The Olsen twins grew up in the spotlight, but Ashley, left, and Mary-Kate, right, aren’t the only talent in the family. Now, little sister Elizabeth is launching her own film career with the new indie flick “Martha Marcy May Marlene,†about a young girl who escapes from a cult. The fest favorite is already generating major buzz for the budding star. The twins, of course, have been on screen since they were in diapers on the set of “Full House†and went on to star in numerous films and TV movies. They even have their own Dualstar production company and a lucrative fashion line.
The Olsens, who have an older brother, Trent, aren’t the first siblings to share the spotlight. Here’s a closer look at some of Hollywood’s most famous brothers and sisters.
Jessica and Ashlee Simpson hit the spotlight as singers. Jessica was the all-American blond bombshell who married 98 Degrees frontman Nick Lachey, and Ashlee was her younger, grungier rocker sister. The Texas girls, four years apart, had stints on their respective reality shows soon after, which launched them even further in the spotlight. Two failed marriages came soon after; Jessica and Lachey divorced in 2006, and Ashlee and former Fall Out Boy rocker Pete Wentz divorced in early 2011. (Bryan Bedder / Getty Images)
Owen, left, Andrew and Luke Wilson have collaborated on quirky comedies like “Bottle Rocket†in 1996 and “The Wendell Baker Story†in 2005. Andrew, the lesser-known eldest brother, was born in 1964, Owen was born in 1968, and Luke was born in 1971. The latter brothers have earned their celebrity status with screwball and raunchy comedies. Owen has starred in “Wedding Crashers,†“Midnight in Paris,†“Marley and Me,†“Night at the Museum†and the “Cars†franchise. Luke has starred in “Legally Blonde,†“Alex & Emma,†“Old School,†“3:10 to Yuma†and “Anchorman.†They appeared together in “The Royal Tenenbaums†and “Around the World in 80 Days†and have made small appearances in each other’s films. (Ringo H.W. Chiu / For The Times)
Maggie was born in 1977 to director Stephen Gyllenhaal (“Numb3rsâ€) and writer-producer Naomi Foner (“Bee Seasonâ€). Little brother Jake came along in 1980. Jake broke out on the big screen playing Billy Crystal‘s character’s son in “City Slickers†in 1991, soon followed by Maggie in 1992, in “Waterland,†which their father directed. The A-list sibs racked up leading roles in successful films, including “Secretary,†“SherryBaby†and “The Dark Knight†for Maggie and “Jarhead,†“Brothers†and “Love and Other Drugs†for Jake. Both are Oscar-nominated actors, Maggie for “Crazy Heart†and Jake for “Brokeback Mountain.†The pair have acted in three movies together: “A Dangerous Woman†and “Homegrown,†both directed by their father, and “Donnie Darko,†in which they were on-screen siblings as well. Jake is good friends with Maggie’s husband of two years, fellow “Jarhead†actor Peter Sarsgaard. (Lucy Nicholson / Agence France-Presse)
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Luke Hemsworth, not pictured, is the eldest of the three Aussie brothers. He achieved small-screen success on the Australian soap opera “Neighbours,†in which his younger brothers — 28-year-old Chris, left, and Liam, 21 — also acted. While Luke continued to act in a handful of television shows, Chris and Liam landed big-screen roles. Chris played George Kirk in 2009’s “Star Trek†reboot. Soon after, he nabbed the title role in “Thor,â€bulking up to wield the superhero’s hammer. He’ll reprise the role in next year’s “The Avengers†and will act opposite “Twilight†star Kristen Stewart in “Snow White and the Huntsman.†Meanwhile, baby brother Liam found fame in the Nicholas Sparks movie “The Last Song,†acting opposite Miley Cyrus. Liam has roles in the upcoming films “The Hunger Games†and “The Expendables 2.†(Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times and Murray Close / Lionsgate)
The now-17-year-old Hannah Dakota Fanning became famous as the darling young actress starring with Sean Penn in “I Am Sam.†She has since grown into a teen star with recent major roles in “The Runaways†and in “The Twilight Saga†series.
Her little (though now taller than Dakota) 13-year-old sister, Elle, was also in “I Am Sam†— though at the time she was only 3. Since then, she’s had roles in numerous films, including in the festival fave “Phoebe in Wonderland†and most recently in J.J. Abrams‘ “Super 8.†(Charles Eshelman / Getty Images)
They might be football royalty, but the Mara sisters are all about acting these days. Kate, left, got the acting bug first, launching her career in 1999 with “Random Hearts.†She went on to win roles in film’s like “Brokeback Mountain†(as Heath Ledger‘s character’s daughter), “The Shooter†with Mark Wahlberg and “127 Hours†with James Franco. Rooney (real name Patricia), two years younger, teamed with her sister for the horror movie “Urban Legend: Bloody Mary.†From there she took small roles until landing a part in “A Nightmare on Elm Street.†However, she didn’t reach star status until she met director David Fincher, who hired her to play Mark Zuckerberg‘s girlfriend in “The Social Network†and later gave her the coveted role of Lisbeth Salander in “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo.â€
Aside from their acting credits, the sisters, who have an older brother, Daniel, and younger brother, Conor, can boast an impressive football family history. The Mara family owns the New York Giants and the Pittsburgh Steelers, and the actresses are also the great-granddaughters of the teams’ founders Tim Mara (Giants) and Art Rooney (Steelers). (From left: Alberto E. Rodriguez / Getty Images and Mark Mainz / Associated Press)
Emilio Estevez and Charlie Sheen followed in their father Martin Sheen‘s footsteps when they launched acting careers in the 1980s. Emilio, born in 1962, found fame in the Hollywood brat pack with films like “The Outsiders,†“Breakfast Club†and “St. Elmo’s Fire.†Charlie, born in 1965, was busy with “Red Dawn,†“Platoon,†“Wall Street†and later comedies like “Major League†and “Hot Shots.â€
They met up as outlaws in “Young Guns†and “Young Guns II†and later flopped together with 1990’s “Men at Work†and 2000’s “Rated X.†Charlie’s star continued to rise on television with roles on “Spin City†and “Two and a Half Men†(until he pulled one too many Sheenanigans). Emilio, who played to the kiddie crowd with “Mighty Ducks,†eventually found secure footing directing films like “The Way,†starring his own father. The famous brothers have two more siblings, Renee and Ramon Estevez. (From left: Dan Krauss / Associated Press and Carlos Chavez / Los Angeles Times)
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Actresses Zooey, left, and Emily Deschanel are each on network TV shows. Older sister Emily (35) has been starring in “Bones†with David Boreanaz since the show’s 2005 premiere, while younger sister Zooey (31) is in the sitcom “New Girl.†They are the daughters of cinematographer Caleb Deschanel and actress Mary Jo Deschanel. Each are known for playing quirky characters — maybe Zooey moreso than Emily — but Emily was camera-shy. She’s since broken out of that affliction. (Michael Buckner / Getty Images)
The Oscar-winning siblings (Beatty as director for “Reds†in 1981 and MacLaine as actress for 1983’s “Terms of Endearmentâ€) studied acting as youths. MacLaine began as a dancer, then transitioned to acting, while Beatty — three years her junior — studied under Stella Adler, then became an actor and director. They share another honor, since MacLaine has just been announced as an AFI Life Achievement honoree. Beatty received the honor in 2008. (Frazer Harrison / Getty Images)