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Beyoncé - Beyoncé is one of the most successful musical artists of our time, So, is it really a surprise that she's related to one of the greatest composers in history?
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Gustav Mahler - Beyoncé has distant Austrian roots that connect her to the famous 19th-century composer Gustav Mahler.
© Getty Images
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Robert Pattinson - Robert Pattinson is best known for his role as vampire Edward Cullen in the 'Twilight' movie series.
© Getty Images
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Vlad Dracula - He is a descendant of the famous Romanian ruler Vlad III, also known as Vlad Dracula or Vlad the Impaler. He is well known as a brutal leader and the inspiration for Bram Stoker's 'Dracula.'
© Public Domain
4 / 29 Fotos
George Clooney - Hollywood giant George Clooney is related to the most famous president in US history.
© Getty Images
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Abraham Lincoln
- He is connected to Abraham Lincoln through a woman called Lucy Hanks, who was Lincoln's maternal grandmother.
© Getty Images
6 / 29 Fotos
Cindy Crawford - Supermodel Cindy Crawford is closely related to one of the most famous writers in American history, and one of the most famous royals of the Middle Ages.
© Getty Images
7 / 29 Fotos
Ernest Hemingway
- Her great-great-great-grandfather Frank Hemingway connects her to the iconic Ernest Hemingway.
© Getty Images
8 / 29 Fotos
Charlemagne - If you look even further back, Crawford is related to Charlemagne, also known as Charles the Great. He was an emperor in the Middle Ages who united Europe.
© iStock
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Helena Bonham Carter - Helena Bonham Carter certainly has the air of a woman with interesting relatives!
© GettyImages
10 / 29 Fotos
H. H. Asquith
- Her great-grandfather Herbert Henry Asquith was the British prime minister from 1908 to 1916, leading Britain during the start of World War I.
© Getty Images
11 / 29 Fotos
Violet Bonham Carter
- Helena Bonham Carter's grandmother, Violet, was also an important figure. A politician and diarist, she fought against fascism during Hitler's rise to power and ended up in his "black book" of people he wanted to arrest.
© Getty Images
12 / 29 Fotos
Rashida Jones - Actress Rashida Jones is already known as the daughter of legendary music producer Quincy Jones. But it doesn't stop there.
© BrunoPress
13 / 29 Fotos
Betty Washington Lewis
- She is also related to the sister of the first US president, George Washington. Betty Washington Lewis was an advocate for independence and is considered one of the "founding mothers" of America.
© Public Domain
14 / 29 Fotos
King Edward I
- Even further back, Jones is connected to King Edward I. He was the king of England in the 13th century and was known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots.
© Getty Images
15 / 29 Fotos
Kit Harrington - Kit Harrington is related to a famous English Catholic rebel named Robert Catesby. Harrington's middle name is Catesby, and he even played the role of his ancestor in a HBO miniseries called 'Gunpowder.'
© Getty Images
16 / 29 Fotos
Robert Catesby
- Robert Catesby was active during the end of the 16th century when the English government was persecuting Catholics. He was the leader of the Gunpowder Plot to blow up King James I and parliament. The plot failed when his co-conspirator Guy Fawkes was caught in the act, and they were all executed.
© Getty Images
17 / 29 Fotos
Anderson Cooper - CNN anchor Anderson Cooper's mother is the late Gloria Vanderbilt. He is a direct descendant of the wealthy Vanderbilt family.
© BrunoPress
18 / 29 Fotos
Cornelius "Commodore" Vanderbilt
- Cooper is the great-great-great-grandson of Cornelius Vanderbilt, the family member who is best known for creating the Vanderbilt empire.
© Getty Images
19 / 29 Fotos
Harry Lloyd
- Actor Harry Lloyd, known for his role as Viserys Targaryen in 'Game of Thrones,' is related to one of the greatest writers in history.
© Getty Images
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Charles Dickens - Lloyd is the great-great-great-grandson of Charles Dickens.
© Getty Images
21 / 29 Fotos
Cary Elwes - On that note, an ancestor of actor Cary Elwes inspired Charles Dickens' most famous character: Ebenezer Scrooge.
© Getty Images
22 / 29 Fotos
John Elwes
- John Elwes was a British member of parliament who had inherited extreme wealth, but he hated to spend money and lived in worn-out clothes and a cold house. It's easy to see Dickens' inspiration for Scrooge here!
© Getty Images
23 / 29 Fotos
Christopher Plummer - The late Christopher Plummer's career spanned seven decades, and he'll forever have a place in our hearts.
© BrunoPress
24 / 29 Fotos
Sir John Abbott
- The Canadian actor's great-grandfather was the prime minister of Canada for one year until his health failed. Despite decades of service to the government, Sir John Abbott once said, "I hate politics."
© Public Domain
25 / 29 Fotos
King Princess
- Brooklyn-born singer-songwriter King Princess has deep connections to the city of her birth. Her great-great-grandfather Isidor Straus was the owner of the famous Macy's department store.
© Getty Images
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Isidor and Ida Straus
- Isidor Straus and his wife Ida both died on the famously tragic voyage of the Titanic in 1912. (Ranker) (Brightside) (History)
© Getty Images
27 / 29 Fotos
What next?
- Check out which celebrities have royal ancestors here.
© Getty Images
28 / 29 Fotos
© Getty Images
0 / 29 Fotos
Beyoncé - Beyoncé is one of the most successful musical artists of our time, So, is it really a surprise that she's related to one of the greatest composers in history?
© Getty Images
1 / 29 Fotos
Gustav Mahler - Beyoncé has distant Austrian roots that connect her to the famous 19th-century composer Gustav Mahler.
© Getty Images
2 / 29 Fotos
Robert Pattinson - Robert Pattinson is best known for his role as vampire Edward Cullen in the 'Twilight' movie series.
© Getty Images
3 / 29 Fotos
Vlad Dracula - He is a descendant of the famous Romanian ruler Vlad III, also known as Vlad Dracula or Vlad the Impaler. He is well known as a brutal leader and the inspiration for Bram Stoker's 'Dracula.'
© Public Domain
4 / 29 Fotos
George Clooney - Hollywood giant George Clooney is related to the most famous president in US history.
© Getty Images
5 / 29 Fotos
Abraham Lincoln
- He is connected to Abraham Lincoln through a woman called Lucy Hanks, who was Lincoln's maternal grandmother.
© Getty Images
6 / 29 Fotos
Cindy Crawford - Supermodel Cindy Crawford is closely related to one of the most famous writers in American history, and one of the most famous royals of the Middle Ages.
© Getty Images
7 / 29 Fotos
Ernest Hemingway
- Her great-great-great-grandfather Frank Hemingway connects her to the iconic Ernest Hemingway.
© Getty Images
8 / 29 Fotos
Charlemagne - If you look even further back, Crawford is related to Charlemagne, also known as Charles the Great. He was an emperor in the Middle Ages who united Europe.
© iStock
9 / 29 Fotos
Helena Bonham Carter - Helena Bonham Carter certainly has the air of a woman with interesting relatives!
© GettyImages
10 / 29 Fotos
H. H. Asquith
- Her great-grandfather Herbert Henry Asquith was the British prime minister from 1908 to 1916, leading Britain during the start of World War I.
© Getty Images
11 / 29 Fotos
Violet Bonham Carter
- Helena Bonham Carter's grandmother, Violet, was also an important figure. A politician and diarist, she fought against fascism during Hitler's rise to power and ended up in his "black book" of people he wanted to arrest.
© Getty Images
12 / 29 Fotos
Rashida Jones - Actress Rashida Jones is already known as the daughter of legendary music producer Quincy Jones. But it doesn't stop there.
© BrunoPress
13 / 29 Fotos
Betty Washington Lewis
- She is also related to the sister of the first US president, George Washington. Betty Washington Lewis was an advocate for independence and is considered one of the "founding mothers" of America.
© Public Domain
14 / 29 Fotos
King Edward I
- Even further back, Jones is connected to King Edward I. He was the king of England in the 13th century and was known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots.
© Getty Images
15 / 29 Fotos
Kit Harrington - Kit Harrington is related to a famous English Catholic rebel named Robert Catesby. Harrington's middle name is Catesby, and he even played the role of his ancestor in a HBO miniseries called 'Gunpowder.'
© Getty Images
16 / 29 Fotos
Robert Catesby
- Robert Catesby was active during the end of the 16th century when the English government was persecuting Catholics. He was the leader of the Gunpowder Plot to blow up King James I and parliament. The plot failed when his co-conspirator Guy Fawkes was caught in the act, and they were all executed.
© Getty Images
17 / 29 Fotos
Anderson Cooper - CNN anchor Anderson Cooper's mother is the late Gloria Vanderbilt. He is a direct descendant of the wealthy Vanderbilt family.
© BrunoPress
18 / 29 Fotos
Cornelius "Commodore" Vanderbilt
- Cooper is the great-great-great-grandson of Cornelius Vanderbilt, the family member who is best known for creating the Vanderbilt empire.
© Getty Images
19 / 29 Fotos
Harry Lloyd
- Actor Harry Lloyd, known for his role as Viserys Targaryen in 'Game of Thrones,' is related to one of the greatest writers in history.
© Getty Images
20 / 29 Fotos
Charles Dickens - Lloyd is the great-great-great-grandson of Charles Dickens.
© Getty Images
21 / 29 Fotos
Cary Elwes - On that note, an ancestor of actor Cary Elwes inspired Charles Dickens' most famous character: Ebenezer Scrooge.
© Getty Images
22 / 29 Fotos
John Elwes
- John Elwes was a British member of parliament who had inherited extreme wealth, but he hated to spend money and lived in worn-out clothes and a cold house. It's easy to see Dickens' inspiration for Scrooge here!
© Getty Images
23 / 29 Fotos
Christopher Plummer - The late Christopher Plummer's career spanned seven decades, and he'll forever have a place in our hearts.
© BrunoPress
24 / 29 Fotos
Sir John Abbott
- The Canadian actor's great-grandfather was the prime minister of Canada for one year until his health failed. Despite decades of service to the government, Sir John Abbott once said, "I hate politics."
© Public Domain
25 / 29 Fotos
King Princess
- Brooklyn-born singer-songwriter King Princess has deep connections to the city of her birth. Her great-great-grandfather Isidor Straus was the owner of the famous Macy's department store.
© Getty Images
26 / 29 Fotos
Isidor and Ida Straus
- Isidor Straus and his wife Ida both died on the famously tragic voyage of the Titanic in 1912. (Ranker) (Brightside) (History)
© Getty Images
27 / 29 Fotos
What next?
- Check out which celebrities have royal ancestors here.
© Getty Images
28 / 29 Fotos
Celebrities whose ancestors made history
Greatness does indeed run in the family
© Getty Images
It's a bit of a shock to learn that some of the biggest stars of our era are far less famous than their relatives! Thanks to modern science and TV series like 'Who Do You Think You Are?', many celebrities have been able to trace their lineage back to some very interesting ancestors.
In these cases, it seems like greatness does indeed run in the family. Click through to see which celebrities have exceptional ancestors.
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