The Quick 10: Actors Who Shared the Spotlight With Dad

Can you imagine going to work with your dad every day? Maybe you already do. My dad works for the railroad and I can't really picture myself out there helping him repair tracks. Working with dear old dad is all in a day's work for these actors, though.

2. Being a big Flight of the Conchords fan, I know Bret McKenzie more than I know his dad. But if quirky New Zealand folk rock isn't really your thing, but Lord of the Rings is, then you're no doubt more familiar with Peter McKenzie. He played the elf Elendil in The Fellowship of the Ring, which Bret had a brief cameo in. Bret played an unnamed elf that was in the background of a scene. Fans quickly spotted the attractive, anonymous elf stealing the scene and named him "Figwit," short for "Frodo is grea... who is THAT?!" He gained quite the cult following.

3. It's not unusual for Ben Stiller to make a movie that his dad Jerry pops up in. But Jerry has the chops—back when Ben was just a twinkle in his daddy's eye, Jerry was one half of Stiller and Meara, a comedy duo that was quite successful in the "˜60s and "˜70s. Meara just happens to be Ben's mom. You can see Ben and Jerry together in Zoolander, The Heartbreak Kid, Heavyweights and Hot Pursuit.

5. It didn't go so well, but in 2003, three generations of Douglases (Kirk, Michael, and Michael's son Cameron) starred together in a movie called It Runs in the Family. Not surprisingly, the movie was about three generations of a successful family, although the members of the fictional family were lawyers, not actors. And the connection goes even further—playing Kirk Douglas' wife in the movie was his then-real-life wife, Diana Dill. The movie didn't go over so well, commercially or critically.

6. Godfather fans already know this one, but for the rest of you, the trivia is too good to leave out. Francis Ford Coppola's daughter Sofia Coppola appeared in many of her dad's films as an infant. In fact, she played the baby boy being christened in the first movie of the trilogy. She also had parts in The Outsiders, Peggy Sue Got Married, and The Godfather parts two and three.

7. The Arquettes are one of the most famous acting families in Hollywood—you've probably heard of David, Patricia, Alexis and Rosanna. How about Lewis? The Arquette patriarch was an actor too. Lewis Arquette appeared in several of his children's movies, including Patricia's Little Nicky and David's Scream 2. Lewis' dad was also an actor. Cliff Arquette was best known for his character Charley Weaver.

8. Martin Sheen played Emilio Estevez's dad in The War at Home. Emilio was also an extra in Apocalypse Now—he played a messenger boy—but his scenes were deleted. Sheen has also appeared alongside his other son, Charlie, in Wall Street, Spin City and Two and a Half Men, and other film projects.

9. John Carradine and David Carradine. Back before the Carradine brothers were famous, John Carradine was a big-time actor, known for some of the best Westerns ever made. He did a complete 180 from his most famous roles to star in three episodes of Kung Fu with his son David in the early "˜70s.

10. Robert Alda and Alan Alda. Alan might be the better-known of the two these days, but Robert has been in show business since his vaudeville days of the 1930s. He played George Gershwin in Rhapsody in Blue and starred in Guys and Dolls on Broadway in 1950. Alan, of course, became famous for his role as Hawkeye Pierce on M*A*S*H, which is where the father-son duo ended up working together. Robert made two guest appearances on the show.
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These are just a few examples. There are tons of acting families in Hollywood, so if you've got a great example, be sure to let us know in the comments.

And Happy Father's Day to the two special dads in my life—my own dad, of course, and my husband, who is trying out the title for the first time this year. Hope you all get to spend some time with your dads this weekend!