One and done: 20 iconic celebrities who are only children

Those in the know about celebrity lives know all too well that Lenny Kravitz is associated with one of the most beautiful families, as he and former wife, Lisa Bonet, gave the world the multi-hyphenate Zoë Kravitz. The actor-writer-director is Lenny Kravitz’s only child, but it makes sense he never had more as he was also an only child of a news producer and actress, Roxie Roker.

Oscar winner Charlize Theron adopted her first child in 2012, but likely didn’t want them to be an only child like she was in South Africa growing up, so a few years later, she adopted another.

Despite being one of the biggest names in movies thanks to his roles in a number of Marvel movies, including 2025’s Thunderbolts*, Sebastian Stan was the only child of a pianist who named him after one of the most celebrated composers in history, Johann Sebastian Bach.

LeAnn Rimes’ parents had their hands full with their one and only child as the country singer’s talents emerged early on. Rimes was competing in singing competitions by kindergarten, landing on Star Search at the age of nine. She released her first album that same year, but wouldn’t become a household name until five years later in 1996 with the release of Blue.

Known as one of the sexiest men in the world — Essence’s in 2013 and People Magazine’s in 2018 — it’s a shame Idris Elba never had any brothers. He didn’t have any sisters either. He’s truly one-of-a-kind.

Sarah Michelle Gellar’s parents divorced when she was seven, so she grew up with just her mother. Her mother never had more kids, and the Buffy the Vampire Slayer actress was estranged from her father.

The Weeknd’s debut, Kiss Land, made it to No. 2 in both the US and Canada in 2013. His actual debut was when he was born in 1990 to Ethiopian immigrants in Ontario, Canada, who split soon after, leaving him the only child of the pair. Raised by his mother and grandmother, The Weeknd went on to be one of the biggest hit makers of the 21st century so far, with multiple Grammys and a Super Bowl Halftime performance to his name.

Karen Gillan didn’t start life as a blue being. She just plays one in the wildly popular and lucrative Marvel series, Guardians of the Galaxy . In the movies, she has one sister, played by Golden Globe-winner Zoe Saldana, but in real life, it was just Gillan in the house.

The 007 actor once spoke to Cigar Aficionado about being an only child, saying, “Childhood was fairly solitary.”

Ciara was the sole Army brat of her family, but has since gone on to have a big family of her own. She has one son with rapper Future and three children with NFL superstar and Super Bowl champ, Russell Wilson.

Much like the character that ingrained him into pop culture forever, Daniel Radcliffe never had any siblings. However, unlike his character, he wasn’t sent to live with the absolute worst relatives and left to sleep underneath a staircase.

The only apple of her parents’ eyes, Natalie Portman was discovered at the age of 10 in a pizza shop. They wanted her to model, but she had other plans for her life.

Weird Al, known best for parodying some of the biggest hits from the ‘80s through today, is an only child who has kept the tradition going, as he has only one child himself — a daughter born in 2003.

By the time Alyson Hannigan was four, she was already doing commercials in Georgia, so it didn’t take long for her parents to move themselves and their only child out west so that she could pursue acting on a bigger scale. It’s safe to say it all worked out for the best, as she went on to star in American Pie and How I Met Your Mother.

One of the baddest actors in the game, Samuel L. Jackson is a favorite of many due to his roles in everything from Pulp Fiction to a few of the Star Wars films. This icon is also an only child who went on to have only one child himself in 1982 with his wife of over four decades.

The only child of a former Marine, Missy Elliott knew by the age of four that she belonged on the stage, and really utilized what she had, including the church choir, to hone her skills.

Jack Nicholson’s life started out very differently. He grew up believing he wasn’t an only child because his biological mother acted as his sister, while his grandmother acted as his mother. Sadly, he didn’t know until he was older, when both women were gone.

Not only is Billie Lourd the only child of Carrie Fisher, but she is also the only grandchild of Debbie Reynolds.

Before he was one of the biggest names in country music, Luke Combs was a bouncer, and before that, he was the solo kid in a family in Asheville, North Carolina.

Saoirse Ronan’s parents moved to the US from Ireland in the ‘80s and had only one child during their time there. When Ronan was three, they moved back to Dublin, where she landed her first acting job at 9.