By Wonderwall.com Editors
11:01am PST, Feb 16, 2023
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Let's be honest. Having an older sibling who's über-famous when you're not would be a total bummer. Sure, you'd probably be able to tag along to some super-cool parties and get tons of free swag, but it's also pretty likely you'd never reach the same level of stardom. Luckily for some celeb siblings, their rise to fame has been the same (or close!). In honor of Elizabeth Olsen's 34th birthday on Feb. 16, 2023, Wonderwall.com is taking a look at some of the most famous younger siblings…
Before Elizabeth Olsen surpassed her petite child star-turned-fashion designer twin sisters, Mary-Kate Olsen and Ashley Olsen, in height, the actress — who first made her mark starring in the 2011 indie hit "Martha Marcy May Marlene" — had access to one of Hollywood's most coveted closets. "For two years, I didn't buy anything. I've had this [huge gray faux-fur jacket] for two years. It was a sample from The Row that never got made. But even as a little kid, our parents made us go through our closets so often, so I had all their hand-me-downs," Elizabeth once told ASOS magazine. These days, Elizabeth is as famous as her sisters -after making a major name for herself starring as Wanda Maximoff, aka the Scarlet Witch, in "Avengers" movie and TV franchises.
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From Dallas to Hollywood, the Simpson sisters have always been close! Jessica Simpson might have started out as the famous one thanks to a pop music career and MTV's "Newlyweds," but Ashlee was able to piggyback on her sister's early fame and launch a successful music career and MTV reality TV show too. Now both sisters are married with families.
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And the cutest siblings award goes to… Beanie Feldstein and Jonah Hill! While big bro Jonah has appeared in many well-known flicks like "Superbad," "21 Jump Street," "This Is the End," "Moneyball" and "The Wolf of Wall Street," younger sister Beanie has also established herself as an exceptional actress in recent years. Beanie's garnered praise for her work in movies like "Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising," "Lady Bird" and "Booksmart," on shows like "What We Do in the Shadows" and on Broadway in "Funny Girl." While chatting with one another for Interview Magazine, Jonah said to his sister, "You can be a perfectionist, but you handle it with grace. I'm excited to see you explore that."
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Miley Cyrus isn't the only gifted singer in her family. Baby sister Noah Cyrus has made a name for herself too: In 2021, Noah was nominated for best new artist at the Grammys! Her track "Young & Sad" chronicles her struggle with growing up in the "Midnight Sky" singer's shadow. "It was absolutely unbearable," Noah said on Instagram Live of growing up with Miley as a big sister. "And that's why I write, 'My sister's like sunshine / Always bringing good light wherever she'll go / And I was born to rain clouds / Blessed in her shadows.' Because that's why everybody always says to me, that no matter what, I was going to be in that shadow. And I always believed that, and that's so hard for me to overcome."
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Stunning siblings Gigi Hadid and Bella Hadid are two of the biggest names in fashion. In today's modeling world, which is dominated by celebrity offspring, Bella and her big sister have very clearly made a lane for themselves. They frequently walk runways together and are staples during the biggest shows during fashion weeks around the world.
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Jason Bateman is the younger brother of actress Justine Bateman. While Justine, who's three years older, has appeared on shows including "Family Ties," "Desperate Housewives" and "Californication," her younger brother found even greater fame thanks to his early work on shows like "Little House on the Prairie," "Silver Spoons" and "Valerie" plus the movie sequel "Teen Wolf Too," which led to even more high-profile projects later on like "Arrested Development" (for which he earned a Golden Globe) and the Netflix drama "Ozark" (for which he won a best directing Emmy).
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Joan Cusack and younger brother John Cusack are no strangers to acting on screen together — they've appeared in a whopping 10 films together including "Sixteen Candles," "Broadcast News," "Say Anything…," "Cradle Will Rock," "High Fidelity" and "Martian Child." In 2017 at the Salt Lake Comic Convention, Joan spoke of how they're "always trying to find some way to jerry-rig something" or "finagle something else" so they can be on set with one another. "I'd say she's always good in everything," John said of his big sister. "Seriously! I think it's true!"
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Cool girl Willow Smith is the younger sister of actor-musician Jaden Smith. From hitting red carpets and attending fashion shows together around the globe (as seen here in Paris), the Smith siblings are as close as they are stylish. "We're like binary stars, like two parts of one thing," Willow told Teen Vogue of her relationship with her brother, who also counts stars Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith as parents. "I know what he's thinking at all times. And he knows what I'm thinking. We're not identical twins, but it feels like that in a lot of ways."
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It's long been clear that Prince Harry has stepped out from the shadow of big brother Prince William. Seven years after his big bro tied the knot in 2011, Harry wed Meghan Markle in 2018. Harry and Duchess Meghan stepped down as senior working royals in 2020 and moved to Southern California where the "Spare" author has forged his own path separate from William as he continues with his own charity work and explores Hollywood and beyond thanks to deals with Netflix, Spotify and more.
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Elle Fanning, little sis to Dakota Fanning, is also a stellar actress! From her big-screen debut as the adorable little kid in "I Am Sam" — she played a younger version of Dakota's character — to her more recent roles on Hulu's "The Great" and "The Girl from Plainville," Elle has become a superstar in her own right.
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He might be one-third (and the youngest member) of the Jonas Brothers, but Nick Jonas is no tiny star. While big bro Kevin Jonas starred on the reality show "Married to Jonas" with wife Danielle and middle brother Joe Jonas found success with his pop band DNCE, Nick also branched off into his own independent ventures, including a solo music and acting career, and when the family band split up in 2013. Fortunately for fans, they've all been back in action since 2019 and doing better than ever.
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It can't be easy to have famous parents like Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell, but Oliver Hudson also has a famous younger sister to contend with! We've all loved Kate Hudson since she stole the show in "Almost Famous" and showed us her rom-com bonafides in "How To Lose A Guy in 10 Days," but we also adore the great relationship she has with her brother. The two actors have a special bond, especially as they both had a strained relationship with their biological father, musician Bill Hudson. In 2019, they launched their own podcast together, "Sibling Revelry."
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Solange hasn't had the same success as Beyonce, but her big sis made sure Solange never felt second best! "My sister was very protective of me, and we were very sweet with each other," Solange once told the London Evening Standard. "I'm sure if we were closer in age we wouldn't have gotten along so great." After winning her first Grammy in 2017, Solange has continued to step out of her sister's shadow in the music world. An artist in her own right, Solange also launched her creative agency, Saint Heron, in 2013.
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How do you strengthen a brotherly bond in Hollywood? If you're the Affleck brothers, by working together. Not only was Casey Affleck cast in a supporting role in "Good Will Hunting," which big bro Ben co-starred in and co-wrote with Matt Damon. He also played a private investigator in Ben's directing debut, "Gone Baby Gone."
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Unhealthy rivalry between siblings can cause a nasty divide. But luckily for sisters Rooney Mara and Kate Mara, they'll never have to worry about that happening. When Rooney was asked by Entertainment Weekly if there was any competition between her and her older sister, the actress responded, "No, because we're so different. I was going out for things completely different from her. We're so different we would never be up for the same part. I never felt anything but support from her. It's nice to have someone who can relate, who you can honestly talk to and has your back."
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They haven't appeared on the big screen together since "Donnie Darko" in 2001, but one thing is for certain: Jake Gyllenhaal and big sister Maggie Gyllenhaal are super-close siblings. Not only have they been spotted together on the red carpet, but they've been known to spend quality time together when they're not working too.
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Derek Hough and Julianne Hough both shot to fame as professional dancers on "Dancing With the Stars," but the siblings have both made a name for themselves independently too. While Derek might be older, Julianne has leveraged her fame to launch a clothing line and acting, singing and hosting careers. No matter what though, these two will always be brother and sister! "We're lucky that we get to spend that much time together and that we don't completely drive each other crazy. There are moments — trust me! — because he's a creative and off in la la land, and I'm a little more structured," Julianne once told AOL.com.
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Keeping up with the Jenners? Are there any younger siblings more famous than Kendall Jenner and Kylie Jenner? The supermodel and the beauty mogul might have been born into a pop culture dynasty, but they have certainly made their own empires too. Between ad campaigns and selling out lip kits, few younger siblings have been able to capture the public's fascination like KJ (x2).
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During an interview with late night host Jimmy Kimmel, Zooey Deschanel revealed how older sister Emily Deschanel used to scare the bejeezus out of her when she was a little kid. "Emily's four years older, which is a very vulnerable amount of years. Because when I was 3, she was 7, and she was already evil," Zooey said. "She basically just used the plot of 'Invasion of the Body Snatchers' to terrify me and [it was] a very over-the-top performance, might I add. The Neptunians had killed my real sister and replaced her with a facsimile who looked just like her, talked just like her, but when my parents weren't in the room, made crazy faces at me and talked like Vicki from 'Small Wonder.'" The two sisters have come a long way since those days, and both have carved out lucrative careers in Hollywood.
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Living in the shadow of one of the most prolific actors in Hollywood sounds like a major drawback, but James Franco and Dave Franco's relationship seems to have found the right balance of light-hearted competitiveness and genuine affection. While James is known for his varied acting and directing portfolio, Dave has made his mark in the comedy sphere and with his marriage to actress Alison Brie. But having a famous big bro wasn't always a great thing for Dave, as he mentioned during a press conference at CinemaCon in 2016: "For most young actors, you go into an audition, you fall on your face, you do a horrible job and the casting directors don't remember you. But for me, it was like I was doing that same thing but everyone's like, mental note: James Franco's little brother sucks. So it was almost like a bigger hurdle to overcome in a way." In 2017, they shared the screen in "The Disaster Artist," which earned James a best actor Golden Globe and an Academy Award nomination for best adapted screenplay.
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There's no denying that the Hemsworth brothers are hot! But did these two Aussie hunks get along when they were kids? Doesn't sound like it. During an appearance on Conan O'Brien's late night show, younger bro Liam Hemsworth once said of growing up with Chris Hemsworth: "I don't know why my grandpa thought it was a good idea to give little kids a proper throwing knife, but he gave it to us… You could throw it into a tree and it would stick in the tree. I threw it at his head when I was about 8 and the handle hit him in the head." But that's not all. Liam also revealed, "We had a fist fight one time… and my mum tried to break it up and she got her finger broken. That was kinda like the low point of our fighting." Whoa! Happy to see these scrappy siblings have put their rivalry aside.
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You would think that having a sister who's the Princess of Wales and will one day become Britain's queen would cause some jealous tension between siblings. But for Pippa Middleton and big sis Princess Kate, that's not the case — these two sisters have always been super-close. Pippa was Kate's maid of honor, after all! And Kate was there when Pippa walked down the aisle in 2017.
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While actress big sis Lindsay Lohan was causing trouble in Los Angeles, Ali Lohan was launching a modeling career abroad. Ali has since tried her hand at a career in music as well. These two — who were once joined at the hip — keep in constant contact even when they're in different countries. Lindsay even flew to the States from her home in Dubai in February 2023 to support Ali when she walked the runway during New York Fashion Week.
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The Hilton sisters originally captured the public's fascination back in the '00s. Not only did they grow up in the lap of luxury, but since then, they've maintained their close-knit sibling bond. How times have changed! Little sister Nicky Hilton, while always less famous, has gone on to marry into the fabulously wealthy and exclusive Rothschild family, while Paris Hilton has turned her party-girl image into a billion-dollar empire. Not too bad for the originators of the "famous for being famous" set!
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While Hilary Duff and Haylie Duff have appeared in a couple of movies together, Hilary's star has always been brighter since she starred on the series "Lizzie McGuire" as a kid. Today, both sisters have families yet still make time for one another. "We really don't push advice on each other anymore. We really focus on just being there for each other," Haylie once told E! News.
