Mark Duplass

65th Annual Writers Guild of America West Coast Awards - Arrivals

Duplass in 2013, photo by Prphotos.com

Birth Name: Mark David Duplass

Place of Birth: New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.

Date of Birth: December 7, 1976

Ethnicity: Cajun French, German, Swiss-German, one quarter Italian/Sicilian, some Ashkenazi Jewish, likely some Creole/African

Mark Duplass is an American actor, writer, director, producer, and musician. His brother is filmmaker and actor Jay Duplass. Known as The Duplass Brothers, they co-directed the films The Puffy Chair, Baghead, Cyrus, Jeff, Who Lives at Home; and The Do-Deca-Pentathlon; all of which they co-wrote. They co-created the shows Togetherness, which he also starred on, and Room 104, both of which they also directed and wrote episodes for. Mark also wrote the films Black Rock and Blue Jay; and co-wrote the films Creep, Creep 2, Unlovable, Paddleton, Language Lessons, and Biosphere. As an actor, Mark has starred in Humpday, Safety Not Guaranteed, the Creep films, Tammy, The One I Love, The Lazarus Effect, Blue Jay, Tully, Paddleton, Bombshell, and Language Lessons, and also on the shows The League, The Mindy Project, Goliath, and The Morning Show. Mark and Jay started the production company Duplass Brothers Productions. Mark is also the lead singer of indie rock band Volcano, I’m Still Excited!!

Mark was raised Catholic. He is married to filmmaker and actress Katie Aselton, with whom he has two children.

Mark is a second cousin, once removed, of actor Bryan Batt. Mark’s paternal great-great-grandparents, August Spraul and Olivia Caselia Rossvalley/Rosevalley, were also Bryan’s paternal great-grandparents.

A 23andMe DNA test taken by Mark’s brother Jay stated that Jay’s genetic ancestry is:

*15% Ashkenazi Jewish

Mark’s paternal grandfather was Lawrence Stein Duplass (the son of John Theodore/B. Duplass and Orene/Irene Frances Stein). Lawrence was born in Louisiana. John was born in Louisiana, and may have been the son of Felix Duplessis and Regina, who were Creole. Orene was the daughter of Adolphe/Adolph Jacob Stein, who was a German Jewish immigrant, and of Mary Aufdemorte, whose parents were German.

Mark’s paternal grandmother was June Sehrt (the daughter of daughter of John J. Sehrt and Norma Othilda Spraul). Mark’s grandmother June was born in Louisiana. Mark’s great-grandfather John was of German descent, and was the son of William F. Sehrt and Katherine/Catherine/Katie Sulfsted, both of whom were the children of immigrants. Norma was the daughter of August Spraul, whose parents were German, and of Olivia Caselia Rossvalley/Rosevalley, who was of half German Jewish and half German (Christian) background. Olivia’s father, Max Louis Rosevalley/Mordechai Rosenthal, was born in Laupheim bei Ulm, Wuertemberg, to a Jewish family; he was a surgeon in the Louisiana militia, who was also a robber and a thief, and a spy during the Civil War. He converted to Christianity.

Mark’s maternal grandfather was John Anthony Ernst, Jr. (the son of John Anthony Ernst and Leontine Pauline Bordes). John was the son of Joseph Ernst/Earnest, whose parents were German, and of Josephine Keller, whose parents were Swiss-German. Leontine was the daughter of French parents, Alexandre Bordes and Marie SaunĂ©.

Mark’s maternal grandmother was Cathryn/Catherine Mae Gallo (the daughter of Salvadore “Samuel” George Gallo and Theresa M. Corceller). Cathryn was of Italian/Sicilian descent, with roots in Ustica island. Theresa was the daughter of Giuseppe Caserti/Caserta/Cazzetta/Corceller and Caterina/Catherine Rando.

Sources: Marriage record of Mark’s paternal grandparents, Lawrence Stein Duplass and June Sehrt – https://familysearch.org

Mark’s paternal grandfather, Lawrence Stein Duplass, on the 1920 U.S. Census – https://www.familysearch.org
Lawrence Stein Duplass on the 1930 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org

Mark’s paternal great-grandmother, Orene/Irene Frances Stein, on the 1900 U.S. Census – https://www.familysearch.org
Orene/Irene Frances Stein on the 1910 U.S. Census – https://www.familysearch.org

Marriage record of Mark’s paternal great-great-grandparents, Adolphe/Adolph Jacob Stein and Mary Aufdemorte – https://www.familysearch.org

Mark’s paternal grandmother, June Sehrt, on the 1930 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org

Mark’s paternal great-grandfather, John J. Sehrt, on the 1910 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org
John J. Sehrt on the 1920 U.S. Census – https://www.familysearch.org

Marriage record of Mark’s paternal great-great-grandparents, William F. Sehrt and Katherine/Catherine/Katie Sulfsted – https://familysearch.org

Mark’s paternal great-grandmother, Norma Othilda Spraul, on the 1920 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org

Genealogy of Mark’s paternal great-great-grandparents, August Spraul and Olivia Caselia Rossvalley/Rosevalley – https://www.findagrave.com

Marriage record of Mark’s paternal great-great-grandparents, August Spraul and Olivia Caselia Rossvalley/Rosevalley – https://familysearch.org

Marriage record of Mark’s maternal great-grandparents, John Anthony Ernst and Leontine Pauline Bordes – https://www.familysearch.org

Mark’s maternal great-grandfather, John Anthony Ernst, on the 1900 U.S. Census – https://www.familysearch.org

Mark’s maternal great-great-grandparents, Joseph Ernst/Earnest and Josephine Keller, on the 1880 U.S. Census – https://www.familysearch.org

Genealogy of Mark’s maternal great-grandmother, Theresa M. Corceller (focusing on her father’s side) – http://www.ustica.org

Marriage record of Mark’s maternal great-great-grandparents, Giuseppe Caserti/Caserta/Cazzetta/Corceller and Caterina/Catherine Rando – https://www.familysearch.org

32 Responses

  1. bablah says:

    I think this article is about Olivia Rossvalley’s father:
    https://www.newspapers.com/clip/58319183/new-orleans-republican/

    I don’t think there were that many doctors from Germany that were named M. L. Rossvalley in Louisiana.

  2. bablah says:

    There are a few online trees that seem to agree that Felix and Regina Duplessis were John Duplass’ parents. One of them is “Sunseri family tree” which I suspect was made by Mark and Jay’s aunt whose surname is Sunseri. After all, John wouldn’t be their only child to pass as a white man. Their other son Victor moved to California and was identified as a white man on documents, sometimes as a French native even.

    • madman says:

      So their own family is on the same trail. I wonder if they know more than us, because the whole thing is still a bit iffy for me, I would say. But I swear, the more comments Andrew leaves here, the more I’m thinking those Johns are in fact the same person.

      • andrew says:

        My opinion can not change things, thank you for the credit you gimme anyway. If John’s parents were Creoles, it would mean the whole U.S. Census system is a mess.

        Btw Sunseri surname is only Sicilian.

        • madman says:

          It is kind of a mess at times. You have to know when you should trust them and when not to, and when it’s just too hard to confirm. Keep in mind, those I listed before are only celebrities, and were only cases where a “monoracial” ancestor was listed as another race than their own. If I would’ve included the ones with mixed ancestors who (most often) passed as white on censuses, the list would be even longer.

  3. madman says:

    John Duplass was born in Louisiana, to a French father and a Spanish mother, according to the 1920 census.
    https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MV72-R95

    Mary Aufdemorte’s parents were also German.
    https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MS55-CQ2
    https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MPY2-KDF

    Where does John J. Sehrt’s Swiss-German ancestry come from?
    https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MPY8-2MJ
    https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MV74-KWD

    Olivia Rosevalley’s mother was also of German descent (likely, since her surname was “Schmitz”).

    Leontine’s parents were French. —> John was the son of Joseph Ernst, whose parents were German, and Josephine Keller, whose parents were Swiss-German. Leontine was the daughter of French parents, Alexandre Bordes and Marie SaunĂ©.

    https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QKJC-HPYB
    https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MS5P-4TS
    https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MDX4-M29

      • madman says:

        I saw both of them too, at the same time as I thought it was strange that I couldn’t find his great-grandfather on a census, despite him not having a common name. Yet the though never crossed my mind. Do you really think it could be the case? It would mean he is one eighth Louisian Creole.

        • andrew says:

          Why the 1920 US Census record should not be valid then?

          The 1930 Census says John’s parents were both French: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XMRV-LVF

          • madman says:

            Who’s saying the 1920 census isn’t valid? I’m just wondering why he’s not on an earlier census with his previous family. And why the only two people that could plausibly be him are black.

            John was born in Plaquemine, Louisiana, and eventually moved to New Orleans.
            https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XP1G-JX9
            https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KZ8D-FVX
            Both black Johns were born in Plaquemine, and at least one of them moved to New Orleans. That man was even born in May, the same month as our John.
            https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MS5Y-Z1P
            https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MPYX-766?from=lynx1UIV8

            I think there’s a big chance that it’s the same man.

          • andrew says:

            I dont get why two Census records who say both John’s parents were born in Europe should not be reliable. Also I dont see a correlation between “Du Plessis” and Duplass.

          • madman says:

            No one has said they’re not reliable. But if John was born in Louisiana in 1894, why can’t we find him on a census with his parents? And why do we find someone who matches him perfectly, except for the race? One of the black John Duplessis (the one I pointed out) is also nowhere to be found after 1910 on censuses. People haven’t always reported the truth on these records, we know of many other people whose race is clearly wrong on censuses. That doesn’t mean they’re not right most of the time, and it doesn’t mean Duplass is part Creole. But it does raise questions.

            Duplass almost only exists as a surname in the U.S., meaning that no matter what, it has likely been changed at some point anyway. How you can’t see the similarity between Duplass and Duplessis is beyond me.

          • andrew says:

            Maybe they’re not on Census being recent immigrants? Just wondering.

            Duplass surname is more rare than Du Plessis by far but it exists.

          • madman says:

            So you think John’s parents immigrated after giving birth to their son in Louisiana in 1894? Come on.

            As I said, Duplass only exists in the U.S.

          • andrew says:

            There are “Duplass” from France and Switzerland on familysearch, I have one who was “DuPless” in France, but it’s a long way from Du Plessis.

            For me there’s no controversy in this case. John Duplass was born in Louisiana to European-born parents. Also not all records have been transcribed/added yet, but two U.S. Census records are enough and pretty clear.

          • madman says:

            If you still dismiss it in just a few scentences when I’ve been as detailed as I could be expected to be, I doubt anything could make you consider it. I think you should reconsider the reasons why you believe certain things. You don’t think Dora Madison Burge is fully white, even though her full genealogy is up. But when there’s an actual case to be made, you dismiss it right away. Surely, if the Duplass brothers would look like Pauly D, you would believe it right away.

          • andrew says:

            Yes, I don’t believe Dora Madison Burge is fully white, of course.

            Btw how John’s parents can be Creole if two U.S. Census records say they were born in France/Europe?

            Duplass brothers also don’t look suspicious to detect relatively recent non-Caucasian ancestry, right (unlike for Paulie D).

          • madman says:

            So you think people never lie on censuses? Well…

            https://ethnicelebs.com/hailee-steinfeld
            Filipino great-grandfather is listed as Black, as his wife

            https://ethnicelebs.com/kaiwi-lyman-mersereau
            White great-great-grandfather is listed as Chinese, his wife was Chinese/Hawaiian

            https://ethnicelebs.com/tom-maden
            Black great-grandfather is listed as White on some censuses, as his wife was. On others, they, a black man and a white (Portuguese) woman are both listed as Indian

            https://ethnicelebs.com/hank-kingi
            Black great-grandmother is listed as Japanese, as her husband

            https://ethnicelebs.com/leilani-sarelle
            Filipino grandfather is listed as White, as his wife

            https://ethnicelebs.com/allie-gonino
            A white great-grandmother and a white great-great-grandmother are both listed as Indian, as their husbands

        • andrew says:

          Well, you look much more expert than me on this topic. If so, you will be able to find Creole ancestry, whenever it epxists.

  4. bablah says:

    If Irene is his great-grandmother, then this is his grandfather Lawrence Stein Duplass:
    https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XMRV-LVV
    https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KC1R-GGT

    He’s the son of John Theodore Duplass and Irene Stein.

    His grandmother is June Sehrt daughter of John J Sehrt and Norma O Spraul:
    https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QKRR-GXVR
    https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QKJZ-7PML
    https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XMRQ-68L

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