Meet the 19 Kids of "The O.C." Cast (Including the Daughter Who Became A Regular On Set!) Nicole BrieseAugust 31, 2025 at 9:00 PM Melinda Clarke/Instagram ; Autumn Reeser/Instagram Melinda Clarke and her daughter Catherine Grace Mirich ; Autumn Reeser and her two sons Finneus "Finn" James and Dashie...
- - Meet the 19 Kids of "The O.C." Cast (Including the Daughter Who Became A Regular On Set!)
Nicole BrieseAugust 31, 2025 at 9:00 PM
Melinda Clarke/Instagram ; Autumn Reeser/Instagram
Melinda Clarke and her daughter Catherine Grace Mirich ; Autumn Reeser and her two sons Finneus "Finn" James and Dashiell "Dash" Ford. -
The O.C. ran for four seasons from 2003 to 2007
The drama followed teenagers in Orange County and starred Ben McKenzie, Adam Brody, Rachel Bilson and more
Many of the cast members have gone on to welcome children of their own
The O.C. cast has gone from high school rebels to moms and dads.
The series — which ran for four seasons from 2003 to 2007 — followed teenagers (and their beleaguered parents) in Orange County, Calif. However, since the show wrapped, many of the cast members — including Ben McKenzie, Adam Brody, Rachel Bilson and more — have gone on to become parents themselves.
Meanwhile, some of the other stars already had children while the show was filming. Actress Kathryn Gallagher — who is the daughter of the show's patriarch Peter Gallagher — said in a June 2024 TikTok that she often has fans come up to her to discuss her dad's fictional parenting skills.
"I have a lot of people that come up to me and they say, 'Your dad raised me,' which is cool 'cause he also raised me, and I like to think that he did a really good job," she said.
Here's everything to know about the 18 kids of The O.C. cast members.
01 of 10
Ben McKenzie's 3 Children
Morena Baccarin/Instagram
Morena Baccarin with her husband Ben McKenzie and their son Julius Chick in July 2023.
McKenzie may have played a troubled teen on the hit Fox series, but in real life, he's a loving dad to his three kids with wife Morena Baccarin.
The actor first became a father on March 2, 2016, with the birth of daughter Frances Laiz Setta Schenkkan.
"It's exciting and it's something that I've wanted for a long time," the actor previously told PEOPLE. "I'm very happy about all of it. Poop, diapers and everything. It'll be fun."
Five years later, the couple announced on March 9, 2021, that they had welcomed their second child together, a son named Arthur. McKenzie is also a stepdad to Baccarin's son from a previous marriage, Julius Setta Chick.
According to Baccarin, McKenzie had no trouble adapting to parenthood.
"It's wonderful to watch him every day with our kids," she told PEOPLE in April 2018. "I couldn't ask for a better partner."
02 of 10
Adam Brody's 2 Children
Gilbert Flores/GG2025/Penske Media via Getty
Leighton Meester and Adam Brody during the 82nd Annual Golden Globes on January 05, 2025 in Beverly Hills, California.
Brody, who played Ryan's trusty sidekick Seth Cohen, shares two children with his wife and Gossip Girl alum Leighton Meester.
The couple welcomed daughter Arlo Day Brody on Aug. 4, 2015, one year after getting married.
A son, whose name has not been revealed, followed five years later.
"He's a dream boy," Brody confirmed on Twitch in September 2020.
03 of 10
Rachel Bilson's Daughter
Michael Kovac/Getty ; Rachel Bilson/Instagram
Rachel Bilson attends The O.C. x 21Seeds Campaign event on July 31, 2024 in Los Angeles, California ; Rachel Bilson's daughter Briar Rose in October 2024.
Bilson welcomed daughter Briar Rose Christensen with ex Hayden Christensen on Oct. 29, 2014.
Briar — who is named for Disney's Princess Aurora — already has her sights set on following in her famous parents' footsteps.
"She's already said she wants to act and I'm like, 'How do we handle this?' " Bilson said on the Betches Moms podcast in 2021.
But Briar is extremely close to her mom.
"It's so crazy, we're pretty inseparable," Bilson told PEOPLE in July 2024. "She talks to me. She is very open and will talk to me about things or what kids say at school. It's just really nice that we have that dialogue."
04 of 10
Peter Gallagher's 2 Children
Peter Gallagher/Instagram
Peter Gallagher with his wife Paula Harwood and their two kids, daughter Kathryn Gallagher and son James Gallagher in May 2023.
Peter was a dad long before The O.C. came along: He and wife Paula Harwood welcomed son James Gallagher on April 23, 1990, and daughter Kathryn Gallagher on July 23, 1993.
Now all grown up, Kathryn is an actress known for You and Woman of the Hour. James, meanwhile, works behind the camera, directing 2021's Paulette and 2023's Songs About Fucking.
Peter is always there for his children: He accompanied Kathryn on the red carpet at the 2021 Tony Awards for her first-ever nomination for Jagged Little Pill. (She also won a Grammy for Best Musical Theater Album for the performance.)
In Kathryn's June 2024 TikTok, the actress, who is bisexual, asked her dad to repeat the words he shared with her when she first came out.
"I think I said, 'I want you to feel loved, and I want you to have an ally in life,' " he said. "I want it to be somebody that brings out the best in you, and you bring out the best in them, and you're worth it. You deserve to be happy."
05 of 10
Kelly Rowan's Daughter
Jemal Countess/Getty
Kelly Rowan during the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival on September 3, 2014 in Toronto, Canada.
The O.C. matriarch Kirsten Cohen, a.k.a. Kelly Rowan, is also a mother off-sceen.
On April 28, 2008, she gave birth to daughter Braelin Thomson, PEOPLE reported at the time. She shares her daughter with her ex-husband, billionaire David Thomson.
Though the actress has kept her relationship with Braelin largely private, she opened up to PNI Atlantic News in January 2010 about being a working mom.
"I always take her with me everywhere," she said. "Right now, she's more what I've been focusing on, because it goes by so quickly."
06 of 10
Melinda Clarke's Daughter
Melinda Clarke/Instagram
Melinda Clarke and her daughter Catherine Grace Mirich in December 2021.
Melinda Clarke, who played the mother of Marissa Cooper (Mischa Barton), was already a mom to daughter Kathryn Grace when she started on The O.C., whom she shares with ex-husband Ernie Mirich.
Kathryn was around on the set so often that she believed Barton was her real sister, she told TV Guide in May 2005.
"She thinks Mischa is her sister, since she plays my daughter on the show, and she actually has called 'action' and 'cut' on set before," she said. "She's kind of bossy."
While the actress said her daughter found her character of Julie Cooper to be "me-e-e-e-an," their real-life relationship is one full of love.
"Motherhood has given me a connection with my daughter that is deeper than I have ever experienced with any other human being," she told the publication in 2005. "It's always growing and mind-blowing."
07 of 10
Tate Donovan's Son
Tate Donovan/Instagram
Tate Donovan with his wife Corry Scheuerman and son Luc Donovan in November 2019.
Clarke's fictional husband, Jimmy Cooper (Tate Donovan), became a dad shortly after playing one on The O.C. Donovan welcomed son Luc in 2005, two years after the series first aired.
The actor regularly posts about Luc's athletic abilities on social media.
"He was #3 on the field but #1 in our hearts," he captioned a November 2019 Instagram post from one of Luc's football games, which included wife Corry Scheuerman.
In April 2025, he shared that his son was in college. "We've got a son in college right now, so we are kind of focused on, 'What does he want to do?' " he said. "We'd love to take a trip with him, that would be great."
08 of 10
Alan Dale's 4 Sons
Chelsea Lauren/Variety/Penske Media via Getty
Alan Dale and Tracey Dale.
Alan Dale, who starred as Kirsten Cohen's wealthy father Caleb Nichol, has all boys.
In July 2019, he told GMTV that he had "two older sons," Simon and Matthew Dale, whom he shares with ex-wife Claire Dale, and "two little fellas," Nick and Daniel Dale, with wife Tracey Dale.
The Ugly Betty star opened up to Woman's Day about parenting in April 2015. "What having kids forces you to do is get up early, take them to water polo or yachting. You've got to go and do things," he said.
He also shared how difficult it was for him to film on location while his family was back home, recalling that his son Nick told him, "Every night you were away, Dad, I would sit in bed and sing songs. I sang a different song every night for you."
09 of 10
Chris Carmack's 2 Daughters
Chris Carmack/Instagram
Chris Carmack and wife Erin Slaver with their two daughters Kai and Cielle Estee in April 2024.
Chris Carmack may have played the show bully, but at home, he's the father of two girls.
He and now-wife Erin Slaver became parents on Sept. 3, 2016 with the birth of daughter Kai.
"Thank you for making us parents," the Grey's Anatomy alum wrote via social media in a sweet birthday tribute in September 2024. "It has been the most important and wonderful job of our lives."
The twosome announced that their family had grown by one on May 10, 2022. "We had a baby! Cielle Estee Carmack, (means the sky and the stars) and that's exactly what she is to us!" the couple wrote in a joint Instagram post.
10 of 10
Autumn Reeser's 2 Sons
Autumn Reeser/Instagram
Autumn Reeser and her two sons Finneus "Finn" James and Dashiell "Dash" Ford in December 2024.
Autumn Reeser, who played Taylor Townsend, became a mom on May 10th, 2011, when she welcomed her son Finneus James Warren.
"Little 'Finn' was born into the world," Reeser's now-ex Jesse Warren announced on X at the time.
Reeser delivered her second child, Dashiell Ford Warren, at home on Nov. 25, 2013. "After a swift home birth, Dashiell joined our family at 2:45am this morning. We are SO thrilled!!!" she announced on X.
In December 2024, she shared that she's still learning how to raise two boys after having grown up in a house full of women.
"I absolutely think [Dashiell] was a gift sent to me to teach me about the masculine journey," she said in an episode of the Good Journeys with Ben Veal podcast. "My little one, we've really had to figure out how to meet each other."
According to Reeser, she and Dashiell don't hold anything back. "I think what I do really well as a parent is I'm just honest," she said. "The gift of this child is absolute, unfiltered raw honesty."
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