11 Actors Who Look So Much Like Their Parents And Grandparents, They Played Fictional Versions Of Them

    O'Shea Jackson Jr. said, "When you haven't acted before, it's a big dish. But I couldn't sit in a theater and think someone is portraying my father the wrong way. If I was thinking, 'Oh, he wouldn't have done that,' it would've nauseated me."

    Kristen Harris
    by Kristen Harris

    BuzzFeed Staff

    Young actors (and even non-actors with famous parents) are cast as the younger versions of their parents' TV and movie characters fairly often. Sometimes, the uncanny resemblance between an actor and their famous relative is so strong that they're cast to actually play them in a biopic or other production.

    Here are 11 times actors played fictional versions of their real-life relatives:

    1. In 1999, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson made his acting debut playing his dad, pro wrestler Rocky Johnson, on That '70s Show Season 1, Episode 15, "The Wresting Show."

    Dwayne Johnson as Rocky Johnson in a sitcom locker room scene, talking to other characters about his son becoming a future sports entertainer. Subtitles visible
    Fox / Via Peacock

    Here's Rocky Johnson during his wrestling days:

    Rock is standing confidently without a shirt, smiling at the camera
    WWE / Via youtube.com

    And here's a side-by-side:

    Fox / Via Peacock, WWE / Via youtube.com

    2. In Joy, the biopic about Miracle Mop inventor Joy Mangano, Melissa Rivers played her mother, Joan Rivers, during Joy's time at QVC.

    Melissa in a bob wig,  shirt with shoulder pads, and beaded necklace, holding a Yorkie
    ©20thCentFox/Courtesy Everett Collection

    In 2015, Melissa told The Hollywood Reporter, "Let me tell you how terrified I was my first day. Terrified. It was so surreal and suddenly there is Bradley [Cooper] and there is Jen [Lawrence] and there is David [O Russell] and there is John [Davis]. And every time I look in the mirror, it’s my mother. And I wanted to do a good job. I didn’t want it to be a caricature. Like I didn’t want anyone to say, 'Oh look, it’s a drag queen.' That was my biggest fear."

    Here's Joan Rivers in the '90s, around the time Joy is set:

    Joan Rivers with a curled bob haircut, wearing a brightly colored coat with metallic buttons and matching earrings
    Ron Galella, Ltd. / Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images

    And here's a side-by-side:

    ©20thCentFox/Courtesy Everett Collection, Ron Galella, Ltd. / Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images

    3. In 2015, O'Shea Jackson Jr. made his acting debut starring as his father, Ice Cube, in the N.W.A. biopic Straight Outta Compton.

    O'Shea in a "Los Angeles Raiders" cap and matching T-shirt, looking to the side
    ©Universal/courtesy Everett / Everett Collection

    O'Shea wasn't just handed the role. He spent two years taking acting classes and auditioning. 

    In 2015, he told People, "When you haven't acted before, it's a big dish. But I couldn't sit in a theater and think someone is portraying my father the wrong way. If I was thinking, 'Oh, he wouldn't have done that,' it would've nauseated me."

    Here's Ice Cube during his early N.W.A. days:

    Ice Cube in an LA cap and dark t-shirt
    Pool Arnal / Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images

    And here's a side-by-side:

    ©Universal/courtesy Everett / Everett Collection, Pool Arnal / Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images

    4. In 2019, Ian Shaw originated the role of his father, Robert Shaw, in The Shark Is Broken. The play, which Ian also co-wrote, is a comedy about the behind-the-scenes drama on the set of Jaws.

    Ian on stage in a jacket and ballcap, sitting at a table
    Kate Green / Getty Images

    In 2023, Ian told People, "It's about love, I think. And you feel it in the audience. I feel like when I'm talking about my father — when I'm playing my father talking about his father and his yearning, his loss...he wanted to comfort his father, but he wasn't able to. And it's moving."

    Here's Robert Shaw in Jaws:

    Robert, wearing a jacket and cap, fishing on a boat
    Universal Pictures courtesy Everett Collection

    And here's a side-by-side:

    Kate Green / Getty Images, Universal Pictures courtesy Everett Collection

    5. In the 2009 biopic Notorious, C.J. Wallace played the young version of his father, Biggie Smalls.

    CJ in a school uniform with tie and retro glasses
    Fox Searchlight Pictures / Via Hulu

    Jamal Woolard played the older version of Biggie.

    In 2009, C.J. told USA Weekend's Who's News Blog, "I feel that what I brought to the table, I'm not braggin' or anything, but I think I did very well in the movie. Other people may look like him and dress in the same exact way. But I did well because I know how to react [in the scenes, like the ones on the playground and on the street corner] because my grandmother, she told me about him and his actions and other things." 

    Here's the Notorious B.I.G. IRL:

    Biggie Smalls in a patterned shirt with a ribbon pinned to it, also wearing a gold chain and a hat
    Ron Galella, Ltd. / Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images

    And here's a side-by-side:

    Fox Searchlight Pictures / Via Hulu, Ron Galella, Ltd. / Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images

    6. In the 1980 TV movie Sophia Loren: Her Own Story, Sophia Loren starred as herself as well as her mother, Romilda Villani.

    Sophia stands on a cobblestone street wearing a classic trench coat and shoulder bag, while people sit and watch in the background
    Emi Television / EMI Television / Courtesy: Everett Collection

    Here's Romilda Villani with her daughter IRL:

    Romilda embracing Sophia and resting her chin on her head. Both are dressed elegantly and have bob haircuts
    Keystone / Getty Images

    Here's a side-by-side:

    Emi Television / EMI Television / Courtesy: Everett Collection, Vittoriano Rastelli/Corbis via Getty Images

    7. Rubén Amaro Jr. played his dad and fellow former MLB player, Rubén Amaro Sr., on two episodes of The Goldbergs — Season 5, Episode 11, and Season 6, Episode 6.

    Rubén Jr in a casual plaid shirt gives a thumbs-up in a room with sports equipment
    ABC / Via Hulu

    In real life, Rubén Jr. went to school with Adam F. Goldberg, whose life the show is based on, though they didn't know each other growing up. So, on the show, Niko Guardado plays a fictionalized version of him. 

    In 2018, Adam told the Philadelphia Inquirer, "When I attended Penn Charter, all people would talk about was this legendary dude who made it. Rubén was there the same time as my brother Barry, but my brother was a nerd, so there's no way Ruben would have known him... [On set] we shared a ton of laughs and reminisced about Penn Charter."

    Here's Rubén Amaro Sr. when he was in the MLB:

    close up of Rubén Sr in a baseball shirt, Yankees cap, and gold chain
    Bettmann / Bettmann Archive / Via Getty

    Here's a side-by-side:

    ABC / Via Hulu, Bettmann / Bettmann Archive / Via Getty

    8. In the 2018 historical drama series Mrs. Wilson, Ruth Wilson starred as her grandmother, Alison Wilson. The show is about Alison discovering her husband's secret life as an MI6 officer after his death.

    Alison with curly hair wears a vintage-style blouse, leaning intently toward a typewriter in a scene
    Steffan Hill / ©PBS/Masterpiece Theatre/BBC / Courtesy: Everett Collection

    Ruth also decided to serve as executive producer for the first time to ensure her family's story was handled with care.

    In 2019, she told Screen Daily, "I was really insistent. I wanted to make sure there was some family member keeping an eye on everything, and making sure the story was told in a way that we wanted it to be told.”

    You can see a picture of Alison as a young woman here.

    Rith in a checkered dress and lace veil sits in a church pew, looking contemplative. Other seated figures in the background
    Steffan Hill /©PBS/Courtesy Everett Collection / Everett Collection

    9. Mario Van Peebles wrote, directed, produced and starred as his father, filmmaker Melvin Van Peebles, in the 2003 biopic Baadasssss!, which is about Melvin creating and distributing Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song.

    Mario wearing a jacket over a polo and jeans, with a newsboy cap and cigar. He's lounging on a couch with his legs crossed
    ©Sony Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection

    Here's Melvin Van Peebles in Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song:

    Film poster for "Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song" directed by Melvin Van Peebles, featuring Van Peebles' face and scenes from the movie
    John Kisch Archive / Getty Images

    And here's a side-by-side:

    Sony Pictures / ©Sony Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection, John Kisch Archive / Getty Images

    10. In 2019, Olivia Valli played her grandmother, Mary Delgado, in an off-Broadway production of Jersey Boys. The musical is about the formation of her grandfather Frankie Valli's music group, The Four Seasons.

    Here's a throwback picture Olivia shared with Mary:

    11. And finally, in 2014's Unbroken, which is about Olympic runner and WWII vet Louis Zamperini, Stephen J. Douglas had a small role as his grandfather, flight engineer Clarence Douglas.

    Stephen as a WWII airman operating a machine gun in a bomber aircraft, wearing helmet and goggle, looking out the window intently
    ©Universal Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection

    Before Unbroken, Stephen wasn't an actor, but he was involved in the industry as a reality show production assistant. However, director Angelina Jolie offered him the role without an audition.

    In 2014, he told the New York Post, "It was huge. I mean, I never expected anything like this to happen."

    When the movie was finished, Angelina gifted him a Swiss Army knife with his grandfather's name engraved on it. She also wrote him a note that said, "You are wonderful in the film. You make your grandfather proud."

    You can see a picture of Clarence Douglas (held by Stephen) here.

    close up of Stephen in uniform and goggles, looking out the window in a military scene
    ©Universal Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection

    Which other actors do you think look so much like their parents that they could play them in a biopic? Let us know in the comments!

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