5. Lily Allen
In 2005, the album “Alright, Still” came out – a collection of sweet tunes overlain with lyrics about being broke and getting chatted up by sleazy men in London. The singer was Lily Allen, and what wasn’t immediately obvious was the celebrity connection – Lily was the daughter of Keith Allen, the comedian, actor and presenter who had briefly bothered the charts in the 90s with his “supergroup” Fat Les. As catchy as their signature tune “Vindaloo” was, it was somewhat tuneless and it seems like Lily is the breakout musical talent of the family. Lily also has a brother called Alfie, immortalized in one of the songs from “Alright, Still” where he is portrayed as a layabout who does nothing but sleep and smoke. He is now starting to make a name for himself too, with a role in the epic series “Game of Thrones.”
4. Michael Douglas
If you ever get confused between Michael Douglas and his actor father Kirk, you’re not alone – they get confused too. Kirk was watching one of his movies on TV and struggling to remember filming it, but then he realized it was actually one of his son’s films, not his. Between the two of them, they have racked up an impressive number of films and a clutch of Oscars. Sadly, Michael’s brother Eric wasn’t so successful, and died of an overdose in 2004. But he did mark his place in comedy history during a stand-up gig in London’s Comedy Store – heckled by the audience, he said “You can’t do this to me, I’m Kirk Douglas’s son!” whereupon someone in the audience took inspiration from “Spartacus” and yelled out “No, I’m Kirk Douglas’s son!” You can imagine where it went from there…
3. Liv Tyler
One of the hallmarks of a celebrity child is a teenage rebellion phase – but Liv Tyler struggled to do that. As the daughter of Steve Tyler, lead singer of Aerosmith, and model Bebe Buell she had few rebellious options that her parents weren’t already doing. As she told the press: “What could I do? Run away and smoke a joint, and go to rock concerts for the weekend? That’s all they ever did.” Instead, she concentrated on her film and modelling career, starring teen classic “Empire Records” at the age of 18. It might all have been different if her father had really been, as she believed as a child, Todd Rundgren. Oh, except that he’s a rock star too. Basically, she was always destined to be a celebrity child….but she’s one that has succeeded on her own talent.
2. Stella McCartney
One of the most interesting things about this list is how children’s talents differ to those of their parents. Paul McCartney may have written a mean melody, but he could never be described as a fashion guru, even though he pioneered the “mullet and jumper” look of the mid 70s that many Dads still wear today. In fact, Macca’s one attempt to enter the world of fashion retail ended in disaster, with the Beatles’ Apple Boutique being a haven for shoplifters and a financial joke. So it’s amazing that his daughter Stella has become a major name in design, having her own range as well as designing for fashion houses like Chloe. His other daughter Mary’s talent for photography is less surprising, given that their mother Linda was also a photographer. But it’s safe to say that McCartneys are a multi-talented family.
1. Miley Cyrus
Right now, the former Hannah Montana star is one of the most talked about celebrities in the world. Is it because of her talent? No, sadly not. It’s because her desperate attempt to appear grown-up and credible has led to semi-naked videos and raunchy live performances that brought the word “twerking” into popular usage. It’s not surprising behaviour from a former tween-idol (just look at Britney Spears’ work) but it has shocked the world enough to gain her huge amounts of attention. So much so that her famous Dad, musician Billy Ray Cyrus, has been reduced to a mere footnote in the Miley Cyrus story. His debut album “Some Gave All” may have spent 17 weeks at number 1 and reached 9 time platinum status, but did he ever strip to almost naked and shake his bottom at random men? No. And so the sad fact is that the most famous celebrity offspring right now is the one who’s talent seems to be solely for self-promotion and cheap shock value.