He will be dead before that child graduates elementary school’: strangers online judge Al Pacino’s decision to have a baby at 83

The debate over Al Pacino becoming a father at 83 has resurfaced online, three years after the actor and his girlfriend welcomed a son. As reported by the Daily Dot, the conversation gained fresh momentum on September 10 when a post titled “Morality of an 82-year-old age gap between you and your son” went up on the r/MoralityScaling subreddit.

Reactions in the thread were mixed. One commenter argued that “mortality is based on what he does with his time,” pointing to the likelihood that Pacino will not be present for much of his son’s life. Another user pushed back, arguing that the child stands to inherit significant resources and the association with Pacino’s name, and said the situation has both pros and cons rather than “zero value for the kid.”

The discussion spilled onto other platforms as well. On Instagram, one commenter called the decision selfish and said children who grew up without a father understand what that absence can mean, while another joked about the demands of caring for a baby and an elderly parent at the same time. Users on X focused more on Pacino’s history of never marrying and having children with multiple partners.

The math behind Pacino’s family timeline

Pacino’s publicist, Stan Rosenfield, announced the arrival of his son, named Roman, on June 15, 2023. The child’s mother is Pacino’s girlfriend, Noor Alfallah, who has worked in film production, including as a producer on the 2019 short film La Petite Mort, a detail that surfaced the same week as other celebrity family updates. Roman is not Pacino’s first child. He is also father to 33-year-old Julie Marie, from his relationship with acting coach Jan Tarrant, and 25-year-old twins Anton and Olivia, whom he shares with actor Beverly D’Angelo.

Beyond the online debate, there is established medical research on paternal age. According to the Mayo Clinic, men can continue producing sperm throughout their lives and can father children well into old age, though the risk of certain health issues in their children can increase slightly as they get older.

As spermatogenesis, the process of sperm creation, repeats over a man’s life, the potential for chromosomal abnormalities grows slowly over time. Some studies have linked advanced paternal age to a slightly higher risk of conditions such as achondroplasia, a form of dwarfism, along with autism and schizophrenia. Research has also suggested children of older fathers may score slightly lower on certain memory and reasoning tests through age seven.

Medical professionals maintain that the overall likelihood of health issues tied specifically to a father’s age remains low.