Colin Farrell was once associated with a hard-partying lifestyle, frequently appearing on the nightlife circuit while battling addictions to alcohol and drugs.
But the actor made major changes after his eldest son, James, now 23, was diagnosed with Angelman syndrome at the age of two.
The rare genetic condition affects the nervous system and can lead to severe physical and intellectual disabilities.
Knowing that James would probably need constant care and supervision throughout his life, Colin confronted his addiction and left his former bad-boy reputation behind. He has credited his son with “saving his life” and described fatherhood as his greatest achievement.
“One of the things James taught me was to find within myself a desire to live, even if at first it was simply because I wanted to be around for him,” he previously said.
He added: “You really do take nothing for granted. There’s a deep sense of fear — I’ve run through hospitals with James in my arms while he was having a seizure — but there’s also an even deeper sense of love and respect.”
Behind Colin Farrell’s cheerful Hollywood persona is a devoted family man who cares deeply for his disabled son James, 23, seen with Colin in the trailer for the upcoming documentary The Slightest Touch
The actor changed his life after his eldest son James was diagnosed at two with Angelman syndrome, a rare neurological disorder
Colin, 50, shares James with his former girlfriend Kim Bordenave. He also has a younger son, Henry, 17, with his ex-partner Alicja Bachleda-Curús.
James was born in 2003, and Colin checked into rehab in 2006 after completing filming on Miami Vice.
James was a “big, big part of me putting the bottle down,” Colin previously told People magazine.
“I was in no condition to be a friend, never mind the father of a child with such demanding needs. If it wasn’t for my sobriety, I wouldn’t be able to be there for James, share in the wonder of his life or support him in the way I feel I can,” he said.
James recently appeared publicly with his father in the trailer for the forthcoming documentary The Slightest Touch.
Colin has frequently discussed the profound influence James — who was initially diagnosed with cerebral palsy before doctors identified Angelman syndrome — and Henry have had on his life.
Speaking to Gabrielle Donnelly, he said: “Both my boys have taught me. I feel they’ve raised me more than I could ever raise them. That may sound twee, but it’s true.
“The man I am today has a great deal to do with my parents and my upbringing, of course, but it also has very much to do with what my boys have asked of me.”
Discussing James, who is non-verbal, Colin said: “James is incredibly strong, brave and determined.
“He works so hard to develop physical abilities that most of us master by the time we are two or three. But he’s lovely. He’s funny as f***, cheeky as anything.
“He has a smile that could light up Manhattan. He has such a beautiful spirit and is great fun to be around.”
After overcoming alcohol and drug addiction and moving beyond his bad-boy image, Colin describes fatherhood as his greatest triumph and credits James with “saving his life”
Colin with his ex Kim Bordenave in February 2003. The pair dated from 2001 to 2003 and share James
When James turned 21, Colin and Kim agreed that it was time for him to live where he could be taken care of professionally
The star spoke about James’ diagnosis for the first time at the 2007 Special Olympic Games in Shanghai, China.
He gushed: ‘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 added that he wanted the world to be ‘kind’ to his son.
Shortly before James turned 18, Colin and Kim filed to obtain a conservatorship of him, noting he still needed help with tasks like getting dressed and making meals.
He later went on to reveal that he and James’s mother make sure to share in the smallest victories and enjoy the milestones whatever age they happen – including James’s first words aged six, being able to feed himself at 19, and getting his seizures under control.
When James turned 21, Colin and Kim agreed that it was time for him to live where he could be taken care of professionally.
It was his and Kim’s horror at the lack of suitable facilities that inspired him to found the Colin Farrell Foundation, an organisation dedicated to helping families who have members with intellectual disabilities.
In 2024, the actor launched the Colin Farrell Foundation in honour of his son in California, with the goal to roll it out across the US and eventually Ireland, where he is originally from.
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The foundation aims to raise support for adult children with intellectual disabilities and aiding education and advocacy programmes.
While Colin leads the foundation, he is also supported by CEO Paula Evans, who previously established FAST – The Foundation for Angelman Syndrome Therapeutics.
Shortly before James turned 18, Colin and Kim filed to obtain a conservatorship of him, noting he still needed help with tasks like getting dressed and making meals (seen James and Kim)
Colin previously explained how many sufferers of the rare syndrome are often misdiagnosed with cerebral palsy due to both conditions having similar symptoms.
He told 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 the name for a set of conditions affecting movement and co-ordination stemming from a problem with the brain that takes place before, during or soon after birth.
Difficulty speaking, swallowing or seeing – along with learning difficulties – can also be symptoms.
Colin said: ‘It was a common misdiagnosis, because it shared a lot of the same characteristics. And that was a downer for sure.’
The Oscar nominee revealed that, when James was only about two and a half years old, a paediatric neurologist suggested he be tested for Angelman syndrome.
Recalling the moment he received the diagnosis, he shared: ‘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 doctor had noticed an unusual symptom that prompted him to test for Angelman syndrome.
Colin explained: ‘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 [he waves his hands],’ the father-of-two shared.
Angelman syndrome is also characterised by seizures, which Colin said is ‘one of the things that parents struggle with greatly’.
He added: ‘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] up his rectum to get him out of a seizure that lasted longer than three minutes. Finding the right amount of medication that doesn’t have adverse effects — that’s all very tricky business.’
James’s condition is severe enough that he is nonverbal and requires the help of a live-in caregiver to accomplish his day-to-day tasks.
When James was four, Colin went public with his Angelman syndrome, saying his son had demonstrated ‘amazing courage’ in the face of his condition.