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All About Hugh Dancy's 3 Children with Wife Claire Danes

The Law & Order's star and his wife are the private but happy parents of three kids.

By Jessica White

How to Watch

Watch Law & Order Thursdays at 8/7c on NBC and next day on Peacock

In his starring role on Law & OrderHugh Dancy has perfected the art of commanding a courtroom as Assistant District Attorney Nolan Price. But when the day is over, Dancy is happy to head home to his wife, Claire Danes, and their three children. 

The couple has been together for over a decade, both with powerhouse careers that have led them to lucrative primetime reigns on Hannibal, Homeland, and beyond. In a cosmic coincidence, Danes actually made her acting debut as a Law & Order guest star, years before her husband joined the cast.

RELATED: Hugh Dancy Can't Believe His Wife Claire Danes' Dramatic 1992 Law & Order Episode

The two have since formed a beautiful home, and while the couple prefers to keep details of their relationship and their kids secret, fans delight in any details provided.

Hugh Dancy, Lajos Koltai, Claire Danes and Patrick Wilson pose together on the red carpet for the Premiere of "EVENING"

When did Hugh Dancy and Claire Danes begin dating?

Danes and Dancy met after being cast in the romantic drama Evening together. Both performers have opened up about their fateful meeting and how it led them down the road to a happy marriage.

"I was very recently single, and I had never been single before, so we were just friends for a while," Danes told MarieClaire in 2017. "[Hugh and I] met in Rhode Island when it was at its most audaciously beautiful, in the fall. And there was one day when we were bicycling by the water and it was sparkly and idyllic, and I just had this dumb epiphany, like, 'I'm really just happy.'"

For Dancy, meeting and connecting with Danes was enough to pivot his future plans: Danes was a New York native, while Dancy was raised in England.

RELATED: Who Is Hugh Dancy's Wife, Claire Danes? Her Roles from Romeo + Juliet to Homeland

"I went [to the States] to appear on Broadway in Journey’s End for five months. To do something very English, very British," Dancy told The Standard in 2013. "Then my personal life changed and I ended up staying there. I made a movie and met my wife.”

When it came to capturing Danes' heart, it was Dancy's artistic side that appealed to her — or at least his prowess on craft night. 

“When we first started sorta-kinda-dating for real (ish), I had an ornament-making party for Christmas, and he helped organize it,” Danes told Porter in 2020. “Then he made an ornament of cowboy paper dolls, and I thought, ‘And he crafts?’ That was it. 'You have me for the rest of our lives.'”

Claire Danes embraces Hugh Dancy on the red carpet for "Fleishman Is In Trouble"

When did Claire Danes and Hugh Dancy get married?

After getting engaged in February 2009, Dancy and Dances tied the knot in September 2009. They were wed in a private ceremony in France, People reported. Together for over a decade, the couple has since navigated parenthood and fine-tuned their work-life balance as two actors with prolific careers. 

When determining who would move to end the long-distance nature of their love, Dancy was happy to relocate for Danes. 

Dancy told The Standard, "Claire grew up in New York and has lived there pretty much all her life, other than when she was a teenager working in L.A. So she was the one who had roots. Unlike me, in the sense that I hadn’t lived in London all my life."

Dancy also revealed that there are certain rules he and his wife follow to make sure they're set up for success within their hectic work schedules. Dancy explained, "It’s a complicated balance, like any marriage. We have got to be happy as a unit and I also want both of us to be happy independently and fulfilled in what we do, so there has to be some elbow room."

“You have to have... not rules, but things to aspire to, like not being apart too long, basic stuff," Dancy continued before playfully teasing, "Don’t take a job in Australia without telling me!"

Danes has gushed time and time again over her love of the married life. Even when life throws the couple challenges, she delights in tackling the latest hurdle with her husband, Dancy. 

"Marriage is wonderful. It’s challenging, and… it just keeps getting deeper," she told The Edit magazine (via ET). "I keep learning more things about him and myself, and that’s not always comfortable... It's a huge asset to have a partnership with someone you trust and admire, and want to make out with" she gushed.

"I’m genuinely in love with him. And I like hard things," Danes told Harper's Bazaar UK in 2014. "You know, marriage is hard, but I’m up for it."

Claire Danes accepts her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on September 24, 2015 in Hollywood, California.

How many children do Hugh Dancy and Claire Danes have?

The couple have three children: two sons, Cyrus Dancy and Roman Dancy; and a young girl born in 2023 (as reported by TODAY). Famously private about their children, the couple has yet to reveal the name of their youngest.

Since 2013, the happy family of five have lived in the West Village neighborhood of Manhattan. 

Dancy and Danes have always had a playful relationship with parenthood, “Having a child was the best thing that ever happened to us. But it is constant company with terrible conversation," the couple told HuffPost

Claire Danes and Hugh Dancy attend the "Full Circle" premiere during the 2023 Tribeca Festival at BMCC Theater on June 11, 2023 in New York City.

When was Hugh Dancy and Claire Danes' son, Cyrus Dancy, born?

Danes and Dancy became first-time parents with the birth of their eldest son, Cyrus Dancy, on December 17, 2012, according to People

“He’s kind of revealing himself to be a bit of a ham, which shouldn’t really be a surprise," Danes told Harper's Bazaar UK in 2014. "A babysitter gave him a kiss goodbye and now he does ‘Mwah, mwah’ to everybody. Or he says ‘Ciao.’ It’s ridiculous. I did not teach him that.”

Danes gave another update about Cyrus' growth in 2015, relishing in seeing her child's perspective.

"Cyrus changes daily — it’s wild, the rate of growth," Danes told The Edit (via ET). "I'm excited by this phase. It's fun to see the world with him, to get his feedback on what we’re seeing."

Hugh Dancy on the red carpet for NBC's "Law & Order" Season Premiere

When was Hugh Dancy and Claire Danes' son, Rowan Dancy, born?

Danes and Dancy welcomed their second son, Rowan Dancy, on August 27, 2018, as reported by AP News.

Danes first broke the news of the couple expecting their second child in a 2018 interview on the Howard Stern Show on Sirius XM. While preferring to keep the sex of the baby private, she was happy to confirm a bun was in the oven.

“I’m seriously preggo. I’m deep into my second trimester...” Danes reported. “We’ve been wanting another kid for a while, and it happened."

Claire Danes and Hugh Dancy arrive on the red carpet and pose together for the "Full Circle" premiere

When did Hugh Dancy and Claire Danes have their third child?

Danes and Dancy welcomed their youngest child, a daughter, on July 11, 2023, as reported by the LA Times. In anticipation of their daughter's arrival, Dancy chatted with TODAY about how his sons prepared for the household's latest addition.

“They’re excited about our baby, that’s good,” Dancy reported, adding that his sons were thrilled to help with the newborn but refused to be drafted for diaper duties. 

But in another 2023 interview with The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Danes revealed that Rowan was perhaps a perturbed by the prospect of a new arrival.

Danes told host Jimmy Fallon, "[Rowan] said, 'Yeah, no, no. I don't like it. I don't like it. I like peace, Mama.' I was like, 'You like peace?' That's rich because that dude does not shut up."

She added that Rowan's silver lining was the opportunity to school his younger sibling. 

"That was interesting to him, he liked the idea of being sort of a condescending presence," Danes teased. "So now he's a little more optimistic."

Watch Law & Order on Thursdays at 8/7c on NBC and the next day on Peacock