Brewster in 2011, photo by Helga Esteb / Shutterstock.com
Place of Birth: Panama City, Panama
Date of Birth: April 26, 1980
Ethnicity:
*English, Scottish, Irish (father)
*Brazilian (mother)
Jordana Brewster is an American actress and model. She is known for starring as Mia, the sister of Vin Diesel’s character, in the The Fast and the Furious films.
Jordana was born in Panama City, Panama, grew up in London, England and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil until the age of ten, and then moved to New York City. Her father, Alden Brewster, is American-born, and has English, Scottish, and Irish ancestry. Her mother, Maria João Leão de Sousa, is Brazilian, and is of at least part Portuguese ancestry. Jordana talked about her Brazilian heritage in an interview with Craig Ferguson. Jordana is married to producer Andrew Form, with whom she has two children. Her sister, Isabella, is married to basketball player Baron Davis.
Jordana’s patrilineal line traces to William Brewster (c. 1566-1644), a Mayflower passenger and noted Pilgrim. Among many of William’s other descendants are actors Paget Brewster, Chevy Chase, Taylor Lautner, Seth MacFarlane, and Elisabeth Shue, actors and models Noah Mills and Brandon Routh, soccer player Clint Dempsey, Massachusetts Governor Bill Weld, U.S. Vice Presidents Hannibal Hamlin and Nelson Rockefeller, and Governor of Arkansas Winthrop Rockefeller. Branches of Jordana’s family have been in the United States, and, specifically, in New England, since the 1600s.
Jordana’s paternal grandfather was Kingman Brewster, Jr. (the son of Kingman Brewster and Florence Foster Besse). Jordana’s grandfather Kingman was born in Massachusetts, U.S., and served as the 8th Provost of Yale University, from 1960 to 1963, President of Yale University, from 1963 to 1977, the 55th U.S. Ambassador to the U.K., from June 3, 1977 to February 23, 1981, and Master of University College, Oxford, from 1986 to 1988. Jordana’s great-grandfather Kingman was the son of Charles Kingman Brewster and Celina Sophia Baldwin. Florence was the daughter of Lyman Waterman Besse and Henrietta Louisa Seger/Segee.
Jordana’s paternal grandmother was Mary Louise Phillips (the daughter of Eugene James Phillips and Mary L. Griffin). Jordana’s grandmother Mary Louise was born in Rhode Island. Eugene was the son of Riley E. Phillips, who was born in Connecticut, and of Frances L., who was Scottish. Jordana’s great-grandmother Mary L. was the daughter of John H. Griffin, who was of Irish descent, and of Kate.
Jordana’s maternal grandfather was named Fernando de Sousa. de Sousa is a Portuguese surname. Jordana’s mother also has the surname Leal in her family tree, which is often Portuguese. On rarer occasions, it is Spanish.
Sources: Genealogies of Jordana Brewster (focusing on her father’s side) – http://worldconnect.rootsweb.ancestry.com
https://www.geni.com
http://famouskin.com
Jordana’s paternal grandmother, Mary Louise Phillips, on the 1930 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org
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