Normally, children of major stars don't quite manage to reach the same heights as their parents. However, a couple of Hollywood actors are proving to be the exception. While some have gone on to achieve even greater success than their parents, others are on their way to realizing the same achievements that their parents had.
What's even better is that most of these stars don't ride on the names of their parents. They prefer to be recognized for their own efforts rather than who they are related to. As a result, many fans aren't aware of their family trees. Tenet star John David Washington happens to be among the actors in this category, and here are a few other noteworthy ones.
Angelina Jolie
Despite both the actress and her father enjoying plenty of Hollywood success, many aren't aware that Jolie's father is none other than Jon Voight. The two have largely been estranged since Voight's separation from Jolie's mother many years ago, though there have been a few periods of reconciliation over the years.
Voight, who is mostly known for his villainous roles, is an Oscar winner who was also awarded the National Medal of Arts in 2019.
Tracee Ellis Ross
Black-ish star Tracee Ellis Ross has established herself as one of the funniest African-American actresses on TV. She has received four Emmy nominations for "Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series" for her role on the acclaimed sitcom.
Most viewers aren't aware that Tracee is the daughter of legendary singer Diana Ross. The former Motown recording artist is the only female singer to ever have number one Billboard singles as a solo artist, as part of a duo, and as part of a group.
Ben Stiller
Ben Stiller may be one of the most recognizable comedic actors in the world, but his father Jerry was a comedy icon too and remained prolific even during the heights of Ben's fame. Jerry first rose to fame in the '60s as part of the comedy duo Stiller & Meara— which also featured Ben's mom, Anne Meara.
Modern audiences best know Jerry as George Costanza's dad Frank on Seinfeld, in addition to numerous film and TV roles over the last few decades. He passed away earlier this year.
Charlie Sheen
Though he appeared in hit movies throughout the '80s and '90s, Charlie Sheen saw a major career resurgence in the 2000s with his starring role on the massively popular sitcom Two & A Half Men— though he infamously exited the show before the end of its run.
Charlie's father, Martin Sheen, has also enjoyed major success in both Hollywood and on television. His breakthrough performance was in the war thriller Apocalypse Now and, like Charlie, he made a late-career move to television when he starred in The West Wing.
Scott Eastwood
Scott Eastwood played supporting characters in a number of blockbusters in the last decade. Keen viewers might have noticed he looks a little familiar— and that's because he bears an uncanny resemblance to his famous father, actor/writer/director Clint Eastwood, in Clint's younger years.
Clint Eastwood rose to fame in the '60s by playing gunslingers in Spaghetti westerns but would later showcase his skills in many other genres. In recent years, he has focused more on being a director, with his movies frequently earning rave reviews and Oscar noms.
Jennifer Aniston
Jennifer Aniston became a megastar after her decade of playing Rachel Green on the sitcom Friends. Ever since the show went off the air, she has gone on to star in plenty of other major movies and TV shows.
Her father, John Aniston, is a television legend in his own right— he's been playing the character Victor Kiriakis on the NBC daytime soap opera Days Of Our Lives for 35 years now. In total, John has appeared in over 2,600 episodes of the show.
Rashida Jones
Rashida rose to prominence for her portrayals of Karen Filippelli on The Office and Ann Perkins Parks And Recreation, both acclaimed workplace sitcoms on NBC. Apart from acting, she is also a screenwriter, director, and producer with credits that include Black Mirror, Hot Girls Wanted, and Toy Story 4.
Rashida's parents are TV actress Peggy Lipton (TV's The Mod Squad) and iconic record producer and songwriter Quincy Jones. Rashida was one of the producers of Netflix's Quincy, a documentary about the life and career of her famous father.
Dakota Johnson
After amassing some supporting roles in various high-profile movies, Dakota Johnson was propelled to superstardom after portraying Anastasia Steele in the Fifty Shades Of Grey film series.
Her father is actor Don Johnson, best known for playing stylish police detective Sonny Crockett in the popular '80s procedural Miami Vice. In addition, Dakota's mother is actress Melanie Griffith, and Antonio Banderas was her step father for nearly 20 years while he was married to Griffith.
Chris Pine
Chris Pine needs no introduction. Over the last decade, he became one of Hollywood's biggest stars thanks to roles in major movies like Wonder Woman and as Captain Kirk in the rebooted Star Trek film franchise.
His father Robert Pine has appeared in over 200 movies and TV shows since the '60s, including playing Stephen Logan in CBS daytime soap opera The Bold & The Beautiful from 1988 to 2001.
John David Washington
Before Tenet, John David Washington had appeared in the Dwayne Johnson-led HBO series Ballers, followed by his first major film role courtesy of Spike Lee's BlacKkKlansman. But it's his role in Christopher Nolan's latest blockbuster that is poised to make him a global superstar.
It might come as a surprise to some that John David Washington is actually the son of Denzel Washington, being the oldest of the Oscar-winning actor's four children.