80s stars who you probably didn’t know had Hollywood a-list parents

Tatum O’Neal starred in ’70s hits like Paper Moon, The Bad News Bears and International Velvet, before one of her standout career projects, 1980’s Little Darlings. 

Before she was a successful actress, Tatum was a child like any other, who just happened to be the daughter of Love Story star Ryan O’Neal and ’60s film star Joanna Moore. 

Sean Astin is now best-known for his role in The Lord of the Rings as Samwise Gamgee, but in the ’80s he found fame as Mikey in kids adventure classic The Goonies. 

The actor was raised by similarly talented parents. His mother Patty Duke starred in The Patty Duke Show and Valley of the Dolls, while his adoptive father John Astin portrayed Gomez Addams on popular ’60s sitcom The Addams Family.  

Before he was a regular on NCIS: Los Angeles or starring on Twin Peaks, Miguel Ferrer found fame in the ’80s in sci-fi action hit RoboCop as Bob Morton, project leader of the RoboCop programme. 

His parents had some substantial star power in their time, too, as mother Rosemary Clooney – providing an additional star tie to George Clooney – starred in the likes of White Christmas and father José Ferrer found fame as Cyrano de Bergerac in the play’s 1950 film adaptation.

Sam Robards starred in 1985 comedy drama Fandango as Kenneth Waggener, one of five college students who have a last adventure before facing the ‘real world’, all under the shadow of the Vietnam War.

His parents set him up well for success, as mother Lauren Bacall had already found fame with hits like To Have and Have Not and The Big Sleep, while father Jason Robards was established as a rugged leading man in features like Once Upon a Time in the West.

From The Wedding Singer to Never Been Kissed and 50 First Dates, Drew Barrymore is a regular billing in the world of rom-coms. She’s since found fame as a talk show host, but way before that she starred as Gertie in 1982 classic E.T.

Her mother Jaid Barrymore had a run of feature credits in the ’80s and ’90s, including Doppelganger and Guncrazy, while her father John Drew Barrymore was a star of the ’50s in High Lonesome and The Big Night.

No rundown of ’80s stars is complete without one of the Brat Pack making an appearance, and Emilio Estevez sits at the top of the pack when it comes to famous parents.

His father Martin Sheen starred in Apocalypse Now, The West Wing and comedy series Grace and Frankie, while Emilio’s mother Janet has had a couple of acting roles and joined her husband and son on the set of The Way as an executive producer.