Oscar Maximilian Jackman Knows His Roots - More about Hugh Jackman's Adopted Son

"Destiny" played a role in Oscar Maximilian Jackman, Hugh Jackman's son's adoption into the actor, and his wife's family. The couple, who had a difficult road to parenthood, adopted the child of Bosnian origin and made sure Oscar knew his cultural roots.

After tying the knot in 1996, Hugh and his wife, Deborra-Lee Furness, had difficulty conceiving; the "Wolverine" actor spoke candidly about his wife experiencing two miscarriages. Despite the effort and time that went into trying to have a baby, the couple had to choose alternative ways to expand their family.

Hugh and Debra-Lee believed everything happened for a reason; once they came to terms with the fact that they could not have biological children, Hugh said they took matters into their own hands and welcomed Oscar into their lives through adoption. Hugh said everyone was where they were meant to be.

Main Facts about Oscar

Oscar was born in 2000, and shortly after he was born, he was adopted into the Jackson-Furness family. Although watching his son finish high school and his daughter start high school took some readjusting for the actor, he shared that he enjoyed the "amazing conversations" he could have with his children. They were growing up before his eyes, and he said of raising teenagers:

"It went from 'Hey, guys, these are the rules, we don't do that,' to having to give them reasons why."

Hugh and Deborra celebrated 23 years of marriage in 2019 and revealed that while watching their kids grow up was emotional, they at least had better taste in movies. Deborra recalled when her children were younger and wanted to watch "Shrek" over a hundred times.

She jokingly shared that their teenagers were finally at a stage where they wanted to watch something their parents enjoyed, too. Hugh revealed that he had a tough time getting Oscar to listen as he got older; he had to accept that Oscar was all grown up and no longer needed dad's advice.

Whenever the Australian actor would ask his son to do something, Oscar would say, "I'm an adult now. I can do what I want." Despite the growing pains of raising teenagers, the actor and his wife knew Oscar and his sister were where they were meant to be.

Although they were not biologically related, that did not matter to Hugh as he said, " I don't think of them as adopted – they're our children."

Being an A-list actor meant taking on jobs and being away from home often. At the same time, he was filming for the animated movie "Missing Link" and going on his first world tour, "The Man. The Music. The Show.," Hugh shared that, although challenging at times, fatherhood taught him a lot:

"When your focus is innately, deeply, one hundred per cent become these kids in your life and their well-being, it just seems to put everything into perspective."

Oscar Knows about His Roots

When Oscar was a little boy, he learned he was part Bosnian; determined to raise him in a home that recognized and respected his lineage, his parents went out and bought him a Croatian/Bosnian cookbook. Deborra revealed that Oscar was "very proud to carry that around when he was seven years old."

She reflected on raising Oscar in a multi-cultural home with his Australian parents and a Mexican sister and realized how her mother's parenting skills were passed down to her and how she would pass them down to Oscar. Deborra said:

"It's so interesting being a parent, and they've both made me smarter than I think I ever could have been on my own."

When Oscar was 18, he chose to reunite with his birth family; Hugh and Deborra adopted him from an underprivileged American family, and Oscar met his biological sisters and his aunt.

His biological mother, Amber Lanham's sister Rochell, raised his sisters, Olivia and Nyomi Lanham, in Vinton, Iowa. Oscar was only in Iowa for half the day but felt he already knew his family. Amber passed away in 2005 before she could reunite with Oscar. He shared the special moment on his Instagram and wrote:

"Today has undoubtedly been the most important day of my life. I finally got to meet my biological family. "

Oscar's biological grandfather also died before meeting his grandson; after Amber gave birth to Oscar, she did not introduce him to the rest of his biological family before giving him up for adoption. Oscar's grandfather reportedly lamented that he wanted to see Oscar before he died, but that did not happen.

Oscar's grandfather died in December 2018; Oscar shared a picture of his obituary and extended his apologies to his grandfather for not meeting him before his passing.

Oscar Is a Ladies-Man

Oscar might have outgrown taking his dad's advice, but once upon a time, Hugh was his go-to wingman. The actor recalled a story on the beach where Oscar used his dad's fame to impress a girl; a 13-year-old Oscar told his dad to follow along after he told an older crush his dad was Wolverine. Hugh said, "'I was like, 'I am the wingman for my 13-year-old boy.'"

Oscar Is Not the Only Child in the Family

After adopting Oscar, the couple chose to adopt again and welcomed their daughter, Ava, into their family. And while some people might dream of having a famous parent, the "The Greatest Showman" actor revealed that she was not amused with his success.

After attending one of his daughter's dance classes, Hugh found himself surrounded by fans, which resulted in his daughter banning him from future classes; fortunately, Hugh Jackman and his daughter were able to catch up on daddy/daughter time during quarantine.