Rian Johnson
Johnson in 2018, photo by DFree/Bigstock.com
Birth Name: Rian Craig Johnson
Place of Birth: Silver Spring, Maryland, U.S.
Date of Birth: December 17, 1973
Ethnicity: Swedish (one quarter), Italian (one quarter), English, German, one eighth Polish
Rian Johnson is an American filmmaker. He has directed and written the films Brick (2005), The Brothers Bloom, Looper, Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Knives Out, and Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery. He has also directed episodes of Breaking Bad and Poker Face, the latter of which he also created, and wrote for.
His brother is music producer Aaron Johnson. His cousin is film composer, director, and producer Nathan Johnson, with whom he comprises folk duo the Preserves. He was partly raised in Denver, Colorado, and San Clemente, California. Rian is married to film critic, author, and journalist Karina Longworth.
Rian’s paternal grandfather is Carl Howard Johnson (the son of Carl Hugo Johnson and Alida Henrikson). Rian’s grandfather Carl was born in Illinois, to Swedish parents.
Rian’s paternal grandmother is Dorsey Margurite Starck (the daughter of Walter Richard Gustave/Gustav Starck and Margaret Leona “Greta’ Koszalke). Dorsey was born in Illinois. Walter was born in North Dakota, to German parents, The Rev. Ernest J. W. Starck, who was a Lutheran pastor, and Elizabeth Wolf. Rian’s great-grandmother Margaret was born in Illinois, to Polish parents, Ignac Koszalke/Koschalke and Augustyna Szymerowski.
Rian’s maternal grandfather was Anthony Vernon “Tony” Skaronea (the son of James J. Skaronea and Louisa K. Vittorio). Anthony was born in Ottawa, Illinois, to Italian parents. James was born in Ferentino, Lazio, the son of Giovanni Schietroma. Louisa was the daughter of Ambrogio Vittorio and Philomena Cuisarella, who was from Fontana Liri Superiore, Provincia di Frosinone, Lazio.
Rian’s maternal grandmother was Wannetta Pearl Leonard (the daughter of Ira Ralph Leonard and Maude Melby Berge). Wannetta was born in Streator, Illinois. Ira was the son of Ira Grant Leonard and Elizabeth Belle Gillman, whose father was born in Bedfordshire, England. Maude was the daughter of Frederick “Fred” Berge, whose parents were from Baden-Württemberg, Germany; and of Sarah Ann Wright.
Sources: Obituary of Rian’s father – https://www.legacy.com
Genealogies and obituaries of Rian’s maternal grandparents, Anthony Vernon “Tony” Skaronea and Wannetta Pearl (Leonard) Skaronea – https://www.findagrave.com
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/92012630/anthony_vernon_skaronea
I think his mother is Janet McClintock (nee Skaronea). The link above is her parents.
Thank you.
Are the Olsen Twins really three eighths Italian? I just find it very strange that seemingly none of them have ever mentioned it (that I could find).
https://ethnicelebs.com/elizabeth-olsen
Do you think it’s a big deal for them to be 3/8 Italian or something other European, to mention it somewhere? They’re mix, as almost all Americans, it’s normal for them, and also they’re not really talking about their background in general.
Btw, since I didn’t find obituaries about Helen, I found their cousin Chelsey (daughter of their uncle Walter Olsen, who passed away in 2007), and she published picture with Helen and mentioned her as grandmother. Sisters oldest brother Trent is following Chelsey, as well as she him.
https://www.instagram.com/p/pe57kmSEYV/?igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
Another their uncle John William Olsen (born 1943) is listed as close relative to sisters and their father, on some “people search” websites, as well as Chelsey.
I personally don’t find that important what people say or claim about their background, they are actually often clueless too. And if they all took DNA tests, they would find additional surprises in their families.
About the Olsens, perhaps they dont connect much to the Italian sides of their family to talk about it.
https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/denverpost/obituary.aspx?n=craig-johnson&pid=169022565&fhid=4373
Rian’s paternal grandfather is Carl Howard Johnson (the son of Carl Hugo Johnson and Alida Henrikson). Rian’s grandfather Carl was born in Illinois, to Swedish parents.
Rian’s paternal grandmother is Dorsey Margurite Starck (the daughter of Walter Gustave Starck and Margaret Leona Koszalke). Dorsey was born in Illinois. Walter was born in North Dakota, to German parents, Rev. Ernest J.W. Starck and Elizabeth Wolf. Margaret was born in Illinois, to Polish parents, Ignac Koszalke/Koschalke and Augustyna Szymerowski.