Lana Wachowski and Lilly Wachowski

Lana Wachowski (right) and Lilly Wachowski in 2012, photo by s_bukley/bigstockphoto.com

Birth Name:
*Laurence Wachowski
*Andrew Paul Wachowski

Place of Birth: Chicago, Illinois, U.S.

Date of Birth:
*June 21, 1965 (Lana)
*December 29, 1967 (Lilly)

Ethnicity:
*father – Polish
*mother – Irish, German, English, small amounts of Dutch, Scottish, remote Swiss-German

Lana Wachowski and Lilly Wachowski are American film and television directors, writers, and producers, collectively known as The Wachowskis or The Wachowski Sisters. The two directed and wrote the films Bound (1996), The Matrix, The Matrix Reloaded, The Matrix Revolutions, Speed Racer (2008), and Jupiter Ascending; and, with Tom Tykwer, co-directed and co-wrote the film Cloud Atlas. They also co-wrote the films Assassins (1995) and V for Vendetta, co-wrote The Animatrix, and directed the music video for “Epilepsy Is Dancing.” They also directed the video games Enter the Matrix, The Matrix Online, and The Matrix: Path of Neo; they wrote the first and third video games, and also wrote for the comic books The Matrix Comics and Doc Frankenstein. They also co-created the show Sense8, which they also wrote for and directed episodes of. Lana directed and co-wrote the film The Matrix Resurrections, has written for the comic books Clive Barker’s Hellraiser, Clive Barker’s Nightbreed, Clive Barker’s Book of the Damned, and Ectokid, and directed and wrote the video game The Matrix Awakens. Lilly has directed episodes of, and written for, the show Work in Progress. Lana and Lilly are trans women. For the first two decades of their careers, they were credited as The Wachowski Brothers.

Lana and Lilly’s father, Ron Wachowski, was a businessperson, of Polish descent. Their mother, Lynne (Luckinbill), was a nurse and painter, of Irish, German, English, small amounts of Dutch and Scottish, and remote Swiss-German, descent. Their sister, Julie, is a novelist and screenwriter. Their uncle is actor, playwright, director, and producer Laurence Luckinbill. Lana is married to Karin Winslow, who has been a dominatrix under the name Ilsa Strix. Lilly is married to Alisa Blasingame.

Lana and Lilly’s maternal grandfather was Laurence Benedict Luckinbill (the son of Frederick/Fred Albert Luckinbill and Lucy Ann Nicholson/Nichelsen). Lana and Lilly’s grandfather Laurence was born in Braggs, Oklahoma, to parents from Iowa. Lucy was the daughter of Robert Nicholson, who was born in County Leitrim, Ireland.

Lana and Lilly’s maternal grandmother was Agnes Sarah Nulph (the daughter of George Owen Nulph, Jr. and Sarah Leonard). Agnes was born in Ft. Smith, Sebastian, Arkansas. George was born in Ringgold, Iowa, the son of George John Nulph, who was of German descent, and of Sarah Walker. Lana and Lilly’s great-grandmother Sarah was born in Independence, Kansas, the daughter of Dennis Leonard and Sarah Farmer.

Sources: Genealogies of Lana Wachowski and Lilly Wachowski (focusing on their mother’s side) – https://www.geni.com
https://www.wikitree.com

Lana and Lilly’s mother on the 1940 U.S. Census – https://www.familysearch.org