You’ll Never Believe Which Classic Stars Are Descended From Pilgrims
As you serve up that turkey and pumpkin pie this Thanksgiving, you won’t just be honoring the first pilgrim settlers in the U.S.; you’ll also be honoring the ancestors of … Richard Gere?! Yes, the American Gigolo himself is the descendant of multiple pilgrims who voyaged to the U.S. aboard the Mayflower. But Gere isn’t alone in making the voyage from the Mayflower to Hollywood — a surprising number of classic stars can trace their families back to the original pilgrims.
Being descended from Mayflower passengers isn’t as rare as it sounds; in fact, roughly 35 million people can trace their family history back to the 102 passengers on the ship, which landed on American soil in 1620. But even though having a pilgrim in the family is more common than you might think, some stars who have Mayflower-era connections are surprising … not least of all because it means some unexpected stars are technically related.
Which stars have a family connection to Plymouth Rock? Read on and find out … we promise, at least a few will surprise you!
Christopher Reeve
It’s a bird, it’s a plane … it’s a Mayflower descendent! Reeve wasn’t just descended from William Bradford, Mayflower pilgrim and Plymouth Colony governor — he was also descended from French aristocracy.
Humphrey Bogart
Here’s looking at you, pilgrims! Bogart was descended from John Howland, which makes him a distant relative of Alec Baldwin and the Baldwin clan.
Katharine Hepburn
Well, no one’s surprised by this one, right? Hepburn was synonymous with New England aristocracy, so it only makes sense that she was descended from one of the area’s founding families, the Brewsters (which makes her distantly related to Bing Crosby).
Great scott! Back to the Future and Taxi star Lloyd is descended from pilgrim John Howland, which makes him related to Humphrey Bogart and the Baldwin family.
Richard Gere
The Pretty Woman star is actually descended from six different Mayflower passengers, including Samuel Fuller and Richard Warren — which makes him distantly related to James Spader, as well as Matt Damon, Ernest Hemingway, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Taylor Swift.
Marilyn Monroe
Monroe was well-known for her rough-and-tumble childhood, which is not in line with the typical image of Mayflower descendants as blue bloods. But she was related to the pilgrims through her absentee father, Charles Stanley Gifford. Descended from John Alden, she is a distant relative of Orson Welles and Dick Van Dyke.
Orson Welles
The cinematic genius behind Citizen Kane was descended from John Alden, which makes him distantly related to both Marilyn Monroe and Dick Van Dyke.
Jodie Foster
One of the most acclaimed actresses of her generation, Foster is related to pilgrim John Alden through her father, with whom she never had a relationship.
James Spader
80s teen heartthrob-turned-2010s TV drama star Spader is a Bostonian with deep family roots in New England, so it should come as no surprise that he’s related to pilgrim Richard Warren.
Bing Crosby
The famous song-and-dance man is descended from William Brewster, a pilgrim who left Britain because he was wanted by the law for printing his own religious pamphlets. This makes Crosby distantly related to Katharine Hepburn.
Jane Fonda
The Academy Award-winning Fonda, who is famous for everything from appearing in everything from Barbarella to 9 to 5 to her own workout videos, isn’t just descended from Henry Fonda — she can also trace her heritage back to multiple Mayflower passengers.
Dick Van Dyke
Legendary comedian Van Dyke is related to multiple Mayflower passengers, including Plymouth Colony commander Myles Standish. His relation to pilgrim John Alden makes him a relative of Orson Welles and Marilyn Monroe.
Sally Field
Gidget goes pilgrim! Oscar-winning actress Field is descended from William Bradford, who was the governor of the Plymouth Colony. Which makes her a distant relative of …
Clint Eastwood
The good, the bad, and the Mayflower! Actor and director Eastwood is also descended from William Bradford (though we doubt he and Field have ever attended a joint family reunion).
Meryl Streep
Though the legendary actress’ background is largely Swiss and German, Streep is related to early pilgrim Henry Howland, whose brother, John Howland, was on the Mayflower. Henry ended up in Plymouth Colony, as well, though there’s a little confusion about exactly when he sailed over.
Alec Baldwin
’80s and ’90s film hunk-turned-2000s-comedy star Baldwin is descended from pilgrim John Howland, which means that he and all of his celeb brothers are distantly related to Humphrey Bogart.
Home For The Holidays
November 2021
Celebrate the holidays with your favorite classic stars!
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