Peter Jackson is set to receive the Honorary Palme d’Or at Cannes 2026, and to commemorate this historic moment, he brought his kids with him to the Croisette. Jackson’s filmmaking brilliance has graced us with The Lord of the Rings trilogy and the 2005 King Kong, which still remains one of the best renditions of the King Kong franchise. The multi-faceted career of the filmmaker has brought about several revolutionary changes in cinema, and the love for his art has many times led his admirers to enquire about his personal life as well.

The recent appearance of the director’s children has sparked that same curiosity, wanting to know everything about them.

Peter Jackson is married to his long-time collaborator Fran Walsh, who is a screenwriter and producer. They have two children together - son, Billy Jackson, and daughter, Katie Jackson. Billy Jackson was born in Wellington, New Zealand, in 1995, while Katie Jackson was born just a year later, making her the younger of the two. While they stay largely aloof from the spotlight, they do have some movie cameos to their credit, which happen to be in their father’s most famous films.

Both of Peter Jackson's children have made numerous appearances throughout the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Billy portrayed a hobbit boy in The Fellowship of the Ring, a child in The Return of the King, and a boy in Dale in The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies.

Talking about Katie Jackson's acting credits, in 2001, she debuted as a hobbit youngster in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring and also appeared in the other two installments of the trilogy in different roles. In 2005, she played a minor part in King Kong, a movie starring Adrien Brody and Naomi Watts. In 2009, she played Leah Fox in the Saoirse Ronan film The Lovely Bones.

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From doing cameos in their father’s most recognized films to watching him get an Honorary Palme d’Or for the same movies, they have both come a long way.

At this year's Cannes Film Festival, legendary New Zealand filmmaker Peter Jackson will receive an Honorary Palme d'Or. The award will be given to the three-time Oscar-winning director on May 12 at the festival's opening ceremony. Jackson has duly expressed his gratitude for getting such an honor at the greatest stage of the world of cinema.

“To be honoured with an honorary Palme d’Or at Cannes is one of the greatest privileges of my career,” Jackson said in return for the award. 

Jackson joins the esteemed group of former Cannes honorary Palme winners, which also includes Tom Cruise, Agnès Varda, Marco Bellocchio, Jodie Foster, Meryl Streep, and Robert De Niro. And now the Kiwi filmmaker, along with his children, gets to be a part of history at Cannes 2026, which boasts a stellar auteur lineup this year.

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Did you know about Peter Jackson's kids being in his movies before? Do let us know in the comments.