Oscar-winning families: Will Martha Plimpton, Keith Carradine join 17 other parents and children champs?

She’s already won a Primetime Emmy, and now Martha Plimpton is on a short list of possible Best Supporting Actress  nominees for her role as a grieving mother in “Mass.” Should she go the distance and win, she would become one of only a few parents and children who are both Oscar winners. Her father Keith Carradine won a statue for Best Original Song (“I’m Easy,” from the 1975 film “Nashville”).

Presently, there are 17 families featuring parent-child or grandparent-grandchild competitive Oscar winners. Two families, the Hustons and Coppolas, claim THREE generations of Academy Award champs, and there are only two sets of parent-child acting winners – Henry Fonda and Jane Fonda; Jon Voight and Angelina Jolie.

 

 

For this article, we are focusing on competitive Oscar wins, as opposed to honorary and juvenile awards. For instance, Michael Douglas has won two competitive Oscars (Best Actor for “Wall Street” in 1988 and Best Picture for “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” in 1976), but dad Kirk Douglas failed to win on any of his three competitive bids and was bestowed an Honorary Oscar in 1996.

Enjoy our look back below at the 17 families with at least two people winning Oscars (from most recent to furthest back). The years represent the year of the award, not the film. Sometime in the near future, we’ll also take a look at siblings with Academy Awards victories, and possibly other connections (spouses, uncles/aunts/nephews/nieces, etc.).

Scott R. Fisher and Thomas L. Fisher

Scott is batting 2-0, winning his second visual effects Oscar in 2021 for “Tenet.” His win for “Interstellar” in 2015 made him a second-generation winner, as his father Thomas won for his visual effects work on “Titanic” in 1998.

Terry George and Oorlagh George

Irish screenwriter and director Terry already had been nominated twice for writing when he finally won in 2012 for Best Live Action short for “The Shor,” which he shared with his producer daughter Oorlagh.

Thomas Langmann and Claude Berri

 

 

Langmann started as an actor in his father’s films, but later became a producer, winning a Best Picture trophy in 2012 for “The Artist.” His father had a prosperous career in French cinema and won the Best Short Film Oscar for the French comedy “Le Poulet” in 1966.

Tivi Magnusson and Kim Magnusson

Both Kim and his father Tivi have received recognition for their short films. Kim has earned six nominations for Best Live Action Short, winning in 2014 for “Helium” and in 1999 for “Valgaften,” while Tivi has two nominations, winning in 2010 for “The New Tenants.”

Christopher Rouse and Russell Rouse

Well-renowned film and television editor Christopher has received several accolades, including three Academy Award nominations, winning for his editing of “The Bourne Ultimatum” in 2008. His father Russell was a screenwriter, producer and director who received two writing nominations, winning Best Original Screenplay for the Doris Day-Rock Hudson romantic comedy “Pillow Talk” in 1960.

Davis Guggenheim and Charles Guggenheim

Davis earned a statue in 2007 for his documentary “An Inconvenient Truth,” which is no surprise, as his father Charles is the most honored documentary filmmaker in the history of the Academy. He earned a record nine documentary nominations between 1968 and 1999, and won three for Best Documentary Short: “A Time for Justice” in 1995, “The Johnstown Flood” in 1990 and “Robert Kennedy Remembered” in 1969.

 

 

Sofia Coppola, Nicolas Cage, Carmine Coppola and Francis Ford Coppola

Sofia’s win in 2004 for Best Original Screenplay for “Lost in Translation” made the Coppolas the second three-generation Oscar winners in the history of the Academy. Her father, acclaimed director Francis, won his first of five Oscars out 14 nominations in 1971, for Best Writing for “Patton.” His father Carmine was a composer who won Best Original Score in 1975 for his son’s film “The Godfather: Part II,” for which Francis also won Best Picture, Best Director and Best Writing (Francis had also won for writing for “The Godfather” in 1973). Carmine also has a grandson who is an Oscar winner: Nicolas Cage won Best Actor in 1996 for “Leaving Las Vegas.” All in all, Carmine and his descendants have accumulated 23 Academy Award nominations, with eight competitive wins.

Angelina Jolie and Jon Voight

Jolie gained recognition and a Best Supporting Actress Oscar in 2000 for her role in “Girl, Interrupted.” With her dad Jon Voight’s 1979 Best Actor win for “Coming Home,” they became the second set of father-daughter acting winners in the history of the Academy. Jolie was also honored with the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award in 2014.

Kevin MacDonald and Emeric Pressburger

In 2000 MacDonald won the Oscar for Best Documentary for “One Day in September.” Fifty-seven years before, his grandfather Pressburger won the Best Original Story Oscar for “49th Parallel,” one of three nominations he received in 1943.

James Horner and Harry Horner

From the 1970s until his death in 2015, James composed some of cinema’s most memorable soundtracks, earning eight Best Original Score and two Best Original Song nominations. He won a trophy in each category, both in 1998 for his scoring of “Titanic” and the theme song from that film, “My Heart Will Go On.” His father was famed art director Harry Horner, who received three nominations in his field, and also won two – for his work on the sets of “The Heiress” in 1950 and “The Hustler” in 1962.

 

 

Gene Warren, Jr. and Gene Warren

Like father, like son: each man won on his only nomination, claiming a trophy for his memorable visual effects work on an influential sci-fi adventure film. Junior won in 1992 for “Terminator 2:Judgment Day,” while Senior won for “The Time Machine” in 1961.

Richard Zanuck and Darryl F. Zanuck

Richard was a popular and influential producer who received three Best Picture nominations, winning in 1990 for “Driving Miss Daisy,” which he shared with his wife Lili. His father Darryl was one of the most powerful and long-lasting studio heads of the Golden Era, ruling 20th Century Fox for decades, and receiving numerous nominations for that studio. He won in 1951 for a film he produced, the classic “All About Eve.” Both men also received the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award, Darryl in 1951 and Richard in 1991.

 

 

Anjelica Huston, John Huston and Walter Huston

In 1986, Anjelica won on her first of three acting nominations, claiming a Best Supporting Actress statue for her role directed by her father John in “Prizzi’s Honor” (79-year-old John also received a directing nom, making him the oldest Best Director nominee ever). But she’s not the only family member John directed to Oscar victory: dad Walter won Best Supporting Actor in 1949 for his role in “The Treasure of the Sierra Madre,” which is also the film that earned John his only two wins out of 15 nominations. He claimed both Best Director and Best Screenplay for this classic film. John’s son Tony also earned a Best Writing nomination, for “The Dead” in 1988.

Henry Fonda and Jane Fonda

Jane proved herself worthy of the Fonda name as an actress many times over, earning seven acting nominations between 1970 and 1987, and winning two Best Actress statues in seven years: for “Coming Home” in 1979 and “Klute” in 1972. Amazingly, her father Henry only had one acting nomination to his name despite a lengthy and impressive career, finally receiving an Honorary Award in 1981. However, the following year, his last film finally brought him a competitive statue, as he won Best Actor for “On Golden Pond,” which costarred daughter Jane (for which she earned a supporting bid) and which made them the first pair of father-daughter acting Oscar winners. Henry was also the oldest Best Actor recipient until this year. Henry’s other child, son Peter, also received two nominations, in 1998 for Best Actor (“Ulee’s Gold) and in 1970 for Best Writing (“Easy Rider”).

Carl Kress and Harold Kress

 

 

Carl became a second-generation winner by sharing a trophy with his dad Harold for Best Film Editing in 1975 for “The Towering Inferno.” The son came from good stock: Harold was a trailblazer in film editing, and is one of the most nominated individuals in that category, receiving six bids between 1942 and 1975 and also winning in 1964 for “How the West Was Won.”

Liza Minnelli and Vincente Minnelli

Liza already had a Tony when she added a Best Actress statue to her shelf in 1973, for her memorable turn as Sally Bowles in “Cabaret.” But with her genetics, her success comes as no surprise. Her dad was legendary director Vincente Minnelli, who earned Oscar nominations for “An American in Paris” in 1952 and “Gigi” in 1959, for which he won the trophy. And her mother was the iconic Judy Garland, who was nominated twice for acting (in 1955 and 1962), and who was honored with a special Juvenile Award in 1940 for her work in such films as “The Wizard of Oz.”

Nick Bosustow and Stephen Bosustow

Nick won in 1971 for Best Short Subject (Cartoons) for the Orson-Welles-narrated “Is It Always Right to Be Right?” His father produced almost 600 animated and live-action shorts, most notably the Mr. Magoo and Gerald McBoing-Boing cartoons, and received 14 Best Short Subject (Cartoons) nominations. In 1957, he became the only film producer to have received all the nominations in one category, and won that year for “Magoo’s Puddle Jumper.” He also won in 1951 and and 1955.