Barrett Foa

Foa in 2016, photo by cvanwagoner/www.bigstockphoto.com/

Birth Name: Barrett Conrad Foa

Place of Birth: Manhattan, New York City, New York, U.S.

Date of Birth: September 18, 1977

Ethnicity: Italian, Sephardi Jewish, Croatian, German

Barrett Foa is an American bari-tenor singer, dancer, and actor.

He is the son of Linda, an executive, editor, and author, and Conrad Foa, an international insurance broker, musician, and Army veteran. His parents were community/civic activists and philanthropists.

Barrett’s paternal grandfather was named Mario Leane Fortunato Foa (the son of Primo Foa). Mario was born in Genoa, Liguria, Italy, and was Jewish. Primo was the son of Fortunato Foa, who founded Foa & Son Insurance Company in Genoa in 1861.

Barrett’s paternal grandmother was named Marie J. Costa. Marie was born in Blauvelt, New York, to Italian parents, from Genoa.

Barrett’s maternal grandfather was Simon/Gemon “Sam” Rimanich (the son of Marco Rimanić/Rimanich and Mathea Čoban). Simon was born in Zara/Zadar, then in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and was an ethnic Croatian, or a mix of Croatian and Italian ancestry.

Barrett’s maternal grandmother was named Kreszenz/Cresencia “Grace” Spiegl/Spiegel (the daughter of Meinrad Spiegl and Rosalia). Kreszenz was from Slatina, Romania, and was likely an ethnic German.

Each of Barrett’s grandparents can be said to have been born in a different country, something that is fairly rare. Businessperson Elon Musk, actors Remy Auberjonois, Hart Bochner, Noah Emmerich, Stephen Lang, Jessica Lange, Logan Lerman, Robert Morley, Brett Pierce, Ben Rosenfield, Andy Samberg, and Wallace Shawn, singer and songwriter Paula Cole, and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, are others whose grandparents were born in four distinct countries.

Sources: Information about Barrett’s Foa family – http://www.foason.com
http://www.foason.com

Marriage record of Barrett’s parents – http://www.familysearch.org

Immigration record of Barrett’s paternal grandfather, Mario Leane Fortunato Foa – https://www.familysearch.org

Obituary of Barrett’s paternal grandfather, Mario Leane Fortunato Foa – https://www.findagrave.com

Obituary of Barrett’s mother – http://www.hfndigital.com

Barrett’s uncle (mother’s brother) on the 1940 U.S. Census – http://www.familysearch.org

Death record of Barrett’s aunt (mother’s sister) – http://www.familysearch.org

Marriage record of Barrett’s maternal grandparents, Simon/Gemon “Sam” Rimanich and Kreszenz/Cresencia “Grace” Spiegl/Spiegel – https://www.familysearch.org

20 Responses

  1. madman says:

    Assuming his paternal grandmother was born in the U.S., and his maternal grandfather wasn’t born in Italy (he was likely born in Croatia), he also fits with the other people whose grandparents were all born in different countries.

  2. andrew says:

    @stlucas

    http://www.faboverfifty.com/geri/marie-celebrates-centennial/

    The page you linked didn’t say his paternal grandmother’s family was from Genoa, just “during my childhood, my mother cooked in the style of Northern Italy”

  3. andrew says:

    Barrett’s paternal grandfather was Mario Foa (Mario Leane Fortunato Foa, the son of Primo Foa). Mario was born in Genoa, Liguria, Italy, and was Jewish. Barrett’s great-grandfather Primo was the son of Fortunato Foa, who founded Foa & Son Insurance Company in Genoa in 1861.

    http://www.foason.com/about/#owners

  4. andrew says:

    “Foa” is usually an Italian Jewish surma

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