Michelle Rodriguez

Rodriguez in 2009, photo by Featureflash / Shutterstock.com

Birth Name: Mayte Michelle Rodriguez

Place of Birth: Bell, Texas, U.S.

Date of Birth: July 12, 1978

Ethnicity:
*Puerto Rican (father)
*Dominican Republic (mother)

Michelle Rodriguez is an American actress, DJ, and screenwriter. She is the daughter of Carmen Milady Pared Espinal, a native of the Dominican Republic, and Rafael Rodríguez Santiago, a Puerto Rican who served in the U.S. army. She has starred in the films The Fast and the Furious, Resident Evil, and S.W.A.T., among many others.

A DNA test whose results were displayed on the show Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates, Jr. (2012) stated that Michelle’s genetic ancestry is:

*72.4% European
*21.3% African
*6.3% Native American

Michelle’s paternal grandfather was Juan Valerio Rodríguez González (the son of Zenón Rodríguez Vargas and Pilar González Cruz). Zenón was the son of Reyes Rodríguez and María Josefa Vargas López. Pilar was the daughter of Francisco González and Josefa Cruz Camacho.

Michelle’s paternal grandmother is the daughter of Juan Santiago Rodríguez and Juana Santiago Santiago. Michelle’s great-grandfather Juan was the son of Juan Santiago Pérez and Juana Rodríguez Vargas; Juana was the sister of Michelle’s great-grandfather Zenón Rodríguez Vargas, making Michelle’s paternal grandparents first cousins, once removed. Michelle’s great-grandmother Juana Santiago Santiago was the daughter of Loreto Santiago Rivera and María Higinia Santiago López.

Michelle’s maternal grandfather was named Alfredo Pared (the son of Victoria Pared).

Michelle’s maternal grandmother was Sarah Espinal (the daughter of Hilario Piña Batista and Raymunda Espinal).