Inside actor Colin Farrell’s family life as he puts disabled son in long term care

COLIN Farrell has opened up about his decision to put his son in long-term care. 

The 48-year-old Penguin actor has been taking care of his 21-year-old with his ex, Canadian model Kim Bordenave, but noted that, now he’s an adult, they want to place him somewhere he can have a “full and happy life”. 

GettyColin has spoken about finding long-term care for his son, James[/caption] InstagramJames was born with rare condition, Angelman Syndrome[/caption] AFPColin brought his younger son, Henry, with him to the Oscars in 2023[/caption]

Speaking to Candis Magazine for their May 2025 issue, Colin noted that he didn’t want James to be left as a ward of the state in the event, God forbid, neither parent is around anymore. 

“He needs a bigger life than we can afford him, by having a sense of community that he feels connected to,” he said. 

“By going out in the van every day and going to the supermarket and doing the shopping together, by going to the beach, museums, movies, all that stuff. Just a connected life.”

Angelman Syndrome is so rare that James was originally misdiagnosed with cerebral palsy before getting his diagnosis.

Colin has credited James for the reason behind him getting sober in 2006, calling fatherhood his ‘greatest triumph’.

In 2007, while appearing at the Special Olympic Games in Shanghai, China, Colin opened up about his son’s diagnosis for the first time.

He said: “He has enriched my life… but I don’t want to minimise the trials that so many families go through.”

Colin later added that he wants the world to be ‘kind’ to his son.

As well as James, Colin has another 15-year-old son, Henry, with former girlfriend Alicja Bachleda-Curuś.

The pair split met on the set of Ondine in 2009, splitting in 2011 after a three-year relationship. 

Despite no longer being with the mothers of his children, Colin continues to have a presence in both their lives – even bringing Henry as his +1 to premieres, and having him as his support when he attended the Oscars in 2023. 

When he won a Golden Globe that year for his role of Padraic in the Banshees of Inisherin, he shouted out his boys, calling them the ‘loves of his life’.

His sons also offer Colin their take on what roles to play, although he doesn’t often take it, telling The Ellen Degeneres Show: “They’re sick of me being a bad guy. Which apparently, reading between the lines, leads me to believe that they think I’m okay.”

Despite this, he has most recently earned critical acclaim for his appearance as Oz Cobb, aka The Penguin, in the series adaptation of The Penguin. 

In 2024, the actor launched the Colin Farrell Foundation in honour of his son, aiming to raise support for adult children with intellectual disabilities and aiding education and advocacy programmes. 

The focus of the foundation will begin in California – where the family live and work and Colin has ambitions to spread their endeavour across the US and ultimately to Ireland.

While Colin leads the foundation, he is supported by a highly experienced board of directors, including CEO Paula Evans, who previously established FAST – The Foundation for Angelman Syndrome Therapeutics.

ReutersColin and James’s mother Kim Bordenave, both live in California and look after James[/caption] AFPThe actor has launched a foundation to help adult children with disabilities find care after the age of 21[/caption] The Ellen ShowThe star has called his two sons the ‘loves of his life’[/caption]