Nico Parker

Nico Parker is an English actress born on 9 December 2004. She is best known for making her feature film debut in the fantasy film Dumbo, portraying Sarah Miller in the HBO television drama series The Last of Us, and starring as Astrid Hofferson in the live-action adaptation of How to Train Your Dragon.

Parker was born at home in Kensal Rise, North West London, to actress Thandiwe Newton and film director and screenwriter Ol Parker. She grew up alongside an older sister, Ripley, and a younger brother. Through her maternal grandmother, Nyasha Newton, Parker claims descent from a Zimbabwean line of tribal chiefs. She attended a private school in London, where her only acting experience prior to her professional screen debut was taking part in school drama lessons.

She began her professional career after auditioning at age 11 for the role of Milly Farrier in the 2019 Disney film Dumbo, directed by Tim Burton. The film premiered when she was 14 and brought her widespread recognition despite mixed-to-negative critical reception for her performance. She subsequently starred alongside Naomie Harris and Jude Law in the 2020 HBO miniseries The Third Day and appeared alongside her mother as Zoe in the 2021 science fiction feature Reminiscence.

In 2023, Parker played Sarah Miller in the first episode of the HBO adaptation of The Last of Us, earning positive critical notice for her performance. That same year, she was named a 2023 Bright Young Thing by Tatler magazine. She went on to star in the 2024 film Suncoast, winning a Breakthrough Performance Award at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival. In September 2024, Parker was announced as the newest and youngest-ever Global Ambassador for the beauty brand Lancôme.

Parker appeared in several feature film projects in 2025, including Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy and the live-action How to Train Your Dragon. Her casting in How to Train Your Dragon attracted online reaction regarding her character's appearance, which she later addressed by distinguishing fan desires for faithful adaptations from opposition to inclusivity. She also starred as Dora Cassidy, the daughter of Leslie Mann's character, in the film Poetic License, directed by Maude Apatow.

In August 2025, Parker was cast alongside Lola Tung in Osgood Perkins' horror film The Young People. She is also set to reprise her role as Astrid Hofferson in the sequel How to Train Your Dragon 2, scheduled for release in 2027. In her personal life, Parker is in a relationship with her Poetic License co-star Cooper Hoffman, whom she met while filming the movie.