All About Thandiwe Newton and Ol Parker’s Children

Thandiwe Newton and Ol Parker’s kids are their mini-mes.

The duo, who married in 1998 and separated in 2022, share three children together: daughters Ripley and Nico and son Booker Jombe.

While the former couple is well established in Hollywood for their respective careers — with Thandiwe notably starring in Westworld and Ol writing and directing Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again — their kids are becoming red carpet mainstays in their own right.

In addition to accompanying her parents to various events over the years, the couple’s youngest daughter Nico is an actress herself, with her most recent role being on HBO’s The Last of Us.

“They are [incredibly] supportive,” Nico told Variety about her parents. “I’m so lucky that they are and that they appreciate what I do.”

Here’s everything to know about Thandiwe and Ol’s kids.

Ripley Parker

Thandiwe and Ol’s oldest child, daughter Ripley Parker, was born on Dec. 17, 2000. Over the years, Ripley has attended numerous events with her parents, including the EE British Academy Film Awards with her mom in 2019 and the world premiere of Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again in London, England, in support of her father who wrote and directed the musical movie.

Most recently, she attended the premiere of Ticket to Paradise in October 2022 with her father who wrote and directed the film. Speaking with ComingSoon about the Julia Roberts and George Clooney rom-com, Ol revealed that Ripley actually inspired him to write the script.

“The movie came out of a conversation I was having about Ripley, who was 18, I think, at the time and starting to make her own decisions — all of which are clearly brilliant and not necessarily the ones I’d have made for her — so it was just that thing, how much do you nudge along?” he explained. “How much do you try and be wise and say what you absolutely know and how much do you just lean back and give it up to them and watch the next generation rule? That was the genesis of the movie, how that came about.”

Ripley has actually followed in her father’s footsteps as a writer and is signed with Knight Hall Agency Ltd. Per her bio on the website, Ripley is working on a YA television series called The F— It Bucket, “focusing on mental health issues faced by many British teenagers, particularly those surrounding food and body image.” Additionally, she is working on a jukebox musical based on the music of The Smiths as well as a play about the life and relationships of poet Emily Dickinson.

She also contributed an essay to It’s Not OK to Feel Blue (and Other Lies): Inspirational People Open Up About Their Mental Health in 2019. Ahead of the release, Thandiwe shared a sweet tribute to her daughter, writing, “Deeply proud of phenomenal @ripley.parker Her first published writing is a breathtaking piece in @penguin #It’sNotOKtoFeelBlueandotherlies @scarcurtis.”

Nico Parker

Thandiwe and Ol’s second daughter, Nico, was born on Dec. 9, 2004. While her sister Ripley is pursuing her father’s field of writing, Nico takes after her mother as she has stepped into the world of acting in recent years.

In 2019, she made her film debut as Milly Farrier in the live-action adaptation of Disney’s Dumbo. Ahead of her daughter’s big acting debut, Thandiwe spoke about Nico’s introduction to Hollywood, noting that she was already very familiar with the world of movies and television.

“She’s been on endless sets,” she said. “It’s not that she takes it for granted, but it’s not a world that she feels she’s not entitled to be in.”

Though she noted that industry can have a lasting impact on an impressionable teenager, she promised to look out for her youngest daughter.

“She has her mum right there like a lioness checking that everything is looked after,” Newton said. “You can’t stop the industry [from] operating the way it has unless the truth comes out.”

Following her role in Dumbo, Nico appeared on the TV series The Third Day as well as the 2021 film Reminiscence alongside Thandiwe. The mother-daughter duo was all smiles as they attended the premiere of the film together in August 2021, donning coordinating outfits. Nico’s most recent role is Sarah in the HBO adaptation of The Last of Us, based on the video game of the same name.

Speaking to Variety about her roles, Nico noted that while her parents are supportive of her acting career, they don’t necessarily give her any specific advice.

“They do give me advice like, ‘Learn everybody’s name and always be nice’ and things like that, but when it comes to acting, they kind of steer clear of it because I think they want it to be my own experience for me to learn about things in my own way,” she said.

Booker Jombe Parker

Thandiwe and Ol welcomed their youngest, son Booker Jombe Parker, on March 3, 2014. “Our baby boy is finally here! Booker Jombe Parker. Born joyously at home yesterday,” Thandiwe wrote on Twitter following his birth, adding that it was her third home birth. At the time, a rep told PEOPLE, “Thandie and the baby are healthy and the family is thrilled.”

During an appearance on Today, Thandiwe opened up about her decision to have home births with her three children: “I had just associated hospital with being ill, and I felt beautiful and healthy and wonderful when I was pregnant, and being at home is the place I felt most relaxed and comfortable.”

She added that her daughters proudly took on the big sister role when she welcomed Booker. “I think he thinks he’s got three mummies. He’s got a 13-year-old, a 9-year-old and a (ahem) 27-year-old,” she joked.

Though Booker hasn’t attended many public events with his parents, Thandiwe has given sweet glimpses of her little one on Instagram. In April 2020, she shared a photo of her homeschooling Booker before posting a snap of them matching in tiger onesies. “Me and Boo takin’ care of business! Lesson of the day: STAY WILD. FOREVER 🐯🐯🐯,” she captioned the photo.