Stars You Didn't Know Had Famous Parents

Nepotism runs rife in Hollywood, as famous parents open doors for their children to enter the gnarly world of glitz and glamor. The term "nepo baby" gets thrown around a lot to describe this type of star. However, there are many who reject this label, believing it discredits their own talent and hard work. Then, there are others, like Jack Quaid — the son of Dennis Quaid and Meg Ryan — who agrees that his parentage helped him to get ahead in his career faster than others.

Regardless of which side of the argument anyone takes here, Hollywood loves its second- or third-generation stars — and this isn't about to change anytime soon. Yet, there are some family connections that are less obvious than others — whether it's because of different surnames or simply the star in question being low-key about the familial relationship. Quite often, these examples result in the average person turning into the Leonardo DiCaprio pointing meme when they find out about the relationship and saying: "Oh, I thought they looked similar!" With that said, let's jump right in and take a look at the big celebrities you didn't know had famous parents.

Jessica Capshaw tasted success in two of the biggest genres of procedural television: legal and medical. She's best known for her role as Jamie Stringer in "The Practice" and Dr. Arizona Robbins in "Grey's Anatomy." Undoubtedly, the latter remains her most recognizable part, even if the Shondaland production features a host of weird things that medical TV shows always get wrong.

Jessica's mother is Kate Capshaw, whom movie fans might know as Willie Scott from 1984's "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom." After working with director Steven Spielberg on the set of the famous action-adventure movie, Kate married him years later in 1991. Through the marriage to Kate, Spielberg became Jessica's stepfather.

Chatting on the "Call It What It Is" podcast, which Jessica hosts with "Grey's Anatomy" co-star Camilla Luddington, she discussed what it was like bringing her boyfriends home to such a famous household. "I had a lot of guy friends as well as, you know, boyfriends, and people were always at my house," Jessica said. "And my family was always just very welcoming, and I had so many younger siblings, they were so much fun to play with. And it was just, like, a fun house. And I think that all my friends really loved being at my house."

One glance at Jason Schwartzman's IMDb page shows he's a busy man. While younger fans are more likely to recognize him as the voice of the villainous antagonist Spot from the animated film "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse," he's built up quite the collaborative relationship with director Wes Anderson over the years, appearing in films such as "Rushmore," "The Grand Budapest Hotel," and "Asteroid City." In addition to this, he's also a musician, having been a member of the rock group Phantom Planet.

Schwartzman belongs to one of Hollywood's most prestigious dynasties: the Coppola family. Through his mother Talia Shire — better known as Adrian Balboa in the "Rocky" series and Connie Corleone in "The Godfather" films — Schwartzman is the nephew of filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola and cousin of Nicolas Cage and Sofia Coppola.

Appearing on "Overheard with Evan Smith," Schwartzman admitted he wasn't sure if it was his family's involvement in the entertainment industry that drew him to it, but he acknowledged it might have been a factor. "I don't know," he said. "Maybe if it is around you, where families are involved in one trade ... maybe it's just because you're surrounded — I don't know. I just know that from a young age, I felt very drawn to music."

Tracee Ellis Ross took the world of television by storm in the early 2000s. In the sitcom "Girlfriends," she plays the lead role of Joan Clayton for eight seasons. However, Tracee's undeniable talent shines the brightest in the comedy series "Black-ish," where she portrays Dr. Rainbow "Bow" Johnson across eight seasons. Her performance in "Black-ish" received critical acclaim from all quarters, seeing her nominated for six Emmy Awards.

On a personal front, Tracee's mother is the irrepressible singer Diana Ross, a bona fide music legend and the former lead vocalist of the Supremes. Tracee's father, Robert Ellis Silberstein, is also well known in the entertainment industry since he worked as a music manager for artists such as Meat Loaf and Status Quo.

Speaking about Diana on "Tamron Hall," Tracee explained how she's close to her mother and never felt overshadowed by the "I'm Coming Out" singer when she was younger. "People always say, 'What was it like growing up in your mother's shadow?' I never felt like I was in her shadow," Tracee said. "I grew up in her embrace. I grew up in my mother's arms, in her love."

Marvel fans recognize Wyatt Russell as John Walker, aka U.S. Agent, in the Disney+ series "The Falcon and the Winter Soldier" and the "Thunderbolts*" team-up movie. However, he also puts in memorable performances in films such as "Night Swim" and "Overlord." Another one of his most famous roles is as the young Lee Shaw in Apple TV+'s "Monarch: Legacy of Monsters." Who plays the older Lee, though? None other than Wyatt's real-life father, Kurt Russell.

In some instances, one cannot ignore the striking resemblance between child and parent — look at Mick Jagger's son who looks just like the famous musician. The same holds true for Wyatt, as he's a dead ringer for his father. Kurt Russell isn't Wyatt's only famous parent, though, since his mother is the Academy Award- and Golden Globe-winning actor Goldie Hawn. Through Hawn's previous marriage to Bill Hudson, Wyatt is the half-brother to Kate and Oliver Hudson.

Speaking to Variety, Wyatt and Kurt mentioned how they never talk about acting to each other. However, when they appeared in "Monarch: Legacy of Monsters," they were forced to have a conversation about how to tackle the same character in different eras, since their personalities and approaches differ. "I'm considered a little more laid back than my dad," Wyatt said. "I'm considered lankier, I'm languid and maybe goofier. Then I had to tell myself I couldn't rest on those instincts because that's not what he would do."

Riley Keough possesses an envious filmography. From "Mad Max: Fury Road" to "The Lodge" and "Daisy Jones & the Six," Keough transcends multiple genres and aesthetics, establishing herself as a powerful and talented all-rounder in the acting field.

She's also a member of the iconic Presley family, thanks to her mother Lisa Marie Presley. Resultantly, her grandparents are the legendary Elvis and Priscilla Presley. While Keough's father is musician Danny Keough, she had two famous stepfathers in the form of Michael Jackson and Nicolas Cage, who were both married to her mother in the past.

The heart-wrenching death of Lisa Marie Presley hit everyone hard in 2023, especially her daughter. Speaking to People in September 2024, Keough discussed the experience of finishing her mother's memoir, "From Here to the Great Unknown," as a way of showing the world who Lisa Marie really was. She said: "Because my mother was Elvis Presley's daughter, she was constantly talked about, argued over and dissected. What she wanted to do in her memoir, and what I hope I've done in finishing it for her, is to go beneath the magazine headline idea of her and reveal the core of who she was."

In terms of young actors taking over Hollywood, no one can dispute Lewis Pullman's major career strides in recent times. He entered the highway to the danger zone in 2022's "Top Gun: Maverick" before taking the lead role of Ben Mears in the 2024 adaptation of the Stephen King novel "Salem's Lot." In between all this, he found the time to play Rhett Abbott in the star-studded Prime Video series "Outer Range."

Lewis' father is actor Bill Pullman. The elder Pullman dominated cinema in the '90s through pitch-perfect performances in films such as "Sleepless in Seattle," "Wyatt Earp," "While You Were Sleeping," and "Independence Day" (where arguably it's his character, President Whitmore, who saves the world from an alien invasion because of his swift and effective decision-making).

In 2023, Lewis told People that he comes from "a real creative family" and that his father always encouraged him to chase his acting dreams. "Once I decided that's what I wanted to do, my dad was never like, 'You've got to do it,' or 'You shouldn't do this,'" Lewis said. "He was just like, 'Give it a shot. Whatever kaleidoscope you want to look at life through, if it feels good, do it.'"

On the television side of showbiz, Grace Gummer has starred in a number of highly acclaimed series. From "The Newsroom" to "American Horror Story" and "Mr. Robot," it's more than likely that viewers have seen Gummer appear in one of their favorite shows throughout the years. Gummer's sister is fellow actor Mamie Gummer, who has appeared in television shows such as "Emily Owens, M.D." and "The Good Wife" as well as movies like "Side Effects" and "Ricki and the Flash."

Spare a thought for the Gummer sisters, though. Not only do they have to face the fierce competitiveness in Hollywood for roles, but they also need to contend with the fact their mother is Meryl Streep — arguably one of the greatest actors of all time. Inevitably, they will always be compared to their mom, no matter what.

In a 2014 interview with Refinery29, Grace said it actually helps to have relatives in show business. "We're a really close family, so we talk about everything," she said. "I think as any other family would sit down and give each other advice about life and work, we definitely do since we know the business that we're in. It's easier to talk about it with each other."

Toby Stephens is one of those actors whom everyone recognizes but whose name they can't always remember. He has done it all, though — from being a thorn in 007's side as the Bond villain Gustav Graves in "Die Another Day" to plundering the high seas as pirate Captain Flint in "Black Sails" and traversing the cosmos as John Robinson in "Lost in Space."

Toby's parentage may shock those who don't know about his legacy: He's the son of celebrated British actors Sir Robert Stephens and Dame Maggie Smith. In an interview with Associated Press in 2015, Toby explained how he doesn't want to be defined as an actor because of who his parents were. Instead, he wants to be judged on his own merits and contributions. That said, he's acutely aware of his parents' influence in the world of film and television. "At the same time, I'm immensely proud of her," Toby said of his mother. "I adore her, and I adore her work. I'm staggered by it."

Sir Robert died in 1995 at the age of 64. On September 27, 2024, Maggie Smith — famous for her roles in the "Harry Potter" movies and "Downton Abbey" — died at the age of 89.

It feels like Margaret Qualley has been on our screens forever. Unquestionably, it's a testament to her ability as an actor to build on the success of early roles in "The Leftovers" and "The Nice Guys" and evolve into a powerhouse performer in more mature roles such as "Maid" and "The Substance." Filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos sees something special in her, as he's cast her in both "Poor Things" and "Kinds of Kindness" — the latter required her to play four different roles.

If Qualley looks somewhat familiar, it's because her mother is Andie MacDowell — and no one can deny the genes are strong in both mother and daughter. Much like her daughter, MacDowell challenges herself as a performer and doesn't always appear in a singular genre or archetypal role.

MacDowell and Qualley play mother and daughter in Netflix's "Maid" miniseries. Speaking to E! News in 2021, Qualley revealed it was her suggestion for them to be paired together on screen. There was only one issue: She didn't ask her mother first. "That was the one thing I hadn't checked," Qualley said. "But I was lucky enough that she wanted to do it, and then she was stuck with me for almost nine months. So, thank you, Mom!"

Allison Williams' breakthrough role was as Marnie Michaels in "Girls." After that, she shocked viewers as Rose Armitage in 2017's "Get Out," terrified in 2018's "The Perfection," and participated in the sleeper horror hit of 2022, "M3GAN." Due to her choice of film roles, she's established herself as something of a modern-day scream queen.

Allison's father, Brian Williams, is a familiar face to television viewers, as he served as a longtime news anchor for NBC and MSNBC. Infamously, Brian found himself in hot water in 2015 after he made claims about certain events during the Iraq War that were found to be inaccurate. Subsequently, he apologized for his statements, but he was removed from his spot on "NBC Nightly News" and moved to MSNBC.

Allison didn't shy away from defending her father in a conversation with Seth Meyers in 2015. She said: "My dad has always been there for us, 100% of the time, even sometimes before we knew we needed him ... To be here for him is the least we can do right now. And one thing this experience has not done is shake my trust and belief in him as a man. He's a really good man."

Oh, how far Zoey Deutch has come since she played Maya Bennett in Disney's "The Suite Life on Deck" and Juliet Martin in "Ringer" in the early 2010s. Since then, she scored a lead role in Netflix's "The Politician" and charmed the audience alongside Glen Powell in the rom-com "Set It Up."

Zoey is the daughter of director Howard Deutch and actor Lea Thompson. Yes, that Lea Thompson, of "Back to the Future" and "Howard the Duck" fame.

Speaking to Net-A-Porter in 2019, Zoey explained how she grew up on sets — both figuratively and literally — hence her belief that she was born to be an actor. "You know, my first steps were taken on a movie set," she said. "My first word was 'lipstick,' in my mom's makeup trailer. It was 100% my deepest desire [to perform]." Zoey added that her parents never bought into the glitz and glamor aspect of Hollywood, so she got to see that it's work that requires time, effort, and sacrifice to succeed.

Netflix's "The Perfect Couple" received over 52.6 million views in approximately three weeks, according to Deadline. The show's success turned Eve Hewson, who plays Amelia Sacks, into a household name in 2024. She was no newcomer to the industry, though, as she previously starred in shows like "The Knick" and "The Luminaries" as well as movies such as "Bridge of Spies" and "Robin Hood."

Success is something that Hewson's father, Bono, knows all about as he's the lead singer of rock band U2. He has received 22 Grammy Awards and was inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2005, all while continuing to perform all over the world and automatically adding U2's "Songs of Innocence" to people's iTunes accounts in 2014. (Do yourself a favor and read about how the release of this contentious album forms a critical part of the messed up truth about the 2010s music industry.)

Despite Hewson's triumphs as a performer, she revealed to "Today" in 2022 that her parents didn't want her to become an actor. "I think they just wanted me to be a lawyer, or an architect, or something normal and fancy," Hewson said. "And I think when I was a teenager ... saying that I wanted to be an actress, I don't know if they believed me." Hewson added that she believed it was a test from her parents to see how badly she wanted to become an actor.