the year of the nepo baby

An All But Definitive Guide to the Hollywood Nepo-Verse

Actors, singers, directors who just happen to be the children of actors, singers, directors.

Photo-Illustration: New York Magazine
Photo-Illustration: New York Magazine
Photo-Illustration: New York Magazine

The Nepo-Baby Taxonomy

The entertainment industry has never been a meritocracy. But this doesn’t mean all nepo babies are created equal. Some were lucky enough to be born with the exact same face as a famously beautiful celebrity; others had to make do with merely inheriting a bevy of connections and a knowledge of how to play the game. Some went to Crossroads, others to Saint Ann’s. Here’s a (nearly) exhaustive accounting of the actors, rock stars, models, directors, producers, influencers, writers, and insiders who just happen to be the children of actors, rock stars, models, directors, producers, influencers, writers, and insiders. Which ones are actually talented? According to their family and friends, all of them.

ON THE COME-UP

Gen-Z nepo babies just getting started.

Daniel Day-Lewis, Isabelle Adjani, and Gabriel-KaneDay-Lewis.
Katey Sagal and Jackson White.
John Byrne, Tilda Swinton, and Honor Swinton-Byrne.
Tim Herlihy, Martin Herlihy, Steve Higgins, and John Higgins.
Philip Seymour Hoffman and Cooper Hoffman.
Thandiwe, Ol Parker, and Nico Parker.
Emily Mortimer, Alessandro Nivola, Sam and May Nivola.
Cuba Gooding Sr., Cuba Gooding Jr., and Mason Gooding.
Gerald W. Abrams, Carol Ann Abrams, J. J. Abrams, and Gracie Abrams.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Brad Hall, and Charlie Hall.
Mila Jovovich, Paul W. S. Anderson. Ever Gabo Anderson.
Steven Spielberg, Destry Spielberg
Reese Witherspoon, Ryan Phillippe, Deacon Phillippe
Vanessa Paradis, Johnny Depp, Lily-Rose Depp

BOOKED AND BUSY

Second-generation stars more likely to be third-billed.

Russel Crouse, David Mamet, Lindsay Crouse, Zosia Mamet
Bruce Willis, Demi Moore, Rumer Willis
Steven Spielberg, Kate Capshaw, Jessica Capshaw
Kyra Sedgwick, Kevin Bacon, Sosie Bacon
Clint Eastwood, Scott Eastwood
Kelsey Grammer, Spencer Grammer
James Caan, Scott Caan
Kevin Smith, Harley Quinn Smith
Ron Howard, Bryce Dallas Howard
Bill Pullman, Lewis Pullman
Steve McQueen, Neile Adams, Steven R. McQueen
Gregory Peck, Ethan Peck
Lena Horne, Sidney Lumet, Jenny Lumet, Bobby Cannavale, Jack Cannavale
Debbie Reynolds, Eddie Fisher, Carrie Fisher, Billie Lourd
Sam Waterston, Katherine Waterson
Jane Campion, Alice Englert
James Gandolfini, Michael Gandolfini
Meryl Streep, Louisa Jackson, Marmie Gummer, Grace Gummer

ALMOST FAMOUS

They haven’t matched their famous relatives’ success, but they’ve got buzz. Have starred in or created at least one major project.

Eugene Levy, Dan Levy
Laraine Newman, Hannah Einbinder
Marc Platt, Ben Platt
Ethan Hawke, Uma Thurman, Maya Hawke
Dennis Quaid, Meg Ryan, Jack Quaid
Phil Collins, Lily Collins
Judd Apatow, Leslie Mann, Maude Apatow
Denzel Washington, Pauleta Washington, John David Washington
Elia Kazan, Zoe Kazan
Ice Cube, O'Shea Jackson Jr.
Andie MacDowell, Margaret Qualley
Kurt Russell, Goldie Hawn, Wyatt Russell
Lea Thompson, Howard Deutch, Zoey Deutch
Elvis Presley, Riley Keough
Barry Levinson, Sam Levinson
Stellan Skarsgård, Bill Skarsgård

PLATINUM-GRADE

Have starred in or created multiple works on their own.

Billy Ray Cyrus, Miley Cyrus, Dolly Parton
Tippi Hedren, Melanie Griffith, Don Johnson, Dakota Johnson
Kurt Russell, Goldie Hawn, Kate Hudson
Lenny Kravitz, Lisa Bonet, Zoë Kravitz

NEPO-BABY GRADUATES

Once you’ve been around long enough or done enough iconic stuff on your own, no one cares who your parents were.

Diane Ladd, Bruce Dern, Laura Dern
Nick Clooney, George Clooney, Rosemary Clooney
Bruce Paltrow, Blythe Danner, Gwyneth Paltrow, Steven Spielberg
Walter Huston, John Huston, Angelica Huston
Vincente Minnelli, Judy Garland, Liza Minnelli
Martin Sheen, Emilio Estevez, Charlie Sheen
Jon Voight, Angelina Jolie
Ravi Shankar, Norah Jones
Diana Douglas, Kirk Douglas, Michael Douglas
Henry Fonda, Jane Fonda
Jerry Stiller, Anna Meara, Ben Stiller
Janet Leigh, Tony Curtis, Jamie Lee Curtis
Donald Sutherland, Shirley Douglas, Kiefer Sutherland, Robert Downey Sr., Robert Downey Jr.
John Barrymore, John Drew Barrymore, Drew Barrymore, Steven Spielberg
Micky Hargitay, Jayne Mansfield, Mariska Hargitay
John Farrow, Maureen O'Sullivan, Mia Farrow
Barbara Streisand, James Brolin, Josh Brolin
Lloyd Bridges, Beau Bridges, Jeff Bridges

The Extended Universe

When every branch of the family tree is famous.

Charlie Chaplin. Photo: Silver Screen Collection/ Contributor (Chaplin); Antic Andrej/Eyeem (Frame).

The Chaplins have ruled for 110 years. Playwright Eugene O’Neill was the father of actress Oona O’Neill, who married Charlie Chaplin. (Oona also dated J. D. Salinger.) They had a daughter, actress Geraldine Chaplin. Geraldine’s daughter is Game of Thrones actress Oona Chaplin.

Marvin Gaye. Photo: Ron Galella Collection; Antic Andrej/EyeEm

The Lawson-Knowles-Gordy-Gaye-Fuquas have ruled for 71 years. Actor Richard Lawson married actress Denise Gordy, who is the niece of Motown founder Berry Gordy and who’d had a child with Marvin Gaye. Richard and Denise had a daughter, actress Bianca Lawson. Denise’s aunts were songwriter Anna Gordy Gaye, who was married to Marvin Gaye, and songwriter Gwen Gordy Fuqua, who married the Motown singer-producer Harvey Fuqua; Harvey was the uncle of director Antoine Fuqua. Meanwhile, Berry Gordy is the ex-partner of Diana Ross; the father and grandfather, respectively, of Redfoo and Sky Blu of LMFAO; the father of ’80s one-hit wonder Rockwell; and the second half-cousin of Jimmy Carter, whose great-grandfather had impregnated an enslaved woman he owned, thus fathering Berry’s grandfather. Richard Lawson later married Tina Knowles, the mother of Beyoncé and Solange. Beyoncé married Jay-Z, and their firstborn child, Blue Ivy, is the youngest person to hit the Billboard charts.

Francis Ford Coppola. Photo: Christophe D Yvoire/Sygma Via Getty Images (Coppola); Antic Andrej/Eyeem (Frame)

The Coppolas have ruled for 52 years. Composer Carmine Coppola was the father of director Francis Ford Coppola and actress Talia Shire. Francis’s children are filmmakers Sofia Coppola and Roman Coppola. Sofia is married to Thomas Mars of the band Phoenix. Talia’s sons are actor Jason Schwartzman and musician Robert Schwartzman of Rooney. Carmine was also the grandfather of actor Nicolas Cage. Francis’s granddaughter is director Gia Coppola, whose 2020 film Mainstream co-starred her cousin Jason.

Kris Jenner. Photo: Ron Galella Collection (Jenner); Antic Andrej/Eyeem (Frame)

The Kardashian-Jenners have ruled for 28 years. Lawyer Robert Kardashian and wife Kris had four children: Kim, Kourtney, Khloé, and Rob. Kris later married former Olympic athlete Caitlyn Jenner. They had two daughters, Kendall and Kylie. Kim married athlete Kris Humphries, then rapper Kanye West. Khloé married athlete Lamar Odom and was in a long-term relationship with athlete Tristan Thompson. Kourtney married drummer Travis Barker. Kylie is in a long-term relationship with rapper Travis Scott. Kylie, Kim, and Khloé all rank among the top-ten most-followed Instagram accounts. Kendall is No. 12.

CAREER SWAPPERS

It’s like Drake said: We wanna be them, and they wanna be us. So who’s more famous?

Tap or click to enlarge. Photo-Illustration: New York Magazine
Tap or click to enlarge. Photo-Illustration: New York Magazine

INDUSTRY BABIES

A lesser cousin of the nepo baby. Didn’t inherit a famous name, but did inherit connections and knowledge of the business.

Kristen Stewart, Jordyn Woods
Billie Eilish, Chris Pine
Jonah Hill, Beanie Feldstein
Brandy, Ray J
Lucas Hedges, Phoebe Bridgers
Saoirse Ronan, Evan Rachel Wood
Hayley Kiyoko, Gabriel LaBelle
Meghan Markle
Zooey Deschanel, Emily Deschanel
King Princess
Timothée Chalamet
Maggie Gyllenhaal, Jake Gyllenhaal
Grace Van Patten, Blake Lively
Emily Hirsch, Cody Horn

Industry-Baby Graduates

Industry babies all grown up.

Sigourney Weaver, Sally Field
Laura Linney
Justine Bateman, Jason Bateman
Christina Applegate, John Lithgow
Patricia Arquette, David Arquette, Rosanna Arquette
Matthew Broderick, David Duchovny, Naomi Watts

Cultural-Capital Babies

The hipper stepsibling of the industry baby.

Mark Ronson, Samatha Ronson, Charlotte Ronson
Lena Dunham, Allison Williams, Anderson Cooper
Steve Aoki, Devon Aoki
Leonardo DiCaprio, Olivia Wilde
Jaeden Martell, Paul Giamatti
Kata Mara, Rooney Mara
Julian Casablancas, Ansel Elgort
Noah Baumbach, Kate Berlant

What Do They Do Again?

Their names are vaguely familiar, but what are their jobs, exactly? The influencers, podcasters, chefs, brand-makers, and Bachelor contestants.

Hailey Bieber with her skin-care line Rhode. Photo: Rhode/Instagram

Hailey Bieber, the daughter of Stephen Baldwin and “one of the best-dressed women alive,” according to Harper’s Bazaar. Just launched a skincare brand.

Ireland Baldwin, the daughter of Alec Baldwin and Kim Basinger and cousin of Hailey, recently announced on TikTok that she and her boyfriend, musician RAC, are opening a “café, wine bar, and a boutique” as well as starting a brand together.

Eva Amurri began as an actress playing the younger version of her mother, Susan Sarandon, in Dead Man Walking. Now she runs a lifestyle blog called Happily Eva After.

➼ Eminem’s daughter Hailie Jade hosts a podcast called Just a Little Shady.

Olivia Jade Giannulli’s mother, Lori Loughlin, committed light fraud to get her into USC and paid for it in prison time; Olivia Jade likely would have preferred to stay a YouTuber.

➼ Together, Sistine and Sophia Stallone, daughters of Sylvester Stallone, entertain listeners on their podcast, Unwaxed. (It’s a reference to their eyebrows.)

Kailand O. Morris, Stevie Wonder’s son, has modeled for Dior, interned for Kim Jones, and launched his own brand, House of K.O.M.

Kit Keenan, daughter of Cynthia Rowley, is a podcaster and former Bachelor contestant.

➼ Larry David’s daughter, the Instagrammer turned essayist Cazzie David, has dabbled in acting on The Umbrella Academy.

Katherine Schwarzenegger, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver’s daughter, is a self-help author who has been married to Chris Pratt since 2019.

➼ LL Cool J’s daughter Samaria Leah Wisdom Smith is an FIT grad with a line of “hand-picked and handcrafted” denim.

➼ Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson’s son Chet Hanks is a rapper who in Q2 2021 declared a “White Boy Summer.”

Brooklyn Beckham, David and Victoria Beckham’s son, is a footballer-cum-model-cum-photographer-cum-chef.

Lourdes Leon, Madonna’s daughter, is a model-slash-choreographer-slash-dancer-slash-singer and was featured in this very magazine two issues ago.

➼ Snoop Dogg’s daughter, Cori Broadus, makes music and has her own beauty line.

Isan Elba, daughter of Idris Elba, is a nepo baby who’s doing it the right way: She auditioned for a part in her dad’s movie Beast … and didn’t get it.

Additional research by Jennifer Zhan.

An earlier version of this article featured an incorrect image of John David Washington. It has been updated.

Photo-Illustration (opener): Ron Galella Collection (Meryl, Don, Uma, Cindy) Taylor Hill/WireImage (Kaia); David Livingston/Getty Images (Lenny); Charles Sykes/Bravo/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal (Zoë); Daniele Venturelli/WireImage (Dakota); Steve Granitz/FilmMagic (Maya); Jim Spellman/WireImage (Grace); Bruce Glikas/FilmMagic (David); Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images (Zosia); Francois Durand/Getty Images (Will); Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images (Jaden); Eric Robert/Sygma (Vanessa); Stephane Cardinale/Corbis (Lily-Rose)

Photo (heads): Getty Images; WireImage; NBCUniversal; Ron Gallela Collection; Corbis Entertainment; Patrick McMullan; PA Images; Penske Media; Future Publishing; Mondadori Portfolio; NutPhoto, Ullstein Bild; AFP; Hulton Archive; Gamma-Rapho; WWD; National Basketball Association

Photo (TV/film stills): Disney+ (Hannah); Netflix (Maid, Noise); Universal Pictures (Compton); Lucas Films Ltd. (Force); HBO Max (Newark, Veep); A24 (Souvenir)

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An All But Definitive Guide to the Hollywood Nepo-Verse