Darren Criss

Criss in 2011, photo by Helga Esteb / Shutterstock.com

Birth Name: Darren Everett Criss

Place of Birth: San Francisco, California, United States

Date of Birth: February 5, 1987

Ethnicity:
*father – English, German, Northern Irish, remote Scottish
*mother – Filipino, as well as Spanish and Chinese

Darren Criss is an American actor, singer, and songwriter. His roles include The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story, Superman: Man of Tomorrow, and Midway (2019), as well as many works on stage.

Darren is the son of Cerina and Charles Criss, who started EastWest Bank, serving as its Chairman and CEO. His brother is musician Chuck Criss, of the band Freelance Whales. Darren is married to Mia Swier, with whom he has two children.

Darren’s father was American-born, and was of English, German, Northern Irish, and remote Scottish, ancestry. Darren’s mother is Filipino-born, and has Filipino, Spanish, and Chinese ancestry. In an interview on Philstar, Darren stated that he knows basic Visayan rather than Tagalog.

Picture of Darren with his parents can be seen here, and, also with his brother, here.

Darren’s patrilineal ancestry can be traced to Johanne Jorge Nicholas Crist, who was born, c. 1690, in Germany, and to Johanne’s wife, Anna Elizabeth Mueller.

Darren’s paternal grandfather was Charles William Criss (the son of William Ramsey Criss and Olive May White). Charles was born in Pennsylvania. William was the son of Jacob Pitser Criss and Margurete Duran Brown, whose parents were born in Ireland. Olive was the daughter of James Francis White and Nancy Rosetta Cochran.

Darren’s paternal grandmother was Charlotte Elizabeth Bartlett (the daughter of Everett Burl Bartlett and Edna M. Hughes). Charlotte was born in Pennsylvania. Everett was the son of Arthur Emory Bartlett and Mary Elizabeth Wilson.

Sources: http://www.philstar.com

Marriage announcement of Darren’s paternal grandparents, Charles William Criss and Charlotte Elizabeth Bartlett – http://www.newspapers.com

Darren’s paternal grandfather, Charles William Criss, on the 1920 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org

Darren’s paternal great-grandparents, William Ramsey Criss and Olive May White, on the 1900 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org

Darren’s paternal great-grandfather, William Ramsey Criss, on the 1880 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org