John Stamos
Stamos in 2011, image via s_bukley / Shutterstock.com
Birth Name: John Phillip Stamos
Place of Birth: Cypress, Los Angeles, California, United States
Date of Birth: August 19, 1963
Ethnicity:
*father – Greek
*mother – one half British Isles [English, Irish], one quarter Ashkenazi Jewish, one quarter German
John Stamos is an American actor, producer, musician, comedian, and singer. He is known for his roles on television’s General Hospital, Full House, ER, Grandfathered, Scream Queens, and You, and in the films Never Too Young to Die and Born to Ride, as well as stage roles and other works.
John is the son of Loretta Donna, a bathing suit model, and William John Stamos, a restaurateur. His father was of Greek heritage, with roots on the island of Santorini. His mother was of one quarter Ashkenazi Jewish and one quarter German descent, with the rest a mix of English and Irish. The family’s original surname is Stamatopoulos. John’s character on the show Jake in Progress (2005) was named Jake Phillips, likely after John’s maternal grandfather and great-grandfather.
John is married to model, actress, and writer Caitlin McHugh, with whom he has a son.
John’s paternal grandfather was John/Ioannes/Ioannis Stamatopoulos/Stamos (the son of Vasilios/Vasilis Stamatopoulos and Georgitsa Tsiapralis). John’s grandfather John was Greek, from Kakouri.
John’s paternal grandmother was Adeline/Adelina/Adaline/Andelina/Lena Psaras (the daughter of Thomas/Tom Frank Psaras and Mary Lagousis). Adeline was born in Dayton, Montgomery, Ohio, to Greek parents. Thomas was born in Kakouri or Tripoli. Mary was born in Kakouri, to a mother surnamed Simposni.
John’s maternal grandfather was Jake Phillips, Jr. (the son of Jacob/Jake Phillips and Mary/Margaret Sacks/Sachs/Sach). John’s grandfather Jake was born in Los Angeles, Los Angeles Co., California. John’s great-grandfather Jake was a Jewish emigrant, who was likely born in Riga, Latvia. He was the son of Wolf Phillips and Gusta Greenberg. John’s great-grandmother Mary/Margaret was born in Canada, the daughter of German (Lutheran) parents, Frederich/Frederick Sachs, from Wolferode, and Frederike/Fredericke/Fredericka/Friedricka Caroline Dorothea “Rachel” Wilken/Wilkins, from Steinhagen. John’s great-great-grandmother Frederike was killed by her second husband, Harry Staples.
John’s maternal grandmother was Eloise Florence Ridgeley (the daughter of Ralph Frank Ridgley and Rose Florence Money). Eloise was born in Minneapolis, Hennepin, Minnesota. Ralph was the son of William Frank Ridgley and Grace Ethel Stanchfield, whose grandfather fought in the Revolutionary War. Rose was the daughter of Augusta J. Money and Susan L.
Stamos in 1990, photo credit: Alan Light
Sources: Genealogies of John Stamos – https://www.geni.com
https://famouskin.com
John’s maternal grandfather, Jake Phillips, Jr., on the 1920 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org
Jake Phillips, Jr. on the 1930 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org
Marriage record of John’s maternal great-grandparents, Jacob/Jake Phillips and Mary/Margaret Sacks/Sachs/Sach – https://familysearch.org
John’s maternal great-grandparents, Jacob/Jake Phillips and Mary/Margaret Sacks/Sachs/Sach, on the 1940 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org
John’s maternal great-grandmother, Mary/Margaret Sacks/Sachs/Sach, on the 1901 Canada Census – https://familysearch.org
Marriage record of John’s maternal great-great-grandparents, Frederich/Frederick Sachs and Frederike/Fredericke/Fredericka/Friedricka Caroline Dorothea “Rachel” Wilken/Wilkins – https://familysearch.org
Obituary of John’s maternal great-great-grandmother, Frederike/Fredericke/Fredericka/Friedricka Caroline Dorothea “Rachel” (Wilken/Wilkins) Sachs – https://www.findagrave.com
U know greeks can have blue eyes as well right ? they are European it’s not weird
I’m pretty sure that Stamos’ great-grandfather Jacob Phillips was Jewish. I just can’t find explicit proof, however. Any luck, anyone? Madman? Bablah?
He’s from Riga, Latvia. That’s about all I could find. There’s no use sifting through Ellis Island records as that is most certainly not his original name.
Jake was the son of Wolf Phillips and Gusta Greenberg. To me, the surname “Greenberg” speaks for itself as strong evidence that they were Jewish.
Mary’s real name was Margaret. She was born in Canada, to German parents, Frederick Sachs and Rachel Wilkins.
https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K8X1-ZCR
Rachel’s full name was Frederike/Fredericka Caroline Dorothea “Rachel” Wilken, and she was from Steinhagen, Germany.
https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KH2Y-3QM
https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FMF1-1SM
https://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=112429090
I haven’t seen John’s episode, but I’ve read that he discovered that his paternal great-grandfather was murdered by his friend. John’s mother’s side actually has a similar incident; John’s great-great-grandmother, Frederike or Fredericka, was murdered by her second husband, Harry Staples, in Winnipeg, Manitoba, in 1906.
Genealogies of John’s great-grandmother, Margaret Sachs – https://www.ancestry.co.uk/genealogy/records/margaret-sachs_139859515
http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=PED&db=arnoldvwfamilies&id=I20486
Frederick Sachs was born in Wolferode, Germany.
Thank you.
“Greenberg”, I guess, but in particular I think just about every European-born Wolf Phillips has been Jewish.
BTW, madman, I thought you’d enjoy this:
https://familysearch.org/search/record/results?count=20&query=%2Bsurname%3AGreenberg~%20%2Bbirth_place%3Asweden~
There is a remarkable similarity between some Swedish and Jewish surnames, especially those ending in “man” and “berg”. I myself was recently asked (outside of Sweden), after stating my surname, if I was Jewish or of Jewish descent (which, to my knowledge, I’m not).
“Greenberg” however, although made up of two words that are common in Swedish surnames, is still more often Jewish than Swedish. I’ve never heard of anybody with that surname.
On his episode, Stamos vaguely said that his mother was of English and Irish descent, so perhaps he’s not even aware of his Latvian Jewish and German ancestry. I guess he doesn’t know about all the Jewish families with the last name “Phillips”, especially in England.
That would have been a repeat of the Jessica Biel episode.