Was Jean Stapleton From All In The Family Related To Oscar-Winner Maureen Stapleton?

Both Jean Stapleton and Maureen Stapleton were award-winning actors who started their careers around the same time, but no, they weren't related. If you thought they were, however, you'd be in good company. Even Queen Elizabeth asked if there was any connection. Given just how successful both Jean and Maureen were in their own right, it certainly would be impressive if the two happened to be sisters, cousins, or even distant relatives. After all, in 1971 Jean won an Emmy for "All in the Family," and the very same year, Maureen earned her second Oscar nomination for "Airport." 

Like we said, though, the two weren't related to each other. That said, unlike many stars of that time, Stapleton actually was a family name for both women, being Maureen's birth surname, and Jean's mother's maiden name. Even so, it's not exactly surprising that many wondered if there was a relation — and yes, that includes the late Queen Elizabeth. Per Broadway World, when Jean met the queen, the monarch asked if there was any relation. Sadly for the TV star, that was reportedly the only thing she'd been asked, which was likely because of time constraints, but who knows? Maybe the queen was just a big fan of Maureen. She did have two BAFTA nominations, after all. 

Another famous face who thought Jean Stapleton and Maureen Stapleton were related? Rosie O'Donnell, who admitted she had even planned on asking about Jean's sister when she interviewed the "All in the Family" alum in 1998. "Thank goodness I brought it up at the production meeting, 'cause they said, 'They're not related, you idiot!'" O'Donnell quipped (via John Flanagan). For what it's worth, Jean clearly wasn't offended. In fact, she quipped that since Maureen was an Oscar winner, she'd go with it.

On top of being mistaken for one another by other celebrities, Jean and Maureen Stapleton were regularly mixed up by the general public. Jean joked on "The Rosie O'Donnell Show," that from time to time, their fan mail got swapped. More than that, she revealed that she'd learned via a flight attendant that Maureen didn't like air travel. "One of the service people on a plane once said to me, 'I understand that you hate to fly.' I said, 'No ...' and I thought, oh, she's thinking of Maureen!" Confusion aside, Jean reiterated that she had no problems with the mix-up, gushing of Maureen, "She's so great."

As for Maureen Stapleton, she addressed the constant mistakes in her 1995 autobiography, "A Hell of a Life." Including a picture of her alongside Jean Stapleton, she wrote, "Though we are not related and have never actually performed together, people often confuse me with actress Jean Stapleton of Edith Bunker fame. Maybe this picture will clear it up once and for all." Well, it certainly would have clarified that Jean and Maureen were two different people, but we're not so sure about the relative questions. Sure, they're not celebrity twins a la Zoe Saldana and Thandiwe Newton or Katy Perry and Zooey Deschanel, but there are tons of siblings who aren't lookalikes, and TBH, they didn't look completely unrelated in the pic, anyway. Just as well the respective Stapletons were friendly, then!