This is pure superficial celebrity trivia, but I’ll post it anyway. I must’ve been inspired by the Barbara Walters special the other night, feeling a bit nostalgic and sentimental. Some of these names are well known, others maybe not. I don’t know whether some names “count” as they weren’t adopted in the “traditional” sense; they were raised by biological family members other than their biological parents. So here is an edited down list of 25 each.

BLOGGER NOTE – AT THE REQUEST OF THE ARTIST I TOOK DOWN AN IMAGE OF WILLIE NELSON ON THIS PAGE. I AM GIVING HIM ATTRIBUTION RETROACTIVELY AS FOLLOWS: “Photo credit: Larry Philpot, SoundstagePhotograph.com.”

25 Famous Adopted Children:

1. Robert Byrd – U.S. Senator
2. Peter and Kitty Carruthers – Olympic silver medal figure skaters
3. Eric Clapton – Rock star
4. Bill Clinton – U.S. President
5. Nat King Cole – Pop star
6. Bo Diddley – Blues star
7. Larry Ellison – Billionaire, CEO, Oracle Corp. (close friend of Steve Jobs, also adopted)
8. Gerald Ford – U.S. President
9. Debbie Harry – Rock star, Blondie
10. Steve Jobs – Co-Founder of Apple Computer
11. Colin Kaepernick – NFL quarterback
12. John Lennon – Beatle
13. Art Linkletter – TV star
14. Ray Liotta – Movie star
15. Greg Louganis – Olympic gold medal diver
16. Nelson Mandela – Civil rights icon and President, South Africa
17. Marilyn Monroe – Iconic movie star
18. Willie Nelson – Country music star
19. Jack Nicholson – Movie star
20. Edgar Allen Poe – Poet, Writer
21. Nancy Reagan – First Lady
22. Michael Reagan – Author and Ronald Reagan’s son
23. Eleanor Roosevelt – First Lady
24. Dave Thomas – Entrepreneur, founder of Wendy’s
25. Malcolm X – Civil rights icon

25 Famous Adoptive Parents:

1. Charles Bronson – Action star
2. Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman – Movie stars
3. Sammy Davis, Jr. – Star entertainer
4. Joan Didion and John Gregory Dunne – Best selling authors
5. Walt Disney – Founder of Walt Disney Company
6. Mia Farrow – Movie star
7. Henry Fonda – Iconic movie star
8. Bob Hope – Iconic movie star and entertainer
9. Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt – Movie stars
10. Magic Johnson – Basketball star
11. Diane Keaton – Movie star
12. George Lucas – Director of Star Wars films
13. Harpo Marx – Marx Brother
14. Willie Mays – Baseball star
15. John McCain – U.S. Senator
16. Ed McMahon – TV star, Johnny Carson’s sidekick
17. Paul Newman – Movie star
18. Rosie O’Donnell – TV star
19. Ozzy Osbourne – Rock star
20. Burt Reynolds – Movie star
21. Roy Rogers – Movie, TV star
22. Al Roker – TV star, weatherman
23. Linda Ronstadt – Rock star
24. Stephen Spielberg – Hollywood director
25. Barbara Walters – TV star, news anchor