Obscure Family Relations Trivia Quiz

Answer: Danny Dyer

Danny Dyer made his name firstly through his association with Harold Pinter, who cast him in a number of his plays as a young man. Subsequently, his appearances in low budget British crime films and as the landlord of the Queen Vic in "EastEnders" earned Dyer the reputation of being a working class hard man.

So when, as part of the BBC show "Who Do You Think You Are?", Dyer discovered that he was related to Robert Gosnold, a noble who fought on the Royalist side in the 17th century English Civil War, it was a little surprising to him and the viewers. Furthermore, through Gosnold he was related to the Tollemache family who, through marriage, were related to Thomas Cromwell, Henry VIII's chief minister in the latter part of the English Reformation. Cromwell's son married into the Seymour family, of "Wolf Hall" fame, through which his lineage could be traced back to Edward III.

Answer: Tom Hanks

Hanks is of course famous for his hugely successful acting career that has included voice work in the "Toy Story" series, blockbusters such as "Apollo 13" (1995) and "Big" (1988) and Oscar-winning performances in "Philadelphia" (1993) and "Forrest Gump" (1994).

But should the acting gigs dry up, and there is a devastating collapse among European royalty, then Hanks could give being King of the United Kingdom a go as his family tree's link to King John, who reigned as King of England from 1199 to 1216, which makes him a very distant cousin to King Charles III. Hanks is a much closer relation to American royalty as a third cousin, twice removed of Abraham Lincoln.

Answer: Tilda Swinton

Robert the Bruce was King of Scotland from 1306 to 1329 and is a Scottish national hero for leading Scotland to independence from England through a series of wars before and during his reign.

Tilda Swinton's acting career has encompassed Narnia, as the White Witch, the Marvel Universe, as the Ancient One and her award-winning turn as a lawyer in the legal thriller, "Michael Clayton" (2007). She has also played a variety of historical figures including Queen Isabella, the wife of the king in "Edward II" (1991). Her connection to Scottish royalty comes from both of her parents' descent from Robert II, the grandson of Robert the Bruce. Her mother is descended from Mariotta Cardney, Robert II's mistress and her father from the Duke of Albany, his illegitimate son.

Answer: Bob Odenkirk

Odenkirk was not particularly impressed with the discovery of his royal connections as he believed that the idea of monarchy was "twisted". His familial link to King Charles III goes back to the 18th century as a descendant down an illegitimate line of the Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Plön. The duchy passed to the Danish crown after the death of Odenkirk's six-times great grandfather, because he had no legitimate male heir.

Odenkirk is best known for playing lawyer Jimmy McGill/Saul Goodman in the TV series "Breaking Bad" and "Better Call Saul" between 2009 and 2022. He received an Emmy nomination for each of the six seasons of "Better Call Saul", but never won, although he did receive two Emmys for his script writing on both "Saturday Night Live" and "The Ben Stiller Show".

Answer: Helen Mirren

Helen Mirren was born Ilyena Mironoff in London in 1945. Her father was Russian, and came from an aristocratic family that left their homeland in the wake of the Bolshevik Revolution. Her mother, Kathleen, was Scottish and her great grandfather was butcher to Queen Victoria. Her paternal line connects the Mirren/Mironoff family to Golda Meir, the first female Prime Minister of Israel, and two Israeli presidents, as well as European royalty and Queen Elizabeth II of the UK.

Mirren's career has included many portrayals of royalty with two performances as Elizabeth II forming a substantial part of her achievement of becoming the first performer to win both the American triple crown of Emmy, Academy Award, and Tony and the British triple crown of TV BAFTA, Film BAFTA, and Olivier Award. Her performance in "The Queen" (2006) saw her win the Academy Award and BAFTA for Best Actress, whilst she won a Tony and an Olivier Award for "The Audience" several years later.

Answer: Ralph Fiennes

Fiennes, whose full name is Ralph Nathaniel Twisleton-Wykeham-Fiennes, traces his shared ancestry with King Charles III back to King James II of Scotland, who ruled from 1437 to 1460, and from whom both are directly descended.

Fiennes has had a remarkably varied career that has taken in a gangster in "In Bruges" (2008), M in a number of "James Bond" movies, and, of course, a malevolent wizard in the "Harry Potter" film series. He has also starred and directed movies such as the Shakespeare adaptation "Coriolanus" (2011) and "The Invisible Woman" (2013), about Charles Dickens' secret affair with Nelly, a young actress, that Dickens tried to keep secret, but, upon its discovery, ended his marriage.

Answer: Thandiwe Newton

Thandiwe, meaning "beloved" in the Zulu tongue, was born to an English father and Zimbabwean mother. In 1998 she played her namesake, the title role in the movie adaptation of Toni Morrison's novel "Beloved". As well as a central role in the ensemble piece "Crash" (2004) that won numerous awards, including Best Picture at the Academy Awards, one of Newton's most heralded performances was as Maeve, a robot in the TV version of "Westworld", for which she won the Emmy for Best Actress in a Supporting Role.

Thandiwe's mother is a Shona princess, being the granddaughter of a chief of the tribe. This also makes both Thandiwe and her daughters princesses of the tribe.

Answer: Hugh Grant

Hugh Grant is a Tudor. His line passes down through Henry VII's daughter Mary and her second marriage to Sir Charles Brandon. Other famous names in his family tree include Edward de Vere, dubiously credited by some as author of Shakespeare's plays, and Sir William Cecil, the chief advisor to Queen Elizabeth I.

Grant made his name with his performance as Charles in the smash hit rom-com "Four Weddings and a Funeral" (1994), which saw him win both a BAFTA and Golden Globe for Best Actor. As well as an impressive body of movie work, Grant produced a number of impressive performances on TV, including Emmy-nominated turns as Jeremy Thorpe in "A Very English Scandal" and Dr. Jonathan Fraser in "The Undoing".

Answer: Cindy Crawford

It is said that pretty much most Europeans alive today can claim to be related to Charlemagne. But as a direct descendant of the 8th century King of the Franks and the Lombards, Crawford is more closely related than most.

Cindy Crawford began modeling in her teens and was soon gracing the covers of magazines such as "Vogue", "Elle", and "Harper's Bazaar", helping move her into the supermodel bracket. She was known for her "beauty spot" mole above her upper lip. She appeared in numerous music videos, including George Michael's "Freedom 90", and hosted MTV's "House of Style". After modeling she moved into business, setting up a skincare range called "Meaningful Beauty."

Answer: Meghan Markle

Reader, she also married him. Marrying cousins is fairly common in European royalty, but 17th cousin is a very distant relationship. Their shared ancestor goes back to the early 15th century, the High Sheriff of Durham, Ralph Bowes. Those knowledgeable about the UK Royals might instantly recognise the name as part of the full name of Harry's great grandmother, the Queen Mother Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, wife of King George VI. It is down this line that Harry comes to Ralph. For Meghan, the path to Bowes comes via her father's line, eventually tracing all the way back to King Edward III of England.

Markle gained fame as the star of the legal drama "Suits", which ran for eight seasons between 2011 and 2019. Markle played Rachel Zane, a paralegal who had an on-off relationship with one of the other main characters, Mike Ross.