The newest and tiniest member of the Douglas family has finally met his proud grandpa, Michael Douglas after about a month since his birth. In December, the veteran actor shared the happy news of his son, Cameron Douglas, welcoming his newborn son, Ryder. Now, after a month-long wait, Michael Douglas was able to meet Ryder and cradle the bundle of joy, according to Today.
Following Ryder’s birth in December 2020, Douglas congratulated Cameron and his son’s longtime partner, Viviane Thibes, revealing on Instagram that he had become a proud grandpa. Since then, there was a bit of wait, but Douglas was finally able to hold Ryder in his arms and introduce him to his fans on social media as well.
Although Douglas may have spent his younger years building his career as a Hollywood heavyweight, much like his father, Kirk Douglas, the actor has admitted that he has become a complete family man as he grew older. Previously, he has gushed about his first grandchild—three-year-old Lua who is Cameron’s firstborn.
“I love Lua—she’s gorgeous,” Douglas told Closer Weekly. “I think you appreciate being a grandparent more when everybody’s out of the house and it’s empty-nest symdrome, but I still have my daughter with me!”
Along with enjoying his time as a grandfather, the now 76-year-old actor seems to be a devoted husband to his wife, Catherine Zeta-Jones, and a dedicated father to his three children. He first became a father to Cameron, 42, during his previous marriage to Diandra Luker, and then welcomed Dylan, 20, and Carys, 17 after his relationship with Zeta-Jones began.
“During my first marriage, my career was the most important thing in my life,” the Basic Instinct actor previously told The Guardian. “I clearly know I made mistakes. There were absences… Now that my own priorities are entirely different, I’m always encouraging people to wait to have a family – get yourself sorted career-wise first as much as you can.”
The Oscar-winning star was in his 50s when he began raising a family with Zeta-Jones, who was 25 years younger than him, and he never thought he would become a father again at that age. But it became a role he completely committed to.
Back when his kids were younger, the actor shared how he liked to be involved in his kids’ lives. “I like to get them up in the morning and get them ready for school. I make them breakfast, and we talk about their day,” Douglas said. “I like to know who their friends are. I can see the tightness of the bond we feel and the security they have. It is tremendous, unequivocal love with no judgment, and that is the best feeling in the world.”
In the same interview that he gave in 2010, the loving father also said, “I’m not driven like I once was – these days I am consumed with being a father and with my responsibilities as a husband. I never anticipated starting a family at my age. I’m genuinely happy to let Catherine work, while I stay at home with the children. I cherish this time.”
While speaking to Closer Weekly, the family man also shared, “My marriage and my family come before my career now. Do you know what absolute happiness is? For me, it is to wake up my kids in the morning—these little pieces of innocence—and find they’re so happy to see me. It is unequivocal love.”
Now that the Hollywood star is a grandfather once again, one can’t imagine him being anything but a doting parent to Lua and Ryder.
