Actors/Celebrities You May Not Realize Are Part Black or Have African Ancestry

Usually described as Italian; however, she also has ancestry from Algeria and Morocco. In a 2014 Facebook post she wrote:

“Just found out my grandparents are heavily Greek and part North African...I thought I was Italian. My whole life is a lie.”

Father is from the Caribbean island of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines in the West Indies; mother is Italian; was born in Greenwich, Connecticut

Is Egyptian; was born in Glasgow, Scotland

Father was Algerian; mother was German; was born in Paris, France

Has won a record 5 César Awards for acting, all for Best Actress

Stated in an interview that she is Melungeon; was born in New York City

Melungeons are mixed-race with African, European, and Native American ancestry (most people consider the word Melungeon to be archaic and pejorative, and few people describe themselves as such)

Mother is from Kenya; father is Pakistani; was born in London, England

Paternal great-grandfather was Jamaican

Mother is biracial White English and Black; father is Manx, from the Isle of Man in the British Isles

Is Algerian; was born in Issy-les-Moulineaux, France; is married to French-Algerian actor Tahar Rahim

Mother is actress and producer Deborah Pratt, who is African-American and Creole; father is screenwriter and television producer Donald Bellisario, who is Italian and Serbian; is married to actor Patrick Adams

Great-grandfather was African-American

Mother is Algerian; was born in New York City

Father was Algerian; mother was French; was born in Armentières, Hauts-de-France, France

Birth name was Daniel Farid Hamidou

In 2008, he was purportedly the highest-paid actor in European film history

Is Algerian; was born in Algiers, Algeria

Father is Egyptian and Mexican; mother is Brazilian

Birth name was Jaime Federico Said Camil de Saldanha da Gama; was born in Mexico City

Maternal great-grandmother was African-American actress Lena Horne; mother is writer and producer Jenny Lumet

Maternal grandfather was Jewish director Sidney Lumet; father is actor Bobby Cannavale, who is Italian and Cuban

Father is Afro-Cuban; mother is White with English and Irish ancestry; is married to actress Erica Franco

In a 2018 People magazine interview he said:

"My parents weren’t without their struggles, trying to be accepted as a biracial couple. They didn’t quite make it through. They divorced when I was six.”

Father is Tunisian Jewish; mother is French; birth name was David Franck Guez; Charvet was his mother's maiden name

Was born in Lyon, France; his father, Paul Guez, founded the Sasson Jeans company

Both parents are Moroccan Jewish; was born in Montreal, Canada

Is Nigerian, Indian, English, and Irish; was born in London, England

Paternal great-grandmother was African, Chinese, and Vietnamese

Is Jamaican and White; was born in Toronto, Canada; is married to former NFL player and reality TV star Grant Mattos

Father was African-American; mother is White

Father is Egyptian; mother is French-Canadian and Irish

Birth name was Xavier Dolan-Tadros; was born in Toronto, Canada

Mother is African-American; father was White with Scottish, French, and English ancestry

Is the lead singer of Pink Martini; sister of writer-director Maya Forbes

Mother is African-American; father was White with Scottish, French, and English ancestry

Wrote and directed the autobiographical movie "Infinitely Polar Bear" which starred Zoe Saldana as her mother and Mark Ruffalo as her father; sister of singer China Forbes

Paternal grandfather was African from Sierra Leone

Is a former player for Manchester United and considered one of the best UK footballers ever

He spoke of visiting his father's relatives in Cardiff as a child:

"It was weird because when I was in Manchester there were no Black people at my school. One or two. And obviously when I go back home I'm just surrounded by my dad's family.... It was great for me to have that diversity."

Father is Montserratian and Portuguese (Montserrat is an island in the Caribbean); mother is Scottish

Was born in Glasgow, Scotland; is married to British actor Jack Davenport

Father was African-American, a fact Gore did not learn until he was 31 years old. His father was a G.I. stationed in England when he met Gore's mother

Is a founding member of the electronic pop group Depeche Mode

In the book "Stripped: Depeche Mode" he said of his father:

"It brings up family traumas....It's one of those things I'd rather not talk about." He did, however, go to the U.S. to meet his father

Father is biracial Jamaican and White; mother is White; was born in Kirkby, Lancashire, England

Despite his ethnicity he portrayed a White supremacist in the movie "This is England"

"There were times there, growing up, I was slightly unsure where I fitted in. [My father] taught me the history and the cultural aspect of where I came from, which was beautiful.”

Maternal grandmother was Algerian and Spanish

"I have Algerian, Turkish, Swedish, Spanish blood: I feel like a citizen of the world. Life and cinema don't have borders."

Mother is Algerian; father is Italian; was born in Palermo, Sicily, Italy, but spent part of his childhood in Ethiopia. When he returned to Sicily, he said that:

"My classmates starting calling me “n**ger.” I will never forget that. I learned very quickly how to stay on the outside of the frame yet always look at what’s happening in the center."

Father was from Eritrea; mother is African-American; was born in Los Angeles, California

Mother was opera singer Maria Ewing, who was biracial African-American and White from Detroit, Michigan; father was White British director Peter Hall, founder of The Royal Shakespeare Company

Was born in London, England

In a 2010 interview with The Guardian she was asked if she identified as Black. She laughed and replied:

"No, you could not get more White and middle class and English than me."

However, she has apparently since changed her stance. She actively sought out her African ancestry on the PBS show "Finding Your Roots." Also, in 2021 she directed the award-winning film "Passing" which she also wrote. The film is about two African-American women who passed for White in the Jim Crow era

Father is African-American; mother is White with Irish, Italian, and Hungarian ancestry; was born in Edison, New Jersey; birth name was Ashley Frangipane

She said in an interview with NME:

“I look like a White girl, but I don’t feel like one. I’m a Black woman. So it’s been weird navigating that. When I was growing up I didn’t know if I was supposed to love TLC or Britney.”

Mother is African and Dominican; father is Michael Harkavy, who is Russian and Hungarian and a former executive at Warner Brothers

Was born in New York City

Father is African-American; mother is Mexican; was born in Palm Springs, California

In a 2018 interview with "Collider" online magazine he said:

"My father is Black and my mother Mexican, so I was very confused, but not really. At the end of the day, I knew exactly who I was..."

Father is African-American and Native American; mother is White with English ancestry; was born in Boston, Massachusetts

She said: “My dad is part Choctaw, Chickasaw, and African-American. I didn’t realize the significance of not being white until I moved to LA.”

Father is legendary African-American music producer Quincy Jones; mother was actress Peggy Lipton, who was White with Russian Jewish ancestry

In a 2005 interview with Glamour magazine she said:

"When I audition for White roles, I’m told I’m ‘too exotic.’ When I go up for Black roles, I’m told I’m ‘too light.’ I’ve lost a lot of jobs, looking the way I do.”

On their show "Keeping Up With the Kardashians," she and Khloe revealed that their DNA tests showed they were 42% Middle Eastern and North African

Is Egyptian and Greek; was born in Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada

Father was African-American and White French; mother is Native American and Spanish; was born in Oakland, California

Birth name was Kehlani Ashley Parrish

Father is Jamaican and Puerto Rican; mother is White with German and Irish ancestry; was born in Wildomar, California

In a 2015 radio interview she said:

"I really don't care what people think I am. I think it's more about the music and the soulfulness behind it. It shouldn't be about what race you are."

Both parents are Tunisian; Marwan was born in The Hague, Netherlands

Mother is Coloured (multi-racial South African); father is Chinese; birth name was Shannon Xiao-Long Kook-Chun; was born in Johannesburg, South Africa

He said in an interview:

"My mom is Coloured. In South Africa that’s... the proud ethnic term that we call ourselves. But “colored” in other regions of the world is a racist, misunderstood word. Coloured people have a mix of Malay, some Black, some Indian descent. They look Guyanese or Dominican, some look Black, some look White."

Both parents are Egyptian; was born in Norman, Oklahoma, but spent summer vacations in Egypt; she also lived in Egypt and Nigeria for a short time during her childhood

In an interview in the Wall Street Journal she said:

“I wasn’t Black or White to the kids in school, yet I seemed to be both and neither, which made assimilation on the school bus and in the cafeteria particularly difficult.”

Maternal grandmother was Jamaican and Chinese

She said: "My grandmother was born in Jamaica of mixed descent. Her grandfather had come from China to work the Panama Canal. Her grandmother... was the daughter of a Scottish estate owner and an African slave.

This… is not intended as a dissertation on my family history or the history of Jamaica itself, but more as a statement about how this quest has led me to an unexpectedly immense feeling of connectedness."

Mother is Moroccan; father is Polish; both parents are Jewish; Inbar was born in Ramat Gan, Israel

Mother is Egyptian; father is German; was born in Montreal, Canada

Is Brazilian with African, West Indian, native Brazilian, Swiss, and Japanese ancestry; was born in Salvador Bahia, Brazil

Was one of the highest-paid models in the world; formerly married to NBA player Marko Jaric

In an interview she said:

"I'm Afro-Brazilian. I am mixed with African, native Indian, and Swiss....my family is all mixed, with Japanese, Black, and West Indian."

Father is African-American; birth name was Sir Robert Bryson Hall II

In a National Public Radio interview in 2017, he discussed repeatedly being asked about race in interviews:

"It's always somebody that's like, 'Oh, what's it like being a White rapper?' And then I have to explain to them, like, no, I'm actually Black and White. I'm biracial. Just so you know. Let's move on."

Is biracial African-American and White; says she is usually mistaken for Indian or Pakistani

She said in an online interview:

"I think what happens is that if people don't know what ethnicity you are, they're very confused. So, it's been this fascinating thing to navigate this business because people just don't know what story my face is telling."

Mother is Jamaican; father is Chinese and White English; formerly married to actor Dule Hill

Paternal great-grandfather was African-American and West Indian

Mother was West Indian; father was White English, German, and Spanish; surname Maffia is from her Italian stepfather; was born in New York City

States casting agents told her:

"You're not Black enough, you're too Black, you're Italian -- no, you're Spanish.' If I was blond and blue-eyed, what would be the first thing we'd discuss? My work."

Both parents are Egyptian; was born in Torrance, California; has an identical twin brother, Sami

He said:

"I am Egyptian. I grew up listening to Egyptian music... I loved Umm Kulthum. I loved Omar Sharif…These are my people....I acknowledge that I have a different experience, but I am so enamoured and intertwined with Egyptian culture. It is the fabric of who I am."

Paternal grandfather was Egyptian; She said:

"My father’s father was a Coptic Christian. Malick means ‘King’ in Egyptian.... I’m glad to be part of something that promotes tolerance and understanding among different ethnic groups."

Mother is Italian and Czech; father was Black South African

Was born in Springfield, Illinois; was adopted by parents from South Africa, and grew up in Toronto, Canada

In an August 2020 interview on "E! News" he said:

"I'm biracial. My father was Black, my mother is White. My last name is Manuel, so people think I'm Spanish, but it's pronounced MAN-you-ull, [not mawn-WELL] which is a South African last name."

Is Egyptian; was born in Cairo, but moved to Canada at age three; speaks fluent Arabic

Father is Tunisian; mother is Greek; both parents are Jewish

Was born in Los Angeles, California

Is Brazilian with African and Portuguese ancestry; married to actor Matthew McConaughey

Was born in Itambacuri, Minas Gerais, Brazil

Father is African-American, Jamaican, English, and German; mother is White with Russian, French, Dutch, Syrian, and Lebanese ancestry

Was born in Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire, England

"To be perfectly clear, passing”—that is, trying to pass oneself off as White -- “is something that has never crossed my mind.... The people who knew me on campus and knew my background knew where I was coming from, but I think for most people...they probably assumed I was White.”

Mother is Puerto Rican with African and Spanish ancestry; father is White actor Matthew Modine, who has English, Swedish, Scottish, and German ancestry

Was born in Los Angeles, California

She said in an interview:

"I am very proud [of my ancestry]… Many people don’t believe that I am of Black, Puerto Rican and Caucasian descent. That is why you cannot assume that you know what people are about based on what they look like. We are all a unique mix of races."

Is Moroccan; was born in Rabat, Morocco

Mother is Moroccan; father is Italian; was born in Klagenfurt, Austria

Mother is Afro-Cuban; father is Australian with Irish and Scottish ancestry; birth name was María de la Soledad Teresa O’Brien; was born in St. James, New York

In a 2010 CNN interview she spoke of how her mother taught her to be proud of her ethnicity:

"Don't let them tell you you're not Black," she told me. "Don't let them tell you you're not Hispanic or not Cuban." And I don't. The fact that I work for CNN has fostered my commitment to telling great stories about people of color."

Maternal great-grandmother was African-American (She and actress Hailee Steinfeld are cousins and have the same great-grandmother)

Both parents are Afrikaner with Dutch and German ancestry; both were born in South Africa; Was born in Port Orchard, Wasgington

Father is African-American; mother is White with Italian, French, and Irish ancestry

Is Afrikaner; was born in Grootfontein, Namibia; her father was born in Namibia and her mother was born in South Africa; is married to singer Adam Levine

Is a French actor whose family is originally from Algeria; was born in Belfort, France; is married to French-Algerian actress Leila Bekhti

Paternal grandfather was Trinidadian

Is an actress, model, and former professional volleyball player; is married to professional surfer Laird Hamilton

In a 2016 interview in Madame Noire magazine, she said:

"My grandfather was Black, and my grandmother was White. A lot of my family are still in Trinidad.” Reece further said that the White women she played volleyball with were always surprised when they found out that she is biracial. "But," she said, "women of color can always tell.”

Great-grandmother was Jamaican

Father is musician Peter Escovedo, who is Mexican and Louisiana Creole; mother is African-American and Louisiana Creole

Is the adopted daughter of Lionel Richie; is the niece of musician Sheila E. and granddaughter of musician Pete Escovedo; is married to singer Joel Madden of the band Good Charlotte

Father was half Egyptian and half Italian; mother was English and Scottish

Was one-half of the duo Wham! with George Michael

Is Portuguese and Cape Verdean (Cape Verde is an island nation in northwest Africa); was born in Funchal, Madeira, Portugal

Birth name was Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro

Mother is from Cape Verde, Africa; father is Italian and Irish; was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Formerly married to singer-songwriter Wiz Khalifa; birth name was Amber Rose Levonchuck

Maternal grandfather was Trinadian and Grenadian (Caribbean)

Mother was African-American singer-songwriter Minnie Riperton; father is Ashkenazi Jewish with ancestry from Lithuania, Hungary, Germany, and Russia

Both parents are Egyptian; was born in Montreal, Canada

Father was Sudanese; mother was White English and Scots-Irish and the sister of actor Malcolm McDowell; was born in Omdurman, Sudan

His paternal uncle served two terms as Prime Minister of Sudan; Alexander was born in Sudan

In describing himself he said:

"I don’t know if [I'm] an English engine in an Arab body or an Arab engine in an English body. My father was an African man and my mother a Liverpudlian woman.”

Maternal grandmother was Afro-Cuban

In Carly's autobiography, "Boys in the Trees: A Memoir," she wrote:

"She [my grandmother] was brainy, brilliant, and an utter original. She had dark olive skin and spent the rest of her life bleaching it in order to “pass” in a Caucasian world."

Mother was African-American; father is White English; was born in London, England; birth name was Saul Hudson

In a 2018 interview in Rolling Stone magazine he said:

“It’s never been part of my makeup, to be able to differentiate myself from anybody else because of colour. I went through a lot of that as a kid — in school you’re pigeonholed into being more aware of your background.

“When I started doing my own thing, especially playing guitar, it wasn’t so much of a thing. I never really cared to have to identify one way or another."

Maternal great-grandmother was African-American (she and actress True O'Brien are cousins and have the same great-grandmother)

Father is African-American and White; mother is Hungarian with English and Irish ancestry; Szohr is her mother's maiden name

Was born in Menomonee, Wisconsin

Both parents are Moroccan; was born in Villepinte, France

Grandmother was Jamaican; also has Chinese and French-Canadian ancestry

Was born in Victoria, British Colombia, Canada

Is Afrikaner with Dutch, French Huguenot, German, and Belgian ancestry; was born in Benoni, South Africa; she speaks Afrikaans, English, and Xhosa, which is a Bantu language

In a 2016 interview in British GQ magazine she said:

"I love my country...I have a very,very strong connection to my country and to its people."

In 2007 she created the Charlize Theron Africa Outreach Project (CTAOP) to prevent HIV/AIDS in young people in sub-Saharan Africa. CTAOP currently has net assets of over $70 million dollars

Mother is Egyptian and Yemeni; father is English; was born in England

Is Afrikaner with Dutch, German, Swiss-German, Danish, and French ancestry; was born in Pretoria, South Africa

Is Egyptian; was born in Sharqia Governate, Egypt

Father is African-American actor Michael Warren; mother is White; is married to actress Jessica Alba

Both parents are Ethiopian; was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada; speaks English and Amharic, an Ethiopian Semitic language; birth name was Abel Makkonen Tesfaye

Mother is Jamaican; father is White with English and German ancestry; was born in Wilmette, Illinois

Maternal grandfather was U.S. ambassador to Sierra Leone; is a distant cousin to Gen. Colin Powell, the first Black U.S. Secretary of State; is the ex-husband of singer Ashlee Simpson

Mother is African-American, Louisiana Creole, and White; father is White with English ancestry

Many people doubt her claims of being part African-American because of her physical appearance, but Shailene proudly acknowledges her African heritage

Is Algerian; was born in Algiers, Algeria

Both parents are Egyptian; was born in New York City

Both parents are Algerian; Zinedine was born in La Castellane, France; considered to be one of the best French footballers in the history of the sport

Maternal grandfather was African-American singer Roland Hayes; maternal grandmother was Czech; father was Russian and German; was born in Saint-Lary, France

DIED December 28, 2021, age 72, of COVID-19, 6 days before his twin brother

Maternal grandfather was African-American singer Roland Hayes; maternal grandmother was Czech; father was Russian and German; was born in Saint-Lary, France

DIED January 3, 2022, age 72, of COVID-19, 6 days after his twin brother