The only person to direct their parent and child in Oscar-winning performances
It’s one thing to have a famous child, but what about having a famous parent, too?
In many Hollywood cases, an actor or filmmaker’s lineage extends past having one or two well-known family members, but sometimes, there’s a whole clan co-existing under the spotlight.
Nepotism runs the industry more than ever these days, with many supposed ‘up-and-coming’ actors revealing themselves to be the children of a mega-famous parent. Did you think Mia Threapleton was an example of exciting, fresh new talent in Wes Anderson’s The Phoenician Scheme? Sure, she gave a great performance, but don’t be fooled—that’s actually Kate Winslet’s daughter. What about Nico Parker in The Last of Us? She, too, comes from two famous parents, actor Thandiwe Newton and filmmaker Ol Parker, the latter of whom directed Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again.
This is nothing new, though, with the film industry continuously proving that who you know is the key to success (or at least, opportunities). Since the early days of cinema, siblings have acted alongside each other, or the children of famous filmmakers or actors have spawned other creatives, and so on, resulting in whole families of Hollywood royalty, like the Barrymores or the Coppolas.
While this is a widespread phenomenon, it’s rarer for certain nepotistic landmarks to occur, like a parent and child both earning Oscar nominations for the same film (this has only happened twice, for Laura Dern and Diane Ladd in Rambling Rose and Henry and Jane Fonda in On Golden Pond). But what about someone directing one of their parents and their child in Oscar-winning performances?
Oscar-winning family history
Unsurprisingly, this has only happened just once, to none other than legendary filmmaker John Huston. Born the son of actor Walter Huston, he found his father’s career as a theatre actor a fascinating source of inspiration, initially making him want to act. He learned about acting from his dad, who frequently appeared on Broadway, and the pair soon became stalwart features of the film industry in the 1930s and beyond, with Walter in front of the camera and John predominantly behind it.
In 1948, John directed his father in The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, which received widespread acclaim. It would allow the filmmaker to take home ‘Best Director’ and ‘Best Adapted Screenplay’ Oscars for his work, but that wasn’t all that the film won. Walter was lucky enough to triumph in the ‘Best Supporting Actor’ category, beating the likes of José Ferrer and Charles Bickford.
Meanwhile, John’s daughter, Anjelica Huston, would become a star of the screen in later years, most significantly appearing as the gothic femme fatale Morticia Addams in The Addams Family movies. However, it was her role in her father’s film Prizzi’s Honor, from 1985, that gave the actor her big break, with the star winning ‘Best Supporting Actress’ for her impressive performance. Huston had only starred in a few movies until this point, but she delivered a performance strong enough to beat off competition from the likes of Oprah Winfrey and Meg Tilly.
