- Patricia Brentrup, 69, co-managed her children’s career in the entertainment industry alongside her former lover and father of her seven children, Kit Culkin
- She dated and lived with Kit for almost 21 years, raising their kids together but they never tied the knot
- She is often praised for taking care of children following the crash of her relationship with the former actor
Patricia Brentrup is the mother of McCauley Culkin, one of the most successful child actors during the 1990s. Culkin was one of the seven children Patricia had with her former partner actor Kit Culkin. She was with Kit for more than 21 years from 1974 to 1995 but was never married to him.
The North Dakota native equally comes from a relatively large family just like hers. She has raised all her children in a close-knitted family with affiliations in the entertainment industry. According to reports, McCauley Culkin’s mother is currently married to Mart D. Cox.
Patricia Brentrup is of German and Norwegian Descent
Brentrup was born in North Dakota on November 21, 1954 to her parents Hubert M. Brentrup and Mildred D. Narum. Her parents got married at Amidon on November 22, 1941, and had 11 children in all including her.
Her siblings include Ronald, Richard, Janice, Neil, Renee, Cindy, Striebel, Barry, Paul, Greg, and Jerome.
Patricia Brentrup is half German and half Norwegian ancestry.
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The Mother of Seven Dated Kit Culkin for 21 Years
Way back in 1974, Patricia met Kit while he was working as a road traffic controller in Sundance, Wyoming. The duo dated for more than two decades but were never married. However, they were parents to seven children who are all grown-ups now. When they started dating, they lived in North Dakota for a while before relocating to New York.
Her whole family lived in a small apartment in the Yorkshire neighborhood of Manhattan. Patricia and Kit struggled financially. At that time, she was working as a telephone operator while Kit was a Sacristan at a local Catholic church. She and Kit raised their children as Roman Catholics.
In 1994 Patricia separated from Kit. Their breakup was said to be one of the ugliest splits ever. They reportedly fought bitterly for custody of their seven children. Patricia reportedly filed an affidavit in New York State Supreme Court seeking temporary custody of all the children except Kieran who was already an adult. In the petition, she accused Kit of abandonment, excessive drinking, physical abuse, and unfaithful behavior. There were allegations that the battle was because of their children’s earnings.
The former couple did not only fight over who would raise the kids but also who would continue to manage their children’s careers. As co-managers, they were entitled to split a 15% commission on McCaulay’s earnings.
All Her Children Have Pursued a Career in the Entertainment Industry
1. Kieran Culkin
Kieran Culkin, born September 30, 1982, also starred in Home Alone as Fuller alongside his brother McCauley. As a child, Kieran appeared in films such as Father of the Bride, She’s All That, and The Cider House Rules as a teenager.
In 2020, he earned an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for his performance as Roman Roy in the HBO series Succession.
2. Dakota Culkin
Patricia’s daughter did not appear in the spotlight like her siblings. She was the second child of the former couple. Sadly, she was involved in a tragic accident at the age of 29 in December 2008. Her demise left her family devastated but they have decided to keep her memories alive. McCauley and his lover Brenda Song named their first child Dakota.
3. Rory Culkin
35 year-old Rory also appeared alongside McCauley in the 1993 film The Good Son. In 2000, he was also featured in the movie You Can Count On Me. He had his big break in M.Night Shyamalan’s film Signs. He has featured in films like Scream 4, Lords of Chaos, and Halston.4. Shane Culkin
Shane, 48, is Patricia’s oldest child. Reports say he was named after his father’s favorite film, Shane (1953). There are speculations that he appeared in the series Great Performances as Wally Webb in the episode “Our Town”
5. Quinn Culkin
Quinn Culkin, born November 8, 1984, started as a child also. She appeared as a young girl at the airport in the film Home Alone and later did a voice-over as Katie McClary in the animated series Wish Kid. She later appeared alongside McCauley in Good Son.
6. Christian Culkin
The youngest child of the family is the 37 year-old Christian. Unlike his older siblings, Christian does not have many acting credits. Reports say he made only one appearance in the 1994 film It Runs In The Family together with his brother Kieran.
Patricia Brentrup’s Child McCauley Culkin Rose to Fame as the Lead Character of Home Alone
Raising seven children was not easy for Brentrup and Kit although the latter started working on Broadway productions after he and his sister Bonnie Bedelia Culkin attended the School of American Ballet.
Their three children McCauley, Rory, and Kieran rose to prominence in their acting careers while their father also gained the spotlight as their manager from the late 1980s to the mid-1990s. McCauley became extremely popular for his role as Kevin McCallister in the Home Alone films. His role in the 1991 movie My Girl made him the first child in Hollywood to ever receive a million-dollar salary.
Patricia’s son was reportedly paid $4.5 million for the sequel Home Alone 2: Lost in New York(1992). He later appeared as Henry in the drama thriller film The Good Son (1993) and was nominated for an MTV Movie Award for his performance.
Following the poor performance of McCauley’s Richie Rich at the box office, he decided to take a pause in acting and went on to live a normal life. He later returned in 2000 in the play Madame Melville.
Her Son, McCauley was Arrested for Substance Possession
Patricia Brentrup’s famed son was allegedly arrested by the authorities in 2004 for the possession of 17.3 grams of marijuana and two controlled substances, 16.5 milligrams of Alprazolam and 32 milligrams of Clonazepam.
The child actor was arranged in court for misdemeanor drug offenses and he pleaded not guilty at the trial. He received a one-year suspended prison sentence and was ordered to pay $540 in fees.
She was Allegedly Sued for $80 Million
According to reports, Patricia Brentrup was sued for $80 million in December 1998 by her former neighbors for a fire that broke out in her apartment. Due to the fire that started, four people lost their lives while twenty others were injured.
It was reported that the fire broke after the flames caught a dried-up Christmas tree. Patricia and six of her children were living in the apartment while McCauley had already moved out.
Apparently, that was not the first time she was sued. Her son, McCauley once confirmed during an interview that he sued her and Kit for $18 million when he was 15. The kid star became estranged from his father who sometimes back revealed that he had given up on reconciling.
Where is Patricia Brentrup Now?
After she split with Kit Culkin, Patricia met a man named Mart D. Cox. The two later tied the knots. Meanwhile, Kit also moved on with his life and married a woman called Arizona Jeannette who later died in 2017. There are speculations that Kit’s later life was bitter and hard, especially after had a stroke in 2014.
There are speculations that Patricia Brentrup that her husband lives in Billing, Montana. Also, there are assumptions that Cox is a renovation specialist.