15 Famous Actors Who Were Already Related, But Nobody Seems to Notice

Hollywood family connections are hardly a secret, but some are much easier to spot than others. Everyone knows a few famous acting dynasties, especially when relatives share a last name or spend years appearing together. The more entertaining discoveries are the ones hiding in plain sight. Sometimes two actors have completely different surnames, built careers in different genres, or simply never made their family connection part of their public image. You can watch both of them for years without realizing there is a parent, sibling, cousin, or even in-law linking their careers. Once you know, however, a few of these become surprisingly difficult to unsee. Here are 15 famous actors who were already related, but nobody seems to notice.

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Stanley Tucci and Emily Blunt

Stanley Tucci and Emily Blunt became family after Tucci married Blunt’s older sister, literary agent Felicity Blunt, in 2012. Amusingly, Stanley and Emily had already appeared together in The Devil Wears Prada years before becoming in-laws.

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Jason Sudeikis and George Wendt

Ted Lasso star Jason Sudeikis is the nephew of George Wendt, better known as Norm from Cheers. Wendt’s sister Kathryn is Sudeikis’ mother, connecting two very different generations of TV comedy.

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Kate Hudson and Wyatt Russell

Kate Hudson and Wyatt Russell have different last names, but they are half-siblings through their mother, Goldie Hawn. Russell followed the family into acting after initially pursuing a career in professional hockey.

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Lily Allen and Alfie Allen

Singer and actress Lily Allen is the older sister of Alfie Allen, who played Theon Greyjoy on Game of Thrones. Lily even wrote the song “Alfie” about her younger brother years before his biggest acting role arrived.

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Melissa McCarthy and Jenny McCarthy

Despite sharing a surname, plenty of people miss that Melissa McCarthy and Jenny McCarthy are actually first cousins. Jenny was already a recognizable television personality before Melissa became one of Hollywood’s biggest comedy stars.

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Shirley MacLaine and Warren Beatty

Shirley MacLaine and Warren Beatty are brother and sister, although their different professional surnames make the connection easy to miss. MacLaine was already establishing her acting career before her younger brother became a star himself.

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Liev Schreiber and Pablo Schreiber

Liev Schreiber and Pablo Schreiber are half-brothers who share the same father but grew up separately. Both eventually became successful actors, with Liev leading Ray Donovan and Pablo appearing in shows including The Wire and Halo.

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Nicolas Cage and Jason Schwartzman

Nicolas Cage and Jason Schwartzman are both members of the Coppola family and are first cousins once removed. Cage famously dropped the Coppola surname professionally, making his place in the filmmaking dynasty much less obvious.

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Elle King and Rob Schneider

Singer and actress Elle King was born Tanner Elle Schneider and is the daughter of comedian Rob Schneider. She adopted her mother’s surname professionally, which helped keep the family connection from being immediately obvious.

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Dakota Johnson and Antonio Banderas

Antonio Banderas became Dakota Johnson’s stepfather when he married her mother, Melanie Griffith, in 1996. Although the marriage later ended, Johnson has spoken warmly about the important role Banderas played while she was growing up.

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Rip Torn and Sissy Spacek

Rip Torn and Sissy Spacek were first cousins, a connection that is almost impossible to guess from their names. Both built acclaimed acting careers without their family relationship becoming a particularly prominent part of either one’s public image.

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Ron Howard and Bryce Dallas Howard

Bryce Dallas Howard is the daughter of actor and director Ron Howard. The connection sounds obvious once you hear it, but their very different eras and career paths make it surprisingly easy to overlook.

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John David Washington and Denzel Washington

John David Washington spent several years playing professional football before becoming an actor and is the son of Denzel Washington. He later built his own leading-man career with projects including BlacKkKlansman and Tenet.

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Margaret Qualley and Andie MacDowell

Margaret Qualley is the daughter of Andie MacDowell, something casual viewers may not immediately realize because they use different surnames. The connection became much more visible when they played mother and daughter together in Maid.

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Phil Collins and Lily Collins

Lily Collins is the daughter of musician and actor Phil Collins. She was largely raised in Los Angeles by her mother after her parents separated, and eventually established an acting career under the same surname but in a very different corner of entertainment.

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