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See Also
See Again
© Getty Images
0 / 32 Fotos
Angelina Jolie
- Angelina Jolie is the daughter of actor Jon Voight. On her father's side, she is of German and Slovak descent. Her mother was of French-Canadian ancestry.
© Getty Images
1 / 32 Fotos
Johnny Depp
- While his surname comes from a French Huguenot immigrant, Johnny Depp is of primarily English descent, with some German, Belgian (Flemish), and Irish ancestry.
© Getty Images
2 / 32 Fotos
Tom Cruise
- Tom Cruise's father was one quarter Irish, one half German, and one quarter that was of mixed English and Welsh ancestry.
© Getty Images
3 / 32 Fotos
Bruce Willis
- Now retired, Bruce Willis was born in Idar-Oberstein, West Germany. His mother was German and his father American.
© Getty Images
4 / 32 Fotos
Halle Berry
- Halle Berry's mother is of English, some German and Irish, and distant Dutch descent.
© Getty Images
5 / 32 Fotos
Michael Fassbender
- Michael Fassbender was born in Heidelberg in the German state of Baden-Württemberg to a German father and a Northern Irish mother. He is fluent in the German language.
© Getty Images
6 / 32 Fotos
Kirsten Dunst
- Kirsten Dunst's father is German, originally from Hamburg, and her American mother is of German and Swedish descent. She holds dual American-German citizenship.
© Getty Images
7 / 32 Fotos
Leonardo DiCaprio
- Leonardo DiCaprio's father is of Italian and German descent. His maternal grandfather was German and his maternal grandmother was a Russian immigrant living in Germany.
© Getty Images
8 / 32 Fotos
Anne Hathaway
- Anne Hathaway's mother is of Irish descent, and her father has Irish, French, English, and German ancestry.
© Getty Images
9 / 32 Fotos
George Clooney - George Clooney's ethnicity is rooted in Irish, English, German, Scottish, Welsh, and Dutch ancestry.
© Getty Images
10 / 32 Fotos
Charlize Theron
- Born in South Africa into an Afrikaner family, Charlize Theron can claim Dutch, French, and German ancestry.
© Getty Images
11 / 32 Fotos
Paris Hilton
- Socialite, model, and entertainer Paris Hilton can claim Norwegian, German, English, and Irish descent. The heiress is a great-granddaughter of Conrad Hilton, the founder of Hilton Hotels.
© Getty Images
12 / 32 Fotos
Sandra Bullock
- Though born in Washington, D.C., Sandra Bullock spent her early years living in Germany and Austria. Her mother was German. The actress holds dual American-German citizenship.
© Getty Images
13 / 32 Fotos
Cameron Diaz
- Cameron Diaz's paternal grandparents were Cuban, and were of Spanish descent. Her mother has English, Northern Irish, and German ancestry.
© Getty Images
14 / 32 Fotos
Ben Affleck
- Much of Ben Affleck's ancestry is English, though his maternal grandfather was of half German and half Irish ancestry.
© Getty Images
15 / 32 Fotos
Jon Hamm
- The name Hamm is German in origin and it's no surprise therefore that Jon Hamm claims German descent. He also has English and Irish ancestry.
© Getty Images
16 / 32 Fotos
Robert De Niro
- Robert De Niro is of Irish and Italian descent on his father's side, while his mother had Dutch, English, French, and German ancestry.
© Getty Images
17 / 32 Fotos
Katherine Heigl
- Katherine Heigl's father is of Irish and German ancestry (including Swiss-German), and her mother is of German descent.
© Getty Images
18 / 32 Fotos
Brad Pitt
- During an interview on 'Inside the Actors Studio' in 2012, Brad Pitt indicated that his ancestry was "probably Irish-Scots, Germans who settled in the area [Shawnee, Oklahoma], and Native American Indian."
© Reuters
19 / 32 Fotos
Tina Fey
- According to a genealogical DNA test arranged by the television series 'Finding Your Roots,' Tina Fey's ancestry is 94% European, 3% Middle Eastern, and 3% from the Caucasus. Her father had English, German, Irish, and Scottish ancestry.
© Getty Images
20 / 32 Fotos
Sarah Jessica Parker
- Sarah Jessica Parker can claim German ancestry through her mother, who is of German and some English descent.
© Getty Images
21 / 32 Fotos
Gwyneth Paltrow
- Gwyneth Paltrow's mother has Pennsylvania Dutch (German) as well as some Irish and English ancestry. The actress also has Polish lineage.
© Getty Images
22 / 32 Fotos
Hilary Swank
- The surname "Swank," originally "Schwenk," is of German origin. Besides her German ancestry, Hilary Swank can trace her roots back to Scotland, Wales, the Netherlands, and Mexico.
© Getty Images
23 / 32 Fotos
Meryl Streep
- Meryl Streep's maternal ancestors were descended from 17th-century English and Irish immigrants. Her father, though, was of German-Swiss descent.
© Getty Images
24 / 32 Fotos
Vin Diesel
- While he never knew his biological father, Vin Diesel's mother has English, German, and Scottish roots.
© Getty Images
25 / 32 Fotos
Matthew McConaughey - Matthew McConaughey's ancestry includes English, German, Irish, Scottish, and Swedish origins.
© BrunoPress
26 / 32 Fotos
Jennifer Lawrence
- Jennifer Lawrence has some Scandinavian heritage but can also claim English, German, Irish, Scottish, and Swiss ancestry.
© Getty Images
27 / 32 Fotos
Elvis Presley (1935–1977)
- The late king of rock and roll had German and probably Scottish ancestry. He was stationed in Germany as a soldier in the US Army, and his rendition of 'Wooden Heart', based on the folksong 'Muss i denn' and featured in the 1960 movie 'G.I. Blues,' had Presley sing some verses in German.
© Getty Images
28 / 32 Fotos
Marlon Brando (1924–2004)
- Marlon Brando's surname can be traced back to Brandau and an immigrant ancestor who arrived in New York City in the early 1700s from the Palatinate in Germany. The actor also had French and Irish blood.
© Getty Images
29 / 32 Fotos
Peter Dinklage
- Of German and Irish descent, Peter Dinklage can also claim a town in Germany that shares the family name—Dinklage, in Lower Saxony. Particularly popular with Dinklage emigrants were the states of Ohio, Kentucky, Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, Wisconsin, and Illinois. Peter Dinklage himself hails from New Jersey.
© Getty Images
30 / 32 Fotos
David Hasselhoff
- David Hasselhoff has German, English, and Irish ancestry. His great-great-grandmother's family came from the village of Völkersen, in the municipality of Langwedel. As a singer, Hasselhoff enjoys a huge following in Germany and Austria. Sources: (Infoplease) (PBS) (Biography) (Bravo) See also: Famous actors who are also musicians
© Getty Images
31 / 32 Fotos
© Getty Images
0 / 32 Fotos
Angelina Jolie
- Angelina Jolie is the daughter of actor Jon Voight. On her father's side, she is of German and Slovak descent. Her mother was of French-Canadian ancestry.
© Getty Images
1 / 32 Fotos
Johnny Depp
- While his surname comes from a French Huguenot immigrant, Johnny Depp is of primarily English descent, with some German, Belgian (Flemish), and Irish ancestry.
© Getty Images
2 / 32 Fotos
Tom Cruise
- Tom Cruise's father was one quarter Irish, one half German, and one quarter that was of mixed English and Welsh ancestry.
© Getty Images
3 / 32 Fotos
Bruce Willis
- Now retired, Bruce Willis was born in Idar-Oberstein, West Germany. His mother was German and his father American.
© Getty Images
4 / 32 Fotos
Halle Berry
- Halle Berry's mother is of English, some German and Irish, and distant Dutch descent.
© Getty Images
5 / 32 Fotos
Michael Fassbender
- Michael Fassbender was born in Heidelberg in the German state of Baden-Württemberg to a German father and a Northern Irish mother. He is fluent in the German language.
© Getty Images
6 / 32 Fotos
Kirsten Dunst
- Kirsten Dunst's father is German, originally from Hamburg, and her American mother is of German and Swedish descent. She holds dual American-German citizenship.
© Getty Images
7 / 32 Fotos
Leonardo DiCaprio
- Leonardo DiCaprio's father is of Italian and German descent. His maternal grandfather was German and his maternal grandmother was a Russian immigrant living in Germany.
© Getty Images
8 / 32 Fotos
Anne Hathaway
- Anne Hathaway's mother is of Irish descent, and her father has Irish, French, English, and German ancestry.
© Getty Images
9 / 32 Fotos
George Clooney - George Clooney's ethnicity is rooted in Irish, English, German, Scottish, Welsh, and Dutch ancestry.
© Getty Images
10 / 32 Fotos
Charlize Theron
- Born in South Africa into an Afrikaner family, Charlize Theron can claim Dutch, French, and German ancestry.
© Getty Images
11 / 32 Fotos
Paris Hilton
- Socialite, model, and entertainer Paris Hilton can claim Norwegian, German, English, and Irish descent. The heiress is a great-granddaughter of Conrad Hilton, the founder of Hilton Hotels.
© Getty Images
12 / 32 Fotos
Sandra Bullock
- Though born in Washington, D.C., Sandra Bullock spent her early years living in Germany and Austria. Her mother was German. The actress holds dual American-German citizenship.
© Getty Images
13 / 32 Fotos
Cameron Diaz
- Cameron Diaz's paternal grandparents were Cuban, and were of Spanish descent. Her mother has English, Northern Irish, and German ancestry.
© Getty Images
14 / 32 Fotos
Ben Affleck
- Much of Ben Affleck's ancestry is English, though his maternal grandfather was of half German and half Irish ancestry.
© Getty Images
15 / 32 Fotos
Jon Hamm
- The name Hamm is German in origin and it's no surprise therefore that Jon Hamm claims German descent. He also has English and Irish ancestry.
© Getty Images
16 / 32 Fotos
Robert De Niro
- Robert De Niro is of Irish and Italian descent on his father's side, while his mother had Dutch, English, French, and German ancestry.
© Getty Images
17 / 32 Fotos
Katherine Heigl
- Katherine Heigl's father is of Irish and German ancestry (including Swiss-German), and her mother is of German descent.
© Getty Images
18 / 32 Fotos
Brad Pitt
- During an interview on 'Inside the Actors Studio' in 2012, Brad Pitt indicated that his ancestry was "probably Irish-Scots, Germans who settled in the area [Shawnee, Oklahoma], and Native American Indian."
© Reuters
19 / 32 Fotos
Tina Fey
- According to a genealogical DNA test arranged by the television series 'Finding Your Roots,' Tina Fey's ancestry is 94% European, 3% Middle Eastern, and 3% from the Caucasus. Her father had English, German, Irish, and Scottish ancestry.
© Getty Images
20 / 32 Fotos
Sarah Jessica Parker
- Sarah Jessica Parker can claim German ancestry through her mother, who is of German and some English descent.
© Getty Images
21 / 32 Fotos
Gwyneth Paltrow
- Gwyneth Paltrow's mother has Pennsylvania Dutch (German) as well as some Irish and English ancestry. The actress also has Polish lineage.
© Getty Images
22 / 32 Fotos
Hilary Swank
- The surname "Swank," originally "Schwenk," is of German origin. Besides her German ancestry, Hilary Swank can trace her roots back to Scotland, Wales, the Netherlands, and Mexico.
© Getty Images
23 / 32 Fotos
Meryl Streep
- Meryl Streep's maternal ancestors were descended from 17th-century English and Irish immigrants. Her father, though, was of German-Swiss descent.
© Getty Images
24 / 32 Fotos
Vin Diesel
- While he never knew his biological father, Vin Diesel's mother has English, German, and Scottish roots.
© Getty Images
25 / 32 Fotos
Matthew McConaughey - Matthew McConaughey's ancestry includes English, German, Irish, Scottish, and Swedish origins.
© BrunoPress
26 / 32 Fotos
Jennifer Lawrence
- Jennifer Lawrence has some Scandinavian heritage but can also claim English, German, Irish, Scottish, and Swiss ancestry.
© Getty Images
27 / 32 Fotos
Elvis Presley (1935–1977)
- The late king of rock and roll had German and probably Scottish ancestry. He was stationed in Germany as a soldier in the US Army, and his rendition of 'Wooden Heart', based on the folksong 'Muss i denn' and featured in the 1960 movie 'G.I. Blues,' had Presley sing some verses in German.
© Getty Images
28 / 32 Fotos
Marlon Brando (1924–2004)
- Marlon Brando's surname can be traced back to Brandau and an immigrant ancestor who arrived in New York City in the early 1700s from the Palatinate in Germany. The actor also had French and Irish blood.
© Getty Images
29 / 32 Fotos
Peter Dinklage
- Of German and Irish descent, Peter Dinklage can also claim a town in Germany that shares the family name—Dinklage, in Lower Saxony. Particularly popular with Dinklage emigrants were the states of Ohio, Kentucky, Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, Wisconsin, and Illinois. Peter Dinklage himself hails from New Jersey.
© Getty Images
30 / 32 Fotos
David Hasselhoff
- David Hasselhoff has German, English, and Irish ancestry. His great-great-grandmother's family came from the village of Völkersen, in the municipality of Langwedel. As a singer, Hasselhoff enjoys a huge following in Germany and Austria. Sources: (Infoplease) (PBS) (Biography) (Bravo) See also: Famous actors who are also musicians
© Getty Images
31 / 32 Fotos
American stars with German heritage
German ancestry is common in Hollywood!
© Getty Images
Did you know that citizens of the United States who are of German ancestry form the largest ethnic ancestry group in America, accounting for 17% of the US population? Numbering among these are quite a few American actors and actresses who can claim German heritage. But who are Tinseltown's most famous Teutonic personalities?
Click through and discover the American celebrities of German descent, some of whom might surprise you.
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