Fathers and Sons I

Fathers and Sons I

When I read over the complete cast list for the upcoming Broadway musical, Beaches, a name stuck out to me, and I had to look up this actor. Was he related to another famous stage star? He is, indeed, related - he is the son of the other guy!The results of that search created a rabbit hole of searches for similar pairs, and then today's article.

Here are nine fathers and sons that have been and/or are on America's stages, some at the same time on the same stage, others, years apart.

So who started this?

Mark and Ben Jacoby

Mark, the dad, has had a long, illustrious career, including acclaimed performances in Show Boat and The Phantom of the Opera, the show that I first saw him in, the 1986 revival of Sweet Charity. Most recently, he played Neil Diamond in A Beautiful Noise. Today, he appears, albeit briefly, in Chess. His son Ben, who is in the upcoming musical Beaches, has also played a music icon, playing Barry Mann in Beautiful. He also, like his father, appeared in Phantom, as Raoul in the national tour of that show.

Maurice and Lionel Barrymore

Dad Maurice is the father of a true American acting dynasty. All three of his children are likely more famous than he is. His daughter, Ethel, has a Broadway theater named for her, and his other son, John, was also an accomplished stage actor, and is Drew's grandfather. But we chose son Lionel for this article because he might be the most familiar to you, as a star of the beloved film, It's a Wonderful Life. He also had a storied career on the Broadway stage, with over 20 credits, including the title role in Macbeth, and his debut in 1900, in Sag Harbor. His father had many vaudeville and Broadway credits, most famously in 1895's The Heart of Maryland and 1899's Becky Sharp. He led a sensational, news making life right up until his death in a mental institution at age 55.

Herschel and Michael Bernardi

This father and son duo have experience playing the same show, Fiddler on the Roof. Dad Herschel, of course, played Tevye as a replacement in the original production, and as the original lead in the 1981 revival. He also created leading roles in Bajour and as the titular Zorba. His son, Michael, was Mordcha in the 2015 revival, understudying the role of Tevye.

Zero and Josh Mostel

Another even more famous Tevye - the one who started it all - Zero, also has a son with an amazing acting career. That son is Josh, has 8 main stem credits, including My Favorite Year and Getting Away With Murder. His film career includes Jesus Christ Superstar (as King Herod), City Slickers and Sophie's Choice among many others. Zero also famously created the role of Pseudolus in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, and starred in the acclaimed Ionesco play, Rhinoceros. He won Tony Awards for all three of his most famous roles.

Tomorrow: 5 more Father/Son acting duos including another theatre namesake, and three currently active pairs!