Hot Gallery: Surprise Celebrity Connections!

Although Al Gore has opted to remain out of public office since his failed bid for the presidency in the infamous “hanging chad” election of 2000, he has remained very much in the public eye. The former Vice President remains an outspoken activist for environmental causes, including his Alliance for Climate Protection, and has racked up international awards and acclaim, including an Emmy for his progressive Current TV network, a Grammy and an Oscar for An Inconvenient Truth, and—oh, yeah—a Nobel Peace Prize. As students at Harvard, Al Gore and Tommy Lee Jones were roommates and close friends. Jones, the star of movies like Men in Black, The Fugitive (for which he won an Oscar), and No Country for Old Men, was also an offensive tackle at Harvard during a legendary 1968 game against Yale. In a speech at the 2000 Democratic National Convention, Jones spoke about his old buddy’s character: “We shot pool and watched Star Trek, when maybe we should have been studying for exams. He’d challenge me to shooting contests. We’d see who could hit a tin can from the farthest away. And it was usually Al.”

Nicolas Cage—born Nicolas Coppola—chose to change his last name to avoid the appearance of cashing in on his famous family. Cage won an Oscar for his harrowing performance in Leaving Las Vegas (clip is NSFW), and has starred in movies including Con Air, City of Angels, and Lord of War. His comic book movie Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance was released in 2011. He's also been in the action adventure Stolen, as well as a reunion with his Adaptation collaborator Charlie Kaufman for the comedy Frank or Francis. Cage and Schwartzman are cousins—and both Coppolas, though neither bears the name. Schwartzman has starred in indie favorites like Rushmore, I Heart Huckabees, Fantastic Mr. Fox, and Marie Antoinette (directed by another cousin, Sofia Coppola). He most starred in the HBO series Bored to Death, for which he also composed and sang the theme song. Schwartzman’s mother, Talia Shire (Rocky, The Godfather), is Francis Ford Coppola’s sister, and Cage’s father, August Coppola, was his brother. On NPR’s Fresh Air with Terry Gross, Schwartzman recalls going to his uncle’s house for movie screenings, including Vampire’s Kiss—starring his cousin Nicolas. “That was a big thing for me. I loved his performance,” he says in the interview. “Once we got the film on VHS, I would watch it over and over again.... I would rewind certain scenes and I would play them, pause them, and then try to mimic him.... I was like, wow, who is this person that I'm supposedly related to? He was very scary.”

Beloved by fans from her days on Gilmore Girls, Melissa McCarthy has gone on to acclaim for her sitcom Mike & Molly and the breakout comedy hit Bridesmaids. McCarthy’s Lead Actress win at the 2011 Emmys was one of the defining awards-show moments of the year, when all of the nominees (a hilarious bunch of broads, to be sure) took to the stage together in a celebration of unbridled girl power. After Melissa was nominated for an Oscar for her scene-stealing role in Bridesmaids, Jenny tweeted an enthused (and NSFW) congratulations to her cuz. Jenny, a former Playboy Bunny, starred in the TV series Jenny and the movie Scream 3 had recurring roles in Two and a Half Men and In the Motherhood. She has also become an outspoken advocate for autism research and support (her son is autistic).

The beautiful young star of Mirror Mirror majored in broadcast journalism at USC—she’s written for British Elle Girl, Seventeen, and Teen Vogue—in between appearing in movies including The Blind Side, Abduction, and Priest. You may have heard of newcomer Lily’s famous father—that would be none other than singer Phil Collins, who had a string of megahits in the ’80s, first with Genesis and then as a solo artist (hello, “Against All Odds”? “Easy Lover”? “Sussudio”?). What’s it like growing up a British legend’s daughter? Lily told Jimmy Kimmel about her “Uncle Elton” and her embarrassing encounters with Princess Diana and Prince Charles.

Kim Cattrall is best known for her role as the sexually voracious Samantha Jones in the Sex and the City series and movies, as well as an early appearance in Porky’s (that’s her as a brunette in the red skirt) and, of course, Mannequin. Most recently she appeared on Broadway in Noël Coward’s Private Lives. Cattrall’s grandmother babysat the young Richard Starkey, a.k.a. Ringo Starr. In a 2003 interview, Cattrall—who is originally from Liverpool, though she moved to Canada as a baby—revealed to John Hiscock of the London Mirror that when she returned at age 11 to the U.K., “it was the time of the Beatles, so it was really exciting. I loved it. In fact, my grandmother used to babysit Ringo.” Starr continues to release records (his latest is Ringo 2012) and perform with his All-Starr Band.

Warren Beatty, whose career has spanned more than five decades, has starred in movies from Bonnie and Clyde and Shampoo to Dick Tracy, Bulworth, and Reds, for which he won a Best Director Oscar. A vocal liberal, he considered a run for political office in 2000 but eventually decided against it. He was also a notorious ladies’ man until he wed his Bugsy costar Annette Bening in 1992. The couple have four children. This powerhouse brother and sister are both Hollywood legends in their own right. So what’s with the different names? Turns out neither of them uses their original last name—Shirley MacLaine was born Shirley MacLean Beaty; Warren Beatty was born Henry Warren Beaty. MacLaine, the elder by three years, has starred in movies including Sweet Charity, The Apartment, Terms of Endearment, Being There, and Steel Magnolias. She recently appeared in the hit PBS series Downton Abbey and has no less than seven upcoming movies. MacLaine has written 13 books, has her own radio show, and is a proponent of “Spirit, Mind and Body” learning. MacLaine told Oprah Winfrey about her relationship with her brother, “When we were kids, I really did protect him.” She went on to say that the two are still close and see each other whenever she’s in California.

Jennifer Aniston is best known for playing Rachel—the TV character who launched a million haircuts—on Friends. She’s since starred in movies like Office Space, Marley & Me, and Horrible Bosses and the romantic comedy Wanderlust with Paul Rudd. Next up are Cake and Horrible Bosses 2, both scheduled for release next year. In 2012, she received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The gorgeous girl next door had an equally iconic figure for a godfather: the late Telly Savalas, best known as Kojak. In addition to playing the hard-as-nails New York detective, Savalas starred in movies like Kelly’s Heroes and The Dirty Dozen and released recordings like 1975’s “Who Loves Ya Baby,” riffing off the famous Kojak catchphrase. Savalas, whose parents were Greek immigrants, was close friends with Jennifer’s actor father, John Aniston—born Yannis Anastassakis in Crete, Greece.