Celebrities You Didn’t Know Were Related
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…
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.)
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.
1. Lenny Kravitz and Al Roker
> Relationship: Distant cousins
2. Jonah Hill and Beanie Feldstein
> Relationship: Brother-sister
3. Snoop Dogg and Brandy
> Relationship: Cousins
4. Ron Howard and Bryce Dallas Howard
> Relationship: Father-daughter
5. Gloria Steinem and Christian Bale
> Relationship: Stepmother-son
6. Whitney Houston and Dionne Warwick
> Relationship: Cousins
7. Brendan Gleeson and Domhnall Gleeson
> Relationship: Father-son
8. Rob Schneider and Elle King
> Relationship: Father-daughter
9. Julia Roberts and Emma Roberts
> Relationship: Aunt-niece
10. Janet Leigh and Jamie Lee Curtis
> Relationship: Mother-daughter
11. Jackie Gleason and Jason Patric
> Relationship: Grandfather-grandson
12. George Wendt and Jason Sudeikis
> Relationship: Uncle-nephew
13. Steven Spielberg and Jessica Capshaw
> Relationship: Stepfather-daughter
14. Denzel Washington and John David Washington
> Relationship: Father-son
15. Barbra Streisand and Josh Brolin
> Relationship: Stepmother-son
16. Gwyneth Paltrow and Katherine Moennig
> Relationship: Cousins
17. Bruce Dern and Laura Dern
> Relationship: Father-daughter
18. Alfie Allen and Lily Allen
> Relationship: Brother-sister
19. Phil Collins and Lily Collins
> Relationship: Father-daughter
20. Bonnie Bedelia and Macaulay Culkin
> Relationship: Aunt-nephew
21. Andie MacDowell and Margaret Qualley
> Relationship: Mother-daughter
22. Jenny McCarthy and Melissa McCarthy
> Relationship: Cousins
23. Ludacris and Monica
> Relationship: Cousins
24. Francis Ford Coppola and Nicolas Cage
> Relationship: Uncle-nephew
25. Cameron Diaz and Nicole Richie
> Relationship: In-laws
26. Scott Foley and Patrick Wilson
> Relationship: In-laws
27. Jake Gyllenhaal and Peter Sarsgaard
> Relationship: In-laws
28. Quincy Jones and Rashida Jones
> Relationship: Father-daughter
29. Berry Gordy and Redfoo
> Relationship: Father-son
30. Sissy Spacek and Rip Torn
> Relationship: Cousins
31. Blake Lively and Robyn Lively
> Relationship: Half-sisters
32. Warren Beatty and Shirley MacLaine
> Relationship: Brother-sister
33. Emily Blunt and Stanley Tucci
> Relationship: In-laws
34. Diana Ross and Tracee Ellis Ross
> Relationship: Mother-daughter
35. Tom Cruise and William Mapother
> Relationship: Cousins
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Hristina Byrnes is the editor of 247Tempo.com, where she handles the site's assignments and editing. She holds a master's degree in journalism from Columbia University, which she earned in 2012, and she specializes in translating complex health data research into engaging, accessible stories for a general audience.
When she's not poring over the latest data sets or brainstorming story ideas, you can find Hristina watching tennis, playing tennis with her son, or trying to get her daughter into tennis.
