Hailee Steinfeld Parents: Everything to Know About Peter, Cheri and Their Supportive Family Life

Hailee Steinfeld was still a teenager when True Grit transformed her into an Oscar-nominated actress, but her journey into entertainment had started years earlier with the support of her parents, Peter and Cheri Steinfeld. Rather than immediately sending their young daughter into auditions, they wanted her to understand the work involved and prove that acting was something she genuinely wanted to pursue.

That approach became an important part of Hailee’s story. Cheri eventually became her daughter’s manager, while Peter, a professional personal trainer, has helped Hailee physically prepare for demanding projects and performances. Along with Hailee’s older brother Griffin, they remain an important part of the actress and singer’s life.

Who Are Hailee Steinfeld’s Parents?

Hailee Steinfeld’s parents are Peter and Cheri Steinfeld. The couple married on May 24, 1992, several years before Hailee became one of Hollywood’s recognizable young stars.

Their first child, Griffin Steinfeld, was born on January 9, 1994. Hailee followed on December 11, 1996, and grew up in California.

Neither Peter nor Cheri followed exactly the same professional path as their daughter, although both have experience in fields that eventually became useful to Hailee’s career.

Cheri has worked in interior design and became Hailee’s manager. Peter established himself as a personal trainer and has worked with well-known clients from the entertainment industry.

Their influence, however, extended beyond their professional skills. Hailee has repeatedly credited her parents and brother with keeping her grounded while her career grew at an unusually young age.

Cheri Made Hailee Prepare Before Acting

Hailee became interested in acting when she was around eight years old after seeing a cousin become involved in the entertainment business.

She went to her mother and asked if she could try acting too.

Cheri did not simply say yes and begin arranging auditions. Instead, she asked her daughter to spend about a year preparing. Hailee studied acting and learned more about the business before seriously pursuing professional opportunities.

The requirement may have seemed demanding for a child, but it gave Hailee time to understand whether she really enjoyed acting or was simply attracted to the excitement surrounding it.

She initially signed with a print agent and worked in modeling before acting opportunities began becoming more significant.

That preparation eventually paid off in a much bigger way than the family could have predicted.

Cheri Steinfeld Became Her Daughter’s Manager

Cheri has remained closely involved with Hailee’s career since those early days.

Before becoming an interior designer, she explored several different careers. She earned a cosmetology license and later worked as a flight attendant. After meeting Peter, getting married and decorating their home, she developed an interest in interior design.

Eventually, another job was added to the list: managing her daughter’s rapidly growing entertainment career.

Working with a parent can create complicated boundaries, but Hailee has spoken positively about the arrangement. She has described her mother as one of the people who understands and protects her better than anyone.

For a performer who entered Hollywood as a child, having a parent directly involved in business decisions also provided continuity as her career changed from child acting to major films, music and television.

Their relationship has remained close outside work as well.

Peter Steinfeld Built a Career in Fitness

Hailee’s father, Peter Steinfeld, developed his career around fitness and personal training.

After moving to California in the late 1970s, Peter studied business and nutrition at California State University, Northridge. He later founded his own personal training business, Better Shape-Up.

His client history includes several recognizable entertainment figures. Over the years, Peter has worked with clients including Madonna, Ozzy Osbourne, Glenn Frey and Larry David.

His expertise also proved useful much closer to home.

Hailee has occasionally turned to her father when preparing physically for tours and acting projects. She has joked that there is a clear difference between having Peter as her supportive dad and having him as her trainer.

Once training begins, she has said, the excuses disappear.

Peter Helped Hailee Prepare for Hawkeye

Peter’s fitness background became particularly valuable when Hailee joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

She was cast as Kate Bishop in Hawkeye, the 2021 Disney+ series starring Jeremy Renner as Clint Barton.

Playing Kate required more than learning dialogue. The character is an accomplished archer and fighter, so Hailee needed extensive physical preparation.

She trained in archery and stunt work while also preparing her body for the movements required during filming. Before heading to Atlanta for production, she worked with her father in Los Angeles.

The two spent months training in different fighting techniques and hand-to-hand combat. Once Hailee began archery lessons, Peter also incorporated exercises designed to strengthen the muscles she needed for using a bow.

It was an unusual full-circle moment. The father who had supported her childhood acting ambitions was now helping prepare her physically for one of the biggest roles of her adult career.

Peter Has Some Acting Experience Too

Interestingly, Hailee is not the only member of the immediate family with acting credits.

Peter made several television appearances himself, although acting never became his primary career.

He appeared in episodes of Married… with Children and also had smaller appearances on programs including Happy Days, Sisters and Curb Your Enthusiasm.

Years later, Peter made a brief appearance in Hailee’s 2017 music video for “Most Girls.” The scene was fitting considering his actual profession. He appeared coaching his daughter while she boxed.

His acting résumé is relatively small, but it provides another interesting connection between Hailee’s career and her father’s own experiences in entertainment.

Hailee Has an Older Brother, Griffin

Hailee’s older brother Griffin chose a different direction from his sister.

Griffin has been involved in race car driving and business, including owning a solar panel cleaning company. Despite their different professional paths, Hailee has described their sibling relationship as particularly close.

She has said their bond has become even stronger as they have grown older.

For Hailee, Griffin is also part of the family unit she credits with helping her handle fame. Growing up with a sibling outside the same level of Hollywood attention gave her another important connection to life away from acting sets and red carpets.

True Grit Changed Everything

Hailee’s preparation and early acting work eventually led to the opportunity that transformed her career.

She was cast as Mattie Ross opposite Jeff Bridges in the Coen brothers’ True Grit. The film was released in 2010, when Hailee was only 14.

Her performance earned widespread praise and an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress. Suddenly, a young performer who had been carefully studying acting only a few years earlier was attending Hollywood’s biggest awards ceremonies.

True Grit opened the door to a career that would eventually include films such as The Edge of Seventeen, Bumblebee and the Pitch Perfect franchise, along with voice work in the Spider-Verse films and her role as Kate Bishop.

Hailee also developed a music career alongside acting.

Through those changes, her parents remained involved in her life.

How Her Parents Helped Keep Her Grounded

Hailee has made it clear that she does not view her success as something she achieved entirely alone.

She has credited Peter, Cheri and Griffin with making sacrifices while she pursued her ambitions. More importantly, she has said they continued to keep her accountable even after fame arrived.

That stability can be particularly valuable for someone who entered the entertainment business before becoming a teenager.

Cheri’s role as manager meant Hailee had someone she trusted helping navigate professional decisions. Peter could support her emotionally as a father while also contributing his fitness knowledge when a project demanded it.

At the same time, her parents expected her to prepare, work seriously and speak up for herself.

The Family Behind Hailee Steinfeld’s Success

Peter and Cheri Steinfeld did more than introduce their daughter to opportunities in Hollywood. Their biggest contribution appears to have been giving her a stable foundation while allowing her ambitions to develop naturally.

Cheri made Hailee spend a year learning before pursuing acting seriously and later became her manager. Peter built an independent career as a personal trainer but stepped in whenever his daughter needed help preparing physically for demanding roles.

Alongside Griffin, they created the family support system Hailee still talks about years after her breakthrough.

Her career has changed dramatically since True Grit. She has moved between acting, music, major franchises and television, but the people around her from the beginning have remained remarkably consistent. For Hailee Steinfeld, Peter and Cheri are not simply the parents of a famous actress. They are two of the people who helped make the career possible in the first place.