Actresses With Movie Star Moms: Gwyneth Paltrow & Blythe Danner, Plus Other Celebrity Mothers & Daughters

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May 11, 2023 10:46AM EDT

The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree for these moms and daughters! Learn about what A-list actresses also have movie star moms in our gallery here.

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Blythe Danner & Gwyneth Paltrow

Blythe Danner & Gwyneth Paltrow — It runs in the family! There’s nothing we love like someone following the family business, something which is all too common in the entertainment industry. There are so many choice mother-daughter duos who act, and we’re not surprised. When you’ve got the talent, good looks, and career guidance, there’s no reason not to pursue your movie star dreams.

Gwyneth Paltrow took after mom Blythe Danner, seen here together in 2015. Blythe is a beloved actress best known for her parts in Will & Grace (2001-06), Huff (2004-06), and Brighton Beach Memoirs (1986). She married director Bruce Paltrow, and had Gwyneth in 1972. The Goop maven would make her on-screen debut in 1989, in a movie by her father titled High. Gwyneth won an Oscar for Shakespeare In Love in 1999, and while she’s since pivoted away from acting in favor of being a lifestyle guru, we’ll always look back on her roles fondly.

Ready to learn about more second-generation movie stars? See all the A-list actresses with their Hollywood-beloved moms, right here.

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Meryl Streep & Grace Gummer

Meryl Streep & Grace Gummer — Meryl Streep’s talent is unmatched, so it’s no surprise her talent made its way to the next generation. Both of the three-time Oscar-winner’s daughters are actresses. Daughter Grace, here with mom in 2015, is best known for her roles in The Newsroom and Mr. Robot. Daughter Maime led the CW’s Emily Owens, M.D. (2012–2013), and plays a recurring character in The Good Wife (2010–2015) and its spin-off, The Good Fight (2018.)

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Tippi Hedren, Melanie Griffith & Dakota Johnson

Tippi Hedren, Melanie Griffith & Dakota Johnson — Now that’s a dynasty! Tippi Hedren (center) was one of the biggest actresses of her era. She was discovered by Alfred Hitchcock and starred in his movies The Birds (1963) and Marnie (1964).

Her daughter Melanie Griffith got the acting bug, making her major on-screen debut at just 17 in Night Moves. The star earned critical acclaim for movies like Body Double (1984) and Working Girl (1988). When she and Don Jonson had daughter Dakota, she was instantly destined for fame. The starlet made it big as the lead of the 50 Shades Of Grey saga (2015-2018.)

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Debbie Reynolds, Carrie Fisher & Billie Lourd

Debbie Reynolds, Carrie Fisher & Billie Lourd — Debbie Reynolds was a total entertainment matriarch. The legendary singer/actress (center in this 2015 photo) birthed Carrie Fisher (left) in 1956. The Star Wars stunner would become an icon as Princess Leia, and was a prolific writer through the years.

Carrie welcomed her own daughter Billie Lourd (right) in 1992, and she herself would start acting in 2015, appearing with mom in Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Her hit role in Scream Queens began not long after.

Tragically, Debbie and Carrie died in late 2016, just a day apart. Billie would go on to pay tribute to her mother, stepping in to film the CGI scenes for Leia’s final appearance in the Star Wars saga.

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Uma Thurman & Maya Hawke

Uma Thurman & Maya Hawke — Uma Thurman shot into stardom wearing a blunt black bob and boogieing with John Travolta in the Quentin Tarantino movie Pulp Fiction (1994). Hit roles in Batman & Robin (1997), Gattaca (1997), Les Misérables (1998), Paycheck (2003), The Producers (2005), The House That Jack Built (2018), and Hollywood Stargirl (2022) would follow and when she welcomed daughter Maya Hawke (right) with ex Ethan Hawke in 1998, it was almost a sure bet she’d be a star too.

Maya was an instant favorite after making her debut in season three of Stranger Things in 2019. She’s also appeared in the movies Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019), Fear Street Part One: 1994 (2021), and Do Revenge (2022), in addition to releasing two albums as a musician.

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Jayne Mansfield & Mariska Hargitay

Jayne Mansfield & Mariska Hargitay — Mariska Harigay’s mom Jayne Mansfield was one of the biggest bombshells of her era. Sadly, she died when the Law & Order: SVU star was only three years old.

Mariska became an actress in the 80s, but her big break wasn’t until 1999 when she landed her role as Det. Olivia Benson. She earned an Emmy for SVU in 2006, and at 24 seasons and counting, the show is one of the longest-running series in all of TV history.

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Lea Thompson & Zoey Deutch

Lea Thompson & Zoey Deutch — Lea Thompson’s most famous role is as a mom, making daughter Zoey Deutch’s jump into entertainment all the more delightful. Lea is beloved as Lorraine Baines-McFly in the Back to the Future film trilogy (1985–1990.)

Zoey would enter the family business in her teens, earning acclaim for gained recognition for her roles in Everybody Wants Some!!, The Politician, and Set It Up. In 2022, she earned critical acclaim for the dark comedy Not Okay.

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Diane Ladd & Laura Dern

Diane Ladd & Laura Dern — Diana Ladd started her career in the 70s, and has made over 120 movies since. All that experience made it easy for her to mentor daughter Laura Dern, whose dad Bruce Dern is also a famous actor.

The couple welcomed Laura in 1967 and she became a star with her parts in the David Lynch films Blue Velvet (1986) and Wild at Heart (1990.) From there, she went on to appear in the blockbuster Jurassic Park franchise, in addition to starring in the cult comedy series Enlightened. (2011–2013) and the prestige HBO drama Big Little Lies (2017-.) Laura won an Oscar for her role in Marriage Story (2019.)

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Janet Leigh & Jamie Lee Curtis

Janet Leigh & Jamie Lee Curtis — Psycho star Janet Leigh is Jamie Lee Curtis’ mom. Jamie had her breakout role with the horror classic Halloween (1979), a part she says she wouldn’t have gotten if not for her famous parents. (Her dad is also Some Like It Hot actor Tony Curtis.)

Talking to the New Yorker in 2019, Jamie Lee said, “I auditioned many, many, many times, and then it was between me and one other woman, whose name I know but I will never say publicly.

“I’m sure the fact that I was Janet Leigh and Tony Curtis’s daughter, and that my mother had been in Psycho – if you’re going to choose between this one and this one, choose the one whose mother was in Psycho, because it will get some press for you.” She made it clear she wasn’t going to “pretend” that fact didn’t have an influence on casting, adding, “Clearly, I had a leg up.”

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Demi Moore & Rumer Willis

Demi Moore & Rumer Willis — Demi Moore’s charm is undeniable, so it’s no surprise she handed down her talent to her daughter Rumer Willis, whose father is action star Bruce Willis. After springing to fame as a member of the Brat Pack in the 80s, Demi made a serious name for herself in Ghost (1990). She was a box office magnet in the 90s, starring in films A Few Good Men (1992), Indecent Proposal (1993), and Disclosure (1994). She became the highest-paid film actress in history when she starred in the much-panned movie Striptease for $12.5 million.

Demi and Bruce welcomed Rumer in 1988. Her first roles where with her mom, in the movies Now And Then (1995) and Striptease. Rumer continued to act, earning critical and commercial success for 2008’s The House Bunny, with Anna Faris. She won Dancing With The Stars in 2015 and had a recurring role on the Fox hit Empire in 2017.

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Andie MacDowell & Margaret Qualley

Andie MacDowell & Margaret Qualley — Andie started her career as a model, shooting for Vogue and other top magazines before making her film debut. Then, she became a key part of the 80s “Brat Pack,” appearing in St. Elmo’s Fire (1985). She earned critical acclaim for Sex, Lies, and Videotape in 1989. Other key films include Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994), Multiplicity (1996), The Muse (1999), Footloose (2011), Magic Mike XXL (2015), and Ready or Not (2019).

Like mom, Andie’s daughter Margaret Qualley wasn’t always an actress. She initially trained to be a ballerina but left dance at 16 and began modeling. Acting jobs followed and she earned attention for her part in The Leftovers (2014-17.) She earned a Primetime Emmy nomination for Fosse/Verdon (2019) and the miniseries Maid (2021), which also featured mom Andie.

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Kyra Sedgwick & Sosie Bacon

Kyra Sedgwick & Sosie Bacon — Kyra Sedgwick and husband Kevin Bacon are an acting power couple and their daughter Sosie Bacon is well on her way to becoming a star. She was in the Netflix series 13 Reasons Why (2017-18) and in 2022, she starred in the horror film Smile.

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Peggy Lipton & Rashida Jones

Peggy Lipton & Rashida Jones — Rashida Jones is one-half music legend and one-half movie star. The Parks and Rec funny gal’s mom Peggy Lipton was one of the most popular actresses in the 60s, as the star of the hit The Mod Squad (1968-1973.) And we all know dad Quincy Jones is a recording king, boasting a total of 28 Grammys.

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Leslie Mann With Iris & Maude Apatow

Leslie Mann With Iris & Maude Apatow — Leslie Mann (center) is one of the funniest ladies in the business and her husband Judd Apatow has been behind some of the greatest comedies of his generation. Happy to collaborate, the couple has worked together on hits like The 40-Year-Old Virgin (2005), Knocked Up (2007), and more.

Both daughters Iris (left) and Maude (right) inherited the acting bug from mom. Iris has appeared in the series Love and her dad’s 2022 pandemic comedy The Bubble. Maude is known for her role on HBO’s Euphoria (2019-).

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Goldie Hawn & Kate Hudson

Goldie Hawn & Kate Hudson — Goldie Hawn and Kate Hudson are one Hollywood mother/daughter set who really know how to shine. Goldie has been making people laugh since the late 60s, appearing in comedies like Shampoo (1975), Private Benjamin (1980), overboard (1987), Death Becomes Her (1992), The First Wives Club (1996), and The Banger Sisters (2002) before taking a break from the screen. She returned to movies with the 2017 film Snatched, then The Christmas Chronicles (2018), and its 2020 sequel.

Kate had her breakout role in Almost Famous (2000) and went on to become one of the top rom-com actresses of the 2000s, with How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days (2003), Fool’s Gold (2008), and Bride Wars (2009). More recent roles include a part on the musical series Glee (2012–2013), as well as the films The Skeleton Key (2005), Deepwater Horizon (2016), Mother’s Day (2016), Music (2021), and Glass Onion (2022.)

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Ingrid Bergman & Isabella Rossellini

Ingrid Bergman & Isabella Rossellini — Two acting legends. Swedish star Ingrid Bergman was revered as one of the most talented of her generation, starring in Casablanca (1942), Gaslight (1944), Joan of Arc (1948), Spellbound (1945), and Stromboli (1950), where she had an affair with director Roberto Rossellini, resulting in her first child, Isabella, in 1952. The pair would marry in 1950, but divorced in 1957.

As she grew up, daughter Isabella Rossellini took after mom’s acting skills and dad’s artistic edge. Isabella’s breakout role was in David Lynch’s Blue Velvet (1986) and she’s made a career of provocative roles in cult films like Death Becomes Her (1992), Fearless (1993), and Immortal Beloved (1994.)

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Robin Wright & Dylan Penn

Robin Wright & Dylan Penn — Robin Wright became famous on the daytime scene in the 80s before reigning as the beloved Princess Buttercup in The Princess Bride (1987). She began dating fellow actor Sean Penn in 1989 and they had daughter Dylan in 1991. Son Hopper was born in August 1993.

Robin and Sean would marry in 1996, only to break up and reunite several times in the decades to come. In 2010, Robin called it quits for good, finalizing their divorce.

Dylan’s first film was the horror movie Condemned (2015.) Future roles would include Elvis & Nixon (2016) and Flag Day (2021), which also starred her father.

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Liza Minnelli & Judy Garland

Liza Minnelli & Judy Garland — Two legends. Everyone knows that Broadway great Liza Minnelli’s mom was Dorthy herself, the Judy Garland. Judy was on camera from an early age, starring in films like The Wizard Of Oz (1939) and National Velvet (1944).

It was only natural for Liza to follow in her mom’s footsteps. The Cabaret star is among the elite entertainers who can call themselves EGOTs, that is, recipients of an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony.

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Vanessa Redgrave & Natasha Richardson

Vanessa Redgrave & Natasha Richardson — Vanessa Redgrave came from acting royalty herself, as the daughter of English actors Sir Michael Redgrave and Rachel Kempson. She cut her teeth performing Shakespeare in London’s West End and shot to fame after appearing in Morgan: A Suitable Case for Treatment (1966), which earned her the first of her six career Oscar nominations.

She married actor Tony Richardson in 1962 and they raised actresses Natasha Richardson (b. 1963), and Joely Richardson (b. 1965). Tragically, Natasha died in 2009 after a skiing accident in quebec, Montreal. The Parent Trap actress was 45.

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