Timothy Olyphant’s 3 Kids: All About Grace, Henry and Vivian
Though Timothy Olyphant is an empty nester, he keeps his three kids, Grace, Henry and Vivian, top of mind.
The Deadwood star and his wife, Alexis Knief — who met while attending the University of Southern California and married in 1991 — became parents in 1999 with the birth of their daughter, Grace. The couple expanded their family in 2001 with the birth of their son, Henry, and again in 2003 with their daughter, Vivian.
As his kids were growing up, Olyphant chose to take jobs close to home, including Justified, Deadwood and Santa Clarita Diet.
“When my children [were] somewhere between sixth grade and all the way through them leaving the house, I essentially got to work and live here in Los Angeles and be able to go to their tennis tournaments and take them to music classes and what not,” he told Vanity Fair in 2024.
While his children have since moved out, Olyphant shares a special bond with them, even starring alongside his youngest on the small screen.
Here is everything to know about Timothy Olyphant’s three kids: Grace, Henry and Vivian.
Grace Olyphant
Olyphant and Knief welcomed their first child, Grace, in 1999.
The father of three has opened up about his firstborn being a more serious child, including the time she lectured him about drinking.
“My wife and I drink wine as often as possible, actually,” he said on Conan in 2013. “But, we were having a glass of wine the other day, and she inquired as kids do like, ‘What’s it taste like?’ And I said, ‘Take a sip,’ and she says, ‘Dad, my brain is not fully developed.’ “
Olyphant continued, “She’s like, ‘If you drink alcohol when your brain is not fully developed it does a lot of damage.’ And she continued to talk about it with such understanding and maturity and grace, that what was sad, was all I could think of was, ‘Honey, you really need a drink.’ ”
After graduating from Marymount High School in L.A., Grace attended and played tennis at California Polytechnic State University, where she was ranked 43rd in California and had an undefeated sophomore year. She was also part of the National Honors Society and was involved in the service and environmental clubs in high school.
The eldest Olyphant sibling — who has had an interest in fashion from a young age when she often played dress-up in her mom’s closet — interned with Rihanna’s Savage X Fenty Creative Studio and has worked as a buyer and stylist. Grace has also helped dress several celebrities, including her sister for the 2023 Television Critics Association Panel and her dad for the Tribeca Film Festival.
Grace is also passionate about slowing climate change and runs a blog dedicated to helping others live a more sustainable lifestyle, including with their wardrobe choices.
Henry Olyphant
Olyphant and Knief welcomed their second child and only son, Henry, in 2001.
As a child, Henry attended Los Angeles Clippers games with his dad, who is an avid fan.
“For years, I would take him to the Clippers games and he would spend the entire evening pointing out the cotton candy guy,” he told Sports Illustrated in 2014. “But now he’s older and we enjoy the games. It’s fun when your kids reach a point where you can actually start talking about things.”
Olyphant — who voiced a character in the Call of Duty video game — revealed that once his son started playing the game, things got awkward.
“I’m in there [the video game] going, ‘2 o’clock, fire, fire, 12 o’clock, good shot, kid.’ And then I come in, and I’m like, ‘Turn the thing off, let’s go, it’s time to read a book,’ ” he shared on Conan in 2013. “It’s very confusing.”
Henry’s younger sister, Vivian, gave a glimpse into his life when she shared that her brother drew the artwork for her debut song.
“’Lil More Reason’ is out now on all platforms! ❤️ Special thanks to @jamiesierota for the great production and my brother Hank for the cover art,” she shared on Instagram in 2023.
Vivian Olyphant
Olyphant and Knief welcomed their third child and second daughter, Vivian, in 2003.
As a child, Vivian showed interest in following in her father’s footsteps, visiting him on set and performing plays for her family.
“I think he always knew I wanted to be an actor since I was younger, because I always loved filming things around the house,” she told The Wrap in 2023. Vivian stuck to performing school plays throughout her youth because her parents “didn’t let her act professionally growing up,” as Olyphant told Rolling Stone in 2023.
While studying one of her other passions — songwriting — at Berklee College of Music in Boston, the opportunity to star on the small screen came knocking. While talking to her parents over the phone, they mentioned that casting was taking place for the role of Willa, Olyphant’s TV daughter on FX’s eight-part limited series, Justified: City Primeval.
“And I think they knew that it would be something I’d be interested in doing,” she told The Hollywood Reporter in 2023. “So I asked my parents if I could audition, and they were in full support of it. So that’s how it happened. And then they came to visit me in Boston for a weekend, and that’s when we shot my audition tape together.”
She landed the role of Willa, working alongside her famous dad for her TV debut.
“I don’t think either one of us saw it coming, and we feel very lucky. It was so fun to watch her work so hard and have so much fun at the same time,” Olyphant told Men’s Health in 2023. “As a parent, that’s all you want. You want your kids to be happy, and part of that happiness is going to be finding something they can do to make a living that they enjoy, as opposed to something they’re just going to have to do to get a paycheck.”
After filming wrapped, Vivian attended the William Esper Studio in New York, the same acting studio her father attended. Simultaneously, she also released her debut song, “Lil More Reason” in 2023. The song was written while she was on location shooting Justified.
“My parents started talking about some podcast they’d listen to that day on why not to delay happiness because life is so unpredictable,” she told NYLON in 2023 of writing the tune. “The conversation led me to worry about my lack of control in life and all the ways I could lose the people I love. I felt the need to write about this so, after dinner, I grabbed the guitar I brought over and wrote ‘Lil More Reason’ top to bottom.”
Vivian has gone on to release more singles while balancing her theatrical studies. As for the future, she would like to blend her love of storytelling with being on set.
“I actually would love to direct in the future, or just do anything creative. I definitely wanna dip my toe in it and try it out. I think directing would be super fun and writing,” she told Collider in 2023.
Source: People
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