Sam Waterston’s Kids: Everything To Know About The ‘Law & Order’ Star’s 4 Children

Sam Waterston is the proud father of four kids: James, Elisabeth, Katherine, and Graham. Learn more about them, here!

Sam Waterston is a Hollywood icon. The 81-year-old actor has been in the business for nearly four decades now. He memorably starred as D.A. James McCoy in Law & Order, and will be reprising the role as the NBC series returns for a 21st season after being off the air for 12 years. Sam also starred in The Newsroom and Grace & Frankie on television, while his notable film credits include 1974’s The Great Gatsby, The Killing Fields, and The Man in the Moon.

When he’s not acting, Sam is busy spending time with his loving family. His first child, son James, was born in 1969 to his first wife, magazine editor Barbara Rutledge-Johns. Sam and Barbara got divorced in 1975, and the following year he married former model Lynn Louisa Woodruff. They welcomed three children together: daughters Elisabeth (born in 1977) and Katherine (born in 1980), and son Graham (born in 1983). Almost all of Sam’s four children have followed in their famous dad’s footsteps in the acting business. Here’s everything to know about them.

James

James Waterston, 53, is Sam’s only child with his first wife. He went to college at Yale, where he formed the theater company Malaparte with his friends Ethan Hawke and Robert Sean Leonard. James’s first major acting role was as Gerard Pitts in 1989’s Dead Poets Society, opposite lead star Robin Williams. He’s gone on to appear in countless television shows like ER, Six Feet Under, The Good Wife, Law & Order: SVU, Chicago Fire, and The Blacklist. His most recent TV role was in the Netflix miniseries Halston that starred Ewan McGregor. James has also appeared on Broadway plays in New York City and Chicago. He’s been married to Line Lillevik since 2000.

Elisabeth

Elisabeth Waterston, 44, is Sam and Lynn’s eldest child. She’s an actor, just like her father. Her first acting role was in an episode of Law & Order in 2000, according to her IMDb page. She’s been in the movies The Prince & Me, Good Dick, and Please Be Normal. On TV, she’s appeared in The Blacklist, Quantico, and the new Gossip Girl reboot on HBO Max. Elisabeth married actor Louis Cancelmi in October 2006.

Katherine

Katherine Waterston, 41, is Sam’s third child. She was born in Westminster, London, and was raised in Connecticut before attending Tisch School of the Arts at NYU. She started acting in 2007 in both film and on Broadway. Her breakthrough movie performance came in the 2014 crime film Inherent Vice, which also starred Joaquin Phoenix, Owen Wilson, Reese Witherspoon, and Josh Brolin. Katherine also starred in Steve Jobs and Alien: Covenant, before she joined the Fantastic Beasts film series as Porpentina “Tina” Goldsetein. She’ll reprise the role in the Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore. Katherine also has a main role in the upcoming second season of Perry Mason.

Katherine previously dated playwright and director Adam Rapp for six years. The former couple worked on some theater productions together. While attending the U.K. premiere of Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald in Nov. 2018, Katherine revealed she was pregnant by sporting a baby bump. She gave birth to her first child, a son, in 2019, though it’s unclear who the father is.

Graham

Last but not least of Sam’s children is Graham Waterston, 38. Graham isn’t an actor like his siblings are, but he does work as a producer, writer, director, and crew member in Hollywood. He directed the 2015 short film And It Was Good, per his IMDb. His father, his brother, and one of his sisters appeared in the film. Sam hasn’t been active in film productions since that project. He’s the most private of Sam’s four children.