# What Celebs Would Be Complete Unknowns If It Was Not For Their Famous Relative?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-celebs-would-be-complete-unknowns-if-it-was-not-for-their-famous-relative/508941>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [September 5, 2009, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-celebs-would-be-complete-unknowns-if-it-was-not-for-their-famous-relative/508941 "2009-09-05T04:03:24Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 4

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**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\
**Post date:** [September 6, 2009, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-celebs-would-be-complete-unknowns-if-it-was-not-for-their-famous-relative/508941/61 "2009-09-06T20:03:02Z")

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> [@Evil\_Captor](#):
>
> Gwyneth Paltrow. I know she’s been in a lot of A-level movies, but she has never brought anything but her appearance to any movie she has ever appeared in.

I would strongly disagree – she is one of the best actresses of the past few years and would have been even without family help.

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**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\
**Post date:** [September 6, 2009, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-celebs-would-be-complete-unknowns-if-it-was-not-for-their-famous-relative/508941/62 "2009-09-06T21:55:46Z")

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> [@Rubystreak](#):
>
> Neither of them is famous for her art. Both are famous for being famous, and I thought that’s what the OP wanted. We could equivocate about every single person who’s been mentioned in this thread this way, since everyone was or is doing SOMETHING with their lives, and it’s impossible to know what they might be doing without the fame connection. But, if you had to guess, would they be a household name, a celebrity and not just a respected artist/photographer/whatever in their small niche? I think not.

Yoko Ono is actually pretty famous for her art - in the art world. Was before she married John…Still is

Would she be a household name? - no - how many avant garde artists can most people name? Jackson Pollack…David Hockey…and… She was, and would still be, a celebrity - just in a much smaller pond.

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