We’ve grown familiar with quite a few famous twins, from Dylan and Cole Sprouse to Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen. But we’ve gotten so used to seeing famous siblings share the spotlight that it never really occurs to us that there are other stars with secret twins living under the radar. This is why we’re practically floored when, say, a celebrity hits the red carpet with their doppelganger for the first time or shares a selfie with their secret twin sibling on social media.
Some of these twins are busy pursuing similar careers, but in many cases, some prefer to keep their distance from the spotlight. See which famous names actually have twins:
17. Ashton & Michael Kutcher
Ashton has a fraternal twin who was born with cerebral palsy. But rather than following in his brother’s footsteps, Michael studied business management and marketing. He’s currently a businessman and public speaker who advocates for kids with cerebral palsy.
His brother, Ashton, got emotional while explaining the impact his brother’s disorder had on him: “It taught me that loving people isn’t a choice and that people aren’t actually all created equal. The Constitution lies to us. We’re not all created equal. We’re all created incredibly inequal to one another, in our capabilities and what we can do and how we think and what we see. But we all have the equal capacity to love one another, and my brother taught me that. He also taught me that he had extraordinary gifts that I didn’t have, and that every time I felt sorry for him in life, I made him less. He taught me that and he gave that to me.”
16. Vin and Paul Diesel
At one point, a few media outlets tried to share pics of Vin Diesel’s twin (who usually keeps a low profile), but it turned out that they were inaccurate. So on Facebook, Vin announced: “You all know what my twin brother looks like… so the whole press is trying to have fun, ‘We found Vin Diesel’s secret twin brother’— they’re so off, and it’s so unfair to this guy. I’ve never met that guy in my life. Stop torturing him. He’s not my twin brother.” Yikes…
Aside from that, Vin’s brother hasn’t popped up in any headlines. But we do know that he works as a producer and has collaborated with his brother on a film (well, sort of). In Vin’s short movie Multi-Facial, Paul worked in the sound department.
15. Kiefer and Rachel Sutherland
Keifer has a twin sister who’s younger than him by seven minutes. And like him, she also works in entertainment. But while he takes on roles in front of the camera, she works as a post-production supervisor on shows like Rookie Blue and Saving Hope. Kiefer once said: “My mother made a point of allowing us to be different. She didn’t get into that cutie thing of wearing the same outfits. We had a strong sense of our own identities.”
14. Linda and Leslie Hamilton
Sarah Connor from The Terminator has an identical twin sister who works as a nurse. But here’s a cool fact: Leslie was hired as her sister’s stunt double for three scenes in Terminator 2: Judgment Day. Though the chances of this ever happening are slim to none, it would be pretty cool to see these twins appear on the big screen together. Keeping our fingers crossed!
13. Brittany and Cynthia Daniel
We know – it’s really tough to tell these two apart. But you probably recognize Brittany (who’s on the left) as Megan Vandergeld from White Chicks or Kelly Pitts from The Game. She and her twin both started out as models and actresses and they’re pretty well-known for their roles as twins in the show Sweet Valley High. But after the show’s cancellation, Cynthia switched to photography while Brittany continued to pursue acting.
12. Rami and Sami Malek
The Mr. Robot actor and his twin don’t look so identical these days, but back when they were younger, they looked exactly alike. So alike, in fact, that they got away with a ton of mischief. Rami said: “We were troublemakers as kids, we did some bad stuff… So [Sami] called me one day, I’d just gotten back from theater school, we went to different colleges, and he calls me and he goes ‘Hey, do you know a Greek monologue from a Greek tragedy?’ And I’m like ‘Yeah, of course, I’ve been doing this for four years.’ And he goes ‘Listen, I need you to come down to my university here in Los Angeles,’ he goes ‘I need you to do this for my class, it’s gonna give me the points I need to get my degree.”
And sure enough, Rami came to his brother’s rescue, delivered the monologue, and helped him graduate!
11. Will and Rupert Young
The British singer and actor has a twin brother, Rupert, who’s a whole ten minutes younger than he is. But while Will enjoyed the spotlight, his twin actually spiraled into depression in his brother’s shadow. Rupert once explained: “William and I went to school together, but even though we were twins, we were given very different identities. William was the clever one. I didn’t quite match up, and I was branded with the message that I was a wrong ‘un.”
After his recovery, Rupert launched a charity called Mood Foundation, which helps build a database of private therapists that can offer free treatment for those diagnosed with anxiety and depression. Will also currently serves as the ambassador.
10. Gisele and Patrícia Bündchen
The model and actress grew up with five sisters, and one of them is actually her fraternal twin, Patricia. They grew up in Brazil, and by the time they were 13, their parents encouraged them to get an early start in modeling by having them take a course for aspiring young models. But since modeling agencies took more of an interest Gisele, Patrícia decided to go a different route within the fashion industry. As of now, she’s working as her sister’s spokesperson and manager.
9. Jeremy and Jason London
Jeremy (who’s best known for his role in Party of Five and 7th Heaven) has a twin named Jason, who’s over 27 minutes older. Jason is also an actor, who rose to fame with his role in the film Dazed and Confused. But what’s interesting is that these guys have only worked together once, on a single episode of 7th Heaven. They also competed for the same role in a film called The Man in the Moon. Jason eventually landed the role and Jeremy ended up working as his twin’s stunt double.
8. Aaron and Angel Carter
You might be familiar with his big brother, aka Backstreet Boy Nick Carter, but Aaron also has a twin. He and Angel (who works as a model) are like two peas in a pod. In fact, Aaron walked his sister down the aisle for her wedding in 2014. Angel said: “There’s definitely like a twin connection. It’s not like you love them more or anything. It’s just that you connect with them more, you know?”
7. Aaron and Shawn Ashmore
Both Aaron and Shawn are pretty well-known actors! And in case you’re struggling to figure out who’s who: Aaron (left) is the one who played Jimmy Olsen in Smallville and Shawn is the one who played Bobby Drake/Iceman in the X-Men film series. (Fun fact: Shawn actually appeared as another character in the first few seasons of Smallville, way before his brother’s character was introduced). Both have played twins in a few movies, but they eventually decided to pursue different roles. According to Aaron, he usually gets cast as the bully while his twin gets cast as the good guy. Same look but a totally different vibe!
6. Samantha and Charlotte Ronson
The DJ’s twin, Charlotte, is quite popular in the fashion world. Her brand has been worn by stars like Gwen Stefani, Kate Moss, and Jennifer Love Hewitt. After majoring in Studio Art at NYU and landing a few internships, fashion magazines started to notice her work. And in 2002, she opened her own store in New York (currently located on Mulberry Street). As of now, she and her boyfriend Nate Ruess have a one-year-old son, Levon Ronson-Ruess.
5. Jon and Dan Heder
We had no idea that the Napoleon Dynamite star has a twin! And apparently, we aren’t the only ones who were totally clueless. Multiple fans have mistaken Jon’s brother for him (which, judging by that photo, is pretty understandable). Jon said: “People ask, ‘Can I get your autograph?’ And they’ll ask him and he’ll say no and it makes me look like a jerk.”
Like Jon, Dan also works in the entertainment industry, but not as an actor. He currently works as a previs artist and animator, and some of the most popular films he worked on include Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Edge of Tomorrow, and Avengers: Infinity War.
4. Scarlett and Hunter Johansson
In 1996, Scarlett and her brother actually worked together on a film called Manny & Lo, but afterward, only one of them would continue to pursue acting. Scarlett went on to grace our screens in countless films while Hunter moved on to the world of politics. He even got to work with former U.S. president, Barack Obama, at one point.
3. Nicholas Brendan and Kelly Donovan
You probably remember Nicholas as Xander Harris from Buffy The Vampire Slayer. But if you recall, there was one episode where both he and his twin brother appeared on screen at the same time (although both characters portrayed different versions of Xander). From then on, Kelly worked as his brother’s stunt double on the show. And as of now, he still continues to do stunt work and minor roles. (FYI, if you’re curious to know which brother is older, Kelly is just three minutes younger than Nicholas).
2. Siva and Kumar Kaneswaran
Yes, what you’re seeing here is very real. Among Siva’s six siblings is an identical twin brother, and it sounds like Kumar has way too much fun with having a famous doppelganger. Siva said: “He goes around saying to fans he’s me to fool them and they believe him every time. He does a bit of modeling and at a fashion show everyone was shouting my name at him and he was loving it. He gets people taking pictures of him in restaurants and everything.”
1. Laverne Cox and M. Lamar
If you’re a fan of Orange is the New Black, you might remember the episode that details Sophia’s transition journey. You probably also thought that Laverne was the one who played the character pre-transition. But actually, that was her real-life twin brother, M. Lamar.
M. Lamar is a musician who had no acting experience, but still, he landed the part – even though Laverne wanted to play the role herself. She explained: “Our casting director found out that I have a twin brother, and she insisted that he should audition for the role…I was like, ‘I have to butch it up,’ because I don’t think Jodie believed that I could pull this off. I go to Jodie and she looks at me and she’s like, ‘We’re gonna have to hire someone. Jodie Foster didn’t think I looked masculine enough to play a guy.”