Hollywood has always been fascinated by famous families. But every so often, a new generation appears and the resemblance to an iconic grandparent is so striking that fans immediately take notice.
Some inherited unmistakable eyes or smiles. Others followed their grandparents directly into acting, music or modeling. And a few deliberately chose lives far removed from Hollywood.
From Paul Newman and Elvis Presley to Gregory Peck and Grace Kelly, these six grandchildren carry connections to some of the most recognizable faces of the 20th century — while building identities of their own.
1. Henry Elkind — Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward’s Grandson
Few Hollywood actors were as famous for their looks as Paul Newman.
Those piercing blue eyes became almost as legendary as his performances in Cool Hand Luke, The Hustler, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and The Color of Money.
Yet Newman was much more than a movie-star face. Over a career spanning more than half a century, he became one of the most acclaimed actors of his generation and won the Academy Award for Best Actor for The Color of Money. The Nation
His grandson Henry Elkind grew up with that extraordinary legacy.
Henry is the son of Newman and Joanne Woodward’s daughter Melissa “Lissy” Newman and her husband, Raphael Elkind. He has an older brother, Peter. Fame Star
But Henry didn’t simply attempt to become the next Paul Newman.
Instead, he found his own creative world.
He studied Environmental Studies at Hamilton College before pursuing graduate studies in creative media, songwriting and production at Berklee College of Music’s New York City campus. He has subsequently made music under the name Henny the Artist. Fame Star
That makes him an interesting example of how Hollywood legacies evolve.
His grandfather became one of the world’s most recognizable movie stars.
Henry chose music.
And he has maintained considerably more privacy than his famous grandparents ever could.
Paul Newman was also simply “Grandpa”
Long before Henry was an adult, Newman occasionally offered tiny glimpses into his relationship with his grandchildren.
In a piece Newman himself wrote in 2000, he affectionately mentioned his young grandson Pete playing chess. The Nation
Behind the Academy Awards, racing career and enormous celebrity was a grandfather watching the next generation grow up.
Newman died in 2008 at 83.
Today, photographs of Henry inevitably lead to comparisons with the Hollywood legend — but his life demonstrates that inheriting a famous family tree doesn’t require repeating it.
2. Riley Keough — Elvis Presley’s Granddaughter
There may be no grandfather more instantly recognizable than Elvis Presley.
His granddaughter Riley Keough was born in 1989 to Lisa Marie Presley and musician Danny Keough. She is Elvis and Priscilla Presley’s eldest grandchild. Wikipedia
And Riley didn’t avoid entertainment.
She embraced it — but on her own terms.
After beginning as a model, she transitioned into acting and appeared in projects including The Runaways, Magic Mike and Mad Max: Fury Road. She later earned major acclaim for television work, establishing herself as an actress rather than merely “Elvis’s granddaughter.” Wikipedia
Still, the Presley resemblance is difficult for fans to ignore.
Certain photographs of Riley — particularly her profile, eyes and darker-haired looks — inevitably inspire comparisons with her grandfather and mother.
Her family story has also included profound loss.
Elvis died years before Riley was born. Her brother Benjamin Keough died in 2020, and her mother Lisa Marie died in 2023.
That left Riley with an increasingly important role in preserving her family’s history.
The little girl who grew up surrounded by one of music’s most famous legacies ultimately became one of its most visible modern custodians.
3. Ethan Peck — Gregory Peck’s Grandson
If ever there were a classic Hollywood face that seemed designed for the big screen, Gregory Peck had it.
Tall, dark-haired and famously handsome, he became an enduring symbol of old Hollywood through movies including Roman Holiday and To Kill a Mockingbird.
His grandson Ethan Peck inherited more than a recognizable surname.
Ethan followed his grandfather directly into acting.
And with his dark hair, strong features and deep voice, comparisons between the two men were probably inevitable.
Ethan eventually landed an especially intimidating role: Spock in the modern Star Trek franchise.
It placed him in the unusual position of carrying two major cultural legacies simultaneously — one from his family and another from one of television’s most iconic characters.
Yet Ethan has spoken thoughtfully over the years about being Gregory Peck’s grandson.
A famous surname can open doors, but it can also create expectations that are nearly impossible to satisfy.
His grandfather won an Academy Award and became one of the defining actors of his generation.
Rather than imitate him, Ethan gradually developed his own career.
Still, put photographs of the two beside each other and the family connection becomes hard to miss.
4. Charlotte Casiraghi — Grace Kelly’s Granddaughter
Grace Kelly’s life seemed almost invented for a movie.
She became an Academy Award-winning actress, starred opposite some of Hollywood’s greatest leading men and worked with Alfred Hitchcock.
Then she left Hollywood and became Princess Grace of Monaco after marrying Prince Rainier III.
Her granddaughter Charlotte Casiraghi inherited a combination few people on earth could claim: Hollywood history and European royalty.
Charlotte is the daughter of Princess Caroline of Monaco and Stefano Casiraghi.
Over the years, photographs of Charlotte have repeatedly inspired comparisons with Grace.
The similarities aren’t exact — nor should they be — but certain angles reveal the elegant features associated with her grandmother.
Charlotte didn’t become a Hollywood actress.
Instead, her public life has moved through fashion, equestrian sport, literature and Monaco’s royal world.
She has worked closely with major fashion houses and become one of the most recognizable members of Monaco’s younger generation.
The glamorous photographs are striking.
But perhaps the most fascinating images are the old family comparisons: Grace during the 1950s beside Charlotte decades later.
Two women separated by generations, connected by one extraordinary family history.
5. Dakota Johnson — Tippi Hedren’s Granddaughter
Dakota Johnson didn’t inherit one famous Hollywood connection.
She inherited several.
Her parents are Melanie Griffith and Don Johnson.
Her maternal grandmother is Tippi Hedren, Alfred Hitchcock’s star from The Birds and Marnie.
That means photographs of Hedren, Griffith and Johnson together capture three generations of Hollywood actresses.
It’s a remarkable visual timeline.
Hedren represented the immaculate Hitchcock-blonde aesthetic of the 1960s.
Melanie became a major star of the 1980s and earned an Academy Award nomination for Working Girl.
Then Dakota emerged as an actress in her own right.
Her breakthrough came through the Fifty Shades movies, but she subsequently pursued a mixture of independent films and larger Hollywood productions.
What makes their family particularly interesting is that each woman became famous during a completely different era of the industry.
The resemblance between Dakota and her mother is obvious in some photographs.
In others, fans see traces of Tippi.
And when all three have been photographed together, the family connection becomes impossible to miss.
6. Dree Hemingway — Ernest Hemingway’s Great-Granddaughter and Mariel Hemingway’s Daughter
The Hemingway family legacy reaches beyond Hollywood.
Dree Hemingway is the daughter of actress Mariel Hemingway and the great-granddaughter of Nobel Prize-winning author Ernest Hemingway.
Her grandfather Jack Hemingway was Ernest’s eldest son.
Dree chose modeling and acting, developing a career that connected her to fashion rather than following precisely in either her mother’s or great-grandfather’s footsteps.
She has modeled for major fashion houses and appeared in films.
And visually, she fits naturally into this unusual collection of famous descendants.
The Hemingway family has produced writers, actors and models across generations — but it has also endured enormous personal tragedies.
Dree represents a younger branch of that complicated family story.
The RARE PHOTOS Make the Family Resemblances Even More Fascinating
Looking at the RARE PHOTOS across generations is where these family stories become especially intriguing.
A young Paul Newman beside one of his grandsons.
Elvis Presley beside Riley Keough.
Gregory Peck beside Ethan.
Grace Kelly beside Charlotte.
Tippi Hedren, Melanie Griffith and Dakota Johnson together.
The similarities aren’t always dramatic. Genetics doesn’t work like a photocopier, and every descendant is unmistakably their own person.
But occasionally there is a familiar expression, profile or pair of eyes that instantly recalls the person who came before them.
More interestingly, these descendants reveal how differently a famous legacy can unfold.
Some embraced acting.
Some became musicians.
Some entered fashion.
Others have made privacy itself a priority.
Their grandparents may have supplied the famous names — but the younger generation still had to decide what to do with them.
And perhaps that’s what makes the photographs so compelling.
We initially look because we want to find traces of Paul Newman, Elvis Presley, Gregory Peck or Grace Kelly.
But after looking a little longer, we begin seeing the grandchildren as people with stories entirely their own.
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