William H. Macy

Macy in 2014, photo by Prphotos

Birth Name: William Hall Macy, Jr.

Place of Birth: Miami, Florida, U.S.

Date of Birth: March 13, 1950

Ethnicity: Scottish, English, smaller amounts of Irish, French/Cajun, Welsh, Swiss-German, and Dutch, 1/64th Spanish, 1/512 Choctaw Native American

William H. Macy is an American actor, teacher, writer, and director. His roles include Fargo, Air Force One, Pleasantville, Magnolia, The Cooler, Wild Hogs, and Boogie Nights, among many other films, and the show Shameless.

He is the son of Lois Elizabeth (Overstreet) and William Hall Macy, a WWII veteran who received the Distinguished Flying Cross and an Air Medal for piloting a B-17 Flying Fortress bomber. His mother was widowed when her first husband died in WWII. William was raised in Georgia and Cumberland, Maryland. He is married to actress Felicity Huffman, with whom he has two children. William often talks about his Lutheran faith.

William’s patrilineal line can be traced to Thomas Macy, who was born, c. 1605/1608, in England. Thomas was among the early European owners and settlers of Nantucket, Massachusetts.

William’s paternal grandfather was Albert Hall Macy (the son of William Henry Macy and Emily de la Montagnie/Montagne). Albert was born in Goshen, Orange, New York. William’s great-grandfather William was the son of John I. Macy and Jane Hall, who was born in Little Broughton, Cumberland, England. Emily was the daughter of William de la Montagnie, Jr. and Cornelia McMullen, whose father was born in Ireland. Through his Macy line, William is a distant cousin of Rowland Hussey Macy, who founded R. H. Macy & Co. (now Macy’s), and of actor Ethan Hawke.

William’s paternal grandmother was Elizabeth Cowan Somerville/Sommerville/Summerville (the daughter of John Somerville and Clementine Cowan McLeyne). Elizabeth was born in Barton, Allegany, Maryland. John was Scottish, from Cambusnethan, Lanark, and was the son of John Somerville/Sommerville and Agnes Russell. Clementine had Scottish and Irish ancestry, and was the daughter of John McLeyne, who was born in Ireland, and of Katharine Cowan.

William’s maternal grandfather was Clement Overstreet (the son of Ellis G. Overstreet and Isabella/Isabelle Quave). Clement was born in Moss Point, Jackson, Mississippi. Ellis was the son of Jacob H. “Jake” Overstreet and Sarah Elizabeth Loper. Isabella was the daughter of Ursant/Usant Quave, whose father was a slaveowner, and whose own grandfather, Juan/Jean de Cuevas/Coueve/Quave/Quaive/Quaivie, known as the “Hero of Cat Island,” was from Seville, Andalusia, Spain; and of Sarah Davis.

William’s maternal grandmother was Mary Lois Everitt (the daughter of Horace Benjamin Everitt and Martha Leticia/Letitia “Mattie” Roberts). Mary was born in Meridian, Lauderdale, Mississippi. Horace was the son of George Gaines Everitt/Everett and Mary Ann Mayers/Myers. Martha was the daughter of Aaron Roberts and Martha Hearn.

William is a third cousin, once removed, of actor and singer Chord Overstreet and musician Nash Overstreet. William’s maternal great-grandfather, Ellis G. Overstreet, was a brother of Chord and Nash’s paternal great-great-grandfather William Sharkey Overstreet.

William is also a fourth cousin, once removed, of professional football player Brett Favre and journalist and author Cokie Roberts. William’s maternal great-great-great-grandparents, Pierre/Perrique Baptiste Quave/Cuevas/Coueve/Quaive/Quaivie and Mary/Marie Louise Ladner, were also Brett’s maternal great-great-great-great-grandparents. William is a cousin of Cokie through the same line.

A DNA test on the show Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates, Jr. (2017) found that William has a common ancestor with actress Mary Steenburgen.

Sources: Genealogies of William H. Macy – https://www.geni.com
https://famouskin.com

Genealogies of William’s parents – https://www.findagrave.com

William’s father on the 1930 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org

Genealogy of William H. Macy (focusing on his mother’s side) – https://wmstrother.org

William’s mother on the 1930 U.S. Census – https://www.familysearch.org

Genealogy of William’s maternal great-great-grandfather, Ursant/Usant Quave – https://www.wikitree.com