Who is Sam Nivola, the actor who plays Lochlan Ratliff in The White Lotus 3
As season three of “The White Lotus” nears its highly anticipated finale, Sam Nivola emerges as one of the cast’s most impactful presences, thanks also to his complex and indecipherable relationship with his brother Saxon , played by Patrick Schwarzenegger.
Born in 2003 in London, the British-American actor is making his way into the international film scene. Son of actors Emily Mortimer and Alessandro Nivola , Sam Nivola attracted attention for his performances in the films " White Noise" (2022) and " Maestro" (2023) , as well as for his role in the Netflix series "The Perfect Couple" and in the third season of the HBO series " The White Lotus" (2025) .
Sam Nivola comes from a family that has long been linked to the world of entertainment. His father is an American actor with Italian and German origins of Jewish religion , while his mother is a British actress. He has a younger sister, May Nivola , born in 2010, who is also an actress. After a childhood spent in the neighborhood of Notting Hill , the family moved to Brooklyn, New York, where the actor attended Saint Ann's School , known for its art-oriented educational approach, and later enrolled at Columbia University .
His acting debut came in 2013 with the series " Doll & Em" , alongside his mother. Sam appeared in an episode of the first season in the role of Ariel. Later, in 2021, he signed and directed the short film " Neighborhood Watch" for the anthology " With/In", a collective project that collects films shot during the pandemic.
The first major role comes in 2022 with " White Noise" , directed by Noah Baumbach.
Based on the novel of the same name by Don DeLillo and presented at the Venice Film Festival , in the film Sam is Heinrich , son of the characters played by Adam Driver and Greta Gerwig . The character is thoughtful, eccentric, and well-constructed, and his performance has received positive comments for the balance between intellectual detachment and vulnerability. In 2023, Sam stars in " Eileen" by William Oldroyd and in the same year he takes part in the cast of " Maestro" , a biopic on Leonard Bernstein directed by Bradley Cooper , where he plays Alexander , the composer's son.
From "The Perfect Couple" to "The White Lotus": Sam Nivola is the new face of TV series
In 2024, Sam Nivola joined the main cast of the Netflix miniseries “The Perfect Couple”, an adaptation of the novel by Elin Hilderbrand. He plays Will Winbury, the youngest of three brothers in a family involved in a mysterious murder during a wedding in Nantucket. Alongside him are actors of the caliber of Nicole Kidman and Liev Schreiber . The series gets a good response and Sam gets attention for his measured and consistent performance. In 2025, he stars in the third season of "The White Lotus", a hit series created by Mike White. Set in a luxury resort in Thailand, the season explores themes of privilege, family relationships, and desire. His character, Lochlan Ratliff , is a young man experiencing tension and conflict within his family.
Sam Nivola is reportedly romantically linked to the actress Iris Apatow , daughter of director Judd Apatow and actress Leslie Mann . The couple reside in New York's East Village and share a passion for film and creative life.
