John's parents were Hans Buckup (b. 1902) and Kitty. He has a brother: Achim (b. 1931) and a sister: Ursula (b. 1934). He's descendant from Germany and English. He studied Law. He has a daughter and a son with actress Eva Wilma: Vivien (b. 1956) and John Herbert Junior (b. 1958). Vivien is a cinema director and has two sons: Miguel and Mateus. John Junior is a musician and has three children: Gabriela, Francisco and Vitorio. John Herbert is married to Claudia Librach (1978-present). They have two boys: Ricardo (b. 1979) and Eduardo (b. 1983).