Hollywood has plenty of famous families to keep track of. From the Barrymores to the Fondas, there are plenty of acting dynasties in the movie industry. While some members of the family end up incredibly famous, others may struggle to find success in their careers.
Children of famous parents try to follow in their mom and dad’s footsteps, and when it comes to siblings, it’s not surprising that many of them share the same passion for acting.
In many cases, one siblings is the breakout star or is more well-known than the other. In other cases, however, both siblings manage to find success in Hollywood and even star in some of the same films.
Sibling relationships can be complicated, and adding the pressure of Hollywood into the mix can only make those relationships more intense. Some end up friendly and take on roles together, while others get extremely competitive. Whether it’s a measure of skill, plain luck, or family connections, there are many actor siblings who captivate audiences on the big and small screen.
How do these 8 Actor Siblings Who Both Made It Big (And 7 Who Stole The Spotlight From Their Sibling) measure up? It’s time to find out.
Made It Big: Rooney and Kate Mara
Kate and Rooney Mara are a powerful pair of sisters in Hollywood. Both of them have a history of successful roles and are only growing in popularity.
Kate made it big first, starring in popular shows like House of Cards and American Horror Story. She has also starred in huge movies such as Fantastic Four and The Martian. Rooney caught her big break when she landed the lead role in The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. She received an Oscar for her performance.
Both women are continuing to take on new projects.
Kate is set to star in a TV series called Pose and Rooney took on a new challenge after recently starting a vegan clothing line. They are certainly a Hollywood duo to be reckoned with.
Stole The Spotlight: Dakota and Elle Fanning
Dakota Fanning was an incredibly successful child star. In fact, when most people hear her name, that’s what they remember her for. She appeared in big movies like Man on Fire, War of the World, and I am Sam.
While she’s still acting, her sister, Elle, has become more successful as they grew older. People really started to pay attention to Elle after she appeared in J.J. Abram’s Super 8. Since then, her career has taken off, and she’s been in big movies like Maleficent, We Bought a Zoo, and The Boxtrolls.
Dakota did have a pretty major role as Jane in The Twilight Saga, but most people aren’t familiar with her recent work.
While both sisters have recognizable names, Elle has grown to be more famous than her older sister.
Made It Big: Casey and Ben Affleck
One member of the family winning an Academy award is impressive, but two members is phenomenal. Brothers Ben and Casey Affleck are both Oscar winning actors. They both work in front of and behind the camera.
Ben is a successful actor, director, producer, and writer. His career took off after he starred in Good Will Hunting alongside Matt Damon. Since then, he’s appeared in countless popular movies, including Argo, The Town, and Justice League.
His brother, Casey, won an Oscar in 2016 for his performance in Manchester By The Sea. He has also had a long career in Hollywood, although not quite as successful as his brother.
Casey’s Oscar win has definitely helped put him on the map. Regardless, both of the Affleck brothers have made their names known in the film industry.
Stole The Spotlight: Sylvester and Frank Stallone
Sylvester Stallone is such an iconic actor that people often forget his brother is also famous. Sylvester is widely recognized for starring in Rocky, but Frank Stallone was also in the movie as a singer.
Frank is mostly a singer, but he does have a bit of an acting career. He’s been in Miami Vice, Tombstone, and all three Rocky movies. His song, Far From Over, was written for Sylvester’s film Staying Alive, and was nominated for a Golden Globe and a Grammy.
Despite his musical success, Sylvester still completely overshadows Frank. It’s just too difficult to stand out when your brother is Rocky himself. He is still working as an actor, but it seems like Frank will always live in Sylvester’s shadow. They do work together quite a bit, so at least their careers haven’t caused a strain on their relationship.
Made It Big: Maggie and Jake Gyllenhaal
Maggie Gyllenhaal appeared in her first movie, Waterland, in 1992 and has been successful ever since. Her brother, Jake, is equally as famous since he starred in Donnie Darko alongside her.
The Gyllenhaal siblings have appeared in three movies together, and have both found success in Hollywood separately.
Maggie is probably best known for her performance as Rachel in The Dark Knight movies, although she received critical acclaim for her role in Secretary. She also received a Golden Globe nomination for her performance in Sherrybaby.
Jake has also been in many successful movie, including Southpaw, Nocturnal Animals, and Nightcrawler, which earned him nominations for a BAFTA and a Golden Globe. Not only are the two successful actors, they’re also incredibly close and constantly support each other’s careers.
Stole The Spotlight: Jason and Justine Bateman
Justine Bateman has been famous since appearing on the show Family Ties in the ’80s. She’s mostly worked in TV, on shows like Lois & Clark, Californiacation, and Desperate Housewives.
Jason Bateman started his career off with shows like Little House on the Prairie and Valerie. He’s most well-known for his comedy series Arrested Development, which helped take his career to new heights and earned him a Golden Globe.
Since then, he’s appeared in popular comedy movies like Dodgeball, Juno, Identity Theif, and Horrible Bosses.
Justine did appear in Arrested Development alongside her brother in 2006.
Although the two are siblings in real life, they played love interests in the show. While Justine has certainly found success, Jason’s is career has just grown to surpass hers. His name is far more recognizable to mainstream audiences.
Made It Big: James and Dave Franco
The Francos are some of the more well-known celebrity siblings in the acting world. Both have appeared in successful movies and TV shows for years.
James got his start on the cult TV series Freaks and Geeks and is one of the biggest stars in Hollywood. He’s been in big movies like Spider-Man, 127 Hours, and Pineapple Express.
His younger brother Dave has followed in his footsteps, starring in 21 Jumpstreet, Neighbors, and Now You See Me. He isn’t quite as successful as James yet, but he’s certainly making a name for himself.
They also have a third, less-famous brother, Tom, who has had a few acting jobs. The three appeared alongside each other for the first time in James’ recent movie The Disaster Artist.
Stole The Spotlight: Charlie Sheen and Emilio Estevez
Charlie Sheen and Emilio Estevez will always partially live in the shadow of their father, Martin Sheen, but they’ve made a great effort to have stand alone careers.
Not only does Estevez try to avoid being overshadowed by his father, but he also isn’t nearly as successful as Charlie Sheen. Their careers started around the same time. Sheen was in classic ’80s movies like Red Dawn and Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, while Estevez was in similar, iconic films like The Breakfast Club and The Outsiders.
Sheen, however, is the more relevant star in the present day. His successful sitcom Two and a Half Men and infamous breakdowns have resulted in him hogging the spotlight. They are both talented actors who helped define a generation of movies, but Sheen’s has grabbed more headlines.
Made It Big: Emily and Zooey Deschanel
Emily and Zooey Deschanel have both found success in Hollywood.
Each of them have long-running television shows and they have both starred in movies.
Emily is known for her role as Dr. Temperance Brennan on Fox’s Bones. She’s been playing the lead role on the show since 2005, taking up most of her career. She’s also had small parts in the films Boogeyman and Glory Road. Her show aired its final season in 2017, so people will have to wait and see what Emily does next.
Zooey has found a lot of success on her show New Girl, where she plays the lead character Jess. The show is about to air its final season. She’s also had quite an impressive movie career, appearing in Elf, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, and 500 Days of Summer.
Stole The Spotlight: Matt and Kevin Dillon
Matt Dillon has been famous since he was a teenage idol in the 1980s. He starred in successful movies like The Outsiders, Rumble Fish, and The Flamingo Kid.
Matt seemed to dominate movie and television screens since the ’80s, so it has been easy to overshadow his brother, Kevin.
Kevin’s first movie role was in the 1985 film Heaven Help Us. He went on to star Platoon in 1986. He also has quite an extensive movie career, although he isn’t quite as well-known as his brother in the present day. Kevin has struggled to find popular roles since starring in the HBO series Entourage in 2015.
Matt still appears in movies and television shows today, so he’s the brother than audiences recognize the most.
Made It Big: Liam and Chris Hemsworth
Australian brothers Liam and Chris Hemsworth are constantly appearing on the big screen. They have both found success in Hollywood and star in major franchises.
Chris is most well-known for his role as Thor in the Avengers movies. The actor has also appeared in Star Trek, Snow White and the Huntsman, and the new Ghostbusters.
Liam has also snagged a few important roles, starring as Gale in The Hunger Games movies. He is also known for appearing in The Last Song alongside Miley Cyrus.
Apparently both of them were originally up for the role as Thor, so there was a bit of a sibling rivalry to see who would land the part. Liam and Chris have a third brother, Luke, although he isn’t nearly as famous as the pair. He currently stars on the HBO series Westworld.
Stole The Spotlight: Patrick and Don Swayze
Patrick Swayze is so famous that it’s easy to forget his brother was also an actor. Don Swayze has had a steady acting career, but he just can’t compare to Patrick.
With movie credits like Dirty Dancing, Red Dawn, Ghost, and The Outsiders, it’s easy to see how Patrick overshadows his brother. He was teen idol and symbol in the 1980s, and continued to be adored by audiences until his death in 2009.
Don has mostly starred on television shows, appearing in CSI, My Name is Earl, and The Young and the Restless. Don also had a role as a werewolf on HBO’s successful series True Blood. His career is still going strong, featuring somewhat recent appearances in shows like Longmire and Sons of Anarchy.
Made It Big: Luke and Owen Wilson
Luke and Owen Wilson are an easily recognizable pair of brothers in Hollywood. The two starred in Wes Anderson’s movie Bottle Rocket together and have had successful films since then.
They’re both best known for their performances in comedy movies.
Luke has appeared in big movies like Legally Blonde, Old School, and The Ridiculous Six, while Owen is known for his roles in Marley & Me, Midnight In Paris, Wedding Crashers, and Zoolander.
Both are still active in Hollywood. Luke is working on a few movies at the moment and Owen recently reprised his successful role of voicing Lightning McQueen in Cars 3. The two are close and often enjoy working on projects together, like The Royal Tenenbaums. While Luke is certainly successful, nobody says “wow” quite like Owen.
Stole The Spotlight: Alec and Daniel Baldwin
The Baldwin family dominates Hollywood. All four brothers have become actors, but Daniel is easily the most unrecognizable one.
Alec Baldwin is the most popular of the four brothers.
The actor, writer, and producer is the eldest and most successful sibling. He’s known for his roles in the movies The Departed, It’s Complicated, and Glengarry Glen Ross.
He was nominated for and won Emmys for his comedy show, 30 Rock, and has been nominated for an Academy Award.
All of that makes it really difficult for Daniel to get out from under his brother’s large shadow. Daniel is best known for his role as a cop in Homicide: Life on the Street. He’s been in a decent amount of reality shows, including Celebrity Wife Swap and Celebrity Big Brother.
Made It Big: Joan and John Cusack
John Cusack is best known for his performances as a teen actor in the 1980s. He appeared in iconic movies from that decade, including Say Anything and Sixteen Candles. He has starred in quite a few films since then and has even written and produced some of his movies.
His older sister, Joan, has also made quite a name for herself in Hollywood. She has received Oscar nominations for her roles in Working Girl and In & Out and voiced the character Jessie in the Toy Story movies. She currently stars on the show Shameless and has received multiple Emmy nominations for the role.
The two starred alongside each other in the 1997 movie Grosse Point Blank. The Cusack siblings have certainly found incredible success in Hollywood.
Stole The Spotlight: Alexander and Bill Skarsgard
The Skarsgard family is full of talent. Stellan Skarsgard is an acclaimed Swedish actor, known best in America for his role in Pirates of the Caribbean. Four out of eight of his children are actors, including Alexander and Bill Skarsgard.
Bill has been an actor for a while, appearing in the show Hemlock Grove as well as in the Divergent, but he’s never been quite as well-known as his older brother Alexander.
Alexander leapt to fame after landing the role of Eric on True Blood. He went on to star in Big Little Lies on HBO and even won an Emmy for his performance.
While Bill isn’t quite as well-known yet, he’s gaining popularity after playing the iconic evil clown, Pennywise, in the remake of It.
Can you think of any other actor siblings who both made it big together? Can you think of any others who stole the spotlight? Sound off in the comment section!
