Kieran Culkin has successfully stepped out of his iconic child star brother Macaulay Culkin’s shadow with his award-winning turn as Roman Roy in Succession.
Kieran, 41, emotionally thanked his mom Patricia Brentrup, 69, during his acceptance speech at Monday’s Emmys – before taking a swipe at his estranged father Christopher ‘Kit’ Culkin, 79, by branding him ‘some guy’.
The Culkin family has been embroiled in drama ever since Macaulay shot to fame in the 1990s courtesy of his roles in Home Alone and Uncle Buck.
As a teenager aged 16 he would famously battle his now separated parents for control of his $50million fortune amid their child custody battle over him and his six siblings – before retiring from acting. He and his former manager Kit have not spoken since.
In his 2006 memoir Macaulay would accuse his father of physical and emotional abuse, alleging he threatened to hit him if he used cue cards during his 1991 SNL hosting stint aged just 11.
In 2016 a now reclusive Kit said he ‘didn’t consider Macaulay as a son anymore’ while Kieran has not seen his father since 2014.
As the Culkin kids steal the spotlight once more – DailyMail.com looks back at their complicated family history…
The famed Culkin family have a complicated history – with estrangement and abuse claims – Macaulay and Kieran Culkin are pictured with father Christopher Cornelius ‘Kit’ Culkin, a former child star himself and mother Patricia Brentrup in 1990
Kit and Patricia had managed Macaulay’s career which began when he started acting at the age of four.
Kieran and Macaulay – along with their five siblings, grew up in poverty, sharing one room in a tiny apartment in New York City.
His parents struggled to make ends meet – his dad Kit, a washed up Broadway actor, worked as a taxi driver and a sacristan for a Catholic church, while his mom quit her job to take care of their large brood before eventually landing a part-time gig as a telephone operator.
Kieran later told Vanity Fair of their childhood home, ‘It was barely suitable for a couple [let alone a family-of-nine].
‘It was just a hallway, and there were no separating doors, except for the bathroom, which didn’t have a lock.
‘They raised seven kids in that apartment – for years. They just kept bringing babies home to this little space.’
Macaulay started acting when he was only four – after a neighbor suggested that his parents try to turn him into a star – and right away, thanks to his adorable looks and charismatic personality, his star power was undeniable.
