Liev Schreiber

Schreiber in 2011, s_bukley / Shutterstock.com

Birth Name: Isaac Liev Schreiber

Place of Birth: San Francisco, California, United States

Date of Birth: October 4, 1967

Ethnicity:
*father – German, Swiss-German, Danish, Dutch, English, French, Norwegian, Belgian/Flemish, Scottish, and Welsh
*mother – Ashkenazi Jewish

Liev Schreiber is an American actor, director, screenwriter, producer, and narrator. His roles include The Daytrippers, the Scream films, The Manchurian Candidate (2004), Defiance, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Salt, Chuck, and Isle of Dogs, and television’s Ray Donovan and Hard Knocks, among many others. He directed the film Everything Is Illuminated.

He is the son of Heather and Tell Schreiber (Tell Carroll Schreiber III), an actor. His half-brother is actor Pablo Schreiber. Liev’s father’s ancestry includes German (the origin of his surname), Swiss-German, Danish, Dutch, English, French, Norwegian, Belgian [Flemish], Scottish, and Welsh. Liev’s mother is Jewish, of Polish Jewish and Russian Jewish descent, and Liev practices the Jewish religion.

He was named after either Russian author Leo (Lev) Tolstoy or a doctor who assisted in his birth. He was raised in Winlaw, an unincorporated rural community in British Columbia, and then New York City.

Liev has two children with his former partner, actress Naomi Watts.

Liev’s paternal grandfather was Tell Carroll Schreiber (the son of Tell Carroll Schreiber and Marie Louise Didrichsen). Liev’s great-grandfather Tell was the son of Louis Georg Adolf Schreiber, who was born in Cassel, Germany, and of Ida Laura Gebner, who was Swiss, of Swiss-German descent. Liev’s great-grandmother Marie Louise’s parents were William Gordon Nicholas Cornelius Franz Didrichsen, who was born in Denmark, and Marie Louise Van Zandt, who was born in New York, of Dutch, English, German, French, Norwegian, and Belgian (Flemish) descent.

Liev’s paternal grandmother was Pamela Dutton Prime (the daughter of William Albert Prime and Ruth Melville Shaw-Kennedy). Pamela was of mostly English descent, with more distant Scottish, Welsh, and Dutch, roots. Some of Pamela’s ancestral lines have been in the United States since the 1600s, and through her, Liev is descended from several Mayflower passengers. Through Pamela, Liev is also the great-great-great-great-grandson of James Shaw Kennedy, a British soldier and military writer. Liev’s great-grandfather William was the son of William Albert Prime and Marion Sands Dutton. Liev’s great-grandmother Ruth was the daughter of Vernon Hugh Primrose Shaw Kennedy, who was born in Kirkmichael, South Ayrshire, Scotland, and of Grace Dunlap Cummings.

Liev’s maternal grandfather was Alexander “Alex” Milgram (the son of Hirsh “Harry” Milgram and Fannie Zevin). Alexander was a Jewish emigrant from Lodz, Poland.

Liev’s maternal grandmother was Hazel Dubroff/Dubrovosky (the daughter of Isadore Dubroff/Dubrovosky and Esther Ernestine Weisblatt). Hazel was born in New York, to Russian Jewish immigrants. Isadore was born in Pryluky, now in Ukraine, the son of Morduch Dubovitzky and Ida Ruth Dubroff. Liev’s great-grandmother Esther was born in Łódź, Poland, the daughter of Josef/Joseph Weissblatt/Weisblatt, who was born in Warsaw, and of Hannah Heilbron or Roth, who was born in Wieruszów County.

Sources: Genealogies of Liev Schreiber – http://www.geni.com
http://familypedia.wikia.com

Genealogies of Liev Schreiber (focusing on his father’s side) – http://humphrysfamilytree.com
http://www.wikitree.com

Birth record of Liev’s paternal great-grandfather, Tell Carroll Schreiber – https://familysearch.org

Liev’s paternal great-grandfather, Tell Carroll Schreiber, on the 1900 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org

Liev’s paternal great-grandmother, Marie Louise Didrichsen (“Marry Didrichsen”), on the 1880 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org

Genealogy of Liev’s paternal great-great-grandmother, Marie Louise Van Zandt (through Marie Louise’s brother, Samuel Van Zandt) – http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com

Genealogy of Liev’s paternal great-great-grandmother, Marie Louise (Van Zandt) Didrichsen (focusing on her father’s side) – https://www.findagrave.com

Genealogies of Liev’s paternal great-great-great-grandparents, Thaddeus Avery Van Zandt and Sara Angeline Van Beuren/Buren – https://www.ancestry.com

Biography of Liev’s paternal great-great-great-great-grandfather, James Shaw Kennedy, a British soldier and military writer, at Wikipedia – http://en.wikipedia.org

Liev’s maternal grandfather, Alexander “Alex” Milgram, on the 1910 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org

Liev’s maternal grandmother, Hazel Dubroff/Dubrovosky, on the 1930 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org