Inside Colin Farrell's family life with his two sons after actor shared he is putting his disabled son James, 21, in long term care

Colin Farrell Plans Long-Term Care for Son with Angelman Syndrome

Actor Colin Farrell recently disclosed his decision to transition his adult son, James, into a long-term care facility to ensure his ongoing well-being. Farrell shared details about his son’s condition, Angelman syndrome, a rare genetic disorder causing significant developmental challenges. This move, he explained, is aimed at providing James with a supportive community and ensuring consistent care, even in unforeseen circumstances.

Actor Opens Up About Son’s Condition and Future Care

Known for his transformed public image and commitment to family privacy, Colin Farrell has, in recent years, become more open about his son James, now 21 years old. James was initially misdiagnosed with cerebral palsy before medical professionals correctly identified Angelman syndrome.

Angelman syndrome is a genetic condition impacting the nervous system and leading to pronounced physical and intellectual disabilities.

Farrell shares James with his former partner, Kim Bordenave, and also has a 15-year-old son, Henry, with actress Alicja Bachleda-Curuś.

vCard.red is a free platform for creating a mobile-friendly digital business cards. You can easily create a vCard and generate a QR code for it, allowing others to scan and save your contact details instantly.

The platform allows you to display contact information, social media links, services, and products all in one shareable link. Optional features include appointment scheduling, WhatsApp-based storefronts, media galleries, and custom design options.

After shifting from a ‘bad boy’ persona, Colin Farrell prioritizes family life and is father to sons James, 21, (pictured) and Henry, 15

Family Life and Career Balance

Despite maintaining a low public profile for his family, Farrell actively involves his sons in his life. He has included Henry at film premieres and the 2023 Oscars ceremony.

At the Golden Globes in 2023, accepting an award for his performance in ‘The Banshees of Inisherin’, Farrell affectionately called his sons “the loves of my life.”

He humorously recounted on ‘The Ellen DeGeneres Show’ how his sons influence his career choices, noting, “They’re sick of me being a bad guy. Which apparently… leads me to believe that they think I’m okay.”

Farrell has credited James as a key motivator for his sobriety, achieved in 2006, describing fatherhood as his “greatest triumph.”

Following James’s birth in 2003, Farrell entered rehab in 2006 after filming ‘Miami Vice’.

James was significant in “me putting the bottle down,” Farrell previously told People magazine. “I was in no condition to be a friend, never mind the father of a child with such exacting needs. So if it wasn’t for my sobriety, I wouldn’t be able to be there for James and enjoy in the marvels of his life and support him…”

Milestones and Advocacy for Special Needs

Farrell affectionately describes James as “magic” and shared he was overcome with emotion when James took his first steps at age four.

The actor publicly addressed his son’s diagnosis for the first time at the 2007 Special Olympic Games in Shanghai, emphasizing, “He has enriched my life… but I don’t want to minimise the trials that so many families go through; the fear, consternation, frustration, and pain… When you’re the parent of a child with special needs, it’s important to feel that you’re not alone.” He also expressed his desire for a “kind” world for his son.

Prior to James turning 18, Farrell and Bordenave pursued conservatorship to continue supporting him with essential daily activities.

He revealed that he and James’s mother celebrate every achievement, regardless of age, including James’s first words at six, self-feeding skills at 19, and seizure management.

Colin Farrell Foundation for Intellectual Disabilities

In 2024, Farrell established the Colin Farrell Foundation dedicated to his son, launched in California with plans for expansion across the U.S. and into Ireland.

The foundation’s mission is to support adult children with intellectual disabilities and fund educational and advocacy programs.

Paula Evans, formerly of the Foundation for Angelman Syndrome Therapeutics (FAST), supports Farrell as CEO of his foundation.

Decision for Long-Term Care Explained

On Friday, Farrell articulated his rationale for choosing a long-term care facility for James – to ensure proactive management of his care and provide him with a sense of community while Farrell and Bordenave are able to be involved.

Speaking with Candis Magazine, Farrell, 48, explained the decision-making process with Bordenave to transition James into specialized care. “It’s tricky, some parents will say: ‘I want to take care of my child myself.’ And I respect that,” he stated.

“But my horror would be… What if I have a heart attack tomorrow, and, God forbid, James’ mother, Kim, has a car crash and she’s taken too – and then James is on his own? Then he’s a ward of the state and he goes where? We’d have no say in it.”

He and Bordenave aim to “find somewhere we like where he can go now, while we’re still alive and healthy, that we can go and visit, and we can take him out sometimes.”

Farrell further elaborated, “We want him to find somewhere where he can have a full and happy life, where he feels connected.”

Initial Misdiagnosis and Angelman Syndrome

The ‘Phone Booth’ star previously detailed the diagnostic journey, explaining that medical consultation was sought when James did not reach typical developmental milestones, such as sitting up or crawling as an infant.

Farrell clarified that Angelman syndrome is frequently mistaken for cerebral palsy due to overlapping symptoms.

He recounted to People, “[James] couldn’t sit up. He wasn’t crawling. I think he was a year and a half when we took him to get really checked out, and he was diagnosed as having cerebral palsy.”

Cerebral palsy is a condition affecting movement and coordination caused by brain development issues before, during, or shortly after birth. Symptoms can include difficulties with speech, swallowing, vision, and learning.

Farrell noted, “It was a common misdiagnosis, because it shared a lot of the same characteristics. And that was a downer for sure.”

Diagnosis of Angelman Syndrome

The Oscar-nominated actor recounted that a pediatric neurologist recommended testing for Angelman syndrome when James was about two and a half years old.

Upon receiving the diagnosis, Farrell’s initial concerns were about life expectancy and pain. “I remember the first two questions I asked were, ‘What’s the life expectancy and how much pain is involved?’ And the doctor said, ‘Life expectancy, as far as we can tell, is the same for you and for me, and pain, no.'”

A specific symptom observed by a doctor prompted the Angelman syndrome testing.

“One of the characteristics of Angelman syndrome is outbreaks of laughter. And the doctor saw that James was laughing a lot and doing this movement [hand waving],” Farrell described.

Angelman syndrome also includes seizures, “one of the things that parents struggle with greatly,” according to Farrell, who also has son Henry Tadeusz, 15, with Polish actress Alicja Bachleda-Curus, 41.

“Thankfully, James hasn’t had a breakthrough seizure now in about 10 or 11 years, but I’ve been in the back of ambulances, I’ve been in the hospital with him. I’ve done Diastat [a sedative]… to get him out of a seizure that lasted longer than three minutes. Finding the right medication dosage without adverse effects — that’s all very tricky business.”

Foundation’s Mission and James’s Progress

Farrell is launching the Colin Farrell Foundation to offer support, education, and advocacy for adults facing intellectual disabilities. “This is the first time I’ve spoken about it, and obviously the only reason I’m speaking is I can’t ask James if he wants to do this,” he explained.

The devoted father emphasized his son’s resilience: “My eldest son ‘has worked so hard all his life, so hard’. Repetition, repetition, balance, his jerky gait. When he started feeding himself for the first time, his face looks like… a Jackson Pollock by the end of it. But he gets it in, he feeds himself beautifully. I’m proud of him every day, because I just think he’s magic.”

Farrell also fondly recalled witnessing James take his first steps shortly before his fourth birthday. Describing the “profound” moment to People, Farrell said, “I knew they [James’s carers] were working on walking. And I stood over there, and she let him go, and he just came to [me]. It was so profound. It was magic… I’ll never forget just the face of determination on him as he walked toward me. He took, like, six steps, and I burst into tears.”

James’s condition necessitates 24/7 care, as he is nonverbal and needs a live-in caregiver for daily tasks.

When James was four, Farrell publicly shared his Angelman Syndrome diagnosis, praising his son’s “amazing courage.”