Phil Collins’ Five Children Are Making Names For Themselves In Hollywood

English singer and songwriter Phil Collins has not only had a successful run in the five decades of his music career but also in parenting his kids (Lily, Nicholas, Matthew, Simon, and Joely), who are taking over the entertainment industry. Collins’ children are from his previous marriages to Andrea Bertorelli, Jill Tavelman, and Orianne Cevey.

The legend hit the spotlight when he became the lead singer and drummer for the popular rock band Genesis. He has a remarkable single career run with many popular songs, such as “Thru These Walls,” “I Don’t Care Anymore,” “I Cannot Believe It’s True,” “Against All Odds,” and “I Missed Again.”

Joely Collins

His eldest daughter Joely Collins, 49, was adopted after he married her mother, Andrea Bertorelli, in 1975. She was brought up in Vancouver, Canada, where she studied theatre and dramatic arts. She got into the entertainment industry early as she got several child acting roles. Her act in the Canadian teen drama series, Madison, earned her Canada’s Best Leading Actress award at the age of 22 years old.

RELATED: Lily Collins Is ‘Forever Grateful’ To Dad Phil Collins In 71st Birthday Tribute

Also, Joely featured as Christine Wren in the Canadian police drama Cold Squad from 2000 to 2005 and starred in The Love Crimes of Gillian Guess, earning her the award for Best Actress in a Canadian Film at the 2004 Vancouver Film Critics Circles Awards.

Simon Collins

Simon Philip Nando Collins has followed in his father’s footsteps to become a musician. He became the first biological child of Collins after his birth on September 14, 1976. In a bid to advance his career, he joined Warner Music and relocated to Germany, where he released his debut album, All of Who You Are. After a while, he left Warner music and started his own record label, Lightyears Music, where he released two new albums, Time for Truth in 2005 and U-Catastrophe in 2008.

Also, in 2009, Simon created the British progressive rock band, Sound of Contact, which consisted of Matt Dorsey, Dave Kerzner, and Kelly Nordstrom. However, after a joint debut album, Dimensionaut, in 2013, he left the group in 2018 to chase a solo career.

Lily Collins

Lily was born on March 18, 1989, after Collins married his second wife, Jil Tavelman. Sadly, she had a difficult relationship with her father while growing up, but the duo resolved the issue amicably. In 2017, she wrote an emotional letter to Phil in her 2017 book Unfiltered: No Shame, No Regrets, Just Me, in which she revealed she developed an eating disorder from insecurities stemming from issues with her father.

“I forgive you for not always being there when I needed and for not being the dad I expected,” Lily wrote in her book. “I forgive the mistakes you made. There’s still so much time to move forward. And I want to. I’m inviting you to join me. I love you with all of my heart, more than you’ll ever know, and am so thankful for you. I’ll always be your little girl.”

Interestingly, she is the most popular among Phil’s children due to her successful career in acting. Her time on stage began at the young age of 2 in the BBC show Growing Pains. And she has maintained her appearance in various movies till now. She tied the knot with film director Charlie McDowell in 2021.

Nicholas Collins

Phil married Swiss translator Orianne Cevey in 1999, after which the couple gave birth to Nicholas Collins. He has also picked up his dad’s drumming skills, and at the age 15, he performed “In the Air Tonight” with his father on stage.

In a conversation with Rolling Stone in 2017, Nicholas revealed how he draws motivation from his father’s work. “I’ve been really exposed to my father’s music my entire life, so it’s second nature. But it’s completely different when you know the song as compared to when you’re actually playing it. At first, I listened to the live versions they’ve done on the most recent tours and then listened to the studio versions. It’s different to hear how my dad did it compared to what another drummer did [in concert], so obviously I want to be like what he did since he’s the one that played the song and wrote the actual drum part.”

Matthew Collins

Matthew is Phil’s youngest child. He’s the second son from Phil’s former marriage to Orianne. The 17-year-old is currently in high school and has mostly stayed out of the spotlight.

However, the teenager has made public appearances with some of his family members at some events, such as red carpets and NBA games. His career path is still uncertain; only time will tell if he will tow the family line.