Ryan Gosling
Gosling in 2011, s_bukley / Shutterstock.com
Birth Name: Ryan Thomas Gosling
Place of Birth: London, Ontario, Canada
Date of Birth: November 12, 1980
Ethnicity: French-Canadian (half), English, Scottish, Irish, as well as 1/32 German, likely 1/128th African-American
Ryan Gosling is a Canadian actor, writer, director, musician, and producer. His roles include Young Hercules, Remember the Titans, The Believer, Murder by Numbers, The Notebook, Fracture, Blue Valentine, All Good Things, Crazy, Stupid, Love, Drive, The Ides of March, The Place Beyond the Pines, Only God Forgives, The Nice Guys, La La Land, Blade Runner 2049, and First Man.
He is the son of Donna and Thomas Gosling. Ryan was raised in a Mormon (Latter Day Saint) family. He has two children with his partner, American actress Eva Mendes.
Ryan is the first person born in the 1980s to have been nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor (for Half Nelson, 2006), and thus could be considered the first millennial to have done so.
Ryan is of approximately half French-Canadian ancestry (his father is of roughly three eighths French-Canadian descent, and his mother is of roughly five eighths French-Canadian ancestry). Ryan’s other roots include English, Scottish, Irish, and 1/32 German. Ryan and singers Justin Bieber and Avril Lavigne are distant cousins, connected through Québec’s earliest French settlers.
Ryan’s five times paternal great-grandfather, James-Jacques Robinson/Robertson, was described as “Negro” (black) in contemporaneous records, and may have been from the United States. He married Ryan’s five times great-grandmother, Marie Trottier, who was French-Canadian. This likely makes Ryan of approximately 1/128th African-American ancestry.
Ryan’s paternal grandfather was George Bigelow Gosling (the son of George Percy Gosling and Bessie Rae/Ray Bigelow). Ryan’s grandfather George was born in Cornwall, Stormont, Ontario. Ryan’s great-grandfather George was the son of George Edward Gosling, who was born in Kensington, London, England, and of Caroline Minerva Snetsinger. Bessie was the daughter of William Stone/Stern Bigelow, whose mother was born in County Wexford, Ireland, and of Mary Miller, who was Scottish, from Perthshire.
Ryan’s paternal grandmother was Mary Yvette Brown (the daughter of Joseph Brown and Mary Ann/Marie-Anne Bélaire). Ryan’s grandmother Mary was born in North Glengarry, Stormont, Ontario. Joseph was the son of Frederick/Frederic/Fred Brown, an English immigrant, and of Rosanna/Rosie/Rose Anna Proulx, who was born in St. Eugene, Prescott and Russell, Ontario, of mostly French-Canadian ancestry. Ryan’s great-grandmother Mary Ann was the daughter of Julien/Julian/Jules Olivier Bélaire and Matilda/Mathilda Séguin, and also had French-Canadian ancestry.
Ryan’s maternal grandfather was Robert Thomas “Bob” Wilson (the son of Henry/Harry Thomas Wilson and Marie Georgina Victoria Dextras/Dextraze). Henry was the son of James Thomas Wilson, who was English, and of Bertha Louisa Hacker/Hackett, whose parents were from Wiltshire, England. Marie Georgina was of French-Canadian descent, the daughter of Joseph Dextras/Dextraze and Marie Célina Elizabeth Quenneville.
Ryan’s maternal grandmother is Ruby Kitts (the daughter of Gérald/Gerrold Kitts and Rose Emma Lalonde). Ruby is of mostly French-Canadian, and some Irish, descent. Gérald was the son of Henry John Kitts and Helen/Hélène Françoise “Ellen” Massia. Rose was the daughter of Alexandre/Alexander Lalonde and Catherine Harriet Piché/Picher.
Ryan’s matrilineal line can be traced to Catherine Guyard, who was born, c. 1639, in Paris, France, and to Catherine’s mother, Madeleine Venne.
Sources: Genealogies of Ryan Gosling – http://www.nosorigines.qc.ca
https://www.geni.com
http://laurenandtristan.net
http://www.perche-quebec.com
Genealogies of Ryan Gosling (focusing on his father’s side) – http://worldconnect.rootsweb.ancestry.com
http://famouskin.com
Marriage record of Ryan’s paternal great-great-grandparents, George Edward Gosling and Caroline Minerva Snetsinger – https://www.familysearch.org
Genealogy of Ryan’s paternal great-great-great-great-great-grandmother, Marie Trottier – https://www.geni.com
Genealogy of Ryan’s maternal grandmother, Ruby Kitts – http://worldconnect.rootsweb.ancestry.com
Genealogy of Ryan’s maternal great-grandfather, Gérald/Gerrold Kitts – https://www.findagrave.com
Report on Ryan’s distant relatives – http://www.torontosun.com
Family tree showing the relation between Ryan Gosling, Avril Lavigne, and Justin Bieber – http://www.aceshowbiz.com
He played a Jewish in denial character in The Believer
Marie Cecile Trottier was described as “a woman of color”: https://www.nosorigines.qc.ca/GenealogieQuebec.aspx?genealogie=Robinson_James-Jacques&pid=1293437
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M426-CVW
http://pages.videotron.com/myfamily/siteanglais/anglais.html
I think Marie was only black by marriage.
https://www.geni.com/people/Mary-Trotter/6000000066659043169?through=6000000066663649906
Considering that French-Canadians are very inbred, there might be other noted descendants of James-Jacques Robinson/Robertson
He’s black.
Henry John Kitts was of Irish, not English, descent.
https://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=147362752
His own father was born in England, but was likely of Irish descent. He was a Roman Catholic from Lancashire, and his mother’s maiden name was “Kearns” which is Irish.