Elijah Wood

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

Birth Name: Elijah Jordan Wood

Place of Birth: Cedar Rapids, Iowa, U.S.

Date of Birth: January 28, 1981

Ethnicity:
*37.5% German
*25% Danish
*25% British Isles [English, Irish]
*12.5% Austrian

Elijah Wood is an American actor, film producer, and DJ. He is known for his roles in the films Back to the Future Part II, Avalon (1990), Paradise (1991), Radio Flyer, Forever Young (1992), The Adventures of Huck Finn (1993), The Good Son, North, The War (1994), Flipper (1996), The Ice Storm, Deep Impact, The Faculty, The Lord of the Rings trilogy, Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Frank Miller’s Sin City, Everything Is Illuminated, Green Street Hooligans, Bobby, Paris, je t’aime; Day Zero, The Oxford Murders, Celeste and Jesse Forever, Maniac (2012), The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, Grand Piano, Cooties, The Last Witch Hunter, The Trust (2016), I Don’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore, Come to Daddy, and, in voice performance, the Happy Feet films and 9 (2009); on the shows Wilfred, Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency, Yellowjackets, Tron: Uprising, and Over the Garden Wall, the latter two in voice-over; and in The Legend of Spyro video games. He founded record label Simian Records, and co-founded horror film production company The Woodshed/SpectreVision. He is part of DJ duo Wooden Wisdom, with Zach Cowie.

Elijah is the son of Debbie (Krause) and Warren Wood. His parents ran a delicatessen. His sister, Hannah Wood, has also acted. His father is of half English-Irish and half German descent. His mother is of one half Danish, one quarter German, and one quarter Austrian, ancestry.

Elijah has two children with his partner, Danish film producer Mette-Marie Kongsved.

Elijah’s paternal grandfather was Charles Fredric Wood (the son of William P. Wood and Elizabeth Jane Higo). Charles was born in Iowa, to English parents. William from Manchester, and was the son of James Wood and Elizabeth Tattersall Bramwell. Elijah’s great-grandmother Elizabeth was from Cumbria, and was of Irish or half Irish ancestry. She was the daughter of James Higo and Alice Bridget McCann.

Elijah’s paternal grandmother was Eloise “Ellie” Lehrman (the daughter of Herman Lehrman and Anna Luedemann). Eloise was born in Iowa. Herman was born in Iowa, of German descent, the son of Louis Lehrman and Minnie Katharina Dorothea Wilhelmina Wendt. Anna was born in Iowa, the daughter of German parents, Joachim C. “Joe” Luedemann and Louisa C. “Lissie” Budde.

Elijah’s maternal grandfather was Donald G. Krause (the son of Arthur J. Krause and Kathryn/Katherine Louise Hansen). Donald was born in Iowa. Arthur’s parents, Gustav Krause and Martha Magdaline Augusta Kramer, were German. Kathryn was the daughter of Andrew Johannes Hansen Knack/Knak and Thora Siegrid Johansen/Johnsen, who were Danish.

Elijah’s maternal grandmother was Beverly Ann Stebritz (the daughter of Henry/Heinie William Stebritz and Rose H./E. Madsen). Beverly was born in Iowa. Henry was an Austrian immigrant, and was the son of Joseph Frank Stebritz and Barbara Ernestine Finster/Fenster. Rose’s parents, Christaffer/Chris/Christ Madsen and Johanna/Anna K. Hansen, were Danish.

Sources: Genealogies of Elijah Wood – http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com
http://www.geni.com

Elijah’s paternal great-grandparents, Herman Lehrman and Anna Luedemann, on the 1920 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org