I don’t have any recent celebrity relatives (I could, my mom is adopted), but one of my relatives is Erik the Red and Leif Erikson (they’re father and son). One of my friends is related to Walt Disney and someone else I know is related to Dick Clark.
–Anake
My uncle was a PT Boat commander in WWII Pacific, knew JFK very well.
Way way back somebody related was credited with forming the Queensbury rules of boxing.
Then there’s me, UncleBill, fabulously famous to my six nieces and nephews.
OK, this thread ought to draw all the genealogists out of the woodwork.
Direct descendant of John Alden and Priscilla Mullins, two of the more famous passengers on the Mayflower. This puts me in the same tree as a bunch of early U.S. Presidents and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Also Neil Armstrong, if an Alden website I’ve seen is correct.
For you Indy Dopers, Bill Hudnut is my dad’s third cousin.
And for you Mount Holyoke Dopers (I think there’s one or two of you around) I’m one of the Skinner family that gave the college a buncha money and got a hall named for 'em.
• Alex North, film-score composer, was a great-uncle on my Mom’s side.
• Lauren Bacall, sultry film siren and well-known harridan, is a cousin on my Mom’s side, a couple of times removed.
Closest thing to a famous relative that I know of is Fuzzy Thurston of the Green Bay Packers’ glory years. He’s something like a second counsin once removed. That and $.50 will get me a can of Diet Coke.
Mr. Scarlett is distantly related to Clarence Darrow.
Well my fiancee’s cousin is Ray Cappo from the Krishna consciousness band Shelter. When we get married I guess that I will be related to him as well.
Well, umm… lets see. “Famous” from my family line? Not that I can think of… however, a coworker of mine is Pamela Andersons (Lee) second cousin. Does that count for anything?
Both Huey and Earl Long, governor and Senator from Louisiana, are something like third cousins twice removed or some such shit. We share the same last name, though.
Also John D. Long, Secretary of the Navy under Teddy Roosevelt.That’s my dad’s name as well. Got a lake named after him that Susan Smith drowned her kids in and then claimed a black guy had kidnapped them. That was great, every day for a week we’d see the sign and say “Hey Dad, look what they found in your lake!” Black humor rules the roost in my family.
Also, on my mom’s side, the foreman for the Krupp factory in Essen, Germany. Left in 1939 because some of the “machine parts” he was making turned out to fire 240 rounds a minute, or have gas come out of them.
Well, my uncle used to play Pro Football. Not that I think he was every terribly famous. He played for the Dallas Texans, back before they moved to Kansas City and became the Chiefs.
I could’ve married a descendent of George Washington. Does that count? He’s a great-great (insert more greats here) nephew. As George had no children of his own, that’s about as close as one can get.
William Bradley, one of the passengers on the Mayflower. I’m told the relationship is fairly direct, but I have no idea what it is. Ought to research that one sometime…
Well, for those who know art, Edvard Munch is my Great Great Uncle.
I’m a distant cousin to Johnny Cash. (Not that he knows who I am or anyting.)
I’m a decendant of Bohdan Khmelnytsky, who led a Ukrainian rebellion against the Poles in the mid 17th century. From what I understand, he’s considered something of a war hero in the Ukraine.
I also have an uncle who is fairly high up in the city government of Windsor, Canada.
There is a story in my family that one of our ancestors is Davy Crockett. It may be true, maybe not. But, that’s what I’m told.
I’m descended from a private in the Continental army who served under Francis Marion, the Swamp Fox. His son served under Andrew Jackson (the future president)during the Seminole Wars in the early 1800’s. Yep. My family’s always been 10 feet from greatness.
My grandmother’s third or fourth cousin was Buster Brown. He was a midget who played a little boy in some movies 70 or 80 years ago. They named a shoe company after him…
I might be related to Audie Murphy, the most decorated soldier in US history. He’s from the right part of Texas, but we can’t tell if he is in fact from that branch of the family or not.
My uncle did stunt work on “The Alamo” - the one starring Richard Widmark and John Wayne.
Genealogy-wise, I don’t know. I haven’t yet researched it far back enough or far enough out. In the current generation, it depends on what you mean by “famous.” Comics fans may recognize Paul and/or Alan Kupperburg; both are first cousins of mine (they’re my father’s sister’s sons).
I’m Cecil Adams’ bastard love-child.
Fear me! 
I’m related on my dad’s side to the Flying Wallendas - distant cousins.
Hey Tommy the Cat, I’m related to Davy Crockett too. It’s a pretty sure thing here though, my great grandfather’s last name was Crockett, and we’ve found the birth records.
Davy was my Greatx4 Uncle.