Daisy Edgar-Jones's Parents Helped Her Catapult to Fame in More Ways Than One

Every young person that rises to fame seems to be a nepo baby of sorts. From Hailey Bieber (née Baldwin) and Maude Apatow to Kaia Gerber and Maya Hawke, our screens are filled with young actors who have familial connections to the industry. Now that Daisy Edgar-Jones is starring in 2024’s Twisters, it shouldn’t be too surprising that she’s also on the list of nepo babies.

Because Daisy is British and her last name isn’t too recognizable by a large swath of her fan base, it’s may be surprising to learn that her parents are just as tied to the industry as she is. Like Daniel Radcliffe, Daisy’s parents weren’t on-screen stars, but that doesn’t mean their ties to the behind-the-scenes industry weren’t helpful. So who are Daisy Edgar-Jones’s parents?

Daisy was born in 1998 in Islington, London to her mother, Wendy, and her father, Philip. Wendy and Philip were both working in the industry when they had Daisy, their only child. Wendy hails from Northern Ireland while Philip is from Scotland, giving Daisy an eclectic accent different from her Northern London peers.

In a 2022 profile of Daisy in The Guardian, Daisy shared, “My grandad moved in with us when I was about 11 as well. He died when I was 16. He had a very strong Northern Irish accent. Another big influence … I’ve played a lot of characters with accents, and I feel like I’ve sort of kept bits of them in my subconscious. Whenever I get shy, whenever I find it hard to speak as myself, little pieces of these accents sort of creep out.” But that’s also what makes her such an adaptable actor.

Daisy grew up in theater, thanks to her parents’ love of and involvement in the arts. Wendy worked as a drama film editor before switching to a path in real estate. Philip, on the other hand, has a much bigger hand in the industry as the Director of Sky Arts and Head of Entertainment at Sky, one of the biggest networks in the United Kingdom.

In fact, Philip was the Creative Director and Executive Producer of Big Brother on Channel 4, as well as working as a producer on the Jack Docherty Show, The Priory, Big Breakfast, and The Word. He was also a “rubbish TV presenter” on Channel 4’s Moviewatch and Sky 1’s Gamesworld, as well as a writer for music and film magazines. While he may not have directly influenced his daughter’s rise to fame, he’s definitely a powerful name in the industry and may have had helpful connections.

It is more customary for young people to live at home into their twenties in Europe, but Daisy shared that she was still living at home at 24 years old, a few years after her acting career started to take off. “They’re probably sick of me now. I think they loved it for a bit and now they’re like, ‘Get out’,” she joked to the Sydney Morning Herald in 2022.

While they didn’t directly catapult her to stardom, they encouraged her love of acting. “The biggest impact they had was encouraging me to audition for the National Youth Theatre [aged 14]. That’s how I first auditioned in an open casting and how I got my agent,” she shared. “I was really lucky, growing up in a household that loves the arts. We would go to the theatre a lot as a family, and watch films and TV.”

In addition, Daisy’s parents were skilled at guiding her through the industry considering their own experiences. “Both of my parents had an idea of what it felt like to be self-employed, which is a big part of being an actor,” she explained. “You don’t always know when the next job is coming. And I guess, therefore, they were less fearful of me pursuing something that was without security.”

Daisy described her parents as “two of [her] closest friends” to The Guardian, showing the power of an only child’s bond with their progenitors. But regardless of how powerful Daisy’s parents were in the industry, it’s clear that she’s surpassed them in both fame and fortune while remaining grateful for the path they paved for her.