What The Children Of Old Hollywood Look Like Today
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With all the sleazy, disturbing happenings in the entertainment world these days, it's tempting to idealize the stars of yesteryear and what now seems to be the golden age of Hollywood. It's also easy to forget that despite all the glitz and glamour, a vast number of legendary mega-celebrities were just regular ol' "Mom" and "Dad" to their kids.
Keep scrolling to see what's become of the sons and daughters of some of Hollywood's most famous faces.
Clark Gable's son
Despite his five marriages, Gone with the Wind (1939) star and legendary lothario Clark Gable fathered just two children. His last wife, Kay, gave birth to son John Clark Gable (pictured) in March 1961, four months after his father's death from heart failure at age 59.
A part-time bit actor, John ran into some trouble with the law in 2013 when he was arrested in Malibu, Calif. on suspicion of driving under the influence after reportedly crashing into six parked cars.
Clark also had a daughter, Judy Lewis, whose paternity was not confirmed until she was 31 years-old, according to The New York Times. She previously thought she was adopted. Her mother was actress Loretta Young, who reportedly had an affair with Gable in 1935 while he was married to socialite Maria Langham. Lewis died in November 2011 at age 76.
John's daughter, Kayley, who appeared on the MTV reality show Paris Hilton's My New BFF, has continued the Gable lineage, giving birth to Clark Gable's great grandson, Ocean Clark Gable, in January 2015.
Ingrid Bergman's kids
Swedish-born actress Ingrid Bergman starred in some of Hollywood's most unforgettable films, including Casablanca (1942) and Notorious (1946), and won three Academy Awards. On top of all that, she had four children: twin daughters model/actress Isabella Rossellini and academic Isotta Ingrid Rossellini, son Roberto Rossellini (all with director husband Roberto Rossellini) and journalist Pia Lindström (with first husband Petter Lindström.)
The Guardian described the family's somewhat chaotic upbringing, writing of Isabella in 2016: "She and her siblings lived between New York, Paris and Rome, staying in hotels and apartments with a nanny, her parents and step-parents taking it in turns to drop in and spend time with their seven collective children, who were understandably close."
Isabella (pictured) is perhaps best known for her role in David Lynch's film Blue Velvet (1986) and for her epic TV show Green Porn. Her daughter, Elettra Wiedemann, is following in her mother's footsteps, reportedly taking up a career as a model.
After Bergman's death in 1982, her four children were able to amicably split up their mother's belongings (which, as you'll see, is somewhat of a rarity in famous families.) Lindstrom told The Hollywood Reporter, "I have to say, we were really good about it. We put out on a cloth some jewelry and things, and then we sat around, and it became, 'You go first,' 'No, you go first.' Robbie said, 'Oh, that's the ring that my father gave,' and we said, 'Oh, take that.'... I hear about other families and think it's so odd when they fight."
Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh's daughters
Actors Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh starred in some of Hollywood's biggest films in the 1950s and '60s. Curtis appeared in Some Like it Hot (1959), The Sweet Smell of Success (1957), and Spartacus (1960). Leigh starred in Psycho (1960) and The Manchurian Candidate (1962).
They had two daughters who became actress: Kelly Lee Curtis, born in 1956, and Jamie Lee Curtis (pictured), born in 1958. Of the two, Jamie became the A-list star, starring in blockbusters such as the original Halloween (1978), Trading Places (1983), and True Lies (1994)...and who could forget those Activia commercials?
In a 2010 appearance on The View, (via the Daily Mail) Jamie had some critical words about her late father: "Children, as we all know, are complicated and messy. He was not a father and he was not interested in being a father... He did what he was supposed to do from a financial standpoint, which was honorable of him but he was not an involved father."
Eddie Fisher & Connie Stevens' daughters
Singer Eddie Fisher and actress Connie Stevens were both high-profile stars in the '50s and '60s. Fisher was one of the most popular crooners of the era–referring to himself as "Bigger than Elvis. Hotter than Sinatra." Stevens appeared in the popular series Hawaiian Eye (1959-63) and, coincidentally, dated Elvis, who she once called "a delicious guy." Fisher and Stevens got together in 1967 and had two daughters: Joely Fisher (pictured with her mom) and Tricia Leigh Fisher.
Eddie and Stevens divorced 18 months after they tied the knot, but their kids pursued the family business and dove into acting. Joely is best known for her work on the sitcom Ellen (1994-98) and in the Broadway shows Grease and Cabaret. Tricia appeared on Growing Pains and 7th Heaven. Their older half-sister was the indomitable Star Wars actress Carrie Fisher, from Eddie Fisher's previous relationship with Debbie Reynolds.
Ed Begley's son
Ed Begley had a decades-long career as a film and television actor, earning an Academy Award for best actor in a supporting role in 1962's Sweet Bird of Youth. His son, actor and comedian Ed. Begley Jr., was born in 1949 and followed in his father's footsteps, appearing in hundreds of movies and TV shows.
You might recognize Begley Jr. from his work in Batman Forever (1995), Pineapple Express,(2008), and Best in Show (2000), or from TV shows such as St Elsewhere (1982-88) and Six Feet Under (2001-05).
Junior is also an environmental activist whose efforts at promoting sustainability date back to the '70s. In October 2017, TMZ reported that Begley Jr. had moved into a first-of-its-kind self-sustainable house in Los Angeles.
Charlie Chaplin's kids
Charlie Chaplin, most famous for his bowler hat-wearing, cane-twirling, mustachioed character "the Little Tramp," fathered a big brood over the course of his long life: 11 children among four marriages.
In 1944, Charlie welcomed daughter Geraldine Chaplin (pictured) with Oona, the daughter of playwright Eugene O'Neill. Geraldine went on to become a...wait for it...actress, appearing in English, Spanish, and French-language projects.
Charlie's son, Michael, told the Express in 2007 that his dad's relationship with the kids was somewhat "hands-off." According to Michael, "He had trouble expressing his emotions to his sons and I think it embarrassed him... He found it easier to relate to his daughters... A lot of the time we wouldn't see him because he was away working. He wasn't the kind of father who drove us to school or did our homework with us. He was a great artist and maybe it was a bit much to ask for him to be a great father as well."
Gregory Peck's kids
Gregory Peck made moviegoers swoon for decades with roles in To Kill a Mockingbird (1962), Roman Holiday (1953), and Cape Fear (both the 1962 original and the 1991 remake). He had three sons—Jonathan, Stephen, and Carey Paul—with first wife Greta Kukkonen, and a son, Anthony, and a daughter, Cecilia, with his next wife, French journalist Veronique Passani.
Anthony, a screenwriter and actor (pictured with Cecilia) landed small roles in the 1980s and '90s, and Cecilia became an Emmy-nominated filmmaker who made a documentary about her father called A Conversation with Gregory Peck.
According to LinkedIn, Stephen is an advocate for veteran's rights, and Carey Paul ran for congress in the '70s and later became a "pioneer of empowering after-school programs such as the Take Action Student leadership campaign," according to the Peck family website. Jonathan died of a suspected suicide in 1975.
In 2016, Cecilia honored her father on what would have been his 100th birthday, saying, "He was very hands on!... He drove us to school on his way to work, he was very involved in our school life, in all parental decisions and discipline, and in all of our activities... He was so much more more tolerant, intelligent, compassionate and loving than one could ever imagine."
At the same event, Anthony added, "My father had great reserves of patience and empathy. There was little, if anything, that he did not understand about me, about people, about human nature. He brought all that wisdom and humanity, all his love to raising us. That was my example and that is what I try to do with my own son."
Audrey Hepburn's sons
Academy Award-winning actress and fashion icon Audrey Hepburn became famous for her roles in Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961) and My Fair Lady (1964) as well as for her philanthropic efforts. She had two sons: producer Sean Ferrer (pictured right) with first husband Mel Ferrer, and author Luca Dotti (pictured left) with Italian psychiatrist Andrea Dotti.
In 2015, Luca appeared on British television to discuss his upbringing, which was relatively calm, despite his mother's legendary status. "I didn't realise [sic] until after her death she was such an icon... When she was alive she was always caring about her charities and us. There was a big gap between her private life and public life... When I was growing up there were movie stars coming to the house all the time but we weren't aware they were famous, when they came over they were just introduced as her friends."
Unfortunately, Hepburn's sons battled each other in court in February 2017 when Luca accused Sean of blocking the display of Hepburn memorabilia, resulting in the loss of funds for the Audrey Hepburn Children's Fund. The brothers started the charity together, though Sean reportedly left in 2012 and encouraging his brother to take over as chairman. The siblings settled in June 2017, deciding to auction off their mother's belongings through Christie's and split the profits evenly.
Steve McQueen's son
Screen legend Steve McQueen's roles in The Great Escape (1974) and Bullitt (1968) earned him the moniker "The King of Cool," but to his children–Chad and Terry Leslie–just "Dad" would suffice.
Chad (pictured) is an actor and producer who created the documentary Steve McQueen: The Man & Le Mans in 2015. He's also a professional race car driver who credits his father's love of cars with inspiring his lifelong passion. "Growing up, there were always my dad's cars and motorcycles around...a Jag XKSS, Lotus Eleven, and Cooper Formula Junior. I started riding motorcycles when I was six and racing at nine, and he came to every race, just as he made sure my sister and I were with him whenever he'd be on location."
Terry died from respiratory failure in 1998 at age 38.
Rita Hayworth's daughter
In her day, Rita Hayworth turned heads with dazzling roles in Cover Girl (1944) and Gilda (1946). According to Time, she's considered "the single most famous and most frequently reproduced American pinup image ever."
After marrying Citizen Kane (1941) director and actor Orson Welles in 1943, Hayworth gave birth to her first daughter, Rebecca Welles, in 1944. Hayworth and Welles divorced, and then Hayworth hooked up with infamous playboy Prince Aly Khan in 1949. During their marriage, Hayworth had a second daughter, Yasmin Aga Khan (pictured).
Today, Yasmin is a philanthropist who raises money for Alzheimer's disease awareness, which her famous mother died of in 1987. Rebecca, who led a very private life, died in 2004 at age 59.