Here's how the real ages of the 'Outlander' season 7 cast compare to their characters (2024)

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Jamie Fraser, who is both a father and a grandfather by season seven, is supposed to be in his mid-50s.

James Alexander Malcolm MacKenzie Fraser — as audiences learned his full name is during his wedding to Claire in season one — was born in May 1721 at his family's ancestral home of Lallybroch, Scotland.

Season seven is set to take place in 1776, which makes him 55 years old.

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Sam Heughan is actually a decade younger than his character at 43.

There have been some attempts to age up Heughan, who began playing Jamie when he was 34, including fading his character's distinctive red hair and having him wear eyeglasses in some scenes.

Speaking toEntertainment Weekly in 2017, when Jamie began sporting the new accessory, Heughan said: "It's not something in the books, but I thought it would be a nice surprise. It's a weakness of Jamie's. He doesn't have many."

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Claire Fraser is supposed to be on the cusp of 60.

Claire Fraser was born in October 1918, nearly 150 years after the events of "Outlander" season seven.

But as viewers know, after accidentally falling through the stones at Craigh na Dun in the spring of 1945, she was transported back 202 years to 1743. She once went back through the stones to her own time period but ultimately decided to return to the past to be with Jamie.

As she was around 26 when she first went through the stones, that makes her on the cusp of 60 in the year 1776.

Like Heughan, Caitríona Balfe is 43, making her significantly younger than her character.

Balfe is more than 15 years younger than the character she plays. Like Heughan, there have been attempts to make her look older, such as giving her gray hair.

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Jamie and Claire's daughter, Brianna MacKenzie, is around 29 years old.

Although Brianna is Jamie and Claire's daughter, she was born in 1948, after Claire returned to her own timeline, and was raised to believe that her father was Claire's first husband.

However, she decided to time-travel back to the 18th century in 1971, when she was 22, to be with her mom after Claire made her second trip back. That means that during the events of the current season, Brianna is around 29 years old.

Sophie Skelton is the same age as her character.

Skelton, who made her debut in the season two finale of "Outlander," actually matches up perfectly with her character age-wise. She was born in 1994 and turned 29 on March 7.

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Roger MacKenzie, Brianna's husband, is almost a decade older than his wife. He is said to be 37 or 38.

Roger's life changed forever when Claire and her daughter Brianna turned up on his doorstep inquiring about a group of Highlanders during the Jacobite Rising. While his exact birth date is unknown, Diana Gabaldon, the "Highlander" author, previously said he was eight years older than Brianna, meaning he was born in 1940.

He went through the stones the same year as Brianna and likewise ended up in 1769, 102 years in the past. This puts his current age at 37 or 38.

Richard Rankin is 40.

Rankin is pretty close in age to his character like his on-screen wife, having turned 40 in January.

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Lord John Grey, the man who has raised Jamie's son, is in his late 40s during the season's events.

Things are much less complicated for the characters who do not have the talent to time travel, such as Lord John, the English aristocrat whom Jamie first befriended when he served time at Ardsmuir prison.

While his birth date is not in the books, Gabaldon said it was June 14, 1729, making Lord John between 46 and 47.

The actor who plays him, David Berry, is actually 39.

The Canadian-born actor joined the show in season three and is almost a decade younger than his character.

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William Ransom, the son Jamie secretly fathered, is 18 years old.

William Ransom is legally the son and heir of the Earl of Ellesmere and his wife, Geneva Dunsany (Hannah James), but was secretly fathered by Jamie after Geneva blackmailed Jamie to take her virginity before her wedding night.

Following both of his parents' deaths, William was raised by his mother's sister, Isobel Dunsany (Tanya Reynolds), and her husband, Lord John Grey.

As he was born in January 1758, that makes him 18 years old when he signs up to be a red coat and fight for the British Army during the American Revolutionary War.

The season seven newcomer Charles Vandervaart is four years older than his character at 22.

The actor, whose previous credits include "The Murdoch Mysteries" and "The Craft: Legacy," celebrated his birthday last September.

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Ian Murray, Jamie and Claire's nephew, is between 23 and 24.

The character — often referred to as Young Ian to avoid confusion with his father, also named Ian Murray — is in his early 20s during the events of season seven.

He's also known by the name given to him by the Mohawk Nation, Okwaho'kenha, which translates to Wolf's Brother.

He's played by John Bell, who is just a couple of years older than him at 25.

Bell, who joined the cast in season three, is set to turn 26 in October.

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Rachel Hunter is a Quaker character who is introduced in season seven and is supposed to be around 16.

It's revealed in the ninth book in the series, "Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone," that Rachel was born around 1760, making her just 16 years old in 1776. However, the writers may have aged Rachel up a little from the books.

The actor playing her, Izzy Meikle-Small, is over a decade older at 27.

Meikle-Small, who played the younger versions of Carey Mulligan's character in "Never Let Me Go" and Charlize Theron's character in "Snow White and the Huntsman," was born in 1996 and turned 27 this year.

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Denzell Hunter, Rachel's brother, is 26.

Denzell was born 10 years before his sister, in 1750, according to the books.

Because of his decision to serve as an army surgeon with the American rebels during the Revolutionary War, he and his sister have been disowned by their community.

Joey Phillips celebrated his 31st birthday in early June.

That makes the actor five years older than the character he's portraying.

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The age of Tom Christie isn't actually known, but we place him somewhere around 65.

We never learn Tom's real age in the books or the series, after he moves to Fraser's Ridge with his son, Allan (Alexander Vlahos), and his daughter, Malva (Jessica Reynolds).

However, given what we know about his past, including the fact that he supported the Stuarts during the Jacobite Rising of 1745 and was imprisoned at Ardsmuir at the same time as Jamie, we estimate that he is in his mid-60s during the events of season seven.

He's played by the 58-year-old actor Mark Lewis Jones.

Jones, who's appeared in several TV shows and movies over the years including "The Crown," "Chernobyl," and "Star Wars: The Last Jedi," is set to celebrate his 59th birthday in August.