Many parents want their children to have better opportunities than they did growing up, with the end game being raising children who are happy, and more successful than their parents. Many Hollywood big shots do everything they can to keep their children out of the limelight, knowing very well how hard it can be to lead the life under the public’s microscope. Just the same, many kin of famous parents have the siren call of the spotlight draw them in – after all it’s in their DNA.

Being the child of a famous actor or actors gives young budding stars an added edge; directors and writers already know their names and may owe their mom or dad a favor or two. This is enough to get them in the door, but it isn’t necessarily enough to make them a lasting star or a longstanding household name. Celebrity parents can both brace their children for potential pitfalls and coach them in ways to succeed.

Apparently, these celeb parents have taught their young protégés well! We don’t want to diminish the careers of these celebrity icons but need to note their children have managed to maintain careers and exceed their parents both in terms of their ongoing success and their looks as Hollywood hotshots.

15 Nicole & Lionel Richie

There is no denying the talent of Dancing on the Ceiling dad Lionel Richie. I mean he co-wrote the 1985 chart topping charity single ‘We are the World’ with Michael Jackson. Richie is one of the bestselling recording artists of a generation and has sold over 90 million records globally. The five time Grammy Award Winner has also received the Songwriter’s Hall of Fame honor of the Johnny Mercer Award. Nicole Richie, his beautiful adopted daughter, started out her fame in the tabloids thanks to reality TV and gossip for bad behaviour, has since turned her life around.

She’s a talented fashion designer, model, has penned her own semi-autobiographical novel, and spends a lot of her time pursuing philanthropy. We think the best of Nicole is yet to come.

14 Dakota Johnson & Melanie Griffith

Don Johnson and Melanie Griffith were staples of 1980’s entertainment. According to Celebrity Net Worth, Griffith is said to have a net worth of 30 million dollars, and Don Johnson, 40 million dollars. While the two parents are no longer married, they have beautiful daughter Dakota who is now making more headlines for her work than both mom and dad combined. Dakota began her career in a film with her mom and her half-sister, Stella Banderas in 1999.

Dakota currently has a net worth of 10 million dollars, but now has some successful franchises, including the 50 Shades of Grey Series under her belt.

Hopefully, Dakota finds other roles to help define and grow her career. She has many movies filming and set for release over the next few years.

13 Miley & Billy Ray Cyrus

Billy Ray Cyrus is a household name thanks to his infamous song ‘Achy Breaky Heart’, and for some time he was one of the many artists responsible for the resurgence of New Country in the early 1990’s. While Cyrus is a multi-platinum selling artist who has released 12 studio albums and 44 singles since 1992, he’s now living in the shadow of his very successful daughter. Miley Cyrus began working with the Disney Channel as Hannah Montana.

Today Miley Cyrus’s net worth is estimated to be around 200 million dollars as she continues to rock sold out concerts everywhere, and she’s just 26. Dad is said to be worth a cool 20 million dollars, which doesn’t seem that much next to his daughter’s bank account. Today Miley is engaged to one of the most eligible bachelor’s in Tinsel Town, Liam Hemsworth.

12 Emma & Eric Roberts

While she hasn’t come anywhere near filling the celebrity shoes of her aunt Julia, Emma Roberts is proving herself to be quite the talent, enjoying celebrity status greater than her father Eric, who hasn’t been an A-lister since the 1980’s. Emma Roberts gave us some excellent lung power in the inspiring, but underappreciated series Scream Queens, alongside Jamie Lee Curtis.

In addition to her own series, the star has been a prominent part of the hit series American Horror Stories, and now has a number of movies that are set for release in the next couple of years.

Roberts is not even 30 yet and has plenty of time to hone her craft and make her big mark on the Hollywood Scene.

11 Enrique & Julio Iglesias

Music fans everywhere may argue that Enrique and Julio are both respectable musicians. Julio holds two high musical honors, one as having recorded songs in the most languages in the world in 1983, and the other in 2013, being the Latin artist who had the most records sold in history.

But, the math doesn’t lie. Enrique has had more singles on the Billboard Hot 100 compared to his father.

While both singers are blessed with good looks, Enrique truly has found a following for his good looks as well as his voice. In 2013, the younger Iglesias was a runner up for People’s Sexiest Man Alive Today, dad has more money than his son, having a net worth estimated at 370 Million compared to his son’s 100 million. We think Enrique still has a few more hits in him to bring his wealth over the top.

10 Liv & Steven Tyler

Steven Tyler is the front man of one of the most famous bands in the world, Aerosmith, and has been rocking hard since the 1970’s. While he’s still relevant, positions like acting as a judge on music competition shows may take away some of his rock and roll credit. Although Steven has a face that only a groupie could love, his ugly hot has not impacted his beautiful daughter Liv.

We were first introduced to Liv in her dad’s music video for ‘Crazy’ with then Hollywood it-girl Alicia Silverstone, and the rest is history. Liv has gone on to have a very active acting career and even has Lord of the Rings in her acting portfolio. Steven Tyler seems to have a knack for producing beautiful daughters; daughter Mia is a well-known plus sized fashion model.

9 Kate Hudson & Goldie Hawn

Goldie Hawn is an icon, and her partner Kurt Russell played Snake Plissken, so how could anyone say that Kate is bigger than her parents? Goldie, although still stunning, is no longer in the spotlight like she once was. Also, while both Kate and Oliver Hudson consider Russell to be their real dad, their biological father is a former musician and actor named Bill Hudson.

While Kate doesn’t have the money in the bank that her parents do, Kate is said to be worth around 38 million dollars, while her mom is worth 60. Kate has a lot more time to amass her wealth.

Not only is Kate a gorgeous and talented actor, she’s also a business woman and has her own clothing line, Fabletics, a feat that even her very successful mother was unable to achieve.

8 Chris & Robert Pine

Many people don’t even equate Chris Pine with his accomplished actor father, which shows just how much of a name he’s made for himself on his own. Robert Pine is most famous for his work on the show CHiPs, but nowadays relies on voice work in video games instead of small screen hits or Hollywood Blockbusters. Meanwhile, son Chris is not only a heartthrob, but he’s a consistently a leading man in many successful films.

He first caught our attention when he portrayed Captain Kirk in the most recent edition of the Star Trek series, for which another film has just been announced. He’s a lead character in the film A Wrinkle in Time, and was voted by Vogue Magazine as one of the sexiest men around.

7 Josh & James Brolin

Many of us kids from the 1980’s expected Josh Brolin to reach full Hollywood A-Lister status when we saw him in the 1980’s hit film The Goonies, but it took him some time to build his career through roles in No Country for Old Men and Men in Black III. His Dad James, has been acting since the 1960’s. While James is clearly a silver fox and looks amazing for a man who is pushing 80 years old, he doesn’t have the same sizzle as his son James.

Much like his dad, Josh has been steadily working for his entire career, but larger roles in iconic movies, like the upcoming Deadpool 2, are sure to bring Josh to the next level of fame, while his father is working television in his show Life in Pieces. Josh, who is now 50, was just awarded (for the second year in a row) the honour of Glamour Magazine’s "Sexiest Actor Alive".

6 Abby & Chris Elliott

Remember Chris Elliott? This former Cabin Boy and Saturday Night Live alumni has made a career out of playing that annoying character who pushes everyone’s buttons. In fact, he’s still doing it in his role on the critically acclaimed television series Schitt’s Creek alongside fellow funny man father Eugene Levy. While Elliott is not known for his looks, he is known for his talent.

It seems his daughter, Abby Elliott, is the whole package.

Abby is good looking and funny, and has the honor of being the first-second generation talent to become a cast member on Saturday Night Live. Abby spent four years on SNL and has had several roles on television shows, like How I Met Your Mother, likely thanks to a good word from her dad.

5 Lenny Kravitz & Roxie Roker

Many people don’t know that Lenny Kravitz is second generation famous. His mother, Roxie Roker, portrayed Helen Willis on the ground-breaking series The Jeffersons. While mom spent ten years on the small screen, she never found another role quite like her iconic one on The Jeffersons. Son Lenny however, has remained a relevant and successful rock star with a career that now spans decades.

Kravitz is a repeat Grammy award winner, has had success in acting (most recently by playing Cinna in The Hunger Games). Lenny recently made headlines for dating a Victoria Secret model who is just a year older than his daughter Zoe, so we guess he still has it! It’s up to debate as to whether this family will keep getting better looking, since daughter Zoe is now shining as a model, actor, and singer, just like dad.

4 Angelina Jolie & Jon Voight

Jon Voight was a household name in the 1970’s and has since become more of a C or D level actor in Hollywood. Yes, he won an Oscar for his role in the film Coming Home, but what has he done lately? Today Jon is better known as the father of humanitarian and movie super star Angelina Jolie.

Jolie was married for years to movie super star Brad Pitt, and is mother to six children who she raises with a very hands-on approach. Just comparing the financial numbers, you can see the difference in success between Angelina and her dad. Page Six says Jolie is worth an estimated 160 million dollars where her dad is worth 55 million dollars.

3 Rashida & Quincy Jones

Rashida Jones, much like you’re Parks and Recreation character Anne Perkins, Rashida deserves a Leslie Knope worth compliment: “Ann, you’re a genius! Your brain is almost as perfect as your face.” With both brains and beauty, this Harvard grad first made a name for herself on the hit series The Office, before earning a starring role in Parks and Recreation.

Jones is daughter to successful, 79 time Grammy Nominated, and 28 Grammy Award winning father, musician, composer, producer, instrumentalist, and multi-talented, Quincy Jones. While father Quincy, is now 85 years old, and understandably winding down his career, his daughter is just getting started. Rashida Jones is currently writing the screenplay for the highly anticipated Disney flick Toy Story 4. We can’t wait to see what she does next.

2 The Kardashian Daughters

Is there anyone more famous without ever starring in anything beyond reality TV, social media, and some scandalous home videos than Khloe, Kendall, Kourtney, Kim and Kylie? Mom Kris has worked hard as ‘momager’ to ensure that her daughters, who already come from a very privileged family, are more successful and famous than she is.

Some argue that mom is in it all for the fame, whereas others stick their noses up at haters because they know that mom just wants to help her brood of beautiful daughters build their empire.

According to Time in 2017, Kendall currently has 18 million dollars net worth, Kourtney 35 million, Khloe 40 million, and Kylie, 50 million.

Not bad for some women who are mostly famous for posting selfies.

1 Damon Wayans Jr. & Sr.

Damon Wayans is funny, and although his son looks quite a bit like him there’s something a little bit classier about the son he named as his Jr. It’s hard to think of the man who played Major Payne as a sex symbol, but his son who has had leading roles in recent television hits like Happy Endings and New Girl, Jr. was even nominated for the category of ‘Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series’ for his work on Happy Endings.

While dad is still a very talented writer and actor, and still working, most recently in the TV Show Lethal Weapon, we know his best days of In Living Color fame are behind him, and it’s time for him to move over and make room for his very talented son.

References: Ranker, CelebrityNetWorth.comSlice.