Actress
Dichen Lachman Parents and Siblings Are Her Biggest Supporters
Australian actress Dichen Lachman was born on February 22, 1982, to parents with different ethnic roots. Growing up, she had a close and supportive…
Australian actress Dichen Lachman was born on February 22, 1982, to parents with different ethnic roots. Growing up, she had a close and supportive relationship with her family members.
Her father and mother both worked very hard to provide a nurturing environment. She credits her parents for exposing her to art, music, and creativity as a child, shaping her eventual acting career.
Though opportunities were limited in Adelaide, her family encouraged her dreams, leading her to start modeling as a teenager. This article explores her early family life and the role her parents and siblings played in nurturing her talents and drive.
Meet Dichen Lachman’s parents
Lachman comes from a cross-cultural family background. Her father, Chris Lachman, is originally from Australia. Her mother, Tashi, was born in India but is ethnically Tibetan.
The two met while Chris was traveling in Nepal. After getting married, Chris and Tashi started a family, having three children.
Dichen Lachman parents Chris and Tashi Lachman (Source: Super Fest Film)
The Lachmans have undergone a huge transition to provide better for their family, which must have been challenging. Still, Chris assisted the family in integrating into Adelaide society.
Meanwhile, Tashi is now an entrepreneur who has been operating a travel agency out of Adelaide called Thor Travel for 22 years. Running this business likely helped provide for all their children.
According to Lachman, her parents played a formative role in exposing her to the arts and nurturing her creativity from a young age. Their cross-cultural marriage and world travel with Tashi’s agency also showed her how to appreciate and connect with different cultures.
Dichen Lachman’s parents once made headlines when they were stuck with the Ocean Explorer
In September 2023, Chris and Tashi were passengers aboard the luxury cruise ship Ocean Explorer. The ship was on an arctic exploration voyage carrying 206 passengers, mostly Australians, and had traveled far north off the coast of Greenland.
On September 12th, the Ocean Explorer suddenly ran aground on an uncharted underwater obstruction, speculated to be an underwater moraine tongue from a nearby glacier.
Despite the captain’s attempts to dislodge the ship, it became firmly stuck in place in the Alpefjord National Park. As Chris described, the passengers felt a continuous shudder through the ship when it first hit the underwater obstacle.
Over the next two days, efforts were made to free the Ocean Explorer, but it remained stranded. This alarming incident for the Lachmans and fellow passengers made headlines in Australia.
Finally, after two days, a Danish military trawler arrived on September 14th. It was able to pull the Ocean Explorer free during high tide. The cruise could continue on its intended route only a short time later.
Dichen Lachman moved around quite a bit with her parents
Lachman was born in Kathmandu, Nepal, to a Tibetan mother and an Australian father in 1982. She lived in Kathmandu with her family until age 8, when they decided to move to Adelaide, Australia, in 1989.
This first big move to a new country and culture must have been difficult for the young actress. Though Adelaide was her father’s hometown, it was still an enormous transition.
After settling in Adelaide, her family moved around quite a bit, even within the city during her childhood. She attended multiple elementary schools, including West Lakes Primary School and Gilles Street Primary School.
Having to rebuild friendships and adjust to new schools several times could not have been easy. Finally, by high school, she found more stability at Norwood Morialta High School for those formative years.
However, the transfers took a toll, as she has noted attending so many different schools left her feeling “mixed up.” Even after high school, she went on to attend both St. Mary’s College and the University of Adelaide.
So, by the time she launched her acting career with a debut role in the Australian series Neighbors, she had already faced considerable change and upheaval in her early life, moving not only to Australia at a young age but several times within the country as well.
This likely contributed to her ability to eventually move again to Los Angeles in pursuit of her dreams in the entertainment industry.
Dichen Lachman is not the only child of her family
While Lachman’s acting career may make her the most visible of the Lachman siblings, she is not the only child of Chris and Tashi. She grew up with two siblings — a sister and a brother whose identities are unknown.
But she likely had close relationships with her sister and brother while growing up in Adelaide. However, as she went on to pursue acting and eventually achieve fame, her sister and brother have continued to live private lives out of the spotlight.
Dichen Lachman with her friend Camille de Pazzis (Source: Instagram)
Very little is publicly known about her siblings, as they have understandably avoided the fame and scrutiny associated with having a celebrity sister. They guard the details of their personal lives and identities closely.
But family is said to be very important to her, so she likely maintains a close relationship and bond with her more private siblings, even amidst her growing success in Hollywood.
Dichen Lachman has seen major success as an actress
Lachman’s acting career has spanned over 15 years across mediums from Australian soaps to Hollywood blockbusters. She first rose to fame in Australia, starring as Katya Kinski on the popular soap opera Neighbors from 2005-2007.
She then made the move to Los Angeles, appearing in smaller roles initially until her breakout part in Joss Whedon’s sci-fi series Dollhouse alongside Eliza Dushku.
Her portrayal of the rebellious doll Sierra earned critical acclaim and marked her transition into American productions.
From there, her career took off with recurring and guest-starring roles on high-profile shows like NCIS: Los Angeles, Hawaii Five-O, Torchwood, Being Human, and The 100. She received particularly strong reviews as the Grounder leader Anya on The 100.
Film projects like Too Late and Lust for Love further displayed her talents and range. She has recently seen her greatest success yet on two Netflix hits. Altered Carbon and its sequel Resleeved as the villain Reileen Kawahara and Animal Kingdom playing Frankie.
She also joined Apple TV’s award-winning Severance, earning new award nominations for her performance.
With over 90 credits and counting to her name after just 15 years, plus major parts on some of the most acclaimed shows currently, she is now recognized as a highly accomplished actress leading productions across television and digital platforms.