In some cases, talent, charisma, beauty, and stage presence is in the genes. A family will produce not one star but two … sisters who follow the same path to the silver screen and the Hollywood spotlight. Let’s take this opportunity to admire some of the great sister acts of the Golden Age of Hollywood.
Natalie Wood and Lana Wood
Natalie Wood and her younger sister, Lana Wood, were the daughters of Russian-American parents, Nicholas and Maria Zakharenko. Nicholas changed the family’s surname to Gurdin after immigrating to the U.S. and both his daughters changed their last name yet again when they entered show business. He worked as a carpenter and set designer in Hollywood, which put him in contact with many studio executives. Natalie and Lana began acting at a young age. Natalie Wood, who was born in 1938, began her acting career as a youngster, starring in films as a child before transitioning to adult roles in the 1950s and 1960s. She was a well-known actress who appeared in many popular films, including Rebel Without a Cause, West Side Story, and Splendor in the Grass. Lana Wood was born in 1946. She gained notoriety for her role as Plenty O’Toole in the 1971 James Bond film, Diamonds Are Forever.
Lillian Gish and Dorothy Gish
Dorothy Gish and Lillian Gish were sisters who were both major actresses in the early 20th century. Lillian Gish was the elder sister. She was born in 1893 while her sister, Dorothy, was born in 1898. The Gish sisters started acting as children and went on to become major stars of the silent film era. Dorothy appeared in more than 140 films during her career, including Old Heidelberg, Jordan Is a Hard Road, and Hearts of the World. Among Lillian Gish’s most well-known movies are The Birth of a Nation, Intolerance, and The Wind.
Joan Bennett and Constance Bennett
Constance Bennett and Joan Bennett hailed from a family of actors and were both major Hollywood stars in the 1920s and 1930s. In fact, Constance Bennett, who was born in 1904, was the highest-paid actress of the 1930s. Although she appeared in a few comedy films, Constance was mostly known as a dramatic actress. She appeared in What Price Hollywood?, Bed of Roses, Topper, and Two-Faced Woman. Joan Bennett was born in 1910 and got her start as a stage actress before working in film. She appeared in more than 70 films including silent movies and films of the sound era. She starred in Man Hunt, The Woman in the Window, and Scarlet Street. Joan Bennett earned an Emmy Award nomination in 1968 for her series of roles in the gothic television soap opera, Dark Shadows.
Olivia De Havilland and Joan Fontaine
Sisters Olivia De Havilland and Joan Fontaine both started acting in the 1930s and went on to become major stars of the Golden Age of Hollywood and Academy Award winners. Their father, Walter de Havilland, was an actor and English professor. Their mother, Lilian Ruse was an actress who used the stage name Lillian Fontaine. When they entered show business, Olivia, who was born in 1916, kept her given name and Joan, who was born a year later, opted to adopt her mother’s stage name as her own. Olivia is perhaps best known for her role as Melanie Wilkes in Gone with the Wind and her Oscar-winner roles in To Each His Own and The Heiress. Joan starred in such films as The Constant Nymph and Rebecca. She earned her own Best Actress Oscar for her role in Suspicion.