Lauren Bacall’s 3 Children: All About the Golden Age Actress’ Daughter and Sons (Including One Who Starred in “Gossip Girl”)

NEED TO KNOW

• Lauren Bacall had three children: Stephen, Leslie and Sam

• She welcomed Stephen and Leslie with ex-husband Humphrey Bogart, and son Sam with ex-husband Jason Robards

• The Hollywood icon died at 89 on Aug. 12, 2014, after suffering a stroke

Eleven years after her death, Lauren Bacall’s legacy continues to live on through her three children.

Bacall, who was born Betty Joan Perske, welcomed two children — Stephen and Leslie — with her To Have and Have Not costar, Humphrey Bogart. The pair went on to get married in 1945, but it was cut short when Humphrey died of esophageal cancer in 1957. A few years later, Bacall wed Jason Robards in 1961, and they welcomed son Sam Robards, before going their separate ways in 1969.

On Aug. 12, 2014, PEOPLE confirmed that the mother of three had died at 89 years old in her New York City home. One year later, Bacall’s eldest son, Stephen, opened up to NoirCity about how his mother’s legacy helped him find peace with her death.

“That’s a hell of a life. To grow up, and to be able to be Lauren Bacall your whole life, I mean, you’re living tons and tons of life,” he said. “When you lose your mother, of course it’s upsetting, but you can’t be sad for her [because] she got to do what she got to do.”

Stephen continued. “I talked to her that morning, and she was fine. She had a stroke and died in 7 hours, and she wasn’t in any pain. How much better can it be, really? … I really wasn’t sad because of the life that she got to live.”

From their births to their careers, here’s everything to know about Lauren Bacall’s children: Stephen, Leslie and Sam.

Stephen Bogart, 76

Bacall became a mother on Jan. 6, 1949, when she welcomed her first child, son Stephen Humphrey Bogart, with Humphrey.

During a 1995 conversation with The New York Times, Stephen opened up about growing up in the public eye as the son of two Hollywood stars, revealing that life became especially overwhelming following his father’s death in 1957.

“It was his death, rather than his life, that was the problem for me,” Stephen said, noting that the loss “brought the attention” on his family. “I hated it. I didn’t want my picture taken anymore.”

Though Stephen was kicked out of several colleges, per The New York Times, he eventually graduated from the University of Hartford in 1979. He went on to produce television shows and write several books, including one titled Bogart: In Search of My Father, which was released in 1995.

In August 2015, he told NoirCity that writing the book was his way of “trying to find out who [his dad] was as a person.”

“I was 8 when he died and you don’t really know your parents that well at that age,” he said. “I can’t picture his voice … other than on film. I don’t think he was around that much, as much as he could have been.”

As for his mother’s death, he told Stay Thirsty Media that he was glad she “did not suffer” and opened up about the kind of person she raised him to be.

“She was my mother and she brought us up to be certain types of people and live a certain life. She never told me what to do,” he said. “I got married when I was 20, had a kid when I was 21. I wanted to get away from that [Hollywood] as quickly as possible. I wanted to find out who I was, over and above being the son of Humphrey Bogart.”

As of November 2024, The Guardian reported that Stephen was living in Florida with his wife, Carla Soviero. He was married twice before, and welcomed three kids: sons Richard and Jamie, and daughter Brooke.

Leslie Bogart, 72

On Aug. 23, 1952, Bacall and Humphrey welcomed their second child, daughter Leslie Howard Bogart.

Bacall previously opened up about the period following the birth of her two children, saying, “Whenever I think of the word ‘happy’ now, I think of then.’ “

Bacall also frequently spoke about how her children helped her cope in the wake of Humphrey’s death in 1957.

“If I hadn’t had those two little children, I don’t know what I would’ve done,” she said.

After years of growing up in the public eye, Leslie went on to live a life out of the spotlight. In her 30s, she worked as a photographer’s assistant and later as a yoga instructor and nurse in Boston. In 1990, she married her husband, yoga master Erich Schiffmann.

Stephen also told Stay Thirsty Media that he, Sam and Leslie are all in control of their late mother’s intellectual property rights.

Sam Robards, 63

Bacall welcomed her third child, son Sam, with her second husband, Jason, a fellow actor. Sam was born on Dec. 16, 1961, in New York.

In a March 1970 conversation with The New York Times, she referred to Sam as her “little mouse” and shared that actress Katharine Hepburn was his godmother.

Bacall also told the outlet that she raised Sam primarily on her own, due to the “nature of [Jason’s] work” — but raising him solo also meant developing an extra special bond.

“Sam enriched my life more than anyone has — not intentionally, it’s just the way he was,” she told Vanity Fair in March 2011. “What a great gift.”

Now a seasoned actor and performer, Sam told PEOPLE in October 1982 that it was his mom taking him onstage at 8 years old following one of her Broadway performances of Applause that led him to follow in his parents’ footsteps.

“The hands had cleared everything away,” he recalled. “I went out and saw all those empty seats, and thought that two hours before they’d all been filled and amazing things had been taking place. It sparked my interest. From there, it grew.”

Over the years, Sam has held several roles in theater, film and television. Most notably, he starred in 1989’s Casualties of War, 1999’s American Beauty, 2001’s A.I. Artificial Intelligence and 2007’s Awake. In 2002, he received a Tony Award nomination for his role in the Broadway revival of The Man Who Had All the Luck.

During his conversation with PEOPLE, he opened up about being proud to have paved his own path, despite being the child of two Hollywood stars.

“When I started acting, it was like a double identity crisis—your basic crisis, compounded by people saying, ‘there goes Robards’ kid, Bacall’s kid,’ ” he said. “Now I realize, sure, that gets your foot in the door, but once it’s there, it’s your foot. I’m not bothered anymore. I’m confident of my abilities.”

Sam was previously married to former actress Suzy Amis Cameron, whom he met on the set of 1985’s Fandango. They were married from 1986 until 1994 and welcomed son Jasper Robards. He then married Sidsel Jensen, with whom he welcomed two more children, per Vogue.

Read the original article on People