Ivy Nicholson was born Ivy Martha Nicholson in New York City to working class Irish Catholic parents. She started modeling at the age of 16, and became very successful, gracing the covers of Vogue and Elle. In those days there was not much in the way of work for older models, so when she turned 30, Ivy sought out acting roles, eventually landing in Andy Warhol's Factory. There she appeared in minor roles in a handful of Warhol films, and met and married Ciao Manhattan (1972) director John Palmer, who was working as a camera man at the Factory. In 1970, Ivy moved to Paris, where she painted and guided her children's careers. Ivy has four children. Her oldest son, Darius DePoleon, is a viscount, and is a musician in Paris. He is in a band called "Eurotrash" with other European royals. Her second son, Sean Bolger, is a fashion photographer in Los Angeles. Her daughter with John Palmer, Penelope Palmer, was a child actress and starred in Le Femme Enfant alongside Klaus Kinski. Penelope's twin brother, Gunther Palmer, was a child model in Paris and is a drummer and vocalist in the band Stagefright.