Shailene Woodley
Woodley in 2010, image via kathclick/Bigstock.com
Birth Name: Shailene Diann Woodley
Place of Birth: San Bernardino, California, United States
Date of Birth: November 15, 1991
Ethnicity:
*father – English
*mother – African-American, Louisiana Creole [African, French, Spanish, German], English, Swiss-German
Shailene Woodley is an American actress and activist. Her roles include The Descendants, The Spectacular Now, White Bird in a Blizzard, The Fault in Our Stars, and The Secret Life of the American Teenager.
Shailene is the daughter of Lori and Lonnie Woodley. Her father, whose family is from the U.S. South, has English ancestry. Shailene’s maternal grandfather had African-American and Creole ancestry, and Shailene’s maternal grandmother has Louisiana Creole [including African, French, Spanish, and German] ancestry on one side of her family, and English and Swiss-German ancestry on the other side of her family.
Shailene’s paternal grandfather was Virgil James Woodley (the son of James Franklin Woodley and Velma L. Howard). Virgil was born in Oklahoma. Shailene’s great-grandfather James was the son of James Samuel Woodley and Julia Ann Arnold.
Shailene’s paternal grandmother was Dovie Oralee Sims (the daughter of Omer Epsy Sims and Eva Ellen Payne). Dovie was born in Texas. Omer was the son of Denton Otto Sims and Clara Florence Allen. Eva was the daughter of Hiram Walker Payne and Verdenia Maude Ellis.
Shailene’s maternal grandfather was Stephen David Victor (the son of Harold Joseph Victor and Bessie M. Harrold). Stephen was born in California. According to most censuses, both Harold and Bessie were Black and/or biracial (censuses list Harold and Bessie as black, and one census lists them as “Mulatto”). Harold was born in Louisiana, the son of Joseph Victor and Leila/Lelia Prudhomme, who were described as “colored” on his sister’s birth record, and “Black” on the U.S. Census and other records. Leila’s parents, Joseph Prudhomme and Lelia/Lilia Pope/Poper Lewis, were Louisiana Creole. Shailene’s great-grandmother Bessie was born in California, to Texas-born parents, William John/S./T. Harrold and Bessie Hutchins, who were both described as “colored” on her birth record and on censuses. Shailene’s great-great-grandmother Bessie’s parents were Lee Hutchins, who was said to have been born in England, of unclear background, and Georgia Walker, who was a black woman born in Texas.
Shailene’s maternal grandmother is Diane Lynn Fauria (the daughter of Vernon Louis Fauria and Marguerite Lois Davis). Diane was born in California. Vernon was a Louisiana Creole. Marguerite was caucasian. A picture of Vernon and Marguerite can be seen here.
Shailene’s great-grandfather Vernon Fauria was born in Windsor, Ontario, Canada and raised in Los Angeles. He was the son of Creole parents from Louisiana, who both had black ancestry, mixed with caucasian. Vernon’s father, Joseph Mathews/Matthews Fauria, was of African, Spanish, French, and German descent. Vernon’s mother, Louise Aline Martinez, had Spanish, African, and possibly French, ancestry. A picture of Vernon with his siblings can be seen here. A picture of Vernon’s parents, Shailene’s great-great-grandparents Joseph and Aline, can be seen here. A picture of Shailene’s great-great-grandfather, Joseph Mathews Fauria (top left), with his own parents, Victor Nicholas/M. Fauria and Agnes Cora Zipple (seated), can be seen here.
Shailene’s great-grandmother Marguerite Davis’s father, Norman Edward Davis, was of British Isles/English ancestry. Maguerite’s mother, Shailene’s maternal great-great-grandmother, Evangeline/Evangelia/Perrengere/Berengere Perrin/Perrine, was Swiss, of Swiss-German descent, and was the daughter of Lewis O. Perrin and Berthe C. Hague. This makes Shailene Woodley of 1/16th Swiss ancestry.
Shailene’s mother Lori Woodley – 4th Annual Kailand Obasi Hoop-Life Basketball Tournament Fundraiser – Arrivals – USC Galen Center, 3400 S Figueroa Street – Los Angeles, CA, USA, 2016 – Photo Credit: Guillermo Proano / PR Photos
Sources: Genealogies of Shailene Woodley – http://gw.geneanet.org
https://www.geni.com
Genealogy of Shailene Woodley (focusing on her father’s side) – http://www.wikitree.com
Genealogies of Shailene’s paternal grandparents, Virgil James Woodley and Dovie Oralee (Sims) Woodley – http://www.findagrave.com
Shailene’s maternal great-grandfather, Harold Joseph Victor, on the 1910 U.S. Census – https://www.familysearch.org
Harold Joseph Victor on the 1920 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org
Birth record of Shailene’s maternal great-great-aunt (her great-grandfather Harold’s sister) – https://www.familysearch.org
Shailene’s maternal great-great-grandmother, Leila/Lelia Prudhomme, on the 1900 U.S. Census – https://www.familysearch.org
Re-marriage record of Shailene’s maternal great-great-grandmother, Leila/Lelia Prudhomme, to William H. Harris – https://www.familysearch.org
Shailene’s maternal great-great-grandmother, Leila/Lelia (Prudhomme) Harris, and Shailene’s step-great-great-grandfather, William H. Harris, on the 1940 U.S. Census – https://www.familysearch.org
Shailene’s maternal great-great-great-grandparents, Joseph Prudhomme and Lelia/Lilia Pope/Poper Lewis, on the 1880 U.S. Census – https://www.familysearch.org
Birth record of Shailene’s maternal great-grandmother, Bessie M. Harrold (Bessie Herald) – https://www.familysearch.org
Shailene’s maternal great-grandmother, Bessie M. Harrold (Bessie Herald), on the 1920 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org
Bessie M. Harrold on the 1930 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org
Death record of Shailene’s maternal great-great-grandfather, William John/S./T. Harrold – https://www.familysearch.org
Death records of Shailene’s maternal great-great-grandmother, Bessie (Hutchins) Harrold – https://www.familysearch.org
https://www.familysearch.org
Genealogy of Shailene’s maternal grandmother, Diane Lynn Fauria – http://bayoubohemia.net
Marriage record of Shailene’s maternal great-great-grandparents, Joseph Mathews/Matthews Fauria and Louise Aline Martinez – https://www.familysearch.org
Pictures and genealogy of Shailene’s maternal great-great-grandfather, Joseph Mathews/Matthews Fauria – http://www.findagrave.com
Shailene’s maternal great-great-grandfather, Joseph Mathews/Matthews Fauria, on the 1880 U.S. Census – https://www.familysearch.org
Joseph Mathews/Matthews Fauria on the 1900 U.S. Census – https://www.familysearch.org
Death record of Shailene’s maternal great-great-grandfather, Joseph Mathews/Matthews Fauria – https://www.familysearch.org
Birth record of Shailene’s maternal great-great-grandmother, Louise Aline Martinez – https://www.familysearch.org
Shailene’s maternal great-great-grandmother, Louise Aline Martinez, on the 1900 U.S. Census – https://www.familysearch.org
Shailene’s maternal great-grandmother, Marguerite Lois Davis, on the 1930 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org
Marriage record of Shailene’s maternal great-great-grandparents, Norman Edward Davis and Evangeline/Evangelia/Perrengere/Berengere Perrin/Perrine – https://www.familysearch.org
Shailene’s maternal great-great-grandmother, Evangeline/Evangelia/Perrengere/Berengere Perrin/Perrine, on the 1920 U.S. Census – https://www.familysearch.org
Time Magazine predicted her fame in 1993.
http://content.time.com/time/covers/0,16641,19931118,00.html
She is a beautiful bi-racial woman. Has she spoken about her African-American heritage?
Nope, she as not.
bi-racial?
(Clap) Nice job boys.. In fact if she has only a pint less than the Octroon, she is not black still and is considered naturally caucasian.
She’s not “biracial”. Her mom looks white. Her grandmother looks white. Her grandmother’s parents look white, and so on.
The only ones who could be black are her maternal grandfather’s parents, and so far no one has shown what they looked like.
Stop with the dramatic clap clap bullshit and sit your dumb ass down on a stump. You and every other MF sound ignorant as f uck up here
I think her mother is black.
She’s not “bi-racial”lmfao ,
I think she is at least 1/8 black.
she kind of looks like JoJo
Not at all. JoJo looks better. Shailene is ugly.
We’re not saying it’s bad if she has African American in her. I have Cape Verdean in me and I know that’s black. I am asking why all available photos of her family members, and I have seen some up to her great great grandparents, show NOT ONE trace of African ancestry on her grandmother’s side. Her grandmother’s side is and looks mostly Spanish and German/Swiss.
Her grandfather’s side probably didn’t look very black either, since Shailene’s mother looks right out of the UK.
Hmmm, my friend is half black half white and she looks like a white girl, straight hair, blue eyes. And how are you able to tell what country exactly her mom came from. She American. You just wanna think you know everything
Seriously, go look at photos of her ancestors, they are available. When you find that not one relative looks mixed with African descent, it will suggest to you that it might be a very small amount.
You can’t judge what somebody is just by their skin color. What are we in the 50s? These days you can never tell. My friend looks white as hell with straight hair and blue eyes, she’s half black. Yeah, I’ve seen her ancestors, but documents don’t lie. You had people that ‘passed’ for white. Do some research and get your head out of the sixteenth century, she has black. And from the looks of it, not a small amount. ;)
No, from the looks of it, it IS a small amount. There is a reason not one of her relatives looks black. Surely it’s not like they just by chance don’t look it.. it means they were classified as such due to the one drop rule, where any amount greater than 1/16 can make you legally black.
I have relatives who looked like hers, who were classified as black too when they came here from Cape Verde. Why? Because of the one drop rule. I have African ancestry but it’s a small amount, just like Shailene Woodley.
Um her eyes aren’t blue they’re brown
Um sorry forgot about that comment lol
Her having African American in her background. Shouldn’t even matter some of y’all should be ashamed of yourself, you sound like a bunch of races assholes. Getting together you guys. I wouldn’t be surprise if any of y’all had any black in your background. Back in slavery white men use to keep black women in there beds. They use to call them there bed wenches. And most of them had babies by there masters.. So therefore don’t be quick to judge cause you could be related to..
Correctamundo
This is a horrible case of the one drop rule. When it says her relatives are “black” or “mulatto” on the census it does NOT mean they looked it. Back then if you had any African ancestry you were legally black. Even if it was 1/8.
Her mother looks white, could be Irish or British if you didn’t know.
Her maternal grandmother who someone posted, looks white.
Her great grandfather on the Fauria side of the family looks barely mixed.
I’d like to see her maternal grandfather, I doubt they’d look black. None of her relatives look mixed because their African ancestry is small, insignificant, and exaggerated.
I’ve wondered if she might be related, though, to the football-playing Fauria family (Christian Fauria and his nephew Joseph) from the NFL, though.. that’s a Catalan surname that is not common in US Hispanics or Creoles, so the likelihood of them being related is high. That family does look mixed, though.