George Clooney

Clooney in 2008, cinemafestival / Shutterstock.com

Birth Name: George Timothy Clooney

Place of Birth: Lexington, Fayette, Kentucky, United States

Date of Birth: May 6, 1961

Ethnicity: Irish, English, and German, with more distant Scots-Irish/Northern Irish, Scottish, and Welsh, and remote French Huguenot and Dutch

George Clooney is an American actor, writer, director, producer, and activist. He won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for Syriana (2005). His film roles also include Return to Horror High, Grizzly II: Revenge, Return of the Killer Tomatoes, From Dusk till Dawn, One Fine Day, Batman & Robin, The Peacemaker, Out of Sight, The Thin Red Line, Three Kings, The Perfect Storm, O Brother, Where Art Thou?, Ocean’s Eleven (2001), and its sequels; Welcome to Collinwood, Solaris (2002), Intolerable Cruelty, The Good German, Michael Clayton, Burn After Reading, Fantastic Mr. Fox, The Men Who Stare at Goats, Up in the Air, The American, The Descendants, Gravity, Tomorrowland, Hail, Caesar!, Money Monster, and Ticket to Paradise. He has directed the films Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, Good Night, and Good Luck., Leatherheads, The Ides of March, The Monuments Men, The Midnight Sky, all of which he starred in, and Suburbicon and The Tender Bar. First coming to fame on the series ER, George was selected People Magazine’s “Sexiest Man Alive” in 1997, and again in 2006.

George is the son of Nina Bruce (Warren), a beauty queen and city councilwoman, and Nick Clooney (Nicholas Joseph Clooney), a journalist and television personality. His aunt, father’s sister, was singer and actress Rosemary Clooney. He is a cousin of Rosemary’s sons, actors Miguel Ferrer and Rafael Ferrer, and a first cousin, once removed, of actress Tessa Ferrer.

George’s father is of one half Irish and one quarter German descent, with his other quarter being a mix of English, Scottish, and Scots-Irish/Northern Irish. George’s mother has English ancestry, along with more distant Scottish, Welsh, and remote French Huguenot and Dutch, roots.

George is married to lawyer Amal (Alamuddin) Clooney, who is of Druze and Lebanese descent. The couple has two children.

George’s paternal great-great-grandfather, Nicholas Clooney, was born, c. 1829, in Windgap, County Kilkenny, Ireland, the son of David Clooney and Mary McGrath, farmers.

George’s paternal grandfather was Andrew Joseph Clooney (the son of Andrew B. Clooney and Crescentia/Cynthia Koch). George’s grandfather Andrew was born in Kentucky. George’s great-grandfather Andrew was the son of Nicholas Clooney and Bridget Byron, who were Irish immigrants. Crescentia was born in Ohio, the daughter of ethnic German parents, Joseph Henry Koch, from Prussia, and Margaret Fehler, from Lorraine, France.

George’s paternal grandmother was Marie Frances Guilfoyle (the daughter of Michael Joseph Guilfoyle and Martha Adelia/Delia “Ada” Farrow). Marie Frances was born in Kentucky. Michael was the son of Cornelius/Con Guilfoyle, from Tipperary, Ireland, and of Rosanna/Roseanna “Rose” Sweeney, whose parents were Irish, her father from Laois and her mother from Kilkenny. Martha was the daughter of Samuel Tully Farrow and Ellin Breckenridge “Ella” Vanden.

George’s maternal grandmother was Marvin Jackson Warren (the son of William H. Warren and Ida Lee Chambers). Marvin was born in Kentucky. William was the son of John Linton Warren and Mary B. Gatton. Ida was the daughter of John Martin Chambers and Lucinda/Lucy Ann Crow.

George’s maternal grandmother was Dica Mae Edwards (the daughter of Ansel Leroy “Roy” Edwards and Nora Bell/Belle Perkins). Dica was born in Boyle County, Kentucky. Ansel was the son of James “Jack” Edwards and Dicy Florence Bandy. Nora was the daughter of Cicero Perkins and Martha Jane Wilburn.

George is a half-first cousin, five times removed, of President Abraham Lincoln. George’s maternal great-great-great-great-grandmother, Mary Ann “Polly” Sparrow, was the half-sister of Nancy Hanks, who was the mother of President Lincoln (Mary and Nancy were both the daughters of Lucy Hanks). Through the same line, George is also a seventh cousin, once removed, of actor Tom Hanks. George’s maternal seven times great-grandparents, John Hanks and Catherine, were also the paternal six times great-grandparents of Tom Hanks.

Sources: Genealogies of George Clooney – http://famouskin.com
http://www.geni.com

Genealogy of George Clooney (focusing on his father’s side) – http://www.wikitree.com

Genealogy of George’s father (through his father’s sister, Rosemary Clooney) – https://old.findagrave.com

Notations on George’s Irish ancestry – http://www.eneclann.ie

George’s paternal great-grandmother, Crescentia/Cynthia Koch, on the 1880 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org