Freddie Prinze, Jr.

Prinze, Jr. in 2004, Joe Seer/bigstock.com

Birth Name: Freddie James Prinze

Place of Birth: Los Angeles, California, United States

Date of Birth: March 8, 1976

Ethnicity: Puerto Rican (paternal grandmother), German, as well as Irish, English, Scottish, Austrian, Swiss-German

Freddie Prinze, Jr. is an American actor. He is known for starring in the films I Know What You Did Last Summer and its sequel I Still Know…, as well as The House of Yes, She’s All That, Wing Commander, Down to You, Boys and Girls, Head over Heels, Summer Catch, and the Scooby-Doo franchise; and on the show Freddie, which he co-created.

Freddie is the son of Kathy Elaine (Barber) and actor Freddie Prinze. Freddie is married to actress Sarah Michelle Gellar, with whom he has two children.

Freddie’s father was of German and Puerto Rican descent. Freddie’s mother has Irish, English, Scottish, German, Austrian, and Swiss-German ancestry.

Freddie was raised Catholic. He spent some of his childhood in Puerto Rico. There, he learned about Spanish and Puerto Rican culture, and speaks Spanish.

Freddie’s paternal grandfather was Edward Ferdinand Karl Pruetzel (the son of Friedrich Karl Prutzel and Eleanor Maria Magdelena Schultes). Edward was German. He was born, in 1914, in Berlin, Charlottenburg, Germany, and died, in 1979, in Encino, Los Angeles, California. He appears to have come to the U.S. in the early 1930s. It has sometimes been reported that Freddie’s paternal grandfather was a Romani, a Hungarian, a Hungarian Jew, a German Jew, or a German of partial Jewish ancestry. It does not appear that Freddie’s paternal grandfather had Romani or Hungarian ancestry, and, there is no particular reason to think he had Jewish ancestry, either, although it is possible.

Freddie’s paternal grandmother was María de Gracia “Mare” Graniela y Ramirez (the daughter of Ramón Antonio Graniela y Mercado and María Emilia Ramirez y Cáceres). Freddie’s grandmother María was born in Puerto Rico. Ramón was the son of Manuel Graniela y Arroyo and Carmen Mercado. Freddie’s great-grandmother María was the daughter of José Nicomedes Ramirez y Cruz and María Nicomedes Cáceres y Vasquez.

Freddie’s maternal grandfather was James Edward Barber (the son of James Dalton Barber and Alma/Almie L. Sirk). Freddie’s grandfather James was born in West Virginia. Freddie’s great-grandfather James was the son of John Henry Barber and Sarah F. Huffman. Alma was the daughter of Bernard Stanley Sirk and Delilah C. Cunningham.

Freddie’s maternal grandmother was Patty/Patricia Elizabeth Cochran (the daughter of Hanson Porter M. Cochran and Permilia/Termilia Jane “Millie” Arthur). Patty was born in West Virginia. Porter was the son of David Lee Cochran and Rachel Jane Cool. Permilia was the daughter of George Lee/Lynch Arthur and Rachel Elizabeth “Betty” Hosey.

In a 1999 interview, Freddie stated:

My mom is English, Irish and Native American. My grandma and grandpa, who raised me for the first few years, were straight-up English and Irish.

In a 2007 interview, Freddie stated that his mother is of Italian descent, and added:

I speak better Italian than any New Yorker in this town. They butcher the language so much. It makes my mom sick. My mom [speaks] fluent Italian and is very proud of her roots. Didn’t let me watch The Godfather until I was sixteen because she hated the fact that everyone thought Italians were mobsters – even though some of her family I think were. (laughs) Her brother. But I spoke Spanish and Italian before I spoke English. I didn’t learn English until I was like ten.

It is not clear exactly why Freddie stated that he has Italian ancestry, but his maternal grandparents, James Edward Barber and Patty/Patricia Elizabeth Cochran, were not of Italian descent. In any case, in 2014, Freddie twitted:

I’m Puerto Rican English Irish and [N]ative American.

It is unclear if Freddie’s Native American ancestry has been verified/documented.

Sources: Genealogy of Freddie Prinze, Jr. (focusing on his father’s side) – https://www.geni.com

Genealogy of Freddie’s maternal grandmother, Patty/Patricia Elizabeth Cochran – http://www.findagrave.com

Freddie’s maternal great-grandparents, Hanson Porter M. Cochran and Permilia/Termilia Jane “Millie” Arthur, on the 1920 U.S. Census – https://www.familysearch.org

Birth record of Freddie’s maternal great-grandfather, Hanson Porter M. Cochran – https://www.familysearch.org