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Post by pupdurcs on Dec 13, 2018 16:03:47 GMT
This is inspired by recently watching John David Washington in Blackkklansman, and his impressive awards season trajectory that may take him to an Oscar nomination. Everyone knows I stan hard for Denzel, and while I would not even suggest John David has what it takes to emulate his father's career, his debut as a film leading man in Blackkklansman is impressive. I feel he can possibly be at least Peter Fonda to Denzel's Henry, which isn't bad at all, especially for a late bloomer.
But I almost feel you can name all the A-list acting dynasties on one hand. The Fondas, the Douglases, the Barrymores, the Jolie-Voights and if we are sticking to the UK, maybe the Redgraves. Now we may be able to add the Washingtons.
But in an industry practically built on nepotism, it's kind of surprising there isn't a lot more A-list acting dynasties. It's not like they haven't tried either. Scott Eastwood looks like a leading man, so they've tried to make him happen, but no one is buying it. Colin Hanks is a respectable enough jobbing actor, but has never come close to achieving similar esteem or acclaim to his father Tom. Meryl Streep's daughter Mamie is an actress, but no one seems to care.
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cherry68
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Post by cherry68 on Dec 13, 2018 16:21:55 GMT
It's probably more frequent a director father / actor son or daughter. Then there's the Coppola family. Francis Ford, Sofia, Talia Shire, Nicholas Cage.
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Post by stephen on Dec 13, 2018 16:24:05 GMT
The Hustons are probably worth discussing in terms of sheer greatness as well. Three generations of Oscar winners, plus Danny and Jack are very fine actors in their own rights.
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Post by pacinoyes on Dec 13, 2018 16:31:03 GMT
I think it's because what works for an actor in one generation changes to the next. So say you almost are starting over anyway - so in general you have artistic expression by the families in different ways.
I know people are tired of hearing me talk about the great (in his best films anyway) Dario Argento but Argento is like Coppola and his daughter was like Sofia in how she was used (in her father's high profile sequels, it didn't work much for her but he got an astonishing performance from her in Stendahl Syndrome).........and like Argento and Coppola, John Huston used Angelica first (disastrously), Charlie Chaplin had Geraldine, Ron Howard and Bryce (but do we see him as an actor or director) ......I just think a big actor has a unique charisma it's hard to replicate on screen and 20 years apart - not impossible, but.....
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cherry68
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Post by cherry68 on Dec 13, 2018 16:33:53 GMT
Maybe not exactly A list, but Tippi Hedren / Melanie Griffith / Dakota Johnson are pretty well known. Same with the Oscar winner Goldie Hawn and Kate Hudson.
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Post by pupdurcs on Dec 13, 2018 16:34:58 GMT
It's probably more frequent a director father / actor son or daughter. Then there's the Coppola family. Francis Ford, Sofia, Talia Shire, Nicholas Cage. Coppola family are an interesting anomaly, because they are known for so much more besides acting. Jason Schwartzman is interesting. Talia Shire's son, who had a such a strong debut in Rushmore, but never became more than a jobbing character actor and Wes Anderson's occassional mascot.
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cherry68
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Post by cherry68 on Dec 13, 2018 16:36:00 GMT
pacinoyes I can't believe that someone your age doesn't remember Ron Howard as a leading actor in Happy days. In my family, he's still called Ricky Cunningham.
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Post by pacinoyes on Dec 13, 2018 16:39:32 GMT
pacinoyes I can't believe that someone your age doesn't remember Ron Howard as a leading actor in Happy days. In my family, he's still called Ricky Cunningham. I do - but I'd say he's achieved much more fame as a filmmaker than an actor - though he has memorable TV and film roles too (The Shootist, American Graffiti)
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Post by pupdurcs on Dec 13, 2018 16:43:06 GMT
The Hustons are probably worth discussing in terms of sheer greatness as well. Three generations of Oscar winners, plus Danny and Jack are very fine actors in their own rights. They are Hollywood dynasty, but not what I'd call an A-list acting dynasty. Angelica is the only one you could describe as an A-list actor, and that was for a very limited window. John was a legendary director, who occassionally dabbled with some success as a character actor
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Post by mrimpossible on Dec 13, 2018 16:44:15 GMT
Because there's a whole lot of competition right now for actors and actresses. Also the the big Hollywood stardom that we used to have is fading right now. There's now only a handful of actors who can open a movie all on their own...
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Post by stephen on Dec 13, 2018 16:52:03 GMT
The Hustons are probably worth discussing in terms of sheer greatness as well. Three generations of Oscar winners, plus Danny and Jack are very fine actors in their own rights. They are Hollywood dynasty, but not what I'd call an A-list acting dynasty. Angelica is the only one you could describe as an A-list actor, and that was for a very limited window. John was a legendary director, who occassionally dabbled with some success as a character actor Walter Huston was very much a classic-era A-lister. His influence cannot be understated, even though he won his Oscar late in life. John is better regarded as a director, yes, but he has some pretty iconic film work to his name in front of the camera (most notably Chinatown). In any sense, I think that they fit the bill just as readily as the Coppolas, because only Nicolas Cage comes out of that family with any sort of A-list acting clout (Shire had a limited window where I don't even know if I'd consider her A-list even then, despite being in some heavy-hitting movies, you talked about Schwartzman's impact, and Sofia is hardly regarded well for her acting prowess). To answer your question on why there aren't a whole lot of acting dynasties anymore, it might come down to people presuming high expectations on the children of great actors to be great actors, like it's in their DNA or something. It isn't. And the bottom-line is this: not every kid wants to do what their dad wants. There's a general resistance to it, and I think in particular if the parent is a beloved thespian like Hanks or Washington or Streep, that pressure is even loftier.
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Post by pupdurcs on Dec 13, 2018 17:03:30 GMT
They are Hollywood dynasty, but not what I'd call an A-list acting dynasty. Angelica is the only one you could describe as an A-list actor, and that was for a very limited window. John was a legendary director, who occassionally dabbled with some success as a character actor Walter Huston was very much a classic-era A-lister. His influence cannot be understated, even though he won his Oscar late in life. John is better regarded as a director, yes, but he has some pretty iconic film work to his name in front of the camera (most notably Chinatown). In any sense, I think that they fit the bill just as readily as the Coppolas, because only Nicolas Cage comes out of that family with any sort of A-list acting clout (Shire had a limited window where I don't even know if I'd consider her A-list even then, despite being in some heavy-hitting movies, you talked about Schwartzman's impact, and Sofia is hardly regarded well for her acting prowess). To answer your question on why there aren't a whole lot of acting dynasties anymore, it might come down to people presuming high expectations on the children of great actors to be great actors, like it's in their DNA or something. It isn't. And the bottom-line is this: not every kid wants to do what their dad wants. There's a general resistance to it, and I think in particular if the parent is a beloved thespian like Hanks or Washington or Streep, that pressure is even loftier. Fair enough about Walter. Ashamed to say I forgot about him. But yeah, I'd say he was an A-list character actor who also played leading roles at times in his career. Very much like Jon Voight.
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Post by pupdurcs on Dec 13, 2018 17:08:42 GMT
I think it's because what works for an actor in one generation changes to the next. So say you almost are starting over anyway - so in general you have artistic expression by the families in different ways. I know people are tired of hearing me talk about the great (in his best films anyway) Dario Argento but Argento is like Coppola and his daughter was like Sofia in how she was used (in her father's high profile sequels, it didn't work much for her but he got an astonishing performance from her in Stendahl Syndrome).........and like Argento and Coppola, John Huston used Angelica first (disastrously), Charlie Chaplin had Geraldine, Ron Howard and Bryce (but do we see him as an actor or director) ......I just think a big actor has a unique charisma it's hard to replicate on screen and 20 years apart - not impossible, but..... I don't see Ron Howard as an A-list actor. He was a successful sitcom actor, at a time when being a sitcom actor was low on the Hollywood totem pole. He is/was an A-list director though. To me, Bryce is a B-lister. B+ at best. She's a solid enough actress, but I think she stays employed in big movies through her connections (no doubt, Uncle Steven got her a nice gig in his Jurassic movies)
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flasuss
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Post by flasuss on Dec 13, 2018 17:19:24 GMT
Because unlike in many other fields, the child of an A-list actor doesn't become very successful just because his/hers parent said so- surely nepotism is a thing, but if you're a famous lawyer or doctor you can just hire your kid to your practice and he/she is set, which doesn't automatically happen with acting.With sports, it's even worse.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 13, 2018 17:45:53 GMT
Don't forget about The Fabulous Bridges Boys: Lloyd, Jeff, and Beau.
Blythe Danner and Gwyneth Paltrow...
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cherry68
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Post by cherry68 on Dec 13, 2018 17:50:58 GMT
Martin Sheen and his sons Charlie and Emilio Estevez. What about the Baldwin family? None A lister maybe, but all pretty famous.
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Post by pupdurcs on Dec 13, 2018 18:01:00 GMT
Don't forget about The Fabulous Bridges Boys: Lloyd, Jeff, and Beau. Blythe Danner and Gwyneth Paltrow... Lloyd was never an A-lister. Only Jeff was really. Gwyneth was A-list. Blythe never was.
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cherry68
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Post by cherry68 on Dec 13, 2018 18:01:38 GMT
In Italy, we have (first names coming to mind)
Vittorio and Alessandro Gassman Vittorio and Christian De Sica Ugo and Ricky Tognazzi Michele and Violante Placido
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avnermoriarti
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Post by avnermoriarti on Dec 13, 2018 22:25:20 GMT
You said it, nepotism. It can take a lot of tkme for an actor to break free from the family’s shadow and see if there’s real talent, sometimes yes, sometimes don’t. Eastwod is a god example, his son, handsome and all but he’s a piece of wood.
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Post by Leo_The_Last on Dec 13, 2018 23:04:11 GMT
The whole eco system in most european countries is much different, in regards to acting royalty and their offspring, than it is in the US.
I confess, as much as I'm critical of some aspects of american society/politics (that whole hustling without a social net to fall back on) in contrast to most other western countries, I like that there's actually a big number of acting stars who have risen to where they are today without (obvious) nepotism or without coming from the same social background/schools etc. (Getting into the whole entertainment industry, as an executive or artist, in the US, well that seems to be nepotism in its purest form.)
One gets nostalgic, thinking back to the post war years in Britain, when A LOT of the emerging acting stars had working class backgrounds, which has really changed in the last couple of years, and it's a shame. (But that's a complicated issue to discuss for another day.)
And also, when you look at european countries with a strong (tax money supported) theater system, it seems acting royalty is more common than it is in the US, like the Redgraves in Britain, or the Hörbigers in Austria etc. (but maybe that's also more of a thing of the last century.)
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lilibet
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Post by lilibet on Dec 13, 2018 23:29:52 GMT
I think it's a combination of things. For one, just because someone has a parent (or parents) who are actors, doesn't mean they'll want to be one as well. They can have other talents/interests. And those that do want to certainly have more opportunity and are given more of a chance, but it doesn't mean they'll actually be successful. If they're in films that don't do well financially and/or just aren't good, those opportunities will lessen. And there's the fact that just because one is good at something, doesn't mean their child will be good at the same thing (even if it's what they want to do).
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Post by thomasjerome on Dec 13, 2018 23:47:26 GMT
Martin Sheen and his sons Charlie and Emilio Estevez. What about the Baldwin family? None A lister maybe, but all pretty famous. If Sheen family is mentioned, then I think Sutherland duo should also get a mention. Donald Sutherland is a legend of cinema, and Kiefer had a solid movie career before turning into a well established TV star.
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Post by Leo_The_Last on Dec 13, 2018 23:52:24 GMT
There is a Kirk Douglas-Happy Birthday thread (go there and pay tribute, movie fans!), so I was reminded of It Runs in the Family, the Fred Schepisi directed, three generation of the Douglas family starring comedy-drama.
So, what's the best "family affair"-movie that comes to your mind?
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Post by Leo_The_Last on Dec 14, 2018 0:00:37 GMT
Shout out to The Long Riders! (I know, all brothers, so not really exemplary.)
Starring the Keaches, the Carradines, the Quaids & the Guests.
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Post by mikediastavrone96 on Dec 14, 2018 0:24:12 GMT
There's Janet Leigh and Tony Curtis with Jamie Lee Curtis.
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