Elizabeth Hurley , 58, has been a fixture in the celebrity orbit for decades — ever since starting her acting career in the ’80s and gaining global buzz for her 13-year relationship with then boyfriend Hugh Grant. But the star of TV series like “The Royals” and films like “ Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery ” has another leading role she plays off-screen: She’s mom to Damian Charles Hurley. Not only do the mother and son have matching to-die-for cheekbones, they’re also best
Friends who share a love for the entertainment biz. After pivoting from a career in modeling, Damian has continued following in Mom’s footsteps, with Elizabeth cheering him on every step of the way. This Friday, the 21-year-old makes his directorial debut with a crime drama he also wrote, called “ Strictly Confidential .” The film, which hits theaters and streaming platforms the same day, stars a very special person in the lead role: his mom! So let’s find out a little more about this budding director and the star of his world, on stage and off. Elizabeth split from Grant in 2000, but when Damian was born in 2002, Grant became one of his godfathers, as Elizabeth discussed on the “ People in the ’90s ” podcast in 2021. Damian has also shared multiple
Instagram posts of his other godfathers, Elton John and John’s husband, David Furnish. “Birthday kisses to my beautiful godfather,” he wrote in March. Earlier in the month he posted family pictures from an Oscar party, also referring to Furnish as a godfather. Damian’s biological father was
American producer and screenwriter Steve Bing. Elizabeth briefly dated Bing after splitting from Grant in 2000 and became pregnant in 2001. When Damian was born in April 2002, Bing denied paternity, but a DNA test proved he was Damian’s father, The Guardian reported in 2002. Afterward, Elizabeth began dating businessman and textile heir Arun Nayar; the two married in 2007 and lived with Damian in Gloucestershire,
England, on a 400-acre organic farm, The Telegraph reported in 2008. The two divorced in 2011 . Months later, the
Actress was engaged to former
Australian cricketer Shane Warne, CBS News reported. They bought a home together in 2012, according to the Australian property website Real Estate , but split by the end of 2013, per E! News . In 2020, Bing was found dead at the base of an apartment building in Century City,
California, Deadline reported. He left behind son Damian and a daughter, Kira Bonder, Damian’s half-sister. Both Elizabeth and Damian shared their feelings on Instagram. “I am saddened beyond belief that my ex Steve is no longer with us,” Elizabeth wrote , adding that the last time she spoke to Bing was on Damian’s 18th birthday. In a separate post, Damian captioned a simple image of a sunset , “This is a very strange and confusing time and I’m immensely grateful to be surrounded by my phenomenal family and friends.” Later, he thanked his fans with another Instagram post . “I’d like to thank you all again for your overwhelming kindness over the past few days,” he wrote. “Your love and support has helped me greatly during this challenging time.” In 2022, Warne died of a heart attack. He was 52. Again, both Mom and her son shared heartbreaking tributes on Instagram. “SW was a father figure to me for most of my formative years and was truly one the best men I’ve ever known,” Damian wrote , sharing photos of himself with Warne. “My heart is broken.” Proving that in addition to his godfathers, Damian still has a strong male figure in his life, Elizabeth shared with the Independent in 2022 that “Arun still calls [Damian] son and Damian calls him Dad.” In 2017, Elizabeth told People that she would “encourage anything he wants to do,” but hoped Damian would “study hard at school.” At that point, Damian had already made his acting debut on season three of her E! show, “The Royals,” as Hansel von Liechtenstein, Crown Prince of Liechtenstein. Two years later, Damien landed a modeling
Job with beauty brand Pat McGrath Labs , then signed with IMG Models in 2020, per WWD . Though there aren’t any confirmed details about his love life, Damian has posted about another “best friend” on Instagram . Her name is Millie Griffiths, and according to We Restart , she’s an artist. Pictures captured by Getty Images show that the two have vacationed and attended events together over the years. In 2022, Damian released his debut short film, “The Boy on the Beach,” in which his mom stars (an he plays a role). Sharing news about the release in October, Damian posted photos from behind the scenes on Instagram . “And that’s a wrap on ‘The Boy on the Beach’!” he wrote. “I started making shorts when I was 8, running around with a camcorder, begging my long-suffering family and friends to be in them.” He also gave a shout-out to his mom, writing, “To make this even more perfect, my crazily talented (and insanely kind) mother … flew out to film.” His second directing project, “Strictly Confidential,” is also his directorial feature debut. According to IMDb , the film follows a tormented woman who “finds herself drawn into a world of seduction, duplicity and betrayal as she desperately tries to uncover the mystery surrounding her best friend’s suicide.” When filming wrapped in December 2022, Damian posted photos from the set on Instagram and explained in his caption that his mom “dropped everything” to be in the film. “Everyone involved deserves public declarations of adoration (all of which will come in due course) but right now I want to worship @ElizabethHurley1 who, during the making of my first ever short film back in 2010 (when I was 8 🤓) promised me she’d be in my first feature; true to her word, the minute this film was greenlit, Mama dropped everything and raced out to the beautiful Caribbean to help. Working together was a dream ♥️,” he wrote. Today, Damian and Elizabeth are as close as ever. On Mother’s Day in the
United Kingdom (which happens in March), he posted a throwback picture featuring the mother-son duo on Instagram . In the caption, he referred to her as “my twin since day one,” adding, “I’d be lost without mine xxx.”