It often seems like celebrity lives are on display for the world to see, but then you hear about someone pretty famous who you never knew were related, and you realize you don't know as much as you thought you did. We have so many questions...how does so much talent run in one family? Who helped who into the entertainment industry? Who else is related that we never noticed?
Here are some celebs who are surprisingly related to each other, whether it's through a parent-child relationship, cousins, or even by marriage.
13 Stacey and Damon Dash
Stacey Dash rose to fame with her role in Clueless, and Damon Dash became an entrepreneur in the music industry and was even Jay-Z's former manager and business partner at Roc-a-Fella Records. Well Stacey and Damon are actually first cousins and they grew up together in the Bronx. Wonder if their playtime involved planning out successful lives in the entertainment industry, because it sure seemed to work. However Stacey's turn towards right wing conservative political beliefs made some of her friends and family feel like she was turning her back on her race, and her and Damon had a falling out.
12 Zoey Deutch and Lea Thompson
Last names can be so tricky, Zoey Deutch is actually Lea Thompson's daughter. Zoe got her big break on the Disney channel show The Suite Life on Deck and then ultimately moved on to the CW's The Ringer. Her mom Lea Thompson became a household name starring in the Back to the Future films and has been working steadily ever since. These days she's on the ABC series Switched at Birth. The two do look quite a lot alike once you actually look at them side by side.
11 Melissa and Jenny McCarthy
McCarthy is a common enough last name that you wouldn't necessarily assume that Melissa and Jenny can be related, but they are actually cousins. Jenny once tweeted proof saying: "Congrats to my cousin Melissa McCarthy on her Emmy win!!" This all starts to make sense when you consider the fact that both of them are pretty funny women. Melissa is known for comedy gems like Bridesmaids, but don't forget that Jenny McCarthy is also a comedian and actress, and worked her funny side as a host on MTV's Singled Out. Talk about a throwback.
10 Tom Cruise and William Mapother
William might not be quite as famous as Tom, but he's had a successful acting TV career with shows like Lost and The Mentalist. Not only do the two actually sort of look similar, but Tom was born Thomas Cruise Mapother IV, so at one point they shared the same last name. On following in Tom's rather sizeable footsteps William has said:
"I never really worried about it. As I've amassed a body of work, the questions about Tom have gone away. I figured that if I did good work, I'd be seen for what I am."
9 Emma Roberts and Julia Roberts
If the last name didn't give it away maybe the giant smile did? Emma is actually Julia's niece. Emma has made a name for herself landing TV gigs like American Horror Story: Freak Show and Scream Queens, but sometimes America's sweetheart Julia still worries about her niece.
"Sometimes I sort of secretly worry about her, and then I see her and go, what am I worried about? She's a solid human being." And then "She's so lovely. We spend a lot of time together. Emma is a remarkable girl."
8 Sofia Coppola, Jason Schwartzman, and Nicolas Cage
Were you surprised to hear that all three of these very successful people are cousins? I was. Jason and Nicolas? Never would have crossed my mind. Although it sounds like pretty much everyone in the family is also in the family business of entertainment, even the lesser known names. Sofia's father Francis Ford Coppola is of course famed for directing The Godfather among many other amazing things, her brother Roman Coppola is also a director, and her grandfather was a film composer who scored films like Apocalypse Now. No big deal you guys, no big deal.
7 Kyra Sedgwick and Edie Sedgwick
Edie Sedgwick is the late muse to Andy Warhol from his Factory Girl days, and Kyra Sedgwick is her cousin once removed. There were reportedly a lot of distinguished people in their family tree, including William Ellery, who signed the of the Declaration of Independence, Endicott Peabody, who founded the Groton School, and judge Theodore Sedgwick. Edie died of an overdose at the age of 28, and Kyra has had a successful career as an actress and a producer. She has won both Golden Globe Awards and Emmy Awards in her career thus far.
6 Jake Gyllenhaal and Peter Sarsgaard
Jake Gyllenhaal and Peter Sarsgaard are related through marriage. Peter married Jake's sister Maggie Gyllenhaal back in 2009, and while the two appear to be buddies most of the time, they aren't always the best of friends when they're working. The two starred together in the movie Jarhead and actually brawled. Peter admitted to punching Jake “as hard as he could in the windpipe” over a real life disagreement, and then ended up breaking his rib in the next scene shot.
“When they came on take two, they looked like they were coming just as hard, so I hit Jake as hard as I could in the windpipe and kind of claimed it was an accident and stuff. And they came for a third time, and it was really hard again, and I just… I lost it.”
Brotherly love?
5 Warren Beatty and Shirley Maclaine
Warren Beatty and Shirley Maclaine are some of the most successful celeb siblings ever...although you won't see them starring in the same movie together anytime soon. They've actually been estranged at certain points of time over what is rumored to be competitiveness. Shirley has said:
“I only know what I read in the papers about Warren. We rarely see each other any more. I’ve tried to reach out to him, but he just doesn’t seem to want to communicate with me.”
However, they've also been spotted looking real chummy at award shows in recent years, so hopefully they worked all that out.
4 Daisy Lowe and Gavin Rossdale
Model Daisy Lowe apparently didn't know that Gavin Rossdale was her father until 2004. Gavin took a paternity test against his interest which confirmed that Daisy was the result of a one night stand he had with her mother. They did already know each other however, because before it was revealed that Gavin was her real father, he was her godfather. She has said:
"My whole life I thought my father was someone different... But Gavin and Gwen [Stefani] are really good people, and I value so much of the time we get together."
3 Jessica Capshaw and Steven Spielberg
Jessica Capshaw is known for her roles on shows like Private Practice and Grey's Anatomy, and she even calls Steven Spielberg step-dad. Her mom of course is Kate Capshaw, who initially met Steven in 1984 when she starred in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. The two married in 1991. There are seven children in the blended Capshaw-Spielberg family, including children from previous marriages, adopted children, and children together. Jessica seems to have loved being a part of a big family, as she is currently expecting her fourth child.
2 Rashida and Quincy Jones
Rashida Jones has made such a name for herself as an actress that you might not have even noticed that her dad is mega music producer Quincy Jones. Rashida grew up in the same celebrity kid world as everyone else (even going to the same high school as the Hilton's and the Kardashian's), but she didn't adopt the rich kid persona that so many seem to do. Instead, she went to Harvard and then started working her way up in the entertainment industry. She claims that in high she was "a chubby nerd. Nobody was trying to have sex with me, so I had to find other things, like reading and being good at school."
1 Snoop Dogg and Brandy
Sometimes people like to point out the fact that the singer Ray J (who is also the guy from Kim K's sex tape) is Brandy's little brother, but it's even more surprising to find out that Snoop Dogg is actually their first cousin. Well the music bug sure does run in the family. Why have we never heard about this? Snoop explained at one point during an interview with MTV, saying:
”We never really told the world because we weren’t trippin’ off of that, but that’s my family.”
sources: yahoo.com, huffingtonpost.com, theguardian.com, telegraph.co.uk
