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Cillian Murphy's lookalike son Aran, 16, joins famous dad for ultra rare public appearance

The Oppenheimer actor and his wife Yvonne McGuinness are parents of two

Cillian Murphy at the 81st Golden Globe Awards held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on January 7, 2024 in Beverly Hills, California
Francesca Shillcock
Senior Features Writer
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Cillian Murphy is fast becoming the 2024 award season darling after picking up the Leading Actor Award at Sunday's Golden Globes and being tipped for Oscar glory thanks to his role as J. Robert Oppenheimer in Christopher Nolan's epic film.

Away from the gritty movie roles and glitzy Hollywood events, the Irish actor prefers to live a quieter life at home with his wife and two sons, but Cillian did decide to bring along his family to the Golden Globes to soak up the glamour – and his son is a dead ringer for his famous dad!

Yvonne McGuinness, Cillian Murphy, and Robert Downey Jr. at the 81st Golden Globe Awards held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on January 7, 2024 in Beverly Hills, California© Christopher Polk/Golden Globes 2
Cillian Murphy with his wife, Yvonne McGuinness and Robert Downey Jr. at the 81st Golden Globe Awards held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on January 7, 2024

Cillian, 47, and his wife Yvonne, 51, were seen sitting at their table alongside their 16-year-old, Aran, who looked to be having a ball with his parents at the fancy party. In one photo, the trio were in fits of laughter as Cillian's Oppenheimer co-star and fellow winner on the night, Robert Downey Jr., posed extravagantly for the cameras.

Another photo showed the young lad walking through the press pen with his dad while Cillian was interviewed by reporters and snapped by photographers. As well as Aran, Yvonne and Cillian are parents to 18-year-old Malachy, who was not spotted in photographs from Sunday's awards.

Aran seems to be following in his father's footsteps and is keen to pursue an acting career. The teen already has credits in the film LOLA and a stage production of the play, Hamnet.

Cillian might be a huge name in Hollywood, but he and his family live an extremely normal, private life in County Dublin. His wife of almost 20 years, whom he met in the late 1990s, is also Irish and works as a visual artist.

Cillian Murphy and Robert Downey Jr. at the 81st Golden Globe Awards held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on January 7, 2024 in Beverly Hills, California © Christopher Polk/Golden Globes 2
Cillian Murphy sits with his wife and son while Robert Downey Jr. poses at the 81st Golden Globe Awards held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on January 7, 2024

The Batman star has occasionally shared insight into his private life away from the spotlight, telling The Guardian in 2016 about their decision to move back to Ireland from the UK to raise their sons there, rather than remaining in London or indeed making the move Stateside to raise a family in Los Angeles like many A-listers choose to do. "We wanted them to be Irish, I suppose."

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Cillian Murphy at the 81st Golden Globe Awards held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on January 7, 2024 in Beverly Hills, California© Alberto Rodriguez/Golden Globes
Cillian Murphy at the 81st Golden Globe Awards held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on January 7, 2024

He added: "It's amazing how quickly their accents have adapted. Even within a year of moving back, they are fading into this rakish West Brit kind of thing. Which I think, hopefully, will get them lots of girls when they're 15."

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Speaking to Deadline, he explained their location further: "We did live in London for 14 years, it was a big chunk of my life from my mid-20s to my late 30s. 

I really enjoyed it, it was really exciting, and it's a great city, but the move to Dublin wasn't motivated by wanting to distance myself from the industry. I was purely motivated by wanting to come home to Ireland and raise our kids as Irish and be near our families." 

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