Pop Culture

After Home Alone became the highest-grossing comedy of the &#39;90s, its young star was heralded as&nbsp;one of the most popular and financially successful child actors of all time. <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/what-happened-to-macaulay-culkin/zack-howe" target="_blank">Macaulay Culkin</a>&#39;s&nbsp;celebrity status and natural acting chops catapulted his financial portfolio into the <a href="https://www.eonline.com/news/1068042/inside-kieran-and-macaulay-culkin-s-uneasy-relationship-with-fame" target="_blank">$50 million</a>&nbsp;range.&nbsp;However, behind the scenes, his father was trying to manage every aspect of his life.

Kit Culkin acted as his son&rsquo;s manager, and reportedly physically and verbally abused the Home Alone star. He became known as a bully around Hollywood, even attempting to take&nbsp;creative control of his son&rsquo;s films away from studio executives and producers.&nbsp;

At the age of 14, Macaulay decided to give up acting. Allegedly, his <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/whoa-culkin-family-facts/mallory-weiler" target="_blank">turbulent relationship</a> with his father was a prime factor.

The Turbulent Relationship Between Macaulay And His Father, Kit Culkin

General

Macaulay Culkin & His Dad's Turbulent Relationship, Explained

Ann Casano

Look: Some people have so much money that they just can't possibly live normal lives or even behave like regular human people. These are their stories.

Lifestyles of the Very Wealthy

Trending on Ranker

From the outside looking in, <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/celebrities-born-into-wealthy-families/celebrity-lists?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">being born into a wealthy family</a> can seem like winning the lottery. Literally! Instead of struggling to get a job that pays enough so a person can pay their rent and buy food, an heir to a fortune often lives a life of luxury - they live in mansions, go to the most exclusive schools, and travel&nbsp;all over the world.

Unfortunately,&nbsp;just because someone is born into or inherits millions&nbsp;doesn&#39;t mean they&#39;ll spend&nbsp;that money wisely. The list below contains&nbsp;just a few examples of some of the bizarre ways in which heirs to wealthy companies have spent their fortunes. Which of the examples below do you think are the strangest ways in which a wealthy heir to a big company spent their inheritance?

The Most Bizarre Things That Heirs To Famous Companies Did With Their Money

Bizarre Things Heirs To Famous Companies Did With Their Money

TGWrites

Celebrities

Debbie Reynolds and Carrie Fisher&#39;s relationship is a story so Hollywood, it&#39;s no wonder it became the basis for a <a href="https://www.vulture.com/2016/12/postcards-from-the-edge-carrie-fisher-debbie-reynolds.html" target="_blank">starry,&nbsp;Oscar-nominated film</a>. Reynolds was one of the most acclaimed actresses from the Golden Age of Hollywood, while her daughter&nbsp;Fisher&nbsp;created one of the most iconic&nbsp;female heroines in cinematic history. Their relationship was tumultuous and complicated, but&nbsp;their love for each other never waned.

Reynolds was the darling of Hollywood in the 1950s, with the classic musical&nbsp;Singin&#39; in the Rain&nbsp;becoming not only her defining role but one of the defining films of the era. Though she continued to be a working actress up until her passing at the age of 84, the leading lady roles rapidly declined once she hit 40.

Her daughter&nbsp;Fisher&nbsp;grew up in her shadow - and the difficulties didn&#39;t end there. When she was just two years old, her father&nbsp;Eddie Fisher&nbsp;notoriously left her mother for Elizabeth Taylor. Fisher&nbsp;later became dependent on&nbsp;illicit substances&nbsp;and alcohol at a young age and, in her 20s, was diagnosed with bipolar disorder.

The two strong-willed women often did not get along. However, they eventually put aside their differences. Fisher passed two days after Christmas in 2016. Then, like a Hollywood movie with an unbelievable ending, Reynolds passed the next day. Here&#39;s a look inside their relationship.

Inside Debbie Reynolds And Carrie Fisher’s Rocky But Loving Mother-Daughter Relationship

Inside Debbie Reynolds & Carrie Fisher’s Relationship As Mother & Daughter

Students learn a&nbsp;ton&nbsp;about historical figures throughout school, but classes usually focus on the major cornerstone moments of these people&#39;s lives and their contributions to history. What about the smaller details, such as what happened to the children of historical figures? Many well-known&nbsp;historical people actually have <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/historical-figures-with-living-family/alby-thompson" target="_blank">family living today</a>. Others had children who went on to contribute to history in their own, perhaps less noteworthy (but no less interesting), ways.&nbsp;

From the mystery surrounding the disappearance of Aaron Burr&#39;s daughter to the princess who dedicated her life to being by Queen Victoria&#39;s side, the figures featured here were crucial parts of their parents&#39; lives. However, their stories are likely nowhere to be found in history textbooks. Vote up the figures whose stories deserve to be told.

What Actually Happened To Historical Figures' Kids

Person

What Happened To Children Of Historical Figures

Garri Chaverst

Wealth

<a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/members-of-the-rockefeller-family/reference" target="_blank">The Rockefeller family</a> history is steeped in industrial and political accomplishments that have played a significant role in the shaping of America. As brothers John D.&nbsp;and William Rockefeller rose to social prominence during the late 19th century, their company - <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/notable-standard-oil-employees/reference" target="_blank">Standard Oil</a> - became a significant force in the&nbsp;booming fossil fuels industry, and established the roots for&nbsp;the generational wealth that still supports their descendants to this day.

The Rockefellers&#39; business interests, coupled with their forays into politics (with Nelson Rockefeller even ascending as high as the vice presidency),&nbsp;cemented them as one of the most famous and influential families in American history. A case could be made that much of&nbsp;20th century America&#39;s growth and development can be&nbsp;credited&nbsp;to this New York City dynasty, as they undoubtedly impacted the lives of&nbsp;millions&nbsp;in a variety of ways. That impact, however, was not always positive.

The Rockefellers are not without their secrets or controversies. From labor disputes&nbsp;to monopolies&nbsp;to foreign coups&nbsp;to the mysterious <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/what-happened-to-michael-rockefeller/rachel-souerbry" target="_blank">disappearance of Michael C. Rockefeller</a>, some stories about the Rockefellers cast a dark shadow over their illustrious accomplishments.

The Surprisingly Dark History Of The Rockefeller Family

The Dark History of the Rockefeller Family

Harrison Tenpas

Every elite, out-of-touch, sickeningly rich celebrity was once a tiny helpless baby. It had parents, grandparents, maybe siblings, cousins, aunts, uncles, godparents...

Famous Families

Curses

Legends&nbsp;of curses have permeated practically every culture throughout history. For example, many curses from Ancient Egypt threaten tragedy and destruction -&nbsp;and on occasion, these threats seem to have&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/ancient-egyptian-curses-unleashed-by-archaeologists/tamar-altebarmakian" target="_blank">been fulfilled</a>. Within the realms of modern history, many believe curses also affect some of the world&#39;s most prominent families. Judging by these cases, fame&nbsp;and money appear to go hand-in-hand with&nbsp;a high susceptibility to curses.&nbsp;

Certain major families have suffered from countless <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/mysterious-political-deaths/jacob-shelton" target="_blank">mysterious losses</a>, horrifying coincidences, and some of the worst&nbsp;luck ever documented. Is something actually plaguing these families, or are all these instances the result of coincidence? Read through the best-known examples of famous family curses to judge for yourself.

11 Famous Historical Families With Eerie Curses You Can't Deny

Famous Family Curses Throughout History

Chase Christy

During the Gilded Age, the mass accumulation of money by families like the Vanderbilts changed the economic,&nbsp;social, and physical&nbsp;landscape&nbsp;of the United States. The <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/members-of-the-vanderbilt-family/reference" target="_blank">Vanderbilt family&#39;s</a>&nbsp;wealth grew out of the shipping and railroad industries, both of which were largely monopolized by the the family patriarch, Cornelius &quot;Commodore&quot; Vanderbilt, in the late 19th century. His hard work set the foundation for his sons and&nbsp;grandsons to continue making money, but their&nbsp;descendants became less&nbsp;inclined to earn and more likely to spend.

As it goes in&nbsp;many wealthy families&mdash;<a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/dark-rockefeller-family-facts/harrison-tenpas" target="_blank">such as the Rockefellers</a>,&nbsp;for instance&mdash;the Vanderbilts were prone to excess. <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/over-the-top-homes/erin-cody" target="_blank">The houses</a>, the luxury, and the spectacle that defined&nbsp;the Vanderbilt family eventually brought about their decline from atop the&nbsp;financial and social ladders they once dominated.

How The Vanderbilts Blew Their Fortune And Went From American Royalty To Flat-Out Broke

Melissa Sartore

History

What do Tilda Swinton, Christopher Plummer, and King Princess have in common? They&#39;re all celebrities with famous ancestors.

All of the celebs on this list aren&#39;t distantly <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/related-historical-figures/daveesons" target="_blank">related to notable historical figures</a> - these individuals can actually claim direct descent from at least one historically significant ancestor. Celebrity ancestors include royals, politicians, and artists -&nbsp;in other words, accomplished people who are known outside&nbsp;the context of their famous descendant.&nbsp;

Whether they appeared on&nbsp;a genealogy show - like PBS&#39;s&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/celebrity-finding-your-roots-revelations/carly-silver" target="_blank">Finding Your Roots</a>,&nbsp;African American Lives, or the BBC&#39;s&nbsp;Who Do You Think You Are?&nbsp;- or grew up hearing about their famous ancestors, these actors, musicians, and personalities are appreciative&nbsp;of their storied backgrounds.

11 Celebrities Whose Ancestors Made History

Setareh Janda

<a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/joaquin-phoenix-movies-and-films-and-filmography/ranker-film" target="_blank">Joaquin Phoenix</a> is a wildly controversial actor. He&#39;s been simultaneously praised as a master of his craft&mdash;winning both a Grammy and a Golden Globe for his work on Walk the Line&mdash;and slammed for faking a mental illness in a two-year ruse put on for a fake documentary. However,&nbsp;Joaquin&#39;s <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/weird-joaquin-phoenix-facts/anncasano">controversial nature</a>&nbsp;comes as no surprise, considering his shocking family history. From narrowly escaping the Family International Cult (formerly known as the Children of God), to the untimely&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/river-phoenix-sad-life-facts/katia-kleyman">death of River Phoenix</a> outside the Viper Room in 1993, the Phoenix family is plagued with misfortune.

Joaquin is the middle child in a family of five. His mother Arlyn, a Manhattan divorcee, moved to California in 1968 where she met Joaquin&#39;s father, John Lee Bottom, while hitchhiking. After having River, Joaquin&#39;s eldest brother, the Phoenix family <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/celebrities-who-were-raised-in-cults/celebrity-lists" target="_blank">joined the infamous Children of God&nbsp;cult</a>. 

The Phoenix clan&nbsp;escaped the cult and eventually moved to Hollywood, where they&nbsp;launched the careers of all five of their children: Joaquin, Rain, Summer, Liberty, and River, who was the first to find mega-stardom after his role in Stand By Me.

Joaquin&#39;s family may have been destined for Hollywood fame, but trouble, heartbreak, and addiction also run deep&nbsp;in their veins.

14 Heartbreaking Stories From Joaquin Phoenix's Tragic Family

Heartbreaking Stories That Prove Joaquin Phoenix Has The Most Tragic Family In Hollywood History

Mariel Loveland

These are the most dramatic, petty, savage, and entertaining rivalries since Cain & Abel.

Where's the Beef?

Anyone who has grown up with a sibling knows&nbsp;how easily rivalries can develop. The desire of brothers and sisters to&nbsp;outperform each other is a nearly universal emotion,&nbsp;one that transcends social class, culture, and time period. In other words, everyone is prone to this rivalry, even&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/embarrassing-presidential-siblings/melissa-sartore" target="_blank">US presidents</a>.&nbsp;&nbsp;

History is chock-full of famous siblings with particularly juicy beefs. If humans are already naturally inclined toward&nbsp;competing with their sibs, adding power, wealth, or fame to the equation only inflames that tendency. In societies with hereditary governments, siblings have done all kinds of terrible things to each other to seize power for themselves. In more modern times, while dynastic political families do still exist, high-stakes sibling squabbling&nbsp;often plays out in corporate boardrooms or lawsuits. But throughout history, one thing is clear: Family is complicated.

Read on for some&nbsp;of the ugliest sibling rivalries across history.&nbsp;

The Most Bitter Sibling Rivalries In History

The Worst Sibling Rivalries In History

Jim Rowley

Explainer

Drew Barrymore has appeared in some of the most beloved movies of the 1980s, &lsquo;90s, and 2000s. She&rsquo;s a producer, writer/director, and vintner. With a resume like that, you&rsquo;d think she came from a strict family of disciplinarians. In truth, she grew up without a safety net for much of her life, and nearly succumbed to substance dependency.

Born to actor John Drew Barrymore and his wife, Jaid, Drew&rsquo;s parents put her into the entertainment business early; she was only 11 months old when she scored her first gig. But the dependency issues that were long present in her family, coupled with her hard-partying lifestyle, put her on the fast track for self-destruction. After spending more than a year in an institution, Drew Barrymore <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/celebrities-who-divorced-their-parents/celebrity-lists" target="_blank">emancipated herself from her parents</a> to seek some semblance of normalcy.

How did that legal procedure go down? How does Barrymore feel about her decision to extricate herself from her parents now? She&rsquo;s gone on record about her troubled childhood and the way she got out of her toxic relationship with her parents, and she&#39;s actually very positive about the entire experience.

Why Drew Barrymore Emancipated Herself From Her Hollywood Royalty Parents

Why Did Drew Barrymore Emancipate Herself From Her Parents?

Jacob Shelton

Before they were mega-stars, celebrities in every genre were just normal people trying to make their mark in the world. 

Before They Were Famous

Birthdays

Have you ever wondered about celebrities born into wealthy families? These people had money and inheritances before they even became famous. Most actors struggle to pay rent while they are pursuing their Hollywood dreams, but some lucky celebrities were born into wealthy families. Some famous people were even born into acting families, which has helped open doors for them throughout their careers.

Who are some of the celebs who were born rich? Paris Hilton is an heiress to the Hilton family fortune. Her great-grandfather, Conrad Hilton, founded the very successful Hilton Hotels. Seinfeld actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus&#39;s father is billionaire Gerard Louis-Dreyfus, who has an&nbsp;estimated net worth of $4&nbsp;billion.

Paul Giamatti&#39;s father was the president of Yale University&nbsp;and the commissioner of <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/2021-world-series-predictions/pedro-cerrano?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">Major League Baseball</a>, so he&#39;s likely never had an embarrassing side&nbsp;job. This list certainly features some of the heavy hitters when it comes to the highest net worth. Miley Cyrus, for example, was probably one of the richest child actors of all time. Maroon 5 singer Adam Levine&#39;s family has money, and the Mara sisters are practically football royalty.&nbsp;

Parks and Recreation star Rashida Jones was also born to wealthy parents. Her mother is Twin Peaks actress Peggy Lipton and her father is legendary music producer Quincy Jones. A few more of the richest, wealthiest stars who were born into successful families include Kim Kardashian, Giada&nbsp;De Laurentiis, Anderson&nbsp;Cooper, Jake Gyllenhaal, Kyra Sedgwick, and Brooke Shields.&nbsp;

Celebrities Who Were Rich Before They Were Famous

36 Celebrities Who Were Rich Before They Were Famous

Celebrity Lists

Details&nbsp;about the lives of historical figures can be pretty well known. Al Capone, for example, grew up in New York. As one of the prominent crime bosses&nbsp;of the 20th century, Capone spent time at Alcatraz. Cleopatra, on the other hand, was the ruler of Egypt who took two notable lovers, Julius Caesar and Mark Anthony.&nbsp;

Have you ever wondered about the siblings of historical figures? What about Al Capone&#39;s brothers? Or Cleopatra&#39;s sister? And did you even know that Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart had a sister?&nbsp;

Siblings of&nbsp;historical figures often get overlooked. Many of them were successful in ways that, arguably, outshine&nbsp;their more famous siblings. Others, like Oscar Wilde&#39;s sisters, experienced such tragedy that it&#39;s hard to believe we don&#39;t know more about them. Through it all, the siblings of historical figures may have made their brothers and sisters proud, <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/embarrassing-presidential-siblings/melissa-sartore" target="_blank">brought them shame</a>, or even helped them achieve their notoriety. Vote up the siblings of historical figures whose stories surprise you.

Stories About Siblings Of Historical Figures

Firsthand Accounts

Some of Hollywood&#39;s biggest stars, including&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/facts-power-couples/elle-tharp" target="_blank">Kurt Russell</a>, John Lennon, Tom Hanks, and many more, are parents to children who also happen to be famous. Some of these relationships seem to be picture-perfect, while others seem to have had rocky roads. The celebrities in this list give details on what it&#39;s like having famous parents, and share some stories that we can relate to.&nbsp;

These celebrities&#39; kids share what it was like through years of turmoil, happiness, and peace, and discuss moments together that shaped their lives forever.

What Kids Of Stars Have Said About Their Famous Parents

Ivey Nucilli

Often, the only things historical figures leave behind are their deeds and words. Great writing and great songs endure, as do terrible acts. But a legacy is not reserved for these alone. There are many individuals living today whose fathers, mothers, and grandparents are well-known figures - and it can be a challenge&nbsp;to live up to their acclaimed (or reprehensible) reputations.

Yet many of the descendants on this list have carved out their own places in history - often but not always in the same fields as their forebears. Check out these immediate relatives of <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/the-most-influential-people-of-all-time?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">famous historical figures</a>, and vote up the ones that surprise you.

Historical Figures Whose Immediate Family Members Are Still Alive

Alby Thompson

Who are those people who lived in the White House, making appearances and speeches and promises and mistakes? To understand them, you must get to know the spouses, children, and even siblings of U.S. Presidents, past and present. 

The First Family

The Roosevelts were the ultimate power couple during the first half of the 20th century.&nbsp;Both left important political legacies: Franklin Roosevelt was the president who led the United States through the Great Depression and WWII, and&nbsp;fascinating <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/facts-about-eleanor-roosevelt/nicky-benson" target="_blank">facts about Eleanor Roosevelt</a>&#39;s life include how she organized&nbsp;press conferences&nbsp;at the White House exclusively for women journalists.&nbsp;She&nbsp;was a champion for women&#39;s rights and racial equality, and she was appointed as the first female deputy director of the Office of Civilian Defense. Political&nbsp;achievement and support for each other&#39;s ambitions defined both of their lives, but&nbsp;Franklin and Eleanor&#39;s&nbsp;private lives&nbsp;were far less successful than their public personas.

Their&nbsp;marriage began well, and the admiration they had for one another was undeniable, but infidelities and betrayal forced their relationship to change&nbsp;from romantic adoration to mutual respect for one another&#39;s intellectual and political ambitions. They had romantic relations with other people during the span of their marriage and lived the&nbsp;majority of their personal lives separate&nbsp;from one another, but they remained a unit to solidify their legacies.

What Was Franklin And Eleanor Roosevelt's Relationship Really Like?

13 Fascinating Facts About The Roosevelts' Private Life Together

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