It’s All In The Family! Celebrities You Didn’t Know Who Are Related!

They say that it’s a small world, but in Hollywood it seems to be even smaller. Did you know that some of your favorite celebs are actually related? Here’s our list of stars you might be shocked to find out are connected either through blood or marriage.

Jenny McCarthy and Melissa McCarthy

The clue may be in the shared surname but how many people actually connected the dots? Few expected to find out that Melissa McCarthy was Jenny McCarthy’s cousin when the Bridesmaids star hit it big in 2011. Turns out, their fathers are brothers.

George Clooney and Miguel Ferrer

His name may not be at the tip of your tongue but you’ve definitely seen Miguel Ferrer on TV shows like NCIS: Los Angeles, Desperate Housewives and movies like Iron Man 3. But did you know that the character actor is heartthrob George Clooney’s first cousin? His mother – singer Rosemary Clooney – and Clooney’s father Nick – were sister and brother.

Nicolas Cage, Jason Schwartzman and Sofia Coppola

They may not share the same surname – professionally at least – but these three stars are actually cousins. Cage’s father was the late August Floyd Coppola, brother to The Godfather director Francis Ford Coppola. Filmmaker Sofia Coppola is Francis’ daughter and Schwartzman’s mom, Talia Shire, is Francis and August’s sister.

Warren Beatty and Shirley MacLaine

They look nothing alike, but Downton Abbey star Shirley MacLaine’s younger brother is actually actor Warren Beatty. In 2013 MacLaine, 80, told journalist Gayle King that she never felt she had to compete with her sibling. The actress said: “With him, I felt more of a protection, ‘cause he is…three years younger.”

Al Roker and Lenny Kravitz

Yes, quirky TODAY show weatherman Al Roker is actually related to hunky rocker, Lenny Kravitz. The late actress Roxie Roker – Helen Willis from the classic sitcom The Jeffersons – was Al’s first cousin and Kravitz’s mom.

Bryce Dallas Howard and Ron Howard

The next time you watch a rerun of Happy Days, think of this: Richie Cunningham (played by future director Ron Howard) is actually related to The Help star Bryce Dallas Howard. The beautiful redhead is Howard’s daughter.

Kyra Sedgwick and Edie Sedgwick

Just 28 when she died of a barbiturate overdose, Edie Sedgwick was the muse for 1960s icons Andy Warhol and Bob Dylan. But she was also related to actress Kyra Sedgwick whose father Henry Dwight Sedgwick V was the It Girl’s first cousin. This connection yet again proves the Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon theory that everyone is six, or fewer, people away from the actor, who is Kyra’s husband.

Sissy Spacek and Rip Torn

Acting may be in her blood but apparently it was Sissy Spacek’s first cousin, Rip Torn, who got her foot in the industry’s door. Torn – whose résumé includes Men In Black, The Larry Sanders Show and 30 Rock – helped Spacek enroll in Lee Strasberg’s acclaimed Actors Studio.

Paris Hilton, Elizabeth Taylor and Zsa Zsa Gabor

Strictly speaking these three women are not blood-related and the marriages that connected them were dissolved before Paris Hilton was even thought of, let alone born. But Elizabeth Taylor’s first husband Conrad “Nicky” Hilton Jr. was Paris’ great-uncle. And his father – the hotel chain founder Conrad Hilton Sr. – was once married to actress Zsa Zsa Gabor.

Gwen Stefani and Daisy Lowe

At 44, Gwen Stefani is the mother of three little boys, all under the age of 10. But the No Doubt singer is also step-mom to British model Daisy Lowe. Lowe, 25, is the daughter of Stefani’s husband, Gavin Rossdale. But she didn’t know the Bush frontman was her dad until 2004 when a paternity test proved she was the result of a one-night stand he had with her mom, singer-songwriter Pearl Lowe.

Rashida Jones and Quincy Jones

In an interview with Playboy magazine Rashida Jones once said: “Michael Jackson basically grew up with us so I have a million memories of him.” The actress wasn’t just name-dropping. Her dad is music producer Quincy Jones who worked with the King of Pop on his legendary albums, Off The Wall, Thriller and Bad.

Jamie Capshaw and Steven Spielberg

If Grey’s Anatomy actress Jamie Capshaw ever wants to branch into directing she doesn’t have very far to go for advice. Her stepfather is E.T. director Steven Spielberg. He married Capshaw’s mom, Kate, in 1991.

Elisabeth Shue and Amy Robach

Good Morning America news anchor Amy Robach has been in the headlines recently for her breast cancer battle. What may be less known is that her sister-in-law is actress Elisabeth Shue. Robach is married to Shue’s brother, former Melrose Place star, Andrew.

Debbie Reynolds and Carrie Fisher

They may not share the same last name but look closely and you can see the family resemblance between mother and daughter Debbie Reynolds and Carrie Fisher. Reynolds was married to Fisher’s father Eddie, until friend Elizabeth Taylor nabbed the crooner and made him her fourth husband.

Ludacris and Monica

They both collaborated on the 2010 song “Still Standing” but singer Monica and rapper Ludacris are more than just colleagues and friends. They’re also cousins. The crooner says: “My mom married his uncle over two decades ago.”

Tom Cruise and William Mapother

Tom Cruise fans may know that the star was born Thomas Cruise Mapother IV. Once you know that it may be unsurprising to learn that Lost actor William Mapother is his first cousin.

Fantasia, K-Ci and Jo-Jo

Between the three of them they’ve had their fair share of controversy. Fantasia and crooners K-Ci and Jo-Jo have more than just musical ability in common. The brothers – and former members of 1990s group Jodeci – are the American Idol star’s first cousins.

Lily Collins and Phil Collins

When she was born in England in 1989 Lily Collins only made headlines because of her famous father. The Mirror Mirror star’s dad is Brit rocker Phil Collins.

Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip

Long before Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark married the future Queen of England he was already connected to the British royal family…by blood. Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip are third cousins through Queen Victoria on one side (who was great-great grandmother to both) and second cousins once removed through King Christian IX of Denmark. That Danish monarch was Elizabeth’s great-great grandfather and her husband’s great grandfather.

Prince William, Princess Diana and Winston Churchill

Yes, these three British icons are all members of the same clan. Like Princess Diana former British Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill was part of the aristocratic Spencer family and was actually born Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill. This connection means that Prince William – and thus young Prince George (who Prince Harry joked looks like a “young Winston Churchill”) – is also related to the famed wartime leader.

Guy Ritchie and Kate Middleton

He was invited to the royal wedding and was listed on the official guest list as a “friend of Prince William and Miss Middleton.” But Snatch director Guy Ritchie is apparently more than just friends of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. According to the New England Historic Genealogical Society, Madonna’s ex-husband and Kate are sixth cousins once removed.

Bill Bellamy and Shaquille O’Neal

Did you hear the one about Bill Bellamy and Shaquille O’Neal being cousins? It’s no joke. Comedian Bellamy is related to the 7’ 1” former NBA star.

Emily Blunt and Stanley Tucci

What do Emily Blunt and Stanley Tucci have in common? The answer is her sister Felicity. The actor – whose first wife Kathryn died of breast cancer in 2009 – married the elder sister of The Devil Wears Prada actress in 2012.

Stacey Dash and Damon Dash

When it comes to their public images these two first cousins couldn’t be further apart. Damon Dash is a cigar chomping entrepreneur and Jay Z’s one-time business partner. And Clueless star Stacey Dash is the new poster child for the Republican Party.

Taryn Manning, Eli and Peyton Manning

She may or may not be a good football player and learning scripts may not be their forte. But between them NFL stars, brothers Eli and Peyton Manning, and their cousin – Orange Is The New Black actress – Taryn Manning have made a name for themselves.

Robert Pine and Chris Pine

For TV fans of a certain era Chris Pine’s face may look a little familiar. That’s because the Star Trek star bears a striking resemblance to his father Robert Pine. Back in the 1970s and ‘80s Robert was well known for his role as Sgt. Joseph Getraer in the hit series CHiPs.

Mariah Carey and Ashley Cole

Mariah Carey was doing some research into her family tree, trying to find a link between her and jazz legend Nat King Cole when she stumbled across another famous relative. She discovered that England soccer star Ashley Cole is her distant cousin. Carey said in 2007: “My grandmother was a Cole before she married and it turns out she comes from the same area of Alabama as Ashley’s ancestors in the Deep South.”

Conan O’Brien and Denis Leary

They’re both redheaded comedians born in Massachusetts so surely Conan O’Brien and Denis Leary must be related? Yes…sort of. The talk show host and the foul-mouthed comedian are from the same family, but they are third cousins through marriage.