25 actors who got their first roles thanks to famous parents (52 photos)

It's no secret that a good half of Hollywood consists of children of famous parents. And while many of them are truly talented, it's hard to deny the advantage that being related to a star gives you - especially when that star, be it a director, actor or producer, can help you get a role in their film. Here are the actors whose first roles were in films or TV series that their parents worked on.





1. Maude Apatow - daughter of screenwriter and director Judd Apatow and actress Leslie Mann



She made her film debut as Sadie in Knocked Up, which was directed, written and produced by her father. Her mother also co-starred in the film, and her younger sister Iris made a cameo appearance alongside her.





2. Gwyneth Paltrow is the daughter of actress Blythe Danner and director/producer Bruce Paltrow



She made her television debut in High (1989), which was written, directed and produced by her father.



3. Jaden Smith is the son of actors Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith



He made his television debut as Reggie on All of Us, which his parents created and produced. The series was based on the family of Will and Jada



He then made his film debut, starring with his father in the film “The Pursuit of Happyness.” They played father and son.



4. Willow Smith - daughter of Will and Jada



She made her big screen debut as Marley Neville in the film I Am Legend, which starred her father. They played father and daughter.



5. Blake Lively - daughter of actor/director Ernie Lively and talent manager Elaine Lively



In her first role, she played Trixie/Tooth Fairy in The Sandman (1995), which was directed by her father.



6. Miley Cyrus - daughter of singer and actor Billy Ray Cyrus



She made her television debut as Kylie in The Doctor, a medical series in which her father played the lead role.



7. Ben Stiller - son of actors/comedians Jerry Stiller and Anne Mira



His debut was a cameo role in Kate McShane, a legal drama in which his mother starred.



8. John David Washington - son of actor Denzel Washington and actress/singer Pauletta Washington



His first screen appearance was a cameo role in Malcolm X, which starred his father.



9. Mamie Gummer - daughter of actress Meryl Streep



In her first role, she played Annie Forman in Jealousy, where her mother played the lead role. In the credits she was listed under the pseudonym Natalie Stern.



10. Grace Gummer is also Meryl Streep's daughter



Her mother played the main character in The House of the Spirits, and Grace played her as a child. She was listed in the credits as Jane Gray.



11. Angelina Jolie is the daughter of actor Jon Voight



Her first role was as Tosh Warner in the film Looking for a Way Out, written by her father. He also played the main role. She played his daughter.



12. Ever Anderson - daughter of director Paul W. S. Anderson and actress Milla Jovovich



She made her film debut in Resident Evil: The Final Chapter, which was written and directed by her father. She played the main character, her mother, as a child.



13. Wyatt Russell - son of actors Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell



Nine years after he took his first steps on the set of his parents' film Overboard, he made his first big screen appearance in Escape from L.A. His father wrote the script and starred in one of the main roles.



14. Colin Hanks - son of actor Tom Hanks



He made his debut in the film That Thing You Do, which his father wrote, directed and starred in.



15. Laura Dern - daughter of actors Bruce Dern and Diane Ladd



Her first role was Sharon Ann in White Lightning. She played the daughter of her mother's character.



16. Lily Collins - daughter of musician and producer Phil Collins



In her very first role, she voiced a baby gorilla in Tarzan, for which her father composed the soundtrack.



17. Bryce Dallas Howard - daughter of director Ron Howard



Early in her career, she appeared in bit parts in films directed by her father, including Apollo 13 and How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Her father also produced and co-starred in her directorial debut, the documentary Dads.



18. Harley Quinn Smith - daughter of director and actor Kevin Smith



She made her film debut as Silent Bob as a child in Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back. Her father wrote the script, directed the film, and also played Silent Bob himself.



19. Emilio Estevez - son of actor Martin Sheen



His first role was a cameo role in the film "Wasteland", in which his father played.



20. In the same scene, Martin Sheen’s second son, Charlie Sheen, also played his first role.



21. Sosie Bacon - daughter of actors Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgwick



Her first role was as 10-year-old Emily Stoll in the film Darling, which was directed by her father. Her mom played the adult version of Emily.



22. Dakota Johnson is the daughter of actors Melanie Griffith and Don Johnson



Together with her half-sister Stella Banderas, she made her big screen debut as the daughter of the main character (her mother) in the film “A Woman Without Rules.” The film was directed and produced by her then stepfather Antonio Banderas.



23. Scott Eastwood - son of actor and director Clint Eastwood



He made his film debut as Private Roberto Lundsford in Flags of Our Fathers. His father was the director, producer and composer of the film.



24. Liza Minnelli - daughter of actress Judy Garland and director Vincent Minnelli



She made her film debut as her mother's character's daughter in In the Good Old Summertime.



25. Sofia Coppola - daughter of director, producer and screenwriter Francis Ford Coppola



She played her first roles in her father's most famous works, including The Godfather, The Godfather Part II and Cast Away.



Her first work as a screenwriter also came from collaboration with her father. They co-wrote Life Without Zoe, the second chapter of the anthology film New York Stories. Copolla also produced his daughter's directorial debut, The Virgin Suicides.