# Celebs with relatives in a different line of work but also well known
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebs-with-relatives-in-a-different-line-of-work-but-also-well-known/955319
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion
**Created:** [December 1, 2021, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebs-with-relatives-in-a-different-line-of-work-but-also-well-known/955319 "2021-12-01T21:19:24Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 6
### Author:  [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)
#### Post date: [December 3, 2021, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebs-with-relatives-in-a-different-line-of-work-but-also-well-known/955319/102 "2021-12-03T20:58:47Z")
Which probably came as no surprise to presidential brother
[Billy Carter.](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1977/04/10/billy-carter-refuses-to-apologize-for-joke/da0cb329-0465-4c39-b931-cc0713b59ed1/)
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### Author:  [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)
#### Post date: [December 3, 2021, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebs-with-relatives-in-a-different-line-of-work-but-also-well-known/955319/103 "2021-12-03T21:12:25Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#):
>
> Emily and Zooey Deschanel’s father is Caleb Deschanel, a cinematographer with six Oscar nominations.
And the Deschanels and the Hornsbys are related by marriage (Emily with David).
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### Author:  [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)
#### Post date: [December 3, 2021, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebs-with-relatives-in-a-different-line-of-work-but-also-well-known/955319/104 "2021-12-03T21:55:46Z")
> [@J-P\_L](#):
>
> Country singer Tim McGraw is the son of former MLB pitcher Tug McGraw. He only learned of his biological father at the age of 11.
That reminds me of actress Liv Tyler. She found out that singer Steve Tyler was her biological father when she was eleven. Prior to this, she had thought she was the biological daughter of Todd Rundgren, who her mother was in a relationship with when she was born.
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### Author:  [@gkster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gkster)
#### Post date: [December 3, 2021, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebs-with-relatives-in-a-different-line-of-work-but-also-well-known/955319/105 "2021-12-03T22:28:52Z")
> [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](#):
>
> David and Leo Damrosch, two prominent lit scholars at Harvard, are nephews of conductor Walter Damrosch.
I’ve met Leo, brilliant but unassuming, pleasant, and kind. And I’ve seen David on video. Are they brothers, cousins?
And it looks like a _Princess Bride_ theme going here with Cary Elwes, Mandy Patinkin, Wallace Shawn, Christopher Guest. To add to it:
Billy Crystal’s uncle, Milt Gabler, was a musician, songwriter and the founder of Columbia Records
Rob Reiner and William Goldman both have well-known relatives but not in a different line of work, with Reiner’s parents in show business and Goldman’s brother James an award-winning playwright and screenwriter (_The Lion in Winter_)
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### Author:  [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)
#### Post date: [December 3, 2021, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebs-with-relatives-in-a-different-line-of-work-but-also-well-known/955319/106 "2021-12-03T22:35:53Z")
> [@gkster](#):
>
> I’ve met Leo, brilliant but unassuming, pleasant, and kind. And I’ve seen David on video. Are they brothers, cousins?
Brothers, IIRC. Their aunt Clara Mannes (Walter’s sister) co-founded the Mannes School of Music.
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### Author:  [@aurora\_maire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aurora_maire)
#### Post date: [December 4, 2021, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebs-with-relatives-in-a-different-line-of-work-but-also-well-known/955319/107 "2021-12-04T01:17:48Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#):
>
> Prior to this, she had thought she was the biological daughter of Todd Rundgren, who her mother was in a relationship with when she was born.
And speaking of Todd, his sons Randy and Rex were both professional baseball players. They mostly played in the minor leagues but each did stints in the majors at one point.
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### Author:  [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)
#### Post date: [December 4, 2021, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebs-with-relatives-in-a-different-line-of-work-but-also-well-known/955319/108 "2021-12-04T01:27:29Z")
**Jon Voight’s** brother (and Angelina’s uncle) **James Voight** wrote the song “Wild Thing” (under the name Chip Taylor).
Jon’s other brother **Dr. Barry Voight** , Emeritus Professor of Geology and Geological Engineering at Penn State University, was one of the few geologists (the _only_ one IIRC) to correctly predict the Mt. St. Helen’s eruption would be a northward lateral explosion.
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### Author:  [@MeepersC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeepersC)
#### Post date: [December 4, 2021, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebs-with-relatives-in-a-different-line-of-work-but-also-well-known/955319/109 "2021-12-04T01:41:51Z")
NBA player [Kevin Love](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kevin_Love) is the nephew of the co-founder of The Beach Boys, [Mike Love](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Love). Mike’s brother (and Kevin’s father), [Stan Love](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stan_Love_(basketball)) also played in the NBA, as well as worked with The Beach Boys in various capacities.
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### Author:  [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)
#### Post date: [December 4, 2021, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebs-with-relatives-in-a-different-line-of-work-but-also-well-known/955319/110 "2021-12-04T01:44:05Z")
Actor Jeremy Piven is a nephew of Frances Fox Piven, co-creator of the [Cloward-Piven strategy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cloward%E2%80%93Piven_strategy).
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### Author:  [@D\_Anconia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Anconia)
#### Post date: [December 4, 2021, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebs-with-relatives-in-a-different-line-of-work-but-also-well-known/955319/111 "2021-12-04T01:44:31Z")
Dino and granddaughter Giada De Laurentiis.
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### Author:  [@lobotomyboy63](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lobotomyboy63)
#### Post date: [December 4, 2021, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebs-with-relatives-in-a-different-line-of-work-but-also-well-known/955319/112 "2021-12-04T01:57:11Z")
Sean Penn has two brothers who achieved some fame.
[Chris](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Penn) doesn’t quite fit the OP because he was also an actor.
> Penn was born in [Los Angeles](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Los_Angeles), [California](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California), to [Leo Penn](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leo_Penn), an actor and director, and [Eileen Ryan](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eileen_Ryan) (née Annucci), an actress. His paternal grandparents were [Jewish](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jew) immigrants from [Lithuania](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithuanian_Jews) and [Russia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_Jews),[[3]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Penn#cite_note-3) and his mother was a [Catholic](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catholic_Church) of [Italian](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italian_Americans) and [Irish](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irish_Americans) descent.[[4]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Penn#cite_note-4)
But true to the OP’s question, brother Michael Penn is a musician. You may remember from late 80s:
[No Myth (What if I were Romeo in black jeans)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IxkJHX7ukKE)
He gave up on releasing albums.
> In late 2009, Penn composed the music for the film _[That Evening Sun](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/That_Evening_Sun)_ .[[9]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Penn#cite_note-9)
>
> In 2012, Penn began work as the composer for the HBO TV show _[Girls](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Girls_(TV_series))_ .[[10]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Penn#cite_note-10)
>
> In January 2013, the _Girls Vol. 1_ soundtrack was released on [iTunes](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ITunes). The album contained a new song by Michael Penn titled “On Your Way”, which was featured in the finale of Season 1.
>
> He also joined the crew of [Showtime](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Showtime_(TV_channel))’s _[Masters of Sex](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masters_of_Sex)_ in 2013 as series composer. The show’s pilot episode was initially set to be scored by [Thomas Newman](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Newman), but this did not come to fruition and Penn scored both the pilot and the rest of the series.
>
> In 2018, he joined two new TV series as a composer - _[Good Girls](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Good_Girls_(TV_series))_ on NBC and _[Here and Now](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Here_and_Now_(2018_TV_series))_ on HBO.
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### Author:  [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)
#### Post date: [December 4, 2021, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebs-with-relatives-in-a-different-line-of-work-but-also-well-known/955319/113 "2021-12-04T02:00:27Z")
> [@Tamerlane](#):
>
> Don’t forget [August Coppola](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/August_Coppola), Cage’s father and his whole line including Cage’s brothers. Also in the business, but this time more on the academic side. Met him a couple of times - seemed pleasant enough.
Cage’s brother Marc Coppola has done some acting but primarily makes a living as a radio DJ. He was on a few of the stations I listened to out of New York in the 80s and 90s.
> [@mozchron](#):
>
> I’ve run into him once or twice at meetings but we run in different topic areas so I don’t really know him.
Speaking of relatives in a different line of work, the Hanks boys are cousins to Abraham Lincoln through his mother Nancy Hanks Lincoln. They are about as closely related to Lincoln as I am but my family is related to his father’s side.
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### Author:  [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)
#### Post date: [December 4, 2021, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebs-with-relatives-in-a-different-line-of-work-but-also-well-known/955319/114 "2021-12-04T02:02:22Z")
> [@lobotomyboy63](#):
>
> Sean Penn has two brothers who achieved some fame.
>
> [Chris](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Penn) doesn’t quite fit the OP because he was also an actor.
>
> > Penn was born in [Los Angeles](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Los_Angeles), [California](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California), to [Leo Penn](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leo_Penn), an actor and director, and [Eileen Ryan](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eileen_Ryan) (née Annucci), an actress. His paternal grandparents were [Jewish](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jew) immigrants from [Lithuania](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithuanian_Jews) and [Russia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_Jews),[[3]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Penn#cite_note-3) and his mother was a [Catholic](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catholic_Church) of [Italian](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italian_Americans) and [Irish](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irish_Americans) descent.[[4]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Penn#cite_note-4)
>
> But true to the OP’s question, brother Michael Penn is a musician. You may remember from late 80s:
>
> [No Myth (What if I were Romeo in black jeans)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IxkJHX7ukKE)
>
> He gave up on releasing albums.
>
> > In late 2009, Penn composed the music for the film _[That Evening Sun](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/That_Evening_Sun)_ .[[9]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Penn#cite_note-9)
> >
> > In 2012, Penn began work as the composer for the HBO TV show _[Girls](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Girls_(TV_series))_ .[[10]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Penn#cite_note-10)
> >
> > In January 2013, the _Girls Vol. 1_ soundtrack was released on [iTunes](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ITunes). The album contained a new song by Michael Penn titled “On Your Way”, which was featured in the finale of Season 1.
> >
> > He also joined the crew of [Showtime](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Showtime_(TV_channel))’s _[Masters of Sex](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masters_of_Sex)_ in 2013 as series composer. The show’s pilot episode was initially set to be scored by [Thomas Newman](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Newman), but this did not come to fruition and Penn scored both the pilot and the rest of the series.
> >
> > In 2018, he joined two new TV series as a composer - _[Good Girls](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Good_Girls_(TV_series))_ on NBC and _[Here and Now](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Here_and_Now_(2018_TV_series))_ on HBO.
Which also makes Aimee Mann his sister-in-law.
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### Author:  [@lobotomyboy63](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lobotomyboy63)
#### Post date: [December 4, 2021, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebs-with-relatives-in-a-different-line-of-work-but-also-well-known/955319/115 "2021-12-04T02:04:06Z")
> [@Loach](#):
>
> Which also makes Aimee Mann his sister-in-law.
Yep. She was in 'Til Tuesday, sang “Voices Carry” for those who might not recognize the name.
[ ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uejh-bHa4To)
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### Author:  [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)
#### Post date: [December 4, 2021, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebs-with-relatives-in-a-different-line-of-work-but-also-well-known/955319/116 "2021-12-04T02:13:47Z")
Uma Thurman’s father, Robert Thurman, is a renowned translator of Buddhist literature.
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### Author:  [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)
#### Post date: [December 4, 2021, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebs-with-relatives-in-a-different-line-of-work-but-also-well-known/955319/117 "2021-12-04T02:19:33Z")
Ricky Nelson gained fame as a musician but he was also an actor. His sons Matthew and Gunnar formed the rock band **Nelson**.
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### Author:  [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)
#### Post date: [December 4, 2021, 9:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebs-with-relatives-in-a-different-line-of-work-but-also-well-known/955319/118 "2021-12-04T09:28:42Z")
**Tucker Carlson** ’s father was the director of Voice of America, then president of PBS and U.S. ambassador to Seychelles. His non-biological mother by marriage is Patricia Swanson, heir to the Swanson foods empire at the time.
**Robert Heinlein** ’s brother Lawrence was a Brigadier General in the U.S. Army, and his other brother Rex Heinlein was a colonel and a teacher at West Point.
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### Author:  [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)
#### Post date: [December 4, 2021, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebs-with-relatives-in-a-different-line-of-work-but-also-well-known/955319/119 "2021-12-04T19:06:24Z")
> [@Telemark](#):
>
> Ricky Nelson gained fame as a musician but he was also an actor.
Ricky’s was famous as a child actor (Ozzie & Harriet TV show) for five years before making his first record.
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### Author:  [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)
#### Post date: [December 5, 2021, 6:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebs-with-relatives-in-a-different-line-of-work-but-also-well-known/955319/120 "2021-12-05T06:34:07Z")
All of the trustworthiness in the Skilling brothers was spent making Tom the greatest TV weatherman in Chicago history while Jeffery had to settle for Enron.
> **[Jeffrey Skilling](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeffrey_Skilling)**
>
> Pages for logged out editors learn more
>
>
> Jeffrey Keith Skilling (born November 25, 1953) is an American businessman who is best known as the CEO of Enron Corporation during the Enron scandal. In 2006, he was convicted of federal felony charges relating to Enron's collapse and eventually sentenced to 24 years in prison. The US Supreme Court heard arguments in the appeal of the case March 1, 2010. On June 24, 2010, the Supreme Court vacated part of Skilling's conviction and transferred t...
> **[Tom Skilling](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Skilling)**
>
> Pages for logged out editors learn more
>
>
> Tom Skilling (born 1952) is an American television meteorologist. Since 1978, he has worked as a meteorologist at WGN-TV in Chicago.
> The oldest of four children, Tom Skilling was born in the Chicago suburb of Aurora, Illinois, where he attended West Aurora High School. While in high school Tom began his career in broadcasting at age 14, working for WKKD and WKKD-FM. Skilling observed that WKKD's forecasts were inaccurate because they were for ...
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### Author:  [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)
#### Post date: [December 5, 2021, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebs-with-relatives-in-a-different-line-of-work-but-also-well-known/955319/121 "2021-12-05T15:27:37Z")
Also Robert Thurman was a Buddhist monk when he was young .
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