Louis Theroux's fascinating family from very famous cousin to TV star brother

28 November 2023 , 19:50

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Presenter Marcel Theroux fronts ITV's new docuseries The Playboy Bunny Murder on tonight (Image: Future Studios)

As one of the most recognisable faces on TV, Louis Theroux is best known for his compelling documentaries and personal interview style.

While you might assume being related to such a highly regarded household name would be intimidating, Louis actually hails from a fascinating family tree. As the son of novelist and travel writer Paul Theroux, it's clear that creativity and an insatiable curiosity runs in the broadcaster's blood, as evidenced by the equally remarkable lives of his brother and Hollywood star cousin.

Elder brother Marcel Theroux is also a successful journalist and documentary maker, but the two siblings couldn't be more different and have previously described themselves as being like 'chalk and cheese'. The Theroux brothers are also related to a star who was formerly married to Friends actress, Jennifer Aniston, adding a touch of Hollywood to their impressive family tree.

Documentarian Louis Theroux is the most well-known member of the family in the UK (BBC)

Marcel, 55, is best known for writing novels, though has fronted many documentaries for Channel 4. He reportedly has two children and is two years older than his only sibling, Louis. While his brother's series tends to explore the weird and wonderful, Marcel prefers to address political and current affairs. He has previously covered topics from Islamic extremism to climate change and modern-day slavery for Unreported World.

The pair have said it is easy to differentiate them both professionally and personally, with Marcel joking, "We never have any problems telling ourselves apart". In 2017, he told Radio Times: "Louis and I are like chalk and cheese", going on to explain their unmistakably different interviewing styles. "For one, Louis gets to spend more time doing his documentaries and I think they're more participatory - there's more of Louis in them. I think mine are more straight-up current affairs films," he explained.

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Marcel went on to add that he regards Louis as "the talent of the family as far as documentaries are concerned". Though, he did admit there's some competitiveness between the two - and he's still determined to beat his brother in every game of Monopoly. But that wouldn't stop them from collaborating on a production in the future.

Marcel and Louis are the sons of novelist Paul Theroux, who wrote The Great Railway Bazaar

In an early interview with The Independent, Marcel touched on their rivalry, explaining: "We grew up in a very competitive, ambitious family, and there was a premium placed on succeeding, so of course Louis and I did compete. But that's by no means the whole story of our relationship, because actually, we're very close." Marcel added that Louis got his big break into presenting before he did, which was "quite annoying, in an abstract way".

While Marcel was eventually taken on by C4 as a documentarian, he fell in love with writing and has written novels in between his films. He has followed in the footsteps of his father, Paul, 82, who is best known for travelogue The Great Railway Bazaar. Touching on his decision to become a writer, Marcel told the publication: "The worst thing that could happen would be to not write because my dad is a writer. Then the shadow would have really hung over me and stopped me doing something that might feel risky, but is what I really want to do."

Actor Justin Theroux, who was married to actress Jennifer Aniston, is their American cousin (Getty Images North America)

Two of Paul's brothers, Alexander Theroux and Peter Theroux, are also well-respected authors, while his third brother, Eugene Theroux, is a lawyer. Eugene's son, Justin Theroux, is an American actor and screenwriter and has starred in films such as Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle and Zoolander. He is perhaps best known for being Jennifer Aniston's husband for several years. Speaking about their relationship at the time, his cousin Louis told the Mirror: "Jen is a nice person. She's a really nice person."

The couple married in 2015 and split in 2017, though reportedly remain friends. In 2021, Justin featured as a guest on Grounded with Louis Theroux and they talked about growing up together - despite living far apart in the US and the UK. The cousins even disagreed on how to pronounce their surnames. "You go by 'ther-oo' and I go by 'ther-oh'," Justin said. "Or to put it another way," Louis responded, "I use the correct pronunciation, and you use some weird, incorrect one."

You can catch Louis Theroux's conversation with singer-songwriter Raye on at 9pm on BBC2, Tuesday, November 28, 2023.

Julia Banim