Ben Foster

Foster in 2010, photo by PrPhotos

Birth Name: Benjamin A. Foster

Place of Birth: Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.

Date of Birth: October 29, 1980

Ethnicity:
*father – Ashkenazi Jewish
*mother – English, Irish, French, distant Welsh and Scottish [likely converted to Judaism]

Ben Foster is an American actor. His roles include the films Liberty Heights, Big Trouble, Northfork, The Punisher, Hostage (2005), X-Men: The Last Stand, Alpha Dog, 3:10 to Yuma, 30 Days of Night, Birds of America, The Messenger (2009), Pandorum, The Mechanic, Rampart, Contraband, Kill Your Darlings, Lone Survivor, The Program (2015), Hell or High Water, Hostiles, Leave No Trace, and The Survivor, and television’s Freaks and Geeks and Six Feet Under.

Ben is the son of Gillian and Steven Foster, who were restaurant owners. He is the brother of actor Jon Foster. Ben is married to actress Laura Prepon, with whom he has two children.

Ben’s father is from a Jewish family that emigrated from Ukraine, Romania, and Russia. Ben’s mother has English, Irish, French, and distant Welsh and Scottish, ancestry; Ben’s mother may have converted to Judaism. Ben was raised Jewish, and had a Bar Mitzvah ceremony. Ben grew up mostly in Fairfield, Iowa.

Ben’s paternal grandfather was named Abraham Frank Foster (the son of Samuel Foster and Bessie). Abraham was born in Massachusetts, to Ukrainian Jewish parents. He was a prominent judge in Boston.

Ben’s paternal grandmother was Celia “Lucille” Segal (the daughter of Barney Segal and Mary Seltzer). Celia was a Romanian Jewish immigrant, who came to the U.S. when she was eight, in the 1920s.

Ben’s maternal grandfather was Paul F. Jackson (the son of William Alfonso Jackson and Adele T. Carmody). William was the son of Michael J. Jackson, whose parents were Irish, with his father being from Galway, and of Alice M. Birmingham, who was likely also of at least part Irish ancestry. Adele was the daughter of William Timothy Carmody, who was born in England, and of Victorine Bartelle, who was French, from Normandy.

Ben’s maternal grandmother is Sophie Louise Jones (the daughter of Arthur Donald Jones and Sophie Louise Kirwan). Ben’s grandmother Sophie was born in Maryland. Arthur was the son of James Radcliffe Jones and Miriam Estelle Navy. Ben’s great-grandmother Sophie was the daughter of Solomon Franklin Kirwan, Jr. and Addie/Ada Travers Robinson.

Sources: Genealogy of Ben Foster – https://www.geni.com

Ben’s paternal grandfather, Abraham Frank Foster, on the 1930 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org
Abraham Frank Foster on the 1940 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org

Obituary of Ben’s paternal grandfather, Abraham Frank Foster – http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com

Ben’s paternal grandmother, Celia Segal, on the 1940 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org

Obituary of Ben’s paternal grandmother, Celia (Segal) Foster – http://brezniakrodman.com

Marriage announcement of Ben’s maternal grandparents, Paul F. Jackson and Sophie Louise Jones – http://fultonhistory.com

Ben’s maternal great-grandparents, William Alfonso Jackson and Adele T. Carmody, on the 1920 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org

Ben’s maternal great-grandfather, William Alfonso Jackson, on the 1900 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org

Ben’s maternal great-grandmother, Adele T. Carmody, on the 1910 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org

Ben’s maternal grandmother, Sophie Louise Jones, on the 1930 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org