AARP Hearing Center
Jump to Section
Fred Armisen, 53, actor, comedian
oe Scarnici/Getty Images for New York Magazine
Fereydun Robert Armisen, a Saturday Night Live cast member from 2002 to 2013 and star of Portlandia, is half Venezuelan, a quarter German and a quarter Korean. His mother, the former Hildegardt Mirabal Level, was born in San Fernando de Apure, Venezuela, but met his father when both were students at the University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg, where Fred Armisen was born. The first character he played on SNL, Fericito, was inspired by his mother and grandmother's nickname for him.
Benjamin Bratt, 56, actor, producer
Christopher Willard/ABC
Known for his recurring role on TV's Law and Order and supporting roles in Miss Congeniality and Traffic, Benjamin Bratt is the son of the former Eldy Banda, a Native American activist. Banda, born in Peru of Quechuan ethnicity, moved to San Francisco as a teen. In 1969 after fire had destroyed the city's American Indian Center, the divorced mom of three took her 5-year-old son and his siblings to help occupy Alcatraz, claiming the then-shuttered federal prison for all the tribes of North America.
Bobby Cannavale, 50, actor
Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic
Bobby Cannavale has won Emmys for his work in comedy Will & Grace and drama Boardwalk Empire. His mother, Isabel, left Cuba in 1960 for Union City, New Jersey, and fell in love with the boy across the street, Sal Cannavale. When the future actor was 5 years old, his parents divorced and he spent time shuttling between two households, including living in Puerto Rico.
Helena Bonham Carter, 54, actress
Charles Sykes/Bravo/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images
The British actress most recently known for portraying Britain's Princess Margaret on The Crown has high-society ancestry on her father's side; she's the great-granddaughter of a prime minister. Her maternal grandfather, Eduardo Propper de Callejón, was a member of Spain's diplomatic corps and helped arrange for the escape of thousands of Jews from France during World War II.
Mariah Carey, 50, singer, songwriter
Todd Williamson/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images via Getty Images
Though Mariah Carey has Irish roots on her mother's side, her paternal grandfather, Francisco Roberto Núñez, emigrated from Venezuela. When he came to the United States, he decided to anglicize his first and middle names and chose an English/Irish surname, becoming Frank Robert Carey. Although she has recorded Spanish language versions of some songs in the past, this month she released an extended-play album, Mariah En Español, with seven hits from the 1990s.
Lynda Carter, 69, actress, singer
Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for Michael Kors
Known best for her role as Wonder Woman in the 1970s, Lynda Carter was born Linda Jean Cordova Carter in Phoenix. Her mother, the former Juana Córdova, was born in Chihuahua, Mexico. Since her superhero days, Carter has played the president of the United States, President Olivia Marsdin on CW's Supergirl; released three albums, including 2018's Red Rock N’ Blues (plus another one while she was on Wonder Woman); and been honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
