Rooney And Kate Mara Come From A Very Wealthy Family

Nepotism babies have been the talk of the town lately, but many don't know that acting sisters Rooney and Kate Mara are among the most famous celebrity siblings. They are also the descendants of American royalty.

Older sister Kate began acting at a young age and got her first on-screen role as a guest on "Law & Order" in 1997, per her IMDb. She went on to appear in several renowned films and TV shows, such as "Brokeback Mountain," "24," and "House of Cards." In 2020, Kate also starred in Hulu's "A Teacher." Younger sister Rooney followed in her elder's footsteps by breaking into the acting world. Most people probably know Rooney from her critically-acclaimed performance in "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo," which earned the actor her first Oscar nomination, per IMDb. As reported by IndieWire, there has also been awards-season buzz for Rooney's starring role in the 2022 film "Women Talking."

That's all to say that these sisters are wildly talented and successful in their own rights without their familial connections. So, who is the family behind the Mara sisters?

Football runs through the veins of Kate and Rooney Mara, but not just on one side of the family. That's right, both of their parents come from football franchises! Their paternal great-grandfather is Tim Mara, who founded the New York Giants, and their maternal great-grandfather is Art Rooney, who created the Pittsburgh Steelers, per New York Daily News. Of course, Rooney's first name is an ode to her great-grandfather's last name. Additionally, Kate's middle name is Rooney!

To the two Hollywood stars, football was a huge part of their upbringing. During an interview on "Late Night with Seth Meyers" in 2015, Rooney admitted that she favored the Giants over the Steelers because the family would often attend Giants games while she was growing up in New York. "I hated it because we always would go after church and I'd have to wear tights and a little outfit," she recounted, laughing. "Everyone else is in their sweatpants and eating crappy food, and I was in my little Sunday church clothes." Kate once revealed to ESPN that her favorite player was New York Giants linebacker Lawrence Taylor.

It's a rare occasion that the Giants and Steelers face off, but Kate admitted to the "stress" of football Sundays. "It's a stressful situation, constantly," she explained on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show." "But it's also really amazing because someone's most likely going to win, one of the teams is going to win."

The Mara family is still heavily involved in their football franchises. Kate and Rooney's father, Chris Mara, currently serves as the New York Giants' senior player personnel executive. For Kate, it seems that her familial connection to the Giants has affected her dating life. For example — on "Conan" in 2016 — the actor told the story of how she broke up with an ex-boyfriend after he accidentally dented the Lombardi Trophy right after the Giants won the Super Bowl, which her family received in the mail.

Kate's husband, actor Jamie Bell, also felt the pressure of marrying into the Mara family when they first got together. "[Bell] spent a night when we first started dating and had his friend come over and watch an entire season of the New York Giants and knows more about it than I do," she described on "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" in 2017.

As many football fans know, the game can transcend the field. This was the case when NFL players began kneeling during the national anthem in protest of police brutality. Kate threw out her two cents to support these players. "I believe everybody has a constitutional right to stand, or kneel, or sit during the national anthem," she told Variety. "So, I stand by the player's decision whatever that might be."