In some families, it's good genes that are passed down from generation to generation. In others, it seems that a common interest is shared. There are many celebrities who have gone on to pursue similar careers to members in their family. Take Clint Eastwood and his son, Scott Eastwood, as an example, or the entire Kardashian-Jenner clan. These are celebrities who most people realize are related, and the entertainment industry can often be a family business.
But, there are other A-listers who people don’t know have a family connection, although the reasons for not knowing tend to differ. Perhaps these stars chose to keep the family bond on the DL, like Snoop Dogg whose first cousin is Brandy. He previously stated that they chose not to tell the world about their connection, and only discussed it in the media later in their respective careers. Or, maybe people don’t realize certain celebrities are related because their last names are different or they don’t really look alike.
Perhaps it just never really clicked that Melissa McCarthy and Jenny McCarthy could share more than just the same name or that Charlie Sheen wasn’t an only child. Intrigued? Here are 20 stars who are related to other famous people.
20 Before He Met Gwen Stefani And Had A Brood Of Boys, Gavin Rossdale Fathered Model Daisy Lowe
Gavin Rossdale and his daughter Daisy Lowe have a close bond now, but he wasn’t around as a father when she was born. According to E! News, Rossdale learned that Lowe was his daughter (with fashion designer Pearl Lowe) when a DNA test came back confirming the news in 2004. At the time, Lowe was aged 14.
According to Hello! magazine, at the time of Daisy’s birth Rossdale was named as her godfather, however it was believed that she was the daughter of Pearl’s partner, Bronner Handwerger. Considering this complicated family dynamic, it’s little wonder few people realize the pair are related.
19 Funnyman Rob Schneider Is Blues Rock Singer Elle King’s Father
Singer-songwriter Elle King has made a name for herself, but she also has a famous father, actor and comedian Rob Schneider. You'll recognize him from comedies like Grown Ups and The Animal. This father-and-daughter duo had a complicated relationship, which King spoke about in an interview with People in 2018.
When speaking of the bond she shares with her dad, King explained that while it wasn't always perfect, the relationship they have now is the one she has “always wanted.”
As for the reason why they weren’t always as close as they are now? King confided in People, saying, “My whole childhood, my dad was a workaholic.”
18 British Singer Lily Allen’s Younger Brother Is 'Game Of Thrones' Actor Alfie Allen
Lily Allen is a popular singer and songwriter, but she is definitely not the only talented person in her family. Some people may recognize her brother, Alfie Allen, from Game of Thrones. In the hit HBO series, Alfie plays the character Theon Greyjoy.
Not many people realize that these two are related, but according to The Hits, in 2006 Lily penned a song about her brother called “Alfie” and it wasn’t the sweetest or most complimentary. That said, they seem to have put that song behind them, and the publication notes that Alfie chalked it down to his sister missing him.
17 Jenny McCarthy Is Responsible For Helping Her Cousin, Melissa McCarthy, Land Her First Role
One is a television personality and the wife of singer-songwriter Donnie Wahlberg, and the other is a comedic actress, but what many people don’t know is that Jenny McCarthy and Melissa McCarthy are cousins! Even though they share the same last name, we would never have imagined that they're related.
According to MSN, the two women do not seem to be particularly close and they note that Melissa was not present at Jenny’s wedding in 2014. But there is a report from Us Weekly which states that Jenny helped her relative land her first role when she was the star of the sitcom, Jenny.
16 Child Actor Owen Kline’s Mom Is Former '90s Star Phoebe Cates (And His Dad Is Kevin Kline)
Phoebe Cates was a big star in the '90s, but she left fame behind to start a family with Kevin Kline, and it seems she has never looked back. But, despite leaving the entertainment industry, Cates and Kline have a son who is following in their footsteps and becoming a star in his own right.
According to Zimbio, their son, Owen Kline, appeared in the 2005 film The Squid and the Whale, and his acting skills in it were impressive. IMDb notes that he has also been credited as appearing in an upcoming TV mini-series entitled Rain.
15 Hugh Grant Starred In 'Love Actually' Alongside His Much Younger Cousin, Thomas Brodie-Sangster
One of Hugh Grant’s most memorable roles was in Love Actually, and another actor who was also in the film, Thomas Brodie-Sangster, is actually his relative. According to Times Of India, Grant and Brodie-Sangster are related, although Grant only found out about this during the film.
As for how they are related, apparently Grant’s grandmother and the younger actor’s great-grandmother are sisters, which makes the pair distantly related. Brodie-Sangster is reported to have told Grant all about their family history while they were on the movie set together, and afterwards Grant started referring to him as his “cousin.”
14 Don’t Let The Last Name Throw You Off, Charlie Sheen And Emilio Estevez Are Brothers
Charlie Sheen and Emilio Estevez don’t share the same last name, at least not anymore, but they do share a father, Martin Sheen (who changed his name from Ramón Antonio Gerardo Estévez in an unofficial capacity to become known professionally as Martin Sheen). However, as is true of many siblings, their relationship hasn't always been peachy.
The two brothers are not particularly close, and that's an understatement, with ABC News noting that in the past Sheen made fun of his brother during a live show in which he urged his audience to quack at him - a dig at his Mighty Ducks movies. Ouch!
13 Tom Cruise And William Mapother Are Both Actors, They're Also Cousins
Tom Cruise and William Mapother are cousins, although not many people are aware of this fact.
Not much is known about their relationship and whether they are close or not, but what we do know is Mapother is more reluctant to speak about Scientology (something which Cruise is very much a part of), and the reason for his silence is because of Cruise.
In an interview on BlogTalkRadio (via Page Six), Mapother explained that he prefers not to answer questions on the subject, adding, “On the one hand, I’m grateful that people are interested...At the same time...there’s kind of an ever-wavering boundary between the things I’m willing to talk about, and the things I’m not. And part of the reason that I find myself particularly cautious in this area is because of the things my cousin has been through.”
12 Riley Keough's A Rising Star, But Her Grandfather Elvis Presley Was One Of The Biggest Celebrities Of All Time
Elvis Presley is a name still celebrated today, and the King of Rock and Roll is remembered fondly by many. But for Riley Keough, he is not just another famous musician - he's her grandfather (she is the daughter of Lisa Marie Presley, Elvis’s only child).
In an interview with Esquire, she spoke about her relative, but also noted how she wanted to make a name for herself without her grandfather’s fame overshadowing her own. She said, “I always wanted to have my own money — not my family’s money. I don’t think any of it had to do with me being Elvis’s granddaughter..."
11 Snoop Dogg’s Cousins Are Brandy and Ray J, And This Is One Seriously Musical Family
Most people know that Brandy and Ray J are siblings, but the musical talent in this family extends to their cousin too, who is the well-known rapper Snoop Dogg. Family get-togethers must be filled with lots of singing!
Snoop Dogg has previously come clean about the family bond, telling MTV News, "Brandy's my first cousin. We never really told the world because we weren't trippin' off of that, but that's my family."
Not just related, Snoop also appears to be pretty close to Brandy, and the pair have even collaborated professionally on the track, “Special,” which features musical great, Pharrell Williams.
10 Quincy Jones Is Actually The Father Of Actress Rashida Jones
Record producer Quincy Jones has a special bond with his daughter, Rashida Jones. Yes, actress Rashida has a very famous father. She has also been inspired by her father’s life, which resulted in the Netflix project titled Quincy, which she co-directed.
Rashida spoke to Entertainment Weekly about what it was like working with her father, and balancing the role of director on the project with being his daughter.
“It’s intense to spend a lot of time with a parent, and I am so protective of him, and I love him so much,” she said. “And then also, he can drive me crazy, like any kid with any parent. So, it was a professional balance that I had to achieve…”
9 O'Shea Jackson Jr. Has Even Played The Role Of His Real-Life Father, Ice Cube
The film Straight Outta Compton follows the story of the real-life group N.W.A. The group was revolutionary, and it consisted of five members: Ice Cube, Dr. Dre, Eazy-E, DJ Yella and MC Ren. So, what better person to get to play the role of Ice Cube than his real-life son, O'Shea Jackson Jr.?
This was Jackson’s first role in a major film, which understandably came with a lot of pressure. But don't think the role was handed to him on a platter because he had to work hard for the role and was required to audition alongside other actors, People reports.
8 Great Acting Is In John David Washington's Genes Because His Dad Is Denzel Washington
John David Washington is already proving that he is a serious actor and has taken on some critically acclaimed roles. He has also been nominated for a 2019 Golden Globe award. His acting skills definitely run in the family because John David’s father is actually respected actor Denzel Washington!
It seems that Denzel is incredibly supportive of his son, as John David told E! News that when they learned of his Golden Globe nomination, he and his father embraced. "We just hugged for what felt like for about 10 minutes," he said. "We just held each other." Awww!
7 Mamie Gummer Is The Spitting Image Of Her Famous Mother, Meryl Streep
When you put Mamie Gummer and Meryl Streep side-by-side it’s impossible not to realize that they are related because Gummer is the spitting image of her mother!
Gummer is one of Streep’s four children who she shares with husband Don Gummer, and she has followed in her mom’s footsteps and pursued a career in acting. Interestingly, the two women have also starred opposite each other in several films. These include Ricki and the Flash as well as the 1986 film Heartburn in which Gummer was just a toddler, Vanity Fair reports. She started early in the biz!
6 Up-And-Coming Actress Eve Hewson Is The Daughter Of U2 Frontman Bono
U2 frontman Bono married his childhood sweetheart, Ali Hewson, and they have a romance that has withstood the test of time. They’ve been married since 1982, and together they share four children. One of them is Eve Hewson. You can kind of see the resemblance in the above picture.
Eve is an up-and-coming star, who according to InStyle had a breakout role in the series The Knick. There also seems to be no stopping her now as her Hollywood star is definitely on the rise. She starred in the 2018 remake of Robin Hood and is scheduled to star in an indie film called Paper.
5 Nicholas Cage Is The Cousin Of Both Sofia Coppola And Jason Schwartzman
Nicolas Cage isn’t just related to one famous person but many, and his cousins include Sofia Coppola and Jason Schwartzman. This extremely talented family is well-known in the entertainment industry and they have all made a name for themselves, but perhaps the most interesting thing about their bond is that they have also worked together.
Sofia Coppola and Jason Schwartzman collaborated when she directed the 2006 film Marie Antoinette, in which Schwartzman starred. Cage and Coppola have appeared in several '80s films together directed by Francis Ford Coppola, who is Cage’s uncle.
It seems Hollywood is a small world!
4 Melanie Griffith's Daughter Dakota Johnson Has Followed In Her Footsteps
Melanie Griffith has a daughter who has also decided to make a name for herself in the entertainment industry, although not everyone realizes that her daughter is Dakota Johnson.
The two women appear to be very close, and Griffith has voiced her support for her daughter (and her career) many times of the years. One of the more memorable comments she made about Johnson dates back to 2013, when it was announced Johnson would be in Fifty Shades of Grey.
Proud mama Griffith took to Twitter to post about how her “beautiful child” had been chosen for the role, adding, “Look out world! Here she comes!!! #proudmama.”
3 Jason Momoa Is Married To Lisa Bonet, Making Him Zoë Kravitz's Stepfather
Jason Momoa and Lisa Bonet have been together for a long time, and are believed to have first got together in 2005. They didn’t rush to get married though, and it was only in 2017 when they made things official. Still, they have been committed to each other from the start, and this made Momoa a stepfather to Bonet’s famous daughter, Zoë Kravitz (daughter of rocker Lenny Kravitz). The two are incredibly close!
According to People, Zoë refers to Momoa as “papa bear,” and he told the publication, “Zoë is a beautiful human being.” They apparently also have matching tattoos.
2 Ron Howard And His Daughter Bryce Dallas Howard Have Both Made Names For Themselves In The Entertainment Industry
Ron Howard and Bryce Dallas Howard share the same last name and the same red locks, but not everyone has put these clues together and realized that the film director and the actress are actually father and daughter.
Bryce has spoken fondly about her childhood, which by all accounts seemed to be very normal, and The Guardian quotes her as saying, “Ours was a loving, nurturing household, but, at the same time, my parents' goal was to make all their children self-sufficient. We lived way out in the boonies in Connecticut – there weren't a lot of people coming to visit. We had goats, sheep, miniature horses, and chickens."
1 'Pretty Little Liars' Actress Mariska Hargitay Is The Daughter Of Jayne Mansfield
Actress Mariska Hargitay’s mother is Jayne Mansfield, who was a celebrated star in the '50s and '60s. Many people may not realize that these two are related, although they do look alike, and perhaps that’s because Hargitay was three years old when she lost her mother.
But she remembers her fondly and spoke about what an amazing woman she was in an interview with People magazine.
“My mother was... amazing, beautiful, glamorous…” she said, adding, “but people didn’t know that she played the violin and had a 160 IQ and had five kids and loved dogs. She was just so ahead of her time. She was an inspiration, she had this appetite for life, and I think I share that with her.”
References: Hello!, E! News, People, The Hits, The Guardian, Vanity Fair
