Jude Law Says Earning a Star on Hollywood Walk of Fame Was 'Emotional' After Mother's Recent Death (Exclusive)

12/13/2024 03:48 PM

Jude Law tells PEOPLE that his mother Margaret recent death "meant that a few more of my family could actually" attend his Hollywood Walk of Fame star ceremony

Jude Law had his late mother Margaret on his mind at his Hollywood Walk of Fame star ceremony.

When Law, 51, spoke with PEOPLE after he formally received a star on Hollywood Boulevard on Thursday, Dec. 12, the actor shared that his mother died recently.

"It's been actually quite a long process because I found out and was originally going to have the service a couple of weeks back," he said when asked to recall the moment he found out he would receive a star on the iconic Los Angeles street. "And actually, I lost my mom. So we had to delay it. But in a very odd way as a kind of final gift, it meant that a few more of my family could actually be here."

The Oscar nominee, whose latest movie The Order is in theaters now, was accompanied at the Dec. 12 ceremony by his wife Phillipa Coan and his two eldest children Rafferty, 28, and Iris, 24.

"So honestly, the whole event has been quite an emotional experience, and obviously just a very personal occasion and really touching," he added of the ceremony.

Related: Jude Law Joined by 2 of His Older Kids for Rare Photo as He Receives Star on Hollywood Walk of Fame

Law is a father to seven children: he shares Rafferty, Rudy, 22, and Iris with ex-wife Sadie Frost; Sophia, 15, with ex Samantha Burke, and Ada, 9, with ex Catherine Harding. The actor shares two younger children with Coan, whom he married in 2019.

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"They were just lovely. I mean, they're always so supportive and loving. We are very lucky to have each other, but they're my backbone," he said of having his kids' support, noting that the family planned to go to lunch together after the ceremony. 

Related: Nancy Meyers Reunites with Jude Law 18 Years After The Holiday and He Has the Perfect Response When She Asks About a Sequel

While Law did not directly address his mother's death in his speech during the ceremony, he did credit his parents with inspiring his love of movies and filmmaking from an early age. According to a 2006 article by The Telegraph, Law's parents Peter and Margaret were schoolteachers who married in 1967.

"I had a mother who showed me the great silent movies and comedies and musicals and dramas of the Hollywood Golden Era, American new wave [and] foreign movies," Law said. "And I had a dad who took me in the '70s and '80s to blockbuster movies where we ate our bodyweight in popcorn and chocolate."

Law also stars in the Disney+ Star Wars series Skeleton Crew, streaming now.