Having famous parents can make it much easier to get through Hollywood’s front door, and there’s no pretending those connections don’t matter. But getting an opportunity and building a career that lasts are two very different things. Some performers have become so successful in their own right that it’s easy to forget who their parents are in the first place. From Oscar-winning actors and acclaimed filmmakers to singers who developed completely different sounds from their families, these 30 nepo babies clearly brought plenty of talent with them.
Liza Minnelli
Being the daughter of Judy Garland and director Vincente Minnelli is about as intimidating a show-business pedigree as it gets. Liza still created a career entirely worthy of those names, becoming an EGOT-winning singer, actor, and performer with Cabaret as one of her defining showcases.
Domhnall Gleeson
Brendan Gleeson’s son could easily have remained known primarily as part of a respected acting family. Instead, roles ranging from About Time to Harry Potter and Star Wars showed how comfortably he could move between romance, comedy, drama, and blockbuster filmmaking.
Carrie Fisher
Carrie Fisher followed her mother Debbie Reynolds into Hollywood, but acting was only part of what made her formidable. Along with creating Princess Leia, she became a highly regarded script doctor who worked behind the scenes on numerous major films.
Jared Harris
Richard Harris left his son a formidable acting legacy to live up to. Jared developed into one of those character actors who can quietly become the most compelling person in almost anything he appears in.
Dan Levy
Eugene Levy was already a comedy legend when his son entered the business, but Schitt’s Creek made Dan a star on his own terms. Working alongside his father, he helped turn the series into a beloved comedy rather than simply becoming its famous second-generation cast member.
Mariska Hargitay
Hargitay was born to actress Jayne Mansfield and performer Nelson Sardelli, yet her breakthrough did not arrive immediately. Years of smaller roles preceded Olivia Benson, the character that eventually made her one of television’s most recognizable leading women.
Gracie Abrams
Having J.J. Abrams for a father certainly meant growing up close to the entertainment industry, but Gracie chose music instead of following him into filmmaking. Her songwriting and live performances have created a fanbase that increasingly knows her for her own work.
Ben Platt
Marc Platt is one of Hollywood and Broadway’s biggest producers, so Ben unquestionably entered theater with enviable connections. His ability to deliver demanding material live onstage, particularly in productions such as Parade, makes the talent side of the equation much harder to question.
Willow Smith
Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith gave Willow one of the most famous surnames imaginable, but her music has become increasingly difficult to categorize. She has moved from pop into alternative rock, heavier sounds, and experimental jazz rather than spending her career recreating “Whip My Hair.”
Jack Quaid
The son of Meg Ryan and Dennis Quaid openly acknowledges that his background helped him get representation and early opportunities. What followed has been a career built around his own comic timing and physical performance rather than simply his parents’ names.
George Clooney
Clooney grew up in an entertainment family that included broadcaster Nick Clooney and singer-actress Rosemary Clooney. Whatever advantage that provided, his eventual career grew far beyond the level of fame he inherited.
Jamie Lee Curtis
Tony Curtis and Psycho star Janet Leigh were already Hollywood royalty before their daughter entered movies. Jamie Lee Curtis still managed to build her own screen identity and eventually become an Oscar winner herself.
Wolfgang Van Halen
Being Eddie Van Halen’s son meant comparisons were unavoidable from the moment Wolfgang picked up an instrument. His work with Mammoth helped separate him from that shadow, particularly because he established himself as a singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist rather than simply becoming “Van Halen Jr.”
Whitney Houston
Houston grew up surrounded by remarkable singers: her mother was Grammy-winning gospel and soul singer Cissy Houston, while Dionne and Dee Dee Warwick were her cousins. Even in that family, Whitney’s voice managed to become something extraordinary.
Kate Hudson
Goldie Hawn’s daughter had her breakthrough with Almost Famous and went on to become one of her generation’s most recognizable romantic-comedy stars. Her career also expanded into music, giving her another outlet beyond the one most closely associated with her famous family.
Jeff Bridges
Jeff was born to actors Lloyd and Dorothy Bridges, while his brother Beau became an accomplished actor too. At this point, though, his own career is so extensive that calling him somebody’s famous son almost sounds backwards.
Maya Rudolph
Rudolph’s mother was “Lovin’ You” singer Minnie Riperton and her father was musician Richard Rudolph. Maya inherited the musical ability but became best known for comedy, while still regularly showing off a genuinely impressive singing voice.
Isabella Rossellini
Few actors have a family background more prestigious than being the daughter of Ingrid Bergman and director Roberto Rossellini. Isabella nonetheless carved out an unusual career of her own, from Blue Velvet to her Oscar-nominated work in Conclave.
Ben Stiller
Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara were already an established comedy duo before their son became famous. Ben eventually developed his own comic style through projects such as Zoolander, while being unusually willing to joke about the advantages his parents gave him.
Rashida Jones
Being Quincy Jones and Peggy Lipton’s daughter gave Rashida a pretty incredible combination of musical and acting pedigree. Her career has ranged from beloved sitcom roles to screenwriting, including co-writing the Black Mirror episode “Nosedive.”
Maya Hawke
Uma Thurman and Ethan Hawke’s daughter was always going to attract attention once she started acting. Her work on Stranger Things established her own screen presence, and she has also pursued music with several albums.
Angelina Jolie
Jon Voight was an acclaimed actor long before his daughter became famous, while her mother Marcheline Bertrand also acted. Angelina eventually became enough of a star in her own right that the family connection often feels more like trivia than an explanation for her career.
Bryce Dallas Howard
Being Ron Howard’s daughter gave Bryce unusually direct access to filmmaking from an early age. She has since shown ability on both sides of the camera, earning praise for performances such as The Help and for her work as a director.
John David Washington
Denzel Washington is a nearly impossible father to follow into acting, so John David initially went in a completely different direction and pursued professional football. His eventual transition to acting led to acclaimed work in films such as BlacKkKlansman.
Drew Barrymore
Drew belongs to an acting dynasty stretching back generations, with both her father and grandfather among the many Barrymores who worked professionally onstage and onscreen. Starting as a child star could have made her a footnote in that legacy, but she instead became one of the family’s most famous members.
Nicolas Cage
Cage is part of the Coppola family, with Francis Ford Coppola as his uncle and an extensive collection of actors, filmmakers, and musicians among his relatives. He even changed his surname early in his career, and the wonderfully unpredictable body of work that followed certainly gave “Nicolas Cage” an identity of its own.
Sofia Coppola
Francis Ford Coppola’s daughter famously struggled as an actress before realizing filmmaking was where her talent belonged. The Virgin Suicides helped establish her as a director, beginning a career that eventually brought multiple Oscar nominations.
Margaret Qualley
Andie MacDowell’s daughter has gradually emerged as one of the most adventurous actors of her generation. Performances in Sanctuary, Kinds of Kindness, and The Substance, combined with her background in dance, have given her a much different career from her mother’s.
Josh Brolin
James Brolin opened a door into acting that Josh walked through as a teenager with The Goonies. Decades later, the younger Brolin has built such a substantial career that plenty of viewers forget he was ever a nepo baby at all.
Miley Cyrus
Billy Ray Cyrus may have been the famous Cyrus when Miley was growing up, but that hierarchy changed a long time ago. Her distinctive voice and ability to jump between pop, rock, country, and covers have made her musical identity completely separate from her father’s.
