Like ’em or hate ’em, nepotism babies in the entertainment are here to stay. While for the most part, they’re incredibly talented in their own right, it’s pretty safe to say that those actors, singers, or performers might not have had the same opportunities without their famous parents.
But some of them have actually had famous grandparents . Like the actors in this list, who are just the latest in a line of nepotism.
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Gia Coppola
Coppola is a filmmaker in her own right, with a number of directorial projects under her belt. Films and videos she’s directed include Palo Alto , Mainstream , and a couple of music videos for Canadian singer Carly Rae Jepsen.
Her famous parent: Gian-Carlo Coppola.
Gian-Carlo Coppola passed away in the 80s, shortly before his daughter would be born. But in his time, he was an actor and producer, most famously producing The Outsiders , a film directed by his own famous father.
Her grandparent: Francis Ford Coppola.
The name kind of gives it away. In fact, Coppola is such a famous last name, that Nicolas Cage (born Coppola) chose a different stage name to make it on his own merit.
As for Coppola Sr., he’s of course known for directing several films, including a little trilogy known as The Godfather .
Ty Tennant.
Ty Tennant has a relatively small (but still very important) role in 2022’s House of the Dragon , which he acted in alongside former Doctor Who star Matt Smith. Which is funny, because Tennant’s dad is David Tennant, who was also the Doctor at one point.
His (other) famous parent: Georgia Tennant.
Georgia ended up having a small role on Doctor Who alongside David, who would end up being her husband years after the episode was aired. What makes this even more interesting is who her father (and Ty’s grandfather) is.
His famous grandparent: Peter Davidson.
In the 80s, Davidson was the fifth Doctor in the BBC franchise. If you’ve lost count already, that’s now the third person mentioned in this list who played the Doctor.
Abby Elliott.
Saturday Night Live alum, Abby Elliott was on the show between 2009 and 2012. She’s since appeared in a number of shows and films, including the 2022 Disney+ show, The Bear . And of course, she’s part of a surprisingly long line of stars.
Her famous father: Chris Elliott
It makes sense that a comedian would have a comedian as a parent. Elliott’s dad, Chris Elliott, is known for a number of comedic roles in movies and shows like Scary Movie 2 and Schitt’s Creek . He also briefly appeared on SNL in the 90s.
Her famous grandfather: Bob Elliott
It definitely seems like the comedic gene runs pretty deep in the Elliott family. Bob Elliott was best known for being half of Bob and Ray (with Ray Goulding), and even appeared on an episode of SNL at one point in time.
Steven R. McQueen
Steven R. McQueen is known for a bunch of acting roles, but is probably best known as Jeremy Gilbert in the Vampire Diaries television show. Like Gia Coppola, McQueen’s last name kind of gives away who he’s related to.
His famous parent: Chad McQueen
Chad McQueen as an actor was best known for his portrayal of Dutch in The Karate Kid and its sequel. But he’s since stopped acting in major roles, and instead turned his attention to racecar driving.
His famous grandfather: Steve McQueen.
The King of Cool himself, Steve McQueen was an acting powerhouse back in the 60s and 70s. He acted in a number of movies, including The Sand Pebbles and The Great Escape , most notably.
Anjelica Huston
Over the past several decades, Huston has been in a whole bunch of films, including 1991’s The Addams Family , 2019’s John Wick: Chapter 3 , the 1986 film Prizzi’s Honor , and the animated Tinkerbell movies from the 2000s and early 2010s.
Her famous parent: John Huston
John Huston was an Academy Award-winning director and producer during his time. He’s responsible for classic films such as The Maltese Falcon . He even directed Prizzi’s Honor , a movie that not only starred his daughter, but that Anjelica won an Oscar for.
Her famous grandparent: Walter Huston.
Canadian-born actor, Walter Huston’s legacy doesn’t just include his own Academy Award-winning acting performances. Known for winning an Oscar for his role in The Treasure of the Sierra Madre , he’s just one of the many famous actors in his family.
Sarah Sutherland.
Sarah Sutherland is best known for her role as Catherine in Veep, and film roles such as The Kid Detective. She’s also probably pretty well-known for having a pretty famous parent (and grandparent, for that matter).
Her famous parent: Kiefer Sutherland.
Though he’s starred in a bunch of movieslike The Lost Boys , A Time To Kill , and Melancholia , he might be best known for playing Jack Bauer in the 2000s TV series, 24 .
Her famous grandparent: Donald Sutherland.
Amazingly, Donald Sutherland is still active in the acting world, meaning that there are three generations of Sutherlands on screen as we speak. Donald is known for many roles over the decades, including in the M*A*S*H film (but I’ll always remember him as President Snow in The Hunger Games ).
Dakota Johnson.
Dakota Johnson got her big break in Fifty Shades of Grey , where she portrayed Anastasia Steele. But she’s since gone on to do other things, such as The Peanut Butter Falcon and Netflix’s 2022 adaptation of Persuasion .
Her famous parent: Melanie Griffith
Johnson’s mother, Melanie Griffith, was in several films. She won an Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in Working Girl , and most recently appeared in 2020’s The High Note .
Dakota Johnson is also the daughter of Don Johnson, an actor known for Tin Cup and more recently, Knives Out .
Her famous grandparent: Tippi Hendron.
Mother of Melanie Griffith (and therefore grandmother of Dakota Johnson), Tippi Hendron is an award-winning actress in her own right, probably best known for starring in the Alfred Hitchcock film, The Birds .
