8 Celebrity Children Who Refuse To Make Use Of Their Famous Last Name To Advance Their Career

It is a privilege to have renowned parents. The kids should be very proud of their mother or father who has graced the big screen and is also followed by millions of people. Normally, they tend to inherit their parent's bottomless talent, or even possess it better still.
In fact, many celebrity offspring follow in the footsteps of their parents who are big names in the movie or music industry. In particular, with a well-known family name from their parents, they can take advantage of that to easily brand themself as celebrity kids. Understandably, they will gain more attention thanks to the fame of their parents.
However, in several cases, celebs' offspring decide to stay from the name of their famous parents to pursue their own acting or singing career. They really want to make their own reputation instead of relying on the fame of their previous family members. In this post, we’ve curated 8 actors, singers, or models who refuse to use their famous last name or privilege from their parents to have their own career path. Scroll down to check them out.

#1 Riley Keough - Lisa Marie Presley's Daughter

Source: © rileykeough / Instagram, Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP/East News

Riley Keough is the daughter of famous musician Marie Presley, as well as the granddaughter of the “King of Rock and Roll” Elvis Presley. She’s even the stepdaughter of Michael Jackson at some point. With this grand background, Riley can easily develop her career in showbiz.
However, the 33 years old actress refuses to live on the fame of her family. She once shared: “I always wanted to have my own money — not my family’s money.” Besides, she even found no interest in appearing in the 2022 biopic about her famous grandfather. She stated that it was “intense enough to watch”, then did not want to act in.

#2 Sophie Von Haselberg - Bette Midler's Daughter

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Despite being the spitting image of her famous mother and having a close relationship with her, Sophie wanted to make a reputation mark for herself in Hollywood without the support of her mother's surname.
Bette, she stated, was opposed to her pursuing a career in the film industry and advised that she focus on her schooling. Yet Sophie's desire for acting was stronger after studying Asian Studies and sociology at Yale University. And she chose to make it a career, making her theatrical debut in 2014.

#3 Micheál Richardson- Liam Neeson's Son

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Micheál, 27, is the eldest son of Liam Neeson and the late actress Natasha Richardson, whom he tragically lost in a skiing accident when he was 13 years old.
Despite the fact that his last name is well-known due to his father's roles in blockbusters, the young guy, who is also pursuing a career in acting, has chosen to assume his mother's surname to commemorate her memory. “That wasn’t because he wanted to avoid his father’s fame, which is enormous. He wanted to hold his mother close to him.” his grandma explained.

#4 Billie Lourd - Carrie Fisher's Daughter

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Billie comes from Hollywood aristocracy as the granddaughter of Debbie Reynolds and the late Carrie Fisher. Although the 30-year-old is pursuing acting, just like the more senior members of her family, she has decided not to adopt her mother's or grandmother's well-known last names.
The young actress explained that she was prepared to fully emerge from their shadows and pursue her own path after their deaths .“I love being my mother’s daughter, and it’s something I always will be, but now I get to be just Billie.” she said.

#5 Mabel - Neneh Cherry's Daughter

Source: © rileykeough / Instagram, Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP/East News

Mabel, like her famous mother Neneh Cherry, is a musician and singer. The 26-year-old, on the other hand, has admitted that she didn't want to be a singer at first because she wanted to prove everyone wrong who assumed she wanted to follow in her mother's footsteps. But her love of music and talent won out, and the young woman is now building a reputation for herself in the music world.

#6 Elle King - Rob Schneider's Daughter

Source: © elleking / Instagram, © iamrobschneider / Instagram

Elle's mother was a model, and her father is none other than the famous comedian Rob Schneider. However, the 33-year-old singer, whose real name is Tanner Elle Schneider, has decided to use her mother's surname professionally instead.
“I wanted to be myself. I am my own person.” Elle explained, “I worked really hard, and I did everything myself, and I took my mother’s name [...] because I wanted to be myself.”

#7 Louisa Jacobson - Meryl Streep's Daughter

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Louisa, 31, is the fourth and youngest child of actress Meryl Streep and her sculptor husband Don Gummer. The young woman has decided to follow in the footsteps of her famous mother's career and has even secured one of the lead roles in the series The Gilded Age.
However, Louisa has not adopted the Streep name in order to promote her professional career, nor has she adopted her father's. Instead, she adopts her middle name as her professional surname to disassociate herself from her famous family.

#8 Grace Gummer - Meryl Streep's Daughter

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Another of Meryl Streep’s daughters is Grace Gummer. She’s 36 and the third child of Meryl and Don Gummer. Grace began her career at the age of seven, yet she was credited as Jane Grey to conceal her true identity as Steep's daughter.
Like her sister, she’s still pursuing her acting career. And also, she does not make use of her mother's name to cement her career path.