Entertainment
16 Celebs You Never Knew Had Famous Parents
Celebrities, they're just like you in so many ways, but they're also very, very different. Some celebrities followed their parents into the family business, just as you may have, and come from well-known famous families, but there are also some celebs you never knew had famous parents that you might be surprised to learn more about.
Unless celebrities do, in fact, come from well-known famous families or share a unique last name with the most famous member of their family, you might not even know that one celebrity is related to another. They're not necessarily extensively talked about all the time and may not regularly be seen together out around town. So unless you're a super-fan or happen to catch a mention in an interview, it can sometimes be hard to tell.
Since so many jobs are about who you know, you might think that it'd make sense that some celebrities also have famous parents, but even if their affiliation with their famed family members have followed them into their professional life, there's absolutely no doubt that these celebrities are talented. From Minka Kelly and Jamie Lee Curtis to Tracee Ellis Ross and more, you might be surprised that some of these celebrities actually have famous parents themselves.
1Rashida Jones
Talented actress Rashida Jones is the daughter of actress and model Peggy Lipton and record producer Quincy Jones. The pair was cast to appear as Jones' character's parents on Angie Tribeca, Deadline reported.
2Maya Rudolph
Actress Maya Rudolph is the daughter of Minnie Riperton, a singer-songwriter who unfortunately died back in 1979, as Heavy noted. Rudolph also has a daughter named Minnie, as Us Weekly reported.
3Jessica Capshaw
Former Grey's Anatomy star Jessica Capshaw is the daughter of actress Kate Capshaw and the stepdaughter of legendary director Steven Spielberg, Wetpaint noted. That's some serious star power.
4Tracee Ellis Ross
If you're a Black-ish fan, you might already be aware of star Tracee Ellis Ross's famous family member, but in case you're not, Ross dished about mom Diana Ross in an interview with W, saying that she encouraged her kids to live the life they wanted to.
5Liza Minnelli
Liza Minnelli is a Hollywood legend, but so are her parents. Time reported that Minnelli's mom was Judy Garland and her dad was Vincente Minnelli, who are famous in their own rights.
6Keira Knightley
Keira Knightley's parents may not be as familiar to some people as other famous parents, but Mom.me noted that her mom is playwright and screenwriter Sharman MacDonald and her dad is actor Will Knightley.
7Laura Dern
As Laura Dern herself discussed in an interview with The Guardian, both of her parents, Diane Ladd and Bruce Dern were successful in show business in the '70s.
8Anderson Cooper
CNN anchor Anderson Cooper is a recognizable face on TV, but he's also part of a famous American family. The Hollywood Reporter noted that Cooper wrote a memoir with his mother, designer and socialite Gloria Vanderbilt.
9Jamie Lee Curtis
Jamie Lee Curtis has been a Hollywood staple for quite awhile, but her experience with fame goes beyond her own career. People reported that Curtis is the daughter of iconic actress Janet Leigh and Tony Curtis.
10Isabella Rossellini
Actress Isabella Rossellini is the daughter of famous Swedish actress Ingrid Bergman and director Roberto Rossellini, as Vanity Fair reported, so she's not the first member of her family to pursue a career in show business.
11Minka Kelly
Former Friday Night Lights star Minka Kelly is the daughter of Rick Dufay, a former Aerosmith guitarist, as Us Weekly noted, but she was raised by her mother.
12Mariska Hargitay
People reported that Law & Order: Special Victims Unit star Mariska Hargitay is the daughter of Jayne Mansfield and was even in the car accident that tragically killed her mother back in 1967. Hargitay was then raised by her father, a Mr. Universe bodybuilder Mickey Hargitay, and her stepmother.
13Elle King
Singer-songwriter Elle King is the daughter of Rob Schneider and model London King, as Billboard reported. She spent summers with her dad.
14Natasha Richardson
Natasha Richardson, who died after a skiing accident in 2009, was the daughter of famed actress Vanessa Redgrave and director Tony Richardson, CNN reported. Richardson reportedly found her family names occasionally difficult because she wanted to achieve success on her own, not because of who her family was.
15Grace Gummer
Grace Gummer might be most well-known as an actress on TV show Mr. Robot, but she's also a member of a superstar Hollywood family. In the New York Times, Gummer talked about what it was like to grow up with her mom, Meryl Streep.
16Kit Harington
So it's not his parents, but Game of Thrones actor Kit Harington is a descendent of King Charles II, who restored the English monarchy, as Business Insider noted. And not only that, but his fiancée, fellow Game of Thrones actress Rose Leslie is also related to King Charles II, as the Ancestry.com blog noted. It's distant, and no big deal.
