the list of 9 for september 4, 2009:
THE NINE MOST SUCCESSFUL BROTHER/SISTER ACTING DUOS
Theatrical troupes have, for centuries, been family affairs. But once Hollywood turned show businessinto a wildly lucrative industry, for many the only way to stand out among the millions of nobodiesdesperate for fame is to turn to good old fashioned nepotism; it's no secret that many big stars arethe children of big stars. But whereas I've previously listed notable sister acts and brother acts,I find it curious that, in the last century, there are so few brother-sister acts out there, and I'mnot referring to Donny & Marie or The Carpenters. On the silver screen, these famous pairs ofsiblings are the most accomplished:
- John, Lionel and Ethel Barrymore. Hardly a "duo", but Ican't kick off this list without mentioning the first grand family of cinema, the Barrymores. Allthree acted in the film Rasputin and the Empress in 1932; after John died, Lionel and Ethelworked together again on the 1953 picture Main Street to Broadway, Lionel's last.
- Warren Beatty and Shirley Maclaine. Their original surnameis "Beaty", but however you spell it, these legendary sibling actors never performed togetheronscreen, home movies notwithstanding.
- Jake and Maggie Gyllenhaal. These two popular stars cameof age surrounded by Hollywood prestige: dad Stephen Gyllenhaal is a TV/film director, mom NaomiFoner is a screenwriter (Running on Empty). So far, they've only appeared on screentogether in Donnie Darko and two films made by their parents.
- Peter and Jane Fonda. It's no surprise that a lot of siblingacting teams made it big because of their celebrity parents. Henry Fonda may have had strainedrelationships with his kids, but his name probably had something to do with them getting work.
- Eric and Julia Roberts. Like the Fondas, this duo is unusualin sexist Hollywood for the sister being far more successful than the brother. That wasn't supposedto be the case: Eric was a promising young leading man in the early '80s, while Julialanguished in indie films and duds (see below) until Steel Magnolias instantly turned herinto an A-list star, eclipsing her older brother.
- Jason and Justine Bateman. One of Julia Roberts' earlyefforts was the ironically titled Satisfaction, a poorly-conceived (and poorly-received) starvehicle for Justine Bateman, then a popular actress on the hit sitcom Family Ties. Anypromise for Justine's movie career faded with that bomb. Meanwhile, younger brother Jason plied histrade on television for years, until the cult series Arrested Development finally establishedhim as a leading man. Unlike his sister, he has made the transition to the big screen.
- Danny and Anjelica Huston. Back we go to the "Dad, get me ajob in the movies!" pool, with the children of the late great director/actor John Huston. At first,Danny seemed destined to be a filmmaker, directing his older sister in 1988's Mr. North. Butdirecting's hard, and so in 1995 he quit and started working as a full-time actor. As for Anjelica,while she remains the bigger name still, her career has mellowed since her unlikely superstardomthroughout the '80s and '90s. Today it is mostly Wes Anderson who keeps her employed.
- John and Joan Cusack. This brother-sister team has workedtogether on screen more than any other - ten features as of this writing. Joan has always seemedcontent to play second fiddle to her little brother, though she's certainly done all right forherself. (Oldest sister Ann Cusack is also a busy actor, if not a household name like hersiblings.)
- David, Rosanna and Patricia Arquette. Most of actor LewisArquette's children followed in the old man's footsteps, but these three have earned the biggeststardom, even if we don't hear a whole lot from any of them anymore. They've still gone further than this list's runners-up, including Dick and Joyce Van Patten, Giovanni and Marisa Ribisi, Tim and Tyne Daly, and Marc and Lori Singer.
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