Lily Collins’ net worth is commonly estimated at around $25 million. Most of it comes from her acting career, above all her starring and producing role on Netflix’s Emily in Paris, along with film work since The Blind Side, a long-running Lancôme beauty partnership and her 2017 book.
Here is a fact-checked look at her age, background, career and the income streams behind that estimate.
Lily Collins quick facts
| Fact | Details |
|---|---|
| Full name | Lily Jane Collins |
| Born | March 18, 1989 (age 37 in 2026) |
| Birthplace | Guildford, Surrey, England (raised in Los Angeles) |
| Nationality | British and American |
| Parents | Musician Phil Collins and Jill Tavelman |
| Education | Harvard-Westlake School; attended the University of Southern California |
| Occupation | Actress, producer, author |
| Best-known role | Emily Cooper in Emily in Paris (since 2020) |
| Book | Unfiltered: No Shame, No Regrets, Just Me (2017) |
| Spouse | Director Charlie McDowell (married 2021) |
| Estimated net worth | About $25 million (published estimates) |
Lily Collins net worth: how much is she worth?
Published estimates generally put Lily Collins’ net worth at about $25 million. As with most actors, the figure is not disclosed or audited. It is an estimate based on her known projects, and outlets differ on the details. Reports of her Emily in Paris pay, for example, are themselves estimates, not confirmed salaries.
A common assumption is that her money comes from her famous father. In practice, her public earnings record is her own: nearly two decades of acting, a starring and producing role on one of Netflix’s biggest comedies, and brand work.
Where her money comes from
- Emily in Paris: she has played the lead since 2020 and is also a producer on the series, which typically means a larger share of the show’s value than acting fees alone.
- Film roles: The Blind Side, Mirror Mirror, The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones, Love, Rosie, Rules Don’t Apply, Okja, Tolkien and Mank, among others.
- Producing: besides Emily in Paris, she was announced in 2021 as producer and star of a Polly Pocket film directed by Lena Dunham.
- Beauty and fashion: she was named a Lancôme brand ambassador in 2013 and has been a frequent fashion-campaign and magazine-cover presence.
- Writing: her 2017 book Unfiltered, published by HarperCollins, plus earlier magazine writing.
Early life
Lily Jane Collins was born on March 18, 1989, in Guildford, England. She is the daughter of Genesis drummer and singer Phil Collins and his second wife, Jill Tavelman, an American. After her parents divorced in 1996, she moved to Los Angeles with her mother, so she grew up largely in California while keeping close ties to England.
She graduated from Harvard-Westlake School and studied broadcast journalism at the University of Southern California. Her first screen appearance actually came at age two, in the BBC sitcom Growing Pains.
Writing and hosting before acting
As a teenager, Collins wrote a column called “NY Confidential” for the British magazine Elle Girl and contributed to Seventeen, Teen Vogue and the Los Angeles Times. She covered the 2008 US presidential election as a host on Nickelodeon’s Kids Pick the President and won a Young Hollywood Award as Newest Red Carpet Correspondent in 2008.
Fashion was part of her public profile early on. Chanel chose her to wear one of its gowns at the 2007 Bal des débutantes in Paris, and Spain’s Glamour magazine named her its International Model of the Year in 2008. That early fashion visibility laid the groundwork for the beauty and brand partnerships that still contribute to her income.
Acting career
Breakthrough with The Blind Side
After two episodes of 90210, Collins broke through in The Blind Side (2009) as Collins Tuohy, daughter of Sandra Bullock’s character. The film grossed more than $250 million. She followed it with Priest and Abduction (both 2011), then played Snow White in Mirror Mirror (2012), which also marked her singing debut.
She led The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones (2013) as Clary Fray and starred as Rosie Dunne in Love, Rosie (2014). Other credits from this period include the drama Stuck in Love (2012) and the Amazon series The Last Tycoon, loosely based on F. Scott Fitzgerald’s unfinished novel, which ran for one season.
Critical recognition
Her role as aspiring actress Marla Mabrey in Warren Beatty’s Rules Don’t Apply (2016) earned her a first Golden Globe nomination, even though the film struggled at the box office. She then led the Netflix drama To the Bone (2017), appeared in Bong Joon-ho’s Okja (2017), and played Fantine in the BBC’s Les Misérables.
Biopics followed: she played Elizabeth Kendall opposite Zac Efron in Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile (2019), Edith Tolkien in Tolkien (2019), and Rita Alexander in David Fincher’s Mank (2020). Actresses who balance franchise work with prestige roles tend to build the most durable careers, as Rachel McAdams and Ana de Armas have also shown.
Emily in Paris
Since 2020, Collins has played Emily Cooper, an American marketing executive working in Paris, in Darren Star’s Netflix series Emily in Paris. The role earned her a second Golden Globe nomination, and as a producer she shared a Primetime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Comedy Series. The show is the main driver of her income today.
Stage and upcoming work
In 2024 she made her West End debut in Bess Wohl’s play Barcelona, opposite Álvaro Morte, to strong reviews. In February 2026 it was announced that she will play Audrey Hepburn in a film about the making of Breakfast at Tiffany’s.
Book and advocacy
Her book Unfiltered: No Shame, No Regrets, Just Me was published by HarperCollins in March 2017. It is a collection of personal essays aimed largely at young readers. She is also an outspoken anti-bullying advocate.
Personal life
Collins married director and writer Charlie McDowell on September 4, 2021, in Colorado. In 2025 she announced the birth of their first child, a daughter. She has said she prefers not to discuss her relationships publicly, having seen how media coverage affected her parents’ divorce.
Frequently asked questions
What is Lily Collins’ net worth?
Published estimates put Lily Collins’ net worth at around $25 million, mainly from acting and producing Emily in Paris, film roles, brand work and her book. It is an estimate, not a disclosed figure.
How old is Lily Collins?
Lily Collins was born on March 18, 1989, in Guildford, England, so she is 37 in 2026.
Is Lily Collins British or American?
Both. She was born in England to an English father and an American mother, and she grew up in Los Angeles.
Who is Lily Collins’ father?
Her father is Phil Collins, the English drummer and singer of Genesis and a successful solo artist.
Who is Lily Collins married to?
She married director and writer Charlie McDowell on September 4, 2021.
