Skip to Content

Celebrities You Didn't Know Had Famous Moms

Sometimes celebrity is made...sometimes you're born into it.

By
jamie lee curtis and mother janet leigh portrait session
Donaldson Collection//Getty Images

Fame isn't for everyone, but it certainly makes it easier to deal with when it's part of the family business. These celebs were given the gift of genetic fame when they were born into notable families. People come from all over the world to make it in Hollywood. These people just had to come out of the womb.

1

Jason Schwartzman and Talia Shire

premiere of the orchard's "the unicorn"   red carpet
Emma McIntyre//Getty Images

Wes Anderson’s cinematic darling, Jason Schwartzman, has a family riddled with Tinseltown’s finest. Schwartzman’s mother is Talia Shire, whom you may recognize from movies like Rocky and The Godfather. Schwartzman also gets to call legendary director Francis Ford Coppola his uncle and director Sofia Coppola and actor Nicolas Cage his cousins. A family like this makes for very interesting conversation on holidays gathered around turkey.

2

Rashida Jones and Peggy Lipton

premiere of radius twc's "keep on keepin' on"   red carpet
Alberto E. Rodriguez//Getty Images

This Parks and Recreation alum is the offspring of two industry powerhouses. The daughter of The Mod Squad actress Peggy Lipton and music executive Quincy Jones, Rashida was even close family friends with the Jacksons when she was growing up.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
3

Jamie Lee Curtis and Janet Leigh

jamie lee curtis and mother janet leigh portrait session
Donaldson Collection//Getty Images

After being discovered at the age of 18, Janet Leigh cemented herself in cinematic history with her appearance in the Alfred Hitchcock film Psycho. Leigh's daughter, Jamie Lee Curtis, would later take after her mother as a scream queen with appearances in horror classics like Halloween and The Fog.

4

Margaret Qualley and Andie MacDowell

closing ceremony  therese desqueyroux premiere   65th  annual cannes film festival
Traverso/L'Oreal//Getty Images

Recently, Qualley has received widespread acclaim and recognition from her supporting role in Quentin Tarantino's Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood. Her mother, actress Andie MacDowell, first found stardom at an early age following features in Vogue magazine and later for her role in the 1993 film Groundhog Day.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
5

Isabella Rossellini and Ingrid Bergman

the american theatre wing's centennial gala
Jim Spellman//Getty Images

The Blue Velvet star seems to have inherited the acting gene from her mother, Ingrid Bergman, who starred in Casablanca. Rossellini began her career as many actresses do, through modeling, and later transitioned into acting by nabbing roles in films like Death Becomes Her and Wild at Heart.

6

Laura Dern and Diane Ladd

"99 homes" special screening   la
Alberto E. Rodriguez//Getty Images

We all know Laura Dern from her role in HBO’s Big Little Lies and the science fiction classic Jurassic Park, but many don’t realize she’s also the daughter of three-time Oscar nominee Diane Ladd. Ladd has appeared in over 100 roles in film and television, most notably Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore and 1991’s Rambling Rose, both of which scored her Oscar nominations in their respective years.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
7

Rumer Willis and Demi Moore

"love, loss  what i wore" new cast member celebration
Bruce Glikas//Getty Images

You probably know Demi Moore from making pottery with Patrick Swayze's shirtless spirit in 1990s Ghost, but her coupling with Die Hard's Bruce WIllis spawned quite a few kids that have stepped into the spotlight in their own right. Namely, Rumer Willis. Rumer has appeared in films like The House Bunny and Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood.

8

Zoë Kravitz and Lisa Bonet

2015 vanity fair oscar party hosted by graydon carter   arrivals
David Livingston//Getty Images

Bonet first flowered in the limelight as Denise Huxtable on The Cosby Show. When Lisa married rock legend Lenny Kravitz, they had a daughter, Zoë. Since being born with the flash of paparazzi bulbs constantly swarming her parents, Zoë's roles in Big Little Lies and Hulu's High Fidelity have helped her carve out her own path in Hollywood.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
9

Kate Hudson and Goldie Hawn

goldie hawn and kurt russell honored with double star ceremony on the hollywood walk of fame
Axelle/Bauer-Griffin//Getty Images

Goldie Hawn has remained a Hollywood mainstay since winning an Oscar for her role in Cactus Flower. Her daughter from her marriage to American actor and musician Bill Hudson brought us the gift and delight that is Kate Hudson. Kate first broke onto the scene with her role as a seasoned groupie in the film Almost Famous, scoring herself an Oscar nod.

10

Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds

dame elizabeth taylor diamond jubilee birthday
Ethan Miller//Getty Images

Debbie Reynolds was a legend in Hollywood thanks to roles in Singin' in the Rain and other big studio films. Debbie had a daughter, Carrie, with singer Eddie Fisher before their acrimonious divorce where Fisher left Reynolds for her close friend, Elizabeth Taylor. Carrie Fisher was flung into stardom at an early age due but stepped into the spotlight on her own when she was cast as Princess Leia in the Star Wars franchise at 19.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
11

Billie Lourd and Carrie Fisher

premiere of "star wars the force awakens"   red carpet
Jesse Grant//Getty Images

The seemingly hereditary star quality did not stop with Carrie. When Fisher married talent agent Bryan Lourd they had a daughter named Billie. Billie has buddied up to Ryan Murphy, starring in Scream Queens and American Horror Story. She even got the chance to act alongside her mother in a small role in the revived Star Wars franchise.

12

Gwyneth Paltrow and Blythe Danner

2004 crystal  lucy awards women in film celebrates the paltrow family   arrivals
Jon Kopaloff//Getty Images

Long before she was selling nether region scented candles and vampire repellent on Goop, Gwyneth was known as the daughter of Emmy-winning actress Blythe Danner. Paltrow is one of the most recognizable faces in Hollywood with roles in Iron Man and her Oscar-winning role in Shakespeare in Love.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
13

Dakota Johnson and Melanie Griffith

87th annual academy awards   arrivals
Dan MacMedan//Getty Images

As the daughter of famed actress of Hollywood's golden age, Tippi Hedren, it's clear Melanie Griffith's star power is something genetic. Griffith was very briefly married to actor Don Johnson and had a daughter, Dakota, who has starred in the film adaptation of 50 Shades of Grey amongst a string of other very commercially successful films.

14

Olivia Wilde and Leslie Cockburn

8th annual tribeca film festival   "american casino" premiere
Mike Coppola//Getty Images

While Wilde recently played reporter Kathy Scruggs in the critically-acclaimed film Richard Jewell, her mother Leslie Cockburn is a real life award-winning journalist who has reported investigative journalism for programs like 60 Minutes, NBC, and PBS Frontline.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
15

Liza Minnelli and Judy Garland

judy garland and liza minnelli
Bettmann//Getty Images

Perhaps one of the most legendary performers in Hollywood's wildly expansive history, many might not even realize Judy Garland is mother to another of Hollywood's most treasured performers, Liza Minnelli. Liza, best known for her magnetic stage presence and her distinctive alto voice, is one of Judy Garland's three children. Liza first rose to stardom following her academy award-winning performance in Cabaret.

16

Tracee Ellis Ross and Diana Ross

2019 vanity fair oscar party hosted by radhika jones   dinner
Emma McIntyre /VF19//Getty Images

Tracee Ellis Ross is the daughter of the original diva herself, Ms. Diana Ross. Since first starring in Girlfriends in the early 2000s, Ellis Ross has solidified herself as a star of the small screen and has been nominated for three Emmys for her role in Black-ish.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
17

Mariska Hargitay and Jayne Mansfield

jayne mansfield
Michael Ochs Archives//Getty Images

You know Mariska Hargitay as Detective Olivia Benson on the long-running Law and Order: Special Victims Unit, but you might not know that she's the daughter of "Hollywood's smartest dumb blonde", Jayne Mansfield. During her time in Hollywood, Mansfield was known for her looks and egregious publicity stunts but was also reported to have an IQ over 160 which contradicted her image in the public eye as another beautiful, ditsy blonde bombshell.

From: Redbook
Headshot of Colin Scanlon
Colin is a writer born and based in Pittsburgh, Pa.
Watch Next 
jamie lee curtis and mother janet leigh portrait session
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below