Actor believes he fathered Paris Jackson

A British tabloid is reporting that the godfather of Michael Jackson's three children claims to be the father of the singer's daughter Paris.

The News of the World quotes Jackson's longtime friend Mark Lester as saying that he "gave Michael my sperm so that he could have kids and I believe Paris is my daughter."

The newspaper also quotes Lester, a 51-year-old former child star known for his lead role in the 1968 movie Oliver!, as saying he's willing to take a paternity test.

In a video interview with Lester broadcast on the News of the World website, Lester said he donated his sperm at a London clinic. He said Jackson was married to Debbie Rowe at the time.

"She's the birth mother of the children so I naturally assumed the sperm donation would obviously have gone into Debbie and Debbie would have borne the children," he said.

He said Paris resembles his own 15-year-old daughter Harriet.

Lester said he has "concerns about the welfare and upbringing of the children" in the wake of Jackson's death at 50 in June.

"It's a contact issue," he said on the video. "I dearly want to remain in contact with those kids and I feel now this is the only way I can ensure that."

Paternity speculation roils

Jackson and Lester became friends 27 years ago when Jackson's manager told Lester the singer wanted to meet him. Lester lives in Cheltenham, about 160 kilometres west of London.

The latest claim will onlykeep churning up speculation about the real fathers of the pop icon's three children: Prince Michael, 12, Paris Michael, 11, and seven-year-old Prince Michael II, also known as Blanket.

The singer's mother Katherine was officially declared the guardian of all three.

Rumours have circulated that Dr. Arnold Klein, Michael Jackson's dermatologist,is the biological dad to the two oldest children, who were born to Debbie Rowe. Blanket was bornto a surrogate mother, whose identity remains undisclosed.

Kleinraised objections to the custody arrangementsduring a recent court hearing which gave Katherine Jackson permanent custody of the three children.