15 Celebrities That Are Descendants of Great Historical Figures

Families can be a bit confusing. And not just when it comes to behavior and relationships, but also when it comes to bloodlines. Today, many companies use genetics to trace your ancestors, all the way back to many generations. These very companies have researched famous celebrities and found out some surprising facts about their antecedents.

Bright Side delved into just a handful of these celebrities and found some relationships. Enough for us to exclaim that history truly repeats itself.

1. Beyoncé Knowles is the 25th cousin of Queen Elizabeth II.

Beyoncé Knowles, well known for being music royalty, has royal blood running in her veins too. She is the 25th cousin to Queen Elizabeth, once removed since they both share King Henry II as a common ancestor.

2. Angelina Jolie has lineage from King Phillip II of France.

King Phillip II of France ruled from 1180 to 1223 and is known to have brought financial stability to his country. He also increased the royal coffers. Actress Angelina Jolie carries French royal blood considering she is a direct descendant of Philip II. Strangely enough, she played Queen Olympias in the 2004 movie Alexander, opposite Val Kilmer’s Phillip II, only this was Phillip II of Macedonia.

3. Brad Pitt is a descendant of King Henry II of England.

Brad Pitt is no less royal either. He can trace his ancestry back to King Henry II of England, who ruled from 1154 until his death in 1189. Coincidentally, King Henry II’s wife, Eleanor of Aquitaine, was first married to French royalty, making Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie somewhat predestined to a failed marriage. This also makes Pitt a 25th cousin, twice removed, to Queen Elizabeth.

4. Jane Austen is Anna Chancellor’s great-aunt.

In 1995, Anna Chancellor starred as Caroline Bingley in Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice BBC Miniseries. But she has a deeper connection to Jane Austen as well. The highly venerated author is an 8-time great aunt to Chancellor.

5. H.H. Asquith is Helena Bonham Carter’s great-grandfather.

Helena Bonham Carter is best known for her off-the-beaten-path roles, like that of Mrs. Lovett in Sweeny Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. But she comes from illustrious family background. Herbert Henry Asquith, the Prime Minister of the UK from 1908 to 1916, was her paternal great-grandfather. She is also related to Jane Austen, and subsequently to Anna Chancellor.

6. Harry Lloyd is a descendant of Charles Dickens.

Harry Lloyd, who plays Viserys Targaryen in Game of Thrones is the great-great-great-grandson of the famous Charles Dickens, the author. Lloyd’s mother, Marion is the descendant of the seventh child of Dickens, Henry Fielding Dickens, who in turn had 5 children.

7. Benedict Cumberbatch is the 16th cousin to King Richard III.

Benedict Cumberbatch is distantly related to King Richard III, who ruled England from 1452 to 1485. He was the last English king to have died during a battle, and later, there was a whole investigation into finding his remains, enough for a reburial. Cumberbatch, who plays Doctor Strange in the Marvel movies, is the 16th cousin to the king. He also read a poem at his royal ancestor’s reburial.

8. King Henry I is the ancestor of Sigourney Weaver.

There seem to be many celebrities who can trace their lineage right back to English kings. King Henry I, who ruled from 1100 to his death in 1135 may have died without a male heir, but his bloodlines spread far and wide. Actress Sigourney Weaver, known for her role in Alien, is a descendant of Henry I, and this also makes her the 24th cousin of the Queen, once removed.

9. Jake Gyllenhaal has antecedents back to King Edward III.

King Edward III ruled the English from 1312 to 1377 and is known as a rather conventional king, who pursued warfare but could also show great clemency. There are many celebrities who can claim blood relations with him, including Maggie and Jake Gyllenhaal. Others include Michael Douglas, Hillary Duff, and more.

10. Meghan Markle is related to William Shakespeare.

We know Meghan Markle is related to the British Royal Family, by way of her marrying Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex. But she already has famous blood in her veins, considering she is cousins with the great playwright, William Shakespeare. Markle is a fifth cousin to the Bard, 12 times removed.

11. Ozzy Osbourne is related to Tsar Nicholas II, and more.

Then there is Ozzy Osbourne, and DNA might prove there is a method to his madness. Researchers say that the singer is not just a descendant of the Neanderthal man, but also a relative of outlaw Jesse James. But his claim to royal fame is with the last Russian Tsar, Nicholas II, whose entire family was wiped out in the revolution.

12. Cary Elwes is a descendant of infamous miser John Elwes.

Actor Cary Elwes is related to John Elwes. As a man, John Elwes may have been unremarkable except for the fact that he was an extreme miser. It is also alleged that he was Charles Dickens’s inspiration behind the miserly character, Ebenezer Scrooge, in the classic A Christmas Carol.

13. The Deschanel sisters are related to Louis IV of France.

Zooey and Emily Deschanel have both made their names in Hollywood. Zooey is the star of the series New Girl, while Emily Deschanel was the heroine of Bones. And both can lay claim to royal French blood, all the way back to King Louis IV of France, who ruled from 936 to 954.

14. Anderson Cooper is Cornelius Vanderbilt’s great-grandson.

Anchor and host Anderson Cooper is the great-grandson of Cornelius Vanderbilt, the shipping and railroad magnate whose familial wealth was once more than the US treasury. His mother, Gloria Vanderbilt was the granddaughter of Cornelius, but Cooper remembers deciding to start work early, considering the family fortunes were much diminished by the time he was in his teens.

15. Robert Pattinson is a descendant of Vlad the Impaler.

Robert Pattinson may have played the love-sick vampire, Edward Cullen, in the Twilight series, but he has a real-life blood connection to “Dracula.” Bram Stoker’s famous character was allegedly inspired by the Transylvania despot, Vlad the Impaler, and Pattinson is related to him, via the British royal family.

So which of these celebrity connections really caught your interest? Do you know of your family’s famous genealogical connections too?

Angelina Jolie’s relationship with her father, Jon Voight, has been complex and fraught with tension. However, they have managed to reconcile their differences, with Voight becoming a supportive figure in Jolie’s life, particularly during her divorce from Brad Pitt.

“He’s homeless living on the streets,” thinks one fan about handsome Hollywood Johnny Depp after his private visiting local music shop

Ever after prevailing in his six-year defamation lawsuit against his ex-wife Amber Heard, Johnny Depp has maintained a low profile. The actor is taking care of himself and planning his future. But after he went vintage shopping, several of his outfit’s comments came from fans.

Celebrity from “Pirates of the Caribbean,” Johnny Depp, recently prevailed in a six-year lawsuit for defamation brought by his ex-wife Amber Heard, who accused him of abusing his power.

In a private island ceremony, the ex-couple tied the knot in 2015. They were only married for 15 months, though, thus their union was brief.

Johnny Depp and Amber Heard in London in 2015 | Source: Getty Images

After accusing Depp of domestic abuse, Heard sought a temporary restraining order against him, citing “inconceivable differences.”

In 2016, Heard and Depp’s divorce was finally formalized, with a $7 million settlement between them. However, the bad news started when Depp filed a defamation lawsuit against his ex-wife in 2019 over an article she had written for the Washington Post in 2018 in which she accused him of sexual assault.

Beginning on April 11, 2022, both sides accused the other of abusing the other physically, emotionally, and mentally.

The two performers now had to strip away every aspect of their relationship in front of the court, which only made matters worse. However, Depp won the trial on June 1. The jury determined that Heard’s claim in the article that she had been sexually abused was defamatory.

The actress is said to be unable to provide Depp with the $10.4 million that Heard was expected to pay in exchange.

The jury gave Depp a $15 million damage award one week after the slander trial concluded. on talk about their significant victory, Camille Vasquez and Benjamin Chew, his attorneys, were invited on Good Morning America.

It was made clear by the lawyers that the actor’s goal in the case was to repair his reputation, not to make money.

After winning the case, Depp also made a statement of his own. He considered how false yet grave and hurtful accusations six years ago had altered his life and the lives of his children.

He acknowledged the amount of abuse he encountered in the media, but he expressed gratitude to the court for restoring his life.

Johnny Depp in London in 2018 | Source: Getty Images

“The best is yet to come, and a new chapter has finally begun,” the actor wrote as he concluded his statement. True enough, yet not quite. The truth never fades.

After the Battle, what happened to Depp?
It was his career, not the money, that drove Depp to battle for his image. Since the actor has always taken pride in his work, he was not going to allow anything unduly undermine his efforts.

The actor is apparently aiming to make a comeback to our screens now that he has prevailed in his case that changed his life. However, Depp is putting his own needs—both bodily and mental—first before resuming his profession.

It was disclosed by an insider that Depp was not thinking back on the past. He was keeping his head up and making every effort to avoid any bad vibes. The insider stated that the actor was pleased and relieved with the outcome.

Now, as he eases into his next actions, the actor is reveling in the sensation of having the burden he carried for six years lifted off his shoulders.

An other source disclosed that three months subsequent to the verdict, Depp was doing well and had even resumed his dating life.

Johnny Depp in Virginia in 2022 | Source: Getty Images

Even though Depp is doing well, he recently appeared in public, and his attire drew criticism from certain admirers.

Does Johnny Depp, who is fifty-nine years old, appear to be homeless these days?
While looking for guitars, Depp stopped by an antique store. When a movie celebrity of such caliber strolled into the store by accident, the staff was taken aback.

Johnny Depp at an antique store in 2023 | Source: Instagram.com/Hot News

Robert Miller, who has owned Hemswell Antique Centers for more than 20 years, said Depp was a very real person.

Miller claimed that the actor was being his easygoing, everyday self, which made the encounter enjoyable. He took his time looking over and playing the instruments, making himself comfortable.

“For someone like that to come through our doors is brilliant,” Miller said, expressing how amazing it was to have Depp walk inside his store. He went so far as to say that Depp will undoubtedly return to purchase additional guitars because of his positive experience.

Though some admirers thought Depp’s outfit was great for vintage shopping, others were criticizing the actor’s style based on the images from his visit to the antique store.

Many supporters expressed their happiness with Depp’s victory. He was praised for being a kind person who was now able to live his life without having to conceal.

He fought and avoided the most lethal bullet from that six-year case, earning him plaudits from other admirers. He was also wished well in his next chapter by his supporters.

Comments about Johnny Depp | Source: Facebook.com/Daily Mail

Conversely, admirers were perplexed by Depp’s attire but yet expressed the same endearing feelings.

Given his attractive appearance, one commenter expressed confusion about the actor’s choice of “horrid clothes.” He was nevertheless commended for succeeding in wearing his unusual fashion sense.

While some readers openly claimed that Depp looked destitute, others believed the actor’s costume was the ideal attire for vintage shopping.

Fans were nevertheless thrilled to see the actor out and about again, saying he simultaneously appeared joyful and destitute.

Wearing an all-gray ensemble, Depp’s jacket appeared worn out with several holes, and his pants had visible unfinished hems, giving the appearance of patched denim.

His signature blue glasses, a maroon pair of hand gloves, a checkered scarf, and a blue denim cap completed the ensemble.

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