Top 10 Nepo Babies Who Surpassed Their Parents Fame

It didn’t take long for Drew Barrymore to eclipse her father. Drew was born to John Barrymore, who himself was part of a long line of actors. Despite a solid filmography, including a starring role in “High Lonesome,” John never became a household name. That’s certainly not the case for Drew. She started acting at just eleven months old and eventually landed the role of Gertie in Steven Spielberg’s “E.T.” She was just seven when the movie released in the summer of 1982, and she quickly overtook her father in the fame department. Said fame has never really let up, and she has become the most prominent member of the Barrymore family.

You might not know Lenny Kravitz is related to anyone famous because he doesn’t share their name. He is actually the son of Roxie Roker, who you might know better as Helen Willis on “The Jeffersons.” Kravitz decided from a young age that he didn’t want to be an actor, but a musician. This desire was supported by his parents, who took him to many concerts as a young child. This helped foster in him a love for music - a love that would eventually culminate in more than 40 million sold albums, top five singles, and four consecutive Grammy awards. That said, his mother’s passion seemingly had an influence, and he would also have a go at acting in the “Hunger Games” movies, among others.

Blythe Danner made herself a great career, winning two Emmys, a Tony, and starring opposite Ben Stiller and Robert De Niro in “Meet the Parents.” Yet her daughter is still more famous than she is. Gwyneth Paltrow was born to Danner and Danner’s late husband Bruce Paltrow, who himself was in the industry, having notably directed episodes of “St. Elsewhere” and “Homicide: Life on the Street.” Paltrow first acted in a made-for-TV movie that her father directed, and her godfather Steven Spielberg later cast her as young Wendy Darling in “Hook.” And with that, a legendary career was off - a career that would include billion-dollar blockbusters and the Academy Award for Best Actress.

Lloyd Bridges is an acting legend. He has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, having appeared in a number of acclaimed and popular films like “Little Big Horn,” “High Noon,” and “Airplane!” Young Jeff often acted with his father, appearing alongside him on “Sea Hunt” and “The Lloyd Bridges Show.” This led to better and better work, and in 1971 Jeff starred in “The Last Picture Show” and earned himself an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor. It was a sign of things to come - and the first of seven Oscar noms thus far. Go back to the early ‘50s and tell people that Lloyd Bridges’s son would be more famous than him and no one would believe you.

We mean, it doesn’t get much bigger than Jennifer Aniston. Arguably one of the most famous stars of all time, Aniston has dominated both television and film, with box office grosses of well over a billion dollars. She was born to actress Nancy Dow and her more famous husband John Aniston, who played Victor Kiriakis on “Days of Our Lives” for nearly forty years. He even received the Daytime Emmy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2022, shortly before his death at the age of 89. And while decades on a soap opera is quite the accomplishment, he was probably even prouder of what his daughter has managed to accomplish.

Often regarded as a pop icon, Miley Cyrus came in like a wrecking ball and is now more famous than her father, Billy Ray. A legendary country artist, Billy Ray Cyrus is widely known for his debut album “Some Gave All,” which spent seventeen consecutive weeks at

Somehow, some way, Jamie Lee Curtis is more popular than both of her parents, and that is quite the accomplishment. Her father, Tony Curtis, was huge in the 1950s, notably starring opposite Marilyn Monroe in “Some Like It Hot” and scoring an Oscar nomination for his performance in “The Defiant Ones.” Meanwhile, her mother, Janet Leigh, scored her own Oscar nom playing Marion Crane in the legendary “Psycho.” Unfortunately, Tony wasn’t around for Jamie Lee, and she was raised by Leigh and her stepdad, Robert Brandt. But that didn’t deter her from acting, and after a brief stint in law school and some TV roles, Curtis starred in John Carpenter’s “Halloween.” The rest is history.

This is another actress who had a rocky relationship with her famous father. Jolie was born to actor Jon Voight in 1975, a few years before he won the Academy Award for his performance in “Coming Home.” Voight had been famous long before his Oscar win, as he was considered an icon of the late ‘60s counterculture - a reputation that was fueled by his role in “Midnight Cowboy.” Jolie would later star with her father in the movie “Lookin’ to Get Out” and would go on to win an Oscar herself for “Girl, Interrupted”. It was just one of Jolie’s many accomplishments - accomplishments which have helped her surpass her dad’s fame.

Just as she will always love you, the world will always love the late Whitney Houston. She was one of the most awarded entertainers of all time, one of the greatest singers ever, and had seven consecutive number one singles (a record) — all while selling over 200 million records. So, yeah, she was pretty popular. Whitney has long overshadowed her mother Cissy Houston, who herself won two Grammys and sang backup for the likes of Elvis and Aretha Franklin in addition to her solo work. Speaking of singing backup, that’s how Whitney got her start, notably performing alongside her mom at various cabaret clubs and with her on the song “Think It Over,” which reached