Genealogists Say "Twilight" Star Robert Pattinson is Related to Dracula

NEW YORK (CBS) Call it a coincidence, but vampire-playing actor Robert Pattinson may actually be related to a real vampire.

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Researchers at Ancestry.com say the 24-year-old "Twilight" star is a distant relative to Vlad III Dracula - the Transylvanian-born leader who is known to be the inspiration behind Bram Stoker's classic vampire novel "Dracula," according to a report by Reuters.

"Tracing Pattinson's family back to Vlad was difficult research, but the pieces that unraveled created the perfect accompaniment to 'The Twilight Saga,'" said Anastasia Tyler, a genealogist at Ancestry.com.

His connection to Dracula (a.k.a Vlad the Impaler) is apparently made through his lineage to British royalty. Prince William and Prince Harry are Pattinson's distant cousins and Vlad the Impaler was the princes' distant uncle.

Pattinson, who plays lovesick vampire Edward Cullen, isn't the only famous person related to Dracula.  Ancestry.com also revealed that former president George W. Bush and U.S. Senator John Kerry are also distant relatives to the famous vampire.

"Eclipse," the third installment in the "Twilight" series, is due in theaters Wednesday, June 30.