Steve Carell
Carell in 2007; Joe Seer / Shutterstock.com
Birth Name: Steven John Carell
Place of Birth: Concord, Massachusetts, U.S.
Date of Birth: August 16, 1962
Ethnicity:
*father – Italian, German
*mother – Polish
Steve Carell is an American actor, comedian, writer, director, and producer. His roles include The Office, Anchorman, and its sequel, The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Little Miss Sunshine, Over the Hedge, Evan Almighty, Horton Hears a Who!, Date Night, Dinner for Schmucks, Crazy, Stupid, Love; The Way, Way Back; Foxcatcher, Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day; Beautiful Boy, and Vice, among many others.
Steve was born in Concord, and raised nearby in Acton, Massachusetts. He is the son of Harriet Theresa (Koch), a psychiatric nurse, and Edwin A. Carell, an electrical engineer. His uncle Stanley Koch worked with scientist Allen B. DuMont to invent cathode ray tubes. His father’s original surname, Caroselli, was shortened to Carell. On his father’s side, Steve is of Italian and German ancestry. On his mother’s side, Steve is of Polish descent. He was raised Catholic. Steve is married to actress, comedian, and writer Nancy Carell, with whom he has two children.
While Steve has played several Jewish characters (including in three consecutive major films, a rarity for a major star of any background), he is not of Jewish heritage.
Steve’s paternal grandfather was Ernest Caroselli (the son of Amanzio Caroselli and Marianna/Marsanina/Marcasciano Ricco). Ernest was an Italian emigrant, born in Bari, Apulia, Italy.
Steve’s paternal grandmother was Marie G. Egle (the daughter of August W. Egle and Mary A. Boullay). Steve’s grandmother Marie was born in New York. August was a German immigrant. Steve’s great-grandmother Mary Boullay was born in New York, the daughter of German immigrant parents, Nicholas Boullay and Jo Hanna.
Steve’s maternal grandfather was Zygmont/Zigmund/Zygmond/Sigmund Koch (the son of Joseph Koch and Mary/Crestene/Custene Porcheskey/Pascoff). Zygmont is listed as born in Russia in one record and in Vilnius, Lithuania in another record, and was possibly of ethnic Polish descent. The name Pascoff may have been misspelled on records.
Steve’s maternal grandmother was Frances Victoria Tolosky (the daughter of Tuffield/Tebfis/Tropin Theophilo/Theophile Tolosky and Mary/Martiana Brunnwyko/Burranaski/Burnak/Burnika). Frances was born in New York, to Polish parents.
Sources: Genealogies of Steve Carell – https://www.geni.com
http://www.wikitree.com
Marriage record of Steve’s paternal grandparents, Ernest Caroselli and Marie G. Egle – https://familysearch.org
Steve’s paternal grandfather, Ernest Caroselli, on the 1910 U.S. Census – https://www.familysearch.org
Steve’s paternal grandmother, Marie G. Egle, on the 1900 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org
Steve’s mother on the 1930 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org
Marriage records of Steve’s maternal grandparents, Zygmont/Zigmund/Zygmond/Sigmund Koch and Frances Victoria Tolosky – https://familysearch.org
https://www.wikitree.com
Steve’s maternal grandparents, Zygmont/Zigmund/Zygmond/Sigmund Koch and Frances Victoria Tolosky, on the 1920 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org
Death record of Steve’s maternal grandfather, Zygmont/Zigmund/Zygmond/Sigmund Koch – https://www.wikitree.com
Steve’s maternal grandmother, Frances Victoria Tolosky, on the 1910 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org
Obituary of Steve’s maternal grandmother, Frances Victoria (Tolosky) Koch – http://209.212.22.88
he is polish
His mother’s family has unusual surnames.
He is half, yes.
definitely
Koch is Polish surname, of course he can be Jewish but I don’t think he is.
Thanks Dave.
BTW, if you look at the family tree link, you’ll see that Steve Carell is only 1/4 Italian. His paternal grandmother was born in the US to a German-born father and an US mother.
Notice his mother’s father was named Stanley Koch, as was his mother’s brother.
First, there’s an Ashkenazi Jewish custom not to name your children after yourself, so that’s strike one.
But, most importantly, “Stanley” used to be an incredibly common Polish Catholic-American name. I would guess maybe as many as 1 in 5 Polish Americans had that first names back in that era.
It wasn’t a very common Jewish name, on the other hand. So I would guess his mother is just of Polish Catholic background.