Separated at birth, usually phrased as a question, is a light-hearted media device for pointing out people who are unrelated but bear a notable facial resemblance, implying that they are twins who were separated soon after being born and presumably adopted by separate families.
The title "Separated at Birth?" was a trademark of Spy Publishing Partners, the publishers of the now defunct Spy Magazine, a monthly publication that published satire, humor, and investigative journalism from 1986 to 1998. The magazine would pair two carefully selected photos of two unrelated famous persons and the juxtaposition would highlight their physical similarities to humorous effect.
There were several Separated at Birth? books issued around the same time, with whimsical comparisons such as Mick Jagger vs. Don Knotts as the fictional film character The Incredible Mr. Limpet
Famous quotes containing the words separated and/or birth:
“When science, art, literature, and philosophy are simply the manifestation of personality, they are on a level where glorious and dazzling achievements are possible, which can make a man’s name live for thousands of years. But above this level, far above, separated by an abyss, is the level where the highest things are achieved. These things are essentially anonymous.”
—Simone Weil (1909–1943)
“TV gives everyone an image, but radio gives birth to a million images in a million brains.”
—Peggy Noonan (b. 1950)