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Twitter Users Share 46 Celebrities Most Didn’t Know Were Related, It Sparks A Discussion About Nepotism In Hollywood
Whether it's honest or not (it's probably not), Hollywood is aiming at becoming more inclusive. In recent years, stories of sexism, racism and abuse have circulated the media more often than ever before. For this reason, the big execs at studios will surely do anything to not get canceled. However, in our humble opinion, one form of inequality gets overlooked more often than we'd like it to be—nepotism.
The word itself is derived from nepos in Latin, meaning nephew. In Italy, it became nipotismo, named after the practice of when popes would give jobs to their nephews. Centuries have passed but it appears that little has changed. If you're a frequent lurker on social media or like to read magazines on celebrities, you sure as hell know the names (and faces) of Lily-Rose Depp, Gigi Hadid, Gwyneth Paltrow, Lena Dunham... the list could go on and on and never reach its end. Yes, you guessed it correctly—all of these people came from rich, powerful, and talented families. Nothing wrong with talent, but we can guess that casting auditions are just slightly easier when your dad is the producer of the movie.
We recently came across one interesting thread on Twitter that points out the sometimes unexpected family relations between (semi) famous people. Some were really surprising, some—kind of obvious. Nonetheless, we hope it will help you to put some things in perspective. One of them being that, it's not always just hard work that it takes to make it, no matter how hard celebrities try to make us believe it. We surely don't deny that there are many outstanding actors, singers, musicians, and dancers that don't come from a famous background, but more about that next time. This time, let's put the focus on celebs who really made it, but not without the support of their famous family members. Bear in mind that the intention of the post is purely educational, we're not intending to trash talented people just because they have relatives in the industry. Scroll down below to see the list, have fun, and drop a comment on whether you remember any more celebs that probably benefited from nepotism!
More info: Twitter
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#1
Lady Phoenixx 5 years ago
2 horror movie icons . The original scream queen ,and the scream queen in waiting 😍
Jane Thorne-Gutierrez 5 years ago
In the 50's Janet Leigh and Tony Curtis were the Bragelina of today. You're just too young if you don't recall the old movie magazines. Liz Taylor ring a bell??
SoozeeQ 5 years ago
I knew they were mother and daughter, but never noticed how much they were alike until today. I thought she favoured Tony Curtis.
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Sinkvenice 5 years ago
I find it really peculiar people don't know they're mother and daughter. Janet Leigh even cameos in Halloween H20 dressed as her character in Psycho, driving the same car.
Aunt Messy 5 years ago
How could anyone not know this? It's not like Jamie kept it a secret. Holy cow, she looks like her mom.
After Quentin Tarantino’s “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” came out, it sparked a debate online about nepotism. The widely popular film featured three young actresses—Margaret Qualley, Harley Quinn Smith and Maya Hawke. Surprisingly or not, all of them came from artistic families. Margaret's mother is none other than the legendary Andie MacDowell, while Harley Quinn is the daughter of Kevin Smith. Maya's parents probably need no introduction too—Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman. Yes, the same Uma Thurman who's been Quentin Tarantino's muse for years.
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#2
Sinkvenice 5 years ago
Carrie Fisher said in an interview that when Elizabeth Taylor's husband (and Eddie Fisher's good friend) Mike Todd died in a plane crash "My dad comforted her with his penis"
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Max L. 5 years ago
My favorite star wars trivia : "Due to the limited budget, the American cast members and crew (including George Lucas) all decided to fly coach class to England, rather than first class. When Carrie Fisher's mother, Debbie Reynolds, heard about this, she called Lucas, complaining about how insulting it was for her daughter to be flying coach. Fisher was in the room with Lucas when he took the call, and after a few minutes, asked if she could talk to her mother. When Lucas handed her the phone, she simply said, "Mother, I want to fly coach, will you f**k off?!" and hung up."
Lady Phoenixx 5 years ago
In scream 3 carrie plays a clark in a movie studio archive and her characters last name is reynolds. I can highly recommend a documentary about then both called bright lights
Grumble O'Pug 5 years ago
They know most people won't know her early movies. That in itself is sad.
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Pauline Bennett 5 years ago
Both beautiful women both talented, Mom was a super person she could do any thing and she also tried to preserve the older movie memorabilia.
#3
Monica Sargent 5 years ago
I can't remember where but I saw family movies of her with her brother and parents and they were all so in love with each other. Also her mother was one of the first celebrities to not hide her breast cancer, "for the sake of other women". She hit the highest notes in more than one way....
glowworm2 5 years ago
Minnie Riperton was a famous songwriter and singer, best known for the song “Loving You.”
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#4
Misstaken138 5 years ago
I read an article a while ago that explained she changed her last name because she wanted to be judged on her talent and not given a hand out because of her famous father. But yeah... I had no clue until I read that and I never would've guessed in a million years
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#5
Barbara Cochrane 5 years ago
Who is Timbaland? Why is he famous, aside from being very handsome?
Nathan Freeman 5 years ago
He's a music producer who's worked with a lot of big name artists.
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One of the most obvious challenges that Hollywood is facing is its lack of diversity. However, with nepotism in the picture, it becomes even harder for creatives to cast diverse actors and create diverse films. One of the most famous recent examples is director Greta Gerwig’s recent adaptation of “Little Women”—in it, 3 out of 7 of the main cast members came from famous and powerful families in the business.
#6
Tam-Tam 5 years ago
So sad that show didn't make it! I loved the original cast :-)
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Kathryn Baylis 5 years ago
Don’t forget mom Peggy Lipton (look her up, there’s an incredibly strong resemblance). I was a fan of Mod Squad back in the day!
#7
Candace Fitzpatrick 5 years ago
And actor Eric Roberts is Julia’s brother, Emma’s father. Some people don’t know him by name but he’s been in many movies.
Rabbit Carrot 5 years ago
He was also very well known before Julia made her acting debut and had an Oscar nomination to his name.
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Ava-cado 5 years ago
She was in a few teen movies, Nancy Drew and Get Wild to name a couple.
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Cheryl Forbes 5 years ago
Emma should have been paired with her father and then you can pair Julia with him.
blugeagua 5 years ago
Yes they can. Especially Emma, so what are you talking about. You clearly haven't seen all of their movies.
Load More Replies... #8
Foxxy (The Original) 5 years ago
I didn’t, it never clicked but now I think “of course”, why didn’t I notice before lol.
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Monica Sargent 5 years ago
Used to be a bit of an argument as to who was cuter. I think Luke won.
DC 5 years ago
Maybe he won ... maybe he didn't ... He is Not Sure, that is safe!
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#9
Sharon Vaughn 5 years ago
I loved Dionne as a teen, and admired Whitney as an adult. Talent definitely ran in that family.
Carole Reid 5 years ago
Whatever the relationship, Whitney Huston was glorious but she took the wrong path.
#10
Candace Fitzpatrick 5 years ago
And Alexander (True Blood) and Gustav (Vikings). There are other brothers too that act but I’ve never seen them I guess because they are only in Swedish films.
Finnish Ewok 2 years ago
Who would guess! Such a common surname in Hollywood (or US, what so ever...) /s
François Carré 5 years ago
Scary. If that Thing has a father, it might have siblings somewhere.
Celtic Pirate Queen 5 years ago
That's kind of unfair as the picture of Bill is completely covered in makeup. Let's go with Aleksander!
Israel Martinez 5 years ago (edited)
... and then there's Peter Sarsgaard, but he did something so bad that they kicked him out and made him remove the "k" and add another "a" ...
There's no denying that while nepotism in Hollywood exists, children of famous parents can also be extremely talented. Take Sofia Coppola as an example. Daughter of the legendary Francis Ford Coppola, Sofia has made quite an impact on the industry with her one-of-a-kind film style. However, it certainly didn't hurt her career when her dad helped her to make The Virgin Suicides—her debut feature—by producing it using his own company, American Zoetrope.
#11
MrTree1779 5 years ago
Their mother is actress Mary Jo Deschanel, and their father is director Caleb Deschanel. Yeah...they didn't come out of nowhere. --- Also, Emily Deschanel's husband is actor/producer David Hornsby, who plays Matthew "Cricket" Mara on "Always Sunny". And his cousin is Grammy-award winning musician, Bruce Hornsby. -- But no, no nepotism in this family... Sure.
Lyn Arnold 5 years ago
Their father is Caleb Deschanel, a very well-respected Hollywood director.
#12
Ben Steinberg 5 years ago
Huh. Melissa McCarthy: comedy genius. Jenny McCarthy: anti-vaxx nut...
Daria B 5 years ago (edited)
Oh, I'm actually kind of grateful for this entry (I know, it's bizarre). Because, although I don't remember Jenny McCarthy any more than the opening of a TV show on MTV, for some unknown reason, when discovering Melissa McCarthy, I thought "is she related?" But McCarthy is a very common surname, so I never bothered to go look it up myself.
#13
B-b-bird 5 years ago
Their parents are: Alison Owen (film producer), Keith Allen (actor & tv presenter). Uncle: Kevin Allen (actor & director) As much as all the family are in acting industry, it's difficult to imply that someone helped someone. Children usually tend to follow parents footsteps
Rick 5 years ago
Erm...no they don’t. This is only usually true for children in “the industry”.
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Jill Rhoads 5 years ago
She even wrote a wonderful song about his exploits as well! It's amazing after having seen him on Game of Thrones.
Joran Quinten 5 years ago
The other a sarcastic, friendly extraterrestrial, who crash-lands in the garage of the suburban middle-class Tanner family.
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#14
Tovah Roche 5 years ago
She actually considers Kurt to be her father. Her biological dad was in and out of her life as a kid so Kurt jumped in and helped raise her and her brother.
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#15
Aunt Messy 5 years ago
Martin Sheen is a stage name. His last name is Estevez. He is their father. When Martin first started acting, he couldn't get work with an "ethnic" sounding name, so he changed it.
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SykesDaMan 5 years ago (edited)
Fun fact: In the 2013 "movie" Machette Kills (if you saw it, you'd understand the quotes), Charlie Sheen was credited with the name Carlos Estevez.
Craftyparrott 5 years ago
That's his birth name. I don't think a lot of people knew that about him. Good catch.
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#16
Candace Fitzpatrick 5 years ago
Well there ya go! I made this comment regarding Julia and Emma...
Kaspar Kristiansen 5 years ago
Yeah, let's hope the two posts don't switch places;)
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Grumble O'Pug 5 years ago
Eric is very good, probably much better. She has a range from A to B.
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#17
Bob Belcher 5 years ago
Yes, but they didn't know they were related until she was already in Hollywood.
Tom Thumb 5 years ago
Its possible that there are many people who are children of Steven Tyler and don't know it!
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SykesDaMan 5 years ago
I thought Bruce Willis was her father!! And Ben Affleck her boyfriend! :Þ
David Stutzmann 5 years ago
And his 3rd daughter is Chelsea Tallarico, on the left : 4b75e78741...3a199f.jpg 
jaysko 5 years ago
I think she does look like him tho, she's got that Tyler mouth for sure, just not as obnoxiously large as his 🤣
Load More Replies... #18
Marnie 5 years ago
I love Viola David. I agree, she's brilliant! I have no idea who the guy is.
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Randy Klefbeck 5 years ago
That's Viola Davis?? Wow. She looks really different in that photo.
#19
Toast Of Saint Louis 5 years ago
His cousin is Roxy Roker, the lady who play on the Jeffersons. Her character was married to white guy.
#20
Anna Piecko 5 years ago
Don't forget Jack Quaid (from Logan Lucky or Amazon's The boys) he's Dennis Quaids and Meg Ryan's son.
Monica Sargent 5 years ago
Jack Quaid killed that part! "I know everything there is to know about computers okay? All the twitters, I know 'em"!
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postboredom 5 years ago
okay,i dont know who Dennis Quaid is, but he has an awesome smile, it belongs in a goofy comic
Foxxy (The Original) 5 years ago
I like Dennis Quaid, he plays in a lot of action type movies. I have a few favourites like Dantes Peak, The day after tomorrow, vantage point, flight of the phoenix and then there is the family movies like The parent trap and Yours, mine and ours.
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#21
Monica Sargent 5 years ago
This is just sad to me because her mother is so much prettier and can act circles around her daughter.
Borgia 137 5 years ago
I knew i saw her somewhere! It's been ages since I've seen Buffy. I am afraid to watch it again, because i might look at it differently and it would take away that magic.
Load More Replies... Sasha Kuleshov 5 years ago
She should scold Gwyneth for pushing homeopathic products as cures-for-all >:I
Diana Dodd 5 years ago
Blythe Danner is so much prettier and a better actress. Blythe is just weird!
#22
Laura Maeflower 5 years ago
A long time ago, I looked up one of them on IMDB and couldn't find one of their acting credits and I knew it was them in the film. Then I learned it was his twin brother lol.
Jason Melvil 5 years ago
It was mostly hilarious on Smallville, where Shawn was cast as Parasite in the early seasons, then they cast Aaron as Jimmy Olson in the later seasons...
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Lauren Caswell 5 years ago
And he was Jake in the badly made animorphs tv series version of the books...well one of them was!
markthomasc 5 years ago
At one time it was one did more TV series and the other did more movies but I don't think that's true anymore
#23
Candace Fitzpatrick 5 years ago
She was an early 90s child actress who was in lots of stuff but then she just fell out of the spotlight.
Maribel Trevino 5 years ago
What movie is she in again? Its on the tip of my tongue . Someone help 😫
jaysko 5 years ago (edited)
Paulie!!! With the parrot! And that guy from Monk
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#24
GirlFriday 5 years ago
I get such a kick out of James Brolin in Life in Pieces. It is hard for me to reconcile Amityville Horror dad with the hilarious Pop Pop on Life In Pieces. And Josh Brolin is sooooo pretty.
kate h 5 years ago
LOVE that show! And how is James Brolin still so hot at ~80?!
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#25
#26
ChimeraBubbles 5 years ago
Also related to Sir Ranulph Fiennes, the British explorer. The nepotism is strong with this family. Their actual surname is Twisleton-Wykeham-Fiennes. I believe they've dropped the Twisleton-Wykeham bit but still, being descendents of barons and viscounts will do that I guess. All hail Voldemort.
Sarcasm101 5 years ago
Hero Fiennes tiffin: nephewwwww Me just waiting to see Josephine Langford and Katherine Langford bc some ppl don’t know they are related
#27
Ben Steinberg 5 years ago
Left, right? Upper, lower? Come on, which half?? /s
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Dorothy Cloud 5 years ago
One of the few of these sets that have no resemblance to each other.
#28
Ellen 5 years ago
No they came back together actually, few years ago and for a long time they were but to date I believe they're at peace with each other
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Diana Dodd 5 years ago
Don’t remind her. She weird in so many ways but he us si much weirder ... actually creepy!
Jennifer Brown 5 years ago
They do NOT talk to each other...and knowing Jon Voight's political ties I can see why
#29
Jenny Pugh 5 years ago
To be honest, none of the Skarsgard family look alike with or without make-up!
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Cheryl Forbes 5 years ago
I would have been nice to see Bill without the makeup. He's quite the looker.
Evil Little Thing 5 years ago
They have two more actor brothers, although the younger one hasn't done anything in English yet.
Dorothy Cloud 5 years ago
I take it that the guy in the costume doesn't take pictures without it!
Celtic Pirate Queen 5 years ago
Could we please see Bill without makeup??? Aleksander (correct spelling) was also in "Little Big Lies".
#30
B-b-bird 5 years ago
and Dakota's mom, fabulous Melanie Griffith! as well 2 famous grandparents
George-Florin Constantin 5 years ago
Undoubtedly, Fifty Shades was a crappy series of movies but the one thing that really-REALLY turned me off was the fact that Dakota not only lacks any sex-appeal, but she also looks too much like her father. In all those sex scenes (which were below amateur porn level) all I could see was a young, '80s Don Johnson butt naked. I was not able to shake that sensation...
#31
#32
Dorothy Parker 5 years ago
He lost his mom, Berry Berenson, in one of the planes on 9/11. His aunt is Marissa Berenson.
Thindy 5 years ago
He had two sons. Elvis, who is a musician and Oz, who is a an actor and a filmmaker.
Load More Replies... MrTree1779 5 years ago
Anthony Perkins' father, Osgood Perkins, was a well-known theater actor. Oz is third-generation.
Randy Klefbeck 5 years ago
Hmmmmm. I wonder when that happened because Anthony Perkins was out as gay in the 1970's.
#33
#34
Picture Queen 5 years ago
Funny we just watched the movie "Why Him?" tonight! It was so funny!!
Borgia 137 5 years ago
Have you tried to consult a doctor? You keep puking all over the site. Could be bulimia or something wrong with stomach.
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SoozeeQ 5 years ago
And don't forget their mother Naomi Judd who is a country music singer and actress.
Sharon Ingram 5 years ago
Wynonna is a country music star also. They comprised the Judds.
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Julie Terrell 5 years ago
Am I the only one that looks at Casey and sees Green Day's Billy Joe Armstrong??
#37
Sandeep Patel 5 years ago
yes boy meets world for Ben and Wonder years for Fred, 2 of my favourite shows as a kid
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Sarcasm101 5 years ago
They both had there own shows bmw was superior though I think more popular but girl meets world ... sheeesshhh lol
Jasmine Hufflepuff Henderson 5 years ago
Wait Ben Savage has a brother?! And said brother is in Princess Bride?! How the heck did I not know this?
#38
James Mills 5 years ago
had to look up edwin hodge, didn't realise he's done a lot of acting roles.
#39
MammaG 5 years ago
You don't know who Berry Gordy is? Educate yourself right his minute.
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DramaDoc 5 years ago
Is no one old enough to remember NKOTB and Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch???
#41
#42
#43
markthomasc 5 years ago
Don't forget the singer Rosemary Clooney (White Christmas) and her nephew George (Attack of the Killer Tomatoes 2). OK, he's made a lot of great movies but that was his first.
#44
Todd Hollfelder 5 years ago
There's no nepotism here. She had to make a fool of herself on American Idol only to end up a D-List singer. Somehow, Jennifer Hudson did better than that. If she's really got famous family why didn't they help her out in the beginning and open doors for her now?
I zzi 5 years ago
No, that was the group he was in...guess she didn't know which was which
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#46
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What do you think ?
Ray Martin 5 years ago
You'd have to be living under a rock not to know most of these. Also, having a common career within a family is hardly nepotism. My Dad was an electrician, and I had a career in telecommunications - does the fact we both worked with electricity make it nepotism?
Mim“the Swede”Sorensson 2 years ago
I think I totally failed this one, somehow; I have no clue who 80% of these people are and the rest I already knew about. And I agree, it’s not necessarily nepotism, just easier to get in with someone in your family already in the game. I’m not sure that’s the same thing.
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spirit wolf 5 years ago
Yes, exactly!! So what indeed. I mean if you have what it takes to do whatever, you can be related to the whole damn web. All of these people are very talented and that's that.
Load More Replies... Thomas brennan 5 years ago
Hold the front page! Children sometimes follow the career footsteps of their parents!!!! Although the Rashida and Quincy Jones one was well interesting
John Wilson 5 years ago
There’s a whole lot of guilt by association implied in this article. I’m sure some of these people benefit from their famous relatives, but simply listing as many relatives as you can find without information that backs up how one person helped out the next puts a lot of people in a group that implies quite a bit. In addition, while nepotism in government is illegal, is it that strange that families help each other out? We’re a country that celebrates family businesses. If you grow up around folks that are highly dedicated to their profession, you’re more likely to be interested in that profession as well. You’ll probably get some good advice, too.
Dorothy Parker 5 years ago
So many more. Tom and Colin Hanks, Cary Grant and Dyan Cannon's daughter Jennifer Grant, Bridget Fonda is the daughter of Peter, niece of Jane, granddaughter of Henry. Jennifer Aniston, daughter of soap star John. And on and on and on.
Candace Fitzpatrick 5 years ago
This one actor has caught my eye the last couple of years- in Mr. Mercedes, Fortitude, Attack the Block, Star Trek:Pickard, penny dreadful and geez the list goes on! Wow he’s been in so many things and he’s so young I thought........ it’s actually two actors! Twins Harry and Luke Treadaway
Radek Suski 5 years ago
You somehow missed part of the Scheen family, the DeVitos and above all, the entire Baldwin family
Bob Belcher 5 years ago
This is not unusual. Someone gets famous and their family wants in on it too. There's many more than just this. What about Tom Hanks and his sons.
Stille20 5 years ago
Of course someone in the business has a better chance. They are living in the right place, they already have connections. This is true in any industry. It's not unreasonable to get your child a meeting with a director. Really the bigger discussion should be how this is across the board true. If you come from money and influence you have a better chance in life.
Ray Martin 5 years ago
You'd have to be living under a rock not to know most of these. Also, having a common career within a family is hardly nepotism. My Dad was an electrician, and I had a career in telecommunications - does the fact we both worked with electricity make it nepotism?
Mim“the Swede”Sorensson 2 years ago
I think I totally failed this one, somehow; I have no clue who 80% of these people are and the rest I already knew about. And I agree, it’s not necessarily nepotism, just easier to get in with someone in your family already in the game. I’m not sure that’s the same thing.
Load More Replies... spirit wolf 5 years ago
Yes, exactly!! So what indeed. I mean if you have what it takes to do whatever, you can be related to the whole damn web. All of these people are very talented and that's that.
Load More Replies... Thomas brennan 5 years ago
Hold the front page! Children sometimes follow the career footsteps of their parents!!!! Although the Rashida and Quincy Jones one was well interesting
John Wilson 5 years ago
There’s a whole lot of guilt by association implied in this article. I’m sure some of these people benefit from their famous relatives, but simply listing as many relatives as you can find without information that backs up how one person helped out the next puts a lot of people in a group that implies quite a bit. In addition, while nepotism in government is illegal, is it that strange that families help each other out? We’re a country that celebrates family businesses. If you grow up around folks that are highly dedicated to their profession, you’re more likely to be interested in that profession as well. You’ll probably get some good advice, too.
Dorothy Parker 5 years ago
So many more. Tom and Colin Hanks, Cary Grant and Dyan Cannon's daughter Jennifer Grant, Bridget Fonda is the daughter of Peter, niece of Jane, granddaughter of Henry. Jennifer Aniston, daughter of soap star John. And on and on and on.
Candace Fitzpatrick 5 years ago
This one actor has caught my eye the last couple of years- in Mr. Mercedes, Fortitude, Attack the Block, Star Trek:Pickard, penny dreadful and geez the list goes on! Wow he’s been in so many things and he’s so young I thought........ it’s actually two actors! Twins Harry and Luke Treadaway
Radek Suski 5 years ago
You somehow missed part of the Scheen family, the DeVitos and above all, the entire Baldwin family
Bob Belcher 5 years ago
This is not unusual. Someone gets famous and their family wants in on it too. There's many more than just this. What about Tom Hanks and his sons.
Stille20 5 years ago
Of course someone in the business has a better chance. They are living in the right place, they already have connections. This is true in any industry. It's not unreasonable to get your child a meeting with a director. Really the bigger discussion should be how this is across the board true. If you come from money and influence you have a better chance in life.
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