Famous FamiliesEvery elite, out-of-touch, sickeningly rich celebrity was once a tiny helpless baby. It had parents, grandparents, maybe siblings, cousins, aunts, uncles, godparents...
Becoming a star is easy. All you need is a little talent, some ingenuity, lots of grit, a bit of good luck, and a great big dream. Just kidding: What you really need is a famous parent. This is a list of current stars of film, TV, and music who are the sons and daughters of famous people. Some of these are brand new faces just rising in their first big roles, while others are finally booming after years of flying under the radar. Some have been famous in their own right for a while already. Maybe some are just successful because of nepotism.
Which faces of the big and small screen (and radio) were created by other famous faces? Oh, Mariska Hargitay, for example. The lovely star of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit is the daughter of bodybuilder / plant aficionado Mickey Hargitay and early blonde bombshell Jayne Mansfield. Hargitay was only three and a half years old when Mansfield was killed in a car accident. Hargitay and her two brothers were in the car at the time.Â
Other TV stars with famous parents include Girls stars Allison Williams and Zosia Mamet. Williams is the daughter of NBC Nightly News anchor Brian Williams, and Mamet is the daughter of Glengarry Glen Ross writer David Mamet. Eve Hewson, who stars in Cinemax's The Knick and Bridge of Spies, is the daughter of U2 frontman Paul Hewson, aka Bono. Katie Cassidy, who stars in The CW series Arrow, is the daughter of 1970s heartthrob David Cassidy. And Tony Goldwyn, who plays President Grant on Scandal, is the grandson of media mogul Samuel Goldwyn - as in Metro Goldwyn Mayer.
Take a look at these apples who have not fallen far from their respective trees, and rest assured that even in Hollywood, anything is possible if you have the right connections (like to a famous parent - maybe Bono or Meryl Streep).Â
Margaret Qualley, who starred in HBO's The Leftovers and in the live action adaptation of Death Note, is the daughter of actress Andie MacDowell with Paul Qualley.
Billie Lourd, who appears in American Horror Story and plays Lieutenant Connix in the new Star Wars films, is the daughter of actress Carrie Fisher with Bryan Lourd.
Rosemary's Baby star and frequent Woody Allen collaborator Mia Farrow is the daughter of Maureen O'Sullivan, who played Jane in the Tarzan movies of the 1930s and '40s, with screenwriter John Farrow.
