19 Parents Of Famous Names Who Had More Interesting Lives Than Their Kids

14. Richard Branson

Richard Branson is a famous adventurer and humanitarian, who is also the billionaire CEO of the Virgin Group, which includes Virgin Atlantic, Virgin Records, and now, even LEGO.

His father, Edward Branson, served in a tank in WWII where he traveled across North Africa, the Levant, and, eventually, Europe. While in North Africa, he worked with famed American Egyptologist George Reisner as his assistant on digs. After the war, he became a lawyer.

15. Glenn Close

Glenn Close is an American actress who has received six Academy Award nominations and has won numerous Emmys, Tonys, and Golden Globes.

In 1960s, William Close was a surgeon working in the former country of Zaire in the Congo. He had been there during the Congolese revolution where he befriended the future dictator of Zaire, Mobutu Sese Seko. It was through this relationship that Close came to be in charge of the largest hospital in the nation. During the 1976 Ebola outbreak in Zaire that threatened to engulf the nation, Close coordinated supplies, and quarantine efforts and prevented the disease from spreading widely.

16. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is a former WWE professional wrestler turned actor who has appeared The Fast And Furious franchise.

Professional wrestling was a family business for Dwayne. His father, Rocky Johnson, was a descendant of the Black Nova Scotians, a group of Black American Loyalists who fled the United States during the Revolutionary War to gain freedom in Canada. Rocky wrestled in the National Wrestling Alliance and then the WWF where he, and his partner Tony Atlas, became the first Black tag team to win a title. In 1970, Rocky married Ata Maivia, Dwayne’s mother, the daughter of Peter Maivia, a Samoan professional wrestler, and a member of the famed Anoa’i wrestling family.

17. Mariska Hargitay

Mariska Hargitay, the actress best known for her portrayal of Officer Olivia Benson on the TV cop drama Law & Order: SVU comes from a unique Hollywood dynasty.

Mickey Hargitay grew up in Budapest, Hungary where he was in an acrobatic act with his family and fought against the fascist Hungarian government. After moving to the U.S., he worked his way up from plumber to bodybuilder after seeing a magazine cover of Steve Reeves. He became Mr. Universe in 1955 and joined Mae West’s muscleman revue at New York’s Latin Quarter, where he met Jayne Mansfield.

Jayne was a Hollywood sex symbol of the 50s and 60s. She was an actress, singer, nightclub entertainer, and early Playboy Playmate. She appeared in a number of celebrated movies and was even the first major American actress to have a nude starring role in a Hollywood motion picture.

18. Jackie Chan

Jackie Chan is a world-renowned martial artist, stuntman, actor, and director from Hong Kong who has started in movies across the globe.

His father, Charles Chan, was joined the Chinese Nationalist Army when he was 20. He was captured and imprisoned by the Japanese during WWII but used his family’s political connections to escape and become an agent for the Nationalists. After the Communists defeated the Nationalists in the Chinese Civil War, Charles fled to Shanghai, where he assumed a different name. It was there that he met Jackie’s mother, Lee-Lee Chan.

Lee-Lee Chan was from Wuhan, China and had a first husband who was killed during a Japanese air raid in WWII. Destitute, and with Japanese forces advancing towards the city, Lee-Lee fled to Shanghai. There, she began importing opium and gambling to support herself. One day, when she was bringing opium through a port, she was caught by Charles, who was working as an inspector in Shanghai at the time. He was going to turn her in but hesitated when she saw she was wearing a blue flower, which meant that she had lost family in the war. After hearing her story, he gave her back the opium, and the two became friends. They married shortly after, and they moved to Hong Kong to further avoid the communist government.

19. Kanye West

Kanye West is a rapper and producer who has become one of the biggest Hip Hop stars of his generation.

Kanye’s father, Ray West, was also a creative force. West was one of the first Black photojournalists in the country. While working for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, West took striking photos of sports, politics, and daily life.