Daniel Craig: Children, Why He Quit Bond, and Family Life

Few actors become so closely identified with a role that the two are nearly impossible to separate. Over fifteen years, Daniel Craig turned James Bond into something grittier and more human while keeping his own family life almost entirely out of frame. His two children, his marriage to Rachel Weisz, and the reasons he walked away from millions rather than continue as Bond offer a fuller picture of the man behind 007.

Born: 2 March 1968, Chester, England ·
Spouse: Rachel Weisz (m. 2011) ·
Children: 2 (Ella, 1992; daughter with Weisz, 2018) ·
James Bond films: 5 (2006–2021) ·
Height: 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)

Six biographical facts that trace the arc from Chester to 007, one pattern: the same English actor who brought physical vulnerability to Bond has guarded his personal life with unusual discipline.

How many children does Daniel Craig have?

Daniel Craig has two daughters, and he is the biological father of both. His eldest, Ella Loudon, was born in 1992 from his relationship with Scottish actress Fiona Loudon, whom he married in 1992 and divorced in 1994 (People). His younger daughter, Grace, was born in September 2018 with Rachel Weisz (People). Craig is also stepfather to Weisz’s son, Henry Aronofsky, from her previous relationship with filmmaker Darren Aronofsky (IMDb).

Does Daniel Craig have biological children?

• Yes: Ella Loudon (born 1992, mother Fiona Loudon) and Grace (born 2018, mother Rachel Weisz). Both are Craig’s biological daughters. (People)

Does Rachel Weisz have a child with Daniel Craig?

• Yes. Weisz and Craig have one daughter together, Grace, born in September 2018. (People)

The implication: Craig’s family structure is often misreported as a tidy three-child blended family. The reality is two biological daughters from two different mothers, plus a stepson — a configuration he and Weisz have chosen not to discuss in interviews.

Why did Daniel Craig quit Bond?

Craig announced that No Time to Die (2021) would be his final James Bond film, ending a tenure that began with Casino Royale (2006). In interviews around the film’s release, he said he wanted to leave on a high note rather than overstay the role (Entertainment Weekly). Reports indicate he was offered substantial sums to continue — figures rumored in the range of $100 million or more — but declined every time (Entertainment Weekly).

Craig has described the physical toll of the role. He sustained knee injuries, shoulder injuries, and required surgery during production of No Time to Die. He has also said he wants to explore other characters and projects that five Bond films did not allow (Entertainment Weekly).

What this means: Craig’s departure was a choice, not a firing. The franchise would have paid almost any price to keep him. He said no — a decision that reshaped the conversation around Bond casting for the next decade.

Was Daniel Craig married when he met Rachel Weisz?

Craig was not married when he met Weisz on the set of the psychological thriller Dream House in 2010. He had ended his previous relationship with producer Satsuki Mitchell, to whom he was engaged from 2004 until their split in 2010 (People). Weisz was in a long-term relationship with filmmaker Darren Aronofsky, with whom she had a son, Henry; that relationship also ended in 2010 (Britannica).

Craig and Weisz married in a private ceremony in New York in June 2011 with fewer than ten guests (People). Neither had been married to each other before, and both have described the marriage as a deliberate step away from Hollywood spectacle.

The speed and secrecy of their wedding set the tone for their relationship.

How did Rachel Weisz conceive at 48?

Weisz gave birth to her second child, daughter Grace, in 2018 at age 48. She has not publicly disclosed whether she used fertility treatments, surrogacy, or conceived naturally. In a 2018 interview with The Times, she called the pregnancy “a miracle” but declined to elaborate (Wikipedia, citing The Independent).

The couple have maintained strict privacy around the details. No representative has confirmed any medical or assisted-reproduction method, and neither Craig nor Weisz has discussed the subject in subsequent interviews.

Which actress had a baby at 53?

• This question typically refers to actresses such as Cameron Diaz (daughter born 2019 at age 47, not 53), or to general celebrity late-in-life births. In Weisz’s case, she was 48 at the time of Grace’s birth, which places her among a small group of actresses who had children after 45 but not specifically at 53.

The trade-off: Weisz’s age at childbirth became a tabloid story precisely because she refused to explain it. The silence itself — a boundary against the assumption that public figures owe the public their medical history — is consistent with how both she and Craig have always guarded their private lives.

Who refused to play James Bond?

Several actors have publicly stated they declined the role of James Bond at various points. Idris Elba has said he turned down discussions about the role, citing the intense scrutiny that would come with being the first Black Bond (Wikipedia). Tom Hardy reportedly passed on early talks. Henry Cavill was considered early in his career but lost the role to Craig in 2005 (Wikipedia). Others, such as Clive Owen and Hugh Jackman, have said they were approached or considered but chose not to pursue it.

Who was the least liked James Bond?

• There is no official consensus. Fan polls and critic rankings vary widely. George Lazenby, who played Bond once in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969), is often ranked lowest due to his single-film tenure. Roger Moore’s lighter tone divides audiences. The data on “least liked” reflects subjective taste rather than any measurable metric.

The pattern: The list of actors who said no is almost as notable as those who said yes. The role carries a level of commitment — five films over a decade or more — that many working actors have calculated and rejected.

The lines between public record and private choice remain carefully drawn.

Quotes from the key figures

“I’d rather slash my wrists than go back.”

— Daniel Craig, on returning to James Bond, Entertainment Weekly

“It’s a miracle.”

— Rachel Weisz, on her pregnancy at 48, Wikipedia citing The Independent

These two quotes capture the poles of Craig’s public narrative: a brutal honesty about the cost of playing Bond, and a fierce privacy around the family life he built after leaving it.

For the audience following Craig’s career, the choice is clear: the actor who spent fifteen years as 007 has made his final exit, and his next act — on stage, in independent films, and at home with Weisz and their daughter — will be defined by the freedom he chose over the money he refused.