Celebrities Who Are Belarusians

Did you know that lots of world celebrities have Belarusian blood running through their veins? We bet you did, but let’s gather them all together (at least most of them) to admire and be proud of. Here is a list of the most high-profile celebrities who in one way or another have Belarusian roots.

 

Gwyneth Paltrow

An American actress, singer, and food writer was born in Los Angeles, California.Her father Bruce Paltrow was from a Jewish family who immigrated from Poland, Lithuania, Russia, and Belarus.Paltrow is keeping in touch with her roots. “I am the result of generations and generations of rabbis back in Minsk. They call it a rabbinical dynasty,” she said in one of her interviews.

 

Paul Landers

German musician, notable as guitarist for Rammstein band is one of the most elusive Belarusians.According to one of the legends, Paul was born in Brest (at least this is what Wikipedia and other sources said).However, in all his interviews Landers denies any connections with Belarus and says he was born in East Berlin.He also claims that he learned Russian only because he had lived in Moscow for some time.Just saying, Landers secretly visited Minsk last September and even walked along Zybickaja street.

 

Steven Tyler and Liv Tyler

The lead singer of the rock band Aerosmith and as a result his daughter Liv Tyler (an American actress and model) had ancestors in Klichev, Mogilev region. Some sources say that after immigrating to America, Steven Tyler’s maternal grandfather felt that his original surname ‘Czarnyszewicz’ is too difficult for the ears of the New World resident and changed it to ‘Blancha’.

 

Amy Winehouse

An extensive family tree of English jazz, soul and R&B singer and songwriter traces her ancestors back to Belarus in the 1800s.Amy Winehouse’s family came to London from Minsk in the late nineteenth century, and she grew up in a secular and assimilated Jewish environment.The Jewish Museum London opened an exhibit in 2013, which delved into her family history as far back as her great-great-grandfather’s immigration from Belarus, in 1890.

 

Harrison Ford

Known for his legendary roles in Indiana Jones film series and Star Wars, the actor was born in Chicago. True, his grandparents are from Belarus who emigrated from Minsk to New York at the beginning of the last century.Ford himself spoke about his ancestors, on the eve of the premiere of the next Indiana Jones film back in 2008.The actor specified, his parents met in America but lived close to each other long before immigration.

 

Scarlett Johansson

One of the most popular, beautiful and world’s highest-paid actresses, Scarlett Johansson spoke about her Belarusian origin at the press conference in Moscow in 2012.Back then she said that her mother was originally from Minsk. The meticulous historians later found out that the star’s great-grandfather and great-grandmother actually lived in Nesvizh.The super-star promised to come to her historic homeland. Well, what can we say, we are still waiting.

 

Kirk and Michael Douglas

One of the most famous and titled actors of the dream factory also has Belarusian roots. His father Kirk Douglas was born in a family of emigrants from Chausy, Mogiliov region.According to Michael Douglas’ memoirs, there were pictures of another famous Belarusian Mark Chagall hanging above his father’s bed. The father of the Oscar-winning actor used to recall his historic homeland, however, his son has never managed to come there.

Read more here

Great Natives of Belarus