Mark Knopfler

Knopfler in 2014, photo by Prphotos.com

Birth Name: Mark Freuder Knopfler

Place of Birth: Glasgow, Scotland

Date of Birth: 12 August, 1949

Ethnicity:
*Ashkenazi Jewish (father)
*English (mother)

Mark Knopfler is a British singer, songwriter, guitarist, record producer, and film score composer. He was the lead guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter for rock band Dire Straits. The band’s members also included his brother, singer and songwriter David Knopfler, and Hal Lindes.

His mother, Louisa Mary (Laidler), was English, from Blyth. His father, Erwin Knopfler, was a Hungarian Jew, from Miskolc, who was an architect and a chess player, and whose anti-fascist sympathies and Jewish parentage forced him to flee from his native Hungary in 1939. When he was seven, Mark’s family moved to Blyth, near Newcastle, North East England, his mother’s hometown.

Mark is married to British actress and writer Kitty Aldridge. He has two children with his former wife Lourdes Salomone; and two children with Kitty.

Mark’s paternal grandfather was Jozef/Joseph Knopfler (the son of Michael/Mihaly Knopfler and Maria Fischer). Jozef was born in Budapest. Mihaly was the son of Yosef Knopfler and Pessel Margulies.

Mark’s paternal grandmother was Selma/Seril Freuder (the daughter of Elchanan/Elkan Freuder and Julie/Jentel Stern). Elkan was born in Vienna, Austria. Julie was born in Pápa, Veszprém.

Source: Genealogy of Mark Knopfler (focusing on his father’s side) – http://www.geni.com