Billie Eilish’s Mom Is an Acclaimed Actress — Meet Maggie Baird

Pop star Billie Eilish comes from a family of entertainers, including her mother, actress Maggie Baird. Fans may no that Eilish had a hand in breaking into the business without realizing how legendary her mother actually is. Here’s an intro to Baird and her work.

Baird was born and raised in Colorado and took an early interest in music, as well as other arts. Born in 1959, she is 64 years old at the time of this writing. Baird studied theater at the University of Utah then moved to New York City where she landed her first Broadway role in 1985. Finally, she moved to Los Angeles, California in 1991, at which point she got some of the TV roles she is still known for to this day. That includes L.A. Law, Murphy Brown, Picket Fences and Walker, Texas Ranger.

Baird had some TV appearances before that, including soap operas filmed in New York. She played Taylor Baldwin in As the World Turns in 1987, and made an appearance in Another World as well. Her first film role was in An Innocent Man in 1989.

Once in L.A., Baird became involved in the legendary improv comedy school The Groundlings. She was a teacher there from 1994 to 2000, working with such stars as Will Ferrell, Kristen Wiig and Melissa McCarthy. She continued to take acting roles as well, appearing in The X-Files, Bones and Six Feet Under, among other productions.

Baird married actor Patrick O’Connell in 1995 after the two met during a performance in Alaska. Back home in L.A., their son Finneas was born in 1997. Their daughter, Billie Eilish Pirate Baird O’Connell, was born in 2001, and Baird homeschooled both children as described in the How Many Homeschoolers blog. They lived in the Highland Park neighborhood of L.A.

Baird felt that homeschooling allowed her children more freedom to explore their interests and express themselves than a conventional academic education would have had. She herself continued to work during this time as well. In 2009 she even returned to the music business with her debut album, We Sail – a country record. She also wrote, co-produced and acted in a film called Life Inside Out in 2013. Finneas also appeared in the movie, which is about a mother and son exploring their relationship through music.

Eilish has credited her mother and brother with inspiring her to pursue music as a career, and said that her mother taught her the basics of songwriting at an early age. Eilish and her brother began recording their own music and releasing it on SoundCloud in 2015 “just for fun,” but as fans know, that took off into a massive pop sensation.

Baird has been a part of that act from the beginning – especially since her daughter was still underage when it all began. She has taken on various roles as needed – playing in her daughter’s touring band, editing the music video for “Ocean Eyes” and helping her children navigate the business side of their success.

Eilish is still close with her parents to this day, admitting in 2021 that she still sleeps in her childhood home often just to be close to them. Fans will likely continue to see Baird and O’Connell alongside their children for years to come.