Samuel John Nivola (born September 26, 2003) is a British and American actor. He is the son of actors Emily Mortimer and Alessandro Nivola. His credits include the films White Noise (2022) and Eileen (2023), as well as the Netflix series The Perfect Couple (2024) and season three of the HBO anthology series The White Lotus (2025).
Early life and education Nivola was born at the Portland Hospital in central London to British actress Emily Mortimer and American actor Alessandro Nivola. He has Italian and German-Jewish ancestry on his father's side. His maternal grandfather is the dramatist Sir John Mortimer. His paternal great-grandfather is the sculptor Costantino Nivola.
He has a younger sister, May, who also acts. Nivola spent his early childhood in the Echo Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, Notting Hill and then grew up in the New York City neighborhood of Boerum Hill. He attended Saint Ann's School and then Columbia University.
Career
Nivola made his acting debut in the Sky Atlantic comedy series Doll & Em (2013), starring his mother. In 2021, he and his sister played siblings on an episode of The Pursuit of Love, a British miniseries based on Nancy Mitford's novel of the same title adapted by their mother for BBC One. Nivola wrote and directed a short film, Neighborhood Watch, for the anthology With/In (2021), which consisted of films shot on smartphones about life in quarantine during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Nivola and his sister played two of the central family's children in Noah Baumbach's film White Noise (2022). At the callback audition for White Noise, Baumbach asked Nivola whether his sister wanted to audition for the role she plays in the film. The next year, Nivola played Leonard Bernstein's son in Bradley Cooper's Maestro. Also in 2023, Nivola walked the runway at Paris Fashion Week for Miu Miu alongside the likes of Emma Corrin.
In 2024, Nivola starred in The Perfect Couple. In 2025, he starred in season three of The White Lotus. In March 2025, he began filming the Bobby Farrelly comedy film Driver's Ed. Later that year, a pilot Phony he filmed with Connie Britton received a series order from Hulu.
Personal life Nivola has been in a relationship with Iris Apatow since 2024. She visited him on the set of The White Lotus. They live together in an apartment in New York.
Filmography Film Year(s) Title Role Notes2014River of FundamentKidsroom Ensemble2021Neighborhood Watch (in With/In)Short film; also writer and director2022White NoiseHeinrich2023EileenLee Polk2023MaestroAlexander Bernstein2025Driver's EdJeremy
Television Year(s) Title Role Notes2013Doll & EmArielEpisode: "Six"2021MattEpisode: "Episode Two"2024The Perfect Couple Will WinburyMain role; season 12025The White LotusLochlan RatliffMain role; season 3
Awards and nominations Organizations Year Category Work Result Actor Awards 2026 Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series
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