ask.” Fatherhood has shifted Quaid’s perspective on life. “It took my focus off myself, which is always good for an actor because actors are so self-involved,” he said. “And I’ve learned more patience. Hopefully!” In July 2023, Quaid described himself as a “dorky dad” and expressed his love for fatherhood. “I really do. I think I’m a good dad,” he said. “So far, so good. I’m really proud of Jack, Thomas, and Zoe.” Keep reading to learn more about Dennis Quaid’s three children.
Jack Quaid, 32
Jack Henry Quaid was born on April 24, 1992, in Los Angeles to Dennis Quaid and Meg Ryan. By the time Jack arrived, his parents had been married for a year, though they separated in 2000 and finalized their divorce in 2001. Reflecting on that period, Jack—who was 8 when his parents divorced—described it as “one of those weird ages for your parents to get divorced” during an appearance on the *Allegedly with Theo Von & Matthew Cole Weiss* podcast. He noted, “You’re old enough to know what’s going on, but young enough to be kind of naïve about it. It’s a whole deal.” On the podcast, he acknowledged that his upbringing was “not normal,” but he also emphasized that despite their careers, his parents remained a mom and dad, not their characters. From an early age, it was clear to Quaid that Jack had a knack for acting. In an October 2020 interview on *The Kelly Clarkson Show*, Quaid shared that Jack showed an interest in acting “at a very, very, very young age.” “He had a video camera in his hand when he was like 4 years old, making little videos and stuff,” Quaid said. “It was just a very natural thing for him; we didn’t push him towards it. It was kinda obvious from the start.” Jack attended Crossroads School in Santa Monica, California, where he was president of the Bad Movie Club, as he revealed in an April 2022 video for the YouTube channel *Red Letter Media*. After high school, he spent three years studying at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, where he was involved with the Experimental Theatre Wing and the sketch comedy group Hammerkatz. As Jack prepared to enter the industry, Quaid offered to introduce him to his agent, but Jack preferred to forge his own path. He eventually secured his own representation and landed roles in *The Hunger Games*, *Vinyl*, and *The Boys*. Quaid expressed immense pride in his son, telling Clarkson, “Even more than an actor, he’s really turned out to be a really fine man.”
Thomas Boone Quaid and Zoe Grace Quaid, 16
Quaid welcomed his youngest children, Thomas Boone Quaid and Zoe Grace Quaid, with his third wife, Kimberly Buffington, via gestational carrier on November 8, 2007, in Santa Monica. Thomas was born first at 8:26 a.m., weighing 6 lbs. 12 oz., followed by Zoe just two minutes later, who weighed 5 lbs. 9 oz. Shortly after their birth, the twins were hospitalized at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in L.A. due to staph infections. A tragic error occurred when they were accidentally given 1,000 times the recommended dose of the blood thinner Heparin, putting them in critical condition. Quaid and Buffington only learned of the overdose the next morning, with Buffington later telling the *Los Angeles Times* that by the time they arrived at the hospital, both babies were “in incubators with cords attached to them.”Fortunately, by early December 2007, the twins had fully recovered and were discharged. Following this ordeal, Quaid established The Quaid Foundation to raise awareness about medical errors.Reflecting on the experience in March 2008, Quaid told * that it gave him a “greater appreciation of life in general.””It’s the greatest thing to hold those kids and see their faces because we had a happy ending,” he said. “It’s great to be a normal dad with the normal problems of not having enough hands for both of them.”He added, “If they hadn’t made it, it really would have changed my life. But they did survive. So it changed my attitude.”During a February 2008 press event for his film *Vantage Point*, Quaid discussed how fatherhood felt different the second time around. He noted that it was “a lot easier” now.”It’s easier in the sense that when the first one comes along you worry about everything. The second ones come along, ‘Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, that’s fine, seen that, done that,'” he said. “You’re a little more relaxed about it. But with two, you need another arm.”Quaid also humorously shared how often struggled to tell his then-3-month-old twins apart. “One’s wearing blue, the other one’s wearing pink,” he said, “but you’d still be surprised [with] , because they don’t want to make a mistake, they go, ‘Oh, that’s the … a girl, isn’t it?’ “Though Quaid generally keeps his family life private, he offered an update on the twins during a December 2015 appearance on the *Allegedly with Theo Von & Matthew Cole Weiss* podcast.”They’re perfectly normal as could be now,” he said. “They’re like the head of their class.”He continued, “But you know, it’s something that happens to you, you feel strongly about and you step up for it. It was really the kids that went through it and they were the ones that did it.””It was the most frightening time of our lives. But they came through it,” he concluded.
