Whether you’re a relatively new Jack Black fan or have been following him since his early Tenacious D days, it’s impossible to deny this performer’s natural talent. The 51-year-old actor knows how to make audiences laugh and has been doing it for more than 20 years. But when it comes to his love life, the comedy star isn’t as transparent. Did you even know he was married? Here’s an inside look at the life of Tanya Haden, Jack Black’s wife.
Who Is Jack Black’s Wife?
Tanya Haden was born in New York City on October 11th, 1971. A professional musician and singer, she’s the daughter of Charlie Haden, a well-known jazz bassist, and the triplet sister of a bassist and a violinist. Haden also has a brother who plays bass for a rock band called Spain. Clearly, musical talent runs in her family!
Alongside her sisters Petra and Rachel, Haden is one-third of the group the Hayden Triplets. They released their first vocal album in 2014 and have toured the country performing together. The 49-year-old artist says she and her sisters have been singing together since they were kids.
“We’ll just start singing a song and we’ll naturally fall into certain harmonies,” she said in a 2009 interview with The San Diego Union-Tribune. “When we were little we would spend the night at our grandparents’ house on our mom’s side, which was really fun for us because we’d share a room and sing in harmony before we went to bed.”
Haden is also an accomplished cellist. She’s played with notable bands such as the Silversun Pickups, Sea Wolf, and the Warlocks.
Jack Black Got Married To Tanya Haden in 2006
Jack Black and Tanya Haden knew each other for a long time before they tied the knot. The pair first met as teenagers while attending Crossroads School, a performing arts and sciences high school in Santa Monica, California. Black says that for him, it was love at first sight, though he waited 15 years to finally ask Haden out on a date.
“We met at school at 18 and I wasted 15 years waiting for my chance,” the Jumanji star said in a 2013 interview with The Sun (as reported by the Irish Examiner). “She was everything I could wish for. Talented, beautiful and a wonderful performer on stage. She was part of a band called The Haden Triplets. We first worked together on a student film but we did not date.”
Black also admitted he watched Hayden perform with her sisters at various venues, admiring her from afar. “I use to see her and her sisters perform at clubs around town. I would watch from the shadows, mumble some compliments and shuffle off. So I would see her only every couple of years.”
Fortunately, Black finally worked up the courage to ask her out on a date when the two crossed paths again in 2005. They eloped a year later, and the rest is history!
Jack Black And Tanya Haden Have Two Sons Together
Haden gave birth to the couple’s first son, Samuel Jason, in June of 2006. Two years later, their second son, Thomas David, was born. Now 15 and 13, the boys spend a lot of quality time with their Hollywood dad, who admits he sometimes lets them watch movies they shouldn’t.
“I win the bad parent of the year award, occasionally,” he joked in 2019 on an Australian radio show (as reported by The Daily Mail). “As long as you have the remote in hand so if something gets out of control, you can pause and have a little talk. As long as you’re there and aware of what’s going on and you’re ready to talk to them or ready to leave if it’s too intense.”
Black also says his sons have inherited their parents’ creative genes. “They’ve been super creative lately,” the proud pop shared in a 2019 interview with People. “They both have made cool little short films on their iPhones. I [am] so proud and grateful for my family.”
Jack Black And Tanya Haden Hilariously Covered ‘Shallow’ Together
Even though it took so many years for the Tropic Thunder star to declare his love for Hayden, Black was enthusiastically welcomed into her very talented and musical family once he did. In fact, back in 2009, Black was given the opportunity to record a track on one of his late father-in-law’s albums, which we said he was honored to do.
“Even though I was already married to Tanya and we had kids, when I was invited to be on the Haden family album, I finally felt like I was truly part of the family,” he told the San Diego Union-Tribune. “I’ve always loved Tanya’s family. The whole family has always been kind of a magical source of mystery.”
Occasionally, Hayden will take the stage with her School of Rock husband — and the results are usually hilarious. Like the time they sang the Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga duet “Shallow” — we don’t know how they kept a straight face!