Mara Wilson

Birth Name: Mara Elizabeth Wilson

Place of Birth: Burbank, Los Angeles, California, United States

Date of Birth: July 24, 1987

Ethnicity:
*father – Irish, English
*mother – Ashkenazi Jewish

Mara Wilson is an American actress and writer. Her roles include the films Mrs. Doubtfire, Miracle on 34th Street (1994), Matilda (1996), A Simple Wish, and Thomas and the Magic Railroad, the made-for-tv movies A Time to Heal and Balloon Farm, and the shows Melrose Place, and, in voice performance, Welcome to Night Vale, BoJack Horseman, and Big Hero 6: The Series.

She is the daughter of Suzie, who was a PTA volunteer, and Mike Wilson, a broadcast engineer for television station KTLA. Her father has Irish and English ancestry. Her mother was Jewish. Mara was raised Jewish. She is also an atheist.

Mara is a first cousin of commentator Ben Shapiro.

Mara’s paternal grandfather was named Charles Wilson.

Mara’s paternal grandmother is the daughter of Francis J. “Frank” Sullivan and Mary G. Napple. Francis was the son of Joseph J. Sullivan. Mary was the daughter of Thomas Walter Napple and Mary Ellen Dillon.

Mara’s maternal grandfather was Nathan Mayer Shapiro (the son of Harry Arthur Shapiro and Gertrude Azine). Nathan was born in Minnesota. Harry was born in Žasliai, Kaunas, Lithuania, the son of Morris Shapiro and Molly Bernstein.

Mara’s maternal grandmother is Eileen Kaplan (the daughter of Ben Kaplan and Becky Karshenbaum). Eileen was born in Minnesota. Ben was born in Poland, the son of Hyman Kaplan and Anna. Becky was born in Belarus, the daughter of Shimon Ber Karshenbaum and Tzippa Ehrlich.

Source: Genealogy of Mara Wilson (focusing on her mother’s side) – https://www.geni.com