Top 10 Actors Who Surpassed Their Older Sibling's Fame

#10: Kieran Culkin

One of the most famous child stars who’s ever lived, Macaulay Culkin became an overnight sensation following the box office dominance of the enduring Christmas comedy “Home Alone”. Crucially, that film also featured the acting debut of Macaulay’s younger brother Kieran. After years spent as the other Culkin brother, Kieran’s career blew up in a big way in 2018, the direct result of his performance as the despicable Roman Roy on HBO’s “Succession”. After two nominations, Kieran finally won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series at the award show’s 75th instalment in 2024. All doubt that Kieran remained in his brother’s shadow was erased after his Best Supporting Actor Oscar win for director Jesse Eisenberg’s “A Real Pain”.

#9: Dave Franco

Born the third and youngest son of Douglas and Betsy Franco, Dave’s older brother James had a multi-year headstart on his acting career. First making a name for himself as loveable rascal Daniel Desario on the short-lived cult sitcom “Freaks and Geeks”, James rose to worldwide fame via Sam Raimi’s “Spider-Man” films and his frequent collaborations with comic actor Seth Rogen. However, just after directing Dave and himself in “The Disaster Artist”, misconduct allegations against James forced him to go on hiatus from the spotlight. In the meantime, Dave has been putting the work into becoming a bona fide leading man, with his leading role in the body horror film “Together” — alongside his real-life wife Alison Brie — earning rave reviews.

#8: Charlie Sheen

The actor born Carlos Estévez hails from a revered acting dynasty, featuring his father Martin Sheen, mother Janet Templeton, and crucially, his older brother Emilio. Both sons followed Martin into the acting business, but Emilio earned a significant leg up in 1983 in the wake of his starring role in Francis Ford Coppola’s “The Outsiders”. While he followed that up with the successful ‘80s coming-of-age films “The Breakfast Club” and “St. Elmo’s Fire”, the elder Estevez brother struggled to maintain his momentum, outside of the “Mighty Ducks” comedy franchise. Meanwhile, despite his well-documented history of controversial behavior, Charlie quickly established himself as a superstar with leading roles in both film and television. In fact, he was at one point the highest-paid actor on TV!

#7: Ray J

We’re probably all thinking the same thing when it comes to what William Ray “Ray J” Norwood Jr. is best known for. His infamous connection to Kim Kardashian and subsequent notoriety aside, it’s easy to forget who Ray J’s older sister is. That would be R&B icon Brandy, whose 1993 self-titled debut album became a smash hit. Brandy parlayed that album’s massive success into a triumphant, multimillion-selling recording career. However, some time in the mid-2000s, that career cooled considerably — shortly before “Kim Kardashian, Superstar” thrust her brother back into the spotlight in a major way. While the infamy from that adult film was relatively short-lived, it did provide Ray J with a platform… at least, for a time.

#6: Elle Fanning

The younger Fanning’s shared history with her older sister Dakota runs deep — so deep, in fact, that Elle played a younger version of Dakota’s character in “I Am Sam” as her feature debut. Dakota was everywhere in the early to mid-2000s, an obvious choice whenever Hollywood needed to cast a precocious little girl. Elle overtook Dakota some time in the early 2010s, particularly after a starring role in J.J. Abrams’ sci-fi thriller “Super 8”. Elle followed up “Super 8” with a rapid-fire succession of collaborations with renowned auteur filmmakers. This impressive stretch culminated in a major supporting role in James Mangold’s Bob Dylan biopic “A Complete Unknown”, as well as being cast as a young Effie Trinket in “The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping”.

#5: Zooey Deschanel

Largely credited as the inspiration for the word “adorkable”, Deschanel has much more to offer, like formidable comedic chops and, believe it or not, indie music cred. It’s hard to know where to even start: landing roles in such instant classics as “Almost Famous” and “Elf”, Deschanel’s true breakthrough was the Fox sitcom “New Girl”. However, she wasn’t the first member of the Deschanel family to lead a show on Fox. That honor belongs to her older sister Emily, who portrayed Dr. Temperance Brennan on the hit police procedural “Bones”, alongside David Boreanaz. While “Bones” became Fox’s longest-running one-hour drama, we’d have to argue that Zooey’s fame has largely eclipsed Emily’s.

#4: Rooney Mara

In a 2010 interview with New York State’s Journal News, the younger Mara sister reflected on her initial hesitance to pursue acting as a career, musing that “it never seemed that honorable to me, and I guess I was always afraid that I might fail”. Of course, this was prior to her small but pivotal role in David Fincher’s Oscar-winning Mark Zuckerberg biopic “The Social Network” — and her own Oscar-nominated role in the director’s adaptation of “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”. What you might not know, though, is that Rooney was following in the footsteps of her older sister Kate, who’s best known for her roles on the small screen in series like “House of Cards”, “A Teacher”, “American Horror Story”, and “Pose”.

#3: Elizabeth Olsen

It’s hard to argue that Olsen benefited significantly from her proximity to ‘90s icons Mary-Kate and Ashley. However, since making her feature film debut in the psychological thriller “Martha Marcy May Marlene”, Olsen has beaten the “nepo baby” allegations through sheer talent and acting ability. Besides, while her siblings made their bones off of starring in film and television from a young age, they both made the choice to give it up in the early 2010s. While a comeback is never off the table, we’ll focus on Elizabeth’s sterling work in a wide variety of films for now.

#2: Mark Wahlberg

We’ll give you a moment to collect yourself as you realize that this ‘90s banger was rapped by none other than a pre-“Boogie Nights” Wahlberg. Now that that’s out of the way, it may not be as much of a surprise when you realize who the Oscar nominee’s older brother is: Donnie Wahlberg, whom you’ll remember from the iconic boy band New Kids on the Block. Mark even joined his brother in the group… albeit for only a few months before he quit to focus on his solo career. While Donnie has pursued acting on and off in the years since, Mark has since become one of the biggest leading men on the planet.

#1: Julia Roberts

Emerging in the late ‘80s to become arguably the most famous person of the era, Roberts’ performance in the comedy “Pretty Woman” is what truly launched her in the stratosphere. With that in mind, Roberts’ older brother Eric had, by this point, already established himself as no slouch in the acting department, either. In fact, for his supporting role in the ‘80s action thriller “Runaway Train”, the elder Roberts sibling was nominated for an Academy Award. Eric’s career has, in the years since, taken several interesting and surprising turns, becoming one of the most prolific actors of all time in the process. At the end of the day, though, Julia’s name undoubtedly carries greater cultural cache.

Which sibling duo on our list is your favorite? Are there any we missed? Be sure to let us know in the comments below!