Revealing the Answer to the Question Who Do You Think You Are?

Share:

The Latitude View on Who Do You Really Think That You Are?

Where DNA Family Secrets focuses on members of the public, Who Do You Think You Are? traces the roots of worldwide celebrities. We love to find out the humble, and sometimes surprising royal, origins, of the US and UK’s biggest names. As the tagline for the British version of the show goes: “Discover stories of courage, joy, sacrifice and resilience – everyone has a tale to tell. ”

Your family history is no doubt a storybook of its very own. With Citizenship by Descent, you can benefit from your ancestry. In this article, we’ll revisit some of the most celebrated Who Do You Think You Are? episodes from both sides of the Atlantic Ocean.

Are You as Austrian as Ruby Wax?

Author, comedian, and mental health advocate Ruby Wax was born in the US, in Evanston, Illinois. It’s in the UK. on British screens, where she has found most fame, however. In the Chicago suburb she grew up, her father, Edward, changed the spelling of the family surname from Wachs to Wax.

Ruby Wax’s Who Do You Think You Are? episode aired on Wednesday, October 4, 2017. It was the 10th episode of the 14th series of the show. On it, we learned how Wax’s parents, the aforementioned Edward and Berta escaped Nazi Austria for a life of freedom in America.

Now, Ruby Wax could conceivably qualify for Austrian Citizenship by Descent. This could see Wax add to her UK and US citizenship. If your heirs lived in Austria and were subject to Nazi persecution, you too could be eligible for the strong Austrian passport.

Is Your Heritage Irish Like Rosie O’Donnell?

Rosie O’Donnell is an American actor, comedian, and talk show host. She was born in New York in the 1960s before moving to California after finding fame in the 1980s. Given her surname and the Irish songs her father used to sing, O’Donnell had long suspected a link to “the old country.”

Yet, as her Who Do You Think You Are? ep of Friday, February 18, 2011 shows, O’Donnell is more fascinated by her mom’s Irish ancestry. Roseann Teresa Murtha, as she was before marriage, died in March 1973 when her daughter was 10 years old. This “scavenger hunt” to the mother county of Kildare is O’Donnell’s chance to reconnect.

The actor’s emotional journey could make her an Irish Citizenship by Descent candidate and you might qualify too. After all, more than 31 million Americans could be eligible. Getting  your hands on on Irish passport will see your Irish eyes smile.

Do You Share Italian Ancestry with Marisa Tomei?

Oscar-winning actor Marisa Tomei is Brooklyn born and bred. She’s appeared on both Who Do You Think You Are? and Finding Your Roots. On the latter, Tomei discovered she’s a cousin of her close acting friend, Julianne Moore.

Marisa Tomei’s WDYTYA episode, the second episode of the third US season, dates back to Friday, February 10, 2012. It reveals an Italian connection going back to the 17th century. This sees Tomei travel to the beautiful Mediterranean island of Elba, off the coast of Tuscany.

Tomei looks like having strong claims for Italian Citizenship by Descent. Could you have these as well? If so, an Italian passport is the second most powerful passport in the world.

Could Your Roots Be Polish Like Jane Seymour’s?

British actor Jane Seymour was born Joyce Penelope Wilhelmina Frankenberg in what was then Uxbridge, Middlesex and is now a suburb of London. She has been recognized in the UK with an OBE and in the US with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. She is Dutch on her mother’s side and Polish on her father’s.

Seymour’s Who Do You Think You Are? ep aired on Thursday, August 13, 2015. The fate of her Polish great-aunts, Jadwiga and Michaela, during the Second World War, concerned her. Especially as they were Jewish.

As a naturalized US citizen, Seymour could also establish her Polish Citizenship by Descent. This is a European Citizenship by Descent Program that, for many, flies under the radar. Yet, our Passport Index rates the Polish passport the world’s 4th best passport.

Is Your Family Tree Sephardic?

UK reality star Mark Wright made his name through The Only Way Is Essex. British food writer and TV cook Nigella Lawson has developed a number of mouthwatering recipes. But do they come from similar stock?

Series 16 Episode 8 of Who Do You Think You Are? went live on Wednesday, September 11, 2019. In it, Wright learned that he descended from Sephardic Jews who were expelled from Portugal and Spain (although his family came from the Spanish side of the border). Series 3 Episode 6, meanwhile, saw Lawson’s “hunch” of Sephardic ancestors disproved and she learnt of her Ashkenazi heritage instead.

Portuguese Citizenship by Descent would have been a route to either Wright or Lawson. If they could demonstrate that they descended from Sephardic Jews expelled during the Portuguese Inquisition. Perhaps you will be luckier and able to apply for the Portuguese passport, the world’s third most powerful.

How We Can Help You with Who Do You Think You Are?

We don’t make gripping television. Yet we can deliver the emotional highs you see on the small screen. So, don’t delay and contact us today to see if European Citizenship by Descent is an avenue worth exploring.