11-04-2025
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
Meet Rooney and Kate Mara's parents, who have 10 Superbowl rings together – Joaquin Phoenix and Women Talking actress Rooney have finally wed, but what do we know about her NFL royalty family?
Joker: Folie à Deux may not have won over the critics last year, but its star,
Joaquin Phoenix , seems to have won over the people that matter – his partner and her parents. Last September, he called long-time girlfriend Rooney Mara his 'wife' for the first time, on a podcast, sparking speculation that they had finally married after being engaged since 2019. Meanwhile, Rooney Mara's sister, fellow actress Kate Mara, has been married to Billy Elliot star Jamie Bell since 2017.
Joaquin Phoenix and Rooney Mara at the Oscars in 2020. Photo: Reuters
So in a family full of actors, who are Rooney and Kate Mara's parents, Chris Mara and Kathleen Rooney? The short answer is that they're not as Hollywood as their children and sons-in-law – but they are sporting royalty.
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Here's what you need to know.
They met at a Florida racetrack
The Mara girls' parents, Kathleen McNulty Rooney and Timothy Christopher Mara. Photo: Il dramma di Giulia/X
Kathleen McNulty Rooney and Timothy Christopher Mara met each other at Florida's Palm Beach Kennel Club in the 1970s, according to a profile in the New York Post. The dog-racing track had recently been purchased by Kathleen's family; she was still in high school at the time. Tim (better known by his middle name, Chris) had just started at Boston College. When Kathleen eventually went to the same university, the two began dating. According to the IMDB, both have Irish ancestry.
They have four children together
Rooney Mara (left) and Kate Mara, who are both actresses. Photo: Il dramma di Giulia/X
As reported by People, Kathleen and Chris went on to have two sons and two daughters: Daniel, Kate, Rooney (born Patricia Rooney) and Conor. And while their sons have stayed out of the spotlight, younger daughter Rooney, 39, has gone on to star in everything from
The Social Network (2010) to The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011). She's also set to star in an Audrey Hepburn biopic, per Vogue. Meanwhile, older sister Kate, 42, has clocked up almost 80 acting credits in numerous films and in series including House of Cards and American Horror Story.
They are both NFL royalty
