16 Mixed Race Celebrities Conquering Hollywood

Mixed race celebrities are gaining wider recognition in Hollywood with their show-stealing performances in Oscar-worthy classics and summer blockbusters. Some of the top leading men and women have a mixed race background. Also known as biracial and multiracial, mixed race celebrities have more than one ethnicity or race.

These celebs often face many obstacles and challenges being of a mixed race, but they are overcoming every obstacle put in their path to become the most famous Hollywood celebrities and highest-paid stars. They let their skills and talent shine through to land all the significant roles and win every award. Here’s a look at 16 mixed-race celebrities who are kicking ass. 

1. Halle Berry

Best known for her roles in X-Men and Monster’s Ball, Halle Berry cemented her legacy by becoming the first and only African American woman to win an Oscar in the category of leading actress. Berry is incredibly proud of her mixed-race background as she breaks down barriers in Hollywood.

Her white mother was originally from England and moved to the US where she met Berry’s African American father. Despite being estranged from her father, Berry’s proud of both her African American and English heritage. 

2. Dwayne Johnson

The half-black, half-Samoan Dwayne Johnson is one of the most recognizable stars in Hollywood. His career continues to flourish as he stars in the upcoming DC flick Black Adam and is part owner of the XFL. The famous movie star has a mixed race background and comes from two renowned wrestling families.

Johnson’s legendary father, former wrestler Rocky Johnson was a Black Nova Scotian with Irish ancestry. Johnson’s mother, Ata, is Samoan and the daughter of former wrestler Peter Mavia.

3. Tracee Ellis Ross

Few actresses compare with Tracee Ellis Ross. She won numerous awards for her breakout performance in Girlfriends and her critically acclaimed role in Black-ish. Ross managed to carve out her own legacy despite being the daughter of Motown icon Diana Ross.

Tracee’s legendary mother is African American, while her father, music manager Robert Ellis Silberstein, is of Jewish ancestry. She chose the professional name Tracee Ellis Ross so she could pay tribute to both sides of her mixed-race heritage. 

4. Mariah Carey

The five-time Grammy-award winner Mariah Carey became a household name in the 90s with classic singles and chart-topping albums. Carey remains a pop culture icon and R&B legend.

With a mixed race background, Carey recently opened up about the struggles and challenges of being multiracial on Meghan Markle’s  podcast. Carey’s father, Alfred Roy Carey, is African-American and Venezuelan, while her mother, Patrica, is of Irish heritage. 

5. Lenny Kravitz

Known for hit singles like “Again” and “Fly Away,” Lenny Kravtiz rose to the top of the Billboard charts during the 90s. With a multiracial background, Kravtiz followed in the footsteps of his African American mother, actress Roxie Roker. His father, NBC news producer Sy Kravtiz had Russian/Jewish heritage.

Later, Kravitz married actress Lisa Bonet who is also half African American and half Russian Jewish. They have one daughter together, actress Zoe Kravtiz. 

6. Meghan Markle

Since joining the Royal family, Megan Markle can’t escape the intense spotlight. The Duchess of Sussex rose to fame with her breakout performance in the hit series Suits. Later, she made headlines after marrying the youngest son of King Charles III, Prince Harry.

Identifying as mixed race, Markle’s mother is African American, and her father’s white. Markle doesn’t hide the fact that she’s proud to be half-white and half-black. 

7. Angelina Jolie

Considered one of the most beautiful people alive, iconic movie star Angelina Jolie is also a famous mixed race celebrity today. She’s the daughter of actor Jon Voight who has Slovak and German roots. Her mother, actress Marcheline Bertrand, has French-Canadian ancestry with Native American lineage. 

8. Derek Jeter 

Icons and legends have played for the famed New York Yankees. However, none compare to the legendary Derek Jeter. In fact, Jeter was a vital part of winning five World Series titles with the Yankees.

The Yankees Hall of Famer’s parents met in Germany while serving in the United States Army. As a famous multiracial sports star, Jeter has Irish, English, and German heritage on his mother’s side, while his father is African American. 

9. Olivia Munn

After portraying Sloan Sabbith in HBO’s The Newsroom, Olivia Munn’s career skyrocketed with appearances in Magic Mike, X-Men: Apocalypse, and The Predator.

Born in Oklahoma, Munn has English, German, and Irish lineage on her dad’s side. He met Munn’s mother, a Vietnamese refugee, in the late 70s after she left Vietnam due to the war. Munn has Chinese ancestry on her mother’s side as well. 

10. Maya Rudolph

Comedian and actress Maya Rudolph became a household name as a cast member of the iconic sketch comedy Saturday Night Live. Soon everyone knew her name with her roles in hit comedies like Bridesmaids.

However, her name already went out over the airwaves as a child. Rudolph’s mother, singer Minnie Riperton, repeats “Maya” at the end of her hit single “Lovin’ You.” On her mother’s side, Rudolph is African-American, while her father, composer Richard Rudolph has Jewish ancestry. 

11. Jessica Alba

Jessica Alba is one of the best-known mixed-race celebrities in Hollywood. She rose to fame as the star of Dark Angel before pursuing a movie career. The mixed-race celebrity has an extensive multiracial background.

As the children of Mexican immigrants, Alba’s great-grandparents on her dad’s side moved to California to raise a family. Eventually her father met her mother, who has Welsh, Danish, French, German, and English ancestry, and Alba was born. 

12. Shay Mitchell

Canadian-born Shay Mitchell rose to fame with her breakout performance as Emily Fields in Pretty Little Liars. Soon her career took off and she appeared on the cover of every magazine and landed significant roles.

Mitchell’s multiracial background is as fascinating as her career. Her Filipino mother moved from the Province of Pampanga to Canada when she was 19. Later, she met Mitchell’s father, who has Irish and Scottish lineage. 

13. Fredi Washington

With a multiracial background, Fredi Washington rose to fame in the 20s and 30s, breaking barriers for African Americans and mixed-race celebrities. As a pioneer, Washington was one of the first minorities to earn significant movie roles.

In 1934, she starred in Imitation of Life, which landed on Time’s 25 Most Important Movies on Race list. Born in the early 1900s, both of Washington’s parents were of African American and European descent. 

14. Jesse Williams

Jesse Williams exploded in popularity with his role as Dr. Jackson Avery on the hit medical drama Grey’s Anatomy. The Chicago native’s career continued to rise after landing several significant parts.

With a Swedish American mother and African American father, Williams identifies as multiracial. The mixed-race actor remains a force in Hollywood. 

15. Wentworth Miller

Wentworth Miller had his big breakthrough with his role as Michael Scofield in the hit series Prison Break. Miller identifies as half black and half white. However, his mixed-race heritage goes a bit deeper than that.

For instance, Miller’s white mother has French, Lebanese, Dutch, Syrian, Rusyn, and Swedish roots. His father is of Jamaican, English, German, and African-American heritage. 

16. Carol Channing

Throughout the 60s and 70s, Carol Channing starred in classic Broadway musicals and delivered outstanding performances in Hollywood movies. When Channing was about to leave for college, her mother told her about her multiracial background.

Channing was unaware that her father was biracial, with an African-American mother and a German American father. On the other side of the family, Channing’s mother comes from German-Jewish ancestry.