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
He should be tagged as: https://ethnicelebs.com/tag/banat-swabian
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.
1. His paternal grandmother might’ve been born in Italy.
2. As said, his maternal grandfather might’ve been born in Italy, too.
could his maternal ancestors be Jewish too?
I don’t think they were.
His grandfather wasn’t from “Sara”, but from Zara (Zadar in Croatian). Both Rimanić and Čoban are names most commonly found in Zadar.
Barrett’s paternal grandmother was named Marie Costa. Marie’s parents were from Genoa. —> Barrett’s paternal grandmother was Marie J. Costa. Marie was born in Blauvelt, New York, to Italian parents, from Genoa.
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:245N-MD2
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:2H7P-TTC
Zadar, which bablah corrected to, is in Croatia, not in Italy as the text currently says. Thus, his grandparents were all born in different countries; Italy, United States, Croatia, and Romania.
Or Zara was politically under Italy when his ancestrs were born. Coastal Istria and Dalmatia has strong ties with Republic of Venice. I wonder if his maternal grandfather spoke Italian considering his daughter ended marrying an Italian-descendant, or more likely there was just some cultural affinity
Actually no, his grandfather Simon was born in 1903, when Zadar was a part of Austria-Hungary. So indeed, his grandparents were born in four different countries: Italy, United States, Austria-Hungary, and Romania!
Sam Rimanich was born in Zara, Italy.
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:244G-PTJ
Not Austria.
Italy: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K79M-FNW (his wife too)
Italy: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:78ZK-133Z
Austria and Germany: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:2WK1-8DM
I am not sure Sam Rimanich was an “ethnic Croatian”. At least such thing did not existed back then.
Member of Rimanich (this is the correct spelling) family are cited in on-line available Italian-language newspapers by Istrian-Dalmatian exiles, and social networks, or websites: https://www.italiachiamaitalia.it/italiani-nel-mondo-la-marca-pd-incontra-connazionali-thunder-bay-canada/
They are Italian.
Sites like this are scam: https://actacroatica.com/en/surname/Rimani%C4%87/
@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”
Marie was married to Mario Foa, whom she met when she tutored him in English after he arrived from Genoa in the 1930s. She volunteered to tutor him for free because he came from the same city as her parents.
alright
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
“Foa” is usually an Italian Jewish surma
Mario Foa’s full name was Mario Leane Fortunato Foa. And indeed, he was Jewish. Not sure about his wife.
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:24LF-TM4
How do you know he was Jewish?
“Foa” is uber Jewish
I didn’t add the link for nothing. His race is listed as “South Italian” crossed over, with “Hebrew” added in handwriting.