Are there any Australian Nepo Babies? Well turns out – Yes – Australia has loads of them!
In Australia, it’s becoming increasingly common for actors to have parents in the entertainment industry. The phenomenon is known as nepotism. A growing list of actors who have benefited from well-referenced family names has emerged – the ‘Nepo Babies,’ as they are affectionately referred to.
As one of the most influential nations in providing opportunities for actors, Australia has developed several high-profile actors who have undoubtedly been helped by their parents’ expertise and industry contacts.
Notably, up-and-comers such as Samara Weaving and Deni Hines, with famous Australian parents, are slowly but surely making their mark in the industry. It can be said that without parental guidance, these people may not have been successful in making such quick strides within the industry. Australian Nepo Babies are certainly helping secure the nation’s impact on the entertainment world.
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If you have never heard of the term ‘Nepo Baby’ well that’s okay – but you probably already know of them. Nepo Babies are the famous kids of famous parents. Whether they are famous just for being famous, or are famous in their own right because of their talent – the public can’t get enough of them.
But if you think Nepo Babies are just something that exists in Hollywood – well, you’d be wrong. Here in Australia we have our very own Nepo Babies. Here are some you may know about!
1. Samara Weaving (Niece of Hugo Weaving)
- Date of birth: 23 February 1992
- Place of birth: Adelaide, South Australia
- Famous relatives: Hugo Weaving (uncle), Harry Greenwood (cousin), and Morgan Weaving (sister)
Samara Weaving has been popping up in multiple huge Hollywood blockbusters such as Ready or Not, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, and the tv series Nine Perfect Strangers, but did you know that her uncle, Hugo Weaving, has appeared in movies such as The Matrix films, The Lord of the Rings, and Captain America?
She has a famous uncle, and her father, Simon Weaving, is a filmmaker and lecturer at the University of Newcastle and the artistic director of the Canberra Film Festival.
So talent runs hard and fast in the Weaving family!
2. Lachlan Murdoch (Son of Rupert Murdoch)
- Date of birth: 8 September 1971
- Place of birth: Wimbledon, London, England
- Nationality: Australian, United Kingdom, and U.S.
- Famous relatives: Rupert Murdoch (father), Anna Maria Torv (mother), Sarah Murdoch (wife)
Lachlan Murdoch is the Executive Chairman of Nova Entertainment, the Co-Chairman of News Corp, the Executive Chairman and CEO of Fox Corporation – and the son of Media Mogul Rupert Murdoch.
Lachlan Murdoch is the oldest son of Scottish Australian-born American media mogul Rupert Murdoch and his mother, Anna Maria Mann dePeyster, a Scottish journalist and novelist. He is married to Sarah Murdoch, a British-Australian model, actress, and television presenter. Nepo babies run deep in his family, as exemplified by Lachlan’s rise in his father’s business as early as 1989 when he was only 18.
Rupert took him to Australia while on business to have him trained for three months at the Daily Mirror, and at the age of 22, he was already appointed general manager of Queensland Newspapers. Just one year later, Lachlan became publisher of Australia’s first national paper – The Australian.
Lachlan Murdoch has been in the public eye as one of the nepo babies of media mogul Rupert Murdoch, father to Lachlan and his four other adult children. In 2014, soon after Lachlan was appointed non-executive co-chairman of News Corp. and 21st Century Fox Inc., he left his position as Chairman and a Director of Ten Network Holdings to focus on the direction his father was steering the media empire.
A few years later, in June 2015 he was again appointed Executive Chairman of 21st Century Fox. After Disney acquired Fox in March 2019, Murdoch was kept on board, becoming chairman and CEO of the Fox Corporation.
3. Andrew O’Keefe
- Date of birth: 1 October 1971
- Place of birth: Sydney, New South Wales
- Famous relatives: Barry O’Keefe (father), Johnny O’Keefe (uncle)
Andrew O’Keefe is one of Australia’n’s nepo babies to be reckoned with! Born the son of Barry O’Keefe, a judge of the Supreme Court of New South Wales, and nephew of legendary rock and roll singer Johnny O’Keefe – Andrew has grown to become an esteemed legal professional and highly respected TV presenter.
Andrew made his mark on the entertainment industry by working as an Intellectual Property lawyer before becoming a Member of the Order of Australia for his television and charity work. He’s probably best remembered for being the host of the popular game shows Deal or No Deal and The Chase Australia and co-hosting Weekend Sunrise from 2015 to 2017.
4. James Packer
- Date of birth: 8 September 1967
- Place of birth: Sydney, New South Wales
- Famous relatives: Kerry Francis Bullmore Packer (father), Roslyn Redman Packer (mother), Sir Frank Packer (grandfather), Gretel Packer (sister), Clyde Packer (uncle), Robert Clyde Packer (great grandfather)
James Packer has continued to keep his family’s legacy of wealth alive, having inherited the PBL company from his father and becoming a major shareholder and director of Crown Resorts Limited. His story has led many nepo babies to idolize him and try to replicate his success in their own business ventures.
Although many things have changed since Packer took over the media empire in 1991, some things remain the same–his connections, determination for business excellence, and persistence in achieving his goals. With experience ranging from his professional background to how he runs both personal and corporate life, it is no surprise that he was appointed chairman of Crown Resorts Limited in 2011.
It seems that with every new venture he takes on, James Packer continues to expand his empire as one of Australia’s wealthiest businessmen and investors.
5. Jack Doohan (Son of Mick Doohan)
- Date of birth: 20 January 2003
- Place of birth: Gold Coast, Australia
- Famous relatives: Mick Doohan (father)
Jack Doohan has been making waves in motorsport racing since he was 15. As a nepo baby born to 500cc world champion Mick Doohan, there were already high expectations for Jack’s ability and performance on the race track.
Those expectations have been met, and then some – in his first season at the FIA Formula 2 Championship with Virtuosi Racing, he scored three wins, six podiums, two poles, and four fastest laps for a best finish of 6th overall! His stellar performance this season proves that nepotism doesn’t always equal nepotism disasters – Jack is an example of proving that you can succeed not only because of who your parents are but due to your own talents as well!
6. Angela Bishop (Daughter of Bronwyn Bishop)
- Date of birth: 6 September 1967
- Place of birth: Sydney, New South Wales
- Famous relatives: Bronwyn Bishop (mother), Alan Bishop (father)
Angela Bishop OAM, nepo baby extraordinaire, has made a name for herself in the entertainment journalism sphere. With parents who are both former prominent figures of Australian society – Bronwyn Bishop, a former politician and Alan Bishop, a former judge in NSW – it comes to no surprise that Angela would strive for excellence in her own career.
With beginnings at Network Ten back in 1989, she has come quite a long way since then. As if her career weren’t already thriving enough with co-hosting duties on Studio 10, she even received the supreme honor of being awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia in 2021 for her dedication to entertainment journalism!
7. Bindi & Robert Irwin
- Date of birth: 24 July 1998 (Bindi Irwin), 1 December 2003 (Robert Irwin)
- Place of birth: Buderim, Queensland
- Famous relatives: Steve Irwin (father), Terri Irwin (mother), Bob Irwin (grandfather)
Crikey! It’s the Irwins! You’ll know their dad – Crocodile Hunter guy, Steve Irwin, and for the oldies, their grandfather, herpetologist Bob Irwin. Bindi and Robert Irwin have made a name for themselves since they were nepo babies.
Bindi began her television career at 9 when she hosted ‘Bindi The Jungle Girl.’ She has since tried her hand at acting, singing, dancing, and game show hosting – she even created two fitness DVDs! Last year Bindi has crowned the winner of season 21 of ‘Dancing With The Stars (US version).
Meanwhile, Robert appears on his family’s zoo’s tv network as the host of ‘Robert’s Real Life Adventures’. Also, Robert co-hosted the Discovery Kids Channel tv series, ‘Wild But True’ and co-created a book series titled ‘Dinosaur Hunter.’ Impressive stuff!
These two brave, young adventurers have shown immense strength and passion as they share their love of animals with the world. Alongside their mother, Terri, Robert and Bindi star on the Animal Planet series Crikey! It’s the Irwins. The show tells stories about how Robert and Bindi continue to carry on the legacy of their late father and all-around wildlife expert, Steve.
8. Jett Kenny
- Date of birth: 1994
- Place of birth: Australia
- Famous relatives: Grant Kenny (father), Lisa Curry (mother)
Jett Kenny truly epitomises nepo babies – the children of famous athletes, models and TV personalities. Son of ironman Grant Kenny and competitive swimmer Lisa Curry, Jett has been competing in professional surf lifesaving competitions since a very young age. With already impressive credentials, his career began to soar when he was signed as a model at Vivien’s Models in 2016.
He also landed roles in Nine Network’s Australian Ninja Warrior and Seven Network’s The Real Full Monty shortly after that. His dance moves were then put to the test for the 10th season of Dancing with Star, where he placed 4th overall. In 2021 he was recruited for the star-studded cast of SAS Australia TV show which further proves his stardom potential.
9. Deni Hines
- Date of birth: 4 September 1970
- Place of birth: Sydney, New South Wales
- Famous relatives: Marcia Hines (mother)
Deni Hines is a talented Australian singer and all-around entertainer who has been building a successful career for nearly three decades. Since the mid-1990s, her music has charted in Australia, New Zealand, Japan, and Europe. She also happens to be nepo baby as the daughter of iconic American-Australian singer Marcia Hines.
As an artist, Deni stands out from the pack and continues to push boundaries – her first single was a groundbreaking cover version of Bill Withers’ 1971 hit “Ain’t No Sunshine”. Since then she has released several popular albums including Imagination (1996), Remix Your Imagination (2006), and Water for Chocolate (2006). Her latest single is the eponymous “Water for Chocolate”, which has done particularly well on the charts!
10. David Campbell (Son of Jimmy Barnes)
- Date of birth: 6 August 1973
- Place of birth: Sydney, New South Wales
- Famous relatives: Jimmy Barnes (father)
David Campbell is one of the most talented singers, entertainers, and hosts on Australian Television. Yet most people don’t know that David is the son of Jimmy Barnes. The thing is, David was raised by his Grandmother, not knowing that his ‘Sister’ was really his mother. He only found out Jimmy Barnes was his father when he was ten years old.
Jimmy Barnes is the vodka-drinking screaming frontman of Cold Chisel. Cold Chisel’s songs are Australian anthems. Jimmy Barnes himself is a bit of a Nepo Baby – with his father being a prize-fighting boxer.
Both Jimmy Barnes and his son have performed multiple duets together, but in this case, the son’s talent really outshines that of his father!
10. Jason Donovon
- Date of birth: 1 June 1968
- Place of birth: Malvern, Victoria
- Famous relatives: Terence Donovan (father)
Jason Donovan has come along way since his nepo days on Australian soap Neighbours. The son of actress Sue McIntosh and actor Terence Donovan, Jason initially rose to global fame with the role of Scott Robinsonin the show before kickstarting his career in music in 1988.
Since then, he has sold over 3 million records and achieved four UK number one singles – a notable one being “Especially For You”, a duet with his former Neighbours co-star Kylie Minogue. It’s clear that Jason’s star is still shining bright, thanks to his hardwork and own shine as a singer and his appearances in several stage musicals like Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.
11. Gina Rinehart (Daughter of Lang Hancock)
- Date of birth: 9 February 1954
- Place of birth: Perth, Western Australia
- Famous relatives: Lang Hancock (father)
Gina Rinehart is the Executive Chairman of Hancock Prospecting and is Australia’s richest person with a with an estimated wealth of 28 Billion US Dollars. Gina Rinehart is an impressive nepo baby. As the 37th most powerful woman in the world by Forbes has proven her grit and determination with a number of successes over the years.
In 2010 she took a 10 per cent stake in Ten Network Holdings, followed by impressive plans to open the Roy Hill mine the following year which led to initial shipments of iron ore sent to China. In 2016 she struck a deal to invest in Sirius Minerals, proving nepo babies have the potential to diversify their interests, rise to power and support other business initiatives.
Her hard work and dedication were acknowledged in 2022 when she was appointed as an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) in the 2022 Australia Day Honours.
12. Lachlan Lewis
- Date of birth: 19 August 1996
- Place of birth: Brisbane, Queensland
- Famous relatives: Wally Lewis (uncle), Lincoln Lewis (cousin)
Lachlan Lewis is quickly becoming a fan favorite in the NRL, and it’s not hard to see why. The nepo baby, born into a family of rugby league royalty with his uncle being the famous Wally Lewis, has been making waves this season with impressive performances for the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs. He has proven to be an integral part of the Bulldogs’ lineup!
Australia has its nepo babies, and some of you might not have heard of all come from prominent family backgrounds. From actors to writers, nepo babies in Australia are a growing presence that deserves to be acknowledged.
But there are plenty more nepo babies across different fields making waves in the media with their successful and inspiring career paths, despite their parent’s glimmering success already in place. It is fascinating to see nepo babies making a mark on Australia’s culture and entertainment industry.
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