If you spend enough time scrolling through celebrity news, you’ve probably seen the photos. There’s Peter Dinklage—the man who basically redefined what a leading man looks like in Game of Thrones—scooting through New York City or pushing a stroller. Usually, the headlines are filled with heart emojis and some variation of "Peter Dinklage with daughter out for a walk."
But here’s the thing. There is a massive amount of misinformation out there about his family. Seriously.
If you Google his kids, you'll see one name pop up over and over again: Zelig. Most people assume that’s her name because it’s been repeated on dozens of gossip sites for over a decade. But honestly? It’s totally wrong. Peter himself has literally laughed about this in interviews. He finds it hilarious that the internet just decided on a name for his child and ran with it.
The Mystery of the Name Zelig
Let’s clear this up right now. Peter Dinklage and his wife, the incredibly talented theater director Erica Schmidt, are famously private. Like, CIA-level private. When their first child was born in 2011, the media scrambled for details. Somehow, the name "Zelig" started circulating.
Maybe someone saw a Woody Allen movie that week? Who knows.
Dinklage told The Guardian years ago that he actually went onto Wikipedia to try and correct it, but the change didn't stick. He’s since given up. He basically thinks it’s funny that people are so certain about a detail that is objectively false. To this day, the couple has never publicly revealed the actual name of their daughter, who is now a teenager.
They also had a second child in 2017. Guess what? We don’t know that kid’s name either. Or their gender. And honestly, in 2026, in a world where every celebrity toddler has an Instagram handle before they can walk, that’s kind of a boss move.
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Growing Up in the Shadow of Tyrion
It’s gotta be weird. Your dad is one of the most famous actors on the planet, but he’s also 4 feet 5 inches tall. Peter has been very open about the fact that he can’t just put on a baseball cap and disappear. People notice him.
"I can't wear a pair of sunglasses and pull my hat down and just disappear," he once told Rolling Stone. "I'm 4½ feet tall, so I sort of stand out."
This is why you see so many candid shots of Peter Dinklage with daughter on a scooter or walking to school. He doesn't hide in a mansion, but he does hate the "sneaking" of photos. He’s mentioned before that it feels like people are spying rather than living in the moment. When he's with his kids, he just wants to be a dad, not a photo op.
What about the genetics?
People are nosy. It's a fact of life. One of the most common things people search for regarding his children is whether or not they inherited his dwarfism (achondroplasia).
Dinklage was born with the condition to two parents of average height. It was a spontaneous genetic mutation. When he and Erica—who is also average height—had their children, there was a 50/50 chance of passing it on.
From the limited public photos available from paparazzi (which the family clearly dislikes), it appears both children are of average height. His daughter, now around 14 or 15, has been spotted in the past looking significantly taller than her father. But Peter doesn't talk about their health or their bodies. He doesn't owe anyone that explanation.
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The Family Dynamic: Erica Schmidt and the "Artist"
If you want to understand the environment his daughter is growing up in, you have to look at Erica Schmidt. Peter calls her the "artist of the family." He’s joked that he’s just the TV actor who pays the bills.
Erica is a powerhouse in the theater world. She wrote and directed the stage version of Cyrano that Peter eventually starred in on the big screen. They’ve been married since 2005—they eloped in Vegas, by the way—and they seem to have one of the sturdiest marriages in Hollywood.
They don't live in a flashy Los Angeles plastic palace. They spend a lot of time in upstate New York. It's quiet. They have a garden. His daughter gets to grow up around theater people and books rather than red carpets and influencers.
Why the privacy matters now more than ever
In 2026, the "sharenting" debate is at an all-time high. We’re seeing the first generation of kids who grew up with their entire lives documented on TikTok by their parents, and some of them are not happy about it.
Dinklage was ahead of the curve. By refusing to give the media even a name, he gave his daughter a gift: a blank slate. She can walk down a street in a city where her dad isn't famous, and no one will know who she is. She isn't "Zelig Dinklage." She’s just a kid.
How He Handles the Paparazzi
There’s a famous photo of Peter on a pink scooter. He looks intense. People thought he was angry. In reality, he was probably just trying to keep up with a toddler.
He’s admitted that he gets "claustrophobic" when fans swarm him. It’s even worse when his kids are there. He’s described the feeling of being "hunted" by cameras. Imagine trying to teach your kid how to ride a bike while some guy in a bush is trying to get a shot of your face for a tabloid. It sucks.
But he doesn't let it stop him from being present. You’ll see him at the park. You’ll see him at grocery stores. He refuses to be a hermit just because he’s famous.
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Actionable Takeaways for Fans
If you're a fan of Peter's work and you're curious about his life, there are ways to be supportive without being creepy.
- Stop using the name Zelig. It’s not her name. Using it just perpetuates a weird internet lie that the family has tried to squash for a decade.
- Respect the "No Photos" vibe. If you happen to see Peter Dinklage with daughter in NYC or elsewhere, keep your phone in your pocket. He’s been very clear that the "sneaky" photos are what bother him the most.
- Focus on the work. If you want to support the family, go see Erica Schmidt’s plays or watch Peter’s newest projects like Roofman. That’s the "art" they actually want to share with the world.
- Understand the boundary. Celebrity kids didn't sign up for the spotlight. Peter is protecting their right to be anonymous until they’re old enough to choose otherwise.
The reality of Peter Dinklage's life as a father is that he’s fiercely protective, slightly cynical about fame, and deeply devoted to a normal upbringing. He’s proved that you can be one of the biggest stars in the world and still keep your children’s lives almost entirely off the grid. It just takes a lot of discipline—and a willingness to let the internet keep being wrong about your daughter's name.