Nicola Peltz is an American actress, daughter of billionaire Nelson Peltz. Her most popular roles are in the films "The Last Airbender" (2010) and "Transformers: Age of Extinction" (2014), as well as in the TV series "Bates Motel." She is the wife of Brooklyn Beckham, son of Victoria and David Beckham.
American actress Nicola Peltz
Childhood and Family
Nicola Anne Peltz was born on January 9, 1995, in Westchester County, New York (USA).
The actress's mother, Claudia (née Heffner), is a former model. Her father, Nelson Peltz, is an American billionaire businessman and investor. He co-founded the long-term investment fund Trian Fund Management and serves as the non-executive chairman of the fast-food chain Wendy's Company, as well as the director of several other well-known organizations. Nelson Peltz once managed the company H.J. Heinz, a popular ketchup producer. His net worth is estimated at $1.6 billion.
Nicola Peltz with her parents
Nicola has a large family: four older brothers (Will, Bradley, Matthew, Diesel) and two younger twin brothers (Zachary and Gregory), as well as an older sister Brittany. Two of her brothers have gained fame as well: Will Peltz became a sought-after actor ("Unfriended," "Men, Women & Children"), and Brad Peltz is a former defenseman for the Ottawa Senators hockey team. Nicola also has a half-brother and half-sister from her father's previous marriages.
Nicola Peltz with her brothers and sisters
Nicola Peltz is a stunning example of natural beauty from mixed heritage. Her father has Austrian-Jewish and Russian-Jewish ancestry, while her mother has Italian, German, Welsh, and English roots. The New York Times once described Nicola's parents as "compassionate leaders of New York's Jewish community."
Nicola Peltz as a child
Thanks to her affluent parents, Nicola received a good education. She graduated from the prestigious Rye Country Day School.
Nicola became interested in acting in her early teenage years. At 12, she got an agent, and by 13, she landed the lead role in the Manhattan Theatre Club's production of "Blackbird" alongside two-time Emmy Award winner Jeff Daniels. Nicola later attended the Professional Children's School, where she honed her acting skills with Nat Wolff, star of "Ashby" and "Paper Towns."
Career
Nicola Peltz made her acting debut in 2006 in the Christmas comedy "Deck the Halls" with Danny DeVito and Matthew Broderick. Two years later, she appeared in the comedy "Harold" and in Miley Cyrus's music video for the song "7 Things."
Nicola Peltz in the film 'Deck the Halls'
In 2010, she starred in the fantasy adventure film "The Last Airbender," directed by M. Night Shyamalan. Based on the animated series "Avatar: The Last Airbender," Nicola portrayed the waterbender Katara, one of the story's key characters.
Nicola Peltz as Katara in The Last Airbender
In an interview with People magazine, Shyamalan said he couldn't imagine the film without Nicola Peltz: "I've only said that once in my career – after meeting Haley Joel Osment for 'The Sixth Sense.'" However, not everyone shared his enthusiasm for casting a white blonde actress as Katara, who is originally an Inuit character.
In 2013, Nicola landed the lead role in the first season of the thriller series "Bates Motel," based on Alfred Hitchcock's legendary 1960 film "Psycho." She also appeared in a few episodes of the second and third seasons. Her co-stars included Vera Farmiga, Freddie Highmore, Olivia Cooke, and others.
Nicola Peltz in the series 'Bates Motel'
On June 2014 there was the premiere of Michael Bay's sci-fi action film "Transformers: Age of Extinction," the fourth movie about alien robots. Nicola's character played a central role in the film: she portrayed the daughter of an unrecognized roboticist (Mark Wahlberg), who unexpectedly encounters the Autobot leader Optimus Prime disguised as an old truck. This role earned her the CinemaCon award for "Rising Star."
Transformers: Age of Extinction Interview - Nicola Peltz and Jack Reynor
In October 2015, Nicola ventured into modeling by participating in Alexander Wang's Balenciaga collection show during Paris Fashion Week. Soon after, she joined the cast of the comedy-drama film "Youth in Oregon" with Christina Applegate and Billy Crudup and appeared in the music video for Zayn Malik's single "It's You."
Nicola Peltz on the set of 'Youth in Oregon'
In 2017, she appeared in two episodes of the superhero series "Inhumans" and starred in the thriller "Back Roads," the directorial debut of British actor Alex Pettyfer, known for "Stormbreaker" and "I Am Number Four."
In the summer of 2018, the sci-fi horror film "Our House" by Anthony Scott Burns premiered in the U.S., starring Nicola Peltz and Thomas Mann.
Nicola played a central role in the 2019 drama "The Obituary of Tunde Johnson," about an unusual love triangle and a time loop. In 2020, she appeared in the romantic comedy "Holidate."
Personal Life of Nicola Peltz
In 2016, rumors circulated online that Nicola Peltz was dating Canadian singer Justin Bieber. Paparazzi spotted them together several times, but the relationship rumors were never confirmed.
Nicola Peltz and Justin Bieber
From December 2016 to May 2018, Nicola Peltz dated model Anwar Hadid, the brother of supermodels Gigi and Bella Hadid. Anwar is 4.5 years younger than Nicola.
Nicola Peltz and Anwar Hadid
In October 2019, Nicola started dating Brooklyn Beckham, a former model and photographer, and now a professional chef, who is four years younger than Peltz. They were first seen together at Leonardo DiCaprio's Halloween party. Their official relationship start date is considered to be October 29, 2019.
Nicola Peltz and Brooklyn Beckham
They confirmed their relationship in early 2020 and announced their engagement in July of the same year. The couple married on April 9, 2022, at the Peltz family estate in Palm Beach.
Nicola Peltz Beckham On Newlywed Life, Kids
Due to Nicola wearing a Valentino dress at the wedding instead of one made by Victoria Beckham, rumors of a feud between the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law arose. However, both later dispelled these rumors, explaining that Victoria's atelier simply didn't finish the dress on time.
Nicola Peltz Now
In 2021, Nicola Peltz decided to try her hand at directing. Her debut film "Lola" was released in February 2024. It is a drama about a 19-year-old girl trying to rescue her younger brother, Arlo (Luke David Blumm), from a toxic family in the suburban setting of early 2000s Los Angeles.
Nicola Peltz Beckham talks making directorial debut with ‘Lola’
Nicola not only played the lead role but also wrote the script. She was inspired to create Arlo by her godson.
...The plot is very dramatic, so I wanted the visuals to be its complete opposite. I aimed for it to look feminine, light, and like how little Arlo sees the world.
Brooklyn Beckham played a cameo role in "Lola," but Nicola admitted they had to cut his scene: "He had one line, 'Hi!', but he said it with a British accent while looking directly at the camera. I thought, 'Oh my God... We need to move on.' But I'm very grateful for his support on set. Without him, I couldn't have done anything."
