# That famous person is related to WHO?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-famous-person-is-related-to-who/589049
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Created:** [July 14, 2011, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-famous-person-is-related-to-who/589049 "2011-07-14T19:34:34Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)
#### Post date: [July 14, 2011, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-famous-person-is-related-to-who/589049/1 "2011-07-14T19:34:34Z")
Have you ever been a fan or admirer of two famous people who had absolutely nothing in common – except genes? And didn’t find out until much later?
I have been a fan of guitarist Mike Stern since around 1980, before he joined Miles’ band. I saw him in a club on my 19th birthday. As big a fan as I was, I knew nothing about him except for some apocryphal stories about drug abuse. I decided to look him up on Wiki and was surprised to find out that he is the half brother to…
…actress Kyra Sedgwick.
Who knew?
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### Author:  [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)
#### Post date: [July 14, 2011, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-famous-person-is-related-to-who/589049/2 "2011-07-14T19:56:50Z")
I was surprised to find out \*\*Bob “Super Dave Osborne” Einstein \*\*(also Funkhauser on “Curb Your Enthusiasm” was \*\*Albert Einstein’s \*\*brother… No, not THAT Albert Einstein. This Albert Einstein changed his name to **Albert Brooks**.
I was also surprised to find out that \*\*Warren Beatty \*\*was \*\*Shirley Maclean’s \*\*younger brother.
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### Author:  [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)
#### Post date: [July 14, 2011, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-famous-person-is-related-to-who/589049/3 "2011-07-14T20:12:23Z")
Does relation by marriage count? If so:
Gloria Steinem is Christain Bale’s stepmother. She married his father in 2000.
Susanna Hoffs, singer for The Bangles, is married to Jay Roach, director of the Austin Powers movies, _Meet the Parents_, and _Dinner for Schmucks._
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### Author:  [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)
#### Post date: [July 14, 2011, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-famous-person-is-related-to-who/589049/4 "2011-07-14T20:16:15Z")
Paul O’Neill the retired baseball star is brother to Molly O’Neill, food critic, cookbook writer, reporter for the NY Times.
Robert Patrick the Terminator is older brother to Richard Patrick, lead singer for Filter (Hey Man Nice Shot)…
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### Author:  [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)
#### Post date: [July 14, 2011, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-famous-person-is-related-to-who/589049/5 "2011-07-14T20:23:19Z")
I knew about the Einsteins.
I just found out that Kyra Sedgwick has been married to Kevin Bacon for quite some time. At the time _Footloose_ came out, _We Want Miles_ was my favorite album. If you told me that those guys were going to be brothers-in-law, I would have told you you were crazy.
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### Author:  [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)
#### Post date: [July 14, 2011, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-famous-person-is-related-to-who/589049/6 "2011-07-14T20:25:40Z")
Rip Torn and Sissy Spacek are first cousins.
Gwyneth Paltrow’s father is first cousins with Gabrielle Giffords, though I don’t think the two families know each other very well.
Televangelist Jimmy Swaggart and Jerry Lee Lewis are first cousins (and Mickey Gilley is a cousin to one or both of them) but that’s not so far off the mark.
To my knowledge James Arness and Peter Graves never acted in anything together and didn’t look much alike, but their voices were almost identical.
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### Author:  [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)
#### Post date: [July 14, 2011, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-famous-person-is-related-to-who/589049/7 "2011-07-14T20:30:10Z")
Screen legend Lauren Bacall and Israeli President Shimon Peres are first cousins; both of them were born with the surname “Persky”.
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### Author:  [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)
#### Post date: [July 14, 2011, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-famous-person-is-related-to-who/589049/8 "2011-07-14T20:36:57Z")
> [@Sampiro](#):
>
> To my knowledge James Arness and Peter Graves never acted in anything together and didn’t look much alike, but their voices were almost identical.
I always thought that Peter Graves’ brother was Leslie Nielsen. But Nielsen’s brother was Erik Nielsen, Canada’s deputy Prime Minister.
Huh.
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### Author:  [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)
#### Post date: [July 14, 2011, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-famous-person-is-related-to-who/589049/9 "2011-07-14T20:43:31Z")
The actor who played “Beef Supreme” in _Idiocracy_ and “Tex Hayward” in _The Royal Tenenbaums_ is Andrew Wilson, the slightly less well known older brother of actors Owen and Luke Wilson.
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### Author:  [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)
#### Post date: [July 14, 2011, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-famous-person-is-related-to-who/589049/10 "2011-07-14T20:57:24Z")
I was surprised to discover that Megan Mullally, the rich secretary from **Will & Grace** , is married to Ron Swanson from **Parks And Receration**.
Also that Mirielle Enos, the star of **The Killing** , is married to Alan Ruck, most famous for playing Cameron, Ferris Bueller’s best friend.
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### Author:  [@Lobelia\_Overhill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobelia_Overhill)
#### Post date: [July 14, 2011, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-famous-person-is-related-to-who/589049/11 "2011-07-14T21:00:22Z")
Sarah Gilbert (from Rosanne) is the younger sister of Melissa Gilbert (from Little House on the Prairie)
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### Author:  [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)
#### Post date: [July 14, 2011, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-famous-person-is-related-to-who/589049/12 "2011-07-14T21:00:23Z")
Jennifer Anniston’s godfather was Telly Savalas.
Fancy that.
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### Author:  [@Kizarvexius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kizarvexius)
#### Post date: [July 14, 2011, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-famous-person-is-related-to-who/589049/13 "2011-07-14T21:11:53Z")
Geraldo Rivera was married to Kurt Vonnegut’s daughter.
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### Author:  [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)
#### Post date: [July 14, 2011, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-famous-person-is-related-to-who/589049/14 "2011-07-14T21:13:09Z")
> [@Kizarvexius](#):
>
> Geraldo Rivera was married to Kurt Vonnegut’s daughter.
So it goes.
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### Author:  [@ENugent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ENugent)
#### Post date: [July 14, 2011, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-famous-person-is-related-to-who/589049/15 "2011-07-14T21:21:35Z")
[Olivia Newton John](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olivia_Newton-John) is [Max Born](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Max_Born)’s granddaughter.
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### Author:  [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)
#### Post date: [July 14, 2011, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-famous-person-is-related-to-who/589049/16 "2011-07-14T21:29:10Z")
> [@](#):
>
> I have been a fan of guitarist Mike Stern since around 1980, before he joined Miles’ band. I saw him in a club on my 19th birthday. As big a fan as I was, I knew nothing about him except for some apocryphal stories about drug abuse. I decided to look him up on Wiki and was surprised to find out that he is the half brother to…
>
> …actress Kyra Sedgwick.
> [@](#):
>
> I just found out that Kyra Sedgwick has been married to Kevin Bacon for quite some time. At the time Footloose came out, We Want Miles was my favorite album. If you told me that those guys were going to be brothers-in-law, I would have told you you were crazy.
Kyra Sedgwick is also related to [Edie Sedgwick](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edie_Sedgwick). Her father and Edie were cousins.
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### Author:  [@cgg419](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cgg419)
#### Post date: [July 14, 2011, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-famous-person-is-related-to-who/589049/17 "2011-07-14T22:09:44Z")
> [@WordMan](#):
>
> Robert Patrick the Terminator is older brother to Richard Patrick, lead singer for Filter (Hey Man Nice Shot)…
I have nothing to add except the fact that you just blew my mind. 😃
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### Author:  [@Sir\_T-Cups](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_T-Cups)
#### Post date: [July 14, 2011, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-famous-person-is-related-to-who/589049/18 "2011-07-14T22:15:45Z")
> [@Lobelia\_Overhill](#):
>
> Sarah Gilbert (from Rosanne) is the younger sister of Melissa Gilbert (from Little House on the Prairie)
I didn’t know this until I was channel surfing with my mom and stopped on Sarah on **The Talk** , I couldn’t remember her name:
Mom said “Is that Melissa Gilbert’s sister?”
Me: “Sarah! Yes! Thank you!..she has a sister?”
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### Author:  [@xizor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xizor)
#### Post date: [July 14, 2011, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-famous-person-is-related-to-who/589049/19 "2011-07-14T22:32:18Z")
Tim McGraw the country singer and sometimes actor is the son of baseball player Tug McGraw.
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### Author:  [@Lobelia\_Overhill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobelia_Overhill)
#### Post date: [July 14, 2011, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-famous-person-is-related-to-who/589049/20 "2011-07-14T22:35:12Z")
> [@Sir\_T-Cups](#):
>
> I didn’t know this until I was channel surfing with my mom and stopped on Sarah on **The Talk** , I couldn’t remember her name:
>
> Mom said “Is that Melissa Gilbert’s sister?”
>
> Me: “Sarah! Yes! Thank you!..she has a sister?”
I was quite surprised when I heard it myself, IIRC I think they’re step sisters…
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