Paula Patton

Patton in 2011, photo by s_bukley / Shutterstock.com

Birth Name: Paula Maxine Patton

Place of Birth: Los Angeles, California, United States

Date of Birth: December 5, 1975

Ethnicity:
*father – African-American
*mother – German, English, smaller amount of Dutch

Paula Patton is an American actress. She is known for her roles in the films Hitch, Idlewild, Déjà Vu (2006), Jumping the Broom, Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire, Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, 2 Guns, Warcraft, and Sacrifice (2019).

Her father, Charles Patton, is black. Her mother, Joyce (Van Raden), who is white, has German, English, and at least 1/16th Dutch, ancestry. Paula has identified herself as Black. She has stated:

I find it [the term “biracial”] offensive. It’s a way for people to separate themselves from African-Americans… a way of saying ‘I’m better than that.’ I’m black because that’s the way the world sees me. People aren’t calling Barack Obama biracial. Most people think there’s a black president.

Paula has a son with her former husband, singer and songwriter Robin Thicke.

Paula’s maternal grandfather was Benjamin Alexander Van Raden/VanRaden, Jr. (the son of Benjamin Van Raden and Grace Read Alexander). Paula’s grandfather Benjamin was born in New York. Paula’s great-grandfather Benjamin was born in Nebraska, the son of Carl Edward Holeman Van Raden, whose father was Dutch and whose mother was German; and of Louisa Bergman, whose parents were German. Paula’s great-grandmother Grace was born in New York, and had English ancestry. Paula’s great-grandmother Grace was the daughter of Robert Read Alexander and Laura Davis, who were from Massachusetts.

Paula’s grandfather Benjamin re-married to Ursula Aeschlimann.

Sources: Genealogy of Paula’s maternal grandfather, Benjamin Alexander Van Raden/VanRaden, Jr. – https://www.wikitree.com

Obituary of Paula’s maternal grandfather, Benjamin Alexander Van Raden/VanRaden, Jr. – http://www.legacy.com

Marriage record of Paula’s maternal great-grandparents, Benjamin Van Raden and Grace Read Alexander – https://familysearch.org

Paula’s maternal great-grandfather, Benjamin Van Raden, on the 1910 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org

Paula’s maternal great-grandmother, Grace Read Alexander, on the 1900 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org

Paula’s maternal great-great-grandparents, Carl Edward Holeman Van Raden and Louisa Bergman, on the 1880 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org