All About Nico Parker’s Famous Parents, Thandiwe Newton and Ol Parker

NEED TO KNOW

• Nico Parker is the daughter of actress Thandiwe Newton and director Ol Parker
• Thandiwe won an Emmy for her role in Westworld
• Nico, who stars in How to Train Your Dragon live-action remake, started acting in 2019

Nico Parker is following in her parents’ footsteps.

The rising star is the daughter of Emmy-winning actress Thandiwe Newton and director Ol Parker. The pair married in 1998 and welcomed three children before they appeared to go their separate ways in 2022.

Although Nico grew up on Hollywood sets, acting didn’t initially appeal to her. During a February 2023 appearance on The Jennifer Hudson Show, she recalled thinking her parents’ work was “boring,” joking, “They would just wait around all day. To me, acting was 90% of the time waiting around drinking coffee. I was like, ‘You guys don’t work.’ ”

Nico’s perspective changed, however, when she was cast in the 2019 live-action film Dumbo. “It was a snowstorm after that,” she said. “I was obsessed and loved it and realized this is exactly what I want to do.”

Since then, Nico’s landed roles in HBO’s The Last of Us, the coming-of-age drama Suncoast and the live-action adaptation of How To Train Your Dragon, which hit theaters on June 13.

Thandiwe and Ol occasionally offer their daughter advice about the industry, but as Nico explained to Hudson, they want her to have “her own experience.”

From their award-winning talents to supporting her career, here’s everything to know about Nico Parker’s parents, Thandiwe Newton and Ol Parker.

They met in the ’90s while working together

Ol Parker and Thandie Newton attend the season 3 premiere of the HBO drama series “Westworld” on March 5, 2020 in Hollywood, California.
Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic/Getty

Thandiwe and Ol crossed paths in the mid-’90s on the set of the made-for-TV movie In Your Dreams, which Ol wrote and Thandiwe starred in. They wed shortly after in 1998.

The couple maintained their privacy throughout their marriage, but Thandiwe did give a rare glimpse into their relationship in 2019, when she shared a black-and-white photo of herself on Instagram.

“My husband’s favorite pic of me from back in the day. I was 21. In Paris shooting a Merchant Ivory film. Funny, what I needed back then, more than anything, was a mentor like me,” she wrote. “A few years later I met my husband, and LOVE flooded my life.”

In April 2022, both Thandiwe and Ol were seen without their wedding rings, though neither have spoken publicly about a separation or divorce.

They have three children together

Ripley Parker, Ol Parker, Nico Parker and Thandiwe Newton attend a dinner to celebrate Nico Parker as new global ambassador for Lancôme on September 17, 2024 in London, England.

Dave Benett/Getty

Thandiwe and Ol welcomed their older daughter, Ripley, on Dec. 17, 2000. Nico joined the family four years later on Dec. 9, 2004, followed by the pair’s only son, Booker Jombe, on March 3, 2014.

Like Nico, Ripley has also followed in her parents’ Hollywood footsteps and is pursuing a career as a screenwriter. At 22 years old, she wrote and executive produced the Netflix teen drama Everything Now, which was released in October 2023.

They named Nico after a German singer

Nico Parker and her mother Thandiwe Newton pose for a photo together in May 2020.

Thandiwe Newton/ Instagram

Nico’s unique moniker is inspired by the German singer Nico (real name Christa Päffgen), who was featured on The Velvet Underground’s debut album The Velvet Underground & Nico.

“I think my parents couldn’t think of a name for me, but then my mom came up with Nico and my dad was like, ‘Oh, she’s got to be cool if she’s going to pull off that name,’ ” Nico told Glamour in February 2024.

She continued, “My mom was like, ‘Yeah, she will be.’ Now for the rest of my life, I’m desperately attempting to live up to that conversation and match that name.”

They give Nico advice about her career

Nico Parker and Thandiwe Newton attend the European premiere of ‘Dumbo’ on March 21, 2019 in London, England.

Karwai Tang/WireImage

Nico’s parents have a hands-off approach when it comes to her acting, but they do give her advice about how to conduct herself on set.

During her appearance on The Jennifer Hudson Show, Nico shared that her dad always instilled in her the importance of set etiquette and remembering every crew member’s name.

She shared a similar sentiment about her mom during a February 2024 interview with The Straits Times.

“Professionally, I’ve honestly not learnt that much from her – not because there’s nothing to learn, but because I think I learn more from her just as my mum,” she explained. “She’s wonderful, but I learn more from how she treats others, how she expects to be treated, and that it’s okay to ask for things and use your voice.”

Thandiwe is protective of Nico

Thandiwe Newton and Nico Parker attend the “Reminiscence” Premiere on August 17, 2021 in Hollywood, California.

 Frazer Harrison/Getty

As someone who navigated the challenges of being a young actress in Hollywood herself, Thandiwe is fiercely protective of Nico.

“She has her mum right there like a lioness checking that everything is looked after,” Thandiwe said during a May 2018 appearance on ITV’s This Morning.

She added that she’s grateful Hollywood is a safer place for young actresses now than it was when she was starting out.

“You can’t stop the industry from operating the way it has unless the truth comes out,” she explained. “That is what is so glorious about this time that we’re in, there’s more transparency … I feel this great relief, great excitement, and celebration for the young women who are going to become part of our industry.”

Thandiwe is Nico’s role model

Nico Parker and Thandiwe Newton attend a dinner to celebrate Nico Parker as new global ambassador for Lancôme on September 17, 2024 in London, England.

Dave Benett/Getty

Nico has already worked with several incredible actors — including Pedro Pascal, Laura Linney, Woody Harrelson and Jude Law — but she looks up to her mom more than anyone else.

“My mum is one of my biggest role models, she is a Black actress and she’s incredibly proud of that,” she told Glamour in October 2020. “She’s always, always shown my family how proud of it she is, the world, the media and she is incredibly proud of where she comes from. That of course affects me, and I am incredibly proud of where I come from because of her.”

In addition to instilling pride in her identity, Thandiwe has helped her daughter embrace her natural hair.

“When I was younger, I think mainly because of maintenance, I used to hate my hair … I remember in Year 5, I wanted straight hair, really, really badly,” she told the outlet. “I think it was really sad for my mum, who did straighten her hair a lot — and she now she regrets that she had — and to see me wanting to do the same did make her upset.”

She added, “But now, I would not ask for any other hair than what I have!”

Ol supports Nico on social media

Ol Parker and Nico Parker attend ‘The Last of Us’ premiere on January 9, 2023 in Los Angeles, California.

Matt Baron/BEI/Shutterstock

Ol is Nico’s biggest cheerleader, frequently celebrating her achievements on social media. In January 2024, the proud father reposted the trailer for Suncoast on X, praising both the movie and his daughter.

“This is an utterly lovely film.  And the lead girl is just flat-out sensational,” he wrote.

The film marked Nico’s first major lead role, and her portrayal as Doris earned her Sundance Film Festival’s Breakthrough Performance Award. Ol celebrated the accomplishment with another X post, writing alongside the announcement: “This is so cool. And so is she.”