Not everybody had to fight their way to the top with auditions for B movies or bad television shows because they already had a famous last name to get them in the casting room door. These stars did not start from the bottom but right at the top due to their family backgrounds. Some of them have famous parents, and others come from titans of industry. One could say they are working with what they have which is a lot to start with!
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Another daughter of a titan of industry is Julia Louis-Dreyfus. This funny lady who has starred on Seinfeld and Veep hails from a very illustrious family. She comes from a family of billionaires, with her father being one of them. They made their fortune with the Louis Dreyfus Energy Services and the Louis Dreyfus Group which was created in France and dates back to the 19th century.
The French arm of the family is still involved with shipping. It seems that Louis-Dreyfus has something to fall back on should she decide to step down from acting. Although she would be missed since she is considered comedic gold.
Zooey Deschanel
It is impossible not to recognize Zooey Deschanel for her trademark thick black bangs and hipster glasses. They launched her to fame with the film 500 Days of Summer and then with the sitcom New Girl. But she does come from a Hollywood show biz family. Her father, Caleb Deschanel has been nominated for an Oscar for his work in directing and in cinematography.
Not to be left out her mother, Mary Jo Deschanel is also an actress, as is her sister Emily. The entire family has been on the LA scene for a while and both Zooey and Emily went to famed celebrity kids school Crossroads.
Ed Sheeran
This pop crooner with songs like Perfect and Shape of You has been making a name for himself in the music industry for years. But his love of art clearly came from his successful parents. His mother worked in public relations before she decided that she wanted to pursue her dream of designing jewelry.
His father is a professor and curates an art collection. Together his parents had a company called Sheeran Lock which provided art consulting services for private collectors.
Rashida Jones
This lovely star is probably most famous for her role in Parks and Recreation as Ann Perkins, Amy Poehler’s sidekick. But she also has a very famous father, Quincy Jones.
He was a legend amongst the music industry crowd and that fame brought wealth which meant that Jones was sent to The Buckley School and then on to Harvard University. It was during her schooling that she go to know other members of the LA elite’s children such as Paris Hilton.
Jake and Maggie Gyllenhaal
These famous siblings, Maggie, and Jake Gyllenhaal come from both Hollywood money and Swedish nobility. Naomi Foner, who is their mother has tried her hand at screenwriting and producing films. Their father, Stephen Gyllenhaal is of noble descent and works as a director.
It seems like their connections in the industry may have helped to launch both Maggie and Jake’s careers but their superb acting skills are what has set them apart from everyone else.
Anderson Cooper
Anderson Cooper’s last name might not sound illustrious but his mothers sure is. She is a member of the Vanderbilt clan which were instrumental in the shaping of America through their shipping and railroad ventures.
He had all of the privileges of growing up in a wealthy family by being given access to the best schools, like getting his degree from Yale University. But once he finished school he was cut off and told to make his own mark on the world.
Rooney Mara
This stunning actress who has shown up in the acclaimed films Carol and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo has been in the spotlight for a while. But it was not without major help from her American football loving family. Both her mother and father come from families who have founded two of the teams constantly playing each other for the illustrious Super Bowl.
On her father’s side are the New York Giants and on her mother’s are the Pittsburgh Steelers. Game night in that family must be very competitive. But Rooney Mara has made a name for herself outside of her famous forebears with her excellent acting skills.
Miley Cyrus
Perhaps one of the most well-known faces in the music industry and Hollywood is that of blonde bombshell Miley Cyrus. Her last name gives her away as being the daughter of one of America’s most beloved country stars, Billy Ray Cyrus. When Billy Ray hit the soundwaves with “Achy Breaky Heart” he was immediately launched into the world of country stardom which also made him a millionaire.
Miley has made a name for herself in the music industry with hits like Wrecking Ball and for her stint as Hannah Montana on the Disney kids show. It seems like she is set on making a name for herself and she can be seen in the latest season of Black Mirror on Netflix this June.
Paul Giamatti
Paul Giamatti does not come from a Hollywood royalty-esque family like some of his peers but from a more humble academic one. His father, Angelo Bartlett Giamatti began teaching at Yale University and then did so well that he was raised to be the president of that hallowed institution.
Not to be outdone, his son Paul would also attend Yale and receive a degree from this Ivy League school. But his father was not content and moved into the world of Major League Baseball as a commissioner which only made the family wealthier.
Edward Norton
This actor of American History X fame, Edward Norton comes from a long line of Bostonian prosecutors and property developers which has made his family quite a lot of money. Growing up his father Edward Norton Sr. worked for the White House when Jimmy Carter was the President.
He was a prosecutor. Norton’s grandfather, James Rouse was involved with the planning and developing of Columbia, Maryland and many other important cities on the East coast.
Kyra Sedgwick
Kyra Sedgwick comes from a very illustrious American family which harkens back to the founding fathers of America. William Ellery, who she can count as a relative was one of the original signers of the Declaration of Independence.
Not to be left out, her dad, Henry Dwight Sedgwick V became a very successful venture capitalist. She spent her childhood wandering around the Upper East Side and attending art shows with her stepfather and mom.
Brooke Shields
Brooke Shields came from money but she did not have an easy childhood. Her mother and father did not get married under the best of terms. Her mother got pregnant by her father who was a higher up at Revlon and her mother was an Italian model.
The pregnancy is what forced the marriage between the two but it would only be for five months. Since then Shields has become a successful model in her own right and has moved into the acting world where she remains.
Michelle Williams
Some of you may remember Michelle Williams as Jen Lindley on Dawson’s Creek before she moved on to the big screen. Her family was pretty wealthy due to her father being a mover and a shaker over in Montana where he was a trader on the stock market.
He also wrote a mildly successful book and attempted to become a politician by running as a senator in the United States. Clearly, all of that ambition rubbed off on Williams as she is now one of the most sought after actresses in the business.
Robin Thicke
If you do not recognize Robin Thicke by his last name then you definitely do from his scandalous music video for his single Blurred Lines. He comes from a Hollywood family with both his mother and father being actors. Gloria Loring, Thicke’s mother was a longtime star on the soap opera Days of our Lives and his father, Alan Thicke rose to fame on the show Growing Pains.
His parents helped to open some doors in the recording industry for him and he has enjoyed moderate success.
Allison Williams
If you were a fan of the show Girls created by Lena Dunham then you will be familiar with her best friend Marnie played by actress Allison Williams. Williams was no stranger to the world of acting and broadcasting as her father is news anchor Brian Williams.
Not to be left out, her mother was also involved with television production. Instead of growing up in the Manhattan scene her parents raised her in Connecticut.
Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift’s star has been on the rise since she hit the stage with songs like Love Story, Bad Blood and now Me!. She has been raking in millions for years but she actually came from a pretty wealthy family to start out with.
As a financial advisor, her father made enough money to support all of his children and give them the best education money can buy as well as destination vacations all over the world.
Adam Levine
This tattooed singer for Maroon 5 is one of the most recognizable faces in the music industry, especially for their song Moves Like Jagger. But he is also a Los Angeles native and a former resident of the exclusive Pacific Palisades zip code.
His father was the one who brought home the bacon so to speak by creating the store M. Fredric which would become a chain. This helped raise the family into the upper echelons of the financial elite in LA.
Gwyneth Paltrow
Both of Gwyneth Paltrow’s parents have been in the film industry which led to her rather affluent childhood. Her mother Blythe Danner has been an actress for decades and can still be seen in films like The Lucky One.
On the other hand, her father, Bruce Paltrow was behind the camera as a producer and director. Paltrow attended the Spence School when she lived on the east coast and was given her first role in a movie by her father.
Kristen Stewart
It has been hard for Kristen Stewart to not be typecast for her role as Bella in the Twilight franchise but with her two powerhouse parents in the film industry, she has been able to. Growing up her mom was a director and often supervised the script writing for movies.
Her father worked as a producer and sometimes as a stage manager for productions. The family home she lived in was in Hollywood Hills and apparently was decorated to be like the Lewis Carroll book Alice in Wonderland.
Lady Gaga
Lady Gaga was not always her pop persona. In fact, she actually came from a very religious background and attended the Catholic private school Convent of the Sacred Heart in Manhattan. She comes from an Italian background with both of her parents being involved in the telecommunications industry.
As the industry grew over time, so did her family’s fortune which meant Gaga got to experience all of the wildness of the Upper East Side with the likes of fellow classmate Paris Hilton.
Armie Hammer
This heartthrob from the films Call Me By Your Name and The Social Network has been acting for a while but he has an extremely wealthy background.
If you wander around Los Angeles you will see the name Hammer on quite a few buildings and that is because both his grandfather and father hit it big with oil, a publishing house, and a film production company. Armie himself could have gone in three directions but acting is his passion which he excels at.
Ariana Grande
This songstress has been releasing powerful love ballads for a while now, like Thank U, Next. But she comes from a business-oriented family rather than a show biz one. She grew up in Florida where her dad, Edward Butera founded a successful graphic design company.
Joan Grande, her mom is doing quite well for herself as a CEO for a telecommunications company. Growing up money was never a problem for Ariana, and now she can continue to maintain the lifestyle she has become accustomed to with all of her hit songs.
Jennifer Aniston
Another bigwig on this list in her own right, Jennifer Aniston’s first real claim to fame was as Rachel Greene on the cult classic Friends. After leaving Friends she has gone on to have a huge film career but this was no accident.
Her parents are both actors. Nancy Dow had acted for quite a while and Aniston’s father John was a long-running cast member on the soap opera Days of Our Lives. She spent her childhood on both the east and the west coast and attended private schools.