Celebrities from famous families (MSNBC) Updated: 2006-04-12 14:09
Michael Douglas: With so many big names pricing cradles and
buying baby duds at Petit Tresor, you'd think Hollywood's other net export was
toddlers. Many celebrity kids grow up in their parents' shadows, but Michael
Douglas more than made good on his silver-screen roots. Maybe it's because he
only saw dad Kirk a few times a year (Kirk divorced Diana Douglas when Michael
was six) and Dad tried to keep Michael from getting into the biz. Did that make
him work extra hard to establish himself? Whatever the reason, Douglas lit up
the small screen ("The Streets of San Francisco") before turning his talents to
the marquee. His career speaks for itself, including a mile-long list of
memorable roles ("Wall Street," "American President") and two Oscars to his
name. With his track record, it doesn't matter who your parents are.
Angelina Jolie: Don't forget -- the forthcoming Pitt-Jolie
baby will in fact be a third-generation celebrity baby. Though Angelina remains
estranged from dad Jon Voight, she wasn't spared a Hollywood upbringing by mom
Marcheline Bertrand (with Jacqueline Bisset and Maximilian Schell as
godparents), complete with teen modeling career, before breaking out in 1995's
"Hackers." There's no doubt Jolie's a strange bird ¨C don¡¯t forget the vials of
blood and brother-kissing -- but she sure inherited some serious acting chops
(remember Daddy's Oscar nod for "Midnight Cowboy"). For all her oddball ways,
she seems to be a loving mother and is a serious advocate for good causes. In
short, the very definition of a great movie star.
Jamie Lee Curtis: Celebrity genetics to the Nth degree.
Janet Leigh ("Psycho") and Tony Curtis ("Some Like It Hot") made for a curious
parental pairing, but Jamie quickly rose to fame from her shrieky "Halloween"
antics with some roles we'll never forget, including her heart-of-gold hooker in
"Trading Places" (and no, not just because of the topless scene) and her titular
thief in "A Fish Called Wanda." Not every actress could effortlessly follow a
"Halloween" sequel with "Freaky Friday." Curtis planned to curtail her acting
career in middle age, but with so much talent, here's hoping she¡¯ll be on screen
for decades to come. Speaking of which, when is hubby Christopher Guest ("Best
in Show") gonna cast her in one of his films?
Liv Tyler: When the daughter of Aerosmith's Steven Tyler
jumped from modeling to movies, it would've been easy enough to peg her as yet
another Big-Lipped Pretty Girl. But her roles were tender and thoughtful, and by
the time she showed up in Bernardo Bertolucci's "Stealing Beauty," her subtle
abilities shone through. With a rock-star dad and a former Playmate mom, Liv's
boistrous childhood could easily have put her on a destructive path. Instead
she's the striking image of normal. We just wish for another "Lord of the Rings"
sequel so she'd get another chance to look all elven and angelic.
Kiefer Sutherland: Remember when Kiefer showed up in 1986's
"Stand by Me"? It seemed like he was just another actor's kid, doomed to be
typecast as a bad boy. Not to say "24's" Jack Bauer is a saint but ... boy, were
we wrong. Donald Sutherland's son is as talented as his proud dad, and what¡¯s
better than tuning in each week for a chance to watch him save the world
(again)? It hasn't been a totally smooth road ¨C he struggled with cocaine in the
'90s, and fiancee Julia Roberts skipped town in 1991 with Kiefer¡¯s "Lost Boys"
co-star Jason Patric. But he's avoided any Charlie Sheen-scale misfortunes, and
become one of Hollywood's most versatile actors.
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