# are you related to anyone famous? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 12, 2006, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-related-to-anyone-famous/360358 "2006-06-12T00:42:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Minotaurus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ee59a6/32.png) [@Minotaurus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Minotaurus)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2006, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-related-to-anyone-famous/360358/1 "2006-06-12T00:42:57Z")
actors, politicans, sport etc… I was just wondering (celebs that are famous worldwide or in your country) ---
**Author:** ![dnooman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/839c29/32.png) [@dnooman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dnooman)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2006, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-related-to-anyone-famous/360358/2 "2006-06-12T04:29:03Z")
Not that I know of. But, my mom was best friend’s with Bill Murray’s sister and therefore knew him quite well while growing up. Also, my dad’s roommate in prep school was Rick Flair the professional wrestler. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2006, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-related-to-anyone-famous/360358/3 "2006-06-12T04:46:47Z")
Not related, but my mother once dated Jerry Siegel, who invented Superman. ---
**Author:** ![Alice\_The\_Goon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Alice\_The\_Goon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alice_The_Goon)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2006, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-related-to-anyone-famous/360358/4 "2006-06-12T04:50:54Z")
I’m not related to anybody famous, but I know several people that are related to somebody famous: Belinda Carlisle’s cousin is my son’s babysitter, Sandra Day O’Connor’s sister and Rod Serling’s brother were clients at an office I used to work at, and Caroline Rhea’s father is a client at the place I work at now and a retired OBGYN. ---
**Author:** ![dnooman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/839c29/32.png) [@dnooman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dnooman)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2006, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-related-to-anyone-famous/360358/5 "2006-06-12T04:51:05Z")
Oh yeah, my sister used to be best friend’s with both Pat Boone’s grandaughter and some hot chick from Road Rules . Pat Boone’s grandaughter had a show on TechTV. She’s pretty [hot](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jessica_Corbin) now. So’s her [friend](http://www.reelmanagement.com/pages/headshots/veronicaportillo.jpg) from Road rules. I went to middle school with an [actor](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0420110/) who’s not exactly a household name. Did you say related to? [sub]I guess not.[/sub] ---
**Author:** ![Barking\_Dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ccd318/32.png) [@Barking\_Dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barking_Dog)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2006, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-related-to-anyone-famous/360358/6 "2006-06-12T04:59:51Z")
Don’t know if it’s true, but my grandma once said that we’re related to Samuel Clemens. He’d be a great uncle of mine, of some degree or another. That is, if it’s true. Kind of a family legend, really. ---
**Author:** ![dnooman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/839c29/32.png) [@dnooman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dnooman)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2006, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-related-to-anyone-famous/360358/7 "2006-06-12T05:03:37Z")
Oh yeah, my mom was once proposed to by “presidential candidate” and comedian [Pat Paulsen](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pat_Paulsen). ---
**Author:** ![Rhiannon8404](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhiannon8404/32/17929_2.png) [@Rhiannon8404](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhiannon8404)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2006, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-related-to-anyone-famous/360358/8 "2006-06-12T05:10:07Z")
My cousin was marred to Dennis Rodman. Actually second cousin, our grandmothers were sisters. She called herself Anicka Rodman, but she was born Annie Bakes. They were married less than a year, but had been together before that for several years. They have a daughter together. ---
**Author:** ![ASAKMOTSD](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/919ad9/32.png) [@ASAKMOTSD](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ASAKMOTSD)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2006, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-related-to-anyone-famous/360358/9 "2006-06-12T05:11:44Z")
I went to high school with one of the guys that did the special effects for Terminator 2, The Matrix series, one of the Batman movies, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e480ec/32.png) [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Least_Original_User_Name_Ever)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2006, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-related-to-anyone-famous/360358/10 "2006-06-12T05:12:33Z")
I’m supposedly descended from Alexander Hamilton. How’s THAT for famous, baby?!?! ---
**Author:** ![dnooman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/839c29/32.png) [@dnooman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dnooman)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2006, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-related-to-anyone-famous/360358/11 "2006-06-12T05:13:59Z")
My mom seems to have some serious connections. One of her best friends as a youth was the mother of [Jill Carroll](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jill_Carroll) famous for being a kidnapped journalist for the Christian Science Monitor in Iraq. Her mom is really nice and has a great sense of humor. On a sadder note, one of the few people to die in the U.S. from the West Nile Virus was related to me. ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2006, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-related-to-anyone-famous/360358/12 "2006-06-12T05:14:40Z")
If I was, I wouldn’t tell you, _paparazzo_. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2006, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-related-to-anyone-famous/360358/13 "2006-06-12T05:16:35Z")
My wife’s late aunt was once married to Alan Jay Lerner. (I understand several other women were as well, at various times in history). And the aunt in question once wandered into Groucho Marx’s stateroom looking for her sister. ---
**Author:** ![dnooman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/839c29/32.png) [@dnooman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dnooman)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2006, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-related-to-anyone-famous/360358/14 "2006-06-12T05:17:40Z")
> [@Least Original User Name Ever](#): > > I’m supposedly descended from Alexander Hamilton. > > How’s THAT for famous, baby?!?! The guy that makes those blenders? Nice. ---
**Author:** ![drm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a88e57/32.png) [@drm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drm)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2006, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-related-to-anyone-famous/360358/15 "2006-06-12T05:29:30Z")
They aren’t exceptionally famous but my great great great Uncle donated a boatload of money a while ago and that is how Duke University got it’s name (his last name being duke and all). To be honest with you though, it might have been his daughter who donated the money. My grandpa knows all the details as it was his grandpa’s brother. That’s about as famous as it gets for me. ---
**Author:** ![Seven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Seven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seven)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2006, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-related-to-anyone-famous/360358/16 "2006-06-12T05:35:52Z")
My uncle is Deary Weaver who was in [The Hollywood Argyles](http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=4272) - recorded the song Ally Oop. My half-uncle (my mothers half brother) was [George Miller](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Miller_(comedian)). My mother didn’t learn this until after he died. In fact, they still don’t talk about George. My grandfather’s first relationship ended poorly and George turned into a battle of custody. My grandmother (my mothers mother) told her she had a half brother but he died in the Vietnam war. Even today she says George Wade Dornberger (AKA George Miller) is different from George Wade Dornberger who died in Vietnam. It’s bullshit though. Another person they don’t talk about is [General Walter Dornberger](http://www.theforbiddenknowledge.com/hardtruth/fire22.htm) who worked with Werner von Braun and was one of the forces behind the V2 missle. As far as my family is concerned that branch of my family tree has been pruned. My wife is related to [Pierre Trudeau](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pierre_Trudeau). ---
**Author:** ![Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hilarity_n.suze/32/6223_2.png) [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hilarity_N.Suze)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2006, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-related-to-anyone-famous/360358/17 "2006-06-12T05:46:05Z")
I am related (cousin) to two famous people, a musician and a novelist, and (niece)two much-less-famous people, a musician and a short story writer. My husband’s first wife is moderately famous. More famous than me, anyway! Also: I have a pair of jeans that used to belong to a movie star. I was interviewing her when her dachsund puppy, a real cutie, came over, sniffed the cuff of my pants rather thoroughly, and then peed on me. She gave me a pair of her jeans–they are great. Newmans. (No relation to the food empire, I don’t think.) She offered shoes too but my feet are inordinately small, so I just wiped my sandals off, but I took the jeans. When I put them on I looked six inches taller and 20 lbs. slimmer, and felt like a movie star. She wanted to send my pants to the hotel’s cleaning dept. (that was the point of giving me the jeans I think) but I said never mind and just rinsed them out. I offered to send the Newmans back to her but she insisted I keep them. Probably just didn’t want to give me her address. All in all I think the jeans are my closest link to fame. Sad, innit. ---
**Author:** ![David\_Simmons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9de053/32.png) [@David\_Simmons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/David_Simmons)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2006, 6:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-related-to-anyone-famous/360358/18 "2006-06-12T06:01:02Z")
[Hiram Cronk](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hiram_Cronk), last surviving veteran of the War of 1812 was my mother’s great-great-…(however many) uncle. [Jack Teagarden](http://www.redhotjazz.com/tea.html) was a distant cousin of my mother. As to my father’s relatives he always used the old joke. He didn’t want to look too closely for fear he would find someone hanging from a tree limb. ---
**Author:** ![Astroboy14](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/df705f/32.png) [@Astroboy14](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Astroboy14)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2006, 6:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-related-to-anyone-famous/360358/19 "2006-06-12T06:09:33Z")
If I understand our fuzzy geneology correctly, I’m distantly related to [Walter Reed](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Reed) on my mother’s side. That’s the best I got… ---
**Author:** ![Sublight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@Sublight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sublight)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2006, 6:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-related-to-anyone-famous/360358/20 "2006-06-12T06:20:41Z")
No, but my family is. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-related-to-anyone-famous/360358.md?page=2)