Rachel Weisz

Weisz in 2009, cinemafestival / Shutterstock.com

Birth Name: Rachel Hannah Weisz

Place of Birth: Westminster, London, England, U.K.

Date of Birth: 7 March, 1970

Ethnicity: Ashkenazi Jewish (at least three quarters), as well as Austrian-Italian

Rachel Weisz is a British actress and model. She won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for The Constant Gardener (2005). Her roles also include the films Chain Reaction, Stealing Beauty (1996), Bent (1997), Going All the Way, Swept from the Sea, I Want You, The Land Girls, The Mummy, and its sequel, The Mummy Returns; Sunshine (1999), Tube Tales, Beautiful Creatures, Enemy at the Gates, About a Boy, Confidence (2003), The Shape of Things, Runaway Jury, Envy (2004), Constantine (2005), The Fountain, Eragon, Fred Claus, My Blueberry Nights, Definitely, Maybe; The Brothers Bloom, The Lovely Bones, Agora, The Whistleblower (2010), 360, Dream House, The Deep Blue Sea (2011), The Bourne Legacy, To the Wonder, Oz the Great and Powerful, The Lobster, Youth (2015), Complete Unknown, The Light Between Oceans, Denial (2016), My Cousin Rachel, Disobedience, The Mercy (2017), The Favourite (2018), and Black Widow (2021); the series Scarlet and Black, Dead Ringers, and Vladimir; the made-for-tv movies My Summer with Des and Page Eight; and many works on stage. She is also known by her married name Rachel Weisz Craig.

Rachel is the daughter of Edith Ruth (Teich), a teacher and psychotherapist, and George Weisz, a mechanical engineer and inventor. Her father was born in Hungary, and her mother was from Vienna, Austria; both moved to the U.K. around 1938. Her sister, Minnie Weisz, is a photographic artist. Rachel is married to actor Daniel Craig. She has a son with her former partner, American director and filmmaker Darren Aronofsky; and a daughter with Daniel. Rachel has also become a U.S. citizen.

Rachel’s father was from a Jewish family, and among his ancestors were Hungarian Jews, Austrian Jews, Polish Jews, Czech Jews, Slovak Jews, German Jews, and Lithuanian Jews. Rachel’s maternal grandfather was an Austrian Jew. Rachel’s maternal grandmother was Catholic, and of Italian, and possibly non-Jewish Austrian, background. Rachel’s mother attended a Catholic school. Rachel’s mother later formally converted to Judaism when marrying Rachel’s father.

Scholar The Rev. James Parkes helped Rachel’s mother’s family leave for the U.K., as he did many Jews during the Holocaust.

Rachel’s paternal grandfather was named Joir/Yair/Yoir Weisz/Weiss (the son of Moshe Weisz/Weiss, and of a mother whose surname was Klein). Yair was born in Pressburg or Bratislava, Slovakia, to a Jewish family.

Rachel’s paternal grandmother was Kato/Katherine/Katherina Glickel Sternberg (the daughter of József Sternberg and Asenath/Osnat Nitzevet/Nina Hirschler). Katherine was born in Budapest, Hungary, to Jewish parents. József was the son of Rabbi Moshe Sternberg, whose own father was from Sighetu Marmatiei, Maramureș County, Romania. Asenath was born in Vienna, Austria, the daughter of Moshe Nahum/Nachum Hirschler and Glickel Kaethi/Katie Rivka Gins-Schlesinger, whose own father was a rabbi, from Rogasen, Poland.

Rachel’s maternal grandfather was Alexander Teich (the son of Pinkas Teich and Jochweda Wassermann). Alexander was a secretary of the World Union of Jewish Students.

Rachel’s maternal grandmother possibly was named Anna Bassi.

Weisz in 2008, photo credit: christopherharte

Sources: Information about Rachel’s Jewish background – http://www.jewishjournal.com
http://www.magxone.com

Genealogy of Rachel Weisz – http://www.geni.com