7 Pairs of Celebrities You Didn’t Know Were Related

Shirley MacLaine and Warren Beatty

Academy Award winners Shirley MacLaine and Warren Beatty are more than just two of the most accomplished actors to ever work in Hollywood — they’re also siblings. Shirley was born Shirley MacLean Beaty in 1934, and her younger brother Henry Warren came along three years later. They were raised in Richmond, Virginia, by Ira and Kathlyn Beaty, who presciently named their daughter after another famed actress: Shirley Temple.

Early in their acting careers, both Shirley and Warren changed their professional names, due in part to people mispronouncing their surname as “beety” instead of the true pronunciation, “batey.” After graduating high school, Shirley moved to New York City to pursue stage acting and changed her name to Shirley MacLaine — a stylization of her middle name. She was inspired to make the change while auditioning for the Broadway show Me and Juliet after a producer kept mispronouncing her birth name. 

Warren, meanwhile, altered his surname from “Beaty” to “Beatty” in the late 1950s as he took on his earliest acting roles. Despite their lengthy careers, the siblings have never worked on the same film together, though they’ve always remained close and supportive of one another.

Tom Hanks and Fred Rogers

In the 2019 film A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, Academy Award-winning actor Tom Hanks stars as former children’s television host Fred Rogers. While doing press for the movie, Hanks was surprised to find out he and Rogers are real-life cousins. 

This news was broken to Hanks during a red carpet interview with Access Hollywood, which informed Hanks that Ancestry.com had discovered the connection. As it turns out, Hanks and Rogers are sixth cousins who both descend from a German man named Johannes Meffert who was born in 1732. 

The distant cousins never actually met before the TV host’s death in 2003. But Hanks did have the chance to meet Rogers’ widow, Joanne, who informed Hanks of another pleasant surprise — that he was her late husband’s favorite actor. Hanks’ embodiment of his late cousin’s legacy ultimately earned him another Academy Award nomination in 2020.

Nicolas Cage and Francis Ford Coppola

Nicolas Cage was born in 1964 as Nicolas Kim Coppola, a member of the prolific movie-making Coppola family. His father was author August Coppola — brother to The Godfather writer and director Francis Ford Coppola. This also means Cage is the nephew of actress Talia Shire (sister to Francis and August), as well as the cousin of famed director Sofia Coppola (Francis’ daughter) and the cousin of actor Jason Schwartzman (Talia’s son).

At age 15, in a bid to enlist Francis’ help with his dreams of a film career, Cage said to his uncle, “Give me a screen test — I’ll show you acting,” only to be met with silence. Cage continued trying to make it as an actor, appearing in movies such as 1982’s Fast Times at Ridgemont High under the name Nicolas Coppola. 

However, he was purportedly ridiculed for having a famous last name, eventually opting to change it to dodge any further nepotism accusations. Nicolas chose “Cage” after Marvel character Luke Cage and composer John Cage, both of whom he looked to for inspiration. 

Janet Leigh and Jamie Lee Curtis

Janet Leigh and Jamie Lee Curtis are both “scream queens” — actresses renowned for their iconic performances in horror films. Leigh appeared as Marion Crane in Afred Hitchcock’s 1960 classic Psycho, and Curtis portrayed Laurie Strode in various Halloween films. Their disposition toward horror flicks may have a genetic component, as Janet and Jamie are in fact mother and daughter.

Jamie Lee Curtis was born in 1958 to Leigh and actor Tony Curtis, though the pair were divorced soon after. Jamie Lee Curtis wanted to pursue acting from a young age, but Leigh insisted she go to college first, telling People magazine in 1994, “I didn’t want her to be just another kid in the business, because I’d seen so many who turned out unhappy.” 

So Curtis followed in her mother’s footsteps and attended Leigh’s alma mater, California’s University of the Pacific. But the acting bug continued to bite: Curtis dropped out after one semester and booked a two-sentence role on a 1977 episode of Quincy, M.E. Around this same time, Leigh’s own acting career began to wind down. However, the mother-daughter duo still wound up appearing in two movies together, both appropriately within the horror genre: 1980’s The Fog and 1998’s Halloween H20: 20 Years Later.

George Wendt and Jason Sudeikis

George Wendt and Jason Sudeikis are two of the funniest men to ever grace the small screen. But they don’t just share a sense of comedic timing; they also share some of the same genes. Wendt’s sister Kathryn Sudeikis (born Kathryn Wendt) gave birth to Jason Sudeikis in 1975, making George Wendt Jason’s uncle.

Wendt is primarily known for portraying barfly Norm Peterson on the classic sitcom Cheers, whereas Sudeikis became famous as a writer and cast member on Saturday Night Live before going on to star in the widely acclaimed TV show Ted Lasso. The pair have never worked together onscreen, but Wendt has expressed his admiration for his nephew, calling him “such a great kid … so smart, so thoughtful” in a 2024 interview with the Still Here Hollywood podcast.

Lenny Kravitz and Al Roker

Lenny Kravitz and Al Roker are cousins, yet their public personas could hardly be more different. Kravitz became famous as a rock star known for rocking leather pants and wailing tunes such as “Fly Away” and “American Woman,” whereas Roker made a name for himself as a straight-laced TV weatherman and journalist. But they come from the same family tree, as was revealed on an episode of NBC’s Today in 2011. 

Roker was born to Isabel and Albert Lincoln Roker in 1954. Kravitz was born 10 years later to NBC producer Sy Kravitz and The Jeffersons star Roxie Roker. But you have to go one generation back to find their familial connection: Their grandparents were cousins, making Lenny and Al second cousins once removed. Roker, in particular, enjoys discussing the fact he’s related to the musician, proclaiming on Today that “kids think it’s cool!”

Sabrina Carpenter and Nancy Cartwright

Sabrina Carpenter is a globally renowned pop star known for the hit songs “Espresso” and “Please, Please, Please.” But her astronomical rise to stardom is quite recent, coming decades after that of her famous aunt, Nancy Cartwright. While that particular name may not ring a bell, you’ve almost certainly heard her voice, specifically as Bart on The Simpsons.

Cartwright was born to Frank and Miriam Cartwright in 1957, and her father went on to remarry a woman named Marilyn Carpenter in 1979. In doing so, he became stepfather to Marilyn’s children, including her son David — Sabrina’s biological father. This means Sabrina and Nancy are step-aunt and step-niece, related by marriage. However, the pair are close enough that they refer to each other as simply “aunt” and “niece.” Funnily enough, Sabrina once revealed she wasn’t allowed to watch The Simpsons until she was older, despite the family connection.