His election may spell an end to health-care reform, but maybe now Massachusetts Senator Scott Brown will be forgiven by President Obama—it was just discovered the politicians are 10th cousins. Both of their mothers descended from Richard Singletary of Haverhill, Massachusetts, who died in 1687. Brown’s response? “I’m glad to be in such distinguished company.” But Obama’s surprising lineage doesn’t stop there. Perhaps the most shocking of the president’s many distant relatives is…Dick Cheney. Lynne Cheney made the announcement in 2007 that she discovered a link between Obama and her husband when researching a famous Huguenot in Maryland’s history for a book. Another distant cousin of Obama’s is Brad Pitt, who is linked to the president via Edwin Hickman, who died in Virginia in 1769, according to an eager researcher at The New England Historic Genealogical Society.
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When the Alaska governor came onto the scene last year, no one had ever heard of her—but she is actually related to quite a few famous Americans. Her distant cousins include Bill Gates, Tennessee Williams, Mitt Romney, and Shirley Temple (that perkiness really did translate through the bloodline). The best connection of all may be outspoken liberal actor Alec Baldwin, who famously mocked Palin in a Saturday Night Live sketch, telling her, “Forgive me, but I feel I must say this—you are way hotter in person...”
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Though Abraham Lincoln and Dubya have a common Republican background, they are also related by blood: The two are seventh cousins. Other notables related to the 43rd president (and probably also the 41st), are Princess Diana (11th cousin, twice removed), Marilyn Monroe (9th cousin, three times removed), and King Solomon (W. would have been his 79th great-grandson).
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It is easy to assume that Kevin Bacon is related to everyone; he can pretty much be linked back on the playground to any major star within six degrees (for those who want to make faster Bacon connections, there is now an iPhone app that does it for you). But it’s actually his wife, Kyra Sedgwick, who boasts the best family connections. Among her many cousins and kin, Sedgwick’s genes can be traced to Presidents Fillmore, Grant, and Harding, as well as Dick Clark and Richard Gere. Bacon can settle with being related to the Gyllenhaals, Ron Howard, and Johnny Carson. Bacon has put his many connections to good use, starting SixDegrees.Org, a charitable foundation that has created a “Network of Good” around the world.
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Hillary Clinton joins the ranks of great women leaders in her capacity as secretary of State, but she has a lot of ladies backing her; her distant cousins include Angelina Jolie, Celine Dion, Alanis Morissette, Madonna, and Camilla Parker Bowles. So, not exactly a spotless heritage. But being connected to second royal wives, material girls, and angsty singers should count for something.
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The two longtime friends share more than just the Oscar for writing Good Will Hunting. The New England Genealogical Society did some digging lately and discovered the actors are 10th cousins, once removed. William Knowlton, an Ipswich, Massachusetts, bricklayer who died in 1655 was their 10th great-grandfather. Their ancestries go all the way back to colonial New England, and Affleck can brag about a few other distant relatives—he’s also related to Princess Diana, and is an 11th cousin to Barack Obama. The genealogists who did the research said the president and actor share a common ancestor in a Cape Cod family. Matt Damon is also related to 11 former commanders-in-chief. Break out the laptops boys, there’s definitely a screenplay buried somewhere in this news.
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In The Lion in Winter, Katharine Hepburn won an Academy Award for her portrayal of Eleanor of Aquitaine, the estranged wife of King Henry II—but she may not have known that she was playing one of her own ancestors. According to Family Forest, the Hepburn bloodline connects directly with Eleanor’s, on both the French and British sides. In her autobiography, Hepburn made no note of her blood relation to her famous role, so perhaps she didn’t know. Or she may not have wanted to admit that she was typecast.
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This sounds like it shouldn’t be real, but author Gore Vidal actually is related to former Vice President Al Gore—or so he claims. Vidal said his grandfather and Gore’s father were sixth cousins, making them seventh cousins, once removed. However, a genealogist who went through Al Gore’s family tree said he found “no traceable link” between the duo’s ancestors. Vidal didn’t let his famous purported bloodline sway him in the 2000 election, and said he was still voting for Nader. And although the author and vice president have never gotten together, Vidal has met Gore’s daughter, who said it was an “honor” for her to claim kinship to one of the great writers of the 20th century. One connection that actually is real—Vidal is a fifth cousin of former President Jimmy Carter.
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Madonna Louise Ciccone has more than a few A-list names climbing her family tree—many of them competitors. She is distantly related to Gwen Stefani and Celine Dion. Stefani commented on her shared lineage a few years ago: “We really are related because, just pay attention closely: My grandma's sister's husband's mother is a Ciccone from Detroit.” The 51-year-old diva is also rumored to be very distant cousins with Mark Wahlberg—the same Marky Mark whom she was once rumored to date during his Calvin Klein modeling days.
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Hollywood really is a small world. Sharon Stone revealed a few years ago that she is distantly related to fellow actress Gina Gershon. She kept her familial connection a secret for the most important of all reasons—a reality show. Tracy Gershon, Gina’s sister, was a judge on the hit show Nashville Star, and because Stone’s brother’s girlfriend was a contestant, they didn’t want to be accused of favoritism. But it was Nashville Star, so… how much could it matter? Plus, Gershon didn’t know she shared genes with the Basic Instinct star, who said, “She didn't know me—or that we were cousins. We're country people!” Country people who love country music, apparently.
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When Fortune magazine asked in 1999 if Warren and Jimmy Buffett were related, the famous pair were eager to find out the answer themselves. The company 23andMe, which offers at-home DNA tests in order to help people discover more about their own genetics, got involved, and after the Margaritaville singer and Berkshire Hathaway billionaire were tested it was revealed they were, in fact, not related. But “Cousin Jimmy” and “Uncle Warren” (as they call one another) remain friends.
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Prince Albert II of Monaco may be the son of Grace Kelly, but she is among his least famous relatives. The man is connected to everyone. The genealogy Web site Family Forest has determined that Prince Albert is the new Kevin Bacon, with few degrees of separation between himself and nearly every other notable name in history: Napoleon (7th cousin), Julia Child (18th cousin), Walt Disney (16th cousin) , Tom Hanks (17th cousin), Britney Spears (half 17th cousin), and Ernest Hemingway (19th cousin). To name drop just a few. Now that would be one helluva family reunion.
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