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In life, there are a lot of people who decide to embrace a very different kind of lifestyle to the one that their parents had. On the other hand, there are a lot of people who wind up walking in their parent's footsteps.In Hollywood, several people have sought a career that is very similar to their parents while at the same time blazing their own trail. After all, several famous female actors have rock star fathers. Easily one of the most famous female actors who has a rock star father, it is now well known that Liv Tyler’s father is Steven Tyler from Aerosmith. However, Liv’s childhood was a lot different than a lot of people may assume. A perfect example of that is the fact that Liv’s mom initially led her to believe that her biological father was a completely different man.
Who Liv Tyler Grew Up Thinking Her Father Was
According to Wikipedia, Liv Tyler was born on July 1st in 1977. The only child of the famous singer and actor Bebe Buell, from all accounts Liv had a happy childhood and she always knew she was loved. However, Liv must have gone through a lot of tough emotions during her childhood since she learned that her mother lied to her for many years.
When the woman the world knows as Liv Tyler was born, her mother gave her the name Liv Rundgren. The reason for that is Liv’s mother Bebe Buell was in an on-again and off-again relationship with Todd Rundgren from 1972 until 1977 and she gave birth in 1975.
Since Todd was a part of her life when she gave birth to her daughter Liv, he was listed as the father on the birth certificate.
In 2011, Liv Tyler was interviewed by Wonderland Magazine. During that conversation, Liv spoke about Todd Rundgren being a father to her.
“I kind of lived with my mom full time. And Todd Rundgren was my father. Todd basically decided when I was born that I needed a father so he signed my birth certificate. He knew that there was a chance that I might not be his but…”
After Liv Tyler made that statement, she went on to talk about the role Todd Rundgren played in her life before she learned the truth about her relationship with Steven Tyler.
“Todd was my father. He completely supported me and put me through amazing private schools and I would go see him three times a year, he lived in Woodstock.”
Depending on who you ask, Todd Rundgren either learned Liv Tyler wasn’t his biological daughter at the same time she did or he knew the truth earlier. Either way, Todd remains a part of Liv’s life and family to this day.
“Oh yeah. I still – I sort of stopped calling him dad but, you know, when he… He’s the most, I mean, I’m so grateful to him, I have so much love for him. You know, when he holds me it feels like Daddy. And he’s very protective and strong.”
Why Liv Tyler’s Mom Didn’t Want Her To Know Steven Tyler Is Her Dad
When Liv Tyler was a child, she got the chance to attend an Aerosmith concert when she was 8. While there, Liv noticed that Steven looked like her. However, that wasn’t enough to make her question if he was her dad.
Once Liv Tyler spotted Steven Tyler’s daughter Mia at the side of the stage and felt like they could be twins, she came to believe the rich and famous Aerosmith singer was her dad.
Years later when Liv was eleven, she stared at a poster that featured Steven Tyler that she had on her wall. At that time, she wrote the words “I think Steven is my father” in her diary.
When Liv Tyler was 11, she confronted her mother Bebe Buell, and learned her suspicions about Steven Tyler were true.
Once Liv Tyler learned the identity of her father, she must have still been very confused. Ultimately, it seems safe to assume that Liv must have immediately asked her mom why she lied to her about who her father was all of those years.
During the ‘70s and most of the ‘80s, Steven Tyler was busy leading the stereotypical rock star lifestyle of excess. Unfortunately, Steven developed a well-earned reputation as an addict as he admitted that his life was out of control at that time.
Ultimately, Aerosmith’s management and the group’s other members held an intervention for Steven in 1988 which started him down the road to getting sober.
According to biography.com, Bebe Buell decided to hide who the biological father of her child was because of Steven Tyler’s serious addiction issues at the time. According to something Bebe once said, she and Todd “made a pact that he would be Liv's father and if it ever became an issue, we'd tell her at 18."