In the shadow of a star: 13 famous brothers who tried (unsuccessfully) to follow in his footsteps
If it is difficult to have a more loved and popular family member, imagine when she is also a superstar. We review the cases in which the same surname tried to succeed separately in the same arts, almost always with little luck
Living in the shadow of a more talented, hard-working and beloved brother is something that occurs in almost every family. But also that brother dedicates himself to the same as you and is a world star with whom everyone, even those who do not know you, will compare you, only a select few can describe him. It is not always a bad thing: many of them have carved more or less successful careers thanks to this coincidence of surnames and physical similarities, while others have decided, despite working in the same profession, to stay in a remote and different place.
Neil connery
Brother of: Sean Connery.
How did he do in his career? Neil (Edinburgh, 1938), younger brother of the most famous James Bond in history, became more or less famous after acting in a kind of James Bond imitation called ... O.K. Connery. It was in 1967, five years after the success of the first Bond film (Dr. No, 1962) and at the same time that You Only Live Twice was being released. OKAY. Connery, which premiered under that name in England but was titled in the United States Operation Kid Brother (that is, "brother") tells the story of (wait until you read this) James Bond's brother, who is named after Neil himself Connery, and although he works as a spy for the secret service, he is actually a surgeon and a hypnotist. Come on, a gem of a film produced by Italians, made on a low budget and shot, in part, in Spain, but thanks to being the star of Connery's brother, it interested the press and has remained a curiosity of its time.
It was not the only time that he took advantage of the popularity of his brother: the other best-known film of his is the Chinese Aces go Places 3, another copy of James Bond that was a success in Hong Kong. It was the last role of his short acting career, which he always alternated with his other profession: plasterer. Like his brother Sean, he is still alive today (he is 82 years old) and resides in Edinburgh with his wife Eleanor.
Latoya Jackson
Sister of: Michael Jackson.
How did he do in his career? Latoya (Indiana, 1956) is not the only Jackson who dedicated herself to music, like her brother Michael hers. In fact, it must be admitted that he was not the first: when Michael was a baby, his older brothers Rebbie, Jackie and Tito were already playing at home. But it was Michael who ended up becoming one of the most successful singers in history, nicknamed the king of pop, no less. We could refer to many of his siblings as less successful singers: Jermaine, for example. Janet did achieve enormous success and distance herself from her brother to succeed on her own. If we look at Latoya, it is because she is the one who relied the most on her brother and imitated him the most to try to have a career: not only her aesthetics and her wardrobe were reminiscent of Michael's, but many of her albums paid tribute in their title to those of his brother. If in 1987 Michael published Bad, in 1990 she published Bad girl, with titles as explicit as He's my brother ("he is my brother").
Latoya not only made a living from music: she starred on successful Playboy covers, published a scandalous autobiography and became the image of a phone line of fortune tellers and fortune-tellers. She has since successfully reconverted herself into the most common profession for old glories in the 21st century: a contestant on reality shows of all kinds.
Julio Jose Iglesias
Brother of: Enrique Iglesias.
How did he do in his career? Julio José (Madrid, 1973) did not have to face one shadow, but two: on the one hand, that of his father Julio, a music superstar who is among the ten artists who have sold the most records in history, and on the one hand another, to his brother Enrique, who managed to sell more than one hundred million albums and singles and free himself from the weight of his surname. What was left for Julio José, then? Unfortunately, nothing. In 1999 Julio released his first album, Under my eyes, with the risky stage name Julio Iglesias Jr. Despite the support of a major label (Epic) and a great promotional campaign (he sang his single One more chance at the Miss Gala Universo and opened for Cher, then at the top thanks to the Believe tour), there was no place in the music market for another Iglesias.
He continued to try his luck in music (without success) with other albums in Spanish (Tercera Dimensión and Por la medio) and found more stability on television: in Spain he has participated in several programs such as Tu cara me suena or Come to dinner with me and in American television won the reality show Gone Country. He continues to sing live and has done it with his father on occasion. Just what Enrique, with a successful career, has always refused to do.
Dedee Pfeiffer
Sister of: Michelle Pfeiffer.
How did she do in her career? The cinematographic curriculum of Dedee Pfeiffer (California, 1964) is not bad at all, even if it is for its cult value: she had a role in her sister's comedy When Night Comes (1985) under the command of John Landis, and later starred in The Allnighter, a film in greater glory by the beautiful Bangles singer (Sussanah Hoffs) who is on every worst movie of the decade lists. In the nineties she showed her comic vision (and very effectively) in the series Cybill (1994-1997) where she was the responsible and marriageable daughter of Cybill Sheperd, and from then on she has developed a fairly smooth career on television thanks to her appearances in Very famous sitcoms (like Ellen or Friends) and top-rated dramas like CSI or Supernatural.
Of course, his peak of fame probably came in 2002 for extra-cinematic reasons: it was when he showed his body in Playboy, on a cover in which his sister's name came out almost as big as hers: "Michelle's sister gets naked" .
Jonathan Firth
Brother of: Colin Firth.
How did he do in his career? What would have happened to Colin Firth if he had stayed as a competent theater and television actor in the UK instead of hitting Hollywood and winning an Oscar? That would be Jonathan Firth (Essex, 1967), his brother, an actor who has preferred the tranquility of the office of stage actor and voice actor to the honeys of Hollywood. That does not make him at all unknown in his land: the English will know him from various television adaptations of classic works such as Wuthering Heights or An Ideal Husband. He has also done a lot of television and his excellent diction has also helped him build a career as an audiobook reader.
Dannii Minogue
Sister of: Kylie Minogue.
How did she do in her career? Nothing bad. If Kylie Minogue did not exist, Dannii (Melbourn, 1971) could equally boast of her resume: she is the artist with the most number one on the UK dance music list (even if it is a list without much relevance) and in general she has managed to put nine of his singles in the top ten and sell, combining albums and singles, some seven million copies. The problem is the name of her older sister: Kylie, a music icon who has endured since the eighties as one of the most successful female soloists in pop. Comparison is impossible, since Dannii has always shaped his appearance according to his sister and also his artistic steps: his most successful album, the electropopero Neon Nights, came in 2002, following in the wake of his sister's most successful, the electropopero Fever (from 2001).
Unlike his sister, who is still active in music and continues to enjoy number one albums in the United Kingdom and long tours, Dannii has parked the song to become a judge of talent shows: he has several X Factor behind him, several Got Talent and is currently judge of the format The Masked Singer ("The masked singer") in Australia, which will soon arrive in Spain.
Lisa roberts
Sister of: Julia Roberts.
How did she do in her career? Lisa (Georgia, 1965) is not the only Roberts who has also dedicated herself to acting. Apart from Julia, in the family is Eric, who although he never achieved the fame of his sister has become a character actor who we have seen in box office such as The Dark Knight (2008) and has to his credit a nomination for Oscar for best supporting actor for The Hell Train (1985). Lisa's case is something else: she has very small roles in several of her sister's films (Something to Talk About, Runaway Bride, Come Prays Loves ...) and appearances in other very famous series or movies (Sex in New York , It Happened in Manhattan, Valentine's Stories) in which her role is so small (nurse, reporter, woman in a play) that sometimes she has no name or does not appear in the credits. Apart from these brief appearances, she also works as a producer and is currently preparing a sitcom inspired by My Best Friend's Wedding (yes, another film by her sister).
Don swayze
Brother of: Patrick Swayze.
How did he do in his career? Patrick Swayze's younger brother never shared a screen with him. He could have led to the confusion: it was two drops of water (Patrick passed away in September 2009). Don (Texas, 1958) has had a more discreet career in the cinema, where almost all his films have consisted of by-products of action that went unnoticed in the cinema (when they were not distributed directly on video), but has been seen in series much more recognized on television. Colombo, A crime has been written, The X-Files, CSI, Criminal minds or American horror series are some in which he has appeared episodically, and in others like True blood he has had fixed characters.
Joey travolta
Brother of: John Travolta.
How did he do in his career? Citing all his forgotten films and participation in television series would be his thing, but there is in Joey Travolta (New Jersey, 1950), an actor who, from name to his appearance in the eighties, owed everything to his brother's fame, a much more interesting pop dimension. First, he released an album in 1978 that achieved moderate success with I don't wanna go, a honeyed r & b piece that peaked at number 43 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Second, three years later he had an unusual prominence. in the Spanish press because his film Wild Race (1981), shot in Italy, paired him artistically with Ana Obregón. Travolta has also written, directed and produced series and films and in 2007 founded Inclusion Films, a company that teaches film classes to people with disabilities and special needs.
Frank Stallone
Brother of: Sylvester Stallone.
How did he do in his career? As if that weren't enough to be the brother of one of the biggest action stars in history, Frank (New York, 1950) also has as a mother one of the women with the most personality in Hollywood: Jackie Stallone, whom we talked about at length and lying here. Frank also tried to be an actor, of course, but he did much better in music, where he had great success with his song Far from over (it reached the top 10 on the Billboard chart), which he produced and wrote himself and which belongs to Staying. Alive (1983), the second part of Saturday Night Fever directed by his brother. As an actor he had less luck: he appeared in some films where his brother was the star (with minor roles in the first three Rocky installments, for example), but a reading of the rest of his filmography leaves titles that border on parody: Midnight Crime , Wild Pack, Justice of Los Angeles, Death on the safari, Terror in Beverly Hills, Warm Death or The island of betrayal.
Monica Cruz
Sister of: Penelope Cruz.
How did her career go? At the beginning of the 2000s we met Mónica Cruz (Madrid, 1977) when she appeared in an advertisement for ONCE. The campaign was original: to promote a coupon with which participants could earn double the usual amount, the company hired doubles of famous people. Thus, Monica said: "I am not Penelope Cruz, I am the double of Penelope Cruz. And this is not a coupon: it is twice a coupon." That is how we met her, but Mónica had already been a name in the world of dance for some time, where she had worked from a very young age in the Joaquín Cortés company. With her sister's career in full swing, she was given a leading role in the Antena 3 series Un step forward, still today her most remembered television role of her in Spain.
She was followed by more series (Águila Roja, Velvet collection) and, above all, many covers of fashion magazines and collaborations with her sister to design collections for brands such as Agent Provocateur or Carpisa. When she set foot in Hollywood, she was literally in the shadow of her sister: she was her double in some scenes from Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2010), since as Penelope was pregnant they turned to Monica to shoot some shots general where she was seen full-length.
Juancho Rabbit
Brother of: Leiva (ex Laziness).
How did he do in his career? Juancho is six years younger than his brother Leiva and, as he explained in a meeting with EL PAÍS, when the ex-Perez began to excel in music, Juancho “still saw Barrio sesame”. Hence, despite playing on many of Leiva's tours, he has never formed a group with his brother. In 2008, Juancho formed Sidecars and since then the band has released five albums and toured Spain and Latin America. Although he has not done badly in his musical career, he has not reached the same recognition as Leiva, with whom critics frequently compare him. “[That Leiva is my brother] is not something that he has hidden at any time, nor is it something that he has carried as a flag. In any case, being compared to an artist of that size is always well received, ”Juancho assured the Asturian newspaper La Nueva España.
Chris Jagger
Brother of: Mick Jagger.
How did he do in his career? We know many Jaggers: part of Mick's extensive brood has succeeded in fashion (Jade and Georgia May are models) or in movies (James is an actor). But less recognized by the masses is his brother Chris (Kent, 1947), a musician who has worked on Rolling Stones albums (such as Dirty Work in 1986 or Steel Wheels in 1989), but also on albums as an individual artist that incorporate curious Styles ranging from Cajun, Country, Folk, and Zydeco. In this facet he has been seen on occasion in Madrid: in 2013 he performed at the Shoo venue, for example, to present his album Heavy City Blues and in 2014, at the Clamores venue. While one Jagger fills giant stadiums around the world, another can be enjoyed a few feet away in small venues. Two different ways to be a rocker.
