James Caviezel

Caviezel in 2011, s_bukley / Shutterstock.com

Birth Name: James Patick Caviezel

Place of Birth: Mount Vernon, Washington, U.S.

Date of Birth: September 26, 1968

Ethnicity:
*father – Swiss-Romansh, Slovak
*mother – Irish

James Caviezel, also credited as Jim Caviezel, is an American actor. His roles include the films Diggstown, Wyatt Earp, Ed, G.I. Jane, The Thin Red Line, Ride with the Devil, Frequency, Pay It Forward, Angel Eyes, The Count of Monte Cristo (2002), High Crimes, Highwaymen, The Passion of the Christ, Bobby Jones: Stroke of Genius, The Final Cut, I Am David, Madison, Unknown, Déjà Vu (2006), Outlander, Long Weekend (2008), The Stoning of Soraya M., Transit (2012), Escape Plan, Savannah, When the Game Stands Tall, The Ballad of Lefy Brown, Paul, Apostle of Christ; Running for Grace, Infidel (2020), Sweetwater, and Sound of Freedom; the mini-series Children of the Dust and The Prisoner (2009); and the series Person of Interest.

He is the son of Margaret, a stage actress, and James Caviezel, a chiropractor. He was raised in Conway, Washington. James is married to teacher Kerri Browitt, with whom he has three children, all of whom are adopted from China. He is a practicing Catholic.

James’ patrilineal ancestry traces to Julius Prosper Caviezel, who was born, c. 1725. The surname Caviezel is Swiss-Romansh.

James’s paternal grandfather possibly was Clarence John Caviezel (the son of Peter Anton Caviezel and Freda/Frieda Anna Zemp). Clarence was born in Washington, to Swiss parents, with his mother having been from Wolhusen, Luzern. Peter was the son of Joseph Anton Caviezel and Onna Maria Denz.

James’s paternal grandmother possibly was Helen Margaret Demko (the daughter of John C. Demko and Mary Wargo). Helen was born in Washington.

James’s maternal grandfather was William C. Lavery (the son of Charles S. Lavery and Catherine/Cathryn Welch). William was born in Illinois. Charles was born in Illinois, the son of Daniel Lavery, who was Irish, and of May/Mary J. O’Neill, who was of Irish descent. Catherine was born in Illinois, the daughter of Irish parents, James Welch/Welsh and Isabelle/Isabella Winifred Paul.

James’s maternal grandmother was Mary Aletha Dinneen (the daughter of James William Dinneen and Winifred Veronica Grogan). Mary was born in Iowa, and was of Irish descent. James was born in Iowa, the son of Michael P. Dinneen and Margaret O’Connor. Winifred was also born in Iowa, the daughter of Malachi Grogan and Mary Winifred Kearns.

Sources: http://www.highbeam.com

James’s maternal grandfather, William C. Lavery, on the 1910 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org

James’s maternal grandmother, Mary Aletha Dinneen, on the 1920 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org

Obituary of James’s maternal grandmother, Mary Aletha (Dinneen) Lavery – http://qconline.com