Lucky starring Anya Taylor-Joy, Annette Bening, Timothy Olyphant, and more stars has finally premiered on Apple TV and it’s already a hot topic online.
People can’t get enough of the high-stakes crime thriller, which premiered with its first two episodes this week on Wednesday (July 15). Timothy stars in the show as John Armstrong, playing the on-screen dad of Anya‘s character Luciana “Lucky” Armstrong. He’s behind bars when we first meet him.
With the show trending and countless people tuning in, some fans are curious about Timothy‘s personal life, including who he’s married to and whether they have children together.
Who is Timothy Olyphant’s wife Alexis Knief?
Timothy, 58, has been married to Alexis Knief, 58, for 35 years. The couple met during their time at University of Southern California. They started dating while attending USC and later married in 1991. They’ve been together ever since.
Speaking to Rolling Stone for an interview published earlier this month, Timothy actually said they met at school “in oceanography” during their junior year.
What Timothy has said about Alexis
The Justified alum has spoken about Alexis several times throughout the years, such as during a 2011 interview with Women’s Health when he was asked about marrying his college sweetheart and the “secret to a lasting relationship.”
“You have to be with the right person, and you both have to be willing to do the work, day in and day out, to make it happen,” Timothy shared.
He said something similar in his Rolling Stone interview.
“I assume the secret is her. So I can’t really help anyone else, because that seems to be the trick here,” he said.
When asked if Alexis not being in the entertainment industry might be a benefit to their long-lasting marriage, Timothy said “that might be part of the secret.”
Their oldest daughter Grace Olyphant, 27
Timothy and Alexis welcomed their first daughter, Grace, in 1999. He previously talked about Grace during an interview on Conan, saying that Grace once lectured him and his wife about wine.
In the anecdote, he shared, “My wife and I drink wine as often as possible, actually. 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.’“
He recalled her saying that sipping alcohol before her brain developed can do 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,’” Timothy joked.
Their son Henry Olyphant, 25
Henry is the middle child and tends to stay out of the public eye. He was born in 2001 and used to attend Los Angeles Clippers game with his dad.
Timothy previously told Sports Illustrated about taking him along to the game and he’d be fascinated with the “cotton candy guy.”
Their daughter Vivian Olyphant’s, 23, acting and music career
Vivian Olyphant is the youngest daughter of the three, having been born in 2003, and she’s actually involved in the acting world. She played Timothy‘s daughter on Justified: City Primeval and has started a music career.
Vivian actually chimed in on the “nepo baby” debate in 2023 around the time the revival aired on FX.
“I was always interested in it [acting] when I was younger, just from visiting my dad on his sets and watching him having fun,” Vivian explained at the time. “…I knew that was the place where I wanted to be, and I would also put on shows for my family.”
“But it’s a very normal thing for a child to be interested in something that their parents are doing,” she argued. “Especially if it’s something as fun as acting. Having a parent that acts and knows the job and is supportive of it just makes it a lot better. So I knew about all that, but I’m just not paying attention to those comments.”
Timothy has also joked about the “nepo” label before. Once, while chatting to Associated Press, he said one of his daughters learned a website had commented on a photo of him with one of his daughters that said, they weren’t sure if it was the “tennis daughter” or the “nepo daughter.” The actor said he now calls Grace and Vivian by those names!
How parenthood affected Timothy’s career choices
During his interview with Women’s Health, Timothy talked about fatherhood and how it changed him.
It f—king exhausts you! That’s how it changes you! My buddy on the show is expecting a baby. I said, “Imagine I call you at midnight, and I hang up without saying anything. Then I call you two hours later, and I hang up again. This continues. Oh, and by the way, in between my calls, you’re wondering if I’m dead.” That’s what it’s like.
Chatting with Rolling Stone, he also shared his thoughts on Vivian wanting to be an actress.
Vivian, at a very young age, we just figured she’s probably going to be an actor. We didn’t let her act as a kid when she expressed interest. She’d go to the school play, but we didn’t see a lot of upside in letting her act professionally at a young age.
She went to the Berklee College of Music for songwriting, and one thing led to another. I was doing the Justified thing, she was looking for a summer job. Turns out there was a part. She auditioned and got that gig and was like, “Oh, I’m gonna drop out of college.” So now she’s in New York and doing what young actors do. She’s out there trying to make it work. And it’s really a lovely thing to be able to share with her.
Who Timothy plays in Lucky and where to watch
He is a charismatic con artist in Lucky and the father of Anya‘s character. When we first meet him in the show, he’s behind bars in a federal prison.
Anya talked to Elle about his work on the role, saying “the theme of father-daughter was so important” to the series. “Timothy was so wonderful to play that against. He’s so charming, even while being absolutely terrible.”
Lucky premiered on July 15 exclusively on Apple TV and new episodes will continue airing on Wednesdays through August 19. Watch the trailer!
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