Having a famous relative doesn’t hurt when you’re trying to make it in a competitive business like music or the movies — but while it may get your foot in the door, you’ll have to prove yourself talented and worthy of that big break on your own merits.
In some cases, the connection between a famous parent and their celebrity offspring is clear, especially if they share the same surname or their family tree is well-known. For instance, actor Colin Hanks is Tom Hanks’s son. Liza Minnelli is the daughter of old time Hollywood royalty — director Vincente Minnelli and singer/actress Judy Garland. More recently, Dylan Penn has followed in the footsteps of her famous mother and father — actors Robin Wright and Sean Penn. (Here are 50 celebrities with famous parents.)
Yet for some celebrity kinfolk, the relationship may not be so obvious. Last names are often different because the ties that bind are distant — and even when they share the same last name, you might not be aware that they’re related, probably because they want to keep it that way.
To assemble a list of celebrities you didn’t know were related, 24/7 Tempo reviewed articles on the subject on numerous entertainment and general interest sites, and verified credits and biographical details using IMDb, an online movie database owned by Amazon.
The people on this list might be related through blood — parent and offspring, brother and sister — but they might also be distant cousins (Lenny Kravitz and Al Roker, for example) or aunt and niece (like Julia Roberts and Emma Roberts).
In other cases, they’re related through marriage. Barbra Streisand became Josh Brolin’s stepmother after she wed his father, James Brolin. Writer and feminist Gloria Steinem is stepmother to actor Christian Bale. Peter Sarsgaard is married to Maggie Gyllenhaal, making him Jake Gyllenhaal’s brother-in-law. (These are the 30 longest-lasting celebrity marriages.)
Click here to read about celebrities you didn’t know were related
Some celebrities prefer not to advertise their kinship with other famous people, perhaps hoping to avoid charges of nepotism. Yet all the names listed here have had successful careers, and almost certainly would have even if they hadn’t had famous relatives.
Source: Al Pereira / WireImage via Getty Images
1. Lenny Kravitz and Al Roker
> Relationship: Distant cousins
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Source: Kevin Winter / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images
2. Jonah Hill and Beanie Feldstein
> Relationship: Brother-sister
Source: Kevin Mazur / WireImage via Getty Images
3. Snoop Dogg and Brandy
> Relationship: Cousins
Source: Mark Davis / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images
4. Ron Howard and Bryce Dallas Howard
> Relationship: Father-daughter
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Source: Alberto E. Rodriguez / Getty Images
5. Gloria Steinem and Christian Bale
> Relationship: Stepmother-son
Source: Frederick M. Brown / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images
6. Whitney Houston and Dionne Warwick
> Relationship: Cousins
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Source: Alberto E. Rodriguez / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images
7. Brendan Gleeson and Domhnall Gleeson
> Relationship: Father-son
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Source: Michael S. Schwartz / WireImage via Getty Images
8. Rob Schneider and Elle King
> Relationship: Father-daughter
Source: Jeff Kravitz / FilmMagic, Inc via Getty Images
9. Julia Roberts and Emma Roberts
> Relationship: Aunt-niece
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Source: Bettmann / Bettmann via Getty Images
10. Janet Leigh and Jamie Lee Curtis
> Relationship: Mother-daughter
Source: Archive Photos / Archive Photos via Getty Images
11. Jackie Gleason and Jason Patric
> Relationship: Grandfather-grandson
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Source: Timothy Hiatt / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images
12. George Wendt and Jason Sudeikis
> Relationship: Uncle-nephew
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Source: Rich Fury / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images
13. Steven Spielberg and Jessica Capshaw
> Relationship: Stepfather-daughter
Source: Allen Berezovsky / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images
14. Denzel Washington and John David Washington
> Relationship: Father-son
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Source: Kevin Winter / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images
15. Barbra Streisand and Josh Brolin
> Relationship: Stepmother-son
Source: Jason Merritt / Getty Images
16. Gwyneth Paltrow and Katherine Moennig
> Relationship: Cousins
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Source: Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images
17. Bruce Dern and Laura Dern
> Relationship: Father-daughter
Source: Jon Furniss / WireImage via Getty Images
18. Alfie Allen and Lily Allen
> Relationship: Brother-sister
Source: Jim Spellman / WireImage via Getty Images
19. Phil Collins and Lily Collins
> Relationship: Father-daughter
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Source: Kimberly White / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images
20. Bonnie Bedelia and Macaulay Culkin
> Relationship: Aunt-nephew
Source: Daniele Venturelli / WireImage via Getty Images
21. Andie MacDowell and Margaret Qualley
> Relationship: Mother-daughter
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Source: Jenny Anderson / WireImage via Getty Images
22. Jenny McCarthy and Melissa McCarthy
> Relationship: Cousins
Source: Paras Griffin / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images
23. Ludacris and Monica
> Relationship: Cousins
Source: L. Cohen / WireImage via Getty Images
24. Francis Ford Coppola and Nicolas Cage
> Relationship: Uncle-nephew
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Source: GONZALO/Bauer-Griffin / GC Images via Getty Images
25. Cameron Diaz and Nicole Richie
> Relationship: In-laws
Source: Bruce Glikas / FilmMagic via Getty Images
26. Scott Foley and Patrick Wilson
> Relationship: In-laws
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Source: L. Cohen / WireImage via Getty Images
27. Jake Gyllenhaal and Peter Sarsgaard
> Relationship: In-laws
Source: Vivien Killilea / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images
28. Quincy Jones and Rashida Jones
> Relationship: Father-daughter
Source: Frederick M. Brown / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images
29. Berry Gordy and Redfoo
> Relationship: Father-son
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Source: Courtesy of Lions Gate Films
30. Sissy Spacek and Rip Torn
> Relationship: Cousins
Source: Jamie McCarthy / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images
31. Blake Lively and Robyn Lively
> Relationship: Half-sisters
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Source: Alberto E. Rodriguez / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images
32. Warren Beatty and Shirley MacLaine
> Relationship: Brother-sister
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Source: Gregg DeGuire / FilmMagic via Getty Images
33. Emily Blunt and Stanley Tucci
> Relationship: In-laws
Source: Emma McIntyre /VF19 / WireImage via Getty Images
34. Diana Ross and Tracee Ellis Ross
> Relationship: Mother-daughter
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Source: Stuart C. Wilson / Getty Images
35. Tom Cruise and William Mapother
> Relationship: Cousins
Source: Alberto E. Rodriguez / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images
36. Jason Momoa and Zoë Kravitz
> Relationship: Stepfather-daughter
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