In The Family: 8 Actors You Didn’t Know Had Kids In The ‘Biz

Hollywood families are nothing new in showbiz. Entire family trees that require a pen, paper and a certificate in geneology such as the Coppola-Cage-Schwartzmann clan are common knowledge for even those with a passing interest in film. If a rising actor shares a surname with an established star, all it takes is one journalist to ask, and a nepotistic secret is revealed. Famous parent and offspring combos have long been outed - Kiefer Sutherland’s Dad is Donald Sutherland! Quelle surprise! Angelina Jolie is estranged from her father…Jon Voight! Goldie Hawn is Kate Hudson’s Dad! What?! There’s little kept under wraps, especially when there’s a hungry populous eager for gossip on celebrity family bust-ups. But what of those who’ve worked a little harder to make it on their own? To keep the family connection a secret? Read on for 8 actors you never knew had kids in showbiz… 8) Keith Carradine - Daughter: Martha Plimpton You recognize both. That’s expected. Carradine and his daughter Plimpton aren’t new to the industry, having each spawned successful lengthy careers. What’s surprising is, despite their obviously close bond as noted in the above photo, their relationship isn’t common knowledge amongst TV and film fans. In more recent years, Keith appeared in a crop of popular TV series: Deadwood, Dexter and Criminal Minds to name a few. Plimpton received her first Emmy for her role as Virginia Chance in the comedy Raising Hope, and kicked butt recently in The Good Wife. Her switch to the small screen came years after her breakout in kids adventure The Goonies - which led to ‘80s hits such as Parenthood and Running On Empty. The father and daughter double act stem from an established Hollywood dynasty. Carradine’s own father, John Carradine was a smash actor in his heyday, who worked with Cecil B. DeMille and later in many of John Ford’s westerns. His most notable works include The Grapes Of Wrath, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance and Stage Coach alongside John Wayne. John, the family patriarch, had another two famous sons - Keith’s brothers and Plimpton’s uncles. The eldest, David Carradine was held in reverence by genre fans after appearing as the titular Bill in Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill, before he passed away in 2007. The youngest, Robert Carradine is best known for his memorable turn in Revenge Of The Nerds as Lewis Skolnick. What a family. 7) Beau Bridges - Son: Jordan Bridges Jordan Bridges comes from an impressive (see: really bloomin’ awesome) Hollywood dynasty. The son of actor Beau Bridges (Columbus Circle, The Descendents), Jordan has a wealth of undisputed talent threading throughout his entire family. Not only is his father famous, his uncle is Jeff Bridges (you may know him as The Dude) and his grandfather is the legendary Lloyd Bridges (Airplane!’s twitty pilot being just one of his staggering 150 film credits). The classically-trained forty-year old broke out in a number of recurring guest roles on TV shows Charmed and Dawson’s Creek, as well as a cameo in a standalone episode of Joss Whedon’s Dollhouse. He also appeared briefly in the critically-lambasted TV reboot flop Bionic Woman in 2007 before its cancellation. Since 2010 he has appeared as series regular Frankie Rizzoli Jr. on TNT’s Rizzoli & Isles. That’s not to say he hasn’t ventured into film - you might recognize his face from smaller, supporting parts in Frequency, Mona Lisa Smile and J.Edgar. 6) Melanie Griffith & Don Johnson - Daughter: Dakota Johnson Two of the biggest names in the industry, back in the ‘80s that is, Melanie Griffith and then-husband Don Johnson, made a ton of flicks in that hedonistic decade. They also collaborated on a bio-proj - their daughter, Dakota. Her first foray into thesping was alongside her mother, with a small part in 1999’s Antonio Banderas-directed Crazy In Alabama. Fast forward ten years, and the twenty-something actress stepped out on her own to make a name for herself. Her resume now filled with small roles in notable flicks such as The Social Network, 21 Jump Street, and The Five-Year Engagement, Johnson is perhaps best known for her TV work. A starring role in the short-lived Fox comedy, Ben & Kate, made way for meatier film projects being thrown her way. She made tracks alongside Aaron Paul in Need For Speed, and is currently shooting what’s touted to be her breakout role; that of Anastasia Steele in 50 Shades Of Grey. We’d hazard a guess and say arriving at the premiere with her dad on one arm and her mum on the other might be much-more awkward on the way out... 5) Sally Field – Sons: Peter Craig and Eli Craig That’s right, Mrs. Lincoln herself produced two sons who charged after her into Hollywood’s embrace. The elder of the two, Peter Craig (above, left) is a writer with three published novels whose debut effort won him the reputable literary award in the shape of a Michener-Copernicus fellowship. He also co-wrote The Town with Ben Affleck and has bagged the writing duties for the upcoming Bad Boys III and live-action anime, Cowboy Bebop. More recently, he's snagged a couple of higher-profile projects. Namely, as screenwriter for the much-awaited Top Gun 2, the script for which is rumoured to be complete. And if that wasn't enough to impress: he's co-written The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 and 2 with Danny Strong. The younger of the two, Eli Craig (above, right), first dabbled in small screen roles in the likes of forgettable fodder Carrie 2: The Rage and Space Cowboys. Moving onto direction and production, his finest commitment to cinema is the creative multi-hyphenate role he straddled for one of 2010’s most underrated gems, Tucker and Dale Vs. Evil. No news on whether he’s in the running for the rumoured sequel, on that one. He’s also had the pleasure of directing his own Mum in an episode of Brothers and Sisters. Let’s hope for his sake it didn’t have any hanky panky in it. 4) Sissy Spacek – Daughter: Schuyler Fisk Orange County received attention for featuring Tom Hanks’ son, Colin. Less publicized was the fact that it was one of the first films to feature Sissy Spacek and production designer Jack Fisk’s daughter, Schuyler Fisk. Fisk made appearances in a few features in addition to Orange County, including the indie comedy, I’m Reed Fish, Gus Van Sant’s Restless and The Babysitters Club (in 1995 when she was a wee nipper). She’s also cropped up as a guest star on Law and Order: Special Victims Unit and One Tree Hill. Her main foray into the creative world has been via her own brand of folk music, following the same path Spacek walked before Hollywood beckoned. Since 2006 she’s penned original songs for the soundtracks to Ugly Betty, Dear John and The Last Kiss as well as releasing two albums of her own material. By the looks of it, mother and daughter get along swimmingly, so no chance whatsoever of a Mommy Dearest-esque expose (and besides which, Sissy Spacek is probably the loveliest person in Hollywood – read her autobiography.) 3) Mel Brooks & Anne Bancroft – Son: Max Brooks With the comedy stalwart responsible for Blazing Saddles and Young Frankenstein for a father, and the sizzling temptress Mrs. Robinson for a mother, it’s no surprise their offspring followed them both into the biz. Max Brooks started out in the industry as a writer on Saturday Night Live from 2001 to 2003, before turning his talents to zombie literature. His first tome was The Zombie Survival Guide, followed in 2009 by The Zombie Survival Guide: Recorded Attacks - a graphic novel based on the earlier book. It wasn’t until 2006 when he published World War Z: An Oral History of The Zombie War that the world took notice. Unless you’ve been under a rock, that title should ring a Brad Pitt-shaped bell, as Paramount bought the rights and put the film into production with Marc Forster at the helm. When he’s not scribbling, he’s made appearances in front of the camera with blink-and-you’ll-miss-it roles in Roseanne, 7th Heaven and Pacific Blue. He's also appeared behind the camera. Quite far behind, actually. In a recording booth. His other sideline, as if being a prolific zombie scholar and bit player wasn’t enough - is doing voiceovers. His vocal stylings have made themselves heard in a list of animated series, including superhero faves Batman Beyond and Justice League. 2) Meryl Streep – Daughters: Mamie and Grace Gummer If you've not already twigged from the unmistakable resemblance between acting powerhouse that is Meryl Streep and her daughters, then look closer. Two of her four children with sculptor husband, Don Gummer, have followed in mama's Oscar-winning footsteps and taken to the screen. Mamie, shown on the left, charged out of the gate at the ripe old age of twenty months - starring with her mother and Jack Nicholson in the comedy Heartburn. She took a break to attend college before returning to the screen with a modest role in the Richard Gere-vehicle, The Hoax in 2007. She continued to grab bit parts, landing credited roles in Evening (playing a younger version of her mother), The Hours, Stop-Loss, Taking Woodstock, the HBO series John Adams and a recurring cameo as the quick-witted Nancy Crozier in The Good Wife. She also starred in quirky TV dramedy, Emily Owens, MD., broadcast on the WC which was canceled in 2013 after one season. Luckily she snapped up parts in The Lifeguard and Steven Soderbergh’s Side Effects. The youngest of the pair, Grace, broke into acting later on, snapping up small supporting parts in Larry Crowne and Frances Ha. Like her big sister, she’s transitioned to the small screen for a stab at some serial action. She popped up as Anjelica Houston’s daughter in Smash, and played an FBI agent in Zero Hour before joining the cast of HBO’s The Newsroom for its second season. Will either of the daughters of the world's greatest living actress one day also have a mantlepiece crowded with gold statuettes? Only time will tell. 1) Susan Sarandon – Daughter: Eva Amurri Before Susan Sarandon met Tim Robbins, and after marrying (and divorcing) Chris Sarandon, the actress had a dalliance with another. Her unmistakable daughter, Eva Amurri, possesses her mother’s classical good looks with a hint of the mediterranean. A bit of a shameless lead in there, ahem, as her father is Italian director Franco Amurri, known in the US for helming the 1994 Thora Birch kids romp, Monkey Business. Early in her career, she worked alongside her mother after winning smallish parts in Stepmom and The Banger Sisters. During this period, the pair also guest-starred in a season seven episode of Friends, as a bickering mother and daughter. Mixing it up, Amurri has continued to dally with TV and film, popping up on the big screen in Anywhere But Here, Saved!, The Life Before Her Eyes, Middle Of Nowhere, New York, I Love You and Adam Sandler flop, That’s My Boy. She’s perhaps best known for her career on the small screen though, working across a ton of networks in a variety of wide-ranging projects. From her recurring role as saucy stripper Jackie in Californication, to pop-ups in How I Met Your Mother, cancelled hospital dramedy Mercy, House, Children’s Hospital, New Girl and The Mindy Project. If her brief cameos weren’t sufficient, she’s now touted to star once more with her mother in an NBC pilot entitled Growing Ivy. They’re set to play an uptight daughter who invites her “wacky” mother to move in. Could be a hoot, or a load of old tripe. Let's see if the network picks it up for a full season.