Nicola Peltz may be married into one of the world’s most famous families, but she comes from a high-profile American dynasty of her own. The actress and model shares a close bond with her family, which includes her billionaire father, former model mother, and seven siblings.
Born in January 1995, Nicola is the daughter of Nelson Peltz and Claudia Heffner Peltz. Her parents have been married for more than 30 years, raising eight children together. Despite her Hollywood career, Nicola often travels to her family’s Florida home to spend time with them.
“Family is everything to me, and I mean that with my whole heart,” she told Byrdie in February 2024. “I go to Florida any chance I get, and we stay at my parents’ house. It honestly makes me so happy to wake up and have my siblings around. It’s really hard to get us all in the same place because there are so many of us. When we’re all together, it’s so fun.”
Nicola’s Parents: Meet Nelson Peltz and Claudia Heffner Peltz
Nelson and Claudia married in 1985, and have been together for over 40 years. During a March 2023 interview with Cosmopolitan, Nicola shared what she admires about their decades-long partnership.
“My parents have been together more than 40 years, and they always make fun of each other. My dad is just so cute. When my mom leaves the room, he’s always just like, ‘She’s so beautiful,’” she said. “They still act like young kids in love. Literally, they’re always making out, to the point where my brother’s like, ‘I’m closing my eyes. Stop making out.’ They’re so in love, and being able to grow up with that is so beautiful. I would never settle for anything other than that.”
Nelson Peltz built a business empire from humble beginnings. He studied at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania but dropped out, explaining in a 2023 lecture at the University of Miami: “I just didn’t get to class that much and, when I did get to class, I couldn’t figure out when I was going to use accounting and finance and economics. I was way too immature to be in a place like that.”
He later co-founded investment firm Trian Fund Management in 2005 and has served on boards including H.J. Heinz Company, Mondelēz International, Wendy’s, Madison Square Garden Sports Corp, and Unilever PLC.
Claudia, a former fashion model, prefers a more private life, keeping a low profile while raising the family alongside Nelson.
Meet Nicola’s Seven Siblings
Nicola is the third youngest of eight children: Matthew, Will, Brad, Brittany, Diesel, Nicola, Zachary and Gregory. Each sibling has carved out a unique path.
- Matthew, the eldest, holds a degree from Yale University and works for Trian Fund Management, serving as non-executive vice chairman of Wendy’s.
- Will followed Nicola into the entertainment world, modeling and acting in projects like Unfriended and Men, Women and Children.
- Brad is a former professional ice hockey player for the Ottawa Senators who now runs a health-tech startup.
- Diesel is a tech entrepreneur, co-founding apps including Twenty and Healthy Together.
- Brittany studied at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts and founded her own interior design studio, Sena Lifestyle Studio. She and husband Franz-Ferdinand Buerstedde share four children.
- Zachary and Gregory, Nicola’s younger twin brothers, are ice hockey players and prefer to stay out of the public eye while attending the University of Miami Herbert Business School.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – FEBRUARY 03: (L-R) Nelson Peltz, Elon Musk, Nicola Peltz Beckham and Will Peltz attend the premiere of “Lola” at Regency Bruin Theatre on February 03, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)
Despite having a high-profile daughter, Nelson and Claudia maintain a private family life. “My family is not in the limelight. I don’t see them like that at all,” Nicola told Grazia in 2022. “I come from a hockey family. All my brothers play hockey and my parents are, I guess, anti-Hollywood. They didn’t grow up in L.A. or anything.”
The Peltz family keeps Nicola grounded as her career grows. “It’s funny to be the first person in your family to venture off and try something new,” she said. “My six brothers are happy for me, but they just look at me as their sister. My family keeps me very, very grounded.”
