Those tough moments were softened by the love of a working-class family that has always supported him in all his decisions.
His two main pillars until becoming a star remain his parents, Jacob and Melissa Elordi, with whom he occasionally poses on the most important red carpets in the world. This happened, for example, at the premiere of Frankenstein at the Venice Film Festival where two of his three older sisters, Isabella, a photographer and ballet dancer, and Jalynn, a model, were also present.
The name of the other sister is unknown. This shows that the family wishes to stay out of the public eye without taking advantage of the actor who, for his latest role in Wuthering Heights (2025), earned only 1 million dollars, while the lead actress Margot Robbie had a salary of 12 million dollars. A tremendous gender pay gap that, traditionally, is almost never in favor of women.
John Elordi, or Juan, his baptismal name, was born in Markina (Vizcaya) and his grandfather Joaquín, originally from Ondarroa (Vizcaya), "emigrated to Australia because of the fascist regime, he was cutting sugar cane with 8 dollars in his pocket until he had enough money to bring the whole family to Australia," Jacob confessed in an interview with Fotogramas.
And he added: "I am incredibly grateful to that great man." The elderly man, who lives in his lifelong home in the suburbs of Brisbane, was able to escape our country thanks to the funding from the Australian government.
During an interview with the Basque Public Radio and Television (EITB), Joaquín said that Australia is "the best country in the world" and, in Basque, he emphasized that "I am from Ondarroa, man. For life. There is no other place like Ondarroa." He instilled this passion for his origins in his grandson: "You are Basque, descendant of Basques, you are not a descendant of Spaniards, they will ask you (...)". And Jacob nodded.
The actor has not yet visited the Basque Country, but he hopes to do so in the near future. The grandfather, who after working in the plantations became a painter and founded his own company, passed the baton to his son John, whose salary supported his wife, a homemaker, and their four children.
The Elordi couple did not live luxuriously, but they did not struggle to make ends meet either. John has always been a hardworking man who always had the invaluable help of Melissa, whom he met over three decades ago in Queensland, the most tropical Australian state where Elsa Pataky and Chris Hemsworth also reside.
The Elordis lived in Brisbane until Jacob was 12 years old, when they decided to move to Melbourne because their daughter Isabella wanted to study ballet. After some time, Jacob returned to Brisbane to finish his studies. At the age of 12, he discovered acting through a theater course at school, at 15 he did classical theater, and at 17 he became an extra in the fifth installment of Pirates of the Caribbean. He then landed the lead role in the Netflix series The Kissing Booth.
At 20, he crossed the Pacific to settle in Los Angeles, where he has already become one of the industry's leading names. In 2019, he started his role in the series Euphoria and four years later, he succeeded with Saltburn.
Throughout this brief journey, John and Melissa have been taking care of him and protecting him. The affection with which the actor treats his parents melts the cameras, especially when he kisses them on the head or when they watch him lying on the bed in a hotel room while Jacob gives an interview via video call. This happened in an interview on the Today show in 2022.
That same year, the actor's father confessed to the Daily Mail that "Jacob always had great self-confidence, but of course, as parents, we tried to be pragmatic, and we were. He always knew what he wanted to be. And as his father, there was a time when I said to him: 'Dude, acting is a one in a million situation'."
And he stated, "I know how hardworking Jake is, so if he continues like this, I know he will achieve whatever he sets out to do."