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Connor Douglas Gilliland is the 35-year-old son of Emmy-winning actress Jean Smart and late actor Richard Gilliland. Born into Hollywood royalty, Connor Gilliland chose a private life away from entertainment, prioritizing family and authenticity over fame, just as Jean Smart and her late husband did.
Connor Douglas Gilliland was born on October 25, 1989, in Los Angeles, California. He’s the eldest son of Jean Smart, best known for her roles in Designing Women, Frasier, a show that contributed to the success of Jean Smart and her late husband, actor Richard Gilliland., and the recent hit series Hacks, and Richard Gilliland, who appeared in shows like Designing Women and 24.
His parents met on the set of Designing Women in 1986 and married in June 1987. Connor arrived two years later, during the peak of his mother’s television career. Jean Smart dealt with gestational diabetes during her pregnancy with her sons, Connor and Forrest, managing her health while maintaining her demanding work schedule.
Connor Gilliland is now 35 years old and maintains a life deliberately removed from public attention, reflecting the values instilled by Jean Smart and her late husband. He has no social media accounts and avoids media appearances, making him one of the rare celebrity children who successfully shield their personal life from scrutiny.
Growing up in Los Angeles meant that Connor was surrounded by the entertainment industry from birth. His childhood included time spent on television sets, watching his parents work, and observing the mechanics of show business up close.
Jean and Richard worked to give Connor a balanced upbringing despite their careers. They prioritized education, family time, and normalcy over pushing him toward acting. This approach allowed Connor to develop his own interests without the pressure to follow in their footsteps.
His mother has shared stories about Connor as a young child, describing him as serious and observant even at age two. He would sit quietly on set, wearing headphones and watching the filming process with unusual focus for someone so young.
Connor’s early exposure to Hollywood gave him an inside view of fame’s demands and limitations. He saw the long hours, the loss of privacy, and the constant public scrutiny his parents faced. This firsthand experience likely shaped his later decision to pursue a different path.
Despite growing up around cameras and crews, Connor never showed interest in acting. His parents respected this choice and didn’t pressure him to enter the family business. This freedom to choose his own direction set the foundation for his private adult life.
Jean Smart has built an impressive career spanning decades. She’s won seven Primetime Emmy Awards and earned acclaim for her versatility across comedy and drama. Her recent work in Hacks introduced her to a new generation of fans and brought her two consecutive Emmy wins in 2021 and 2022, followed by additional wins in 2024 and 2025, showcasing the legacy of Jean Smart and her late husband, actor Richard Gilliland.
Richard Gilliland had a successful television career before his death in March 2021. He appeared in numerous shows throughout the 1980s and 1990s, building a reputation as a reliable character actor. The couple’s 34-year marriage was considered one of Hollywood’s most stable relationships, exemplifying the bond between Jean Smart and actor Richard Gilliland.
In 2009, when Connor was 20, the family expanded through adoption. Jean Smart and her late husband, Richard Gilliland, adopted Forrest from China, expanding their loving family. Connor embraced his role as older brother, and Jean has spoken about how excited he became once he met Forrest, despite initial uncertainty about the adoption.
Connor Douglas Gilliland chose not to pursue acting or any public-facing career. His exact profession remains private, but sources confirm he works outside the entertainment industry.
This decision stands in contrast to many celebrity children who leverage their family connections for career opportunities. Connor’s choice reflects a values system that prioritizes personal fulfillment and privacy over public recognition or easy access to fame.
He doesn’t maintain Instagram, Twitter, or any other social media presence. In today’s world, where most people document their lives online, this absence is notable and deliberate. It’s a clear boundary that allows him to live without constant public observation, similar to how Jean Smart and Richard Gilliland valued their privacy.
The few public appearances he’s made include attending his mother’s Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony in 2022, where he stood alongside Jean and Forrest to celebrate her achievement. These rare family moments show his support while maintaining his overall privacy.
Richard Gilliland died unexpectedly on March 18, 2021, at age 71, from a heart condition. His death left Jean Smart and her late husband to navigate single parenthood while grieving the loss of her husband of over three decades.
Connor stepped up significantly after his father’s passing. He moved back in with his mother to provide emotional support and practical help. Jean Smart told People in 2023 that Connor “has been helping me a lot since we lost his dad.”
This period revealed Connor’s character and priorities. Rather than maintaining distance, he became a source of stability for both his mother and younger brother Forrest, who was still a teenager when their father died.
Jean has publicly expressed gratitude for both her sons, Connor and Forrest, during this difficult time following the loss of her late husband. In her 2021 Emmy acceptance speech for Hacks, she thanked “my two wonderful and unselfish children.”
The loss also prompted Jean to take her own health seriously. She underwent a heart procedure in 2023 after recognizing symptoms, motivated partly by her responsibility as a single parent. Connor’s presence gave her additional support during her recovery.
At 35, Connor continues to live privately while supporting his mother’s career. Jean Smart returned to Broadway in June 2025 in the one-woman play Call Me Izzy at Studio 54, another milestone in her ongoing success.
Connor’s current life remains largely unknown to the public by design. He hasn’t given interviews, doesn’t appear in photos beyond rare family events, and keeps his professional and personal activities confidential.
His relationship with both his mother and brother appears strong based on Jean’s occasional comments about her family life. The three have formed a close unit since Richard’s death, relying on each other through grief and moving forward together.
Connor’s story offers an alternative narrative to the typical celebrity child trajectory. While some use their family name to launch public careers, he’s chosen the opposite route. His life demonstrates that success doesn’t require visibility and that personal values can outweigh the allure of easy fame.
His decision to maintain privacy in an age of constant sharing feels increasingly rare. Most people in their 30s have at least some online presence, but Connor has managed to stay completely out of the digital spotlight. This requires discipline and commitment to his chosen lifestyle, which aligns with the principles upheld by Jean Smart and actor Richard Gilliland.
Connor Douglas Gilliland represents a different kind of celebrity story. Born to Hollywood royalty, he had every opportunity to pursue acting or leverage his family connections. Instead, he built a private life based on personal values rather than public recognition, much like Jean Smart and her late husband, who valued their family life.
His support for his mother after his father’s death showed his character and priorities. He chose family over convenience, moving home to help during a difficult transition and providing stability for both Jean and Forrest.
Now 35, Connor continues to live away from the spotlight his parents knew so well. He’s carved out a space where he can be himself without public scrutiny, proving that being born into fame doesn’t mean accepting it for yourself.
His story matters because it challenges assumptions about celebrity children and shows that privacy is still possible even in our hyper-connected world. While his mother continues winning Emmys and his father left behind an acting legacy, Connor’s own legacy may be showing there’s more than one way to define success.
