Sam Nivola Is a Nepo Baby — All About His Mom and Dad

Actor Sam Nivola’s career in entertainment skyrocketed in 2025 after The White Lotus Season 3 dropped in February 2025. He plays Lochlan Ratliff, the on-screen brother of Patrick Schwarzenegger, who also appears in the highly anticipated third installment.

Like Patrick, Sam comes from a famous family — though to be fair, he's carving out his own path with standout roles in major projects like The Perfect Couple, Maestro, and Eileen. Still, there’s no denying he’s a nepo baby, given his parents’ Hollywood status. Here’s everything to know about Sam’s famous parents and whether he has any siblings.

Sam Nivola comes from a seriously talented Hollywood family. His father is award-winning actor Alessandro Nivola, and his mother is British actor Emily Mortimer.

Alessandro, born in 1972 in Boston, Mass., is widely recognized for both his acting and producing skills, per his IMDb bio. He’s appeared in The Brutalist as Attila and took on roles in Kraven the Hunter and American Hustle, where he starred alongside Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper. His impressive filmography also includes Jurassic Park III, The Room Next Door, Wildcat, and The Many Saints of Newark.

Sam’s mother, Emily, has built an equally impressive career. Born in Hammersmith, London, she pursued acting while attending St Paul’s Girls’ School in West London. According to her IMDb bio, she later studied English Literature and Russian at Lincoln College, Oxford University, and even spent time training at the Moscow Arts Theater Drama School.

Emily made her feature film debut in The Ghost and the Darkness (1996), following early TV appearances in Under the Hammer (1994) and The Glass Virgin (1995). She’s since taken on major roles, including playing Jane Banks — the grown-up daughter of George and Winifred Banks from the original Mary Poppins — in Mary Poppins Returns. More recently, she starred as Mary Brown in Paddington in Peru and appeared in the TV series The New Look.

Emily and Alessandro first crossed paths on the set of Love’s Labour’s Lost, where Emily played Katherine and Alessandro portrayed The King. The film featured some major stars, including Matthew Lillard, Alicia Silverstone, and Kenneth Branagh. Clearly, sparks flew between Emily and Alessandro, as they tied the knot in January 2003 and have been going strong ever since.

The couple shares two children, Sam and May. Sam was born in September 2003, and May arrived in 2010. Like her brother, May has followed in the family’s acting footsteps. She’s appeared in Head Full of Honey and With/In. In White Noise, she played Steffie alongside both her father and brother.

Not only is the Nivola family bursting with talent, but Sam’s parents also founded their own production company, King Bee Productions. In October 2024, Sam’s father, Alessandro, shared on Instagram that the company had recently signed a deal with Sony Pictures Television, further cementing their influence in the industry.