Alessandro Gassmann

"Christmas in Beverly Hills" ("Natale A Beverly Hills") Rome Premiere - Arrivals

Gassmann in 2009, photo by Prphotos.com

Place of Birth: Rome, Lazio, Italy

Date of Birth: 24 February, 1965

Ethnicity:
*father – German-Italian-Jewish
*mother – French

Alessandro Gassmann, also credited as Alessandro Gassman, is an Italian actor and film director. He is the son of actors Vittorio Gassman and Juliette Mayniel. He is a half-brother of actress Paola Gassman. Alessandro is married to Sabrina Knaflitz, with whom he has a son, singer Leo Gassmann.

Alessandro’s mother is French, from Saint-Hippolyte, Aveyron. His father was Italian, and was born in Genoa, Liguria, to a German-born father and an Italian-born mother.

Alessandro’s father Vittorio was of partly or entirely Jewish background. Whether both of his parents were Jewish appears to be a matter of dispute. Alessandro has said (at 1:50 here) that his father Vittorio’s parents were both Jewish, and that Vittorio downplayed his Jewish background throughout his life. Alessandro’s half-sister Paola has stated that Vittorio’s father was Catholic, and that Vittorio’s mother was of half Jewish background.

Alessandro’s paternal grandfather was named Heinrich “Enrico” Gassmann/Gassman (the son of Karl Gassmann). Heinrich, an engineer, was born in Karlsruhe, Baden-Württemberg.

Alessandro’s paternal grandmother was named Luisa Ambron (the daughter of Ugo Ambron). Luisa was born in Pisa, Tuscany. The Jewish Ambron family settled in Italy after leaving Spain in the 1400s. Ugo was likely descended from Isacco Lamprónti, a physician and rabbi of Ferrara, Emilia-Romagna, Italy. Isacco is best known for having written the rabbinic encyclopedia Paħad Yitzħak.

Sources: http://ricerca.repubblica.it

Genealogy of Alessandro Gassman – http://www.geni.com

Obituary of Alessandro’s father – http://www.nytimes.com

Articles about Alessandro’s likely ancestor, Isacco Lamprónti – http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com
http://www.treccani.it

27 Responses

  1. andrew says:

    http://klingbeil.free.fr/phpgedview/individual.php?pid=I299&ged=klingbeil.ged
    https://www.geni.com/people/Luisa-Giulia-Ambron-Errera/6000000001482576915?through=6000000001483023805

    Luisa Ambron was born in Pisa, Tuscany, Italy, to Eugenio Hizchia “Ugo” Ambron, who was Sephardi Jewish, and Matilde Moretti, who evidently was Catholic. Eugenio was the son of Samuele Ambron and Elvira Lampronti, who were both born in Florence, Tuscany, Italy

    One of distant Luisa’s ancestors, Isacco Lamprónti, was a physician and rabbi of Ferrara, Emilia-Romagna, Italy. He is best known as author of the rabbinic encyclopedia Paħad Yitzħak.

    http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/9603-lampronti-isaac-b-samuel

    http://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/isacco-lampronti/

  2. andrew says:

    “Lazian” tag does not make sense since he has not ancestry from that region (just by birth)

  3. andrew says:

    http://clandestinoingalleria.blogspot.it/2011/10/per-piacere-intercettate-audio_18.html

    it says Vittorio was also Jewish from father’s side (and mother’s one) but he didn’t like to reveal it

    • follers says:

      So in the link, Alessandro himself says his grandfather was Jewish? At what time in the video?

      • andrew says:

        from 1:50, he claimed that his paternal grandfather was German Jewish and that his father was “entirely Jewish”. He described this secret as a personal “drama”, something he feared for his whole life, even in his late years, for example when he attended the Jewish wedding in New York of his daughter (whose mother is Shelley Winters) Vittoria Gassman to Robert “Bob” Neuman, he had to wore the kippah for the first time in his life.

  4. follers says:

    Just curious, Andrew, where did you read that only his great-grandfather was Jewish? I’ve only seen Vittorio Gassman’s mother referred to simply as Jewish.

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