'Pretty Little Liars' Star Ian Harding Is A First Time Dad: 'Best Early Birthday Present'

Actor Ian Harding got the "Best" birthday present ever as he became a dad for the first time. The star, born on September 16th, took to Instagram to announce to fans that he was now a father. He posted a cute photo holding the newborn's tiny hand along with a caption welcoming the baby.

Harding's news comes one month after Ezra Fitz, his character from "Pretty Little Liars," adopted a child in the spin-off. While the actor is not a fan of posting on social media, he was too excited to keep this to himself.

In response to the news, some fans congratulated him and wished him a happy birthday. Others also wondered who the mother was.

Keep reading to find out.

Fans were excited that Harding became a father on-screen on "Pretty Little Liars" and in real life. In the photo's caption, Harding thanked fans for wishing him a happy birthday.

He wrote, "Thank you for the Birthday wishes folks." He then paid tribute to the newborn and expressed how happy he was to be a father, writing, "I'm thankful for many things this past year, but most of all I'm grateful for the best early birthday present a fella could ask for."

While he locked the comments section for the post, it didn't stop fans as they took to Twitter to congratulate him. "IAN HARDING HAS A BABY OMGGG," a fan tweeted. "Mr Ian Harding has a baby and I will never get over this," another wrote.

The actor caused speculation previously when he posted a picture of himself on Instagram with jewelry on his ring finger. At the time, he captioned the photo, "Italy is fun sometimes." In response to this, some fans wondered if he was engaged or even married.

After noticing the ring on his left hand, fans flooded the star with questions. One asked, "Hmmm, is that a wedding band?" Another commented, "Maybe I'm just being a creep but when did you get married? (Noticed the wedding band)." Another comment read, "Wait, you're married? Since when?"

While the star didn't reply to any of the questions, E! News reported that a source close to the star opened up about his love life. Per the source, the "Chicago Med" star privately got married to his girlfriend Sophie Hart in 2019.

Their marriage came after the couple's eight-year-long relationship began in 2011. However, neither Harding nor the photographer announced their wedding plans. This low-key wedding pointed to the private and shy nature of the star, who spoke about it in a recent interview.

The 36-year-old opened up about his shyness in an interview with Ability Magazine in 2020. He explained that he didn't like being in front of the camera or constantly posting on social media. While he likes acting and "performing," he's not a fan of "everything else that comes with" fame.

Harding said, "Like the need to constantly put yourself out there on social media." His shy nature goes beyond the screen, as he is also not a fan of pictures. The actor said, "I still get weird looks if I'm at a party and someone says, 'Oh, we're going to take a photo.'"

Harding continued, "And I'm like, 'Yeah, I don't really want to take any photos.'… It's fun to be in front of a camera, but I never want to see the end product."

Earlier this year, Harding starred in the political satire movie "The Hater," released on March 18th and directed by Joey Ally. This marked the director's feature debut as she also wrote and starred in the movie alongside Harding.

The "Pretty Little Liars" actor also starred in the Spectrum Originals miniseries "Long Slow Exhale" in April 2022. While he is now occupied with daddy duties, the star won't be taking a break from acting anytime soon.

He will star in the upcoming film "The Ghost Of Christmas Always," alongside the "Die Hard" and "Family Matters" star Reginald VelJohnson, among others. The film, directed by Rich Newey, is inspired by the classic novel "A Christmas Carol" written by Charles Dickens. However, the story is told from a ghost's perspective named Katherine Marley.