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From beloved TV legends to major movie stars, these performers took the family spotlight and turned it into something even bigger. Join us as we celebrate actors who carved out massive careers, became pop culture icons, and in some cases, outshined famous parents whose names were already well known. Which star do you think went the farthest?
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00:02I'm a 95-pound Chinese man with $160 million behind this door.
00:07Let's get him out.
00:08Welcome to Ms. Mojo.
00:10And today, we're counting down our picks for the most notable actors
00:13who became way more famous than their parents.
00:16What do you call this?
00:17Chinese fighting weapon.
00:20Number 10, Ben Stiller.
00:22You have no real family.
00:24You're on the wrong side of 40.
00:26You're childless and alone.
00:28Somebody close to you said,
00:31one more flop and it's over.
00:35Somebody said they were close to me?
00:38Jerry Stiller was an absolute comedy titan.
00:41Between his 60s run in Stiller and Mira
00:44and his iconic shouting turn as Frank Costanza,
00:47Stiller was beloved by multiple generations.
00:50Every holiday season, we think of Jerry and his wacky shenanigans.
00:54The tradition of Festivus begins with the airing of grievances.
00:58I got a lot of problems with you people.
01:01Now, you're going to hear about it.
01:04But Ben managed to take that comedy DNA and scale it up to blockbuster proportions.
01:09He didn't just act.
01:10He became a creative powerhouse,
01:12directing and starring in massive global hits like Zoolander and Tropic Thunder.
01:17While Jerry was a master of the ensemble and the sitcom format,
01:21Ben became a box office anchor capable of carrying billion-dollar franchises
01:25like Night at the Museum and Meet the Parents.
01:28He honored his father's legacy by proving that the Stiller's sense of humor
01:31could conquer Hollywood's A-list.
01:34I had no idea you could milk a cat.
01:37Oh yeah, you can milk anything with nipples.
01:42I have nipples, Greg.
01:43Could you milk me?
01:58If you owned a television in the 1950s, you knew Lloyd Bridges.
02:03As the wetsuit-wearing star of Sea Hunt,
02:05and later as the glue holding Airplane together,
02:08Bridges was a genuine household name.
02:10There is quiet out there.
02:12There are two quiet.
02:15Looks like I picked the wrong weight to quit sniffing glue.
02:24Yet his son Jeff managed to carve out a career that feels even more significant.
02:29He could do it all, pivoting seamlessly from blockbuster villainy and Iron Man
02:33to winning an Academy Award for Crazy Heart.
02:36Beyond the awards, Jeff created a cultural phenomenon as the dude in The Big Lebowski,
02:41a character we are still endlessly quoting to this day.
02:45Lloyd was a classic TV star, but Jeff became a bona fide superstar,
02:49possessing a rare, rugged versatility that has kept him at the top of the call sheet for 50 years.
02:55Take it easy, dude.
02:56Oh yeah.
02:57I know that you will.
02:59Yeah, well, the dude abides.
03:09The dude abides.
03:11Number 8. Josh Brolin.
03:13Smile, Gurney.
03:15I am smiling.
03:17James Brolin was the ultimate television heartthrob of the 1970s.
03:21With his Golden Globe winning role on Marcus Welby, M.D.
03:25and his marriage to Barbara Streisand,
03:27Brolin was a fixture of celebrity culture.
03:30His son, however, played a much darker and grittier game.
03:33Josh Brolin spent years shedding the Son of James label
03:36to become a critical heavyweight of his own,
03:39anchoring franchises like Dune and Best Picture winners like No Country for Old Men.
03:44If I don't come back, you tell mother I love her.
03:47Your mother's dead, Llewellyn.
03:53Well, then I'll tell her myself.
03:55He then achieved total pop culture domination as Thanos in the MCU,
04:00literally snapping his fingers and shattering box office records.
04:04James conquered the living rooms of America,
04:06but Josh became a force of cinema,
04:08balancing prestige drama with the highest grossing franchise roles in movie history.
04:13You should have gone for the head.
04:19Number 7. Gwyneth Paltrow
04:22Oh, jeez, I just realized something.
04:28What?
04:28Pam's middle name.
04:30Martha.
04:31Oh, no.
04:34Pamela Maldifakar.
04:35In the world of theater, Blythe Danner is royalty.
04:38She's a Tony and Emmy winner known for her incredible range and grace.
04:42She has also made a name for herself in Hollywood,
04:45often stealing scenes in movies like Meet the Parents.
04:49But her daughter, Gwyneth Paltrow, is on a whole other level of fame.
04:53I'm a master Shakespeare.
04:54The same, alas.
04:56But why alas?
04:57A lowly player.
04:59Alas, indeed.
05:00For I thought you were the highest poet of my esteem,
05:03and a writer of plays that captured my heart.
05:06After winning an Oscar for Shakespeare in Love,
05:08and cementing her place in the MCU as Pepper Potts,
05:11Paltrow became a bona fide star of the big screen.
05:14But she also transcended acting to become a lifestyle mogul with her company Goop.
05:18While Danner is revered for her craft and consistency,
05:22it's Paltrow who dominates the headlines.
05:24While her personal empire is polarizing, it is undeniably massive.
05:28You stood by my side all these years while I reaped the benefits of destruction.
05:33And now that I'm trying to protect the people that I put in harm's way,
05:36you're going to walk out?
05:37You're going to kill yourself, Tony.
05:40I'm not going to be a part of it.
05:42Number 6.
05:43Chris Pine
05:43This gang is very selective.
05:45They go in for specialty items such as Porsches, Jensen's, XKEs,
05:50anything that smells money.
05:52Robert Pine is the definition of a Hollywood survivor.
05:55With hundreds of credits to his name, Pine is best known as the stern but fair Sergeant
06:00Guttrere on the classic cop show Chips, a role that made him a recognizable face for
06:05a generation.
06:06But his son Chris skipped the character actor phase entirely and went straight for the captain's
06:11chair.
06:12Maneuvering thrusters, Mr. Suma.
06:16Thrusters on standby.
06:18Take us out.
06:19Aye, aye, captain.
06:20As the face of the Star Trek reboot and the charming male lead in Wonder Woman,
06:25Chris Pine cemented himself as a quintessential modern movie star.
06:29While Robert made a career out of being the reliable supporting player, Chris became the
06:33guy whose name sells the movie tickets, proving he could lead massive tentpole franchises with
06:38effortless charisma.
06:40It doesn't get much bigger than playing Captain Kirk.
06:42I wish we had more time.
07:06Ernie Lively was a rugged, dependable character actor who popped up in everything from the
07:11Dukes of Hazzard to Turner and Hooch.
07:13He had a respectable and steady career, even playing Blake's on-screen father in The Sisterhood
07:18of the Traveling Pants.
07:20And as we mourn the loss of this beloved wife, mother, and friend, it only makes her choice
07:26that much more unfathomable.
07:28What measure of despair compels one to commit such an act?
07:33It was a passing of the torch.
07:34We just didn't know it at the time.
07:36You see, Blake quickly became a pop culture phenomenon, launching into the stratosphere
07:41as Serena on Gossip Girl, and becoming a defining fashion icon of the 2000s.
07:46She then transitioned to film with hits like A Simple Favor and The Shallows, surpassing
07:51her father's resume to becoming a single-named celebrity.
07:54Ernie was a familiar face in the industry, but Blake became the face on every magazine cover.
07:59All this crazy, there's something about you.
08:06Number 4.
08:08George Clooney
08:08Saul makes 10.
08:1010 ought to do it, don't you think?
08:14Do you think we need one more?
08:15Before George was Hollywood's favorite and most attractive leading man, the Clooney name
08:20was synonymous with the news.
08:22Nick Clooney was once a prominent journalist and anchor, who was deeply respected in the
08:26world of broadcasting.
08:28But George took the family charisma and redirected it towards Tinseltown dominance.
08:32Do you think he knows anything?
08:34He knows how to dress.
08:36Well, he's my student.
08:39After breaking out on ER, he became one of the last true movie stars, evoking the glamour
08:44of the Golden Age while winning two Oscars and leading a plethora of famous movies.
08:49George Clooney didn't just surpass his father's fame, he became one of the most famous people
08:54on Earth.
08:55Nick reported on the world's events, but George became the headline, transforming a respected
09:00regional broadcasting legacy into an international symbol of cool.
09:04I need a reason.
09:06I don't say money.
09:08Why do this?
09:09Why not do it?
09:10Number three, Jennifer Aniston.
09:12Rachel?
09:13Oh God, Monica, hi.
09:15Thank God.
09:16I just went to your building and you weren't there and then this guy with a big hammer said
09:20that you might be here and you are, you are.
09:22For over 30 years, John Aniston was the undisputed king of the soap opera.
09:27He played the villainous Victor Kiriakis on Days of Our Lives, becoming a bona fide legend
09:32in the realm of daytime TV.
09:33Before 1994, the name Aniston was synonymous with sleazy soap operas, but that's when Jennifer
09:40took the family name to the absolute peak of pop culture.
09:43Okay, everybody, this is Rachel and another Lincoln High survivor.
09:47This is everybody.
09:48This is Chandler and Phoebe and Joey.
09:50And you remember my brother Ross?
09:52Sure.
09:53Hey.
09:54Oh God.
09:54As Rachel Green on Friends, she starred in arguably the biggest TV show in history,
10:00sparking global trends and becoming America's sweetheart.
10:03While John had a steady and impressive gig for decades, Jennifer became one of the highest
10:08paid actresses in the world.
10:09And you could certainly argue the most famous.
10:13She turned the Aniston legacy from a daytime staple into a primetime juggernaut that shows
10:18no signs of slowing down.
10:20You know, you probably didn't know this, but back in high school, I had a major crush on
10:25you.
10:27I knew.
10:28You did?
10:29Oh, okay.
10:32I always figured you just thought I was Monica's geeky older brother.
10:35I did.
10:36Oh.
10:38Number two, Drew Barrymore.
10:41Here he is.
10:42There's a hole.
10:44Yeah, I'm from the room, but I think you killed him already.
10:47When people say Hollywood royalty, they are usually talking about the Barrymores.
10:52Drew's father, John Drew Barrymore, was an actor himself.
10:56But his screen career was often overshadowed by his turbulent personal life and the looming
11:01shadow of his legendary father, John Barrymore.
11:04Drew, however, didn't just inherit the family's legacy.
11:07She saved it.
11:08All we're trying to say is, maybe you just probably imagined it.
11:12I couldn't have imagined it.
11:13Maybe it was a pervert or deformed kid or something.
11:16A deformed kid.
11:18Capturing hearts instantly in E.T., she survived the perils of child stardom to become a box office
11:24queen in hits like The Wedding Singer and Charlie's Angels.
11:27While her father was largely known for the famous surname he bore, Drew redefined it for
11:32the modern era.
11:32By pivoting to become a powerhouse producer and beloved daytime talk show host, she achieved
11:38a level of warmth and global ubiquity that her father never reached.
11:42And that's kicking your ass.
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12:01Number one, Robert Downey Jr.
12:04Man, you better get your story straight.
12:06What you talking about?
12:07The drum says equal shares for everybody.
12:10And everybody means me.
12:12Taking the top spot is the ultimate case of a son eclipsing a cult legacy.
12:17Robert Downey Sr. was a brilliant counterculture filmmaker.
12:20Revered by cinephiles for underground classics like Putney Swope.
12:24He was cool famous, but far from a household name.
12:27We can't say the same for his son.
12:29Iron Man, that's kind of catchy.
12:31It's got a nice ring to it.
12:31I mean, it's not technically accurate.
12:33The suit's a gold titanium alloy, but it's kind of bewocative, the imagery anyway.
12:38Robert Downey Jr.'s rise to the top was anything but linear.
12:41But his redemption arc reshaped Hollywood.
12:44By becoming Iron Man, he launched the Marvel Cinematic Universe and became one of the highest
12:49grossing actors of all time.
12:51He took the rebellious and artistic spirit of his father and channeled it into a performance
12:55that captivated the entire globe, widening the gap between indie legend and box office
13:01king to massive proportions.
13:03He is Iron Man indeed.
13:17Can you think of any other examples?
13:19Let us know in the comments.
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