Mother-and-daughter collaborations in Hollywood date back to at least the Golden Age, when Judy Garland and Liza Minnelli performed in Robert Z. Leonard’s 1949 musical, In the Good Old Summertime. Since then, the industry has seen numerous mothers performing alongside their real-life daughters. From Uma Thurman and Maya Hawke to Goldie Hawn and Kate Hudson, Hollywood has a long list of mothers working with their daughters.
If the characters involved interact with each other, such collaborations can deliver brilliant on-screen relationships. The performers typically go beyond their skills to tap into the special bond between a mother and her daughter, which produces deep and compelling character connections. Here’s a ranking of the best mother-and-daughter collaborations in Hollywood.
1. Diane Ladd And Laura Dern
Diane Ladd and her first husband, Bruce Dern, welcomed Laura Dern in 1967. Five years later, mother and daughter debuted their first collaboration in Joseph Sargent’s White Lightning (1973). They worked together again the following year in Martin Scorsese’s Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore. Although Dern went uncredited for both roles, the films set the stage for one of the best mother-and-daughter collaborations in Hollywood.
Ladd and Dern went on to star in Wild at Heart (1990), Rambling Rose (1991), Citizen Ruth (1996), Daddy and Them (2001), Inland Empire (2006), and Enlightened (2011 – 2013). Dern was part of all three films that earned her mother the Academy Award nominations for Best Actress in a Supporting Role. This includes Martha Coolidge’s Rambling Rose, for which Dern also received an Oscar nomination for Best Actress. The other two are Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore and Wild at Heart.
2. Susan Sarandon And Eva Amurri
Susan Sarandon’s enormous career accomplishments include several collaborations with her only daughter, Eva Amurri. Born in 1985, Amurri began her career at age 7, appearing alongside her mother in Tim Robbins’ Bob Roberts (1992). Her next role came in 1995’s Dead Man Walking, where she played a 9-year-old version of her mother’s character. The crime drama won Sarandon an Academy Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role.
The years that followed saw Amurri build her career beside her mother. They worked together in Earthly Possessions (1999), Anywhere But Here (1999), and Friends (2001), before sharing the screen in Bob Dolman’s The Banger Sisters (2002), where Amurri’s performance as the daughter of Sarandon’s character won the Young Artist Awards for Best Performance in a Feature Film – Supporting Young Actress. Some of their other collaborations include John Stockwell’s Middle of Nowhere, Adam Sandler’s That’s My Boy (2012), and 2016’s Mothers and Daughters.
3. Carrie Fisher And Billie Lourd
With Carrie Fisher’s sudden death in December 2016, Billie Lourd inherited her legacy. Lourd admits her mother’s legacy is intimidating, but she has stepped up to the task with brilliant performances in productions like Booksmart and The Last Showgirl. Billie Lourd began her career performing alongside her mother in 2015’s Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
Although her mother passed before the remaining films in the Star Wars sequel trilogy were released, they were both part of the films. 2017’s The Last Jedi was dedicated to Carrie Fisher, and 2019’s The Rise of Skywalker used unreleased footage from the first film. The franchise’s massive following earns the duo a spot among the best mother-and-daughter collaborations in Hollywood.
4. Gleen Close And Annie Starke
It’s unlikely that Annie Starke will ever replicate Glenn Close’s illustrious career. However, the duo delivered one of the best mother-and-daughter collaborations in Hollywood. Starke began her career in 2011, performing with Close in Richard Pearce’s South Pacific and Rodrigo Gracia’s Albert Nobbs. Years later, she played a young version of Close’s character in The Wife, Björn Runge’s 2017 adaptation of Meg Wolitzer’s eponymous novel.
The acclaimed psychological drama earned Glenn Close multiple coveted awards, including her seventh Oscar nomination. For her performance, Starke was nominated for IFJA’s Best Ensemble Acting alongside other cast members of the film. The pair also worked together in Lawrence Sher’s coming-of-age dramedy, Father Figures (2017). Starke played a young version of her mother’s character, Helen Baxter.
5. Blythe Danner And Gwyneth Paltrow
The extensive acting portfolios of Blythe Danner and Gwyneth Paltrow secure their spot among the best mother-and-daughter collaborations in Hollywood. Danner had already established her career when Paltrow debuted in 1989. The following decades saw them cement their Hollywood legacies. Danner bagged two Primetime Emmys for her supporting role in Bob Lowry’s Huff, while Paltrow won coveted accolades for Shakespeare in Love (1998), including an Oscar for Best Actress in a Leading Role.
Danner and Paltrow first worked together in NBC’s 1992 miniseries Cruel Doubt, where Paltrow played the daughter of Danner’s character. They collaborated again in Sylvia (2003), Christine Jeffs’ biographical drama film about Sylvia Plath. Paltrow played the lead while Danner portrayed Sylvia’s mother, Aurelia Plath. Check out our ranking of the top 7 characters brought to life by two or more actors.
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