Fans shocked to discover who The Crown and Chernobyl actor's famous dad is

It's not uncommon for celebrity children to follow in their parents' footsteps. Just look at actors Jon Voight and daughter Angelina Jolie or Kirk and Michael Douglas.

Then there's Stranger Things' Maya Hawke, daughter of Uma Thurman and Ethan Hawke.

But some times the relationship between a parent and child actor isn't as obvious, meaning you could well and truly be completely unaware there even is a family link between the two.

HBO

That's certainly the case for The Crown actor, Jared Harris. He played King George VI in the first series of the much-loved Netflix show.

Harris, 62, was nominated for an Emmy for his work in Mad Men as Lane Pryce, as well as an nominated for an Emmy and winning a BAFTA for his appearance in iconic mini-series Chernobyl.

He's also been on the big screen in the likes of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Lincoln, and Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows.

He's one of three brothers in the film industry, with sibling Damian a director and screenwriter. Third brother Jamie has starred in films such as Rise of the Planet of the Apes and Marvel TV show Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

But fans of the Chernobyl star are only just realising who their dad is, and it is blowing their minds a little bit.

Netflix

Speaking to Newstalk this week, Harris spoke about how much he loves speaking about his late father, partly due to how much he loves and misses him.

"I was surprised by how much, and happy you were, to talk about your dad," the interviewer says to Harris. "People with famous parents, Ridley Scott's son for instance - the last thing they want to talk about is their famous parent."

The interviewer continued: "Are you so happy to do it because he was your dad and you loved him? Or you've done your own stuff so it doesn't really matter any more?"

Responding, Harris said: "I love him, I miss him. I'm happy to talk about him and if people have new stories [about him] that I haven't heard, I love those ones. I love collecting those ones."

Fans of Harris were quick to check out exactly who his dad is - none other than Richard Harris.

The legendary Irish actor received Oscar nominations for 1963's This Sporting Life and 1990's The Field, as well as starring in more recent films such as Gladiator.

Most modern audiences will know him best for another role, that of Albus Dumbledore in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.

Warner Bros

The second Harry Potter film turned out to be Harris' final acting role, after he passed away in 2002 aged 72.

Fans of Jared were shocked to discover the relationship so late into his career. One posted on TikTok: "Loved him in Chernobyl and the crown but never new his dad was Richard Harris!"

Another wrote: "He's definitely paved his own path as I only discovered a few years ago his dad was Richard Harris."

A third posted: "I love this man as an actor and I just found out now he was Richard Harris' son. How did I not know this? It makes perfect sense."

Another wrote: "How did I not know or realise who his dad was. I'm stunned."