List of Show Business Families - Families - W

W

Wainwright/McGarrigle

• Loudon Wainwright III (son of Time magazine columnist Loudon Wainwright, Jr.), his sister Sloan Wainwright, son Rufus Wainwright and daughter Martha Wainwright are all singer-songwriters. Rufus and Martha are the children of Loudon's former wife Kate McGarrigle, of the singing sisters Kate and Anna McGarrigle; their sister Jane McGarrigle is a composer, while Anna's daughter Lily Lanken (by her husband, journalist Dane Lanken, who has sung with the McGarrigles) is a singer. Loudon's second daughter Lucy Wainwright Roche, whose mother is Suzzy Roche of singing sisters The Roches, is another singer-songwriter.

Wahlberg

• Donnie Wahlberg, best known as a member of pop group New Kids on the Block and an actor, and rapper-turned-actor Mark Wahlberg (not to be confused with actor and talk-show host Mark L. Wahlberg) are brothers.

Walker

• Charlotte Walker was a well- respected Broadway actress. She was the mother of character actress Sara Haden

Walker-Jones

• Late actor Robert Walker and his wife Jennifer Jones were the parents of actors Robert Walker, Jr. and Michael Walker.

Wanamaker

• Late actor/director Sam Wanamaker was the father of actress Zoë Wanamaker.

Warner-Hauser-Sperling

• Brothers Harry, Albert, Sam and Jack Warner founded and directed Warner Brothers studio
  • Actor Cole Hauser is the son of Wings Hauser, another actor; who is the son of screenwriter Dwight Hauser. Cole's maternal great-grandfather was film mogul Harry Warner, and his maternal grandfather was Milton Sperling, a Hollywood screenwriter and independent film producer.

Warren-Alba

• Actor Michael Warren is the father of actor and producer Cash Warren, whose wife is actress Jessica Alba.

Waterston

• Actor Sam Waterston is the father of actor James Waterston

Way

• Gerard Way is the older brother of Mikey Way. They are in the band My Chemical Romance

Wayans

• Siblings Damon Wayans, Dwayne Wayans, Elvira Wayans, Keenen Ivory Wayans, Kim Wayans, Marlon Wayans, Nadia Wayans and Shawn Wayans.

Weisser

• Actor Norbert Weisser is the father of fellow actor Morgan Weisser.

Weissmuller

• Late actor Johnny Weissmuller is the father of Johnny Weissmuller, Jr.

West-Scales

• Actors Timothy West and Prunella Scales are the parents of actor Samuel West

Whitmore

• Actor James Whitmore is the father of fellow actor James Whitmore, Jr.

Wilde

• Singer-songwriter Marty Wilde and singer/actress Joyce Baker are the parents of composer-performer-producer Ricky Wilde and singer-actress Kim Wilde.

Williams (Hank)

• Hank Williams was a leading figure in country music history.
  • Hank's son Randall Hank, better known as Hank Williams, Jr., has had an enormously successful country career of his own.
  • Jett Williams, the posthumously born daughter of Hank and half-sister to Hank Jr., had modest success in country music.
    • Hank Jr.'s children Hank Williams III (real first name Shelton) and Holly Williams are both successful country musicians.

Williams (John)

• Composer/conductor John Williams and actress/singer Barbara Ruick are the parents of Toto's lead singer Joseph Williams and drummer Mark T. Williams. John Williams is the brother of percussionist Don Williams, who has performed on many of John's film scores, and the son of Jazz drummer Johnny Williams. Barbara Ruick is the daughter of actors Melville Ruick and Lurene Tuttle.

Wilson/Love

• Murry Wilson, a musician and record producer, was the father of Brian, Dennis, and Carl Wilson. The three sons, plus their first cousin Mike Love, were founding members of The Beach Boys.
  • Brian and his first wife, singer Marilyn Rovell, are the parents of Carnie and Wendy Wilson, singers who formed two-thirds of the vocal group Wilson Phillips.

Wilson (2000s (decade) actors)

• Actors Andrew Wilson, Owen Wilson, and Luke Wilson are brothers, and unrelated to The Beach Boys family.

Winans

• David and Dolores Winans, gospel music singers, recorded both together and separately as "Pop" and "Mom" Winans, and became progenitors of a highly prolific musical family. The following musicians can trace their family roots to Pop and Mom Winans:
  • The second through fifth sons of Pop and Mom—Ronald, Marvin, Carvin, and Michael Winans—are best known as the gospel group The Winans. Marvin's former wife, Vickie Winans, has had a successful music career, and Michael has recorded with his wife Regina.
    • Four sons of The Winans—Marvin Jr., Carvin Jr., Michael Jr., and another son of Carvin Sr., Juan Winans—have recorded together as Winans Phase 2.
    • Mario Winans is Vickie's son from her prior marriage to Ronald Brown.
  • Daniel Winans, a gospel singer and producer, is Mom and Pop's sixth son.
  • The seventh Winans son, Benjamin "BeBe" Winans, and the eighth child and oldest daughter, Priscilla "CeCe" Winans, have performed both as BeBe & CeCe Winans and as solo artists.
  • The two youngest of Pop and Mom's children, Angie and Debbie Winans, have recorded both together and as soloists.

Wong

• Brothers Michael and Russell Wong are both actors

Woodward

• Edward Woodward was the father of actors Tim Woodward and Peter Woodward, the former of whom co-starred with him in the movie King David. They were not related to Joanne Woodward.

Wynn-Williams

• Late actor Ed Wynn was the father of late actor Keenan Wynn, whose sons are screenwriters Ned and Tracy Wynn. Keenan's daughter Hilda was married to actor-musician Paul Williams.