Wentworth Miller
Miller in 2008, Joe Seer / Shutterstock.com
Birth Name: Wentworth Earl Miller III
Place of Birth: Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire, England, U.K.
Date of Birth: June 2, 1972
Ethnicity:
*25% African-American
*25% Jamaican [African, as well as small amount of Scottish]
*25% Rusyn
*12.5% Lebanese
*12.5% Curaçaoan [mix of Dutch, French, Swedish, Hispanic, remote Polish]
Wentworth Miller is an American actor, model, screenwriter, and producer. He has starred on television’s Prison Break, playing Michael Scofield, as well as Dinotopia and The Flash/Legends of Tomorrow, and in the films The Human Stain, Underworld, Resident Evil: Afterlife, and The Loft. He also wrote Stoker and co-wrote The Disappointments Room, both horror-thriller films. He has used the pseudonym Ted Foulke.
Wentworth was born in Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire, England, to American parents, Roxann (Palm), a special education teacher, and Wentworth E. Miller II, a lawyer and teacher. His family moved to Park Slope, Brooklyn, New York, during his early years. He holds dual U.S. and U.K. citizenship.
Wentworth’s father is black, of Jamaican [African, and a small amount of Scottish] ancestry on one side and African-American ancestry on the other. Wentworth’s maternal grandfather’s father was from the Caribbean island of Curaçao, and was of Dutch, French, Swedish, Hispanic, and remote Polish, descent, and Wentworth’s maternal grandfather’s mother was of Lebanese ancestry. Wentworth’s maternal grandmother was the daughter of Rusyn parents.
Regarding his ancestry and his experience with racism, he has said:
My experience is that I find myself having to constantly define myself to others, day-in, day-out… My encounters with racism are sort of second-hand situations where I might be standing around with a group of white friends and someone makes a comment that they wouldn’t make, say, at my family reunion. It leaves a cut. Someone calls you “n______” and it’s like a knife to the gut. To be in that sort of situation it’s just a little nick, but you suffer enough nicks and you bleed to death just the same. So when that happens, you’re confronted with the quandary: do I stop the party, do I grind things to a halt?
Wentworth has mentioned that one of his paternal great-grandmothers was Jewish (which was also written in The New Yorker in 2003). However, Wentworth’s paternal grandfather’s mother was a Black Jamaican, while Wentworth’s paternal grandmother’s mother was an African-American from the Southern United States. Therefore, it is not clear if Wentworth has any documented Jewish ancestry. Similarly, Wentworth has also been described as having English, German, Cherokee Native American, and Russian roots. It is not clear if any of these lineages have been verified/documented.
Wentworth’s paternal grandfather was Wentworth Earl Miller (the son of Claudius/Claude Cephas Miller and Rhena Jane Newman). Wentworth’s grandfather was born in 1925 in New York, to parents who were emigrants from Jamaica. The family is listed as “Negro” (Black) on both the 1930 U.S. Census and the 1940 U.S. census. Claudius was the son of George Miller and Rebecca May. Rhena was the daughter of Richard Pearce/Pierce Newman and Georgiana McDonald Rose. Georgiana’s father, Wentworth’s great-great-great-grandfather, was Scottish.
Wentworth’s paternal grandmother was Pauline Pinkston (the daughter of Greene/Green Fort Pinkston and Penella/Pernella/Percilla Bertha Horne). Pauline was born, c. 1925, in Tennessee. Pauline and her parents are listed as “Negro” (Black) on the 1930 U.S. Census and the 1940 U.S. Census, and “Mulatto” on other censuses, as was common for most African-American families. Greene was a prominent doctor, and was born in Mississippi, the grandson of freed slaves; he was the son of Ritten Pinkston and Fannie Gresham. Wentworth’s great-grandmother Penella was born in Tennessee, the daughter of Jesse/Jessie Henry Horne and Alice Hill. Pauline Pinkston’s second husband was Chester Oden, Jr.
Wentworth’s maternal grandfather was Frederick William Palm (the son of Hendrik/Hendrick “Harry” Frederik Palm and Melekia/Malakia “Margaret” Sabah). Wentworth’s grandfather Frederick was born in New York. Hendrik was born, in 1894, in Willemstad, the capital city of the Caribbean island of Curaçao, the son of Frederick/Frederik Wilhelm Palm, a merchant, and of Maria Josefa Helena “Elene” Conquet, who was born in Santo Domingo. Hendrik’s family had lived on Curaçao for many generations. His ancestry was Dutch (like many people on this island), along with French, Swedish, Hispanic, and remote Polish, with a forebear who was born in Brazil, and who was likely ethnically Dutch. The Palm line originated in Sweden. Wentworth’s great-grandmother Melekia was born in New York. Her parents, Namaan/Naman/Nemen Sabah and Emiline/Emileen/Emily Saba, were emigrants from Beirut, Lebanon. Nemen was the son of Michael Sabah and Anesa Haddad. Emily was the daughter of Abraham Saba and Sada/Saadie Abositty/Abste. This makes Wentworth himself of one eighth Lebanese descent.
Wentworth’s maternal grandmother was Mildred Emiliya/Emilya “Millie” Hawaka (the daughter of Nicholas/Nicolas Hawaka and Florence Busczniewicz). Mildred was born in Pennsylvania. Nicholas was born in Austria, likely of Rusyn descent. Florence was Rusyn.
Sources: Genealogy of Wentworth Miller – https://www.geni.com
Wedding announcement of Wentworth’s parents (with a picture of Wentworth’s mother) – http://news.google.com
Wentworth’s paternal grandfather, Wentworth Earl Miller, on the 1930 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org
Genealogy of Wentworth’s paternal grandmother, Pauline Pinkston – http://familytreemaker.genealogy.com
Wentworth’s paternal grandmother, Pauline Pinkston, on the 1930 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org
Wentworth’s paternal great-grandparents, Greene/Green Fort Pinkston and Penella/Pernella/Percilla Bertha Horne, on the 1920 U.S. Census – https://www.familysearch.org
Article, including picture, about Wentworth’s paternal great-grandfather, Greene/Green Fort Pinkston – http://www.commercialappeal.com
Picture of Greene Fort Pinkston – https://static.wixstatic.com
Wentworth’s paternal great-grandfather, Greene/Green Fort Pinkston, on the 1880 U.S. Census – https://www.familysearch.org
Wentworth’s paternal great-great-grandparents, Ritten Pinkston and Fannie Gresham, on the 1910 U.S. Census – https://www.familysearch.org
Wentworth’s paternal great-grandmother, Penella/Pernella/Percilla Bertha Horne, on the 1910 U.S. Census – https://www.familysearch.org
Death record of Wentworth’s paternal great-great-grandfather, Jesse/Jessie Henry Horne – https://www.familysearch.org
Genealogies of Wentworth’s mother – http://www.myheritage.com
http://gw.geneanet.org
Death records of Wentworth’s maternal grandparents, Frederick William Palm and Mildred Emiliya/Emilya “Millie” (Hawaka) Palm – https://www.findagrave.com
Obituary of Wentworth’s maternal grandfather, Frederick William Palm (with picture) – http://news.google.com
Genealogy of Wentworth’s maternal great-grandfather, Hendrik/Hendrick “Harry” Frederik Palm (in the island of Curaçao) – http://www.henkbeers.nl
Information about Wentworth’s Palm ancestors – http://dominicaanserepubliek.nlambassade.org
http://www.oocities.org
Death record of Wentworth’s maternal great-great-grandfather, Namaan/Naman/Nemen Sabah – https://www.familysearch.org
Death record of Wentworth’s maternal great-great-grandmother, Emiline/Emileen/Emily (Saba) Sabah – https://www.familysearch.org
Death record of Wentworth’s maternal great-great-great-grandfather, Abraham Saba – https://www.familysearch.org
Death record of Wentworth’s maternal great-great-great-grandmother, Sada/Saadie (Abositty/Abste) Saba – https://www.familysearch.org
Wentworth’s maternal grandmother, Mildred Emiliya/Emilya “Millie” Hawaka, on the 1930 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org
Obituary of Wentworth’s maternal grandmother, Mildred Emiliya/Emilya “Millie” (Hawaka) Palm (with picture) – http://www.legacy.com
Geez and I thought being mixed myself with 6 ethnicities was a lot! Lol. Very fascinating stuff!
His is 75% white and 25% black. What’s the confusion? What’s the argument? Why do people waste so much time and energy arguing with facts? Does that make any sense? To those of you who believe in the one drop rule, bite me, or go and bite yourselves. The one drop rule is irrational and retarded. People want everyone who has black in them to say that they are just black. Believe me if god wanted to make us multiracial people black, then he would have. But he made us mixed for a reason. Without our white parents, we would not be alive. Without our black parents we would not be alive. So its foolishness to think that your opinion on the one drop rule is valid, because its not. However, everyone’s opinion is valid to a certain point. But while people have the right to have opinions, many of them are retarded and irrational, unfortunately.
If it is mostly full-blooded black people who are trying to target multiracial people, shame on you guys. Why don’t you just leave us alone and just live your own lives instead of putting your nose into everyone’s business. I don’t know which group of people does it the most, but if it is the monoracials (presumably) blacks who have problems with biracials/multiracials, its maybe you guys that have problems and are trying to project that onto other people. Enough is enough.
i agree to an extent, coming from someone whos multiracial and who has been beaten up by a TON of black people and i mean physically and mentally. BUT im not going to say ALL black people do this, racism can come in any shape or form, meaning black white asian mixed race,anything. So dont put all blacks in that catergory ..ok? Focus on the person rather than race
Right. Then again I didn’t say all, but I said a fair share of them do. They want something to complain about all the time because they feel like their opinions and arguments will always be valid and accepted by everyone, which is false. Just so tired of ignorant folks trying to manipulate other mixed/multiracial people’s lives…tell them who they are, what they look like, what they believe, what they want to believe, how they should identify….like its just getting too much. Everything is what they want, but again it is not about that, its about how the individual views him/herself. Identities can either come from genetics or the environment (like upbringing and culture). We all were brought up differently into different cultures. For genetics, I know there are very intelligent people out there, and on the other hand, very retarded people out there (who probably never went to or finished school). Those are called trolls. The people who understand genetic science and other factors are the ones you can have conversations with because they are accepting and open-minded. So all these assumptions have to stop. And I think people should just start accepting every individual for who they are and be open-minded as we are a multicultural world and I feel like it is important to get to understand other people’s cultures and stuff. It’s just too bad racism and ignorance is still going on.
Thats true, there are people who are half black half white who look mostly black and identify as such and i dont have a problem with that, but at the same time if the kid comes out looking more white than i think they have a right to identify as such, i myself am like this guy im really REALLY white looking which is why most blacks dont accept me when i tell them i have some black in me. BUT, i know not ALL blacks think like that, and it hurts me that you think all black people think like this when its not true. Some whites view me as black so its kinda of the same on the other side. I wish mulattos quadroons and octoroons had been smart enough to create their own culture like the mestizos BUT that wasnt the case.
And who really cares how other people view you? Like honestly it doesn’t mean a damn thing. As long as you know who you are, you what culture you grew up in, and your family/relatives all accept you, then there is no problem really. I’m lucky to have both my Swedish relatives and Nigerian relatives who all accept me. Its really great and I’m thankful that there has not really been much tension because usually with very distinct cultures, you get some relatives who don’t accept you. Nobody has to be accepted by anyone really. Everyone just has to remain true to themselves and live their lives with the people they love and care about. Also in Sweden and Nigeria, there is no retarded rule like the one drop rule. If you are mixed, you are mixed. See I’m getting thumbs down for my comments because people are stupid…they know I’m right, they just want to remain stuck in the same own bubbles and never learn, screw them. And in my case, I’ve had people who thought I was full white and people who thought I was full black (in my lifetime, literally 5 people have maybe thought that, but I can’t read people’s minds). No one really asks me that much though what my ethnicity is, it was more common when I was younger for some reason. “Viewing” means nothing. If you look really really white like I said, and blacks don’t even see you as black, then whites say that you are black? That’s really weird…like I went on this guessmyethnicity website and posted a picture of myself for people to guess what I am. Almost everyone had some sort of European ethnicity in their answer. I got a large variety of ethnicities in Europe for that matter. But anyways…
I can relate to the conversation thread between GeorgeJeanPierre and Sweden because like them I am also mixed (white, black & asian–classify as Hispanic or Latina), with ambiguous features, which upon looking at me, people are never quite sure what I am racially.
I know that it is easy to generalize, but I can honestly say that most of the racism that I’ve encountered in my life to date, has come from blacks, which conflicted with the common thought that it would be whites doing most if not all of it.
I grew up around many Latinos, so I always felt comfortable around “‘mi gente’ (my people)”. I never realized the hurt of racism until one year, my mother and I moved to Illinois and while staying with friends from our country, I attended a public school in Chicago that was pre-dominantly black, at the age of 10. It only lasted a couple months though because of the constant threats I received from the black children who made it very clear that I didn’t belong in their school, it became too stressful for me and my mother. It caused my mother to send me back to Texas to stay with my aunt as my guardian, so that I could finish out the 5th grade among my fellow Latinos.
I recall white kids in school in Texas, who never threatened to beat me up or anything like that. It was only the black kids. And when I got older, every so often my encounters with black girls was unpleasant, whereas with many black boys, it felt that I had to beat them off with their constant advances…There were times it felt like I had to look in the opposite direction in the hopes that they wouldn’t get the wrong idea from me. This is only my experience, so I can’t speak for everyone else.
I have black members in my family, but I will say that culturally, we are simply different from African Americans, because we are influenced by our Latin-Caribbean culture so we practice our daily lives differently and for some reason, there are some African Americans that just don’t understand that and they try to ridicule us for our differences.
But in closing on a positive note, I do have some African American friends who are among the sweetest people I know, so I do know the distinction of that.
Yes sadly Americans are very very very stupid when it comes to race. WEELLL i wouldnt say all white people acutally only one has said that LOL, most white people think im white. But the family i grew up in they all (we arent realted by blood) were black so they see me as white but black. I know its confusing, obviously if a person looks more white than thats the dna thats mostly in them.
What are you mixed with btw? And how about if a person looks mixed, exhibits feature from both races…that’s what it’s been like for me . Most people have not really made a big deal about my ethnic background tbh…wonder if that tells me something.
my mother is german english scottish irish and dutch and my father is african american french canadian west indian native american and arabic. my dad is really light with green eyes but we are from america so he was labeled black and went by as such, he pretty much lives his like as an african american. I look really white. tanish white skin, brown/blonde hair and blue/green/grey eyes . blacks have labeled me white my how life so i go by as such
Wow. Maybe its because your dad had white in him and for that reason you have blue eyes and brownish blond hair. My dad does not have any white in him as he is directly from Nigeria. My mom obviously is full white. Its too bad, I want recessive genes too! I have boring brown eyes, peach skin, dark brown hair…I’m heterozygous for many genes and I’m sure my kids will exhibit blond/brown hair and blue eyes perhaps, who knows. I get jealous of mixed people with blue/green eyes and brown/blond/red hair…why did they get all the cool features and I got boring ones? Not fair.
you right people who think there are of pure race always tend to look down mixed people, hate to break to white and black but at least 30% of white people have black and viceverse without even knowing it
Jose is right.
Just out of curiosity,how did you come up with the 75/25 split?
So you are basically saying that because he looks more caucasian he has the better end of the gene pool??? It is ppl like you that leave the cut Wentworth was speaking of. I’m sure he would be very offenced by that statement.
i always thought he was mix but i didn’t know with what. now i know and it makes him even more adorable.
He is also Malian and Reunionais