Moms Of Celebrities Who Are As Famous As Their Kids
Stacker takes a look at celebrity mothers whose children have gone on to achieve some fame of their own.
Honoree Zoe Kravitz and presenter Lisa Bonet attend the InStyle Awards at Getty Center on October 26, 2015 in Los Angeles, California.
Jason Merritt/Getty ImagesBecoming a famous actor, singer, model, or artist takes hard work, talent, and a lot of luck. But for some, star quality may run in the family. Sure, nepo babies are a thing, but when the latent backs up the connections these stars are born with, we have to give credit where it's due.
Some of our favorite actors have given birth to some equally talented actors. The folks who come to mind are Dennis Quaid and Meg Ryan's son, Jack Quaid, who we know as the lead actor in The Boys television series. Jack, 32, has been on the satirical superhero show since 2019 and has since appeared in Oppenheimer and in the Scream remake.
Looking up family trees, there are a plethora of celebrities with equally -- if not more -- famous mothers. These women have not only found success in their own careers, but have passed along the superstar bug to their sons, daughters -- and even their grandchildren, too.
Some famous mother-child duos may sound familiar: Debbie Reynolds and her daughter Carrie Fisher, for example, made news when they both died within a day of each other in late 2016. Others, however, may come as more of a surprise as some celebrities are more secretive when it comes to their star-studded lineage. For instance, we had no idea that Meryl Streep's daughter won an award for her acting abilities in theater! Streep has four children, two of whom are actors, one a musician, and another a model.
See below which moms of celebrities are as famous as their kids:
Courtney Love
Stuart C. Wilson/Getty ImagesThe Hole singer was born Courtney Michelle Harrison. While in Portland in 1980 working at the strip club Mary's Club she adopted the surname Love to conceal her identity and later adopted Love as her surname.
Goldie Hawn
Eamonn M. McCormack/Getty ImagesGoldie Hawn has been a big name in film and TV acting since the early ‘70s when she won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for the 1969 movie 'Cactus Flower,' and then gained even more prominence on NBC’s 'Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In.' Her daughter Kate Hudson is an Oscar-nominated actress ('Almost Famous') known for her roles in various romantic comedies, including 'How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days' in 2003. Hudson also recently embarked on her pop music career! Hudson and Hawn share a close, "open" relationship, in which they reportedly talk about everything together.
Melanie Griffith
Jerod Harris/Getty ImagesThis 'Working Girl' celebrates her birthday on August 9. She was born in New York in 1957.
Naomi Judd
Stephen Cohen/Getty Images
Meryl Streep
Arturo Holmes/Getty ImagesMeryl Streep attends "Pictures From Home" Broadway Opening Night at Studio 54 on February 09, 2023 in New York City.
Jada Pinkett Smith
(Photo by Rich Fury/Getty Images)LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - MAY 21: Jada Pinkett Smith attends the premiere of Disney's "Aladdin" on May 21, 2019 in Los Angeles, California.
Lisa Bonet
Frazer Harrison/Getty ImagesBest known as teenager Denise Huxtable on the ‘80s sitcom 'The Cosby Show,' Lisa Bonet was married to popular rock singer Lenny Kravitz and gave birth to her daughter Zoë Kravitz. Zoë has racked up many acting credits of her own, starring in 2011’s 'X-Men: First Class,' the 'Divergent' film series, HBO’s miniseries 'Big Little Lies,' and most recently, in 2022's 'The Batman' as Selina Kyle, AKA Catwoman.
Janet Leigh
Hulton Archive/Getty ImagesJanet Leigh had a long-spanning acting career that culminated in winning a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress and an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for her work in Alfred Hitchcock's 1960 film 'Psycho.' She and her husband, the late actor Tony Curtis, are the parents of actress and author Jamie Lee Curtis, who is well-known for her role in the 'Halloween' horror franchise, as well as 2003’s 'Freaky Friday.' Curtis has said of Leigh, "My mother instilled very good qualities in both of us, and I give her all the credit for it.”
Peggy Lipton
Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images for Vanity FairLOS ANGELES, CA - DECEMBER 08: Peggy Lipton and Oliver Hudson attend the Equipment and Vanity Fair Dinner hosted by Rashida Jones and Krista Smith at Chateau Marmont on December 8, 2015 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images for Vanity Fair)
LOS ANGELES, CA - DECEMBER 08: Peggy Lipton and Oliver Hudson attend the Equipment and Vanity Fair Dinner hosted by Rashida Jones and Krista Smith at Chateau Marmont on December 8, 2015 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images for Vanity Fair)
Maria Shriver
Getty ImagesJournalist, author, and niece of former President John F. Kennedy, Maria Shriver currently works as an occasional special correspondent for NBC News and has won two Emmys, as well as a Peabody Award for her work on a documentary covering Wisconsin’s welfare reform program. She is the mother of four children, including actor and model Patrick Schwarzenegger. His first leading role in a film was in the 2018 romantic drama 'Midnight Sun.' He also snagged a role in Amazon's 'The Boys' spin-off, 'Gen Z.' Shriver said in an interview that she was Patrick's “craziest fan.”
Demi Moore
Theo Wargo/Getty ImagesBorn in Roswell, New Mexico in 1962, the 'St. Elmo's Fire' actress celebrates her birthday on November 11. Before making her breakthrough in film roles in the mid-80s, Moore appeared on the soap opera 'General Hospital' from 1982 to 1983.
Kris Jenner
Theo Wargo/Getty ImagesMany know the Kardashian children due to social media and their various entrepreneurial endeavors, and the woman powering the Kardashian-Jenner machine is mother Kris Jenner, the family’s manager and producer. Her business tactics and relationships with her family are well-documented in the popular reality TV series, 'Keeping Up with the Kardashians,' then 'The Kardashians.' Kourtney, Kim, Khloé, Rob, Kylie, and Kendall may share their fair share of ups and downs with their mother, but as a whole, the family appears to be close and always has each other's backs.
Blythe Danner
Gabriel Olsen/Getty ImagesBlythe Danner has enjoyed a long and illustrious career in TV, movies, and theater, and won two Emmys for playing Izzy Huffstodt on the 2004–2006 series 'Huff,' a Tony for 1969’s 'Butterflies Are Free,' and a Golden Globe nomination for 2004’s 'Back When We Were Grownups.' Her daughter Gwyneth Paltrow is an actress and entrepreneur, having started her own lifestyle company, Goop. She won the Academy Award and the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in 1998’s 'Shakespeare in Love.' The mother-daughter duo are close and have even been known to wear matching outfits.
Diana Ross
Emma McIntyre/Getty ImagesR&B singer Diana Ross was a member of the 1960s group The Supremes, one of the best-selling girl groups of all time. Their hits include "Stop! In the Name of Love" and "You Can't Hurry Love." One of her children, Tracee Ellis Ross, has become a well-known, Golden Globe-winning and Emmy-nominated actress. She and her mother are reportedly close and even play tennis together.
Beyonce
(Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)
