The Fast and the Furious star Matt Schulze is a proud new papa, Celebuzz can exclusively reveal.

Schulze and his girlfriend welcomed their first child together, son Hendrix, on November 27, 2012 — and the actor is relishing his new role.

“I love being a dad. I’m the happiest father on the planet, ” Schulze told us. “Hendrix is an angel.”

The actor, who’s also starred in box office hits like The Transporter and Blade II, says the newest addition to the family came at the perfect times in his life, both personally and professionally.

“I live on a tremendous plot of land in Malibu, with a creek and bridge in my backyard and huge oak trees reaching across the sky,” he said. “I could not have asked for a better place or time in my life to raise a family.”

And it seems timing has been everything during this milestone year: Hendrix was even born on the same day as the man who inspired his name.

“I always dreamed that if I had a son I would name him Hendrix, because only the people closest to me know how much I truly love Jimi Hendrix,” Schulze said. “And not only did I have a son, but he was born on Jimi’s birthday, so it was more than a sign that he was a gift and a welcomed change in my life.”

Schulze also has a nine-year-old stepson with his girlfriend.

The new father has even been able to pick up a few parenting pointers from his on-set brushes with other celeb dads, including another hunky actor who’s also been known to flex his muscle on screen.

“I had spent some time crossing paths with Chris Hemsworth,” said Schulze, who co-starred in Fast 5 with Hemsworth’s wife Elsa Pataky. “So when he had his daughter [India], I watched the way he was with her, and I was beyond impressed with how much love and attention he gave her.

“Chris is a great guy, and I wanted to make sure my son would get that from me at all times — my heart and soul.”

And a new baby has also meant new career goals for the 40-year-old. After rocking it in action flicks, Schulze has decided to take his acting in a new direction. Right now, he says he’s considering a few on- and off-Broadway theater roles and finalizing a script for a television series based on the Battle of Gettysburg.

“I’ll be returning to acting this year, and my next project will be different than anything I have done in the past,” he said. “This is a new phase in my life — full of new beginnings and new roles.”

Click through our gallery to see exclusive photos of Matt and baby Hendrix — and more. Then send your congratulations to Matt and his girlfriend in the comments section.

Celebrity moms are under extra pressure to get into tiptop shape after their give birth to their little ones. Some moms find it easy to drop the extra pounds, while others take the more slow and steady approach.

Whether it’s a juice cleanse, crash diet, new fitness regimen or simple breastfeeding, all the new celeb mommies in 2012 are working their hardest to find the balance between their new role and getting back to their pre-baby body.

A few celebs have shown dramatic changes in a shockingly short amount of time like Kim Zolciak, who looks better than ever a mere weeks after giving birth.

Meanwhile, Jessica Simpson has been open about her weight loss struggles since giving birth to baby Maxwell.

Who else is looking great post-baby?

Both Hilary Duff and Jennifer Hudson are taking their fitness routines very seriously and Jessica Alba looks like the weight came off just as quickly as it came on.

The fashionista mother of two has been spotted out in skin-tight dresses looking as sexy as ever.

New moms Pink and Elsa Pataky have both been snapped on red carpets in bodycon dresses that leave us impressed with their turnaround time. The ladies look fit and fierce and leave no signs of having been up all night taking care of a little one.

Want to know how these moms are losing the baby weight?

Click through our gallery to find out exactly how they’re getting back into their pre-pregnancy bodies and tell us what you think in the comment section below.

It looks like Thor’s family is getting a little bigger!

The Avengers star Chris Hemsworth and wife Elsa Pataky welcomed a baby girl together on Friday, a rep for the actor tells Celebuzz. The couple has been married since 2010 and made their pregnancy announcement in January of this year.

What did the proud parents name their new bundle of joy?

Liam Hemsworth‘s new niece is named India Rose! How precious!

Chris, 28, is currently in London to promote Snow White and the Huntsman and gushed about fatherhood at the junket this weekend, telling Celebuzz he is “very happy” to be a first-time dad.

Likewise, Chris’ wife is thrilled about their family’s latest addition. Following her pregnancy announcement, the “delighted and excited” Spanish actress opened up to ¡Hola! about having kids with her handsome hubby.

“Having the person that you love by your side, and starting a family with them, is the best thing that can happen to you in this life,” the 35-year-old said. “You can’t ask for more.”

Congrats to the happy couple!

While Natalie Portman nurses her growing baby bump by walking her dog in NYC, her Thor costar is making his promo rounds elsewhere in Manhattan. Chris Hemsworth was spotted all smiles Wednesday afternoon strolling into Calvin Klein. So where is Mrs. Thor?

Chris’ wife Elsa Pataky was seen in Madrid with another hunky man on her arm…

Don’t worry, it was just her Fast 5 costar Vin Diesel! The costars had a photo call in Spain yesterday. 

Glad the newlyweds got in some rest and relaxation time before getting back to work. Chris and Elsa were spotted lounging together by the pool in Miami Beach earlier this month.

Thor opens next Friday, May 6!

Do Chris Hemsworth and his wife Elsa Pataky make a great looking couple or what?

Elsa was spotted rocking a black bikini in Brazil over the weekend and we have to assume the married couple are gym buddies, because both of their bodies are crazy fit! The photogs caught the Spanish actress walking along the sand with her mom and brother close at hand.

While we’re sure she misses her husband (the two tied the knot in December 2010),  while he’s hard at work promoting his upcoming superhero movie Thor, vacationing in Brazil without your man can’t be that bad.

Looks like she has a little competition though, as Chris recently admitted to Men’s Health magazine that he has a little man crush on none other than Johnny Depp.

Check out all the photos of Elsa’s bikini bod in the gallery!