Hollywood’s Directing Dynasties: Coppolas, Cronenbergs and More (Photos)

Sofia Coppola, whose awards contender “Priscilla” is now in theaters, is just one of several filmmakers whose parents were already major names in the industry. Both her father, Francis Ford Coppola, and her mother, Eleanor Coppola, are directors, as is her brother Roman.

Here are some of the most notable second-generation directors in Hollywood, including Jason Reitman, Rob Reiner, Mario Van Peebles and Colin Hanks.

We’re also a big fan of Francesca Scorsese’s TikTok videos with her dad, Martin Scorsese, especially the one where he auditions the family dog.

Ivan and Jason Reitman

Jason has picked up the “Ghostbusters” mantle from his father, who died in Feb. 2022. He directed “Ghostbusters: Afterlife” and the fourth film in the franchise is due in 2024. Jason’s films include “Up in the Air,” “Juno” and “Thank You For Smoking.”

Brandon and David Cronenberg

The Canadian horror icon gave us such ghastly delights as “Dead Ringers,” “Scanners” and “Videodrome” and released “Crimes of the Future” last year. Son Brandon has followed in his footsteps, with the ultra-gory and criticially acclaimed “Possessor” and “Infinity Pool.”

Barry and Sam Levinson

Levinson Sr. won an Oscar for directing Best Picture winner “Rain Man.” His work includes “Wag the Dog,” “Bugsy” and “Good Morning, Vietnam.” Levinson Jr. has given us the envelope-pushing TV shows “Euphoria” and “The Idol.”

Francis Ford Coppola, Sofia Coppola, Roman Coppola and Eleanor Coppola

Practically everyone in the family has stepped behind the camera: Francis became one of the most iconic filmmakers of the 1970s with two Oscar-winning “Godfather” films and “Apocalypse Now”; wife Eleanor’s films include “Hearts of Darkness,” a making-of doc of the war film’s troubled production; Roman Coppola directed the chic “CQ” about a 1960s filmmaker’s problems while making a sci-fi movie. Sofia Coppola is an Oscar winner for the screenplay of 2003’s “Lost in Translation” and her “lush and compassionate” “Priscilla” is in now in theaters and a likely Oscar contender.

Luke Scott, Ridley Scott

Ridley has directed some of our all-time favorites, including “Alien,” “Blade Runner,” and Best Picture winner “Gladiator.” At age 85, he’s still directing, with “Napoleon” out on Nov. 22. Son Luke served as assistant director on Ridley’s “The Martian” and “Alien: Covenant” before making his directorial debut with 2016’s “Morgan.”

Bryce Dallas Howard, Ron Howard

Ron Howard’s films include “Apollo 13,” “Willow” and “Splash,” as well as Best Picture winner “A Beautiful Mind,” which also won him a Best Director Oscar. Daughter Bryce has helmed episodes of “The Mandalorian” and “The Book of Boba Fett.” She also directed the Apple TV+ docuseries “Dads,” in which Ron appears along with other celebrity dads including Will Smith, Jimmy Fallon and Neil Patrick Harris.

Colin Hanks, Tom Hanks

The “Forrest Gump” star has directed 1996’s “That Thing You Do!” about a one-hit wonder band called (of course) The Wonders, and 2011’s “Larry Crowne,” in which he costarred with Julia Roberts. Colin directed the 2015 documentary “All Things Must Pass” about Tower Records and the animated short “The Amazing Adventures of Wally and the Worm.”

Carl Reiner and Rob Reiner 

The late Carl Reiner, who died in 2020 at 98, made such comedy classics as “The Jerk,” “All of Me” and “Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid.” Son Rob has scored hits in a number of genres, including horror (“Misery”), drama (“A Few Good Men”), romcoms (“When Harry Met Sally”) and, let we forget, the best fantasy movie about kissing ever, “The Princess Bride.”

Nick Cassavetes, John Cassavetes

John Cassavetes, who died in 1989, revolutionized indie filmmaking with his raw, low-budget movies “Faces,” “A Woman Under the Influence” and “The Killing of a Chinese Bookie.” Nick’s films include “The Notebook,” “She’s So Lovely” and “John Q.”

Mario Van Peebles, Melvin Van Peebles

Melvin, whose films include 1970’s “Watermelon Man” and 1971’s “Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song” was a trailblazing was an actor, filmmaker, writer, and composer. He sadly passed away in 2021. Son Mario made his own mark with 1991’s “New Jack City,” “Posse” and “Panther.” He’s also directed for several TV series, including episodes of “Sons of Anarchy,” “Lost,” “Power,” the 2016 miniseries “Roots,” and the Hulu’s “Wu-Tang: An American Saga.”

Goro Miyazaki, Hayao Miyazaki

Legendary Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki, who co-founded co-founder Studio Ghibli, released what he says is his final film in 2023, “The Boy and the Heron.” The Oscar winner’s previous films include “Spirited Away,” “My Neighbor Totoro” and “Howl’s Moving Castle.” Son Goro originally shied away from filmmaking, becoming a landscaper, before embarking on his own career in animation. So far, he has directed the movies “Tales from Earthsea,” “From Up on Poppy Hill” and “Earwig and The Witch.”

James Redford, Lena Redford, Robert Redford and Amy Redford

The actor-turned-director, who founded the Sundance Film festival, scored big with his directorial debut, 1980’s “Ordinary People,” which won Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Supporting Actor for Timothy Hutton. He went on to direct several other movies, including “Quiz Show,” “A River Runs Through It” and “The Horse Whisperer.” Son James, who died in 2020, was a documentary filmmaker and environmentalist; daughter Lena has directed two short films and daughter Amy’s “Roost” debuted at the 2022 Toronto Film Festival. She was also a co-producer on the 2022 Showtime docuseries “The Lincoln Project.”

Steven Spielberg, Destry Allyn Spielberg

We don’t need to explain who Steven Spielberg is, do we? The award-winning director’s daughter Destry has also gone behind the camera for the 2022 short film “Let me Go the Right Way,” which she also co-wrote.

Anjelica Huston, John Huston

John Huston, who died in 1987, was one of the most prolific and respected directors in the business: His genre-defining films include 1941’s “The Maltese Falcon,” 1951’s “The African Queen” and 1950’s “The Asphalt Jungle.” Daughter Anjelica Huston, who won Best Supporting Actress for her role in his 1985 film “Prizzi’s Honor,” has also become a director: She directed “Bastard Out of Carolina,” “Agnes Browne” and “Riding the Bus With My Sister.”

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