Woody Harrelson's Kids: Meet His Children With Laura Louie

Woody Harrelson is always counting his blessings when it comes to his family. The True Detective alum said being the dad of his three kids, Deni, Zoe and Makani, with wife Laura Louie, makes him feel like the luckiest man in the world.

“No one who’s as lucky as I am has a right to be cynical,” the Golden Globe-winning actor once gushed, according to the Huffington Post. “Luckily, I have my family, which makes me hopeful.”

Woody became a father with the Yoganics cofounder years after they first met in 1987. The Zombieland star — who was married to his first wife, Nancy Simon, from 1985 to 1986 — crossed paths with Laura when she started working as his personal assistant, according to reports. Woody and Laura started dating in 1988.

The couple became parents when they welcomed their first child, Deni, in 1993. The lovebirds’ second child, Zoe, arrived three years later in 1996, followed by their youngest, Makani, who was born in 2006.

At the time Woody and Laura were raising their kids, they had yet to tie the knot. Considering his previous walk down the aisle ended in divorce, the Now You See Me actor told The Hollywood Reporter he “never believed” in the institution of marriage.

“I just never believed that it made any sense, this long-term monogamy thing that humans do,” he explained to the outlet in 2017. “Also, relationships do tend to get very proprietary. And so you end up, before you realize it, in a cage — maybe a very comfortable cage, but still a cage — and you can’t be the person you want.”

When it came to Laura, however, Woody couldn’t deny the immediate connection, which has since flourished into an unbreakable bond. “It was one of those things I wouldn’t admit to myself: I didn’t want to be attracted to my amazing assistant,” he sweetly proclaimed.

The Hunger Games actor and the brunette beauty eventually made their romance official and said “I do” in 2008, and since then, he’s been relishing his role as a dad and doting husband. Reflecting on his journey of starting a family, Woody said everything changed when he held his eldest child in his arms for the first time.

“I remember my daughter Deni coming along, and she was so pure and caring of everybody and everything. And somehow, this little being managed to get around all the obstacles ― the gun turrets, the walls, the moats, the sentries ― that were wrapped around my heart,” he marveled to Esquire in 2008. “My heart at that time needed her. I think it’s the best thing going … parenthood.”

Scroll through the gallery below to learn more about Woody’s daughters!

Deni Montana Harrelson

Woody and Laura’s first child was born on March 5, 1994, according to IMDb, though other reports claim she arrived on February 28. Throughout most of her life, Deni has stayed out of the spotlight, aside from attending a few rare red carpet events with her famous father.

Fortunately, Woody has opened up about raising Deni in a handful of interviews. He once praised his eldest child, as well as her younger sisters, for being “strong and tough,” according to the Huffington Post. “I am a great example for my daughters for what not to do,” he said. “But they see through falseness. At the same time, they are optimistic and open.”

Woody also revealed he and Laura homeschooled Deni during the early years of her life, which is something he “regrets.” Because he was extremely busy with his Hollywood career, he said he felt like he was “away from home too much and not getting enough time with the kids.”

“We used to homeschool the first two, which I guess is another way of saying that we didn’t worry about their education,” he told InStyle in 2018. “I always feel like they learn more by just hanging with me and going places. But no, they eventually wanted to go to school, and that really put a big wedge between our, you know, hang time.”

Zoe Giordano Harrelson

The Hollywood hunk’s second kiddo arrived on September 22, 1996. Like her older sister, Zoe has been raised out of the public eye, but she has made a few appearances as she’s grown up.

In fact, Zoe already made her acting debut. According to The Huffington Post, she appeared alongside her dad in the 2015 short film, U2: Song for Someone. That same year, she also made a Ted Talk at her high school in May about the importance of “[disconnecting] from phones,” which she said are “removing us from reality and moments,” according to the YouTube video’s description.

It sounds like Zoe put her education to good use!

Makani Ravello Harrelson

The duo’s youngest was born on June 3, 2006. At the time, Woody and Laura shared the exciting news in a statement to Today.

“In this crazy patriarchal world we live in, we are doing our part to balance the energy. We are proud to announce the completion of our goddess trilogy with the birth of our third daughter, Makani Ravello,” they gushed.

Though she’s the youngest of the bunch, it seems Makani already has dreams of becoming a star like her father. In 2016, she appeared in her first movie in LBJ, followed by a small role in 2017’s Lost in London, per IMDb.

Makani has also been featured on Woody’s Instagram. In July 2017, he uploaded a snap of his daughter, writing, “My girl.”