Jaafar Jackson & 6 Actors Who Played Their Own Relatives In Movies
Across cinematic history, there have been plenty of films that have been based on real-life people and events. Supporters embrace them as a fun chance to revisit old favorites or learn about unlikely stories, while critics tend to complain about their sanitization of the facts or their lack of originality. The success of Michael (2026) certainly proves that there is a place for that in the current cinematic landscape.
One of the more intriguing examples of those historical films occurs when those films end up casting actors with genuine relations to the focus of the story. Sons have played their father, daughters have played their mothers, and it’s proven to be a great chance to explore both the performer and the subject of the performance. Here are some of the most memorable examples of actors who played their own relatives in film and TV you can watch right now on Prime Video, fuboTV, and more.
One of the big selling points of Michael (2026) is Jaafar Jackson’s performance as his uncle. Jaafar is the son of Jermaine Jackson, one of the Jackson Five, who is portrayed in the film alongside the rest of the family band. Jaafar does more than just physically resemble his uncle, but his dancing and singing skills are refined recreations of the original material.
The film itself is functionally similar to something like Bohemian Rhapsody (2018), a very specific portrayal of the real-life star, but Jackson does a good job of recreating the physicality of the musician. While Michael might suffer from a lot of the flaws that biopics of this caliber suffer from—it’s exactly the kind of movie Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story (2007) is making fun of—fans of Jackson looking for a faithful recreation of the musician’s art will be excited with the work Jaafar delivers in the film.
O'Shea Jackson Jr. looks a lot like his father, the hip-hop artist/actor Ice Cube, which made him a natural pick when it came to play him in Straight Outta Compton. The biopic about the origins of N.W.A. follows the formation of the band and their early successes in the music industry, with a lot of the casting’s swagger embodying the group perfectly.
What helps Jackson’s performance stand out from other movies is the actor’s own natural charm, which he’s since put to good use in action films like Den of Thieves (2018) and dark comedies like Cocaine Bear (2023). The whole group is brought to life in the film, but Jackson manages to genuinely feel like an embodiment of his father’s persona from decades prior, all while retaining the dry snark and the unspoken durability that have made his father such a memorable performer.
Dwayne Johnson comes from a family of performers, with his father breaking out as a professional wrestler decades ago—something that Dwayne got to highlight in a guest spot on That ‘70s Show. Still early in his acting career, when he was known primarily for his work as the Rock in the world of professional wrestling, Dwayne appeared as a wrestler performing at a show seen by Eric and Red in season 1.
Dwayne gets to highlight his father’s talents in the ring, while also showcasing the more understated side of the man in the locker room that would be more in focus during Young Rock (2021). It’s a fun tribute from Dwayne Johnson to his father, who made history as a Black wrestler in the ‘80s. It’s also an early example of Dwayne’s acting chops, which he has since gone on to refine as one of Hollywood’s most reliable stars.
Chaplin is a biopic about Charlie Chaplin, one of the biggest comedy stars of the silent movie era—and it actually features a Chaplin in the form of Geraldine, who plays her grandmother Hannah in the first act of the movie. The film highlights Hannah’s influence on her son and his performer’s spirit, as well as her struggles with mental illness that left the family dealing with a number of tragedies before her son made the trip to America.
Geraldine delivers a great performance that embodies the heartfelt and heartwrenching aspects of Hannah’s life, adding a lot of depth to a character who could have been basic in the wrong hands. Acting runs in the family, as Geraldine’s daughter Oona Chaplin has also been appearing in TV shows like Game of Thrones (2011) and movies like Avatar: Ash & Fire (2025).
The story of Alison Wilson, told in the Irish drama Mrs Wilson, is incredibly personal for the show's star Ruth Wilson—which makes sense, given that Alison was her grandmother. The show focuses on the fallout of Alec Wilson's death, which leads his wife Alison to discover that her husband had numerous secret families as a result of his dubious work for MI6.
Based on a somber real-life story, Ruth Wilson—who is best known for shows like His Dark Materials (2019) and films like Saving Mr. Banks (2013)—brings a painfully resilient edge to Alison, a woman struggling to keep faith in a man she thought she knew. The period-piece setting only makes it better. It’s the kind of drama you’ll love if you’re a fan of Mad Men (2007), Mrs Wilson’s dramatic story and deep connection to the star can be felt in a performance that never feels an ounce less than real.
A tricky endeavor to embark on, given the actor’s controversial history, but Shia LaBeouf’s performance as an avatar for his father in Honey Boy is one that feels painfully vulnerable in its own exploration of the filmmaker.
The film’s focus on a child actor’s complicated relationship with his on-edge father serves as a clear stand-in for Shia’s relationship with his own father, Jeffrey, depicting all of the man’s flaws and not pulling back on the way it has impacted his own life. Honey Boy is one of those films that is very dependent on your preference for the star. This is Shia LaBeouf at his most vulnerable, and it makes for a stirring and often uncomfortable watch, given the way it clearly feels therapeutic for an actor who has his own issues to work through.
One of the more tragic examples of this trend in Hollywood history is Christopher Jordan Wallace, who got to play his father in the biopic Notorious. The film depicts the life of Christopher “Biggie Smalls” Wallace, who became better known for his rap moniker Notorious B.I.G.
The film is a fairly standard take on the genre that, similar to other films like Walk the Line (2005) or Michael (2026), largely comes alive thanks to a great central performance by Jamal Woolard. That also extends to Christopher Jordan Wallace, who plays the younger version of his father in the early sections of the film. It’s a key example of the impact that casting family members can have on a film’s portrayal of real-life people and events, adding an almost therapeutic element to the film.
