50 Fun Facts About Famous Siblings

Which Wright brother piloted the first powered flight at Kitty Hawk on December 17, 1903?

Wilbur had won a coin toss three days earlier but stalled after takeoff; the brothers then flew twice each on the 17th.

The Jackson 5 were the first group to debut with how many straight Hot 100 number ones?

'I Want You Back', 'ABC', 'The Love You Save' and 'I'll Be There' all topped the chart after the brothers signed with Motown in 1968.

Which Williams sister is the elder?

Venus was born in June 1980, fifteen months before Serena, and won five of her seven majors at Wimbledon.

In which year did the Grimms publish the first volume of Children's and Household Tales?

The first volume held 86 stories; by the third edition in 1837 the collection had grown to 170 tales.

Which Marx Brother built his comic persona around never speaking on screen?

His comedy drew on clown and pantomime traditions, and in later films he conveyed urgent messages by whistling.

How many Baldwin brothers are professional actors?

Alec, Daniel, William and Stephen are also descended from Mayflower passengers John Howland and Elizabeth Tilley.

Which team drafted Eli Manning first overall in 2004 despite his refusal to play for them?

He was traded to the New York Giants on draft day and went on to win two Super Bowls, matching his brother Peyton's total.

Which 2019 comeback single gave the Jonas Brothers their first number one on the Billboard Hot 100?

It debuted at number one, the first boy-band chart-topper since B2K's 'Bump, Bump, Bump' in 2003.

Who is the eldest of the Kardashian sisters?

Born in April 1979, she has two younger sisters, Kim and Khloé, and a younger brother, Rob.

Which Hemsworth brother is the eldest?

Born in Melbourne in 1980, he played Ashley Stubbs in HBO's Westworld while his younger brothers became Thor and Gale Hawthorne.

On Full House, why were Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen jointly credited as 'Mary Kate Ashley Olsen'?

The twins alternated in the role of Michelle Tanner and only appeared together in fantasy sequences.

Which Kennedy brother served as US Attorney General from 1961 to 1964?

He was appointed by his brother, President John F. Kennedy, and later became a US senator from New York.

Which Gallagher brother joined Oasis last, on the condition that he take creative control?

Liam had joined a band called the Rain and renamed it Oasis; he first invited his older brother to be the manager.

Which two Bee Gees were twins?

Robin was born 35 minutes before his fraternal twin Maurice on the Isle of Man in 1949.

Brothers Ray and Dave Davies fronted which English rock band?

Their breakthrough third single, 'You Really Got Me', was written by Ray in 1964.

What instrument did Alex Van Halen play alongside his guitarist brother Eddie?

The two brothers were the only constant members across the band's 12 studio albums.

Which country music legend spotted Don and Phil Everly and began promoting them?

The brothers had sung on Iowa radio with their parents as the Everly Family before writing their own songs in 1956.

What was Joel and Ethan Coen's 1984 debut film?

The Texas-set noir starred Frances McDormand, who went on to marry Joel Coen.

Which 2005 film did the Wachowskis write and produce after the Matrix trilogy?

Speed Racer followed in 2008 and Cloud Atlas, co-directed with Tom Tykwer, in 2012.

Matt and Ross Duffer, the identical twins behind Stranger Things, made the show for which platform?

The brothers work on all their projects as a pair and serve as creators, showrunners and directors.

Anthony and Joe Russo directed which film, the first superhero movie to gross over $2 billion?

Endgame then became the second superhero film to pass the same mark a year later.

Which Brontë sister wrote Wuthering Heights, her only novel?

She died in Haworth in 1848 aged 30; the sisters published under the male pseudonyms Currer, Ellis and Acton Bell.

Elle Fanning debuted at three playing the younger version of her sister Dakota's character in which film?

She went on to Babel, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and leading roles for Sofia Coppola.

For which film did Casey Affleck, Ben's younger brother, win the Academy Award for Best Actor?

Producer Matt Damon had planned to star but stepped aside on the condition that Affleck replace him.

Kieran Culkin, Macaulay's younger brother, won a Primetime Emmy for playing which character?

He made his film debut alongside Macaulay in Home Alone in 1990 and later added an Oscar and a BAFTA to his shelf.

Twins Dylan and Cole Sprouse starred as Zack and Cody in a Disney series set in which Boston hotel?

The sequel The Suite Life on Deck moved the twins onto a cruise ship for three more seasons.

Este, Danielle and Alana are the three sisters in which Los Angeles rock band?

They started out in Rockinhaim, a cover band fronted by their parents Moti and Donna.

Jason Kelce, co-host of New Heights, played 13 seasons at center for which team?

The brothers faced each other in Super Bowl LVII in February 2023, with Travis's Chiefs winning.

Boxer Vitali Klitschko, brother of Wladimir, was elected to which office in 2014?

He founded the UDAR party in 2010 and was a leading figure in the Euromaidan protests.

Doubles legends Bob and Mike Bryan are 'mirror twins' — what does that mean on court?

Bob plays lefty and Mike righty, which the twins credit for their court coverage on the way to Olympic gold in 2012.

In which year did Raúl Castro become President of Cuba, succeeding his brother Fidel?

He had served as minister of the armed forces since 1959, the longest tenure of any defence minister.

Emilio Estevez is the older brother of which actor, who took their father's stage name?

Estevez made his film debut with an uncredited role in Badlands in 1973, the year his father Martin Sheen starred in it.

Which Hollywood filmmaker is Shirley MacLaine's younger brother?

The siblings campaigned together for George McGovern in 1972, and she wrote a book about the candidate.

Which A-list actress is Eric Roberts's younger sister, from whom he was estranged for years until 2004?

His daughter Emma Roberts is therefore her niece; the family's true paternal surname was revealed to be Mitchell.

Which Solange album gave her a first Billboard 200 number one?

Its lead single 'Cranes in the Sky' won her first Grammy, for Best R&B Performance.

Mark Wahlberg's older brother Donnie was a founding member of which boy band?

He later played Detective Danny Reagan on Blue Bloods for 14 seasons.

In Genesis, what was the occupation of Abel, the brother Cain killed?

Cain, the firstborn, was the farmer; God accepted Abel's offering but not his, and jealousy followed.

According to Roman myth, which animal suckled the twins Romulus and Remus?

The image has been a symbol of Rome since at least the 3rd century BC; Romulus later killed his brother and founded the city.

Jeb Bush, younger brother of President George W. Bush, was governor of which state?

He served from 1999 to 2007 while his brother went from governor of Texas to the White House.

Zooey Deschanel's older sister Emily played a forensic anthropologist on which long-running Fox series?

She played Dr. Temperance Brennan for twelve seasons; their father Caleb Deschanel is an Oscar-nominated cinematographer.

Prince Harry's 2023 memoir about growing up as the younger brother of the heir was titled what?

Ghostwritten by J. R. Moehringer, its first draft ran to 800 pages, enough for two books.

Dave Franco was steered into acting by the manager of which older brother?

He had planned to become a high-school creative writing teacher until his sophomore year at USC.

19th-century stage great Edwin Booth was the older brother of which infamous man?

Edwin was a Unionist and founded Booth's Theatre in New York in 1869; his brother assassinated Lincoln in 1865.

Gangster twins Ronnie and Reggie Kray ran organised crime in which part of London?

The identical twins from Haggerston were active from the late 1950s until their arrest in 1968.

Gary and Phil Neville both spent long careers at which football club?

Their sister Tracey was an England netball international; Gary captained the club's 1992 FA Youth Cup winners.

Chris Cuomo's brother Andrew served as governor of which state from 2011 to 2021?

Their father Mario had held the same office from 1983 to 1994; Chris was fired by CNN in 2021 over help he gave his brother.

Liam Hemsworth, youngest of the acting brothers, played which character in The Hunger Games films?

He also starred in The Last Song and Independence Day: Resurgence.

The Bee Gees' 1989 song 'Wish You Were Here' was dedicated to which brother, who died in 1988?

Andy had two of the seven brother-written songs that held the US number one spot for 27 of 37 weeks in 1977-78.

In which French city were film pioneers Auguste and Louis Lumière born?

The family moved to Lyon in 1870, and it was there the brothers built the Cinématographe that recorded, copied and projected films.

How many major women's doubles titles did Serena Williams win, all with her sister Venus?

The sisters never lost a major doubles final together, the best unbeaten record in major finals in any discipline of the sport.