Notable figures you didn’t know had famous parents
These famous Queenslanders are well-known in their own right, but do you know the noteworthy figures who raised them? See the list of well-known celebrities, politicians and who they came from.
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Nepo babies or ‘nepotism babies’ are the latest hot topic of 2023.
And while the term ‘nepotism’ is generally a negative one referring to people who use their power or influence to favour relatives or friends, the phrase ‘nepo baby’ is a blanket term used way more casually.
Typically, nepo babies refer to famous people who also happen to be the children or relatives of other famous people, for example, the classic star Liza Minnelli, daughter of Wizard of Oz leading lady, Judy Garland.
While nepo babies are not a new concept, the term became a main discussion point when New York Magazine released a topical December 2022 issue analysing some of Hollywood’s most successful children and families.
From emerging talents like Stranger Things star Maya Hawke, the child of Uma Thurman and Ethan Hawke, to infamous actors like Michael Douglas, the son of Kirk Douglas – the idea of ‘nepo babies’ got people talking.
And while there has been widespread discussion about the Hollywood ‘nepo baby boom’, there’s been little discussion about the Aussie celebs with famous parents, particularly in the Sunshine State.
Many of these famous Queenslanders followed similar career paths to their celebrity parents and relatives, with some becoming well known in completely different industries to their famous family.
Did you know these A-listers were the children of these famous Qld figures?
Take a look at our list of well-known Queenslanders and the notable figures in their family who raised them.
Miranda and Gracie Otto
Half sisters Miranda and Gracie Otto are the daughters of Brisbane-born actor Barry Otto, most recognised from his various roles in films including Strictly Ballroom (1992), Cosi (1996) and Australia (2008).
Actor Miranda Otto was born in Brisbane and followed in her father’s footsteps by appearing in Aussie classics like Danny Deckchair before going on to star in international blockbusters including The Lord of The Rings trilogy (2001-2003) and The Thin Red Line (1998).
Gracie Otto on the other hand has taken up the director’s chair, still going into the film industry like her father, but behind the camera.
She most recently directing three episodes of the Stan series Bump, the film Seriously Red (2022) and four episodes of the hit Netflix remake series Heartbreak High got which she earned herself an AACTA nomination for Best Direction in a Drama or Comedy.
Most recently, the pair collaborated on the Disney+ mini series The Clearing, Gracie directing four of the eight episodes with Miranda starring as the lead character, a cult leader, Adrienne Beaufort.
Annastacia Palaszczuk
The state leader of the Australian Labor Party and the current Premier of Queensland, Annastacia Palaszczuk is the daughter of former politician Henry Palaszczuk whose political career spans more than 20 years.
Born in Brisbane, Henry Palaszczuk was part of the Beattie Government and served in various positions as part of the Labor Party, including Minister for Primary Industries, Member for Archerfield and Member for Inala.
Serving as the Member for Inala since 1992, Henry retired in 2006 and was succeeded by his daughter who remains the Member for Inala to this day.
Annastacia Palaszczuk has been the Queensland Premier since 2015 and is the fifth longest serving premier in the state’s history.
Lachlan Power
One of Australia’s most followed stars on YouTube and Instagram, Lachlan Power is a professional gamer who skyrocketed to fame for his videos playing the internationally popular game Fortnite Battle Royale, and is also the son of the Logan City Mayor Darren Power.
Based in Brisbane, Lachlan Power is reportedly Australia’s richest YouTuber, with an estimated net worth of $2.4m a year and more than 14.8m subscribers on YouTube.
Since starting his channel, Lachlan founded his own e-sports company PWR, became the first Australian to earn more than 10 million YouTube subscribers and is an officially recognised gamer with Redbull.
Previously a member of the Liberal National Party and Australian Labor Party, Darren Power was elected as mayor as an independent candidate in 2020.
He was first elected as a Logan City Councillor in 1997 after serving as a Federal Officer and in the Australian Army Reserve in the 1 Commando Regiment.
Jett Kenny
Son of professional swimmer Lisa Curry and renowned Ironman Grant Kenny, Sunshine Coast-based Jett Kenny is following in his dad’s footsteps, as an Ironman, as well as a TV personality and model.
Currently dating influencer Lily Brown, Jett Kenny has featured on shows like Australian Ninja Warrior, Dancing with the Stars and SAS Australia, but properly kick started his career as a model when his Olympian swimmer mum, Lisa Curry, sent his picture to a modelling agency.
Now represented by IMG Models, Jett Kenny has appeared on runways for Giorgio Armani, David Jones and Brisbane Fashion Week.
With more than 70k Instagram followers, Jett also posts paid partnerships for various brands on his social media, including Golden Gaytime, Soda Stream, Rodd & Gunn and The Star Gold Coast.
Lincoln Lewis
Most recognised for his Logie Award-winning role as Geoff Campbell on Home And Away, Lincoln Lewis is a Brisbane-born actor and the son of rugby league great Wally Lewis AM.
Nicknamed ‘The King’, Wally Lewis is seen as one of the greatest rugby league players of all time, winning eight man of the match awards at the State of Origin and playing 30 matches for Queensland.
While Lincoln may not have followed his father’s career path, both Lincoln and Wally have had appearances on television, with Wally appearing on the Nine Network as a regular presenter for the NRL.
Lincoln has appeared in various TV programs including House Husbands , Underbelly and Gallipoli as well as movies like Tomorrow, When the War Began (2010).
Lincoln is currently in the production phase of a new supernatural thriller, The Gorge, being filmed in the Sunshine Coast Hinterland.
Billy Walters
Playing as a hooker and five-eighth for the Brisbane Broncos, Billy Walters signed with the team in 2021 under the leadership of his new coach, NRL legend and his father, Kevin Walters.
Making his NRL debut with Melbourne Storm in 2019, Billy played for the Tigers before moving back to his hometown of Brisbane to play for the club where his two uncles, Kerrod and Steve Walters also played.
Born in Rockhampton, Kevin Walters signed on as coach with Brisbane Broncos in 2021 and has played 23 games for Queensland, 12 for Australia and more than 250 games with Brisbane and Canberra.
Billy welcomed his first child and Kevin’s first grandchild in September 2021 named Hugo Kevin Walters.
Lucciana Beynon
A professional model with more than 176k Instagram followers, Lucciana Beynon is a 21-year-old influencer and model, as well as the daughter of Miss World and Miss World Venezuela 1991 Ninibeth Leal and Candy Shop Mansion owner Travers Beynon.
Dubbed ‘Australia’s Hugh Hefner’ and the managing director of tobacco company Freechoice Australia, Travers Beynon is the brain behind Candy Shop Mansion, a 15-bedroom Playboy-style home with 15 bedrooms and a 250,000 litre infinity pool in the heart of Helensvale.
Lucciana Beynon is the former AFL player’s first daughter, with Travers also father to son Valentino, and two younger daughters mothered by his new wife, Taesha.
Jessica Rudd
Born and raised in Brisbane, attending Brisbane Girls Grammar School and Griffith University, Jessica Rudd is a lawyer, author and businesswoman who is the daughter of Australia’s U.S. Ambassador and former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd.
A mother of two, Jessica started her career as a media and intellectual property lawyer before going on to write two books ‘Campaign Ruby’ and ‘Ruby Blues’ and co-found her own consumer goods company, Jessica’s Suitcase which she sold in 2018.
Jessica is also a co-chair of the National Apology Foundation with her parents, founded after Kevin Rudd’s infamous National Apology in February 2008.
Currently, Jessica is the temporary chief executive of the childhood advocacy group The Parenthood and is Pro Chancellor at Griffith University where she graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce and Bachelor of Law.
Lilly Luhrmann
A self professed nepo baby, Gold Coast-based Lilly Luhrmann is the first child and daughter of renowned Australian film director Baz Luhrmann and Academy Award-winning costume and set designer Catherine Martin.
Growing up both in Queensland and New York, Lilly Luhrmann spent the majority of her life at school in America, but is now attending The University of Queensland.
In 2020, Lilly launched the Study Queensland Luhrmann Appeal to help support stranded international students during COVID-19 lockdowns who were not eligible for Jobseeker and Jobkeeper payments.
Seen throughout her life attending premieres and red carpet events with her Hollywood star parents, Lilly most recently appeared as a guest on Phoebe Burgess’ podcast Under the Gloss in March 2023 an episode entitled ‘Confessions of a nepo baby’ where she discussed growing up under the spotlight.
Robert and Bindi Irwin
When you think of Aussie kids with famous parents, two of the first people to come to mind would be Robert and Bindi Irwin, the 19-year-old son and 24-year-old daughter of the internationally loved wildlife conservationist Steve Irwin.
The ‘Crocodile Hunter’ and the husband of Terri Irwin sadly died as a result of a stingray barb in 2006 at just 44-years-old while filming a documentary about the Great Barrier Reef.
Robert Irwin is following in his father’s footsteps and continues to work at Australia Zoo and host crocodile shows, while also educating the public about wildlife conservation through his Instagram and TikTok social media accounts.
Robert was recently revealed to be dating 18-year-old Rorie Buckey, another Aussie with famous ties in the family, as the niece of the late Heath Ledger of The Dark Knight (2008) and Brokeback Mountain (2005) fame.
In the late 2000s, Bindi Irwin starred in her own TV series’ Bindi: The Jungle Girl and Bindi’s Bootcamp, but more recently married American wakeboarder Chandler Powell in 2020 and welcomed a baby girl, Grace, in 2021.
She recently opened up about her struggle with endometriosis on her Instagram page.
Emma and David McKeon
Born-and-bred swimmers, Emma and David McKeon are well-known Australian Olympians, with David being a two-time Olympian and Emma the most decorated Australian at the Olympics with 11 Olympic medals, including five gold for swimming.
Swimming truly runs in family for these two, as the children of two-time Olympian Ronald ‘Ron’ McKeon and Commonwealth Games swimmer Susie McKeon (nee Woodhouse) who met after being teammates in the 1982 Commonwealth Games in Brisbane.
Ron and Susie who reside in NSW, are the directors of McKeon’s Swim School, a family business that operates in three locations in the Illawarra and teaches people how to swim, just like they have taught their children.
A UNICEF Australia ambassador, Emma resides between Wollongong and the Gold Coast and when she’s not swimming acts as an ambassador for many brands on her Instagram, sharing videos and photos to her 202k followers in collaboration with Speedo, Cetaphil, George and Matilda, and Nike.
David McKeon recently got married to his partner Ali in May 2023, almost two years after retiring from swimming in January 2021 at 28-years-old.
Sigrid Thornton
Star of film and television shows including The Man from Snowy River, Prisoner and Seachange, Sigrid Thornton is a Brisbane-raised actor and the daughter of social activists Neil and Merle Thornton.
Sigrid, who currently resides in Melbourne has had an illustrious acting career both on screen and the stage, performing in classic productions including A Street Car Named Desire, Betrayal and A Little Night Music as well as well-loved TV shows like Wentworth and the 2016 mini series Peter Allen – Not The Boy Next Door for which she won an AACTA award for her portrayal of Judy Garland.
In an interview with The Courier Mail in 2019, Sigrid recounted her experience growing up with her activist parents, at one point, getting arrested in 1972 with her parents and brothers after their involvement in a Vietnam sit-down demonstration in the Brisbane CBD.
Sigrid’s mother, Merle made history in 1965 when she and Rosalie Bogner chained themselves to a foot rail at Regatta Hotel in Toowong in a protest against the exclusion of women in public bars, a significant protest for women’s liberation at the time which she recreated 50 years later.
Merle also established Equal Opportunities for Women Association in April 1965 which lobbied for legal changes to allow women to drink in public which was granted in 1970.
She also lobbied for the first legislation of maternity leave in 1966.
Sigrid continues to follow in her mother's footsteps and advocates for women's rights in the film and television industry as a Patron for Women in Film and Television and working with the Australian Academy of Television and Cinema Arts.
Who are Hollywood’s most famous nepo babies? Check them out in this gallery below.
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