John Kassir
John Kassir – “Jack the Giant Slayer” Los Angeles Premiere, 2013 – Photo Credit: Izumi Hasegawa / PR Photos
Birth Name: John Edward Kassir
Place of Birth: Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
Date of Birth: October 24, 1957
Ethnicity: Assyrian
John Kassir is an American actor, voice actor, and stand-up comedian. Among his many roles and voice roles, he is known for playing the Crypt Keeper in the Tales from the Crypt franchise.
John is the son of Lillian and Matti Andria/Andrea Kassir. He has stated that his family is Assyrian. His father was born in Mosul, Iraq. His mother was born in Massachusetts, to parents from Mardin, Turkey. His family was Catholic.
John’s paternal grandfather was named Andria Kassir.
John’s paternal grandmother was named Noria.
John’s maternal grandfather was named Elias Michael Kuselias.
John’s maternal grandmother was named Mary Rahab Khello.
Sources: Immigration record of John’s father – https://familysearch.org
Obituary of John’s uncle (father’s brother) – http://www.staufferfuneralhome.com
John’s mother on the 1930 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org
Obituary of John’s maternal grandmother, Mary Rahab (Khello) Kuselias – https://familysearch.org
He is not Arab.
Nonsense.
Isn’t southern Iraq on the Arabian peninsula?
Nvm Mosul is super far north.
Should we call “Arab” the Kurds and other ethnicities of Arab world too? Nonsense.
That part of the world has fairly defined groups that are distinct from one another. But if you use geography to classify or designate whole groups, technically if their traditional territory is on the Arabian peninsula, then by technicality people can call them, Arabian/Arab, correct?
Or you could classify it by ethnicity, and use the old Arab tribes as the root, or you could use the Arabic language as a signifier. Or some people take into account that Arab merchants spread Islam, and so Arab genetics somehow spread along with the religion.
It’s all a little blurry. Really depends in what makes the most sense to you.
Was he listed as Arab until you posted this? Because as of me typing this, he’s listed as Assyrian. In any case, I’m always first interested in how a person self-identifies. He most likely self-identifies as Assyrian knowing the preference of that group, but a minority define themselves as Assyrians within a larger Pan-Arab group.
Yes, he was.
Ain’t “Arab” lol.
Yeah he confirmed on his Twitter that he is Assyrian.
https://twitter.com/JohnKassir/status/335276216418463744
I have a feeling he is Assyrian (possibly Chaldean as his family was Catholic according to the uncle’s obit). Both of the cities his parents came from were Assyrian populated before the genocides.
Most likely. There are not many Arab Muslims in Americas.
Mardin is such a beautiful town.
There are Arab Muslims in the Americas, it’s just that they come from more recent immigrants
Like seriously, do your research
I did.
“they come from more recent immigrants” as you said.