Seth MacFarlane

MacFarlane in 2011, CarlaVanWagoner / Shutterstock.com

Birth Name: Seth Woodbury MacFarlane

Place of Birth: Kent, Connecticut, U.S.

Date of Birth: October 26, 1973

Ethnicity: English, as well as Irish and Scottish

Seth MacFarlane is an American actor, animator, filmmaker, comedian, writer, producer, director, and singer. He created the shows Family Guy, Seth MacFarlane’s Cavalcade of Cartoon Comedy, The Orville, and Ted (2024), and co-created American Dad! and The Cleveland Show, all of which he has also starred in and written for; as well as directed for Cavalcade, The Orville, and Ted. In films, he has directed, co-written, and starred in Ted, A Million Ways to Die in the West, and Ted 2, and appeared in Hellboy II: The Golden Army, Tooth Fairy, Sing, and Logan Lucky. Seth voiced and performed the motion capture for the Ted character. His early work as a writer includes the shows Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, Johnny Bravo, Dexter’s Laboratory, and Cow and Chicken, the latter three of which he was also an animator for; he also co-starred on the shows Robot Chicken, The Loudest Voice, and Cosmos: Possible Worlds. He has released seven music albums, and performed as a singer at prominent venues; largely focusing on jazz. Among the songs he has written is the Academy Award-nominated “Everybody Needs a Best Friend” from Ted.

Seth is the son of Ann Perry (Sager) and Ronald Milton MacFarlane. His parents worked at the prep boarding school The Kent School, his father as a teacher and his mother in admissions. His sister is voice actress and singer Rachael MacFarlane. He has English ancestry, including deep Colonial New England roots on many lines of his family tree, as well as Irish and Scottish heritage.

Seth’s paternal grandfather was Milton Worcester MacFarlane (the son of Frederick/Fred Blane MacFarlane and Lillian May Wood). Milton was born in Newburyport, Essex, Massachusetts. Frederick was born in Gibson, York, New Brunswick, Canada, the son of Charles MacFarlane and Mary J. Lillian was born in Massachusetts, the daughter of John Moses Wood, who was born in Johnston Parish, New Brunswick, Canada, and of Celia T./S. Clark/Clarke, who was born in Rockland, Knox, Maine.

Seth’s paternal grandmother was Selina Alfreda Shean (the daughter of Richard Edward Shean and June A. Chick). Selina was born in Katahdin Iron Works Township, Piscataquis, Maine. Richard was born in Whitefield, Coös, New Hampshire, to Canadian parents, Thomas Shean, from Halifax, Nova Scotia, and Mary Powers, from Québec. Seth’s great-grandmother June was born in Bangor, Penobscot, Maine, the daughter of Adelbert P. Chick and Helen/Nellie E. Loveland.

Seth’s maternal grandfather was Arthur Woodbury Sager (the son of George Robert Sager and Jennie/Jennievene/Genevienne V. Cunningham). Arthur was born in Gardiner, Kennebec, Maine. He was a track and field athlete, who competed at the 1928 Summer Olympics, and wrote the book Speak Your Way to Success. George was the son of Robert A. Sager and Mary E. Kenniston. Jennie was the daughter of Andrew Emerson Cunningham and Sarah Jane Brann.

Seth’s maternal grandmother was Berta Rogers (the daughter of Louis Rogers and Edith Emma Allen). Berta was born in Massachusetts. Louis was the son of Homer Rogers and Ellen Eudora Perry. Edith was born in London, England, the daughter of Henry Allen and Emma Hinds.

Through Seth’s maternal grandmother, he is a descendant of William Brewster (c. 1566-1644), a Mayflower passenger and noted Pilgrim. Among many of William’s other descendants are actors Jordana Brewster, Paget Brewster, Austin Butler, Chevy Chase, Taylor Lautner, and Elisabeth Shue, actors and models Noah Mills and Brandon Routh, director, producer, screenwriter, and cinematographer Zack Snyder, singer Buffy Sainte-Marie, soccer player Clint Dempsey, Massachusetts Governor Bill Weld, U.S. Vice President Nelson Rockefeller, and Governor of Arkansas Winthrop Rockefeller.

Sources: Genealogies of Seth MacFarlane – http://www.wargs.com
https://www.geni.com
https://famouskin.com

Seth’s paternal grandfather, Milton Worcester MacFarlane, on the 1930 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org

Seth’s paternal grandmother, Selina Alfreda Shean, on the 1930 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org

Seth’s maternal grandfather, Arthur Woodbury Sager, on the 1910 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org

Seth’s maternal grandmother, Berta Rogers, on the 1910 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org