Phil Collins. | Source: Getty Images
"Genesis" drummer and vocalist Phil Collins is the proud dad of five children he shares with three women, and four of his offspring are famous in the entertainment industry.
In 1975 Phil Collins stepped up to the plate and became Genesis' lead vocalist after the iconic Peter Gabriel left the band. That same year, he married Andrea Bertorelli and became a father for the first time.
From then on, Phil's career went from strength to strength, and he didn't just produce hit after hit in the US and UK charts; he produced five incredible children. The drummer/singer/ songwriter has fathered a talented clan, and Phil Collins' children are moving on, following in dad's footsteps.
Drummer, singer-songwriter, record producer and actor Phil Collins during a photo shoot in 1995. | Source: Getty Images
The five Collins kids are Joely, Simon, Lily, Nicholas, and Matthew. Like their dad, they are passionate about music and acting -- some love the music, some the drama. If any of you didn't know, Phil started out as a child actor.
Long before he sold 150 million records, Phil played the Artful Dodger in a stage production of the musical, "Oliver!" He later revisited his acting ambitions in the Steven Spielberg film, "Hook" and the 1993 movie "Frauds," and guested on several TV shows.
Phil also provided soundtracks for several hit movies, like "Tarzan," "Against All Odds," and "Buster." He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Song three times and finally won in 2000 for "You'll Be in My Heart" from Tarzan.
The Collins kids have big shoes to fill but also inherit enormous talent. It's worth getting to know them better and watching their individual careers as they develop.
Joely Collins
Joely Collins was born on August 8, 1972, the daughter of Canadian Andrea Bertorelli, whom Phil had met at the age of 11 at drama class in London. The two met again in Vancouver in 1974; a year later, they married.
Phil Collins adopted Joely, the child of Andrea's former relationship, and raised her as his own. On Father's Day 2020, Joely, now a grown woman -- and mom to a girl, Zoë Amelie, since 2009 -- shared a sweet snap of herself with Phil and added the caption:
"Happy Fathers’ Day Dad. I love you with all my ❤️"
Like her mom and dad, Joely studied drama in Vancouver, then at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts. At the age of 22, she won the accolade of Best Leading Actress in Canada for her work on the series, "Madison."
The actress denies being Phil Collins' daughter has opened doors for her in Hollywood. One of Lily's great fears is comparisons to her famous father -- which is one reason she won't sing.
Since then, Joely has starred in several TV series like "Cold Squad," "Da Vinci's Inquest," "Stephen King's The Dead Zone," and in movies like "The Final Cut," with Robin Williams and the horror thriller, "Brahms: The Boy II."
Simon Philip Nando Collins
Joely's brother, and also the son of Andrea Bertorelli, is Simon Philip Namdo Collins. Simon was born in 1976, a year after his parents were married. Like Phil, Simon is a gifted drummer, vocalist, and songwriter.
He first stepped onto the stage at age 12 to play alongside his dad on the song "Easy Lover." Simon became the vocalist for the band Sound of Contact and created soundtracks for several projects, including the eery 2016 movie "Dark Harvest."
Since 2018, he has focused on his solo career. Simon has four studio albums: "All of Who You Are," "Time for Truth," "U-Catastrophe," and "Becoming Human." He also worked on "Summer Love: The Documentary" with his sister Joely, who co-wrote and co-directed the documentary.
Lily Collins
Phil's daughter Lily Collins was born on March 18, 1989. Her musician dad married her American mother, Jill Tavelman, in 1984, four years after he divorced his first wife, Andrea. Like her sister, Joely, Lily is a born actress.
Her first role was at the age of two in the BBC dramedy "Growing Pains." After her parents' divorce in 1996, Lily moved back to the United States with her mother, and the two settled in Los Angeles, the perfect place for an aspiring actress to be.
Lily's breakthrough came in the 2006 Academy Award-winning movie "The Blind Side," in which she was picked to play Sandra Bullock's screen daughter, Collins Tuohy. In 2012, Lily was cast in the role of Snow White in "Mirror Mirror" opposite another Academy Award-winning actress, Julia Roberts.
Since then, Lily has become one of the most successful young actresses in Hollywood, with two Golden Globes nominations to her credit, one for "Emily in Paris" and another for "Rules Don't Apply." It wouldn't surprise fans to see Lily become the second Collins to take home an Academy Award one of these days.
The actress denies being Phil Collins' daughter has opened doors for her in Hollywood. One of Lily's great fears is comparisons to her famous father -- which is one reason she won't sing. She revealed:
"I love to sing. But as I wanted to make my own way, far from the paternal genius, I preferred to be an actress."
Nicholas Collins
Phil was still married to Jill when he met a 22-year-old Swiss translator and jewelry designer, Orianne Cevey, in 1994 during a tour. The couple married in 1999 and welcomed their first son, Nicholas Collins, on April 21, 2001.
Nicholas grew up surrounded by great music and musicians, and it's no wonder he became a talented drummer, just like his father. Like his brother Simon, Nicholas had his stage debut at a Phil Collins concert at the age of 15, when he joined his dad on stage to play "In the Air Tonight." Nic confessed:
“I’ve been really exposed to my father’s music my entire life, so it’s second nature."
After his parents' divorce in 2006, Orianne moved to Florida, and so did Phil, to be closer to his younger children. Since the musician's health issues no longer allow him to play for Genesis, Nicholas took his place during the band's 2022 tour -- quite a responsibility for a young drummer.
Nicholas isn't content to follow along in his father's shadow. He has a band of his own, Better Strangers, and is busy forging his musical identity and style. The young musician proudly announced in June 2022 that he was nominated for Best Up & Coming Drummer by Modern Drummer Magazine.
But music isn't Nicholas' only passion. He has been sharing posts of an adorable brunette on his social media. The beauty who won Nicholas' heart is Isabella Serralles, who he has been dating for six years.
Matthew Collins
Orianne and Phil had a second child, another boy, born on December 1, 2004, in the United Kingdom, just two years before his parents' divorce. Very little is known about Matthew, who is rarely seen in public.
Fans catch a glimpse of him at red-carpet events with his dad and his siblings or through his mother's social media accounts. Matthew is still a high school teenager and has yet to take his first steps into adult life.
It would be interesting to see if he will follow his big brothers, Simon and Nicholas, into music or his sisters, Joely and Lily, into the cinema. Of course, Matthew may also become an artist or a designer like his mother.
Through Orianne, Matthew and Nicholas have a little sister, Andrea Mejjati, born sometime in 2012. The Collins clan is growing and going strong and making their dad proud.
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