Aaron & Shawn Ashmore
This is a fascinating subject when it comes to people: having a twin! For those of us who don’t have a twin (most of us), and in this case, an identical twin (almost all of us), it is pretty hard to fathom that there could be someone who looks just like you. And with whom you would be so much closer in every sense of the word from the moment you are born.
Let us dwell a little bit on the subject before showing the twin list à la Journeys of Life.
Twins can be either monozygotic (‘identical’), meaning that they develop from one zygote (i.e. fertilized egg cell) which splits and forms two embryos. Identical twins share all of their genes and are always the same sex.
Or, they can be dizygotic (‘non-identical’ or ‘fraternal’). In that case each twin develops from a separate egg, and each egg is fertilized by its own sperm cell. Fraternal twins may be of the same or different sexes. They share half of their genes just like any other siblings.
This article deals with monozygotic i.e. identical twins. About 3 in every 1000 deliveries worldwide (i.e. about 0.3% of the world population) result in identical twins being born, yet when it comes to having twins, not all regions are created equal. And, the twins are not necessarily 100 % identical as they may pick up genetic mutations in the womb.
How the lives of identical twins form when sharing their lives from the beginning versus being separated from birth is also an interesting subject - and one that will be the topic of a separate article.
So here is a simple list of some famous twins, both male and female, in chronological order. The order of each pair does not necessarily show who was born first. Many on the list are probably no surprise to you, but some might just be, especially those with different career choices. But they are clearly in minority.
This list is being irregularly updated.
1909-0822 Julius J. Epstein* screenwriter (Casablanca) – New York City, NY USA (2000/91)
1909-0822 Philip G. Epstein* screenwriter (Casablanca) – New York City, NY USA (1952/42)
1918-0704 Eppie Lederer* (b Friedman) advice columnist (as Ann Landers)/nationwide media celebrity - Sioux City, IA USA (2002/83)
1918-0704 Pauline Phillips* (b Friedman) advice columnist (as Abigail van Buren)/radio show host - Sioux City, IA USA (2013/94) (17 min after)
1928-0821 Art Farmer* jazz trumpeter/flugelhorn player – Council Bluffs, IA USA (1999/71)
1928-0821 Addison Farmer* jazz bassist – Council Bluffs, IA USA (1963/34) (1 hr after)
1933-1024 Reginald “Reggie” Kray* with his twin brother, perpetrator of organised crime – Haggerston, London, England (2000/66)
1933-1024 Ronald “Ronnie” Kray* notorious perpetrator of organised crime – Haggerston, London, England (1995/61) (10 min after)
1934-1027 David Barclay* billionaire businessman – Hammersmith, London, England (2021/86)
1934-1027 Frederick Barclay* billionaire businessman – Hammersmith, London, England
1940-0228 Aldo Andretti* Italian-American racing driver/entrepreneur – Montona, Istria, Kingdom of Italy (2020/80)
1940-0228 Mario Andretti* Italian-American racing driver/WC – Montona, Istria, Kingdom of Italy
1956-0926 Leslie Hamilton* hospice nurse/actress - Salisbury, MD USA (2020/63)
1956-0926 Linda Hamilton* actress - Salisbury, MD USA
1961-1214 Patrik Sundström* hockey player – Skellefteå, Sweden
1961-1214 Peter Sundström* hockey player – Skellefteå, Sweden
1963-1202 Rich Sutter* hockey player – Viking, AB Canada
1963-1202 Ron Sutter* hockey player – Viking, AB Canada
1964-0221 Mark Kelly* naval aviator/astronaut /politician - Orange, NJ USA
1964-0221 Scott Kelly* engineer/naval aviator/astronaut - Orange, NJ USA
1965-0112 Linda and Terry Jamison* _“The Psychic Twin_s” – West Chester, PA USA
1965-0822 Brian Henry Reimer* twin brother of David Reimer – Winnipeg, MB Canada (2002/36)
1965-0822 David Reimer* (b Bruce Reimer) raised as a girl after a botched circumcision/gender identity experiment gone wrong – Winnipeg, MB Canada (2004/38)
1967-1103 Ursula and Sabina Eriksson* twins with a strange story - Sunne, Sweden
1978-0428 Drew Scott* real-estate broker/actor/co-host on Property Brothers – Vancouver, BC Canada
1978-0428 Jonathan Scott* contractor/ illusionist/producer/co-host on Property Brothers – Vancouver, BC Canada
1979-0311 Benji Madden* guitarist/singer/producer – Waldorf, MD USA
1979-0311 Joel Madden* singer/producer/actor – Waldorf, MD USA
1979-1007 Aaron Ashmore* actor - Richmond, BC Canada
1979-1007 Shawn Ashmore* actor - Richmond, BC Canada (1 min after)
1980-0926 Henrik Sedin* hockey player/OG – Örnsköldsvik, Sweden
1980-0926 Daniel Sedin* hockey player/OG – Örnsköldsvik, Sweden (6 min after)
1981-0216 Jenny Kallur* Swedish hurdler/EG - Huntington, NY USA
1981-0216 Susanna Kallur* Swedish hurdler/EG - Huntington, NY USA (4 min after)
1981-0512 Sami Malek* actor – Los Angeles, CA USA
1981-0512 Rami Malek* actor – Los Angeles, CA USA (4 min after)
1986-0613 Ashley Olsen* actress/producer/fashion designer – Sherman Oaks, CA USA
1986-0613 Mary-Kate Olsen* actress/producer/fashion designer – Sherman Oaks, CA USA
1988-0104 Elin Eldebrink* basketball player – Östertälje, Sweden
1988-0104 Frida Eldebrink* basketball player – Östertälje, Sweden
1996-0929 Lotta Udnes Weng* cross-country skier — Nes, Akershus, Norway
1996-0929 Tiril Udnes Weng* cross-country skier — Nes, Akershus, Norway
Updated 8.1.2023
LINKS
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twin
https://www.businessinsider.com/swedish-twins-investor-behavior-bias-genes-2012-3?r=US&IR=T
https://www.livescience.com/identical-twins-dont-share-all-dna.html