Alice Oswalt and Patton Oswalt at the season 4 premiere of Hulu’s ‘Only Murders in the Building’ on August 22, 2024 in Los Angeles, California.Photo:Michael Buckner/Variety via Getty
Michael Buckner/Variety via Getty
Patton Oswaltcredits his daughter Alice with giving him a purpose in life.
The comedian marriedtrue crime writer Michelle McNamarain September 2005, and during their decade-long marriage, they welcomed daughter Alice in April 2009. Seven years later, in April 2016,McNamara diedin her sleep at age 46 due to a combination of an undiagnosed heart condition and prescription medications.
After his wife’s unexpected death, Oswalt told PEOPLE in May 2016 that he would work topreserve her memory for their daughter. He opened up about how his late wife had helped shape Alice into who she was, including how she “got very comfortable very quickly with meeting different people” due to her mom’s large family.
“Alice had the benefit of learning from Michelle’s example from the get-go,” he explained. “Now it’s up to me to carry that on. I would be beyond happy if Alice were 80 percent Michelle and maybe 20 percent me. The 20 percent will probably be pop culture knowledge, but I’m doing what I can.”
The following year, Oswalt remarried to fellow actressMeredith Salengerin November 2017. Today, they continue raising Alice together, ensuring that she enjoys her childhood with different hobbies, including skateboarding and voice acting.
Here’s everything to know about Patton Oswalt’s daughter, Alice.
She was born in 2009
Patton Oswalt and daughter Alice Rigney Oswalt attend the premiere of ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ on May 2, 2022, in Los Angeles, California.MICHAEL TRAN/AFP via Getty
MICHAEL TRAN/AFP via Getty
Oswalt and McNamara welcomed their daughter Alice Rigney Oswalt on April 15, 2009.
Over the years, the actor has marked Alice’s birthday with sweet sentiments on social media.
She helped her dad cope after the death of her mom
Patton Oswalt and daughter Alice Oswalt.Patton Oswalt/ Instagram
Patton Oswalt/ Instagram
Oswalt has cited his daughter as a driving force in his life after the death of McNamara.
After his wife’s sudden death, Oswalt opened up abouthow he was copingwith being a single father. Apart from sharing that Alice gave him a reason to keep going, he explained that she motivated him to continue living purposefully.
“I would have merely existed … [but] having Alice was like: ‘I’ve got to get up, I’ve got to make breakfast, I got to take care of this little life,’ " he toldThe Guardianin June 2019.
Oswalt continued, “So, it’s almost like I had freedom from choice because I had our daughter.”
She’s embraced her blended family
Alice Rigney Oswalt, Patton Oswalt and Meredith Salenger at the premiere of season 3 of ‘Ted Lasso’ on March 7, 2023 in Los Angeles, California.Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty
Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty
Two years after their nuptials, Oswalt revealed that there was initially “some weirdness” and an adjustment period for Alice during a November 2019 appearance onKevin Nealon’s YouTube seriesHiking with Kevin.
At the time, he explained that Alice was “still a little kid” when her mom died, and there was a gap between tying the knot with Salenger. Oswalt added, “Now Alice is 10 and both Meredith and I are like, ‘You have responsibilities, you have some chores.’ We’re treating her like a 10-year-old.”
“There’s been times where [Alice] goes, ‘With Mommy, I didn’t have to do this,’ [and I tell her], ‘Well, that’s because you were 5, and if Mommy were here, you’d be doing all this same stuff — probably even more,’ ” he continued.
Salenger later gave Alice and her classmates a treat in May 2020 when she served as a “very special guest” during a virtual class. After Alice’s class watchedThe Journey of Natty Gann, her stepmom — who portrayed the titular character in the 1985 Disney film — was invited to sit on the lesson.
She’s accompanied her dad on the red carpet
Alice Rigney Oswalt and Patton Oswalt attend the 61st Annual Grammy Awards on February 10, 2019 in Los Angeles, California.John Shearer/Getty
John Shearer/Getty
Alice is no stranger to the red carpet. Starting from a young age, she’s accompanied her dad to several events, includingthe 2019 Grammy Awardswhere she posed with him for a few photo ops before the ceremony began.
Alice also joined her father and stepmother at theJune 2018 premiere ofIncredibles 2,which ultimately became Alice’s “new favorite flick,”according to the actor.
More recently, Oswalt, Alice and Salenger have attended red carpets forTed LassoandOnly Murders in the Building. The teenager also walked the picket line with them during the 2023 Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike.
She made her voice acting debut in 2019
Patton Oswalt and Alice Rigney Oswalt attend the premiere of HBO Max’s ‘Tony Hawk: Until The Wheels Fall Off’ on March 30, 2022 in Santa Monica, California.David Livingston/FilmMagic
David Livingston/FilmMagic
Oswalt has famously lent his voice to characters inRatatouilleandThe Secret Life of Pets,and his daughter is following in his footsteps.
In 2019, Alice made her voice acting debut in an episode ofMy Little Pony. Oswalt spoke about the opportunity duringan April 2019 interviewwithConan O’Brien, explaining that she and his wife got the opportunity to voice act for the show after the writers brought a character he previously voiced back.
“The three of us went in and recorded it together,” he said. “Alice had her little headphones on and was doing her character. It was really amazing to see her do these scenes … she got into the whole acting bug thing of like, ‘I can do that better. Let me do this again.’ “
She received skateboarding lessons from Tony Hawk
Patton Oswalt, Alice Oswalt, Meredith Salenger and Tony Hawk pose for a photo together in August 2020.Patton Oswalt/ Instagram
Alice has a wide range of interests, including skateboarding.
In August 2021, Oswalt shared his daughter’s attempts at a skateboard trick via avideo montagecut together of Alice practicing the move. He celebrated her persistence in the caption of the post, writing, “This is the perfect approachand attitude for learning ANYTHING. It actually helped me out writing today so thank you, Alice.”
Alice previously got pointers from a skateboarding legend whenshe received a private lessonfromTony Hawkin August 2020.
During an appearance onLate Night with Seth Meyers,Oswalt said that he received a DM from the skateboarding legend praising the showI’ll Be Gone in the Dark,based onMcNamara’s final novel, and offered to send Alice skateboard equipment.
In response, Oswalt decided to shoot his shot and asked for a personal lesson instead — and his wish was granted.
Hedocumented the occasionon social media at the time and recalled the lesson during his late-night interview, revealed that Alice learned the basics from Hawk and Andy Macdonald and witnessed their “crazy half-pipes” in person.
source: people.com
