The Roy Family Ages Explained

Many Succession characters' ages are unclear, though estimates are possible thanks to show details. We break down how old every Roy family member is.

Not all the Succession characters have their ages explicitly stated, so it can be difficult to tell how old the Roy family members are. The HBO drama focuses on a small yet dysfunctional cast of characters: Waystar CEO Logan (Brian Cox), Roy siblings Connor (Alan Ruck), Shiv (Sarah Snook), Kendall (Jeremy Strong), and Roman (Kieran Culkin), and Greg Hirsch (Nicholas Braun), also known as "Cousin Greg." There is a wide variety of ages among the family members, which often leads to interesting familial dynamics between characters, especially the Roy siblings.

While Succession was filmed between 2016 and 2022, the in-universe timeline of the show is unclear. When asked how much time has passed in the world of Succession, series creator Jesse Armstrong told The New Yorker that he thinks "a couple of years" have passed. Though the Succession cast members have aged, the story of Succession moves at its own pace, so it's understandable that time in the show hasn't passed in the same way as the real world. Knowing this, it's safe to assume that the Roy family members have only aged about a year or two from Succession season 1 to Succession season 4, the show's final installment.

Logan Roy

Succession's Logan Roy is one of the few characters whose exact age is made clear in the show. During the Succession pilot, Logan celebrates his 80th birthday. He doesn't celebrate any birthdays in Succession's second or third season, but Succession season 4 is set to open with another birthday celebration for Logan. Therefore, it can be assumed that Logan will be turning 81 or 82 in Succession's final season. In the Succession season 2 episode "Dundee," the Roys celebrate Logan's 50th anniversary at Waystar, so it's probable that his rise to wealth and status started when he was about 30 years old. In comparison, Brian Cox is 76 years old, making him about 4 years younger than the Roy family patriarch.

Connor Roy

Connor is Logan's oldest child and the only one born during his first marriage. Though Connor's age isn't explicitly stated, Alan Ruck said in an interview with The Guardian that Connor is in his fifties. Connor mentions in Succession season 1, episode 8 that in 1986, he was smoking pot while listening to a Fleetwood Mac LP, so if Succession season 1 does take place in 2018, when the show first premiered, it's safe to say that Connor was born in the early 1960s, when Logan was in his mid-20s. In comparison, Alan Ruck is 66, making him about a decade older than Connor.

Kendall Roy

Kendall, the second-oldest Roy sibling, is another character whose age is stated in Succession. In the Succession season 3 episode "Lion in the Meadow," Kendall tells Waystar shareholder Josh Aaronson (Adrien Brody) that he's planning a 40th birthday party, implying that he's 39 years old. Kendall celebrates his 40th birthday in the Succession season 3 episode "Too Much Birthday." Kendall actor Jeremy Strong is 44, making him only four years older than his character.

Roman Roy

It would be understandable to assume that Roman is the youngest child based on the immature way he acts, but he's actually the second-youngest sibling of the Succession Roy family. In Succession season 1, episode 8, Roman mentions that Kendall locked him in a dog cage when he was four years old. Kendall was also a child at the time, so Roman is probably only a few years younger than him. Roman is possibly in his mid-thirties, two decades younger than his half-brother, Connor. In real life, Kieran Culkin is 40, making him a few years older than Roman, but the same age as his on-screen brother Kendall.

Shiv Roy

According to her character description on the HBO website, Shiv is the youngest of the Roy children. Shiv has a banter with Roman in the show that she doesn't seem to have with Kendall or Connor, which makes sense if Roman and Shiv are close in age. If Roman is in his mid-thirties, then it's likely that Shiv is in her early or mid-thirties or in Succession. Being the youngest would further explain why Shiv isn't taken seriously by Logan as a prospect to take over Waystar. It also explains why Logan nicknames Shiv "Pinky," since the pinky is the smallest finger.

Greg Hirsch

Though Shiv is the youngest Roy sibling, Succession's cousin Greg is possibly the youngest of all the Roy family members. According to a draft of the Succession pilot script found on the Script Slug website, Greg is in his early twenties when he starts working for Waystar Royco in Succession. Considering his mother encouraged Greg to use his family connections to his uncle Logan to get a job, it makes sense that Greg would be the age of someone fresh out of college. Greg comes across as younger and less experienced than someone like Shiv, so the character being in his early-to-mid twenties makes sense. Comparatively, Nicholas Braun is 34, a few years to a decade older than Greg in Succession.