Birth Name:
Mary Jane West
Birth Place:
Bushwick, New York, U.S.
Date of Birth:
August 17, 1893
What Race or Ethnicity?:
Irish, Anglo, Jewish Bavarian, African American
Source:
Louvish, Simon (2006). Mae West: It Ain’t No Sin.
Celebrities sharing similar heritage:
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I have always suspected she may be a small part black (between 1/4 and 1/8). Probably on her fathers side since her mother was an emigrant straight from Bavaria. Her paternal grandma was Irish, so maybe her paternal grandpa was black/part black. I doubt we’ll ever know for sure. She was so awesome though!
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When she went to Hollywood she was told that she photographed too darkly, and was encouraged to “lighten” herself up by dyeing her hair. She claimed that her mannerisms (voice, accent, the way she walked) came from watching the black prostitutes who plied their trade in her neighborhood. Maybe there is not concrete proof, but it would not surprise me at all. The is something about her face, especially in her nose and mouth that makes me think that she might have African ancestry. I mentioned this on one of those old movie forums and the white folks wanted to KILL me ROFL. They don’t want to believe any white folks they like to have mixed blood.
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@Say
It’s already on there in her bio,about the black bloodline
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Jus saw a couple of her Mae’s movies today, and I don’t care what anyone has to say…..but she was definitely a light skinned African American. Gotta find some of her movies on dvd….she was something else.
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