Salma Hayek is celebrating a joyful new chapter after her stepson, François Pinault Jr., and his wife, Lara Cosima Henckel von Donnersmarck, welcomed their first child.
The couple named their newborn son François, continuing a long-standing naming tradition within the Pinault family.
Hayek, 59, announced her new role as a grandmother by sharing footage of herself holding the baby and affectionately speaking to him in Spanish.
Although the little boy officially shares the same name as his father and other members of the family, Hayek has already chosen a personal nickname for him: “Panchito.”
Hayek welcomes the fourth living generation of François
The actress introduced the newest addition to her extended family through an Instagram post.
“We are blessed to welcome the fourth living generation of Francois’,” she wrote.
Hayek then revealed that she plans to call the baby Panchito, adding that he appears to enjoy the nickname.
“He seems to love it, and I cannot love him more,” she wrote.
In the footage, Hayek could be seen cradling the newborn while speaking to him in Spanish. The baby appeared to laugh as she interacted with him.
The arrival marks Hayek’s first experience as a grandmother within the blended family she shares with her husband, French businessman François-Henri Pinault.
François-Henri is the head of the luxury group Kering. Hayek has been married to him since 2009, and they share a daughter, Valentina Paloma Pinault.
François-Henri is also the father of Mathilde Pinault, François and Augustin James Evangelista from earlier relationships.
The new parents share their first month
The baby’s mother, 23-year-old German countess and model Lara Cosima Henckel von Donnersmarck, also documented the family milestone on Instagram.
She shared photographs from her first weeks of motherhood, including images of herself resting beside her son on a picnic blanket and holding him in her arms.
Other pictures captured 29-year-old François feeding the baby with a bottle and changing his diaper.
“My husband (the world’s coolest François)… and our son (the world’s cutest François)… our first month as parents,” Lara wrote.
Lara announced her engagement to François in March after they had reportedly been together for approximately one year. The couple have not publicly shared when their marriage took place.
Their son is another François in the family, but Hayek’s affectionate name for him gives the newborn an identity of his own within that tradition.
Hayek’s close relationship with her blended family
Hayek has previously spoken openly about considering all four of her husband’s children part of her family.
The actress once hoped to have several biological children, but she ultimately gave birth to one daughter.
Speaking to Red in 2017, Hayek described the emotional difficulty she experienced when she realized she would not have the large biological family she had envisioned.
“I’ve had that yearning, that longing, and that pain,” she said. “I always wanted to have a lot of children, and I was not able to. My body, as a miracle, had one.”
Hayek explained that her marriage brought three more children into her life.
“The huge blessing I’ve had is that my husband has three other children,” she said. “So I have four. And they are all so different.”
Her response to the new baby reflects the close bond she has developed with François-Henri’s children and the way she has embraced their growing families as her own.
A major film release is also approaching
The family celebration comes as Hayek prepares for the U.S. theatrical release of Without Blood on September 18.
Directed and produced by Angelina Jolie, the film is an adaptation of Alessandro Baricco’s novel. It examines trauma, revenge and reconciliation following an unspecified conflict.
Hayek portrays Nina and stars alongside Demián Bichir and Juan Minujín.
The project reunites Hayek with Jolie after they previously appeared together in Marvel’s Eternals. Hayek played the immortal Ajak, while Jolie portrayed Thena.
Jolie’s sons, Maddox Jolie-Pitt and Pax Jolie-Pitt, also worked behind the scenes on Without Blood. Jolie has publicly praised Hayek’s performance while discussing the movie and its themes of healing and trauma.
A career spanning Hollywood and international cinema
Hayek remains closely associated with her portrayal of Mexican artist Frida Kahlo in the 2002 biographical drama Frida, which she also produced.
The performance made her the first Mexican actor nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress. She also received nominations from the Golden Globes, BAFTAs and Screen Actors Guild Awards.
Her breakthrough in Hollywood came through movies including Desperado, From Dusk Till Dawn and Dogma.
Later roles included Once Upon a Time in Mexico, Grown Ups, House of Gucci and Magic Mike’s Last Dance.
Hayek also voiced Kitty Softpaws in Puss in Boots and Puss in Boots: The Last Wish. Her appearance as Ajak in Eternals became the highest-grossing live-action film of her career.
After decades of success on screen, Hayek is now celebrating a personal milestone away from Hollywood as she welcomes Panchito into her family.
