Family Ties: Celebrities You Didn't Know Were Related

Think you know all the related Hollywood types in various roles in film, music, and television and perhaps their politically notable relations? Think again, as we uncover some unlikely hidden family tree connections in Tinseltown where famous people have some unusual historically important connections and Hollywood-style nepotism is more common than not. 

Related: Hollywood Dynasties: Famous Families That Keep Entertaining Us

Cousins
A living legend of American comedy, Carol Burnett found out recently that she shares a little DNA with another American comic, former Saturday Night Live castmember and "Barry" star Bill Hader. Burnett, who had her own TV show for years and who recently appeared in the final season of "Better Call Saul," learned they were distant cousins through a segment on PBS' "Finding Your Roots." 

Related: Carol Burnett: Her Life in Photos

Cousins

If you had trouble keeping up these "Friends" costars' relationships during the show's run, hang on for a new spin. According to CNN, researchers at MyHeritage have discovered that these two actors are actually distant cousins. You have to go pretty far back in time to find the connection between the two — 500 years to when distant relatives William Osbern Haskell III and Ellen Haskell, married in England. 

Related: 25 Celebs Whose First Job Was Worse Than Yours

Distant cousins

Academy award-winning actor Tom Hanks narrated National Geographic's "Killing Lincoln." Hanks revealed his familial ties to President Lincoln by Lincoln's mother, Nancy Hanks. Nancy Hanks is third cousin four times removed to Tom Hanks.

Related: Which Celebrities Besides Tom Hanks Have Dual Citizenship?

Cousins

Born and bred Texans, Sissy Spacek and Rip Torn are first cousins. In interviews, Spacek often credits her older cousin Rip Torn as someone who helped her become established as an actress. Rip Torn died in 2019.

Cousins

Democratic New York Sen. Chuck Schumer is currently the Senate majority leader and often speaks out about excessive gun violence. His first-cousin once-removed is actress and comedian Amy Schumer, who also speaks out about gun violence and often appears with her cousin to promote gun regulation.

Related: 40 Celebrities Who Gave to Political Causes and Candidates

Cousins

Founder of lifestyle blog GOOP, entrepreneur, and Academy Award-winning actress Gwyneth Paltrow has many accomplishments under her belt. Her first cousin is Katherine Moennig who played Lena in Showtime's "Ray Donovan." Actress Blythe Danner, Gwyneth's mother, is her aunt.

Related: Celebrities That Ditched Hollywood for Another Career

Uncle/nephew
George Wendt, famous for playing the bar-hugging and beer-guzzling character Norm on the hit sitcom "Cheers" is "Saturday Night Live" alum and "Ted Lasso" star Jason Sudeikis' uncle.

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In-laws

Retired actor and three-time Academy Award-winner Daniel Day-Lewis married American Pulitzer-Prize winning playwright Arthur Miller's filmmaker and novelist daughter, Rebecca Miller. Arthur Miller died in 2005.

Stepmother/stepson

Feminist icon, author, and publisher Gloria Steinem married South African-born English activist and entrepreneur David Bale in 2000. Through this marriage, Bale's son actor Christian Bale, one of four children from previous marriages, became Steinem's stepson. David Bale died in 2003. 

Cousins

President Carter's great-grandfather James Thomas Gordy had a son with Esther Johnson, a black woman. Their son, Berry Gordy, was the grandfather of Motown music mogul and producer Berry Gordy. This makes President Carter a half second-cousin of producer Berry Gordy. He is also a half second-cousin, once removed, of LMFAO rapper Redfoo (Stefan Kendal Gordy).

Cousins

Musician and actor Lenny Kravitz's late mother, actress Roxie Roker (Helen Willis on "The Jeffersons"), was first cousin to NBC's "Today Show" weatherman and anchor Al Roker, making America's favorite weatherman also a cousin to rocker Kravitz.

Mother/daughter

Blonde bombshell Jayne Mansfield was the "it" girl in the 1950s and early 1960s. She had five children from three marriages, but tragically was killed in a gruesome auto accident in 1967. Her daughter Mariska Hargitay was in the car with her during the accident but survived. Hargitay went on to become one of television's biggest stars, playing Olivia Benson on "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit."

Cousins

Another set of famous cousins are comedian and actor Bill Bellamy and NBA basketball star Shaquille O'Neal, aka Shaq, who are second cousins.

Uncle/nephew

Famous for many roles including the murderous Alex in "A Clockwork Orange," Malcolm McDowell's career has many notable moments. His sister's son is Alexander Siddig, who went on to star in the television hit series, "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" from 1993 to 1999. Uncle Malcolm then nabbed the role Dr. Tolian Soran in the 1994 film "Star Trek: Generations." His character was responsible for killing Capt. James T. Kirk.

Distant cousins

Art imitating life? British actor Robert Pattinson played vampire Edward Cullen in author Stephenie Meyer's gothic "Twilight" series. Turns out their ancestry revealed that the two are directly connected by a common distant cousin: Dracula, known officially as Vlad the Impaler. 

Father/son

"Catcher in the Rye" author J.D. Salinger was the father of actor Matt Salinger. Matt Salinger starred in the films "Revenge of the Nerds" and "Captain America." 

Siblings

"Walk The Line" film director James Keach is brother to actor Stacy Keach, famous for playing the role of Mike Hammer on television, numerous notable roles on- and off-Broadway, and films like "American History X" and "The Bourne Legacy." James Keach was married to Jane Seymour from 1993 to 2015, making her Stacy Keach's sister-in-law during those years.

Mother/son

Toby Stephens was the dashing pirate Captain Flint on the Starz series "Black Sails," but his acting chops may be directly inherited thanks to his mother, Dame Maggie Smith, the Dowager Countess from "Downton Abbey" and numerous film and television roles.

Siblings

Remember poor Theon Greyjoy from HBO's "Game of Thrones"? Theon is Alfie Allen, and Brit singer Lily Allen's kid brother. Alfie's maimed Theon survived the torture and humiliations of the late Ramsay Bolton, while his real-life sister has done real-life battle with paparazzi and press over her alcoholism, drug addiction, eating disorders, and a miscarriage all detailed in a 2018 memoir. 

Siblings

Often people do not realize these two actors are related, despite the same last name. Pablo Schreiber has had notable runs on Broadway, including Clifford Odets' classic "Awake and Sing!" He has also starred in "Orange is the New Black" for Netflix, while brother Liev Schreiber has a host of film credits and is the star of the Showtime series "Ray Donovan."

Siblings

Alicia Keys is a smoking-hot recording artist and judge on NBC's "The Voice" for several seasons. Her little brother Cole Cook is the co-founder of Timeless Eye, an advertising and marketing company that creates celebrity-laden digital storytelling shorts and works with the top players in the hip-hop and sports world.

Uncle/nephew

Denis Lawson is a famous Scottish actor who appeared in the original "Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi" as Wedge and in the 1983 film "Local Hero" as Urquhart the Scottish innkeeper. His nephew Ewan McGregor also starred in a few "Star Wars" films as a young Obi-Wan Kenobi and has many television and film credits to his name including "Halston" on Netflix.

Cousins

Bravo network reality star Melissa Gorga is famous for her contentious relations with her sister-in-law Teresa Giudice on "The Real Housewives of New Jersey." But her real-life cousin is "The Karate Kid" Ralph Macchio.

Siblings

Born to a wealthy and prominent British family, both the Delevingne sisters became successful fashion models and then took their careers into the world of acting. Older sister Poppy was in National Geographic's "Genius: Picasso," while Cara starred in the TV shows "Carnival Row" and "Only Murders in the Building."

Cousins

Classic 1980s film "Clueless" star and former Fox News analyst Stacey Dash is a first cousin to music producer Damon Dash, founder of Roc-A-Fella Records who has a famous son, too: Damon "Boogie" Dash of "Growing Up Hip-Hop." 

Cousins

Most people know that musician, actor, and Kim-Kardashian-sex-tape co-star Ray J and singer-songwriter Brandy Norwood are brother and sister, but less well-known is that these two are also cousins to rapper, actor, and entrepreneur Snoop Dogg.

Grandson/Grandfather

Harry Melling is an English actor well known for playing Dudley Dursley in the "Harry Potter" films. His late grandfather was a "Doctor Who." Patrick Troughton played the second good doctor from 1966 to 1969; then he reprised the role in 1973, 1983, and 1985.

Father/son

Before he was Dumbledore in "Harry Potter," Richard Harris starred in classic films such as "A Man Called Horse" and "Camelot." His son Jared Harris also took up acting and starred in AMC's "Mad Men" as Layne Pryce, Netflix's "The Crown" as King George VI, and as Francis Crozier in AMC's "The Terror." 

In-laws

Even rabid "Doctor Who" fans may not be aware that the fifth "Doctor Who," actor Peter Davison, is father-in-law to the tenth Doctor Who, actor David Tennant.

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