50 Hollywood Celebrities And Their Children Today

Every famous family produces the same question eventually: what happened to the children. Some went into the industry, some deliberately did not, and a few are now considerably better known than the parent who opened the door.

Seen together, fifty of these at once says something about inheritance in a business where the surface is part of the product.

The Door Opens, Then Immediately Narrows

A famous parent reliably produces access - the audition, the introduction, the first credit. That is a real advantage and there is little point pretending otherwise.

What it does not produce is a second act. Across this list the careers that continued belong overwhelmingly to people who became legible as something other than somebody's child, and usually early.

Three Routes The Second Generation Tends To Take

Fifty is enough to see the shape of it. The paths are more predictable than the individual stories suggest.

Broadly there are three:

• Straight into the same job. The most visible route and the hardest, because the comparison is permanent and never in their favour.
• Behind the camera instead. Directing, producing, writing, music. The industry knowledge transfers and the comparison does not follow you.
• Out entirely. A larger group than the audience assumes, and frequently a deliberate choice rather than a failed attempt.

Why The Resemblance Cuts Both Ways

Strong physical resemblance to a famous parent is an asset for exactly one casting cycle. After that it becomes the thing a performer has to work around, which is why several of the most recognisable faces here have the least conventional careers.

Fifty Families, Just Under Nine Minutes

Just under nine minutes. The rest of the section is in Hollywood Families.

Frequently Asked Questions

The Bottom Line

Fifty famous families and what became of the generation that inherited the face. Watch above, then see the same-age comparison.