Actors Who Followed In Their Parents’ Footsteps

Published on April 14, 2019

When your parent is a famous actor, you’re probably asked, “When are you going to be in movies, too?” It’s your destiny to become a performer. Just ask these five stars who followed in their parents’ footsteps. Many of them even starred alongside their parents in movies and television series.

Jerry And Ben Stiller

Ben Stiller’s parents, Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara, were an acclaimed comedy duo in the 1960s and ’70s, appearing regularly on The Ed Sullivan Show and The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. Ben watched his parents and would one day become just as famous as his father. The father-and-son pair starred together in 2001’s Zoolander, which also features the family’s matriarch, Meara, as a protestor.

Henry And Jane Fonda

Henry Fonda was one of the most iconic actors of all time, starring in famous Old Hollywood films, including 12 Angry Men. It’s not surprising his children, Jane and Peter Fonda, would follow in his footsteps. In 1981, Jane and Henry starred in the emotional drama On Golden Pond, as a troubled father-and-daughter pair. Jane reflected that the filming strengthened their relationship, much like what we see in the characters.

Kirk And Michael Douglas

Kirk Douglas is another famous actor from Hollywood’s Golden Age. His son, Michael Douglas, watched his father perform in movies, including Spartacus, and became a popular actor, as well. In 2003, the father-and-son pair starred in their first movie together, It Runs in the Family. The movie also stars Michael’s son, Cameron, and his mother, Kirk Douglas’s ex-wife Diana Douglas. Performing really does run in the family.

Lloyd And Jeff Bridges

Jeff Bridges, and his brother Beau, are memorable actors of their own careers, but they got their start watching and performing with their notable father, Lloyd Bridges. As children, Jeff and Beau appeared on their father’s 1960’s television series, The Lloyd Bridges Show. As adults, the sons starred with their father in various films, including Blown Away, Tucker: The Man and His Dreams, and others.

Judy Garland And Liza Minnelli

When you’re the daughter of legendary actress Judy Garland and director Vincente Minnelli, you practically have to become a performer, as well. That’s exactly what happened to Liza Minnelli, best known for her Academy Award-winning performance in the 1972 film, Cabaret. But before then, Minnelli frequently performed on her mother’s variety show, The Judy Garland Show.