Famous Show Business Fathers and Sons

There have been many famous father and son actors throughout American show business history. The traditions go back at least a century. One of the earliest was Charlie Chaplin and his son, Sydney. Charlie attained superstar immortality beginning with his early career in silent films of the 1910s and 1920s. His fame continued well into the era of sound movies. His most well-known talkies were 1936's "Modern Times", a humorous commentary on the age of machinery, and 1940's "The Great Dictator", a parody on the life of Adolf Hitler.

Sydney, after minor roles in movies and on the stage, briefly tasted fame on Broadway in the 1964 Broadway musical, "Funny Girl", opposite Barbra Streisand. When the movie was made in 1968, Sydney wasn't a big enough star, and the part went to Omar Sharif.

Silent star Lon Cheney was called The Man of a Thousand Faces, and was one of Hollywood's greatest portrayers of grotesque characters in silent movies. His most celebrated roles included 1923's "The Hunchback of Notre Dame", and 1925's "The Phantom of the Opera".

Lon Cheney Jr. had a significant career, playing mostly in monster and vampire movies. His most memorable movies included "Of Mice and Men", where he was the retarded friend of the hero. In "High Noon", he was the crippled lawman who advised sheriff Gary Cooper.

A prominent father and son duo in early Hollywood were Douglas Fairbanks and Douglas, Jr. Both enjoyed very successful careers, with the senior Fairbanks as a silent movie swashbuckler in 1920's "Mark of Zorro" and 1921's "The Three Musketeers".

The younger Fairbanks starred in action films, including 1939's "Gunga Din", and 1947's "Sinbad the Sailor. He was a highly-decorated Navy combat officer in World War II.

Top stars in later Hollywood history are Kirk and Michael Douglas. Now in his 90s, the elder Douglas had a distinguished career, earning honors for his work in 1956's "Lust for Life" as artist Vincent Van Gogh, 1957's "Paths of Glory" as a World War I French infantry officer, and 1960's "Spartacus" as leader of a slave revolt against Imperial Rome.

Michael Douglas achieved fame in a TV series star as a rookie cop on "The Streets of San Francisco" in the early 1970s. His career later exploded onto the movie screen. In 1975 at age 31, he won the Best Director Oscar for "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest". He won an acting Oscar for his role as a tough financial manipulator in "Wall Street" in 1987. He was also actor/producer for "The China Syndrome" in 1979, and star of "Fatal Attraction" in 1979 and "The American President" in 1995.

Two still-active father and son actors are Donald and Kiefer Sutherland. Now 74, the elder Sutherland's most distinguished acting accomplishments over a half-century include 1967's "The Dirty Dozen" as a World War II GI, "Mash" in 1970, as a Korean War Army doctor, "The Eagle Has Landed" in 1976 as an anti-British Irish rebel, and in 1980's "Ordinary People" as father of a dysfunctional family. Both Sutherlands starred in 1997's "A Time to Kill".

Since 2001, Kiefer Sutherland has starred as hero Jack Bauer in the award-winning TV action series "24". He has also starred in major movies, including 1988's "Young Guns", portraying an Old West gunman, as a Marine officer in "A Few Good Men" in 1992, and as artist Paul Gauguin in 2003's "Paradise Found".

Sons of famous actors may have it easier to get auditions for movie roles than those without Hollywood connections. However, once the camera lights go on, they must demonstrate real talent to succeed in the very demanding profession of their fathers.