10 Celebrities You Didn't Know Were Adoptive Parents

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10 Celebrities You Didn't Know Were Adoptive Parents

It may not be for everyone but adoption is a beautiful thing. Voluntarily accepting someone else's child as your own and showering them with unconditional love is amazing, but the process can be complicated and expensive.

Wealthy people such as Hollywood celebrities have an advantage because they are able to afford the costs associated with adoption.

Angelina Jolie and Madonna may be the most famous for adopting multiple children but they aren't the only well-known adoptive parents around. Check out this list of five amazing celebrities who also became parents through through adoption.

1. Cate Blanchett

The actress already has three biological sons when she adopted her daughter, Edith Vivian Patricia in 2015. She told Women in the World that the decision had nothing to do with gender or biology, "I felt we had space, enough emotional room in our hearts and were privileged enough to have the capacity to have another child, so it wasn't about biology. It wasn't about a desire to have a girl, the gender of the children was never particularly important to me."

2. Hugh Jackman

Jackman's wife, Deborra-Lee Furness unfortunately suffered two miscarriages and as a result they opted for adoption. The couple are proud parents to Oscar Maximillian, 17 and Ava Eliot, 12.

3. Viola Davis

The How to Get Away With Murder star and her husband welcomed their first child, Genesis Tennon, through domestic adoption in 2011. She didn't want another child to experience the "poverty and dysfunction" that filled her childhood.

4. Katherine Heigl

Heigl and her hubby Josh Kelley brought home their first daughter, Nancy Leigh "Naleigh" from South Korea. She had congenital heart defect but Heigl told Harper's Bazaar in 2010 that her daughter is fine now. The couple expanded their family by adopting a second girl, Adalaide Marie Hope in 2012.

5. Mariska Hargitay

In 2011, Hargitay and her husband, actor Peter Hermann adopted two children in a span of six months, a daughter Amaya Josephine and a son Andrew Nicolas. Although Hargitay already had a biological son, August, adoption was always part of their plan because both her and her husband come from big families. "It was a no-brainer," Hargitay told Good Housekeeping. "It was like ... a miracle. And I don't use that word lightly. I've never made a bigger decision so quickly," she added.

6. Sandra Bullock

Both of Sandra's kids, Louis, 6 and Laila, 3 are adopted from New Orleans and Louisiana respectively. The Miss Congeniality actress tells People that building a family is the best decision she has made, "My family is blended and diverse, nutty, and loving and understanding."

7. Ty Burrell

Modern Family star Ty Burrell is not just an onscreen dad, he is also father to two daughters, Frances, 7 and Greta, 4. Ty and his wife, Holly, adopted the girls in 2010 and 2012. "I guess if Phil can raise kids, so can I!" he told E! News.

8. Kristin Davis

Popsugar.com

Davis, who played Samantha in the hit show Sex and the City, became a mom to Gemma Rose Davis through adoption in 2011. "This is something I have wanted for a very long time," Davis told People. "Having this wish come true is even more gratifying than I ever had imagined. I feel so blessed."

9. Julie Andrews

The legendary Julie Andrews raised 5 children including her biological daughter, 2 step-children and 2 adopted daughters. Amy Leigh and Joanna Lynne, were adopted from an orphanage in Vietnam after the war.

10. Ewan McGregor

Just Jared

Towards the end of 2016, Ewan McGregor and his wife, Eve Mavrakis adopted their fourth child. The new baby girl's siblings include Jamiyan, 9, who was adopted from Mongolia and the couple's biological daughters, Clara, 15 and Esther, 9.  

Did any of these surprise you? Share your thoughts in the comments!

Blair isn't a bestselling author, but she has a knack for beautiful prose. When she isn't writing for Shared, she enjoys listening to podcasts.