Steven Seagal

Seagal in 2003, photo by Denis Makarenko/Bigstock.com

Birth Name: Steven Frederic Seagal

Place of Birth: Lansing, Michigan, U.S.

Date of Birth: April 10, 1952

Ethnicity:
*father – Ashkenazi Jewish
*mother – English, German, distant Irish and Dutch

Steven Seagal is an American actor, screenwriter, producer, martial artist, and musician. An action star beginning in the late 1980s, his roles include Above the Law, Hard to Kill, Under Siege, and Executive Decision.

Steven is the son of Patricia Anne (Fisher) and Samuel Seagal. Steven’s father was born in Rhode Island, the son of Russian Jewish immigrants; he was born with the surname Siegelman, later changing it to Seagal. Steven’s mother was born in Michigan, and was of English, German, and distant Irish and Dutch, descent.

Steven was born in Lansing, Michigan, and grew up in Fullerton, California, where he first learned martial arts. He lived in Japan for a number of years, and speaks Japanese fluently. Steven was granted Serbian and Russian citizenship in 2016. He has been appointed Russia’s special envoy to the U.S.

He is married to Erdenetuya Batsukh, who is from Mongolia. Steven is a devout Buddhist. He has seven children; including two, actor and model Kentaro Seagal and writer and actress Ayako Fujitani, with his former wife, Japanese-born aikido master Miyako Fujitani; three with his former wife, actress and model Kelly LeBrock; and a son with Erdenetuya. Ayako is married to Spanish screenwriter Javier Gullón.

Steven’s paternal grandfather was named Nathan Seagal (originally Nathan Siegelman, the son of Paul Siegelman and Ida). Nathan was Jewish, and was born in Babruysk, now in Belarus.

Steven’s paternal grandmother was Dora Goldstein (the daughter of Jacob Goldstein and Rachel Geldgesen). Dora was a Russian Jewish immigrant.

Steven’s maternal grandfather was Frederick/Fred Joseph Fisher (the son of Otis Lewis Fisher and Ida Harmon). Frederick was born in Michigan. Otis was born in Michigan, the son of Japhet Fisher and Maria Williams. Ida was born in New York, to German parents, Johann Friedrich Christian/Christopher Herrmann/Harmon and Amelia/Minne Augrin/Ingram.

Steven’s maternal grandmother was Lanah Irene Lewis (the daughter of Clarence Lemuel Lewis and Mary Almira Bidelman). Lanah was born in Michigan. Clarence was the son of Lemuel Lewis and Mary Melissa Meloy. Steven’s great-grandmother Mary was the daughter of Charles Parker Bidelman and Mary Lorana Thorn.

Steven is sometimes described as, and/or has described himself as, having Native American and/or Italian ancestry. These claims are not accurate. In one interview with a Russian outlet, Steven stated (see quote below) that his grandfather was either of Kalmyk or Buryat descent. This statement is not accurate. Steven’s grandfather, Nathan Siegelman/Seagal, was a Yiddish-speaking Russian Jewish immigrant.

When the war began in America from Russian Buddhist Republics moved immigrants, and among them was my grandfather. We do not know whether he was a Kalmyk and Buryat… As a child, I just said – “He was a Mongol,” and now there is nobody to ask. Anyone who might know the answer to this question is already gone… Perhaps I Kalmyk. I look like a Kalmyk?

Sources: Genealogy of Steven Seagal – https://www.geni.com

Steven’s father on the 1930 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org

Steven’s mother on the 1930 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org

Steven’s maternal grandfather, Frederick/Fred Joseph Fisher, on the 1900 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org

Steven’s maternal great-grandparents, Otis Lewis Fisher and Ida Harmon, on the 1910 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org

Russian interview with Steven Seagal, 2007, where he states that he had a Mongolian grandfather – http://savetibet.ru