Profile Text
Criss in 2011, photo by Helga Esteb / Shutterstock.com
Birth Name: Darren Everett Criss
Place of Birth: San Francisco, California, United States
Date of Birth: February 5, 1987
Ethnicity: * father – English, German, Scots-Irish/Northern Irish, distant Dutch and Scottish * mother – Filipino, smaller amounts of Chinese and Spanish
Darren Criss is an American actor, singer, and songwriter. His roles include The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story , Superman: Man of Tomorrow , and Midway (2019), as well as many works on stage.
Darren is the son of Cerina and Charles Criss, who started EastWest Bank, serving as its Chairman and CEO. His brother is musician Chuck Criss, of the band Freelance Whales. Darren is married to Mia Swier, with whom he has two children.
Darren’s father was American-born, and was of English, German, Scots-Irish/Northern Irish, Dutch, and Scottish ancestry. Darren’s mother is Filipino-born, and has Filipino, and smaller amounts of Chinese and Spanish, ancestry. In an interview on Philstar, Darren stated that he knows basic Visayan rather than Tagalog.
A picture of Darren with his parents can be seen here , and, also with his brother, here .
A DNA test whose results were displayed on the show Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates, Jr. (2026) stated that Darren’s genetic ancestry consists of:
*56% European ——–*29% Scotland ——–*18% Ireland ——–*5% Spain ——–*3% England & Northwestern Europe ——–*1% Basque *44% Asian ——–*26% Northern Philippines ——–*11% China ——–*5% Western Philippines ——–*2% Central & Southern Philippines
*56% European ——–*29% Scotland ——–*18% Ireland ——–*5% Spain ——–*3% England & Northwestern Europe ——–*1% Basque *44% Asian ——–*26% Northern Philippines ——–*11% China ——–*5% Western Philippines ——–*2% Central & Southern Philippines
Darren’s patrilineal ancestry can be traced to Johanne Jorge Nicholas Crist, who was born, c. 1690, in Germany, and to Johanne’s wife, Anna Elizabeth Mueller.
Darren’s paternal grandfather was Charles William Criss (the son of William Ramsey Criss and Olive May White). Charles was born in Pennsylvania. William was the son of Jacob Pitser Criss and Margurete Duran Brown, whose parents were born in Ireland. Olive was the daughter of James Francis White and Nancy Rosetta Cochran.
Darren’s paternal grandmother was Charlotte Elizabeth Bartlett (the daughter of Everett Burl Bartlett and Edna M. Hughes). Charlotte was born in Pennsylvania. Everett was the son of Arthur Emory Bartlett and Mary Elizabeth Wilson.
Sources: http://www.philstar.com
Marriage announcement of Darren’s paternal grandparents, Charles William Criss and Charlotte Elizabeth Bartlett – http://www.newspapers.com
Darren’s paternal grandfather, Charles William Criss, on the 1920 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org
Darren’s paternal great-grandparents, William Ramsey Criss and Olive May White, on the 1900 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org
Darren’s paternal great-grandfather, William Ramsey Criss, on the 1880 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org