Michelle Rodríguez

Rodríguez in 2009, photo by Featureflash / Shutterstock.com

Birth Name: Mayte Michelle Rodríguez

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

Date of Birth: July 12, 1978

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

Michelle Rodríguez is an American actress, DJ, and screenwriter. She had her breakthrough with Girlfight, and has starred in The Fast and the Furious, Resident Evil, and Machete franchises, on the show Lost, and in the films 3 A.M., Blue Crush, S.W.A.T., BloodRayne, The Breed, Battle in Seattle, Gardens of the Night, Avatar, Trópico de Sangre, Battle: Los Angeles, Turbo, The Assignment (2016), Milton’s Secret, Widows, She Dies Tomorrow, Crisis, and Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves.

She is the daughter of Carmen Milady Pared Espinal, a native of the Dominican Republic, and Rafael Rodríguez Santiago, a Puerto Rican. Her father served in the U.S. Army. Michelle lived with her mother in the Dominican for a few years during her childhood, then Puerto Rico, and Jersey City, New Jersey.

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).