10 siblings who shared a family and a love for acting

Talk about a dynamic duo! Many of these siblings shared scenes together in classic shows.

The family sitcom has been a staple on television for as long as most of us can remember. Family sitcoms are still as popular today as they were in the '50s, '60s and all decades to follow. For these 10 siblings, the idea of a family sitcom takes on a new meaning. These siblings are forever bonded through their acting abilities, success within the industry and sometimes having the opportunity to share the small screen. 

Many classic TV shows have had memorable sibling connections that sometimes were the real deal. My Three Sons is a great example of a show that featured two real-life brothers, Barry and Stanley Livingston. 

How many other siblings were in show business together? Read on to see if you recognize these siblings and the shows they have starred in. Let's take a look at these talented sibling duos. 

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1. Barry and Stanley Livingston from 'My Three Sons'

Barry and Stanley Livingston are two brothers who know a lot about being on the small screen. They both had roles on the hit TV show My Three Sons. Barry  played Ernie Douglas while his brother Stanley played Chip. The two shared an on-screen brotherhood as well as a real one. The family ties sure ran deep in this family-oriented show! Barry has had a long acting resume since My Three Sons and is still adding to his list of credits. He can be seen in Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Mad Men, Two and a Half Men and The Social Network. Stanley had more of a short-lived acting career, but has had a few producing and writing credits. Being real-life brothers on the same TV show is one way to build a brotherly bond! 

2. Jeff and Kami Cotler from 'The Waltons'

Kami Cotler is widely known for her role as Elizabeth on The Waltons. Many fans watched Elizabeth grow from the youngest member of the Walton family to a young woman during the show's nine season run. Since her time on the show, Kami has appeared in multiple Waltons TV movies. Her brother Jeff Cotler also appeared on The Waltons as Pip Wrayburn in the episode "The Children's Carol." Jeff continued his acting by having minor roles in CHiPs, Mork & Mindy and Eight Is Enough. For fans who considered The Waltons part of their family, the brother-sister duo makes the show feel even more like home. 


3. John and Erin Moran from 'Happy Days'

In the third season of Happy Days, actress Erin Moran and John Moran were seen in the episode "Football Frolics," together. Erin was 16 at the time and her younger brother was nine. John played Myron. This was his first acting role. What a better way to get into the business than to have your sister by your side? Erin was there to back him up both in the episode and in real life. Erin continued her acting career by playing roles in popular shows and movies that include: Murder, She Wrote, The Love Boat and Not Another B Movie. John had later roles in The Princess Diaries and a few short films.

4. Angela and Veronica Cartwright

Angela Cartwright is widely known for her role in Lost in Space. She also had roles in My Three Sons, Alfred Hitchcock Presents and The Love Boat. Her sister, Veronica Cartwright has a similar acting resume. The two were connected in Hollywood by both having roles in Alfred Hitchcock Presents and even Lost in Space. Veronica also had roles in Spencer's Mountain, The Birds and Leave it to Beaver. Both Veronica and Angela are still working in Hollywood. The two have taken the entertainment space by storm and have become two powerful women within it. A real sister act. 

5. Kirk and Candace Cameron from 'Full House'

Kirk and Candace are a well-known pair of TV siblings. Both siblings got their start when they each starred in a different hit family sitcom. Their first encounter onscreen was an episode of Full House called "Just One of the Guys." Candace started Full House in 1987 where she played D.J. Tanner. Later, she had roles in Make It or Break It, That's So Raven and Fuller House. Kirk was Mike Seaver on Growing Pains in 1985 and recently acted next to his sister in Fuller House. The two really have a Full House of their own now. Candace has three kids and Kirk has six. They could start their own show! 

6. Buddy and Jodie Foster

Both Jodie and Buddy Foster had multiple roles within classic TV. Jodie was on both Gunsmoke and My Three Sons. Buddy played roles in Green Acres, Hondo, The Andy Griffith Show and Adam-12. It seemed as though the two would pop up in all classic shows. Jodie went from TV kid roles to roles that have changed her entire career. These include both The Silence of the Lambs and Taxi Driver. Buddy had an impressive acting resume but stopped in the '80s.

7. Clint and Ron Howard from 'The Andy Griffith Show'

Ron Howard is one of the world's most famous child actors due to his role as Opie Taylor on The Andy Griffith Show. Most everyone these days knows Ron Howard's name from something. His brother Clint Howard also made his way onto the streets of Mayberry and acted alongside his brother. He didn't have as big a part, but his role is a favorite among many fans. Clint appeared in episodes as the silent toddler cowboy, Leon. You know, the kid who always offered a bite of his sandwhich? Possibly one of the cutest background actors. The brothers may have had different experiences with child acting but they shared being some of the cutest kids in the business at the time. Today, Ron is an Academy-Award winning filmmaker and Clint is currently working on multiple new projects.  

8. James Arness and Peter Graves

James Arness was the star of one of the longest running TV series ever. His role on Gunsmoke as Matt Dillon inspired young cowboys everywhere. He even bought a ranch of his own in 1960, making him even more of the cowboy many aspired to be at the time. His brother Peter Graves has a long acting career. He was in favorites such as Mission: Impossible, Fantasy Island and The Love Boat. The two brothers may have appeared on separate TV shows, but they made an impact on the entertainment space together. 

9. Garry and Penny Marshall

Most fans know both Penny Marshall and Garry Marshall from Laverne & Shirley. The two worked together on set for many episodes. The duo sometimes had brother-sister fights, but they still had love for eachother. Who doesn't get into a sibling fight everyone once in awhile? Penny was in a variety of TV shows such as The Odd Couple, The Mary Tyler Moore Show and much more. Her brother had roles in Mork & Mindy, Never Been Kissed and Happy Days, which he created. Many consider them one of the most powerful sibling duos to this day.

10. Jack and James Garner

Jack Garner had roles in popular classic TV shows such as Gunsmoke, The Waltons, Emergency! and The Rockford Files. His brother James was also known for classic TV. He had roles ranging from Maverick to Cheyenne. The two shared the screen in The Rockford Files. Were you a fan of these two brothers?

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64 Comments

jamodell 20 months ago
Was Angela Cartwright on the
Danny Thomas Show or
Make Room for Daddy?
SONGWRITER 23 months ago
This is Great. I'm in the generation to enjoy all of the shows on METV.
JeffBaker 23 months ago
The Howard Brothers recently wrote and published a book about their experiences.
ro67 23 months ago
Amazing, no one has mentioned Dick and Jerry Van Dyke. Both brothers are TV icons.
RichLorn 23 months ago
What about Donald's nephews, Huey, Dewey and Louie?
Tibby 23 months ago
This is being picky, but some of the photos show siblings, others do not. Kirk Cameron's picture is of Stephanie, not DJ who is his real life sister.
lanricray 23 months ago
Here are some famous - mostly TV - siblings you overlooked: Mabel and Jack Albertson! Both began in vaudeville, where Jack was known as a song-and-dance man. He may be primarily known for stage and screen roles (films Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, The Poseidon Adventure, and both Tony and Oscar awards for his role in Broadway's The Subject was Roses, as well as the film three years later) but also had many TV appearances. He'll always be remembered as "the Man" in Chico and the Man. Mabel had roles in film as well, but will always be remembered for her motherly roles on TV, playing mother to Donald Hollinger (That Girl), Dick Preston (The New Dick Van Dyke Show), Howard Sprague (The Andy Griffith Show), and most famously, Darren Stephens (Bewitched). In fact, as Mrs. Stephens, Mabel had her own catch-phrase, "Frank, I'm getting another sick headache!"
tootsieg 23 months ago
Good article.
bonnieeyde tootsieg 23 months ago
Loved them both...especially Darren's mom! 😄
Dalek 23 months ago
The list should include Nancy & Philip McKeon. One of her earliest roles had her appearing with her brother on Alice where he was a regular. This was a couple of years before she landed her big gig on Facts of Life.
BarbaraBlackford 23 months ago
Paul and Patti Petersen on "The Donna Reed Show".
Yeah you're right about that. I'm originally from Denison Iowa and Donna Reed was born in Denison. I've had contact with both Patty and Paul some time ago but they're definitely nice people
KevinButler 23 months ago
Peter Graves was also on the tv series "Fury"..where he played ranch owner and guardian of "Joey"(played by the late Bobby Diamond)and the man..who owned"Fury"The horse.
Jaxter14 KevinButler 23 months ago
Loved the horse show Fury, also My Friend Flica. 🐴
MaryKleinsmith 23 months ago
Boy, did you "fail" on this one! How could you not include Johnny and Bobby Crawford?
MaryEdithSomerville 23 months ago
Clint Howard played the role of Balok in the Star Trek episode The Corbomite Maneuver.
Jan 23 months ago
Veronica Cartwright was never on Lost in Space as stated
Big3Fan 23 months ago
According to IMDB James garnered more acting credits than Jack, 99 to 65.
RogerWinslow 23 months ago
Jack Garner looks like Dennis Weaver.
daDoctah RogerWinslow 23 months ago
In binge-watching first brother Jim's later series "Bret Maverick", I got to recognize Jack as the bartender in the saloon Bret ended up co-owning, along with Luis Delgado as "Shifty Delgrado" as another saloon employee. Then when I started binging The Rockford Files, I was able to recognize and look forward to the occasional bit parts played by both Jack Garner and Luis Delgado.
Jaxter14 RogerWinslow 23 months ago
That’s who I thought I was, Chester himself.
ToddHuber 23 months ago
Opie and Eaglebauer.. those that know understand 😁
LoveMETV22 ToddHuber 23 months ago
Was it Opie's name rhyming with Dopie, and Clint appearing in Rock 'n' Roll High School as Eaglebauer?
eddiecantorfan 23 months ago
Tiger Fafara and Stanley Farara were
brothers and they both appeared on
Leave It To Beaver but they didn't
play brothers on the show.
Tiger Fafara played Tooey Brown
and Stanley Farara played Whitey
Whitney on Leave It To Beaver.
Tiger and Stanley both appeared
On one episode only together but
they had no scenes together.
Tooey Brown (Tiger Fafara)and
Chester Anderson (Buddy Hart)
Disappeared from Leave It To Beaver with no explanation in
1960 .The Last Appearance of
Chester Anderson and Tooey Brown were in the LITB episode called Wally The Business Man where Wally(Tony
Dow) was selling igloo bars.
TheDavBow3 23 months ago
I never knew James Garner had a brother, Jack? Mmmm.
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