Joan Bennett

Birth Name: Joan Geraldine Bennett

Date of Birth: February 27, 1910

Place of Birth: Fort Lee, New Jersey, U.S.

Date of Death: December 7, 1990

Place of Death: Scarsdale, New York, U.S.

Ethnicity: English, some Sephardi Jewish

Joan Bennett was an American actress.

She was the daughter of Richard Bennett (Clarence Charles William Henry Richard Bennett), an actor, and Adrienne Morrison (Mabel Adrienne Morrison), an actress and literary agent. Her siblings were actress Constance Bennett and actress and dancer Barbara Bennett. Her maternal grandfather was stage actor and theatrical manager Lewis Morrison, who was known for portraying Mephistopheles in his own production of Faust for over twenty years.

Joan was married to publisher and film critic David Wilde, until her death. She had a daughter with her former husband John Marion Fox; a daughter with her former husband, screenwriter and producer Gene Markey, and two children with her former husband, producer Walter Wanger.

Joan’s paternal grandfather was George Washington Bennett (the son of George W. Bennett and Nancy A. Hankins). Joan’s grandfather George was born in New Jersey. Joan’s great-grandfather George was the son of Moses Bennett and Patience.

Joan’s paternal grandmother was named Eliza Leonova Huffman.

Joan’s maternal grandfather was Lewis/Louis Morrison (born Morris/Moritz W. Morris, the son of Henry Morris and Julia Carvalho). Lewis was born in the West Indies, likely Falmouth, Trelawny, Jamaica, to an English-born father and a Spanish-born mother. He is sometimes listed as having had African ancestry. It is not clear if this is accurate. Lewis’s mother’s family, the Carvalhos, were Sephardi Jews. Julia was the daughter of Ernest Carvalho. Lewis re-married to stage actress Florence Roberts, to whom he was married until his death.

Joan’s maternal grandmother was named Rosebelle/Rosabella/Rose M. Wood. Rosebelle was born in California.

Sources: Genealogy of Joan Bennett – https://www.geni.com

Obituaries of Joan’s parents and maternal grandparents, Lewis/Louis “Morris” W. Morris/Morrison and Rosebelle/Rosabella/Rose M. Wood – https://www.findagrave.com

Marriage record of Joan’s maternal grandparents, Lewis/Louis “Morris” W. Morris/Morrison and Rosebelle/Rosabella/Rose M. Wood – https://www.familysearch.org

Joan’s maternal grandfather, Lewis/Louis “Morris” W. Morris/Morrison, on the 1900 U.S. Census – https://www.familysearch.org