Shannyn Sossamon
Sossamon in 2010, marcello farina / Shutterstock.com
Birth Name: Shannon Marie Kahololani Sossamon
Place of Birth: Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S.
Date of Birth: October 3, 1978
Ethnicity:
*father – French, Irish
*mother – Native Hawaiian, Filipino, English, German
Shannyn Sossamon is an American actress, director, and musician. Her roles include the films A Knight’s Tale, 40 Days and 40 Nights, The Rules of Attraction, Undiscovered, One Missed Call, Life Is Hot in Cracktown, Our Family Wedding, The Day, Sinister 2, Ghost Light, and Grimcutty, and the shows Wayward Pines and Sleepy Hollow.
She is usually described as being of French and Irish ancestry on her father’s side, and of Native Hawaiian, Filipino, English, and German ancestry on her mother’s.
Shannyn changed her name from Shannon to Shannyn in high school. Her surname is from her mother, Sherry Sossamon, who gave birth to Shannyn when she was seventeen. The surname Sossamon is German. Her sister is musician Jenny Lee Lindberg. Shannyn has two children, including a son with her former partner, children’s book illustrator and author Dallas Clayton.
Shannyn’s maternal grandfather is the son of Edward Thornton “Eddie” Sossamon and Ola Pearl Smith. Edward was the son of Marion Harvey Sossamon and Mary Ellen Storie. Ola was the daughter of Tilman Washington Smith and Emma M. Stone.
Shannyn’s maternal grandmother is Ethel Mangalao (the daughter of Meliton/Meleton Mangalao and Helen Ahialani Uina). Meliton was born in the Philippines. Helen was born in Hawaii, of Hawaiian descent, and was the daughter of John Uina and Keala Mary Kaaimoku/Kaiamoku/Kauaohilo.
Sources: http://www.theage.com.au
Shannyn’s maternal great-grandparents, Edward Thornton “Eddie” Sossamon and Ola Pearl Smith, on the 1930 U.S. Census – https://www.familysearch.org
Shannyn’s maternal great-grandparents, Meliton/Meleton Mangalao and Helen Ahialani Uina, on the 1940 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org
Obituary of Shannyn’s maternal great-grandmother, Helen Ahialani (Uina) Mangalao – https://library.byuh.edu
in this picture she looks like a French woman
I thought that she looks French too.I would never guess she’s mixed, she looks only white.
Well, the racial admixture fades away if you have less than 15%-10% of ancestry of a certain race…so yes, she’s white.
She has that Audrey Tautou look…so latin, so french…She’s gorgeous.
she is not fully European and she doesn’t look it in other pics, where the Pacific Islander influence is clear as day.
http://www.theplace2.ru/archive/shannyn_sossamon/img/Shannyn_Sossamon_01_BIG_2.jpg
??????????????!!!!!!!!!!!! Um not really. She could pass as a Mestizo Mexican. She does not look “only white”. It’s funny as hell when I see comments saying “he/she looks white”, when they’re obviously mixed with something ethnic.
She’s gorgeous. Mixed people are so attractive.
Lmfao, I’ve seen some that were beaten by not only the ugly stick, but the whole damn tree. There’s ugly asses in every racial group.
Mixed people are always more attractive.
To Eric and Company,
You’re taste must be very ordinary or you’re not very knowledgeable about Shannyn Sossamon’s career.
She’s one of my favorite actresses along with Keira Knightley, Natalie Portman and Emma Watson. Simply put, early in her career she was the most uniquely beautiful young woman that I have ever seen. Just google her. Her beauty was beyond my subjective opinion. She was objectively gorgous. Granted my personal taste favors her more than most. She’s also still very beautiful and, aging gracefully and you can see that in the picture above but man in her 20’s she was an absolute vision.
Now as far as her style goes. Well, she has a very relaxed, quaint and pretty style. Very natural. Especially in her 20’s. She’s always had a cool, unique and beautiful hair style. She’s always been famous for her hair. However, she’s clearly always been very artsy which Eric would define as dressing like a hobo.
Personality wise, well I don’t know her and have never met her. But, from all of the films I’ve seen featuring her, the articles I’ve read on her and photos I’ve seen of her she seems quirky and very very lovely. Which I think is a very attractive combination. One thing she is not is stupid. She was a dancer and a DJ. She was a musician. She’s an actress and a director. She’s an artist and every comment I’ve read of hers seems very intelligent.
One thing she doesn’t seem to be is “Hollywood.” Rather she seems artsy. Eric it seems you confuse artsy for attention seeking. She is not overly attention seeking. Her first film was A knight’s Tale. A big budget Hollywood film. Her second another big Hollywood film called 40 days and 40 nights. Shortly after that she filmed The Rules of Attraction. A risqué Indy film. Than The Order with Heath Ledger. Then she became pregnant with her first child. Once he was born she worked at a record store for a while before returning to film making. Name one other Hollywood actress who would humble herself enough to take a job like that after becoming a movie star. That’s just cool. When she entered the industry she was a breathe of fresh air.
Again I don’t know her personally but her beauty was undeniable. Just watch The Order or Rules of Attraction and try to tell I’m wrong with a straight face. She’s clearly very talented. A dancer. A DJ. A drummer. An actresses. A director.
One of my favorite films of hers is Wrist-cutters A Love Story. A heart warming dark romantic comedy.
A great and unique film about suicide, purgatory and love.
She seemed like a very cool, sexy and artsy young woman when she entered the movie business and now she just seems like a wonderful woman and mother.
Quit yo’ jibba jabba!
That was the longest comment ever released on EC, not even Fuzzybear reached that lenght in his Afrocentrist deliria.
I knew she was part Asian because she’s as mixed as I am. When you are mixed with many Asian and White nationalities you DO end up looking mixed. If you’re mixed with only two things you usually look more Asian, never more White.
You can’t say never when you don’t know every body who is half white and half Asian. My sons are half Asian, their dad is Scottish. My older son has green eyes. They both DO NOT look Asian at all.
Yes, Clart, she is the one in A Knight’s Tale.
I love her dark hair, and her eyes! She’s pretty, but I have to agree with the comments about how she dresses, behaves, seems , etc.. It’s obvious her European heritage is strong; I always thought she was just white.