As of October 2026, available reporting does not confirm where Bobby Shafran or David Kellman live or what they are doing now. The clearest documented update remains tied to the documentary’s 2018 release and a KQED review updated in 2024. The film follows the brothers’ reunion, their brief life in the public eye and the unanswered questions around their separation.
Who were the three brothers?
Robert “Bobby” Shafran, Eddy Galland and David Kellman were identical triplets born in 1961. At six months old, they were adopted by three different families, which were not told the children had siblings, according to HBO Max’s official synopsis.
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In 1980, when the brothers were about 19, Shafran arrived at college and was mistaken for Galland. The two met, and publicity about their resemblance and reunion led Kellman to recognize himself as their third brother. Their story quickly attracted national press and television attention, as The Guardian’s 2018 account and NPR’s Fresh Air archive recount.
What happened after the reunion?
They became a media sensation
The brothers appeared together on television, including The Phil Donahue Show, and made a cameo in Desperately Seeking Susan, according to The Guardian. Their striking resemblance made them a particularly compelling story for audiences, but the attention was only one part of their lives together.
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They opened a restaurant together
In the 1980s, the brothers lived together in New York and opened Triplets, a Soho restaurant. The Guardian describes it as a steakhouse; NPR calls it a restaurant. The business was described as thriving before the brothers’ relationship deteriorated. It is a historical detail, not a restaurant that should be assumed to remain open or to be a current shared venture.
Their relationship changed
The reunion did not guarantee a lasting partnership. The film and later accounts describe the brothers’ relationship souring, against the background of intense public attention and revelations about how they had been separated. The available sources do not provide a current personal profile of Shafran or Kellman.
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Where are Bobby Shafran and David Kellman now?
The reliable answer is limited: the sources available here do not verify either surviving brother’s 2026 residence, occupation, family circumstances or current public activity. KQED’s review, updated January 11, 2024, discusses the brothers’ divergent fates but does not offer a new personal update. That means older descriptions from around the film’s 2018 release should not be presented as current news.
Eddy Galland’s story is part of the documentary’s account, but the available sources do not establish a current update for him either. NPR’s 2018 review transcript notes his absence from later footage; it is not a 2026 whereabouts report.
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What does the documentary reveal about their separation?
Three Identical Strangers follows director Tim Wardle and journalist Lawrence Wright as they investigate how Louise Wise Services separated the triplets without informing their adoptive families, and the study associated with psychologist Peter Neubauer. The Guardian and NPR describe the investigation as part of the film’s central mystery.
KQED’s 2024-updated review says the film describes a study that was never published and notes the difficulty of establishing the full historical record. The documentary uses reenactments as part of its storytelling. Those details help explain why the film raises questions about what was known, what was recorded and what remains uncertain; they do not supply a complete, independently verified account of every decision or motive.
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Does their story prove nature or nurture determines personality?
No. The triplets’ lives are a deeply affecting case, not a controlled scientific test that can establish whether genes or upbringing determine personality or life outcomes. The film puts nature and nurture in tension, but Wardle said he gave weight to both perspectives without endorsing either as the answer, in his Sundance Institute interview.
The case also raises ethical questions about consent, privacy and adoption disclosure. KQED’s review emphasizes the limits of what can be known from the study described in the film. The brothers’ very different experiences should not be turned into a simple causal claim about genetics, parenting or the study itself.
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Sources for the documented account
- HBO Max / WarnerMedia Direct Latin America for the film synopsis and birth and adoption details.
- The Guardian and NPR Fresh Air for the historical reunion, media attention, restaurant and documentary context.
- KQED for interpretive context and its review updated January 11, 2024.
- Sundance Institute for Wardle’s comments on the film and its themes.
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