Melissa Villaseñor

Villaseñor in 2011, photo by Prphotos

Birth Name: Melissa Anne Villaseñor

Place of Birth: West Covina, Los Angeles, California, United States

Date of Birth: October 9, 1987

Ethnicity: Mexican [Spanish, Indigenous, some Basque, distant African]

Melissa Villaseñor is an American actress, stand-up comedian, impressionist, visual artist, and singer. She was a cast member on the show Saturday Night Live.

Melissa is the daughter of Guadalupe “Lupe” Peralta and Miguel/Michael Humberto Villaseñor.

A DNA test whose results were displayed on the show Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates, Jr. (2022) stated that Melissa’s genetic ancestry is:

*64% European
*34% Indigenous Mexican
*2% Sub-Saharan African

Melissa’s paternal grandfather was Octavio Rafael Villaseñor León (the son of José Merced/Mercedes Villaseñor and Josefa “Josephine” León Vejar). Octavio was born in Texas. José was the son of Ramon Villaseñor Martin del Campo and María del Refugio López Vázquez, who were born in Tepatitlán de Morelos, Jalisco. Josefa was the daughter of Angela Vejar Noriega.

Melissa’s paternal grandmother was Carmen de la Torre Muro (the daughter of Jesús María de la Torre Robles and María Mercedes Muro de la Torre). Carmen was born in Mezquitic, Jalisco, Mexico. Jesús was a railroad engineer, and was the son of Mariano de la Torre and María Robles de Ocampo. Mercedes was born in Aguascalientes, the daughter of Leobardo Eugenio Muro and María Evangelista de la Torre. Her family moved to El Paso, Texas, during her early childhood.

Melissa’s maternal grandfather was named Salvador “Sal” Peralta (the son of Salvador Peralta Acevedo).

Melissa’s maternal grandmother’s surname was Castro.

Sources: Genealogy of Melissa Villaseñor – https://www.geni.com

Marriage record of Melissa’s paternal grandparents, Octavio Rafael Villaseñor León and Carmen de la Torre Muro – https://www.familysearch.org