38 Nepo Babies Who *Actually* Deserve Their Fame

by Hannah MarderBuzzFeedBuzzFeed StaffI'm a Senior Staff Writer based in New York City, where I've been covering classic BuzzFeed-style content since 2020.

While it certainly seems unfair that nepo babies get a massive leg up in the industry, it's hard to deny that some of them prove talent runs in the family. Recently, when redditor SheepishSwan asked, "Who's a nepo baby you think deserves their success because they're legit talented?" People had a ton of nepo babies to nominate — here are some they think truly deserve their fame.

1.

"Liza Minnelli, without a doubt."

Toni Anne Barson Archive / WireImage

—u/rainbowshep

"I'm glad younger audiences got to know her as Lucille 2 in Arrested Development. She was a stitch."

—u/ShedMontgomery

"Cabaret was on TV the other day, and my girlfriend made me watch it — apparently it's her favourite musical. I only knew her as Lucille 2, but bloody hell, wild talent. And I also ended up discovering her mum was Judy Garland."

—u/airahnegne

Liza's mom was the famed Wizard of Oz star Judy Garland; here she is with Judy, who died young at 47, and later on with her father, director Vincente Minnelli. The EGOT winner began her career as a child, appearing on film as just an infant...and went on to a lifelong career as a singer, performer, and actor.

George Rinhart / Corbis via Getty Images,  Bettmann via Getty Images

2.

"Domhnall Gleeson. That man has RANGE."

FREDERIC J. BROWN / AFP via Getty Images

—u/Fun-Preparation-731

"I waited on him and his friends at a small pub in Kerry. Super nice guy, very polite. and he obliged all the young kids outside who wanted to take pictures."

—u/garthalgarhythm

"Same thing! His wife bought a car from me, and he came in with her. Absolutely LOVELY gent to deal with and they've sent customers my way, too!"

—u/Saleable_

"He has such an everyman quality. I met him once in a hotel in Dublin. It was a Friday evening, and he'd just come in from rehearsing a play he was about to do with his father, The Walworth Farce. The bar was packed. He'd already done Harry Potter, Star Wars, About Time, etc. at that point. They'd been rehearsing all week, so he was probably tired. The way he was dressed down, and carrying a dog-eared bag, he looked like a college student. We sat and chatted for about an hour, and not one person recognised him, or even gave him a second look."

—u/Gorazde

Domhnall's father is the wildly decorated Irish actor Brendan Gleeson. His brother Brian is also an actor.

Jason Merritt / Getty Images

3.

"Carrie Fisher."

Aaron Rapoport/Corbis / Getty Images

—u/xife-Ant

"And Carrie was multi-talented. She was a script doctor on so many well-known movies. I miss her. :("

—u/ArinPoe

In case you didn't know, Carrie was Singin' in the Rain star Debbie Reynolds's daughter. Also, Carrie's daughter is Billie Lourd, who you may remember from Scream Queens or Booksmart.

Kevin Mazur / WireImage via Getty Images

4.

"Jared Harris."

Gary Gershoff / Getty Images

—u/karmagirl314

"Jared Harris!!!! I forget he’s a nepo baby; he is so wildly talented. He steals the show in everything I see him in."

—u/audreyhorn666

"I forget even more often that his dad was the OG Dumbledore. Interestingly, as well, Harris played a great King George IV alongside the new HP Series Dumbledore as Winston Churchill, a role he killed so much he won an Emmy for it."

—u/JGraham1839

Harris's father is the famed Irish actor Richard Harris, who my fellow millennials will probably remember as Dumbledore in the first two Harry Potter films. Jared's brother Jamie is also an actor, and their brother Damian is a filmmaker.

Evening Standard/Hulton Archive / Getty Images

5.

"Dan Levy and his sister, Sarah Levy. I will not hear any Levy blasphemy!"

Mathew Tsang / Getty Images

—u/justhewayouare

"I went to high school with him, and he definitely didn't have the attitude of a nepo baby. He seemed like any normal teenage guy in the drama club. His dad being famous was never really a thing; he was just like everyone else.

Random tidbit: the old school picture he shows in an episode of Schitt's Creek is his grade 9 school photo (taken in 1997)."

—u/joojie

"Eugene is a fucking genius, so it’s not actually a shock that his son is too. And his daughter is excellent as well. Talent does run in families, just like any other trait!"

—u/selftaughtgenius

Dan Levy's father is the comic actor Eugene Levy. The two played son and father in Schitt's Creek, with Dan's sister Sarah playing the role of Twyla. Their mom, Deborah Divine, is a screenwriter and producer.

Matt Winkelmeyer / Getty Images for Netflix

6.

"Mariska Hargitay. Olivia Benson is one of the most well-known characters in all of TV. I can only imagine how many people that alone has inspired to go into police work, specifically sex crimes, and the impact she has had in the field."

Stefanie Keenan / Getty Images for TIME

—u/Xeillan

"She paid her dues, man. She landed the Olivia Benson ro