D.J. Cotrona
Cotrona in 2003, photo by PR Photos
Birth Name: Donald Joseph Cotrona
Place of Birth: New Haven, Connecticut, U.S.
Date of Birth: May 23, 1980
Ethnicity: Italian (37.5%), Polish (one quarter), English, as well as German, Hungarian, Bohemian, Czech
D.J. Cotrona is an American actor. His roles include the films Venom (2005), Love is the Drug, Dear John, G.I. Joe: Retaliation, and the Shazam! universe, and television’s Windfall, Detroit 1-8-7, and From Dusk till Dawn: The Series.
His father’s ancestry is half Italian, as well as German, English, Hungarian, and Bohemian Czech. His mother is of one half Polish, one quarter Italian, and one quarter English, descent.
D.J.’s paternal grandfather was Joseph August Cotrona (the son of Joseph Cotrona and Rose Papallo). D.J.’s grandfather Joseph was born in Connecticut. D.J.’s great-grandparents Joseph and Rose were also born in Connecticut, and all of their own parents were Italian, from Calabria.
D.J.’s paternal grandmother was Janet Frances Bensenhaver (the daughter of Brooke/Brooks Anderson Bensenhaver and Frances Sandor/Sandos). Janet was born in Connecticut. Brooke was the son of William Lee Bensenhaver and Sarah Ellen Wilkins. Frances was born in Austria, the daughter of Paul Sandor/Sandos, who was born in Hungary, and of Josephine Vanek/Vandek, who was born in Bohemia.
D.J.’s maternal grandfather was Anthony J. Magnoli, Jr. (the son of Anthony J. Magnoli, Sr. and Angela “Nellie”/”Nell” Krystofczyk). D.J.’s grandfather Anthony was born in Connecticut. D.J.’s great-grandfather Anthony was born in Connecticut, to Italian parents. Angela was also born in Connecticut, to Polish parents.
D.J.’s maternal grandmother was Joan Mitchell (the daughter of Charles S. Mitchell and Magdalena Duberek). Joan was born in Connecticut. Charles was born in Nova Scotia, Canada, the son of Sterling/Stirling Seldon Mitchell and Elizabeth Ann/Annie Gregory, and was of of British Isles/English descent; his own mother was from Newfoundland. Magdalena was born in Connecticut, to Polish parents, Stanislaus Duberek and Franciszka Kita.
Thus, both of D.J.’s maternal great-grandmothers were of Polish descent.
Sources: D.J.’s maternal grandfather, Anthony J. Magnoli, Jr., on the 1930 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org
Obituary of D.J.’s maternal grandfather, Anthony J. Magnoli, Jr. – http://www.legacy.com
D.J.’s maternal great-grandparents, Charles S. Mitchell and Magdalena Duberek, on the 1930 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org
>daughter of Brooke/Brooks Anderson Bensenhaver and
>Frances Sandor/Sandos
>Brooke was the son of William Lee Bensenhaver and Sarah Ellen Wilkins.
>Paul Sandor/Sandos
>Josephine Vanek/Vandek
>born in Bohemia.
Paul Sandor’s ethnicity is a bit iffy. He has a Hungarian last name, was born in Hungary, and is German speaking according to one census, and Bohemian speaking according to the other. Considerng he was a tinsmith and dark complected, I wouldn’t even be surprised if he was Romani.
Typical Gypsy job indeed.
There are surely some here who are not reported as such.
Interesting. Do you think his wife was Romani too? Would be fun if more backgrounds like this were unraveled.
The family basically lived and married within the Czech community (except Frances), and Josephine was a cigar maker, a quite typical proffesion for a Czech woman in New York.