Acting Dynasties: Generations of Performers

Clifford Arquette was a hard working radio personality throughout his early career. He worked on multiple shows in the Chicago area, and performed on stage into the 1950's. His most well known character was Charley Weaver, a caricature of a hapless farmer. Arquette made appearances on many different television shows including the Tonight Show as the character Charley Weaver. He is the grandfather of Rosanna, Patricia, and David Arquette.

Lewis Arquette was Clifford Arquette's son. He acted in a variety of roles, often taking voice acting jobs for the English dubbed versions of Japanese cartoons. He is also a television and movie actor. Sadly he died in 2001.

Granddaughter of Clifford Arquette, Rosanna Arquette started acting at a young age, and is still going strong. In the 1980's she co-starred in After Hours (1985), and Desperately Seeking Susan (1985). Throughout the 90's, she found work as a character actor, and more recently worked in television, co-starring in The L Word.

Fun fact: She was in the running for the role of Sarah Connor in Terminator (1984)... it would have been different, to say the least.

Sister to Rosanna Arquette and David Arquette, Patricia Arquette may be the most famous in the family. She gained notoriety when she co-starred in Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987). She had success as a leading actress in True Romance (1993), Beyond Rangoon (1995), and Stigmata (1998). She also played the lead character in the television series Medium (2005).

David Arquette is known for his role as Dewey in the Scream franchise. His talent for adding a comedic edge to his roles has served him well over the years. In the tabloids, he is probably most recognized for his marriage (and subsequent break-up) with Courtney Cox.

There isn't much I could say about Klaus Kinski that you have not already heard. Unstable, erratic, insane... He was a workaholic, appearing in more movies than I care to count.


I had some stuff written here about Klaus Kinski's personal life, but it seems I know less about it than I thought. So, skipping over allegations of abuse towards family members, here he is with his daughter, Nastassja Kinski.

Fun fact: Crazy Klaus Kinski was fucking crazy, and proud of it.

A successful model, actress, and beautiful woman. I could write volumes about just how beautiful she is, but suffice to say, her amazing looks could strike a man dead with desire. And her ability to portray characters with a sense of emotional depth allowed her to play more complex roles than your average 'pretty girl' movie roles. She starred in Tess (1979), Paris, Texas (1984), Faraway, So Close! (1993) and around 45 other movies. She seems to have developed her father's work ethic, while managing to avoid inheriting her father's looks.


In 1986, Nastassja gave birth to her daughter Sonja Kinski.

Sonja Kinski is the beautiful daughter of Nastassja Kinski. She seems to have put more energy into her modeling career than her acting. She followed in her mother's footsteps, and became a model in her teens. Sonja has appeared in two movies, and modeled for the video game Left 4 Dead.

Older brother Lionel Barrymore was the consummate character actor of the 1930's and 40's. He has appeared in over 120 films, in both lead and supporting roles.

His most famous role was that of the evil businessman Mr. Potter in Frank Capra's 'It's A Wonderful Life' (1946). He also appeared in Key Largo (1948), and Captains Courageous (1937). Severe arthritis slowed Lionel Barrymore down, but he kept working until his death in 1954 at the age of 76.

Fun Fact: Lionel Barrymore was an accomplished graphic artist, and composer. He has many published musical compositions.

Ethel Barrymore is the middle child of the classic Hollywood Barrymore generation. She was a musician turned actress, beginning her career on the stage. In her later years, she often played supporting roles, mothers and aunts to younger stars. Her characters were often strong, outspoken and intelligent. Her more famous roles include None But the Lonely Heart (1944), The Farmer's Daughter (1947), and Potrait of Jennie (1948).

Fun Fact: She supposedly turned down a proposal of marriage by Winston Churchill. Ethel Barrymore was clearly a picky woman.

John Barrymore's parents were both successful stage actors. John tried his hand at being a professional artist, but eventually began acting in musicals and plays. He did great dramatic works, playing the title character in Hamlet. Moving to film, John Barrymore gained widespread fame. His excellent portrayal of character in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1920) and Sherlock Holmes (1922) are amazing to watch.


Unfortunately for John Barrymore, he became an alcoholic later in his career. Substance abuse would plague his family through the generations. He suffered from years of alcoholism, and died at the age of 60.

Not so fun fact: John Barrymore's daughter, actress Diana Barrymore, died at the age of 38, after years of alcohol and drug abuse.

John Drew Barrymore was the son of John Barrymore.


John Drew Barrymore had a brief film career that began in the 1950's. His reputation for getting in trouble didn't help him land many roles. He struggled with alcoholism and drug abuse (I know, we're gonna be hearing that a lot in this section) which led to multiple arrests during his career. In the 1960's and 70's, he appeared in guest roles in television shows.

Not so fun fact: John Drew Barrymore lived out the later years of his life estranged from his family, sleeping in a remote wooded area. He lived as a hobo, and likely never recovered from alcoholism. He died at the age of 72.

Drew Barrymore has been acting in movies since the age of five. She was quite successful as a child actor.


During her early years, she had her struggles with substance abuse, much of which was publicized in the 1990's. Despite her past problems, she has had a very steady career, acting in movies almost every year. She has appeared in around 60 movies, and does not appear to be retiring any time soon.

Fun Fact: She was offered the lead role of Sidney in Scream (1996) but turned it down in order to play Casey, who was killed in the opening scene.

Rosemary Clooney was an actress, most known for her role in White Christmas (1954).

Rosemary Clooney was a singer in her early years, and eventually worked as an actress/singer. Her only famous movie role was that of Betty Hanes in White Christmas, with Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, and Vera Ellen. She had success as a singer, with many television performances.

In 1953 she married actor José Ferrer.

José Ferrer was a talented stage actor, playing Cyrano in Cyrano de Bergerac in the 40's and 50's.

In addition, he co-starred in many movies, including Joan of Arc (1948), The Caine Mutiny (1954), Lawrence of Arabia (1962), and Dune (1984). He also landed a lot of guest spots on television shows, getting steady work as an actor most of his life.

During his marriage to Rosemary Clooney, the couple had five children. The oldest of these was Miguel Ferrer, born in 1955.

Fun Fact: José Ferrer won both a Tony Award and an Oscar for his portrayal of Cyrano in Cyrano de Bergerac. It was his most well known and beloved role.

The son of Rosemary Clooney and José Ferrer, Miguel Ferrer is a television, movie, and voice actor. He co-starred in Star Trek III (1984), Robocop (1987), The Stand (1994), and played Dr. Garret Macey in the popular television series Crossing Jordan (2001).

Fun Fact: He's also a regular actor of Stephen King movies and miniseries, appearing in three of his adapted works - The Stand, The Shining (1997), and The Night Flier (1997).

Miguel Ferrer, mentioned above, is George Clooney's cousin. Supposedly it was Miguel Ferrer that helped George Clooney land his first acting role (as an extra) in the 1982 movie And They Are Off. It's some movie about horses and shit, but the rest is history.

He got the role of Ace in the television series E/R in 1984 (no, not the same show as ER, which he co-starred in 1994... confusing, isn't it?)

After only a couple of seasons in ER, George Clooney had become a star and a sex symbol. A lot of women wished they could trade places with Julianna Margulies.


I don't really need to name off George Clooney's movie roles to you. You probably watched all of his famous roles. He's also begun to direct movies as well, so it's likely he's going to stay in the biz for a long time.

Ingrid Bergman was an international movie star in the 1940's. She played lead roles in Casablanca (1942), For Whom the Bell Tolls (1943), Spellbound (1945), Notorious (1946), and Joan of Arc (1948).


In 1950 she starred in the movie Stromboli (1950). It was written and directed by Roberto Rossellini, and soon Rossellini and Bergman had a love affair. Sounds like a movie in and of itself.


In 1952, Ingrid Bergman gave birth to Isabella Rossellini, the subject of our next item.


Fun fact: Ingrid Bergman had four children. Three with Roberto Rossellini, and one with her previous husband Dr. Lindström.

On the left is Isabella Rossellini, the second to the left is probably Roberto Ingmar Rosselini, second to the right is Isotta Rosselini, and on the right is Pia Lindström

Isabella Rosselini had some serious shoes to fill when she began her modeling and acting career. Although she had a very different career than her mother, Isabella Rossellini will be remembered for her talent and her beauty.


Isabella Rossellini is a famous model and actress. Her career was different than her mother before her. She often took eccentric roles, and supporting roles. She appeared in Blue Velvet (1986), Wild At Heart (1990), Death Becomes Her (1992), Immortal Beloved (1994) and The Odyssey (1997).

Fun Fact: She was married to Martin Scorcese for three years. She was also in a relationship with David Lynch, and the two of them were engaged for four years.

Eric Roberts started acting on the stage at a young age. He also appeared as a guest star in Soap Operas. His career gained momentum in the 1980's, starring in Star 80 (1983), The Pope of Greenwich Village (1984), and Nobody's Fool (1986). He was attractive, charming and talented as an actor.


Problems with substance abuse have hurt his relationships with his family, and also made it difficult to secure good movie roles. However, Eric Roberts seemed to be willing to take on any role, no matter how obscure, or low budget. As a result, he has starred in over 100 movies. His biggest recent movie appearances were in the movies Dark Knight (2008) and The Expendables (2010).

Fun Fact: Eric Roberts and Kelly Cunningham had a daughter by the name of Emma Roberts in 1991.

Julia Roberts is one of the most famous and successful actresses of the last twenty years.

She has appeared in Steel Magnolias (1989), Flatliners (1990), Sleeping With the Enemy (1991), Michael Collins (1996), Notting Hill (1999) and way too many big money making movies to count. She has had a very steady career, and is still in demand as a lead actress.

Fun Fact: She turned down the lead role in the movie Shakespeare in Love. Clearly she has more class and discernment than I had previously given her credit for.

Emma Roberts was born in 1991 to Eric Roberts and Kelly Cunningham.

She worked as a child actor in the movie Blow (2001), and starred in the Television series Unfabulous (2004). She has co-starred in a number of movies over the last three years, and people are talking about her being the next big thing, whatever that means. If IMDB is correct, she's attending college for a degree in literature.

Marion Morrison (his real name) was a USC football player in college. He eventually started working as a set hand on a film set, where he met legendary director John Ford. I'm not gonna say the rest is history, but you can say it yourself at home if you need to.

John Wayne had the rugged good looks of a strong and deliberate man. He starred in many Westerns, including Stagecoach and The Searchers. He got the nickname Duke, and in real life he was a hard drinking, fist fighting, no nonsense ass kicker.

Some of his most famous movies are Fort Apache (1948), The Quiet Man (1952), The Alamo (1960), The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962), True Grit (1969) and The Shootist (1979).

In 1939 his then wife Josephine Alicia Saenz gave birth to Patrick Wayne.

Patrick Wayne started acting as a child in Rio Grande (1950). He co-starred in nine movies with his father John Wayne.


Patrick Wayne did more television acting than his father did, making guest appearances in many popular shows. He also starred in my favorite Sinbad movie, Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger (1977).

Not so fun fact: Patrick Wayne was offered the role of Superman in the 1978 version that eventually starred Christopher Reeve. Patrick Wayne couldn't commit to the role because of his father's progressive cancer. His father John Wayne died of cancer in 1979.

Lloyd Bridges ditched his father's plans for his career in law and pursued a career in acting. He acted on the stage at first, and eventually landed some bit parts in the late 30's and early 40's. The biggest role of his younger years was that of Deputy Marshall Harvey Pell in High Noon (1952).


After doing a lot of television and movie work as a supporting actor, Lloyd Bridges starred in the television series Sea Hunt (1958). He also co-starred in Airplane! (1979), a highly successful comedic spoof movie. He also co-starred in Hot Shots!, a similar spoof movie, this time centered around fighter pilots. Many of Lloyd Bridges later work was comedic, and he seemed to have a great talent for comedy.


His son Beau Bridges was born in 1941. His youngest son Jeff Bridges was born in 1949.

Beau Bridges started acting seriously in the 1960's. He stopped going to college to pursue acting full time, and like his father, was a workaholic. He appeared in many television series as a guest star throughout the 60's and 70's. He gained notoriety when he co-starred with Sally Field in Norma Rae (1979).

In 1989, Beau Bridges and his younger brother Jeff Bridges starred in The Fabulous Baker Boys opposite Michelle Pfeiffer.

Beau Bridges has worked steadily to the present day, and recently co-starred on the last two seasons of the television series Stargate.


Fun fact: Beau Bridges starred in the pilot episode of the 1990's version of The Outer Limits (1995) with his father Lloyd Bridges and his son Dylan Bridges.

Jeff Bridges began acting in television roles. His first big movie appearance was in The Last Picture Show (1971) with young actors Timothy Buttons and Cybil Shepherd.

Jeff Bridges has made good appearances as lead and supporting actors. His credentials include Fat City (1972), TRON (1982), Starman (1984), The Fabulous Baker Boys (1989), The Fisher King (1991), Fearless (1993), and The Big Lebowski (1998). Of the three Bridges that were professional actors, Jeff Bridges is the most famous. He is still acting, and is also a professional musician.

Jeff Bridges pictured with his father, Lloyd Bridges. LLoyd Bridges died in 1998.

Jon Voight had to slug it out as a journeyman in the 1960's, making many guest appearances in television shows. His big breakout film, Midnight Cowboy (1969) solidified his status as a pretty boy and talented actor.

He went on to co-star in Deliverance (1972), Conrack (1974), The Odessa File (1974), Coming Home (1978), Heat (1995), and Mission Impossible (1996).

In his old age, he has still played memorable roles, including The Manchurian Candidate (2004), National Treasure (2004), and The Five People You Meet In Heaven (2004).


During his marriage to Marcheline Bertrand, he had a daughter named Angelina Jolie Voight. She's the one at the bottom of the picture.

Angelina Jolie studied acting from a young age at the Lee Strasburg Theatre Institute. In her teens, pursued a modeling career.


She gained notice when she appeared in Hackers (1995).

She went on to appear in Gia (1998), Girl, Interrupted (1999), The Bone Collector (1999), Original Sin (2001), Mr. and Mrs. Smith (2005), and Salt (2010).

There's really nothing I can tell you about Angelina Jolie that you don't already know. Her fame has eclipsed her father's fame, and she has recently made the move to film making.

Kirk Douglas is one of the most famous actors of the golden era of Hollywood. He has acted opposite Hollywood's biggest stars and leading ladies. According to his bio, he's a hard driving self-made man.


He is also known as a great friend to many actors, and a complex and talented actor with many dimensions. He has had a very diverse acting career, playing historical figures, boxers, musicians, soldiers, and cowboys.


His most famous roles include The Bad and the Beautiful (1952), Lust for Life (1955), Paths of Glory (1957), Spartacus (1960), Lonely Are the Brave (1962), and Seven Days in May (1964).


In 1944, Kirk Douglas' son Michael was born.

Michael Douglas decided to become an actor in his teens, but didn't see real success until he co-starred with Karl Malden in the television series "The Streets of San Francisco" (1972).


His career took off in the 1980's, and Michael Douglas went on to star in The Star Chamber (1983), Romancing the Stone (1984), The Jewel of the Nile (1985), Fatal Attraction (1987), Wall Street (1987), and War of the Roses (1989).


Michael Douglas also starred in Basic Instinct (1992), Falling Down (1993), The American President (1995), The Game (1997), and Traffic (2000). He has became a very different movie star than his father was, taking less heroic roles. This has helped to separate him from his father's image, and allowed him to have staying power in the movie business.


Is this a Fun Fact? Michael Douglas married Catherine Zeta Jones in 2000, an actress 25 years younger than him. Their son Dylan was born in the year 2000. When Dylan turns 20, Michael Douglas will be 76 years old.

James Brolin is a tall, good looking actor that worked mostly in supporting roles. He gained some fame for his role in the television series "Marcus Webley, M.D." as doctor Steven Kiley. In the 70's, he starred in the underground hits The Car (1977), Capricorn One (1977) and The Amityville Horror (1979).

Most of his career has been spent in supporting roles, but that doesn't seem to bother James Brolin at all. He still acts today, and has a career that has spanned over fifty years.


Fun Fact: James Brolin has been married to Barbara Streisand since 1998.

Josh Brolin is the son of James Brolin and Jane Cameron Agee.

If you're an 80's kid like me, you probably remember Josh Brolin as the constantly exercising older brother Brand in The Goonies (1985).

Since then, he has worked as a supporting actor in both television and movies. He seems to have inherited his father's good looks and charm. Of late, he has had success in movies such as No Country For Old Men (2007) and True Grit (2010).


Fun Fact: Josh Brolin has been in relationships with both Minnie Driver and Diane Lane.



Another Fun Fact: Josh Brolin is an avid race car driver, and won the 2000 Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race.

Frederic Tyrone Edmond Power was the grandson of an Irish actor (named Tyrone Power, of course) and son to a concert pianist. This guy had some seriously talented blood flowing through his veins. A well educated and talented young man, he started acting on the stage, and eventually became a character actor in silent movies.

Not so fun fact: Tyrone Power Sr. died right in front of his son of a heart attack in 1931. His son Tyrone was only 17 at the time.

Tyrone Power's father and mother were both actors. The Power family has produced a long line of performers. Tyrone Power was born in 1914, and worked on the stage until he was signed to a contract with 20th Century Fox in 1936.



Tyrone Power is one of the most attractive and iconic actors of all time. He was known in the 40's for his swashbuckling roles, The Mark of Zorro (1940) and Captain from Castille (1947). However, his talent extended to deeper, more emotional roles as well. His work in The Razor's Edge (1946), Nightmare Alley (1947) and Witness for the Prosecution (1957) are often overlooked.

Sadly, Tyrone Power died much like his father before him, amidst work on a very demanding production. He was 44 years old.


Fun Fact? Tyrone Power supposedly had affairs with both Judy Garland and Lana Turner.

Romina Power is the daughter of Tyrone Power and actress Linda Christian. She was born in 1951.


Romina Power's acting career wasn't very well known. She was more famous as a singer in Italy, where she lived for much of her life. She married (and later divorced) a famous singer Albano, and they had a few hits as a duo.

Although Romina Power was never famous in America, she was a household name in Italy throughout the 1970's and 80's.


Not so fun fact: Romina Power's oldest daughter Ylenia Carrisi went missing in New Orleans in 1994. She was never found.

Taryn Power is the younger sister of Romina Power, and daughter to Tyrone Power and Linda Christian.


Taryn Power acted in only a few roles, the most famous being her roles in The Count of Monte Cristo (1975) and Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger (1977).


Fun Fact: Taryn Power was once engaged to Richard Chamberlain, master of the miniseries. He starred in Shogun, The Count of Monte Cristo, and the 1988 version of The Bourne Identity.

Tyrone Power Jr. was actually born two months after his father's death. Tyrone Power's last wife, Deborah Ann Smith, whom he had married in 1958, was pregnant at the time of Tyrone Power's death.


Tyrone Power Jr. appeared in both Cocoon (1985) and Cocoon: The Return (1988). He also acted in a host of other lesser known roles. He is currently the star of a brand new series titled "The Extra" which is in post production.

Fun Fact: In the movie Cocoon, Tyrone Power Jr. played an Antarean (that's an alien for those who haven't seen the movie.) Also playing an Antarean was Tahnee Welch, Raquel Welch's daughter.

John Carradine was a great character actor, spanning multiple eras of film making history.


John Carradine was a stage and movie actor, appearing in movies beginning in the 1930's. Look this guy up in IMDB, and you will be astonished at how many movies he has appeared in. A workaholic in the most extreme sense, he probably lived most of his life on a movie set.

His most famous film appearances are in Captains Courageous (1937), Stagecoach (1939), Drums Along the Mohawk (1940), The Grapes of Wrath (1940), and The House of Dracula (1944).


Fun Fact: John Carradine was pals with actor John Barrymore.

David Carradine is John Carradine's son, born in 1936.

He is the most famous and infamous of the Carradine family. His eccentric nature, in combination with his unusual film roles makes for an interesting, if mysterious character.

David Carradine starred in Bruce Lee's television creation Kung Fu (1972). He also starred in Boxcar Bertha (1972), Death Race 2000 (1975), Circle of Iron (1978), and The Long Riders (1980).

Keith Carradine worked in movies right up until his death. He died under some seriously strange circumstances, that I'm not getting into in this list.

Fun Fact: David Carradine studied music theory and composition in college, and has composed many works of music.

Keith Carradine is the son of John Carradine, and younger half brother of David Carradine.

Keith Carradine started his acting career on Broadway, and soon continued onto movies. In his early career, he appeared in McCabe & Mrs. Miller (1971). He appeared in the TV pilot of Kung Fu in 1972, playing a younger version of his brother. In 1975 he co-starred in Nashville, and ended up getting an oscar for an original composition. In 1977 he co-starred with Harvey Keitel in the Ridley Scott film The Duelists. He also starred opposite Brooke Shields in the film Pretty Baby (1978).

Keith Carradine acted alongside his brothers in the film The Long Riders (1980), a movie about the James and Younger gang.


More recently, Keith Carradine has made guest appearances in many television shows, including Deadwood, Dexter, and Doll House. He also hosted the History Channel show Wild West Tech.


Fun Fact: His daughter, Martha Plimpton, is a veteran actress, with a successful film career in the 1980's, and is currently enjoying successful television work.

The youngest of the acting Carradine brothers, Robert Carradine is sometimes overlooked.

If you love 80's movies, you should be able to recognize him from his iconic role as Lewis from Revenge of the Nerds (1984).


Robert Carradine has made guest appearances in dozens of television shows, and has co-starred in quite a few movies as well. Although his career has gone somewhat under the radar, he has had steady work over the years, and recently produced the reality television series "King of the Nerds".

Ever Carradine is the daughter of Robert Carradine.

Most of Ever Carradine's work is in television. She made appearances in Party of Five, 3rd Rock from the Sun, 24, CSI, and Law and Order: Criminal Intent. More recently, she was a recurring character in the popular show Eureka.

Henry Fonda started his acting career the way most of the people of the older generation on this list. He worked the amateur stage performing circuit, and gained valuable experience before moving onto screen acting in 1935.


Henry Fonda is known for his bright blue eyes, his long lanky appearance, his calm demeanor in films, and his roles as quiet, sophisticated characters. Some of his notable films include Young Mr. Lincoln (1939), The Grapes of Wrath (1940), My Darling Clementine (1947), Fort Apache (1948), The Wrong Man (1956), and 12 Angry Men (1957).


During his marriage to Frances Seymour Brokaw (who sadly died in 1950) the couple gave birth to two children- Jane and Peter Fonda.


Fun Fact: Henry Fonda was good buddies with James Stewart, and the two were roommates during their early years as movie actors.


Fun Rumor: Hard drinking, hard nosed filmmaker John Ford supposedly punched Henry Fonda in the face during the filming of the 1955 film Mister Roberts.

Jane Fonda was born in 1937, to Frances Seymour Brokaw and Henry Fonda.


Jane Fonda didn't begin her acting career until after she had dropped out of college and gained some notoriety as a model, appearing in many well known magazines. Her early roles were designed to showcase her looks, and she didn't gain acclaim for her acting until the 1962 film Period of Adjustment.

Other successful roles include Cat Ballou (1965), Barefoot in the Park (1967), Barbarella (1968), They Shoot Horses, Don't They? (1969), Klute (1971), and Fun With Dick and Jane (1977).


Fun Fact: Jane Fonda passed over the role of Norma Rae in the movie "Norma Rae", which became Sally Field's iconic, oscar winning role. Ouch!

Peter Fonda is Jane Fonda's younger brother. He was born in 1940.

Peter Fonda played mostly in small roles in television and movies in his early career. His fame and notoriety took off with the release of Easy Rider (1969), a movie he wrote, produced, and co-starred with Dennis Hopper and Jack Nicholson.



Peter Fonda is known for his towering height, his peaceful demeanor, and his roles as a counterculture figure. In addition to Easy Rider, he has starred in Dirty Mary Crazy Larry (1974), Wanda Nevada (1979), Ulee's Gold (1997), and 3:10 to Yuma (2007).


In 1964, Peter Fonda and Susan Brewer had a child, Bridget Fonda.

(left:Peter Fonda Right:daughter Bridget Fonda)

Bridget Fonda studied acting at NYU, and began acting steadily in the late 1980's. Some notable film appearances include: Single White Female (1992), Singles (1992), Point of No Return (1993), Rough Magic (1995), Jackie Brown (1997), and Kiss of the Dragon (2001). She has since retired from acting roughly a decade ago.


Fun Fact:
Bridget Fonda is a huge fan of the Evil Dead franchise. She was given a bit part in "Evil Dead III: Army of Darkness" as Ash's girlfriend, Linda.

Donald Sutherland is known for his towering height, long face and awesome deep voice. He is an accomplished character actor, appearing in more films and TV shows than most other successful actors.


Donald Sutherland's career started to take off in the 1960's with his memorable supporting roles. Some of his memorable films include The Dirty Dozen (1967), Kelly's Heroes (1970), MASH (1970), Invasion of the Body Snatchers, (1978), The Great Train Robbery (1978), Six Degrees of Separation (1993), Fallen (1998).


Donald Sutherlan has some serious staying power, continuing to appear in movies today (keep in mind he was born in 1935).


In 1966, Donald Sutherland and Shirley Douglas had a son, Kiefer Sutherland.


Fun Fact: Donald Sutherlan was the voice of Volvo commercials for many years. According to his own account, he survived a horrible crash, avoiding serious injury while riding in a Volvo. Since then, he has sworn by their safety and quality.

Kiefer Sutherland is the son of actor Donald Sutherland, and a successful actor in his own right. He has appeared in many movies, and was the star of the successful television series 24.


In 1986, he played a supporting role in the film Stand By Me. Since then, he has appeared in Lost Boys (1987), Young Guns (1988), Flatliners (1990), A Few Good Men (1992), A Time to Kill (1996), and Dark City (1998).


More recently, he starred in the long running TV show 24. His most well known role is probably that of Jack Bauer, field agent of CTU.

He is currently starring in the television series Touch, which has run for two seasons.


Fun Fact: Kiefer Sutherland's engagement to Julia Roberts was dissolved in 1991 after she ran off with Jason Patric to Europe. Jason Patric was Sutherland's co-star in the movie The Lost Boys, where Sutherland's character lost his girlfriend to Jason Patric's character. Ain't life a bitch?

In addition to appearing on the soundtrack of many American Westerns, Tex Ritter has acted in quite a few of them as well. Not as famous for his acting as he is for his singing voice, Woodward "Tex" Ritter is still a popular figure in the American Western genre.


Tex Ritter's wife Dorothy Fay gave birth to a son, John Ritter in 1948.