48 Fun Facts About Famous Siblings

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

Orville got the honor only because Wilbur, who had won a coin toss three days earlier, stalled on takeoff and dug the Flyer into the sand.

Which Motown family act became the first group to send its first four singles to No. 1?

The Jackson 5 were sold to the public as Diana Ross's discovery, though it was singer Bobby Taylor who actually brought the brothers to Motown.

Venus Williams, older sister of Serena, won five of her seven Grand Slam singles titles at which tournament?

Wimbledon paid its women's champion less than the men's until 2007, the year after Venus attacked the gap in a newspaper essay, and she won the title that summer.

Which famous brothers began a German dictionary in 1838 that took more than 120 years to finish?

The Brothers Grimm expected to need ten years at most; Wilhelm died after finishing the letter D and Jacob while working on the word for 'fruit'.

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

Harpo never said a word in the brothers' films, honking a horn or whistling instead, and then cheekily titled his 1961 memoir 'Harpo Speaks!'

Which of the four acting Baldwin brothers is the eldest?

Alec, born in 1958, left George Washington University for drama school at NYU, and his brothers Daniel, William and Stephen followed him on screen.

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

The San Diego Chargers picked him anyway, after he threatened to sit out the season, then traded him to the Giants on draft day for Philip Rivers and extra picks.

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

Sucker arrived six years after the brothers' last single together, debuted at number one, and cast their wives and partners in its video.

Who is the eldest of the Kardashian sisters?

Kourtney, born in 1979, is older than Kim and Khloé, and she fronted the family's first spin-off series, Kourtney and Khloé Take Miami.

Which Hemsworth brother is the eldest?

Luke, born in 1980, is older than Chris and Liam, and he pops up in Thor: Ragnarok as a stage actor playing Thor in front of his real-life brother.

On Full House, which character did twins Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen take turns playing?

Michelle Tanner made the twins stars while they were still babies, and they built that early fame into a media and fashion empire before they were grown.

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

Robert had just managed his brother John's winning 1960 presidential campaign when he was named attorney general, and he left in 1964 to run for the Senate.

Which of Oasis's original five joined last, on the condition that he take creative control of his brother's band?

Noel was a roadie for Inspiral Carpets when he joined, and the name Oasis came from a venue on one of that band's tour posters that Liam had seen.

Which two Bee Gees were twins?

Robin and Maurice were born about half an hour apart on the Isle of Man in 1949; after Maurice died in 2003, the surviving brothers retired the Bee Gees name.

Brothers Ray and Dave Davies fronted which English rock band?

The Kinks got the snarling guitar sound of 'You Really Got Me' when Dave Davies slashed the speaker of his little amplifier with a razor blade.

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

Drums were meant to be Eddie's instrument and guitar Alex's, but Alex practiced on the kit while Eddie was out on his paper route, and the brothers swapped.

Which harmony-singing brothers, Don and Phil, had 1950s hits with 'Bye Bye Love' and 'Wake Up Little Susie'?

The Everly Brothers' close two-part harmonies became the model for the young Beatles and for Simon & Garfunkel.

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

Blood Simple, a Texas crime thriller, gave Frances McDormand her first screen role, and she married Joel Coen the year it came out.

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

V for Vendetta was filmed from the siblings' own script, but they handed the director's chair to James McTeigue, their assistant director on the Matrix films.

Twin brothers Matt and Ross Duffer are the creators of which hit Netflix series?

Stranger Things was turned down by at least fifteen networks, which wanted the child heroes cut or the show made for kids, before Netflix said yes.

Brothers Anthony and Joe Russo directed which film that overtook Avatar in 2019 as the biggest box-office hit to date?

Avengers: Endgame held the record for less than two years: Avatar took it back in 2021, thanks to a re-release in Chinese cinemas.

Which Brontë sister wrote Wuthering Heights, her only novel?

Emily published it in 1847 as Ellis Bell, a pen name chosen, like her sisters', to hide that the author was a woman, and died the following year aged only thirty.

As a toddler, Elle Fanning debuted as the younger version of her sister Dakota's character in which movie?

I Am Sam cast both sisters as Lucy, and its soundtrack is all Beatles covers because licensing the band's own recordings proved out of reach.

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

Manchester by the Sea was meant to star Matt Damon, one of its producers; when his schedule filled up, the lead role went to Casey instead.

Kieran Culkin, Macaulay's younger brother, won a Primetime Emmy for playing which Roy sibling on Succession?

Roman won Kieran the lead-actor Emmy for the show's final season, more than thirty years after he played Macaulay's little cousin Fuller in Home Alone.

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

The Tipton takes its name from the family of spoiled heiress London Tipton, a send-up of Paris Hilton; the twins later moved aboard its cruise ship for a sequel series.

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

Haim grew out of Rockinhaim, a family covers band in which the three sisters played alongside their parents, Moti and Donna.

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

The Philadelphia Eagles center lost the 2023 Super Bowl to his brother Travis's Chiefs, the first to put two brothers on opposite sides as players.

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

Mayor of Kyiv became his job in May 2014, weeks after he dropped his own run for president and threw his support to Petro Poroshenko.

Which tennis brothers, one left-handed and one right-handed, won 16 Grand Slam men's doubles titles together?

The Bryan brothers, twins Bob and Mike, were kept from becoming rivals as boys: whenever a junior draw pitted them against each other, their parents had one of them default.

Before succeeding his brother Fidel as Cuba's president in 2008, Raúl Castro spent almost fifty years in which job?

Defense minister from 1959 to 2008, Raúl ran Cuba's armed forces for 49 years, and he stood in for his ailing brother for two years before formally taking over.

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

Charlie Sheen was born Carlos Estévez and took the surname their father Martin used on screen, while Emilio kept the family name and says he is glad he did.

Which Hollywood filmmaker is Shirley MacLaine's younger brother?

Warren Beatty changed the spelling of the family surname for the screen, while his sister Shirley built her stage name from their mother's maiden name.

Which actress is the younger sister of actor Eric Roberts?

Julia Roberts and Eric were estranged for years until 2004, when he visited her in hospital after her twins were born; Emma Roberts is his daughter.

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

A Seat at the Table was written largely in New Iberia, Louisiana, a town that Solange and Beyoncé's grandparents were once driven out of, and the sisters' parents speak on its interludes.

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

New Kids on the Block briefly included a teenage Mark Wahlberg too, but he quit after a few months, long before the band's first hit.

In Genesis, Cain worked the soil; what was the occupation of his brother Abel, whom he killed?

Shepherd Abel offered the best of his flock, and when God favored that gift over Cain's crops, jealousy led to the first murder in the Bible.

In Rome's founding legend, which animal suckled the twins Romulus and Remus?

A she-wolf found the abandoned twins on the bank of the Tiber; the brothers later fell out over their new city, and Remus was killed.

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

Florida, where Jeb was governor, decided the 2000 presidential election for his brother George W. after a recount left him just 537 votes ahead.

Zooey Deschanel's older sister starred in which long-running Fox series?

Bones cast her as a forensic anthropologist for twelve seasons, a character drawn from the work and novels of real-life scientist Kathy Reichs, who also produced the show.

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

Spare comes from the old saying that a dynasty needs 'an heir and a spare', which cast Harry from birth as the backup to his brother William.

In which 2017 film did James Franco direct and star opposite his brother Dave?

The Disaster Artist retells the making of The Room, a film so notoriously bad it became a cult classic, with James as its creator Tommy Wiseau and Dave as his friend Greg Sestero.

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

The East End made the twins feared, but a West End nightclub made them famous: they posed for photographer David Bailey and mixed with film stars and politicians.

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

Manchester United brought both brothers through its youth team, while Phil's twin sister Tracey played netball for England and later coached the national side to Commonwealth gold.

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

New York had already elected their father Mario governor three times, and Chris was fired by CNN in 2021 for helping Andrew fight the scandal that ended his term.

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

Gale Hawthorne came two years after Liam auditioned to play Thor and lost the part to his own older brother Chris.

The Bee Gees' 1989 song 'Wish You Were Here' was written for which of the Gibb brothers, who died in 1988?

Andy Gibb, the youngest brother and a solo star, died days after turning thirty; his brothers said he had been about to join them as the fourth Bee Gee.

Which French brothers held the 1895 paid film screening in Paris that is traditionally called the birth of cinema?

The Lumière brothers ran a photographic plate factory in Lyon, and one of their first films simply showed their own workers walking out of its gates.