Is Jake Gyllenhaal Jewish?

Yes, Jake Gyllenhall is a Jew. Gyllenhaal is known for his roles in October Sky, Donnie Darko, The Good Girl, Brokeback Mountain and Love and Other Drugs.

Gyllenhaal was born in Los Angeles. His parents are film director Stephen Gyllenhaal and film producer and screenwriter Naomi Foner. Maggie Gyllenhaal is his older sister and is also an actress. Gyllenhaal's father is of Swedish and English descent. His mother is from a Jewish family from New York City, and Gyllenhaal has said that he considers himself "more Jewish than anything else."

Gyllenhaal is politically active. He shot a commercial for Rock the Vote during the 2004 presidential election and he also campaigned for Democratic Presidential candidate John Kerry. He has also spoken out against climate change and participated in a campaign for the American Civil Liberties Union.

Is Olivia Wilde Jewish?

Olivia Wilde is not a Jew, although she does have distant Sephardi Jewish ancestry. Wilde is known for her roles in The Girl Next Door, Tron: Legacy, and Cowboys & Aliens.

Wilde was born in New York City. Her mother, Leslie Cockburn, is an American-born 60 Minutes producer and journalist. Her father, Andrew Myles Cockburn, a journalist, was born in London and raised in Ireland. Wilde's ancestry includes English, Irish, Scottish, Manx, and German and she is also of more distant Sephardi Jewish descent from a paternal ancestor, Ralph Bernal, a British Whig politician and actor.

Wilde has dual citizenship in the United States and Ireland. She derived her stage name "Wilde" from Irish author Oscar Wilde, which she changed in high school, to honor the writers in her family, many of whom used pen names.

Is Aaron Swartz Jewish?

Aaron Swartz was Jewish. Aaron Swartz was the technologist and computer programmer who helped develop code that created the RSS feed  as a teenager. Aaron was born November 8, 1986 to Robert and Susan Swartz. He had two younger brothers Noah and Ben. His partner was Taren Stinebrickner-Kauffman, the Executive Director and Founder of Sum Of Us.

According to the NY Times, Aaron Swartz's uncle said that he had apparently hanged himself, and that a friend of Mr. Swartz’s had discovered the body. Aaron’s funeral will be held on Tuesday, January 15 at Central Avenue Synagogue, 874 Central Avenue, Highland Park, Illinois.

The NY TImes reported that, "At 14, Mr. Swartz helped create RSS, the nearly ubiquitous tool that allows users to subscribe to online information. He later became an Internet folk hero, pushing to make many Web files free and open to the public. But in July 2011, he was indicted on federal charges of gaining illegal access to JSTOR, a subscription-only service for distributing scientific and literary journals, and downloading 4.8 million articles and documents, nearly the entire library. Charges in the case, including wire fraud and computer fraud, were pending at the time of Mr. Swartz’s death, carrying potential penalties of up to 35 years in prison and $1 million in fines."

It had been reported that Swartz suffered from depression and had contemplated suicide in the past. "In a talk in 2007, Mr. Swartz described having had suicidal thoughts during a low period in his career. He also wrote about his struggle with depression, distinguishing it from sadness."

Is Alyson Hannigan Jewish?

Alyson Hannigan is a Jew. Hannigan is known for her roles on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, How I Met Your Mother and the American Pie films.

Hannigan was born in Washington, D.C. and is the only child of Emilie Haas and Al Hannigan. Her father is of Irish descent and her mother is Jewish. Her parents divorced when she was two and she was raised mostly by her mother in Atlanta, Georgia.

Hannigan began acting at the age of four in commercials. She later moved to Hollywood and began auditioning for agents. She landed her role on Buffy the Vampire Slayer in 1997 and her career took off from there.

Is Huell Howser Jewish?

Huell Howser was not Jewish. He was a Methodist. Born Huell Burnley Howser on October 18, 1945 in Gallatin, Tennessee, American television personality was best known for California's Gold, his travel show based in Los Angeles at KCET for California PBS stations. Howser received his first name from a portmanteau of his parents' names, Harold and Jewell.

 

Matt Groening, Simpsons creator was a fan of Howser and featured him in two episodes of The Simpsons. In 2011, Howser voiced The Backson in the post-credits scene of Walt Disney Animation Studios's 2011 feature film, "Winnie the Pooh."

Howser mentioned his being a Methodist during his episode covering the Nevada County Fair on California's Golden Fairs.

Is Patti Page Jewish?

Patti Page is not a Jew. Page was an American singer, best known for her traditional pop-music. She sold over 100 million records.

Page was born Clara Ann Fowler in Oklahoma. She was born into a large and poor family. Her father, B.A. Fowler, worked on the MKT railroad and her mother, Margaret, and older sisters picked cotton. She was raised in Foraker, Hardy, Muskogee and Avant, Oklahoma, before attending Daniel Webster High School in Tulsa, from which she graduated in 1945.

Page's success began in 1948 and in 1950 she released Tennessee Waltz, her most popular and best-selling single. Page appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show 18 times and in one appearance, performed Eli, Eli, an emotional Jewish ballad. Sullivan was so moved by her performance that he stumbled over his words while praising Page, saying he was so moved by this "act," rather than saying by this "song."

Page died on January 1, 2013.

Is Brian Schatz Jewish?

Brian Schatz is a Jew. Schatz was named to the Senate to replace Hawaii Senator Daniel Inouye after his death.

Schatz lists his religion as Jewish on his Facebook page, bringing the number of Jewish senators to 11. Schatz was born in Ann Arbor, Michigan. His father is Irwin Schatz, a cardiologist and native of Saint Boniface, Manitoba. When Brian was two years old, his family moved to Hawaii. Schatz studied at Pomona College in Claremont, California and he spent a term studying in Kenya as part of the International Training Program, where he developed skills in public service.

Schatz began his political career in 1998 in the Hawaii House of Representatives and his congressional career began in 2006. In 2010 he became the Lieutenant Governor of Hawaii. Hawaiian senator Daniel Inouye died on December 17, 2012 and Schatz was appointed to replace Inouye, filling the Democratic seat that was once filled by Inouye.

Is Jon Stewart Jewish?

Jon Stewart is a Jew. Stewart is the host of The Daily Show, a talk show on Comedy Central, which he began hosting in 1999.

Stewart was born Jonathan Stuart Leibowitz in New York City, to a Jewish family. He grew up in Lawrenceville, New Jersey, where he attended Lawrence High School. Jon's mother, Marian (née Laskin), is an educational consultant and teacher and his father, Donald, is a professor. According to Stewart, he was subjected to anti-Semitic bullying as a child and he describes himself in high school as "very into Eugene Debs and a bit of a leftist."

Stewart graduated in 1984 from The College of William & Mary in Virginia, where he played on the soccer team and initially majored in chemistry before switching to psychology. While at William & Mary, Stewart became a brother of the Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity. Before becoming the host of The Daily Show, Stewart hosted The Jon Stewart Show on MTV and has released a couple books and voiced a few audiobooks.

Is Ryan Gosling Jewish?

Ryan Gosling is not a Jew. Gosling is known for his roles in The Notebook, Crazy, Stupid, Love, The Ides of March and Blue Valentine.

Gosling was born in London, Ontario. He is the son of Thomas Ray Gosling, a traveling salesman for a paper mill, and Donna, a secretary. Gosling's parents were Mormons and Gosling has said that the religion influenced every aspect of their lives. His parents divorced when he was a child and he and his older sister Mandi lived with their mother, an experience Gosling has credited with programming him "to think like a girl".

Gosling began performing at a young age and dropped out of high school at 17 to focus on acting. He has been nominated for and won many awards for his performances.

Is Emma Stone Jewish?

Emma Stone is not a Jew. Stone is famous for her acting, in films such as The Help, Crazy, Stupid, Love, Easy A and The Amazing Spider-Man.

Stone was born in Scottsdale, Arizona. Stone's parents are Krista (née Yeager), a homemaker, and Jeff Stone, a contractor. Stone's paternal grandfather was of Swedish descent, and his family's surname was anglicized to "Stone" when immigrating to the U.S. through Ellis Island; some of her ancestors also lived in Pennsylvania Dutch Country.

Stone attended Xavier College Preparatory, an all-girl Catholic high school, as a freshman for one semester. She convinced her parents to let her move to California for an acting career and in January 2004, moved with her mother to a Los Angeles apartment, at the age of 15. She was then home schooled, so that she could audition during the day.

Is Joseph Gordon-Levitt Jewish?

Yes, Joseph Gordon-Levitt is a Jew. Gordon-Levitt is an American actor, known for his roles in 500 Days of Summer, Inception, 50/50 and The Dark Knight Rises.

Gordon-Levitt was born in Los Angeles, California. His family is Jewish and his parents were among the founders of the Progressive Jewish Alliance. His father, Dennis Levitt, was once the news director for the Pacifica Radio station, KPFK-FM and his mother, Jane Gordon, ran for the United States Congress in California during the 1970s for the Peace and Freedom Party; she met Dennis Levitt while she was working as the program guide editor for KPFK-FM.

Gordon-Levitt began acting at age 4 and has appeared on TV, in numerous films and on stage. Recently, he has begun directing and producing.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt is married to Tasha McCauley. He married his long-time girlfriend on December 20, 2014 at their Los Angeles home. McCauley is co-founder and CEO of the Silicon Valley-based robotics company Fellow Robots.

Is Beate Gordon Jewish?

Beate Gordon was Jewish. Gordon was born Beate Sirota, the daughter of Russian Jewish parents who at 22 almost single-handedly wrote women’s rights into the Constitution of modern Japan, and then kept silent about it for decades. She was the only woman to become a feminist heroine in Japan in modern times.

Beate Sirota Gordon was born in Vienna on October 25, 1923, and educated in Tokyo. She was the only child of Augustine (Horenstein) and noted pianist Leo Sirota, a Ukrainian Jew who had fled war-torn Russia and settled in Austria. Her uncle was conductor Jascha Horenstein. Sirota's family emigrated to Japan in 1929, when her father was accepted to the faculty of the Imperial Academy of Music (Tokyo University of the Arts). She attended the German School in Tokyo for six years, until the age of twelve, when she transferred to the American School (also in Tokyo) as a result of her parents deeming the German School "too Nazi". Beate Sirota Gordon became a naturalized U.S. citizen in January 1945.

Gordon was a civilian attached to General Douglas MacArthur’s army of occupation after World War II and she was the last living member of the American team that wrote Japan’s postwar Constitution, which gave women the legal rights pertaining to marriage, divorce, property and inheritance.

Beate Sirota Gordon died on Sunday, December 30, 2012 at her home in Manhattan at the age of 89.

Is Bette Midler Jewish?

Bette Midler is a Jew. Midler is best known for her roles Fiddler on the Roof and Salvation on Broadway, as well as for her widely popular music and films.

Midler was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, where her family was one of the few Jewish families in a mostly Asian neighborhood. Her mother, Ruth (née Schindel), was a seamstress and housewife, and her father, Fred Midler, worked at a Navy base in Hawaii as a painter, and was also a housepainter.

Midler is also known by her informal stage name, The Divine Miss M. Her career has spanned almost half a century and Midler has been nominated for two Academy Awards, and won three Grammy Awards, four Golden Globes, three Emmy Awards, and a special Tony Award. She has sold over 30 million albums worldwide.

Throughout her career, many of her songs became hits on the record charts, including "The Rose" and "Wind Beneath My Wings" as well as her renditions of "Do You Wanna Dance?", "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" and "From a Distance". In film, she is known for her roles in  The Rose, Beaches, The First Wives Club, The Stepford Wives, For the Boys and Gypsy.

Is Barbra Streisand Jewish?

Barbra Streisand is a Jew. Streisand is an American singer, actress, writer, film producer and director. She is one of the most well-known and successful entertainers in modern entertainment history.

Streisand was born as Barbara (later changing the spelling of her first name to be unique) Streisand in Brooklyn, New York, the daughter of Diana (née Ida Rosen) and Emanuel Streisand. Her mother was at one time a singer and her father was a high school teacher. Her family was Jewish; her paternal grandparents immigrated from Galicia and her maternal grandparents from Russia. Streisand attended the Jewish Orthodox Yeshiva of Brooklyn, where she gave a solo performance at the age of seven. She later attended Erasmus Hall High School in Brooklyn, where she joined the Freshman Chorus and Choral Club.

Streisand has recorded 50 studio albums and began recording in the 1960s. She has also appeared in such films as Funny Girl, Yentl, Meet the Fockers and The Guilt Trip. Throughout her career she has won many awards, including Academy Awards, Emmy Awards, Grammy Awards and Tony Awards.

Is Norman Schwarzkopf Jewish?

Norman Schwarzkopf was not Jewish. Born Herbert Norman Schwarzkopf on August 22, 1934, the four-star United States Army general was commander of coalition forces in the Persian Gulf War.

Schwarzkopf was born in Trenton, New Jersey. His mother was Ruth Alice (née Bowman) and his father was Herbert Norman Schwarzkopf, who served in the US Army before becoming the Superintendent of the New Jersey State Police.

According to Wikipedia, in 1946, when he was 12, Schwarzkopf and the rest of his family joined their father, stationed in Tehran, Iran, where his father went on to be instrumental in Operation Ajax, eventually forming the Shah's secret police SAVAK, as well. He attended the Community High School in Tehran, later the International School of Geneva at La Châtaigneraie, Frankfurt High School in Frankfurt, Germany and attended and graduated from Valley Forge Military Academy. He was also a member of Mensa.

General Norman Schwarzkopf, known as "Stormin' Norman", died on December 27, 2012.

Is Jim Schwartz Jewish?

Jim Schwartz is not a Jew. Schwartz is the head coach for the Detroit Lions and previously coached the Tennessee Titans and the Baltimore Ravens.

Schwartz was born just outside Baltimore, Maryland and attended Mount Saint Joseph High School, an all-male Catholic school, where he played football. He then played for Georgetown University where he was the team captain. 

In 2011, Schwartz led the Detroit Lions to the playoffs for the first time since 1999. 

Is Paul Rudd Jewish?

Paul Rudd is a Jew. Paul Rudd is best known for his roles in The 40-Year Old Virgin, Anchorman and I Love You, Man. He also played Mike Hannigan on Friends and starred on Broadway in Grace.

Rudd's parents, Michael and Gloria, were both Jewish. Their last name was originally Rudnitzky but was changed by his grandfather to Rudd. Rudd had a bar mitzvah.

Rudd was born in Passaic, New Jersey and was raised in Overland Park, Kansas. He attended the University of Kansas and spent time at the British American Drama Academy based in Oxford, U.K. While attending acting school, Rudd worked as a DJ.

Is Hugh Jackman Jewish?

Hugh Jackman is not Jewish. The actor best known for his roles as Wolverine in X-Men and Jean Valjean in a scene from "Les Misérables" (2012).

Jackman was born in Sydney, New South Wales. His parents were devout Christians, having been converted by Evangelist Billy Graham after their marriage. His parents are Grace McNeil (née Greenwood) and Christopher John Jackman. His parents were English-born and immigrated to Australia. One of Jackman's paternal great-grandfathers was Greek.

Is Jack Klugman Jewish?

Jack Klugman was Jewish. The actor, famous for his role in The Odd Couple, died on December 24, 2012 at his home in Northridge, California.

Klugman was born in Philadelphia, the son of Rose, a hat maker, and Max Klugman, a house painter. Klugman's parents were Russian Jewish immigrants. He attended Carnegie Institute of Technology, now Carnegie Mellon University, where he graduated in 1948.

Klugman, who also starred in the original film version of "12 Angry Men," won two Emmy Awards for his portrayal of sloppy and careless New York sportswriter Oscar Madison. He went on to star in the television series "Quincy, M.E.," in which he played a medical examiner. The other half of the "Odd Couple," Tony Randall, who portrayed the finicky photographer Felix Unger, died in 2004. Klugman also performed in the original Broadway production of "The Odd Couple" as a replacement for Walter Matthau.

Is Hal Schaefer Jewish?

Hal Schaefer was Jewish. Schaefer arranged music for films and served as a vocal coach for Marilyn Monroe and Judy Garland.

He was born to Jewish parents in Queens, New York. His father was a house painter. Shaefer died December 8, 2012.

Is Richard Engel Jewish?

Richard Engel is Jewish. The American television journalist and author is best known as NBC News's chief foreign correspondent. Engel was assigned to that position after being the network's Middle East correspondent and Beirut Bureau chief. Before joining NBC News, he covered the start of the 2003 war in Iraq from Baghdad for ABC News as a freelance journalist.

Richard Engel grew up in a Jewish family on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, New York City. He was diagnosed with dyslexia as a child. He has an older brother who is a cardiologist. His father is a former Goldman Sachs financier. His mother Nina used to run an antiques store.

Engel reads and speaks Arabic fluently and is also fluent in Italian and Spanish. He has published two books.  "A Fist in the Hornet's Nest" is about his experience covering the Iraq War from Baghdad and his most recent book "War Journal: My Five Years in Iraq" is a sequel to the first publication.

Richard Engel was been missing in Syria for a week along with Turkish correspondent for NBC, Aziz Akyavas when the two were taken hostage. The hostages were subsequently released on December 18, 2012. 

Is Jack Antonoff Jewish?

Jack Antonoff is Jewish. The guitarist and vocalist of the indie band fun. is Jewish and attended a Solomon Schechter Day School.

Antonoff grew up in New Milford, New Jersey and attended elementary school at the Solomon Schechter Day School of Bergen County, New Jersey. In high school he was a classmate of Scarlett Johansson, whom he dated from 2001 to 2002. There are rumors that he is dating Lena Dunham, the author and star of HBO's "Girls."

Antonoff has been a guest blogger for The Huffington Post where he has written in favor of gay rights and of the importance of straight allies.

Is Larry Hagman Jewish?

Larry Hagman was not Jewish. The actor known most for his role as oil baron J.R. Ewing on Dallas was not a Jew.

Hagman was born in Fort Worth, Texas to Mary Martin and Benjamin Jackson "Jack" Hageman. His father was a lawyer, accountant, and district attorney, while his mother was an actress. His father was of Swedish descent.

Hagman's parents divorced in 1936, when he was five years old. He lived with his grandmother in Texas and California while his mother became a contract player with Paramount in 1938. In 1940, his mother met and married Richard Halliday.

The actor died in November 2012.

Is Deborah Raffin Jewish?

Deborah Raffin was Jewish. Raffin was born in Los Angeles, California to Trudy Marshall, a Brooklyn-born former movie actress, and Phillip Jordan Raffin, a restaurateur and business executive.

Raffin was known as movie star and the founder of a large audio-book company. Raffin and her husband, movie producer Michael Viner, launched the audio-book company Dove Books-on-Tape in the mid-'80s, publishing a profitable mix of titles that included Sidney Sheldon's "The Naked Face" and Stephen Hawking's "A Brief History of Time."

According to her Wikipedia entry, Raffin appeared in several 1970s Hollywood films. Her 1976 television movie Nightmare in Badham County became a theatrical hit in mainland China, making Raffin a star there, and leading to her later becoming the first Western actress ever to make a movie promotion tour in that country. She was nominated for both a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress - Motion Picture Drama and a Razzie Award for Worst Actress for her performance in Touched by Love in 1981.

In 1988, she starred in James Clavell's Noble House with Pierce Brosnan. In 1991, she appeared as Julie Vale, a telepath, in the cult film Scanners II: The New Order. She later appeared as Aunt Julie on the television show 7th Heaven, and as Dr. Hightower in the ABC Family teenager series, The Secret Life of the American Teenager.

Together with Michael Viner, who predeceased her in 2009, the couple had one child and divorced in 2005. Raffin died in her native Los Angeles on November 21, 2012, aged 59, from leukemia.

Is Demi Lovato Jewish?

Demi Lovato is not Jewish. The famous teen actress and singer announced in a tweet on Twitter that she is part Jewish. The teenage celeb using her Twitter handle @ddlovato tweeted to @jCarolinaa_ that she found out that she's Jewish in addition to several other nationalities and races. (see the tweet below)

demetria lovato ‏@ddlovato

@jCarolinaa_ actually - I found out that I am Irish, Hispanic, Native American, Portuguese and Jewish!!!

According to her Wikipedia entry, Lovato's ancestry includes Mexican, Irish, Italian, and English roots. She was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico on August 20, 1992, and raised in Dallas, Texas. She is the daughter of Dianna Hart de la Garza (born Dianna Lee Smith) and Patrick Martin Lovato. She has an older sister, Dallas Lovato, and a younger half-sister, Madison de la Garza, from her mother's re-marriage. Her mother was a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader and country music recording artist.

Is David Gregory Jewish?

Yes, David Gregory, a journalist and host of NBC's Meet the Press, is Jewish. Gregory was born to a Jewish father and non-Jewish mother, but was raised in the Jewish faith and now lives an active Jewish life.

Gregory told the Washington Jewish Week that he says a bedtime Sh'ma prayer with his children as a way to model Judaism for them and "create a Jewish narrative in their lives that's not just obligatory." In the same article, he said that he has studied Torah with Erica Brown, scholar-in-residence of the Greater Washington Jewish Federation.

David Gregory was born in Los Angeles, California to Carolyn Surtees, an account manager, and Don Gregory, a film and theatrical producer. Gregory has been the NBC chief White House correspondent and is an occasional personality on NBC's Today Show.

Gregory is married to former federal prosecutor and former Fannie Mae executive vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary, Beth Wilkinson, who is not Jewish. The couple met while Gregory was covering the Oklahoma City bombing as a reporter and Wilkinson was serving as prosecutor on the case. The couple has a son and twins — one daughter and one son.

According to Wikipedia, Gregory was assigned by NBC to the press corps covering George W. Bush when he ran for president in 2000. During the campaign, Bush threw a party for Gregory's 30th birthday, complete with cake, on the campaign plane. Bush has nicknamed Gregory "Stretch" because of his height (6'5") and also "Dancing Man," for Gregory's occasional propensity to display his dance moves.

Is Bob Denver Jewish?

Bob Denver was not Jewish. Known for his role as Gilligan in the TV show Gilligan's Island, Bob Denver was Catholic.

Denver was born in New Rochelle, New York, and raised in Brownwood, Texas. He graduated from Loyola University (predecessor to today's Loyola Marymount University) in Los Angeles, California. After attending the Sylvia Herpolscheimer Academy for Performance Arts, he first found work as a mailman. He later coached physical education and taught mathematics at Corpus Christi School, a Roman Catholic elementary school in Pacific Palisades, California.

Is Art Modell Jewish?

Art Modell was Jewish. The owner of the Cleveland Browns and then the Baltimore Ravens was Jewish. Modell is the grandson of the late Morris Modell who founded the northeast sporting goods store chain Modell's in 1889. He is also the son of late Modell's executive Henry Modell.

Modell moved the NFL Cleveland Browns to Baltimore in 1996. The Jewish business tycoon and mega philanthropist died in September 2012.

Is Pat Monahan Jewish?

Pat Monahan is not Jewish. Born Patrick Monahan on February 28, 1969 in Erie, Pennsylvania, the singer-songwriter, musician and occasional actor is not a Jew. Monahan is the lead singer and songwriter for the band Train and has also recorded a solo album.

In the Train song "50 Ways to Say Goodbye", Monahan hand sings about his lover leaving him on Yom Kippur, the Jewish day of repentance. No word on why Monahan chose Yom Kippur to be used in the lyrics, but he is certainly not Jewish.

Is Novak Djokovic Jewish?

Tennis star Novak Djokovic is not Jewish. He was born in Belgrade, Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, to parents Srđan and Dijana Đoković. His religion is Serbian Orthodox Christian.

While the tennis champion isn't Jewish, he has many close relationships with Israeli Jews, including his long-time managers and fitness coaches.