It’s great to spend time bonding with those who we love the most.
But for celebrities, who usually like to take on projects that are very demanding, working with family is one way to spend quality time together while being productive. And even though it’s becoming a recent trend, this partnering in the Hollywood Hills has been going on for some time, as Hollywood’s old-school actors and actresses have shared a fair amount of limelight with other family members.
However, as many celebrities have suggested, nowadays it is very difficult to keep a private life alongside their professional life. That goes for both single and dating celebs and those with families. It used to be that staying out of the limelight was easy. However, that isn’t the case anymore with paparazzi seemingly around every corner.
Plus the continuous use of social media has made everyone who owns a telephone with a camera a possible paparazzi. Still, some celebrities don't mind being in front of the cameras with their entire families, or just one or two of their kids.
So while there are many celebrities who still try to hide from the limelight and keep their kids out of Hollywood, there are others who don't mind being on screen together. Here are 20 celeb parents who don't mind the shared limelight, and 5 who keep their kids in the shadows.
25 Will Smith And Jaden Smith
Over the last decade or so, Will Smith and his wife Jada Pinkett Smith have made international headlines for the way they are raising their children Jaden (20) and Willow (18).
In 2006, Jaden Smith made his movie debut in the film The Pursuit of Happyness, where he acted as Will Smith’s 5-year old son, Christopher.
As Thought Co reports, Smith was struggling and he was going through a hard time when trying to deliver one scene for the well-received movie. It was Jaden who told him that he was doing the same thing over and over again and asked him to stop it.
24 Angelina Jolie And Vivienne
Angelina Jolie is no stranger to the Hollywood scene. In fact, it can be argued that she created it! She has been all over the news worldwide since the beginning of her acting— and now directing—life, as she has made some interesting film choices.
And as a mother of six children (that’s right!), she has been choosing films that are more age appropriate so her family can watch and even participate. As Vanity Fair reports, 2014 was the year the movie Maleficent came out. Of course, Jolie was playing the lead role and her daughter Vivienne played Princess Aurora, as they couldn’t find a child who wasn’t scared of Jolie’s costume!
23 Leslie Mann And Iris Apatow
Leslie Mann is a worldwide known actress married to Judd Apatow, a famous Hollywood director. The two of them have consolidated a comedy empire alongside their daughters. In fact, they have worked with some of the greatest comedians of the 21st century.
As Zimbio reveals, Mann and Apatow have worked together alongside their daughters Iris and Maude in three movies between 2007 and 2012.
Mann has said she loves working with her daughters, especially when they were younger and she was able to take care of them while being on set.
22 Sylvester Stallone And Sage Stallone
Sage Stallone and Sylvester Stallone appeared together in a couple of films. The first one was in the film Rocky Vwhere Sage acted as Sylvester’s son. The second movie they did together was in Daylight back in 1996.
However, as the Daily Mail reported, things didn't turn out well for Sage, as he experienced a heart attack in 2012, which was—apparently—caused by heart disease. He was only 36-years old at the time of his passing. Even though this is a very difficult thing to overcome, Sylvester will have these movies they made together to remember him through.
21 Billy Ray Cyrus And Miley Cyrus
Back in 2006, a new and promising TV show started: Hannah Montana. Miley Cyrus starred in the show, alongside her famous singer dad Billy Ray Cyrus.
The two of them would be on set for more than 10 hours a day, for several years, up until the show ended in 2011.
But why did the show end if it was so successful? Well, things weren’t going great with Miley. She was going through a lot of stuff in her personal life and she was behaving quite differently from what everybody else was used to. In fact, according to her dad, the Hannah Montana show hurt his family, as Billboard reported.
20 Tom Hanks And Colin Hanks
What happens when your dad is one of Hollywood’s most famous actors ever? You follow his footsteps, obviously. And that is precisely what Colin Hanks decided to do—he became an actor. And nowadays he is definitely one of Hollywood’s most loved actors.
According to Parade, Colin wasn’t actively looking to work with this dad, but once the opportunity appeared it was impossible for him to refuse it. Even though the movie The Great Buck Howard wasn’t a big hit, it gave the Hanks family the opportunity to work and spend more time together, and that will always be a positive thing!
19 Bruce Willis And Rumer Willis
Rumer Willis is the daughter of Bruce Willis and Demi Moore... in other words, she comes from one of the greatest, most artistic and inspiring Hollywood families! When Rumer was a child she kept on telling her parents that she wanted to become an actress. And she made her dream come true in no time.
Even though Rumer had already appeared in several films with her renowned parents, it was in 2005 when she became part of the movie Hostage alongside her famous dad.
As Heart has revealed, Rumer played—surprise, surprise—Bruce’s daughter in the movie.
18 Demi Moore And Rumer Willis
See!? Rumer Willis is everywhere! She has been captivating her fans' hearts since she was only a small child! Bruce Willis and Demi Moore’s first child has been making her parents proud of her as she is creating a successful acting trajectory over the years.
According to Zimbio, Rumer has appeared in two movies with her mum Demi. She starred alongside her famous mum in two movies in the '90s. However, she has come a long way after those movies, and she has participated in more than 10 films since!
17 Brendan Gleeson And Domhnall Gleeson
Behold Harry Potter fans! Brendan Gleeson and Domhnall Gleeson starred in one of the most successful film franchises of all times… Harry Potter. The two actors shared some screen time in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 back in 2010 and both of them couldn’t actually believe it!
As Dublin Live has mentioned, they loved their collaboration so much that they have decided to continue working together.
In fact, last year was the last work they did together (Psychic), and it was almost a family gathering, as the short film was directed by Brendan, written by his son Rory, starred in by sons Brian and Domhnall, and on top of all of this, the music was curated by his son Fergus.
16 Meryl Streep And Mamie Gummer
Meryl Streep has been around in the film industry for over four decades. It can be argued that she has seen, done, performed, sung, and portrayed a lot! In fact, the older she gets, the more she receives meaty roles to be played.
In 2015 she decided to do something she had never done before nor had imagined doing before. As Indie Wire states, she decided to give her daughter, Mamie, a break-out role in one of her films Ricki and the Flash. Fortunately for them, the film was a hit and it only made Meryl’s fans love her even more.
15 Johnny Depp And Lily-Rose Depp
Johnny Depp is definitely one of Hollywood’s biggest stars. He hasn’t ever stopped working and in fact, lately, he has been releasing movies almost every single year!
It’s not surprising that he had decided to work alongside his daughter: Lily-Rose Depp (who he fathered with Vanessa Paradis) a couple of times now.
As Grazia Daily reveals, Lily-Rose thought it was amazing to work with her family members in Yoga Hosers (2016) as she was able to work up close with two of the most talented people she knows: her famous mum and dad. Yes, Vanessa Paradis was also in this movie, talk about a modern family!
14 John Travolta And Ella Bleu
John Travolta is back! He has been seen in the studios, making a new movie alongside his daughter, Ella Bleu, as the Daily Mail reports. And even though the Travoltas are a very private family, especially since the passing of their son Jett a couple of years ago, it seems like John is trying to connect more with his fans.
However, this is not the first time the two of them worked together. In fact, when Ella was only a child she appeared in her dad’s movie Old Dogs back in 2009 and she was loved by fans.
13 Jada Pinkett Smith And Willow Smith
Talk about some Hollywood darlings! Jada Pinkett Smith and her daughter Willow Smith have worked together on several occasions. In the family movies called Madagascar one and two. Even though the movies are animated she still got to work with her mum!
According to IMDB, these movies are not the first time Willow has worked with one of her parents. In fact, she also starred in the successful movie I am Legend alongside her renowned dad, Will Smith. The movie was well-received in the box office and with her fans, making Willow a household name.
12 Michael Douglas And Kirk Douglas
Talent definitely runs in the Douglas family. Senior Kirk Douglas, his son Michael Douglas, and Michael’s son Cameron Douglas have all be in the entertainment industry for over 40 years now.
The Douglases represent the old Hollywood glamour that has even shaped how families work together in their movies.
According to IMDB, the Douglases participated in a movie called It Runs in the Family back in 2003. Such an appropriate title isn’t it? Even though the movie received bad reviews most of the time, it was a great opportunity for this family to work together.
11 Jon Voight And Angelina Jolie
Another Hollywood ‘it’ family! Not many people know that Jon Voight is Angelina Jolie’s dad. Jon has had his fair share of movies in Hollywood, in fact, some argue that he was the one to invite Angelina to start her work as an actress as she appeared in a movie called Lookin’ to Get Out when she was only seven years old, alongside her dad and mom.
But it wasn’t until they both appeared in Lara Croft: Tomb Raider in 2001 where he played Jolie character’s father. As E Online reports, this movie allowed the father and daughter to reconcile and reconnect again after a rocky patch in their relationship.
10 Tina Fey And Alice Richmond
Tina Fey is definitely one of the most-loved TV personalities in history! She has starred in several successful TV shows over the last two decades. And recently she has been making movies non-stop, something her loyal fans are delighted about.
But it wasn’t until she starred in 30 Rock where she was able to work alongside her oldest daughter.
Alice made a guest appearance in the famous show. She can be seen pulling some funny faces in her cameo, leading fans to quickly comment how much she looked like her mom Tina, according to EW.
9 Susan Sarandon And Eva Amour
Another Hollywood A-lister, Susan Sarandon has been captivating her fans’ hearts for more than three decades! She is one of the best female actresses and leading ladies and is very much loved all over the world as the characters she portrays are usually so down-to-earth and everybody can relate to them.
According to IMDB, Sarandon and Amurri decided to work together in the film called The Banger Sisters back in 2002. Sarandon played Amurri’s mom and the movie was well-received. They also shared some screen time when they both made guests appearances in Friends, the famous TV sitcom.
8 Ben Stiller And Jerry Stiller
According to Zimbio, Ben Stiller and his actor dad Jerry Stiller have appeared on a couple of movies together, from Zoolander to Heavyweights and Heartbreak Kid. So it was only a matter of time before this dynamic duo would work together in some movies.
Moreover, it has been said that Ben Stiller has taken some parts of his personal life to be used as a source of inspiration for his latest movies or projects.
And what else can one expect from him if he is the son of Stiller and Meara, a husband and wife comedy duo that was really popular back in the '70s?
7 Gwyneth Paltrow And Blythe Danner
When thinking about famous families who have acted together, Gwyneth Paltrow and her mom Blythe Danner always come to mind. This is because the famous pair has co-starred in several movies together, such as Sylvia, but they also co-starred at the beginning of Gwyneth’s acting stint in a play.
As People reveals, Danner feels she was too harsh on her daughter Gwyneth, especially since she was only 18 years old when they decided to work on a classical play by Anton Chekhov together. According to Gwyneth, though, she wasn’t really good at playing Nina, her character.
6 Kiefer Sutherland And Donald Sutherland
Kiefer and Donald have been working in Hollywood for over 40 years. Donald has been one of the most sought-after actors for many decades. He has had a great acting stint, and it has been said that whenever Kiefer used to go with his dad to work, he would be mesmerized by everything his famous dad did.
According to This is Insider, it wasn’t until 1983 that the opportunity of working together came up, in a movie called Max Dugan Returns.
They later did another movie together A Time to Kill in 1996, which was a successful movie in the box office. In 2015 both Donald and Kiefer worked together most recently in a movie called Forsaken.
Celebs who hide their children away from the limelight:
5 George Clooney And Amal Clooney
George Clooney had the title of ‘One of Hollywood’s most famous single actors’ for a number of years. In fact, all of his fans thought he was never going to get married, as they thought it was almost impossible for someone to come along and make Clooney fall in love.
However, things gave an unexpected turn when he met the international human rights lawyer Amal Clooney in 2013 and he fell in love with her.
According to E Online, Clooney has made a couple of jokes to the media on what is like to be a father, but this couple is very private and will not be showing their twins (at least not intentionally) any time soon.
4 Cardi B And Offset
One of the most-loved rappers in the world, Cardi B, gave birth to her daughter Kulture Kiari Cephus in 2018. All of her fans were waiting to see what Kulture looks like, but Cardi B immediately told them that it was her private life and they should respect it, especially since they are talking about a small baby.
As Capital Xtra mentions, a day after Cardi B announced her split from Offset, she uploaded a photo of their daughter Kulture on her social media accounts. This was the first time her fans were able to see her little girl's face, and it probably is the last time as well, as Cardi B has stated that she values her privacy.
3 Ryan Gosling And Eva Mendes
Ryan Gosling and Eva Mendes are definitely one of the most private couples in Hollywood, as they rarely talk about their personal life in the interviews they give.
This is one of the reasons why they have hidden their daughters from the limelight.
However, there have been a couple of interviews where Gosling is heard discussing his life with his two daughters and longtime partner Eva. As Elle has revealed, Ryan is absolutely in love with their daughters and would do anything he possibly can to protect them… even from the spotlight!
2 Alexis Bledel And Vincent Kartheiser
The whole world was surprised once they found out Alexis Bledel and her husband Vincent Kartheiser had given birth to a boy a couple of months earlier! Nobody suspected and nobody knew anything about it. How on earth were they able to hide her pregnancy from the media? This is still astonishing news to some!
According to People, it was Alexis’ rep who confirmed the news, two months after the birth of their son. Needless to say that it is almost impossible to find a photograph of this boy, as he is very, very protected by his parents.
1 Chris Hemsworth And Elsa Pataky
Chris Hemsworth and his wife Elsa Pataky have decided to keep their children away from the spotlight and will permanently stay in Australia, which is where they are currently living.
This decision was made after the family was photographed non-stop by paparazzi every time they were in Los Angeles.
According to E Online, the pair is really private and would like to remain in that way. Chris has spoken about sharing a photograph of their children with their followers, but he always makes sure their faces will not actually appear on the photograph.
Sources: E Online, This is Insider, People, Zimbio
