17 Surprising Celebrity Nepo Babies You Never Knew
by Jenna GuillaumeBuzzFeedBuzzFeed Contributor
Some celebs are famous for their nepo baby status — think Gwyneth Paltrow, Laura Dern, Lily-Rose Depp, and Maya Hawke. But there are many celebs who aren't as famous for having benefited from nepotism, despite their powerful family members. Here's a look at some who might surprise you...
1.
First up, Maggie and Jake Gyllenhaal's parents aren't actors, but they are fixtures in Hollywood.
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Their mother, Naomi Foner Gyllenhaal, is an Academy Award-nominated screenwriter and director, with credits including Running on Empty and Bee Season. Their father, Stephen Gyllenhaal, is a poet and director, who has worked on shows like Twin Peaks and movies like A Dangerous Woman. Many of Jake and Maggie's early acting roles were in their father's movies.
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2.
Timothée Chalamet is famous for roles in Little Women, Dune, Marty Supreme and more, while his older sister Pauline has starred in The Sex Lives of College Girls and will appear in The Devil Wears Prada 2.
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Their mother, Nicole Flender, is a former Broadway dancer. Their uncle, Rodman Flender, is a director who has worked on Party of Five, Ugly Betty, The Office, and Idle Hands. Pauline and Timothée's grandparents also worked in entertainment: Enid Rodman Flender was a broadway dancer, and Harold Flender was a writer whose book Paris Blues was adapted into the 1961 Sidney Poitier and Paul Newman movie of the same name.
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3.
New Girl icon Zooey Deschanel and Bones star Emily Deschanel are another pair of famous acting sisters with strong nepo ties.
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Their dad, Caleb Deschanel, is a cinematographer and director who has been nominated six times at the Academy Awards, including for The Right Stuff, Fly Away Home, and The Passion of the Christ. Zooey and Emily's mother, meanwhile, is actor Mary Jo Deschanel, known for The Right Stuff andTwin Peaks.
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4.
George Clooney has several famous relatives, with the most famous perhaps being his aunt, singer and actor Rosemary Clooney, who had hit songs like "Come On-a My House" and starred in White Christmas.
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Rosemary was married to Puerto Rican actor and director José Ferrer, who won an Oscar for his role in Cyrano de Bergerac. George's cousin Miguel Ferrer is also an actor, known for roles in RoboCop, Twin Peaks and Iron Man 3. Meanwhile, George's father, Nicholas Clooney is a famous journalist and TV host. George's other aunt, Betty Clooney, also had a singing career in the 1940s and 1950s, while Betty's husband, Pupi Campo, was a notable Cuban entertainer.
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5.
Margaret Qualley started her career in modelling and became a respected actor in her own right thanks to roles in shows like Maid and movies like The Substance, but her mother, Andie MacDowell, was famous long before her.
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Annie starred in iconic movies like Four Weddings and a Funeral and Groundhog Day. Her father, Paul Qualley, was also a model. But Margaret's first acting role was actually in Palo Alto, alongside her then-boyfriend Nat Wolff.
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6.
Jennifer Aniston became one of the most famous women in the world when Friends started airing in 1994, but her parents were already actors themselves.
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Her father, John Aniston, was well-known for his work on Days of Our Lives, while her mother, Nancy Dow, had roles in The Beverly Hillbillies and The Ice House in the '60s.
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7.
Whitney Houston is one of the most iconic singers of all time, but she did have some nepo connections.
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Her mother, Cissy Houston, was a gospel singer who also performed backup vocals for many famous artists, including Aretha Franklin, and Cissy's nieces (and Whitney's cousins) Dionne and Dee Dee Warwick. Notable opera singer Leontyne Price was also a cousin of Whitney's.
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8.
Emma Thompson is an actor and screenwriter with a prolific career, perhaps most famous for Howards End, Sense and Sensibility, and Love Actually. Her sister, Sophie Thompson, is also an actor, best known for Four Weddings and a Funeral, Emma, and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
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Their mother, Phyllida Law, is also an actor, and has actually worked with both her daughters in movies like Much Ado About Nothing, Emma, and Nanny McPhee. Meanwhile, their father Eric Thompson was an actor, screenwriter and director, best known for writing and narrating classic kids' show The Magic Roundabout.
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9.
Matty Healy didn't follow his parents into acting, but the pair were involved in some notable celebrity circles.
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His father