# Worst Acting by Actors Cast Through Nepotism **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 19, 2005, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-acting-by-actors-cast-through-nepotism/308871 "2005-06-19T02:51:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2005, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-acting-by-actors-cast-through-nepotism/308871/1 "2005-06-19T02:51:30Z")
**Sofia Coppola** is clearly the queen of this category for her ruination of every scene in which she dazedly appeared in _Godfather 3_, but the idea for the thread came while watching the John Wayne movie **McLintock** , one of several to co-star his cute but absolutely-completely-devoid-of-anything-resembling-acting-ability son [Patrick](http://imdb.com/name/nm0915618/). (Wayne wasn’t known for his great range as an actor, but compared to his kid he was freakin’ Olivier.) What are some other examples of celebrity relatives who couldn’t act but got cast alongside Mom/Dad/whoever anyway? ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2005, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-acting-by-actors-cast-through-nepotism/308871/2 "2005-06-19T02:56:52Z")
[**Rebecca Pidgeon**](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0682071/) has gotten several roles by virtue of being David Mamet’s wife. She is a transcendently bad actor, at least as bad as Sofia Coppola, and arguably the worst actor to ever get a substantial number of significant Hollywood parts. ---
**Author:** ![Wile\_E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c37758/32.png) [@Wile\_E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wile_E)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2005, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-acting-by-actors-cast-through-nepotism/308871/3 "2005-06-19T03:01:19Z")
How about Clint Howard? His best work was with the bear, the bear carried the scenes though. His post Gentle Ben work has mostly been due to his brother Ron hiring him for small roles in his movies. ---
**Author:** ![Wile\_E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c37758/32.png) [@Wile\_E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wile_E)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2005, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-acting-by-actors-cast-through-nepotism/308871/4 "2005-06-19T03:03:30Z")
Dang, I shouldn’t have posted that, now Ron will never adopt me into his family. ---
**Author:** ![Menocchio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de053/32.png) [@Menocchio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Menocchio)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2005, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-acting-by-actors-cast-through-nepotism/308871/5 "2005-06-19T03:11:57Z")
> [@Wile E](#): > > How about Clint Howard? His best work was with the bear, the bear carried the scenes though. His post Gentle Ben work has mostly been due to his brother Ron hiring him for small roles in his movies. I don’t think so. [Dude’s appeared in 116 movies and TV series.](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0397212/) Seven this year alone. Now, granted, he’s no big star, but the man’s a workhorse. In the “Kevin Bacon” Game, everyone is connected through him and/or Mickey Rooney. ---
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2005, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-acting-by-actors-cast-through-nepotism/308871/6 "2005-06-19T03:21:19Z")
Jerry O’Connell’s no-talent brother Charlie has benefited GREATLY from nepotism. He was on _Sliders_, he was _The Bachelor_, he was on \*Crossing Jordan \* … I wish I had a sibling who would hand me roles I didn’t deserve on a silver platter, but my sister selfishly decided to become a pediatrician instead. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2005, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-acting-by-actors-cast-through-nepotism/308871/7 "2005-06-19T03:22:15Z")
Charlie O’Connell in _Sliders_. Way to screw up a show, Jerry, by hiring your no talent lump of a brother. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2005, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-acting-by-actors-cast-through-nepotism/308871/8 "2005-06-19T03:23:24Z")
:smack: Damn you, Snooooopy, and your faster typing skills! ---
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2005, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-acting-by-actors-cast-through-nepotism/308871/9 "2005-06-19T03:26:43Z")
> [@Mr. Blue Sky](#): > > :smack: > > Damn you, Snooooopy, and your faster typing skills! Let me also congratulate myself on my superior thoroughness as well. I really am incredibly wonderful! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2005, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-acting-by-actors-cast-through-nepotism/308871/10 "2005-06-19T03:28:17Z")
Clint Eastwood’s wife, Sandra whatshername. ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2005, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-acting-by-actors-cast-through-nepotism/308871/11 "2005-06-19T03:48:34Z")
Can we include TV? Tori Spelling, daughter (or is it granddaughter) of Aaron. ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2005, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-acting-by-actors-cast-through-nepotism/308871/12 "2005-06-19T03:53:27Z")
> [@AuntiePam](#): > > Can we include TV? Tori Spelling, daughter (or is it granddaughter) of Aaron. Wife? ---
**Author:** ![vivalostwages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d07c76/32.png) [@vivalostwages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vivalostwages)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2005, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-acting-by-actors-cast-through-nepotism/308871/13 "2005-06-19T03:58:59Z")
Daughter, I believe. ---
**Author:** ![Tracy\_Lord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@Tracy\_Lord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tracy_Lord)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2005, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-acting-by-actors-cast-through-nepotism/308871/14 "2005-06-19T04:00:37Z")
Kate Capshaw, aka Mrs. Stephen Spielberg. Blech! ---
**Author:** ![andros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e480ec/32.png) [@andros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andros)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2005, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-acting-by-actors-cast-through-nepotism/308871/15 "2005-06-19T04:01:07Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > Clint Eastwood’s wife, Sandra whatshername. Sondra Locke. And I agree. I’d also add Kate “Mrs. Spielberg” Capshaw in _Temple of Doom_. ---
**Author:** ![andros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e480ec/32.png) [@andros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andros)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2005, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-acting-by-actors-cast-through-nepotism/308871/16 "2005-06-19T04:02:43Z")
Dammit! Missed by a minute! (Actually, as bad as _ToD_ was, she was at least better there than in _Space Camp_.) ---
**Author:** ![Queen\_Bruin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Queen\_Bruin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Queen_Bruin)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2005, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-acting-by-actors-cast-through-nepotism/308871/17 "2005-06-19T04:10:32Z")
Any and all Carradines and Baldwins. The whole lot of them. Oh, and Martin Sheen’s brother [Joe Estevez](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0261724/). ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2005, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-acting-by-actors-cast-through-nepotism/308871/18 "2005-06-19T04:32:08Z")
Now now. I can’t say that Steven Baldwin has done much beyond Beetlejuice, but between some brothers we get **The Usual Suspects** and **Homicide: Life on the Streets**. Personally I think it’s best to just think of them as a single person, who can magically gain or lose a reasonable amount of weight and age, without having to resort to silly putty. ---
**Author:** ![Silentgoldfish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@Silentgoldfish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silentgoldfish)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2005, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-acting-by-actors-cast-through-nepotism/308871/19 "2005-06-19T04:33:20Z")
> [@andros](#): > > Sondra Locke. And I agree. > > I’d also add Kate “Mrs. Spielberg” Capshaw in _Temple of Doom_. Course, your addition would be wrong as she wasn’t Mrs Spielberg at the time. Temple of Doom was where they met. ---
**Author:** ![Queen\_Bruin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Queen\_Bruin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Queen_Bruin)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2005, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-acting-by-actors-cast-through-nepotism/308871/20 "2005-06-19T04:39:11Z")
> [@Sage Rat](#): > > Now now. I can’t say that Steven Baldwin has done much beyond Beetlejuice, but between some brothers we get **The Usual Suspects** and **Homicide: Life on the Streets**. Personally I think it’s best to just think of them as a single person, who can magically gain or lose a reasonable amount of weight and age, without having to resort to silly putty. That was Alec Baldwin. But you’re right, they should be thought of as one person. It was The Conglomerate Baldwin. Or as **The Highwayman** just suggested to me: there’s Goofy Alec, Younger Alec, Alec Alec, and Fat Alec (not to be confused with Fat Albert). [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-acting-by-actors-cast-through-nepotism/308871.md?page=2)