Hollywood's Famous Acting Families, From the Hemsworths to the Hudsons

From the Skarsg?rds to the Cusacks, here are the Hollywood stars for whom acting is all in the family business

Perhaps there’s something to the claim that some people were born to act.

As Chris Hemsworth, Charlie Sheen and Julia Roberts know all too well, they aren’t the only actors at their family reunions. In the ‘80s, four Baldwin brothers blew up big together as screen stars; a decade later, the Wayans siblings took the comedy genre by storm on TV and in film. For these stars, entertainment is a family affair.

To show how common such family ties are in Hollywood, we're spotlighting some of the most famous acting families in showbiz.

The Hawn/Hudson/Russell family

Actress Goldie Hawn and musician Bill Hudson wed in 1976 and welcomed son Oliver Hudson and daughter Kate Hudson by the time they split in 1982.

Like their mom, Oliver and Kate forged acting careers, giving us classics such as Rules of Engagement and How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days (2003).

Following her divorce, Hawn and actor Kurt Russell became a couple in 1983, and the two welcomed son Wyatt Russell in 1986.

Like the rest of the family, Wyatt is also an actor and can be seen in films like 22 Jump Street (2014) and The Woman in the Window (2021), as well as the Disney+ series The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.

The Hemsworth brothers

As talented as they are good-looking, the Aussie-born Hemsworth brothers — Chris Hemsworth, Liam Hemsworth and Luke Hemsworth — have been mainstays on the big screen for a while.

Though we know Chris and Liam from blockbuster franchises such as Thor and The Hunger Games, older brother Luke has also found success, having starred as Ashley Stubbs on HBO's Westworld.

The Skarsg?rd family

Acting is in the genes for this Swedish trio, whose father is Stellan Skarsg?rd of Thor and Chenorbyl fame.

For their parts, brothers Gustaf Skarsg?rd, Bill Skarsg?rd and Alexander Skarsg?rd have starred in classics such as Vikings, It (2017) and True Blood, respectively.

In addition to these three Skarsg?rd siblings, their younger brothers Valter, Ossian and Kolbj?rn also act, while their other siblings Sam and Eija — the lone sister — do not.

The Arquette siblings

One of the more prominent acting families, the Arquettes are an easily recognizable name in Hollywood.

The family consists of Alexis Arquette, who died in 2016; Rosanna Arquette; Richmond Arquette; Oscar-winner Patricia Arquette and David Arquette, who've starred in films such as Pulp Fiction (1994), Scream (1996), Crash (2004), The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008) and Boyhood (2014), among dozens of others.

The Estevez/Sheen family

With the legendary Martin Sheen as the head of the family, it's no surprise his children — Emilio Estevez, Ramon Estevez, Charlie Sheen and Renée Estevez — followed in his footsteps.

Though Charlie, Emilio and Renée have found success in front of the camera, Ramon has also been involved behind the scenes and runs his father's company, Estevez Sheen Productions, with Charlie.

The Wayans family

Famously known for working together, this hilarious family is responsible for such shows as In Living Color, The Wayans Bros. and My Wife and Kids, as well as films like Scary Movie (2000) and White Chicks (2004).

The older generation, consisting of Shawn Wayans, Marlon Wayans, Kim Wayans, Damon Wayans Sr. and Keenen Ivory Wayans, has set the stage for the second generation of hilarity. Damon Wayans Jr. has had a prominent career of his own, starring on series like New Girl and Happy Endings and in the film Let's Be Cops (2014), while Chaunté Wayans is a well-known comedian.

The Fonda family

With a Broadway and film career that spanned more than five decades, Henry Fonda left an imprint on his actor children, Peter Fonda and Jane Fonda.

Peter, who died in 2019 at 79 years old, starred in films such as Ulee's Gold (1997), 3:10 to Yuma (2007) and Wild Hogs (2007). His daughter, Bridget Fonda, also became an actor, known for films like It Could Happen to You (1994) and A Simple Plan (1998).

Jane has continued to have a long and prosperous acting career, appearing in movies like 80 for Brady (2023) and Book Club: The Next Chapter (2023).

The Douglas family

Since making his feature film debut in 1946, legendary actor Kirk Douglas churned out hits like Lust for Life (1956), The Vikings (1958) and Spartacus (1960) over the course of his 60-year career. He died at age 103 in February 2020.

Following in his father's footsteps, Michael Douglas himself became a major movie star, with leading roles in films such as Fatal Attraction (1987), Basic Instinct (1992) and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023), as well as The Kominsky Method on Netflix. He is married to Oscar-winning actress Catherine Zeta-Jones.

Michael’s son from his first marriage, Cameron Douglas, is also an actor. Cameron even appeared in It Runs in the Family with both Michael and Kirk — playing, fittingly, three generations of one family.

The Roberts family

Julia Roberts, who shot to fame with films such as Pretty Woman (1990), is aunt to actress Emma Roberts, who can be seen in everything from Ryan Murphy shows to Netflix rom-coms.

Emma's father, Eric Roberts, is Julia's brother and an actor himself. He's starred in films such as The Specialist (1994), The Dark Knight (2008) and Babylon (2022).

The Howard family

Ron Howard may be a former child star–turned–acclaimed director, but his daughter, Bryce Dallas Howard, is a presence both in front of and behind the camera.

Bryce has captivated audiences with her performances in The Help (2011) and the Jurassic World trilogy (2015–2022), but she also directed a documentary feature entitled Dads (2019), as well as some episodes of The Mandalorian.

The Reynolds/Fisher family

Debbie Reynolds rose to fame in the '50s with a career that spanned a whopping 70 years until her death in December 2016 at 84.

The acting bug bit her daughter, the late Carrie Fisher, who went on to become one of the leads of the Star Wars franchise and acted in films including When Harry Met Sally (1989) and Drop Dead Fred (1991). Carrie died just one day before her mother at age 60 on Dec. 27, 2016.

Fisher's daughter, Billie Lourd, has also followed in their path as she's established an acting career with roles in American Horror Story, Scream Queens and Booksmart (2019).

(Lourd's aunt Joely Fisher — grandfather Eddie Fisher's daughter from his third wife, Connie Stevens — is an actress as well.)

The Coppola family

We know Francis Ford Coppola as the brilliant mind who gave us The Godfather (1972) and introduced director daughter Sofia Coppola to the world in an acting role as Mary Corleone in The Godfather Part III (1990). She gave up acting to become a renowned director in her own right, helming such movies as The Virgin Suicides (1999) and Priscilla (2023).

What some people may not know, however, is that Nicolas Cage is actually a Coppola as well. His father, August Coppola, is Francis' brother, making Nicolas a cousin to Sofia.

Cage changed his last name so as to forge his own path and not be associated with his uncle all the time.

Francis’ sister, actress Talia Shire, is known for playing Adrian in the Rocky franchise and appeared as Connie Corleone in The Godfather trilogy. Two of her sons — Jason Schwartzman and Robert Schwartzman — are actors. Jason frequently stars in Wes Anderson films while Robert is best remembered as Michael Moscovitz from The Princess Diaries (2001).

The Baldwin brothers

This band of brothers has been an undeniable presence in Hollywood since the '80s.

Consisting of Billy Baldwin, Stephen Baldwin, Alec Baldwin and Daniel Baldwin, this foursome has appeared on everything from reality television and scripted TV shows to TV movies and big blockbusters.

The Smith family

Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith are acting powerhouses on their own, so it's no surprise that those genes have been passed on to their kids — most notably son Jaden Smith.

At just 8 years old, Jaden gave an outstanding performance in The Pursuit of Happyness (2006) alongside his father. He went on to do The Karate Kid (2010), which Will and Jada produced, and then took the big screen alongside his dad again in After Earth (2013).

Though Willow Smith has gravitated toward music, she did have a brief stint on the big screen as Will's daughter in I Am Legend (2007) and lent her voice to different characters in the animated Madagascar franchise, in which her mom starred.

Trey Smith, Will's son from his first marriage, has shied away from the spotlight for the most part. He played football in high school and had a brief stint as a DJ.

The Griffith/Johnson family

Dakota Johnson is the daughter of actors Melanie Griffith and Don Johnson and has carried on their legacy (as well as that of her maternal grandmother, Tippi Hedren, a legendary "Hitchcock Blonde").

Dakota shot to fame playing Anastasia Steele in the Fifty Shades of Grey film franchise and has continued to grow her career with such movies as The Lost Daughter (2021), Madame Web (2024) and Am I OK? (2024).

The Curtis family

Jamie Lee Curtis has made no bones about being a "nepo baby," acknowledging her parents in both her Screen Actors Guild Award and Oscar acceptance speeches for her award-winning turn in Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022).

Her father, Tony Curtis, had a 60-year career that began in the late '40s, while her mother, Janet Leigh, is the original scream queen, having starred in Alfred Hitchcock's iconic Psycho (1960).

The Cusack siblings

Born to Ann Paula (a teacher) and Richard Cusack (an actor and filmmaker), John Cusack and his siblings — Bill Cusack, Susie Cusack, Ann Cusack and Joan Cusack — took after their father and pursued acting as well.

While Susie and Bill (not pictured) have fallen back from the limelight, Ann, John and Joan have continued to work, with such credits as The Boys, Pursuit (2022) and Homecoming, respectively.

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