Nepotism: Film Industry's Biggest Liability?
by fedor8 | created - 21 Mar 2011 | updated - 08 Mar 2023 | Publicaka Nepotism: Hollywood's Dirty "Secret"
or Rampant Abuse of Family Connections In the Film Industry
or How Elitism Dominates Show-Biz
2021 UPDATE: I am trying to catch up with all the more recent actors/directors, but nepotism has been plowing forward (i.e. backward, for us) at such an accelerated pace that I just can't find them all quickly enough. The list should include hundreds more people... Elitism and corruption are on the rise which perfectly aligns with the drastic drop in the quality of movies and television in this century.
2023 UPDATE: I've added almost 650 new names recently.
2023 UPDATE: I have also started adding far more non-Americans, to avoid making the list too U.S.-centric, but also because nepotism/elitism are even more widespread across the Atlantic. The majority of the French entries are to be found on pages 11 and 12. The German section is on pages 12 and 13. Gradually, I might add Spanish, and Italian sections as well, although I already have some people from these (and other) countries. There is a separate list for Serbian nepotism. However, Bollywood nepotism I won't even attempt because I have no inside knowledge of that industry at all, and besides which I'd heard that nearly everybody in it is nepotistic.
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"It’s a running joke in Hollywood that every bellhop, busboy and waitress in LA is working on being an actor, screenwriter, director - whatever. Every year, thousands flock to the city where dreams are made… only to be passed over so someone’s niece can snag a role without having to go through the audition process. Hooray for Hollywood!" - KC Morgan.
Hey, I'm a whistle-blower of sorts! Why won't Hollywood side with me as they do with Edward Snowden?
Oh right, I'm blowing the whistle on THEM. They don't appreciate it when THEY'RE being scrutinized. They prefer to do the moralizing and the finger-pointing themselves, especially in their brazenly deceptive political propaganda films, while always hoping that not too many people notice what a cesspool of hypocrisy, egomania and decadence the American film industry itself is. And not just American cinema, but most other successful film nations too. This list isn't just about American nepotism.
(And besides, Snowden is a bad example. There is a big difference between a whistle-blower and a spy.)
First off, let me explain why this list aggravates some people within show business: because it exposes the hypocrisy of their elitism which goes against all of their left-wing, "equal-opportunity" public-persona politics. The main reason the list might not appeal to some movie fans: because it reveals to them how easily they're manipulated into devouring anything - or accepting anybody as a "talent" - that the powerful movie-industry hype-machine forces into their defenseless brains. Nobody likes to be informed that they are uncritical and lacking criteria. Nobody likes to find out that they aren't capable of differentiating between a great actor and a mediocre one. (But it's precisely this widespread - and growing - inability among most movie-goers that enables nepotism to flourish more than ever before. The studios have grown to realize it in recent decades hence why they'd stopped trying to find talent, or at least curtailed that activity greatly, deeming it unnecessary.)
The list that proves that practically anyone can be turned into a star, or at least a moderately employable actor. If you can talk, walk and learn lines, i.e. if you're a half-way functioning "meat puppet", you're in. But you do need strong connections, because the Pearly Gates of Hollywood are holding off hordes of incoming potential actors, writers and directors whose unexplored talents will remain forever hidden thanks to favouritism.
Millions of young people want in on the fun (sex, power, money and fame... and the "artistry" ha ha) but 99.9% have practically zero chance, not just because many are not good enough but because the privileged kids from powerful industrial and show-biz families have the huge advantage over them, because they get the short-cuts to fame: they get to be auditioned, and the others don't. Rich show-biz kids get the A-movie roles almost straight away, while struggling "plebeian" actors have to scrape up the ladder from the very bottom. Thanks to nepotism (and other forms of Hollywood corruption that I won't get into here but which you can easily guess) these Pearly Gates of Stardom are firmly shut most of the time. At least for the working-class and even middle-class kids.
The movie industry (everywhere, not just in the States) is a very incestuous, sect-like world in which family connections, political affiliation - and even ethnicity - are the deciding factors when it comes to the forging of careers. (The recent Weinstein scandals proved yet again that the casting couch is alive and well, too, and that even nepotists aren't safe from its clutches - let alone non-nepotists.) Talent is far behind in 10th place, after the various, more decisive factors: nobody seems to be interested in talent anymore, certainly not studio bosses, producers, and even directors who had realized a long time ago that the public's criteria have sunk so low over the years that these new audiences accept pretty much any face on the screen. And that is a big part of the reason why at least 90% of all movies are pretty much useless.
Which brings me to why (American) movies have been going down the toilet in recent years. The amount of garbage being put out by major studios has been on a steady rise for some years now. There are several reasons for this, one certainly being political correctness i.e. an all-encompassing political agenda, but perhaps the most negative impact stems from the exponentially growing nepotism which is now firmly entrenched in ALL aspects of film-making. It is difficult to find a recent (big-budget) movie in which more than a half of the cast members don't have influential parents/relatives/friends in the industry before they got their foot in the movie door.
Ditto the film crews, but the list concerns itself only with the "creative" branches of the film industry. In fact, I don't mind at all when gaffers, electricians, prop people, producers and even costume designers stem from show-biz clans. These are all pretty much behind-the-camera, non-creative aspects of the business hence irrelevant. It's the creative and "creative" aspects such as acting, writing and directing that this list is about: this is the Holy Trio of what makes or breaks a movie, the stuff that needs to be of a certain level and quality in order for a movie or TV show to be great, or at least solid.
The list focuses predominantly on actors and directors - hence largely it doesn't even take into consideration the vast number of bad scripts that have been a result of nepotistic infiltration! Nor does it include the plethora of nepotistic offspring that had appeared only in several smaller roles in fairly meaningless productions and as extras in big movies. I have intentionally skipped all the nepotists who have just a handful of minor appearances i.e. credits. You can click on the bio of just about any better-known actor older than 45 and you'll find that at least half of them have kids, siblings or cousins who are either actors, producers, or working in film crews as set designers or whatever.
So movie "artistry" is now an arena limited to a predetermined genetic karma, to a select few with the "right breeding", huh? Nice. How monarchistic. How anti-socialist. But the element of injustice isn't what is the worst about it all: it's the fact that nepotism kills good entertainment. Bad scripts, mediocre directors and charisma-free/incompetent actors combine to produce a heap of garbage that cannot measure up to what real talent can achieve. This is simply a fact, and a very evident one.
Tinseltown's elitist jet-set would have us believe that acting "talent" is passed on genetically, but if you believe there is such a thing as an acting gene (or a "charisma DNA") I would like to see some scientific proof of it first. Besides, many nepotists on this list come from non-movie, or at least non-acting, backgrounds. MANY of the kids who got a shot at fame in the past few decades - that aren't related to actors or producers - are children of upper-class, millionaire clans, wealthy industrialists for example, a fact that offers more proof how anti-equal-opportunity the film industry is, how corrupt and lazy it is.
They would also have us believe that nearly all of the world's acting/writing/directing talent has already been collected from all corners of America (and elsewhere), that the world's "acting talent pool" has dried up, been totally depleted, so why even bother looking for potential new De Niros, Caines, MacLaines, Connerys and Pacinos amongst the "masses"? Hence the debilitating current trend whereby the vast majority of the younger stars today have parents in powerful positions in the business - or commerce, or politics. I wouldn't mind, IF these kids were any good. But they usually aren't. Armies of Pauly Shores, Casey Aflecks and Amy Schumers dominate the film industry, while much more talented kids are sitting around stupidly, naively waiting for their agents to cast them in good auditions. So anti-socialist. Totally anti-liberal.
The gulf between what cinema's left-wingers preach and what they practice can't be any bigger.
It would seem that auditions serve very little purpose in Hollywood (and elsewhere), except to weed out the worst from the bad. A typical high-profile Hollywood audition (I am guessing) must be like a who's-who of famous actors' children, all fighting for a shot at fame and additional cash. Very few outsiders. It makes one wonder just how many truly bad nepotists never make it! Even a severely talent-free case like David Arquette must have beaten out several dozen failed nepotists, i.e. they are even worse ones than him. Scary (but fascinating) thought.
The list also exposes the startling hypocrisy of the movie business which is predominantly left-wing (now more than ever before), i.e. supposedly orientated toward the rights of the poor and "oppressed" - and yet there's this little anti-equality thing called elitist nepotism that proves that this is just an act: in reality, no poor or unconnected person with talent can make it in Hollywood unless they have wild luck. Hollywood predominantly employs its own spoiled rich kids, plus a whole array of sons and daughters of powerful politicians, famous pop stars, high-profile athletes - even sons and daughters of barons, lords and countesses! Hollywood producers and casting directors rarely hire middle-class or especially blue-collar talent. Again, I wouldn't mind this at all, IF only this corrupt selection-process worked - but it clearly doesn't. We've never had so many bland, boring actors and mediocre directors. The scripts are pitiful too.
So what is the real message Hollywood is giving blue-collar kids with dreams of movie careers? "You go on working in your factories and washing dishes and flipping burgers like your parents, we don't really need you here." That is the real message here, and one that is in total contrast/opposition to Hollywood's left-wing equal-opportunity lies - the politically-correct and completely dishonest message Hollywood is selling to the brainwashed masses.
So, yes, as insane and as despicable as it may sound, Hollywood is about silver-spoon-fed, righteous, holier-than-thou millionaires creating/starring in movies that preach about the rights of the oppressed, the poor, promoting socialism, minorities and the working class. Makes a lot of sense, doesn't it. This fact alone should tell you what kind of people run the film industry.
(It's interesting how this list had close to 500 views per week in its first years - then suddenly the numbers went down to two digits. I wonder how that happened.)
The list will be continually upgraded, there are LITERALLY HUNDREDS MORE people that haven't yet been added.
(EDIT: I stuck to my promise and added 200 more names. Then another 200. And another.)
Listed in the approximate order from the worst to slightly less bad. Essentially the first 100 are the best and most relevant examples of why nepotism is awful and destructive, whereas the rest are pretty much ranked randomly.
And no, I am not a disgruntled actor or director. I have never had any aspirations whatsoever to be in show-biz, since I am neither an exhibitionist attention-seeker nor obsessed with money. All I want is to watch good movies, but that is only possible when a good script is complemented with a good cast, and directed by someone chosen on the merit of his talents, not as a favour for a friend.
Nepotism is a branch of corruption. It is amoral, and it leads to a lowering of artistic standards. Whoever can't grasp this simple concept should skip this list altogether.
"The ultimate idea of rags-to-riches success in America is the Hollywood movie star." - Marin Ireland, actress
Methinks Ms Ireland is either trying to be funny or working hard to prove one of the oldest cliches about Hollywood actresses...
Of course, as with anything else, there are degrees or levels. Not all of the people listed here had it equally easy to enter show business. From easiest level entry to least easy:
1. Kids/relatives of studio bosses and powerful producers.
2. Kids/relatives of billionaires and of nobility i.e. the upper-most echelon of the so-called "1%"
3. Kids/relatives of current A-list actors (and directors), so-called "film stars".
4. Kids/relatives of non-show-biz people, but powerful professionals such as influential Hollywood lawyers, District Attorneys and Washington politicians.
5. Kids/relatives of top-tier casting agents and mid-level producers.
6. Kids/relatives of former A-list actors (and directors), i.e. "has-beens" but well-connected has-beens who have quite a number of very useful telephone numbers in their notepads.
7. Kids/relatives of B-list/C-list actors with lengthy filmographies. Not nearly as well-connected as the categories listed above, but certainly with far more advantages at their disposal than a farmer's daughter in Alabama (who has almost zero chance to get her Cinderella foot in the door, even if she's beautiful and talented; this does happen but very rarely).
8. Kids/relatives of minor actors who showed up on TV and movies in small parts.
9. Kids/relatives of prominent and/or wealthy archeologists, scientists, and other types of non-show-biz professionals.
.....
.....
.....
100. Kids from the working class, from trailer-parks, and farmers' sons and daughters. These demographics very rarely make it to the film industry or even the mainstream music industry - which is equally corrupt, believe it or not. There was a time in the 50s and 60s in the UK when this happened occasionally (Michael Caine, Sean Connery, Anthony Hopkins), but generally speaking most eras have been blue-collar-unfriendly. Being even "merely" of the middle-class lessens one's chances significantly.
The 9 categories above are neither a complete or totally precise division/ranking of nepotistic levels, but it gives you a good idea of how nepotists are ranked in terms of how well connected they are, i.e. how easy or less easy their access to employment and/or outright stardom is. Being Will Smith's kid is thereby in a far better position to get started than a child from a wealthy clan of famous archeologists. Kids from the top 3 categories rarely need to waste their time on minor roles and smaller movies: they usually start their careers right away in big-budget films. But that's just a general rule. (Hint: whenever an unknown young actor/actress suddenly appears in a very good role in a top movie production, chances are fairly high it's a nepotist).
Of course, there are also many actors who broke into show-business through a childhood friend, such as was the case with Tobey Maguire. There are many such cases, but they aren't included on this list. In other words, the list could/should be twice as large if I had access to this kind of information too.
My YouTube channel, it's mostly music-related:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3QrO38IvBGyUUPeTs46aYA
1. David Schwimmer
Actor | Friends
Born in New York and raised in Los Angeles, Schwimmer was encouraged by a high school instructor to attend a summer program in acting at Northwestern University. Inspired by that experience, he returned to Northwestern where he received a bachelor's degree in speech/theater. In 1988, along with ...
Son of a powerful Hollywood lawyer, Arlene Coleman-Schwimmer. Talk about a rock-solid connection that can't fail no matter how modest the skill-set.
Maybe I've never seen a comedian worse than him. Not sure yet, coz it's so tough to rank people who are totally unfunny.
2. Anjelica Huston
Actress | The Grifters
Anjelica Huston was born on July 8, 1951 to director and actor John Huston and Russian prima ballerina Enrica 'Ricki' Soma. Huston spent most of her childhood overseas, in Ireland and England, and in 1968 first dipped her toe into the world of show business, taking on the lead role of her father's ...
3rd generation.
Just abysmal.
3. Laura Dern
Actress | Jurassic Park
Laura Dern was born on February 10, 1967 in Los Angeles, the daughter of actors Bruce Dern and Diane Ladd. Dern was exposed to movie sets and the movie industry from infancy, and obtained several bit parts as a child. Her parents divorced when Dern was two and Dern lost contact with her father for ...
My opinion of David Lynch sunk and never recovered when he started casting her. By casting so many nepotists, Lynch inadvertently revealed that his fall from artist to just another Hollywood hired-gun elitist was complete. (As if his 80s movies didn't already show that.)
4. Jennifer Aniston
Actress | Friends
Jennifer Aniston was born in Sherman Oaks, California, to actors John Aniston and Nancy Dow. Her father was Greek, and her mother was of English, Irish, Scottish, and Italian descent. Jennifer spent a year of her childhood living in Greece with her family. Her family then relocated to New York City...
The best example in all the history of Hollywood of how intense the hyping of nepotist kids is, as compared to the usual levels of hype for "outsiders". No amount of bombs stopped her career because as a nepotist you are forgiven a lot more than as somebody who came outside of the inner circle. The amount of media attention she received - and still does - is reversely proportional to her almost non-existent talents.
And her smile is awfully fake.
5. Casey Affleck
Actor | Manchester by the Sea
An accomplished and striking performer, Academy Award® winner Casey Affleck has established himself as a powerful leading man with performances in multiple projects.
Caleb Casey McGuire Affleck-Boldt was born in Falmouth, Massachusetts. His mother, Chris Anne (née Boldt), is a school teacher, and ...
Casey wouldn't have had an acting career even in Z-level soap-TV had he not had the very powerful - and evidently very persistent - backing of his influential (though ironically almost talent-free) brother. Ben Affleck himself can barely act with any amount of conviction, so how exactly does his brother get to have the unproven, fictional "acting gene"?
I struggle to see any talent or charisma in him, at all. He seems so bored - hence boring. I pretty much avoid every movie he's in, because I don't believe that you can "learn" charisma through years of practice.
Did they actually give this guy an Oscar? Kids, the Oscars have ZERO to do with ability, it's all politics.
6. Adrien Brody
Actor | The Pianist
Adrien Nicholas Brody was born in Woodhaven, Queens, New York, the only child of retired history professor Elliot Brody and Hungarian-born photographer Sylvia Plachy. He accompanied his mother on assignments for the Village Voice, and credits her with making him feel comfortable in front of the ...
I have rarely come across a more overrated actor than Adrien. What makes his career even more bizarre, he gets badly cast most of the time.
Bad casting + very little talent = quite a mess and bad movies
7. Jason Schwartzman
Actor | Rushmore
Jason Francesco Schwartzman is an American actor and musician. Schwartzman made his film debut in Wes Anderson's 1998 film Rushmore, and has gone on to appear in seven other Anderson films: The Darjeeling Limited (2007), Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009), Moonrise Kingdom (2012), The Grand Budapest Hotel (...
Is there a Coppola clan member NOT in movies? I believe around 50 of them are in movies, one way or another, and that's a modest estimate.
Jason is one of the unfunniest "comedians" I have ever cringed to, as I explain on my Comedians list. You know that feeling when a stand-up comic bombs after every bad gag? That's how I feel watching him. Wes Anderson has no clue about comedy, which is why he casts some of the worst "comedians" in Hollywood.
8. Sofia Coppola
Actress | The Godfather Part III
Sofia Coppola was born on May 14, 1971 in New York City, New York, USA as Sofia Carmina Coppola. She is a director, known for Somewhere (2010), Lost in Translation (2003), and Marie Antoinette (2006). She has been married to Thomas Mars since August 27, 2011. They have two daughters, Romy and ...
Here's another one.
A great example of how a newcomer nepotist director will nearly always receive much more attention than a non-nepotist newcomer director, and how quickly the Oscar voters will jump to "reward" such nepotists with awards that are totally undeserved, mildly put.
Why? To ensure that nepotism remains a powerful force, which in turns benefits all of Hollywood's numerous clans.
9. Daniel Radcliffe
Actor | Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Daniel Jacob Radcliffe was born on July 23, 1989 in Fulham, London, England, to casting agent Marcia Gresham (née Jacobson) and literary agent Alan Radcliffe. His father is from a Northern Irish Protestant background, while his mother was born in South Africa, to a Jewish family (from Lithuania, ...
You would think that at least when casting for a hugely expensive/ambitious project one would try to get the best possible candidate for the lead role? Think again. Most viewers (especially children) are totally uncritical, a fact not lost on producers and directors.
So Daniel is the BEST Harry Potter producers could find, out of literally THOUSANDS of kids who wanted that role? Really, Britain? Did these other kids get the same audition space that he got? I very much doubt it.
I think there should be a law prohibiting casting directors from pushing their own kids into movies. I see a conflict of interest in there somewhere... This kid can't act to save his life, plus the charisma of a chair. Daniel is a poster-boy (now a poster-man) for why nepotism is a huge problem in the film industry.
10. Kristen Stewart
Actress | Snow White and the Huntsman
Though most famous for her role as Isabella "Bella" Swan in The Twilight (2008) Saga, Kristen Stewart has been a working actor since her early years in Los Angeles, California. Her parents, John Stewart and Jules Stewart, both work in film and television. The family includes three boys, Kristen's ...
I wouldn't have a problem if nepotists only got cast for horrible movies - as is the case with this woman.
And she has a reputation for being difficult. Can't confirm or deny, coz I'm not a director. And if I was I certainly wouldn't hire her.
11. Kyra Sedgwick
Actress | The Closer
Kyra Minturn Sedgwick was born on August 19, 1965 in New York City to Patricia (Rosenwald), a family and speech therapist, and Henry Dwight Sedgwick V, a venture capitalist. Her mother was from an upper-class German Jewish family, and her father was from a wealthy Massachusetts clan of English ...
Quiz question: There is far less nepotism in sports, because?
Answer: In sports you can't fake athleticism or lose to everyone then pretend you're victorious. In sports quality is objectively measured - it can't be artificially hyped by corrupt film studios selling a bad product. In sports you get the winning trophy because you're the best or at least one of the very best i.e. in sports you DON'T EVER GET AWARDED FOR BEING MEDIOCRE.
12. Greta Thunberg
Self | I Am Greta
Greta Thunberg was born on January 3, 2003 in Sweden. She is a writer and actress, known for I Am Greta (2020), Pearl Jam: Retrograde (2020) and Greta Thunberg: A Year to Change the World (2021).
3rd generation. Granddaughter of Olof Thunberg and daughter of Malena Ernman & Svante Thunberg, all actors.
Surprised?
I'm not.
You may claim she isn't an actress hence is ineligible for this list. I disagree. She is definitely an actress. She gets "angry" on cue. And she does it just as badly and unconvincingly as one would expect from someone who needed family connection in order to be covered/hyped by worldwide media.
Elitist hypocrisy and entitlement are a wonder. The left-wing Establishment is so arrogant, so dishonest, and so elitist that they couldn't even pick a "regular kid" from the middle class or lower class to promote their ridiculous agenda. It had to be a silver-spoon privileged show-biz kid.
13. Rumer Willis
Actress | Sorority Row
Rumer Glenn Willis was born August 16th, 1988, in Paducah, Kentucky, to actors Demi Moore and Bruce Willis. She was named after the British novelist Rumer Godden. She made her debut at the age of 5 in the movie Now and Then (1995) but was credited as Willa Glen. Her mother hired cameramen to video ...
I doubt many movie-goers would disagree with me on this one: one of the truly typical examples of why nepotism doesn't work. At all.
Her two sisters Scout and Tallulah Willis had also started careers but very quickly either gave up or nobody wanted to hire them anymore.
14. Martha Plimpton
Actress | The Goonies
She has show biz in her blood. Martha Plimpton was born November 16, 1970, in New York City to two actors: Keith Carradine and Shelley Plimpton. Martha began her career at age 8, when her mom had a friend of hers, composer Elizabeth Swados, enroll her in an actors' workshop. At age 10, she got a ...
3rd generation.
Stems from a large acting clan. (These nepotist acting clans are growing in size, and ever more keep springing up.) She often gets cast in sit-coms and comedies, despite her inexpressive face, evident lack of charisma, and almost zero comedic abilities.
15. David Arquette
Actor | Scream 3
The youngest of five, David Arquette was born in Winchester, Virginia and is part of the illustrious Arquette family, whose work has spread over several generations. His parents, Lewis Arquette, an actor, and Brenda Denaut (née Nowak), an acting teacher and therapist, had 4 other children: Rosanna ...
3rd generation.
The Arquettes must wield some serious power, if they were even able to turn David into a Hollywood star, if only briefly.
What that mysterious power might be, I will leave to you to decide.
Son of Lewis Arquette and Brenda Denaut. Younger brother of Richmond Arquette, Alexis Arquette, Patricia Arquette and Rosanna Arquette. Grandson of Cliff Arquette, better known as "Charley Weaver" from The Hollywood Squares and Julie Harrison. Uncle of Zoë Bleu Sidel (Rosanna's daughter), Enzo Rossi and Harlow Jane-Arquette (Patricia's children).
Formerly brother-in-law of actors Nicolas Cage and Thomas Jane who were married to his sister, Patricia Arquette. Former brother-in-law of Tony Greco, James Newton Howard and John Sidel who were married to his sister, Rosanna Arquette.
Hollywood is almost like one of those small hick towns that Hollywood's leftists make fun of for inbreeding all the time, isn't it? Everyone's related.
16. Kiefer Sutherland
Actor | 24
Kiefer Sutherland was born in London, England, UK, to Canadian actors Shirley Douglas and Donald Sutherland, who moved to California shortly after his birth. His maternal grandfather, Tommy Douglas, was a Scottish-born Canadian politician who was a Premier of Saskatchewan for over 17 years and led ...
I avoid him like the plague. However, I bit the bullet once years ago and decided to watch a very good film despite his presence ("Dark City"), and was amazed at how badly he played his part: he delivered his lines like an asthmatic gasping for air. He must have thought that a nerdy, weird sci-fi scientist should talk like that.
Some nepotist actors overact, some underact. But they rarely get it right.
There are a bunch more Sutherlands, just keep listing the many pages of this list...
17. Olympia Dukakis
Actress | Moonstruck
Long a vital, respected thespian of the classic and contemporary stage, this grand lady did not become a household name and sought-after film actress until age 56 when she turned in a glorious, Oscar-winning performance as Cher's sardonic mother in the romantic comedy Moonstruck (1987). Movie (and ...
Cousin of failed Presidential candidate Michael Dukakis (lost to Bush Sr. in 1988).
Guess what year she won an Oscar?
1988.
Mere coincidence.
The Oscars are NOT about politics, ethnicity and marketing hype. I repeat, NOT about politics, ethnicity or marketing hype. And certainly only actors from working-class backgrounds win them.
18. Chet Hanks
Actor | Larry Crowne
Chet Hanks was born on August 4, 1990 in Los Angeles, California, USA. He is an actor, known for Larry Crowne (2011), Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008) and Project X (2012).
Tom Hanks.
19. Jim Hanks
Actor | Blood Type
Jim Hanks was born on June 15, 1961 in Shasta County, California, USA. He is an actor and cinematographer, known for Blood Type (2018), Abnormal Attraction (2018) and Forrest Gump (1994). He has been married to Karen Praxel since May 25, 1986. They have one child.
Brother of Tom Hanks.
20. Colin Hanks
Actor | King Kong
Colin Lewes Hanks is an American actor. He was born in Sacramento, California, to actors Samantha Lewes and Tom Hanks. Colin is best-known for his work as "Jack Bailey" in the series, The Good Guys (2010) and as "Alex Whitman" in Roswell (1999). Hanks' best-known film role may be in the teen movie, ...
Man, when Tom Hanks pulls strings, these strings are as tight as an Everest rope. Hands down the blandest "actor" on this list. Wallpaper. He'd be great at playing accountants though.
Peter Jackson, shame on you.
And makers of FARGO, too. How do I know FARGO sucks? Because they cast this extremely boring "actor" in a major role: that already tells me how "serious" the producers were about the show. Hence why I ignore it. Simple and logical.
21. Mary Stuart Masterson
Actress | Benny & Joon
Mary Stuart Masterson started acting before the age of ten, when she appeared in The Stepford Wives (1975) in 1975 with her father. Afterwards, at the direction of her parents, Mary Stuart led a life outside of the limelight, attending school in New York. She appeared in a few productions at New ...
They hyped her in the 80s until studio heads finally realized that audiences didn't want her.
A very obvious example of nepotism. You don't have to read her bio to know it.
Still, nowadays she'd make it much bigger, because today's audiences have almost no standards, no criteria: you can give them anyone and they won't even notice they're being conned.
22. Kate Hudson
Actress | Almost Famous
Almost everyone who has spent time with Kate Hudson -including directors, family members, co-stars and interviewers - is quick to comment on her ability to light up a room. Through some combination of a winning smile, solid work ethic, and good old-fashioned talent, the young actress has gone from ...
That the "comedy gene" does not exist is well-supported by Kate's case. This is a typical average-looking American girl-next-door. Dime-a-dozen. You can find a million like her without even having to look...
She turned down a role (while she was still just a nepotist-in-waiting) in "Escape from L.A." because it starred Kurt Russell and she "didn't want to be professionally associated with my dad. I just wanted to see if I could do the audition."
So what she was saying is basically she wanted to debut in a film without any family relatives, so she could more easily fool the audiences into thinking she was a "free electron".
Shame has many names, and one of them is "Nepotism", and Kate must have felt that shame bone-deep.
23. Tori Spelling
Actress | Scary Movie 2
Tori Spelling was born in Los Angeles, the daughter of author Candy Spelling and Hollywood producer Aaron Spelling. With her father producing many popular television shows in the 1970s, Tori had an early flair for showbusiness. She appeared on many of her father's shows, which gained her more ...
Daughter of Aaron Spelling, one of the most powerful and most successful TV producers ever.
Bargain-basement talent, no charisma, hence almost no career outside Aaron's TV series that "catapulted" her on us.
24. Paris Hilton
Actress | The Hottie & the Nottie
One of today's most recognizable entrepreneurs and international influencers, Paris Hilton is a pioneer in reality television and an innovator in social media and celebrity branding.
Since starring in "The Simple Life," Hilton has built a global empire as an influencer, DJ, designer, recording ...
Still don't believe me that anyone can become an actor provided they have connections?
She could have continued making movies (until the audiences got totally bored of it, which would have happened quickly), but didn't feel like it. Being jet-set "royalty" means doing whatever you like.
25. Courtney Love
Actress | The People vs. Larry Flynt
The daughter of Grateful Dead devotee and first manager Hank Harrison and psychotherapist Linda Caroll, Courtney Love was born Courtney Michelle Harrison in San Francisco, California in 1964. Love spent her early years living in hippie communes in Oregon and at schools in Europe and New Zealand, ...
Her maternal grandmother was the children's novelist Paula Fox, and her maternal great-grandmother was screenwriter Elsie Fox Elsie's husband, (Courtney's maternal grandfather) was screenwriter Paul Hervey Fox, who wrote 14 films. Paul was the first cousin of film star Douglas Fairbanks.
So you always wondered how she got her band signed, and why she can neither sing or act? Now you know.
ELITISM.
26. Geraldine Chaplin
Actress | Hable con ella
Geraldine Leigh Chaplin was born in Santa Monica, California, to Oona Chaplin (née O'Neill) and legendary entertainer Charles Chaplin (A.K.A. Charlie Chaplin). She is a granddaughter of playwright Eugene O'Neill and a great-granddaughter of stage actor James O'Neill. She attended the Royal Ballet ...
Charlie Chaplin's daughter.
She literally would have been hired by NOBODY ever had she being from the working class or middle class.
27. Carmen Chaplin
Actress | All About the Benjamins
Carmen Chaplin was born on July 27, 1977 in London, England, UK. She is an actress and producer, known for All About the Benjamins (2002), Sabrina (1995) and The Serpent's Kiss (1997).
3rd generation.
28. Kiera Chaplin
Actress | The Importance of Being Earnest
Kiera Chaplin was born on July 1, 1982 in Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK. She is an actress and producer, known for The Importance of Being Earnest (2002), The Year That Trembled (2002) and The Professional (2003).
3rd generation.
29. James Thierrée
Actor | Tabac Rouge
James Thierrée was born on May 2, 1974 in Lausanne, Switzerland. He is an actor and director, known for Tabac Rouge (2013), Chocolat (2016) and Les illusions (2008).
Part of the Chaplin clan.
30. Victoria Chaplin
Actress | A Countess from Hong Kong
Victoria Chaplin was born on May 19, 1951 in Santa Monica, California, USA. She is an actress, known for A Countess from Hong Kong (1967), Le cirque imaginaire (1989) and Mi reino por un caballo (2010). She has been married to Jean-Baptiste Thiérrée since January 2, 1970. They have two children.
31. Aurélia Thiérrée
Actress | The People vs. Larry Flynt
Aurélia Thiérrée was born on September 24, 1971. She is an actress, known for The People vs. Larry Flynt (1996), Goya's Ghosts (2006) and Twice Upon a Time (2019).
Part of the Chaplin clan.
32. Christopher Chaplin
Actor | Je suis le ténébreux
Christopher Chaplin was born on July 8, 1962 in Lausanne, Switzerland. He is an actor and composer, known for Je suis le ténébreux (2017), Till We Meet Again (1989) and Labyrinth (1991).
33. Dolores Chaplin
Actress | La patinoire
Dolores Chaplin is known for The Ice Rink (1998), The Counterfeiters (2007) and Until the End of the World (1991).
3rd generation.
34. Sydney Chaplin
Actor | Limelight
In choosing a professional acting career for himself, bon vivant Sydney Chaplin had to deal with the powerful and pervasive shadow of his famous father, the legendary Charles Chaplin, hovering over him every step of the way. While his older brother, actor Charles Chaplin Jr., buckled under the ...
Son of Charlie Chaplin.
35. Orson Chaplin
Actor | American Horror Story
Orson Chaplin, grandson of the legendary actor Charlie Chaplin, and son to Producer Ilya Salkind (Superman) was born to Jane Chaplin in London, England, in 1986. Orson traveled internationally with his mom up until the age of seven when he acquired his green card, putting an end to his 6 month ...
36. Oona Chaplin
Actress | The Longest Ride
Oona Chaplin is a Spanish actress. Her mother is Geraldine Chaplin. She is also the granddaughter of English film actor Charlie Chaplin, and great-granddaughter of American playwright Eugene O'Neill. She is best known for playing Talisa Maegyr in the HBO TV series Game of Thrones and Zilpha Geary ...
3rd generation.
Daughter of actress Geraldine Chaplin, granddaughter of filmmaker and actor Charlie Chaplin, and great-granddaughter of Irish-American playwright Eugene O'Neill.
37. Rooney Mara
Actress | The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Actress and philanthropist Rooney Mara was born on April 17, 1985 in Bedford, New York. She made her screen debut in the slasher film Urban Legends: Bloody Mary (2005), went on to have a supporting role in the independent coming-of-age drama Tanner Hall (2009), and has since starred in the horror ...
Quote from her bio: "She is one of four children of Kathleen McNulty (née Rooney) and NFL football team New York Giants executive Timothy Christopher Mara. Her grandfathers were Wellington Mara, co-owner of the Giants, and Timothy Rooney, owner of Yonkers Raceway, and her grand-uncle is Steelers Chairman Dan Rooney, the former Ambassador to Ireland. She is the great-granddaughter of Art Rooney, the founder of the Pittsburgh Steelers football franchise."
Nuff said. She could be a frog and be turned into a "star" with that kind of support.
Nepotism is corruption, no matter how you twist it and spin it, and elitist nepotism is the worst kind there is.
38. Kate Mara
Actress | Fantastic Four
Kate Mara is an American actress. She starred in the Netflix political drama House of Cards (2013) as Zoe Barnes and appeared in the Fox TV series 24 (2001) as computer analyst Shari Rothenberg. She appeared in Brokeback Mountain (2005), We Are Marshall (2006), Shooter (2007), Transsiberian (2008), ...
39. Melissa Gilbert
Actress | Little House on the Prairie
Melissa Ellen Gilbert is an American actress, television director, producer, politician, and former president of the Screen Actors Guild. Gilbert began her career as a child actress in the late 1960s, appearing in numerous commercials and guest starring roles on television. From 1974 to 1983, she ...
Adopted by actor and comedian Paul Gilbert and his wife, dancer and actress Barbara Crane, the daughter of The Honeymooners creator Harry Crane.
So how does the "adoption gene" turn into "high-quality acting DNA"?
Or did her parents just make a few phone-calls...
40. Sara Gilbert
Actress | Poison Ivy
Sara Gilbert was born on January 29, 1975, as Sara Rebecca Abeles at St. John's Hospital and Health Center in Santa Monica, California, to Barbara Cowan and Harold Abeles. Barbara was previously married to the late Paul Gilbert. At the age of six, when Sara saw her sister Melissa Gilbert get a star...
Some nepotists are so talent-free, they can only have careers in sit-com-land.
Yes, comedy is tougher than drama, but not bad comedy. Not sitcom acting.
Her maternal grandfather was The Honeymooners creator Harry Crane.
41. Christian Slater
Actor | Very Bad Things
Christian Michael Leonard Slater was born on August 18, 1969 in New York City, to Michael Hawkins, a well-known soap actor, and Mary Jo Slater (née Lawton), a casting agent. Christian started in show business early, appearing on the soap opera The Edge of Night (1956) in 1976 at the age of 7. He ...
Has an annoying speech impediment which may or may not be intentional. It's ludicrous how often he played leads.
His mother is a casting agent! Hilarious irony...
42. Jake Gyllenhaal
Actor | Nightcrawler
Jake Gyllenhaal was born on December 19, 1980 in Los Angeles, California as Jacob Benjamin Gyllenhaal, the son of producer/screenwriter Naomi Foner and director Stephen Gyllenhaal, and the younger brother of actress Maggie Gyllenhaal. He is of Ashkenazi Jewish (mother) and Swedish, English, and ...
A lot like Jennifer Aniston. No talent but hyped to the point of absurdity. Even if all of his movies bombed, they'd still give him a dozen more chances - because nepotism HAS to work in order to ensure employment for future generations of everyone who is currently part of the Hollywood elite. Actors who don't stem from Hollywood don't get as many chances.
43. Maggie Gyllenhaal
Actress | Secretary
Maggie Gyllenhaal was born on November 16, 1977 in New York City, New York as Margalit Ruth Gyllenhaal, the daughter of producer/screenwriter Naomi Foner and director Stephen Gyllenhaal, and the older sister of actor Jake Gyllenhaal. She is of Ashkenazi Jewish (mother) and Swedish, English, and ...
Like her brother, it didn't take long for her to get A roles in big movies. That clan wields more power than we can even grasp. Who knows what goes on behind the scenes in Tinseltown.
She has as much "star power" as a sack of beans. Yet she got some very big roles which much better actresses would have been more suitable for.
44. Zoë Wanamaker
Actress | My Week with Marilyn
Zoë Wanamaker is an American expatriate actress, who has spend most of her career in the United Kingdom. She has worked extensively in the theatre. She has been nominated for 9 Laurence Olivier Awards, wining twice. She has also been nominated for 4 Tony Awards, without ever winning. In television,...
The daughter of Canadian actress and radio performer Charlotte Holland and American actor, film director, and radio producer Sam Wanamaker.
Obvious. Very.
45. Blake Lively
Actress | Gossip Girl
Blake Ellender Lively was born Blake Ellender Brown on August 25, 1987 in Los Angeles, California to Elaine Lively & Ernie Lively. Her brother is actor Eric Lively, and her half-siblings are actors Lori Lively, Robyn Lively and Jason Lively. She followed her parents' and siblings' steps. Her first ...
Some nepotists get a lot of facial surgery before kick-starting their careers. Check out her before and after pics.
Isn't Blake a guy's name?
Her brother (whose name isn't Blake) appears on this list too.
46. Brandi Cyrus
Actress | Old 37
Brandi Cyrus was born on May 26, 1987 in Nashville, Tennessee, USA. She is an actress, known for Old 37 (2015), Zoey 101 (2005) and Hannah Montana (2006).
47. Noah Cyrus
Actress | Gake no ue no Ponyo
Noah Lindsey Cyrus (born January 8, 2000) is an American actress and singer. She voiced the title role in the English version of the 2009 animated feature film Ponyo. In 2016, she released her debut single "Make Me (Cry)", featuring vocals from Labrinth.
Noah is the fifth child of Billy Ray and Tish...
Because Billy Cyrus is a great actor and a major "artist"?
48. Trace Cyrus
Soundtrack | The House Bunny
Trace Cyrus was born on February 24, 1989 in Ashland, Kentucky, USA. He is an actor and composer, known for The House Bunny (2008), Winged Creatures (2008) and Already Lucky (2018).
Adopted, hence not even theoretical "music/acting DNA".
Typical Hollywood kid.
49. Miley Cyrus
Soundtrack | Hannah Montana
Miley Ray Cyrus was born Destiny Hope Cyrus on November 23, 1992 in Franklin, Tennessee and raised in Thompson's Station, Tennessee to Tish Cyrus & Billy Ray Cyrus. She has five siblings - two half-brothers, a half-sister, and a younger brother and sister. Her parents named her because they hoped ...
No comment necessary.
50. Jean-Pierre Léaud
Actor | Les quatre cents coups
Jean-Pierre Léaud is not everybody's cup of tea for sure, but will remain an important name in film history. As an actor he can be adored or hated for exactly the same reasons: he is one of those rare players that directors let improvise his dialogue, which gets on certain viewers' nerves while it ...
Son of comedian Jacqueline Pierreux and screenwriter Pierre Léaud.
Proof that French "artists" such as Truffaut weren't above hiring their friends' kids as favours - instead of getting the best man for the job. Or, according to Wikpedia, Truffaut was "spellbound" by the teen, in which case I now partially understand why he directed so many average, vastly overrated movies, rarely making a good film. You do actually have to know how to CAST a film, not just work the camera...
You scratch my back, I scratch yours. The film-making business is morally lacking, to say the least - and yet moralizing and preaching is all they do in their movies. They sure have some nerve, with all that hypocrisy.
On the one hand they want us to think what they're making is "art", and yet they dilute that "art" with inferior actors - making me suspect they themselves don't believe they're making art.
Btw, nepotism is in even more widespread in France, it is so dominant you have to dig deep through its film/TV industry to find people who made it on their own, stemming from the working class or the middle class.
51. Eve Hewson
Actress | Robin Hood
Memphis Eve Sunny Day Hewson, known professionally as Eve Hewson, is an Irish actress. Her first major role was in the drama film This Must Be the Place (2011). She played Nurse Lucy Elkins in Steven Soderbergh's TV series The Knick (2014-2015).
Hewson was born in Dublin, the second daughter of ...
Bono is SUCH a great actor, won all those film and theater awards, so obviously his daughter would be a great actor...
No, wait. Bono is just a singer.
Didn't Bono fight for the poor all those years? For equal opportunities? No?
Of course he didn't, that's might be just a ruse.
52. Keira Knightley
Actress | Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
Keira Christina Knightley was born March 26, 1985 in the South West Greater London suburb of Richmond. She is the daughter of actor Will Knightley and actress turned playwright Sharman Macdonald. An older brother, Caleb Knightley, was born in 1979. Her father is English, while her Scottish-born ...
Appallingly bad actress with average looks. Whoever says she is "beautiful" can't know many beautiful women...
Daughter of stage actors Will Knightley and Sharman Macdonald.
53. Maria Aitken
Actress | A Fish Called Wanda
Maria Aitken was born on September 12, 1945 in Dublin, Ireland. She is an actress and writer, known for A Fish Called Wanda (1988), Fierce Creatures (1997) and Spider (2002). She has been married to Patrick McGrath since December 28, 1991. She was previously married to Nigel Davenport and Richard ...
The daughter of Sir William Aitken, a Conservative MP, and Penelope Aitken, whose father was John Maffey, 1st Baron Rugby. Her grandfather was the UK Representative to Ireland. She is a great-niece of newspaper magnate and war-time minister Lord Beaverbrook, and sister to former Conservative cabinet minister Jonathan Aitken.
So why wonder that most movies are rubbish?
54. Jack Davenport
Actor | Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
Jack Davenport was born in 1973 and is the son of actors Maria Aitken and Nigel Davenport. He studied Literature and Film Studies at the University of East Anglia. His first break happened after he wrote to John Cleese to ask to be a runner on Fierce Creatures (1997) where he ended up playing a zoo...
4th generation "jet-set royalty".
One of the unfunniest "comedians" on this list. He is the main reason I can't watch those cheesy pirate comedies with Depp. The way he says his lines is how I imagine a total amateur desperately trying to be funny - because he is at gun point being told "be funny - or else".
The son of actors Nigel Davenport and Maria Aitken.
It doesn't end there...
His uncle is writer and former Conservative MP Jonathan Aitken, his maternal grandmother was socialite Penelope Aitken, his maternal grandfather was politician William Aitken, and one of his maternal great-grandfathers was John Maffey, 1st Baron Rugby. Through Jonathan Aitken's marriage to Elizabeth Rees-Williams, Davenport is also related to Jared Harris and Jamie Harris, her sons from her marriage to Richard Harris.
So...
Politicians + barons + average actors = great comedian?
Worst math equation ever.
55. Catherine Reitman
Actress | Workin' Moms
Catherine Reitman was born on April 28, 1981 in Los Angeles, California, USA. She is an actress and writer, known for Workin' Moms (2017), It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (2005) and Black-ish (2014). She has been married to Philip Sternberg since August 2009. They have two children.
56. Jason Reitman
Producer | Up in the Air
Jason Reitman is a Canadian filmmaker and producer who notably directed Ghostbusters: Afterlife, Juno, Thank You for Smoking, Up in the Air, Young Adult and Tully. He produced Chloe and Jennifer's Body, two films that advanced Amanda Seyfried's career for adult oriented roles. He is the son of Ivan...
"Juno". Need I say more?
Much like Sofia Coppola, an offspring of a powerful director/producer whose early efforts received immense hype from the studio. Kick-starting a bad career requires hype and money. When it comes to hyping a powerful nepotist, everyone in Hollywood and the media gives it their all to make sure the project works, because for the media elites nepotism MUST work, it is one of their biggest agendas, aside from politics, of course.
Left-wing politics that promotes non-elitism. Quite ridiculous.
57. Troy Garity
Actor | Ballers
Troy Garity is an actor known for his diverse body of work. Though his breakout film performance came when he starred opposite Bruce Willis, Cate Blanchett and Billy Bob Thorton in Barry Levinson's "Bandits", he is perhaps best known for his role as Isaac in the "Barbershop" film franchise. A role ...
Fonda clan.
58. Jane Fonda
Actress | Klute
Born in New York City to legendary screen star Henry Fonda and Ontario-born New York socialite Frances Seymour Brokaw, Jane Seymour Fonda was destined early to an uncommon and influential life in the limelight. Although she initially showed little inclination to follow her father's trade, she was ...
Being a "Marxist" AND a nepotist gives you a huge advantage. You can basically do as you like, and get away with anything - including mediocre acting or even treason.
59. Bridget Fonda
Actress | A Simple Plan
Bridget Jane Fonda was born in Los Angeles, California, to Susan Brewer and actor Peter Fonda. She is the granddaughter of Henry Fonda and niece of Jane Fonda, both famous actors. Bridget made her film debut at age five as an extra in Easy Rider (1969), but first became interested in acting after ...
Bland and wooden.
60. Peter Fonda
Actor | Easy Rider
Peter Henry Fonda was born in New York City, to legendary screen star Henry Fonda and Ontario, Canada-born New York socialite Frances Brokaw (born Frances Ford Seymour). He was the younger brother of actress and activist Jane Fonda and the father of actress Bridget Fonda.
Fonda made his professional...
They tried hard to turn him into a star in the 70s, but failed, due to staggering levels of non-charisma. Henry Fonda he ain't.
61. Illeana Douglas
Actress | Stir of Echoes
Illeana Douglas is an actress, writer, and producer. Born with show business in her blood, she is the granddaughter of screen legend Melvyn Douglas. Illeana began studying acting at the Neighborhood Playhouse in New York. While working in New York as a stand-up comedian and sketch comedy artist, ...
Third-generation nepotist, I believe.
There is much in Hollywood that reminds of old European monarchies.
Ts, ts, ts. So elitist.
62. Jaden Smith
Actor | The Karate Kid
Jaden Smith is an actor, known for The Pursuit of Happyness (2006), The Karate Kid (2010) and After Earth (2013). In addition to being an actor he is also a dancer, songwriter and rapper who won an MTV award for his performance in The Pursuit of Happyness. He co-starred with his father Will Smith ...
Will Smith can't act, he can only grin unconvincingly, so what can we expect from his kids?
63. Willow Smith
Actress | I Am Legend
Willow Smith was born on October 31, 2000 in Los Angeles, California, USA. She is a music artist and actress, known for I Am Legend (2007), Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa (2008) and Kit Kittredge: An American Girl (2008).
64. Briana Evigan
Actress | Step Up 2: The Streets
Briana was born on October 23rd, in Los Angeles, California. Her nationality is American and ethnicity is mixed (Polish and Italian). Born to actor Greg Evigan, and Dancer Pam Evigan, raised with her two siblings, music producer Jason Evigan, and actress Vanessa Evigan. This Husky-Voiced Evigan ...
65. Vanessa Evigan
Actress | In My Sleep
Born and raised in Los Angeles, California, Vanessa got her start on the small screen at only eight years old, when she was an extra on the TV show MyTwo Dads, which starred her father, Greg Evigan. Vanessa knew then she wanted to be an actress, but it wasn't until she was 11 that her parents ...
66. Fuschia Sumner
Director | Everything I Ever Wanted to Tell My Daughter About Men
Fuschia Sumner was born on April 17, 1982 in London, England, UK. She is an actress and director, known for Everything I Ever Wanted to Tell My Daughter About Men (2021), Saving Mr. Banks (2013) and The Voice of Dust and Ash (2022).
Sting's daughter.
And he isn't even a good actor. He's a (brilliant) musician.
He hired his son's awful band to support The Police on their huge 2008 reunion tour. Sting, the great humanitarian. Why doesn't he hire a struggling Newcastle band?
67. Lucy DeVito
Actress | Deadbeat
Lucy DeVito was born on March 11, 1983 in New York City, New York, USA. She is an actress and producer, known for Deadbeat (2014), It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (2005) and Leaves of Grass (2009).
Quite a blatant attempt to cheat the viewers into thinking they're getting quality.
Danny de Vito is a staunch political activist, fighting for freedom, equality, non-elitism, the working class and... hang on. So why is he using his connections to promote his bad actress daughter?
68. Kelly Osbourne
Actress | Austin Powers in Goldmember
Kelly Michelle Lee Osbourne is a British actress, singer, fashion model and television personality from Westminster, London. She is the daughter of Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne. She is known for her roles in Austin Powers in Goldmember, The Masked Singer UK, Phineas & Ferb, The Muppets Wizard of Oz and...
Would anyone disagree about her?
Apart from Sharon, I mean.
69. Juliet Landau
Actress | A Place Among the Dead
Juliet Landau is an actress, director, producer and writer. As an actress, highlights include her role as "Drusilla" on Joss Whedon 's Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997) & spin-off Angel (1999), and co-starring in Tim Burton's Ed Wood (1994) as "Loretta King". She played the recurring role of Rita ...
Such a bad actress, that no amount of nepotism helped her being launched into stardom. She played a tree in "Ed Wood", right?
70. Mason Lee
Actor | The Hangover Part II
Mason Lee was born on May 30, 1990 in the USA. He is an actor, known for The Hangover Part II (2011), Lucy (2014) and Who Killed Cock Robin? (2017).
71. Mandela Van Peebles
Actor | Jigsaw
"Legacy" is what you think of when hearing the Van Peebles name, and third generation Mandela is definitely doing his part in upholding the family's cinematic lineage.
Van Peebles recently finished filming the Taylor Sheridan (of Yellowstone fame) and Antoine Fuqua-produced Mayor of Kingstown (2021)...
3rd generation.
Mario was smart. Give his boy the name "Mandela" and how could any PC casting director refuse him a role?
72. Cécile Cassel
Actress | HollySiz: Thank you all i'm fine
Cécile Cassel was born on June 25, 1982 in Paris, France. She is an actress and producer, known for HollySiz: Thank you all i'm fine (2021), Two Is a Family (2016) and HollySiz: Come back to me (2013).
Vincent Cassel's half-sister.
73. Rockin' Squat
Soundtrack | Le voyage au Groenland
Rockin' Squat is known for Journey to Greenland (2016), O Ciclo (2019) and Le Lyonnais (1989).
Vincent Cassel's brother. Half-sister is a pop singer.
I love how Wikipedia states that he comes from a "family of artists". Perhaps there are a few DJs there too?
74. Vincent Cassel
Actor | Black Swan
Blue-eyed Vincent Cassel was born in Paris to a leading actor father, Jean-Pierre Cassel, and a journalist mother, Sabine Litique. Often labeled as a tough guy because of his roles, eclectic choices and talent have made of him a star of European cinema. First in La haine (1995), the young actor, ...
A horrible French actor, one of the kings of overacting, and vastly overrated. Perhaps he and Nicholas Cage studied from the same acting coaches.
Plays tough guys often, for whatever insane reason. I certainly would never cast him in any gangster film. But directors these days are so out of the loop, they have no clue how the real world looks - so they cast Cassel as a tough guy, which he doesn't remotely resemble.
His brother is a "rapper" and director, his half-sister Cecile is a French pop singer.
75. Mario Van Peebles
Actor | How to Get the Man's Foot Outta Your Ass
Mario Van Peebles is a highly regarded director, actor, producer and writer. His directorial skills can be seen in the retelling of the epic mini-series "Roots" starring Forest Whitaker and Matthew Goode. Van Peebles has directed award-winning shows such as the recent hit "Empire" and "The Last ...
Good-looking guy, but his acting consists of grinning, much like Gwyneth.
76. Tim Robbins
Actor | Mystic River
Born in West Covina, California, but raised in New York City, Tim Robbins is the son of former The Highwaymen singer Gil Robbins and actress Mary Robbins (née Bledsoe). Robbins studied drama at UCLA, where he graduated with honors in 1981. That same year, he formed the Actors' Gang theater group, ...
Son of a popular country singer.
So let me get this straight... The country gene becomes the acting gene? Country DNA = acting DNA. Is that it?
A brilliant example of how nepotism and left-wing activism can help you advance in Hollywood. If Tim had declared himself a Republican at the outset of his acting career, how far do you think he would have gone? Or without the benefit of nepotism?
Tim is especially bad in comedies.
77. Miles Robbins
Actor | Blockers
Miles Guthrie Tomalin Robbins is an American musician and actor. Miles Guthrie Tomalin Robbins was born on May 4, 1992, in New York City. He studied documentary film and music production at Brown University for three years but left before graduation. He is a son of the actors Tim Robbins and Susan ...
3rd generation. Son of Susan Sarandon and very boring Tim Robbins.
All hail the monarchy!
78. Jack Henry Robbins
Director | VHYes
Jack Henry Robbins was born on May 15, 1989. He is a director and writer, known for VHYes (2019), Jimmy Kimmel Live! (2003) and Alex (2019).
79. Eva Amurri
Actress | Saved!
Eva Maria Olivia Amurri Martino (born March 15, 1985) is an American film and television actress Amurri Martino was born in New York City, to Italian director Franco Amurri and American actress Susan Sarandon. She attended Friends Seminary (Manhattan) for middle school, and graduated from Saint ...
Daughter of Susan Sarandon.
80. Ezra Miller
Actor | The Perks of Being a Wallflower
Ezra Matthew Miller was born in Wyckoff, New Jersey, to Marta (Koch), a modern dancer, and Robert S. Miller, who has worked at Workman Publishing and as former senior V.P. for Hyperion Books. Ezra has two older sisters and is of Ashkenazi Jewish (father) and German-Dutch (mother) ancestry. Ezra has...
A walking meme, this guy.
Sorry, not a guy. He is "gender fluid".
He symbolizes literally everything that's wrong with modern cinema and entertainment in general. Ticks all the elitist boxes and dubious modes of behaviour.
81. Evan Rachel Wood
Actress | Thirteen
Evan Rachel Wood was born September 7, 1987, in Raleigh, North Carolina. Her father, Ira David Wood III, is a theatre actor, writer and director, and her mother, Sara Wood, is an actress and acting coach. She has two older brothers--Dana Wood, a musician, and Ira David Wood IV, who has also acted. ...
I've seen her in several movies, and still can't remember what she looks like. She's that interesting. Bland and average in every way.
82. Elizabeth Olsen
Actress | Martha Marcy May Marlene
Elizabeth Chase "Lizzie" Olsen (born February 16, 1989) is an American actress. She is known for her roles in the films Silent House (2011), Liberal Arts (2012), Godzilla (2014), Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015), and Captain America: Civil War (2016). For her role in the critically-acclaimed Martha ...
The Olsen twins are so wealthy hence powerful that even if there were a thousand Olsen sisters, they'd all get employed.
That's Hollywood.
83. Emily Osment
Actress | Hannah Montana: The Movie
Emily Jordan Osment was born on March 10, 1992 in Los Angeles. She is the younger sister of The Sixth Sense star, Haley Joel Osment. Her father Eugene is also an actor of some renown. Following in their footsteps, Emily started her acting career performing in several commercials, including a radio ...
84. Will Ferrell
Producer | Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby
John William Ferrell was born in Irvine, California, to Betty Kay (Overman), a teacher, and Roy Lee Ferrell, Jr., a musician. His parents were originally from Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina.
A graduate of the University of Southern California, Ferrell became interested in performing while a student ...
Yes, the mystery is finally solved... Why is he so unfunny yet has a career?
Because Roy Lee Ferrell Jr. played saxophone and keyboards for the famous 60s band the Righteous Brothers.
Because saxophone DNA automatically converts into "funnyman DNA". Obviously. I mean, come on.
85. Agata Buzek
Actress | Hummingbird
Agata Buzek was born on September 20, 1976 in Pyskowice, Slaskie, Poland. She is an actress and producer, known for Redemption (2013), The Innocents (2016) and The Reverse (2009). She has been married to Adam Mazan since September 30, 2006.
Ever wonder why Jason Statham had to kiss her in "Redemption"? Her Daddy was none other than Poland's PRIME MINISTER between 1997 and 2001.
And of course she worked as a model, as well. Elitism at its worst. Did I mention that any woman can become a model if they come from a powerful background?
Since when does the "political gene" carry the "acting gene"? She is just another proof that to become an actor all you need is connections, period. Talent and looks are irrelevant.
86. Crispin Bonham-Carter
Actor | Casino Royale
Crispin Daniel Bonham-Carter is an English actor and theatre director.
He played Mr. Bingley in BBC's Pride and Prejudice in 1995. The previous year, he had starred in the TV sitcom Honey for Tea. Bonham-Carter also starred alongside Ewan McGregor in the 1993 BBC period drama Scarlet and Black ...
87. Anthony Asquith
Director | The Browning Version
British film director Anthony Asquith was born on November 9, 1902, to H.H. Asquith, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, and his second wife. A former home secretary and the future leader of the Liberal Party, H.H. Asquith served as prime minister of the United Kingdom from 1908-1916 and was ...
Son of a high-ranking British politician.
Relative of Helena Bonham Carter.
Which explains why he made only average and boring movies.
88. Helena Bonham Carter
Actress | Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Helena Bonham Carter is an actress of great versatility, one of the UK's finest and most successful.
Bonham Carter was born May 26, 1966 in Golders Green, London, England, the youngest of three children of Elena (née Propper de Callejón), a psychotherapist, and Raymond Bonham Carter, a merchant ...
Stems from an almost aristocratic family, her great-grandpa was Prime Minister of Britain (no less). She ticks every single elitist box in the book.
To quote Wikipedia:
"Her father, Raymond Bonham Carter, who came from a prominent British political family, was a merchant banker and served as the alternative British director representing the Bank of England at the International Monetary Fund in Washington, DC, during the 1960s. Her mother, Elena is a psychotherapist who is of Spanish and mostly Jewish background, and whose parents were diplomat Eduardo Propper de Callejón from Spain and painter Baroness Hélène Fould-Springer. Bonham Carter's paternal grandmother was politician and feminist Violet Bonham Carter, daughter of H. H. Asquith, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom during the first half of the First World War.
So which director or producer in his right mind wouldn't have hired her when asked "politely" by her clan and agent to cast her? Pass up an opportunity to make friends with such a powerful clan? Of course not. Film-making is a business, not art, at least usually it's not art... Kubrick and a handful of other film-makers would have rejected her, but most directors would have happily "contaminated" their film with her, for completely non-artistic reasons.
Many people on this list stem from the upper classes, from the richest 1%. Where are all those poor that Hollywood liberals are so worried about never get a shot at becoming a success story?
Hypocrisy.
And then Hollywood's liberals make movies about how the American Dream is a failure.
Ultra-hypocrisy.
89. Helen Hunt
Actress | As Good as It Gets
Helen Hunt began studying acting at the age of eight with her father, respected director and acting coach Gordon Hunt. A year later she made her professional debut and afterwards worked steadily in films, theatre and television.
What an uninteresting, barely gifted actress. So plain-looking too. Housewife from next door.
But...
Her mother Jane Elizabeth worked as a photographer, and her father, Gordon Hunt, was a film, voice and stage director and acting coach. Her uncle, Peter H. Hunt, was also a director.
90. Daryl Hannah
Actress | Wall Street
Daryl Christine Hannah was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois. She is the daughter of Susan Jeanne (Metzger), a schoolteacher and later a producer, and Donald Christian Hannah, who owned a tugboat/barge company. Her stepfather was music journalist/promoter Jerrold Wexler. Her siblings are Page ...
I can't understand why anyone would hire her for a movie such as Blade Runner. Scott Ridley loves his nepotist actresses, he literally can't tell non-talent apart from talent. Or he simply doesn't give a hoot whom he casts, as long as he does friends favours.
91. Matthew Broderick
Actor | The Producers
A slight comic actor chiefly known for his boyish charm, Matthew Broderick was born on March 21, 1962 in New York City, to Patricia Broderick (née Biow), a playwright and painter, and James Broderick, an actor. His father had Irish and English ancestry, and his mother was from a Jewish family (from...
Incredibly boring actor, because he seems so bored in most of his roles, especially after his teen period. He is so entitled, he doesn't even try.
92. Jake Paltrow
Director | Young Ones
Jake Paltrow was born on September 26, 1975 in Los Angeles, California, USA. He is a director and writer, known for Young Ones (2014), The Good Night (2007) and June Zero (2022). He has been married to Taryn Simon since 2010. They have two children.
Thanks, Bruce, for these gifts to cinema...
Who needs Pacino, Monroe and Kubrick when we got the Paltrows...
93. Blythe Danner
Actress | Meet the Parents
Blythe Danner was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Katharine (Kile) and Harry Earl Danner, a bank executive. She has German, as well as English and Irish, ancestry. Danner studied acting and got her degree from Bard College and began her career in Boston theater companies. By 25, she won the ...
Sister of opera singer and stage actor Harry Danner.
94. Gwyneth Paltrow
Actress | Shakespeare in Love
Gwyneth Kate Paltrow was born in Los Angeles, the daughter of noted producer and director Bruce Paltrow and Tony Award-winning actress Blythe Danner. Her father was from a Jewish family, while her mother is of mostly German descent. When Gwyneth was eleven, the family moved to Massachusetts, where ...
Her acting method consists of grinning and smirking. All the time. Regardless of whether she's doing comedy or drama. Good thing Brad Pitt never opens that box in "Se7en" or we'd have seen a grinning head - and the thriller would have become an unintentional comedy.
She was relatively attractive for a nepotist actress, early on in her career, but her abilities are close to nothing.
Daughter of actress Blythe Danner and film producer-director Bruce Paltrow. She has a younger brother, Jake, who is a director and screenwriter. Half-cousin of actress Katherine Moennig, through her mother, and a second cousin of former U.S. Congresswoman Gabby Giffords. She is a second-cousin-in-law of U.S. Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona. Her godfather is director Steven Spielberg. Her uncle is opera singer and actor Harry Danner, whose daughter, actress Hillary Danner is a cousin.
So she's even got high-ranking politicians in her family tree.
Well, that explains everything. That and being...
95. Kate Moennig
Actress | The Lincoln Lawyer
Born on December 29, 1977 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US as Katherine Sian Moennig, she is an American actress and producer, best known for the role of Shane McCutcheon in The L Word (2004). Her father was William H. Moennig III and her mother was Mary Zahn, a Broadway dancer. She is of Irish ...
This truly mediocre actress is the daughter of Broadway dancer Mary Zahn and violin-maker William H. Moennig III. Her father's maternal half-sister is actress Blythe Danner, making her a half-first cousin of Gwyneth Paltrow and Jake Paltrow.
96. Tamasin Day-Lewis
Producer | The Levin Interviews
Tamasin Day-Lewis was born on September 17, 1953 in Greenwich, London, England, UK. She is a producer and director, known for The Levin Interviews (1980), Looking Good Feeling Fit (1980) and Private Wound (1996).
97. Jill Balcon
Actress | An Ideal Husband
Jill Balcon was born on January 3, 1925 in Westminster, London, England, UK. She was an actress, known for An Ideal Husband (1999), Esther Waters (1977) and The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby (1947). She was married to Cecil Day-Lewis. She died on July 18, 2009 in London, England, UK.
98. Daniel Day-Lewis
Actor | There Will Be Blood
Born in London, England, Daniel Michael Blake Day-Lewis is the second child of Cecil Day-Lewis, Poet Laureate of the U.K., and his second wife, actress Jill Balcon. His maternal grandfather was Sir Michael Balcon, an important figure in the history of British cinema and head of the famous Ealing ...
3rd generation.
The moment he appeared in "My Left Foot" I knew he was a nepotist and laughed at the hype he received thereafter. It was a classic case of a nepotist being uber-hyped because of who he is. Even more laughably, so many audiences fell for it, believing him to be some uber-actor. Such is the power of hype... But hey, even Casey Afleck was successfully turned into an Oscar winner, despite being utterly horrible in every single way.
Stems from a very wealthy British show-biz family, and has other upper-class roots as well. Plus related to Jewish author Arthur Miller.
He has never impressed me, in any movie. The main reason is that he lacks charisma and looks so utterly average and boring. He has a kind of face the camera hates. The fact that most people don't notice it is kind of similar to how most people don't realize that Bon Jovi play horrible music.
Some people say Charles Bronson and Clint Eastwood can't act. Performance, however, is 80% charisma, 20% actual acting "technique", whatever that may be. Charisma doesn't get inherited; you either got it or you don't. Try as he may, Lewis will never be a great actor...
99. Dina Merrill
Actress | BUtterfield 8
It would have been pretty difficult for willowy actress/model Dina Merrill to have pulled off playing a commoner on stage, film or TV in her day. She reeked of elegance and class. The epitome of style, poise and glamour, the New York-born socialite and celebrity was born Nedenia Marjorie Hutton on ...
Child of Post Cereals heiress Marjorie Merriweather Post and her second husband, Wall Street stockbroker Edward Francis Hutton, founder of E. F. Hutton & Co.
Actress Glenn Close is her half-sister. Related to actress Annie Starke.
100. Annie Starke
Actress | The Wife
Annie Starke was born on April 26, 1988 in Connecticut, USA. She is an actress, known for The Wife (2017), Albert Nobbs (2011) and We Don't Belong Here (2017). She has been married to Marc Albu since June 30, 2018.
3rd generation.
Daughter of Glenn Close.
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