Adam Driver
Driver with Lena Dunham in 2013, photo by kathclick/Bigstock.com
Birth Name: Adam Douglas Driver
Place of Birth: San Bernardino, California, United States
Date of Birth: November 19, 1983
Ethnicity: English, one eighth Dutch/Frisian, German, Irish, Scottish, Scots-Irish/Northern Irish, more distant Welsh and French, remote Swedish
Adam Driver is an American actor. He is known for his roles in the films Not Waving but Drowning, Lincoln, Frances Ha, Bluebird, Inside Llewyn Davis, Tracks, The F Word, Hungry Hearts, This Is Where I Leave You, While We’re Young, the Star Wars universe, Midnight Special, Paterson, Silence, Logan Lucky, BlacKkKlansman, The Man Who Killed Don Quixote, The Dead Don’t Die, The Report, Marriage Story, Annette, The Last Duel, House of Gucci, White Noise (2022), 65, and Ferrari; and on the series Girls; and for his acclaimed stage performances.
He is the son of Nancy (Needham) and Joe Douglas Driver. His father’s family is from Arkansas and his mother’s family is from Indiana, where Adam was raised from the age of seven, in Mishawaka. His stepfather is a Baptist minister, and Adam had a religious Baptist upbringing. He is married to actress Joanne Tucker, with whom he has two children.
After 9/11, Adam joined the United States Marine Corps, and served in Afghanistan. He later founded Arts in the Armed Forces, a non-profit foundation, which stages theatrical performances for military personnel and support staff. Adam is a Lance Corporal in the Marines.
His father has English, German, Scottish, Irish, Scots-Irish/Northern Irish, distant Welsh and French, and remote Swedish, ancestry. A picture of Adam’s father can be seen here. Adam’s mother has English, one fourth Dutch/Frisian, and some German and Irish, ancestry. Adam has said, perhaps facetiously, that he has Native American and “perhaps Russian” ancestry.
While Adam was cast as a Jewish character a few times, most notably in This Is Where I Leave You and BlacKkKlansman, he is not himself of Jewish heritage.
Adam’s patrilineal ancestry can be traced to John Driver, who was born, c. 1675, in Avening, England or Isle of Wight County, Virginia, to parents of English origin, Giles Driver and Olive Hardy.
Adam’s paternal grandfather was Kelly Potter Driver, Jr. (the son of Kelly Potter Driver, Sr. and Rosa/Rosie/Rose Bell Whiteside). Adam’s grandfather Kelly was born in Arkansas. Adam’s great-grandfather Kelly was the son of Miles/Milas Washington Driver and Sarah Elizabeth Johnson. Rosa was the daughter of Jacob Davis Whiteside and Eliza Ann Withers.
Adam’s paternal grandmother was Edith Mae Fisher (the daughter of Joe Guy Fisher, Sr. and Belva/Belvia/Belvie Yeager). Edith was born in Arkansas. Joe was the son of Walter S./W. Fisher and Mary Jane Quattlebaum. Belva was the daughter of Charles O. Yeager and Irene Almeda Favors.
Adam’s maternal grandfather was Ira Lee Needham (the son of Lester G. Needham and Gertrude Dykstra/Dexter). Ira Lee was born in Indiana. Lester was the son of Ira H. Needham and Flora Anna Harrington. Gertrude was born in Indiana, to Dutch parents, John H. Dykstra/Dexter and Jantje/Jennie F. Kuypers/Kipers. Gertrude had roots in Friesland.
Adam’s maternal grandmother was Dolores Lavone Pettit (the daughter of Theodore George Pettit and Florence Geneve/Geneva/Genieve Ullrich). Dolores was born in Lafayette, Indiana, and grew up on a farm in Battleground, Indiana. Theodore was the son of William Clayton Pettit and Cora Ethel Campbell. Florence was the daughter of Jacob Ullrich and Nellie Blanche Carpenter. Jacob was the son of a German father and an Irish mother.
Sources: Genealogies of Adam Driver – http://www.geni.com
https://www.geneastar.org
Adam’s paternal grandfather, Kelly Potter Driver, Jr., on the 1930 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org
Obituary of Adam’s paternal grandfather, Kelly Potter Driver, Jr. – http://www.findagrave.com
Adam’s paternal grandmother, Edith Mae Fisher, on the 1930 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org
Obituary of Adam’s paternal grandmother, Edith Mae (Fisher) Driver – https://www.rollerfuneralhomes.com
Obituary of Adam’s aunt (mother’s sister) – http://www.findagrave.com
Adam’s maternal grandfather, Ira Lee Needham, on the 1930 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org
Adam’s maternal grandmother, Dolores Lavone Pettit, on the 1940 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org
Obituary of Adam’s maternal grandmother, Dolores Lavone (Pettit) Needham Riggs – https://www.palmerfuneralhomes.com
Adam’s maternal great-grandfather, Theodore George Pettit, on the 1910 U.S. Census – https://www.familysearch.org
Adam’s maternal great-grandmother, Florence Geneve/Geneva/Genieve Ullrich, on the 1920 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org
Sony just signed up Adam Driver to play Maurizio Gucci in the upcoming Gucci film. It’s just weird because Adam Driver doesn’t even look like Maurizio let alone anyone Italian. He is very obviously mixed with non-european DNA. Like seriously what the hell? This is Maurizio Gucci
https://c8.alamy.com/comp/D5M4WD/maurizio-guccisupplied-by-photos-inccredit-image-supplied-by-globe-D5M4WD.jpg
I have to remind myself that Hollywood is in America, the country where Italians are seen as “Other” even though Italians have always been and always will be European. The country where J.Lo and Ricky Martin can play Italian roles. Most Italian Americans aren’t even fully Italian.
I can understand Lady Gaga playing Maurizios wife since at least she looks fully European enough to play her.
Casting Adam Driver is such a bizarre choice though. Is it really difficult to find any unambiguous european man to play Maurizio?
Cherry picked:
Gucci looks darker in almost all other pics of him, like most swarthy Italians do
https://media1.popsugar-assets.com/files/thumbor/-zKSmbkvIUiuYBbRaqOvlnNUreo/2151×428:3624×1202/fit-in/1200×630/filters:format_auto-!!-:strip_icc-!!-/2021/03/11/788/n/1922283/882fa873604a5980877188.50226640_.jpg
Adam Driver is too light skinned to play him, being of northern European descent
@racial realist
Just found the “swarthy Italian” (?) Gucci was actually:
50% Italian (father)
25% German and
25% Swiss-Italian (mother)
Agree with you btw, Driver is “too light skinned” to play him (like people of mixed European/Mongoloid descent tend to be, mind Keanu Reeves), while the rich Euros who live a Gucci lifestyle (yachting, skiing etc) have a nice tan of course.
He has a French line on his mother’s side (“Pedigo”).
https://www.familysearch.org/tree/pedigree/landscape/L585-3LC
“Pettit” is also of French origin
I read somewhere that his biological father (Joe Douglas Driver) was actually adopted by, or into, the Driver clan. This person (male) seemed to be more in charge of their facts (ancestral/family) than most people in on-line forums-quite frankly I thought that it was information that didn’t need sharing-at all. Adam Driver himself, probably knows whether it’s true or not. But he’s not going to bother to correct it, at this stage, because he doesn;t regard it as relevant to his current activities/life. This means that whilst his (Adam’s) maternal line of Needham would be correct (accurate), with German, Dutch, Scottish, English and Irish ancestors etc., his Driver side of the family would not be. I strongly suspect (trying hard not to racially or facially stereotype here, which is hard to avoid, when it’s so blindingly obvious) that his biological father’s ancestral line would perhaps include Hispanic, Portuguese, Italian or even Philippino (Filipino or even Hawaiian), or First Nation/Native American Indian Heritage, but I’ll let Adam Driver make that decision to go down that DNA testing path, if (big if) and when he wants to. I think that he wants to remain “mysterious” and that’s his prerogative too. He perceives himself as being of the Driver clan.. grannies, pa’s etc. that were related and looked after him. His unique “look” certainly lends itself to a veritable “chameleon collection” of acting roles. To all intents and purposes, he’s a Driver/Needham (Wright) combo through and through! And that’s enough!
https://bodyheightweight.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/adam-driver-family-father-Joe-Douglas-Driver.jpg
Portuguese or Italian?
I don’t know if he’s a Driver, but he must be a Fisher, because Joe Driver looks like his mother (at least to me)
https://www.rollerfuneralhomes.com/services.asp?page=odetail&id=16540&locid=
@aquavida
Where did you read these family secrets/rumors? I guess in some fan site/blog or something.
Adam Driver looks spanish/iberian to me.
Not at all.
There is a picture of his biological father in the internet, and he’s not white: https://bodyheightweight.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/adam-driver-family-father-Joe-Douglas-Driver.jpg
Adam himself looks part Mongoloid
His dad looks very Latino. Maybe he’s part native (aztec etc) and his dad wasn’t his real dad? (just guessing)
Belva and Almeda sound very spanish, maybe that’s where the iberian is? Have you looked into Irene Almeda Favors background. Maybe she was named after a surname on her side of the family.
I am pretty sure Adam’s father genealogy is completely a made-up stuff and it does not refer to the man who is his biological parent (at least entirely).
Native Americans are Mongoloids
Genetic testing companies have categories such as “East Asian & Native American”
Adam Driver is evidently not fully European. Absolutely nothing wrong with that, but that’s obvious.
“and he’s not white”. Wow. Your eyeball research is getting out of hand. How about instead of looking up pictures you start looking up genealogy so that you can find actual proof of this non-white ancestry?
No non-white ancestry on paper so far. That man ain’t (fully) white, as Landon Donovan’s father.
Exotic looks run into Driver family though. His 2nd great-grandfather Miles W. Driver: https://images.findagrave.com/photos/2017/76/86634546_1489875911.jpg
@comrade
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/138021352/belva-fisher
According to Findagrave, Belva Yeager Fisher lived in an orphanage in Ruston, Louisiana, until age 18. Impossible to trace her backgound then.
Yes, Belva sounds Romance (either Spanish or Italian), and Almeda is a common Spanish/Portuguese surname (“Almeida”). Her listed parents had a German (Yeager) and a French (Favors) surname, but their family tree is blank.
Miles W. Driver looks like he had blue eyes, though. It’s a black and white/sepia photo but his eyes are light colored. his hand is also a different color to his face.
Yes, he had piercing blue eyes, for what It’s worth, but still an interesting look. Who knows, maybe It’s not even an ancestor of Adam.
Btw why “alleged” was censored in my comment? Is an outrageous word??
Um, isn’t it libelous to keep claiming people’s fathers aren’t their fathers? You ought to stop that.
It’s weird that in social media era there are barely no pics anywhere of Adam’s parents. Not even paparazzi stuff. What’s goin’ on?
Isn’t it only libel if you make a claim or assertion? I think opinions, uniformed or otherwise, are still protected forms of speech.
You should try not to use made up outdated/debunked racial terminology on a site dedicated to actual traceable lineage.
I’m curious, who are you referring to and which terms?
Sorry that was directed towards Racial Realist.
Looks to hate Native American heritage.