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Celebrities You Didn’t Know Were Related

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 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.

Source: Al Pereira / WireImage via Getty Images

1. Lenny Kravitz and Al Roker
> Relationship: Distant cousins

Source: Kevin Winter / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images

2. Jonah Hill and Beanie Feldstein
> Relationship: Brother-sister

Source: Kevin Mazur / WireImage via Getty Images

3. Snoop Dogg and Brandy
> Relationship: Cousins

Source: Mark Davis / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images

4. Ron Howard and Bryce Dallas Howard
> Relationship: Father-daughter

Source: Alberto E. Rodriguez / Getty Images

5. Gloria Steinem and Christian Bale
> Relationship: Stepmother-son

Source: Frederick M. Brown / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images

6. Whitney Houston and Dionne Warwick
> Relationship: Cousins

Source: Alberto E. Rodriguez / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images

7. Brendan Gleeson and Domhnall Gleeson
> Relationship: Father-son

Source: Michael S. Schwartz / WireImage via Getty Images

8. Rob Schneider and Elle King
> Relationship: Father-daughter

Source: Jeff Kravitz / FilmMagic, Inc via Getty Images

9. Julia Roberts and Emma Roberts
> Relationship: Aunt-niece

Source: Bettmann / Bettmann via Getty Images

10. Janet Leigh and Jamie Lee Curtis
> Relationship: Mother-daughter

Source: Archive Photos / Archive Photos via Getty Images

11. Jackie Gleason and Jason Patric
> Relationship: Grandfather-grandson

Source: Timothy Hiatt / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images

12. George Wendt and Jason Sudeikis
> Relationship: Uncle-nephew

Source: Rich Fury / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images

13. Steven Spielberg and Jessica Capshaw
> Relationship: Stepfather-daughter

Source: Allen Berezovsky / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images

14. Denzel Washington and John David Washington
> Relationship: Father-son

Source: Kevin Winter / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images

15. Barbra Streisand and Josh Brolin
> Relationship: Stepmother-son

Source: Jason Merritt / Getty Images

16. Gwyneth Paltrow and Katherine Moennig
> Relationship: Cousins

Source: Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images

17. Bruce Dern and Laura Dern
> Relationship: Father-daughter

Source: Jon Furniss / WireImage via Getty Images

18. Alfie Allen and Lily Allen
> Relationship: Brother-sister

Source: Jim Spellman / WireImage via Getty Images

19. Phil Collins and Lily Collins
> Relationship: Father-daughter

Source: Kimberly White / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images

20. Bonnie Bedelia and Macaulay Culkin
> Relationship: Aunt-nephew

Source: Daniele Venturelli / WireImage via Getty Images

21. Andie MacDowell and Margaret Qualley
> Relationship: Mother-daughter

Source: Jenny Anderson / WireImage via Getty Images

22. Jenny McCarthy and Melissa McCarthy
> Relationship: Cousins

Source: Paras Griffin / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images

23. Ludacris and Monica
> Relationship: Cousins

Source: L. Cohen / WireImage via Getty Images

24. Francis Ford Coppola and Nicolas Cage
> Relationship: Uncle-nephew

Source: GONZALO/Bauer-Griffin / GC Images via Getty Images

25. Cameron Diaz and Nicole Richie
> Relationship: In-laws

Source: Bruce Glikas / FilmMagic via Getty Images

26. Scott Foley and Patrick Wilson
> Relationship: In-laws

Source: L. Cohen / WireImage via Getty Images

27. Jake Gyllenhaal and Peter Sarsgaard
> Relationship: In-laws

Source: Vivien Killilea / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images

28. Quincy Jones and Rashida Jones
> Relationship: Father-daughter

Source: Frederick M. Brown / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images

29. Berry Gordy and Redfoo
> Relationship: Father-son

Source: Courtesy of Lions Gate Films

30. Sissy Spacek and Rip Torn
> Relationship: Cousins

Source: Jamie McCarthy / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images

31. Blake Lively and Robyn Lively
> Relationship: Half-sisters

Source: Alberto E. Rodriguez / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images

32. Warren Beatty and Shirley MacLaine
> Relationship: Brother-sister

Source: Gregg DeGuire / FilmMagic via Getty Images

33. Emily Blunt and Stanley Tucci
> Relationship: In-laws

Source: Emma McIntyre /VF19 / WireImage via Getty Images

34. Diana Ross and Tracee Ellis Ross
> Relationship: Mother-daughter

Source: Stuart C. Wilson / Getty Images

35. Tom Cruise and William Mapother
> Relationship: Cousins

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