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LOS ANGELES – MAY 22: Gates at the Gracies at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel on May 22, 2018 in Beverly Hills, CA, kathclick /bigstock.com
Birth Name: Hailey Benton Gates
Place of Birth: Los Angeles, California, United States
Date of Birth: March 28, 1990
Ethnicity: English, as well as Irish and Scottish, distant German
Hailey Gates is an American model, actress, director, filmmaker, and journalist. She hosted the documentary show States of Undress . Her roles include the films Ricki and the Flash , Uncut Gems , Challngers (2024), Marty Supreme , The Moment , and The Drama (2026); and the series Twin Peaks: The Return . She has directed and written the short Women’s Stories: Shako Mako and the film Atropia .
She has roots in California going back seven generations. Her parents separated when she was a child, after which she frequently moved around Los Angeles; reportedly living in sixteen different houses. Hailey has stated :
My great grandfather was the first mayor of Santa Monica. I grew up with California WASPs. Different than East Coast WASPs, because instead of martinis they drink margaritas; they still know how to fox trot and play bridge, but they also know how to surf and divorce fairly amicably. Hang Ten invented the board short, and that is what I imagine my ancestors lived in most of the time – board shorts and Brooks Brothers.
My great grandfather was the first mayor of Santa Monica. I grew up with California WASPs. Different than East Coast WASPs, because instead of martinis they drink margaritas; they still know how to fox trot and play bridge, but they also know how to surf and divorce fairly amicably. Hang Ten invented the board short, and that is what I imagine my ancestors lived in most of the time – board shorts and Brooks Brothers.
Hailey’s patrilineal line can be traced to Eli Shugart Gates, who was born, c. 1810, in Ohio.
Hailey’s paternal grandfather was Mark Thomas Gates, Jr. (the son of Mark Thomas Gates, Sr. and Margaret Woods). Hailey’s grandfather Mark was born in California. Hailey’s great-grandfather Mark was born in Gage County, Nebraska, and was a prominent mortician, who was Mayor of Santa Monica, from 1947 to 1951. He was the son of Dr. Eugene Franklin Gates, a Methodist minister, who was pastor for many Santa Monica churches; and of Fannie Miller. Hailey’s great-grandmother Margaret was born in Los Angeles, California, the daughter of James Edwin Woods and Aimee Charlotta Scollay.
Hailey’s paternal grandmother was Elizabeth Birks Wilson (the daughter of William Wilson, Jr. and Geraldine Phillips “Gerry” Birks). Elizabeth was born in California. William was born in Ireland/Northern Ireland. Geraldine was born in Canada, the daughter of John Henry Metcalfe Birks, whose paternal grandmother was from Birmingham, Warwickshire, England; and of Ann McNeil.
Hailey’s maternal grandfather was Robert Francis Maguire III (the son of Robert Francis Maguire, Jr. and Jean L. Shepard). Hailey’s grandfather Robert was born in Oregon, and was a real estate businessperson, who helped create the Los Angeles skyline; and developed many prominent buildings including the US Bank Tower. Hailey’s great-grandfather Robert was born in Portland, Multnomah, Oregon, the son of Robert Francis Maguire and Ruth G. Kimball. Hailey’s great-grandmother Jean was born in Portland, the daughter of Henry Lee Shepard, Jr., of Boston, and Clara Sawyer.
Hailey’s maternal grandmother is film writer and director Joan Tewkesbury (the daughter of Walter Stanley Tewkesbury and Mabel Frances Stevenson). Walter was from Ingersoll, Oxford County, Ontario, Canada, the son of Walter French Tewkesbury, who was from Port Huron, St. Clair, Michigan; and of Rhoda Jane Lillywhite. Hailey’s great-grandmother Mabel was born in Paris, Edgar, Illinois, the daughter of Franklin M. Stevenson and Mary Clara Barlet.
Hailey’s matrilineal line can be traced to Mary Nancy Combs, who was born, c. 1792, in Johnston, North Carolina, the daughter of John J. Combs, who was English.
Sources: Marriage announcement of Hailey’s parents – https://www.newspapers.com
Genealogy of Hailey’s paternal grandfather, Mark Thomas Gates, Jr. (focusing on his father’s side) – https://www.findagrave.com
Hailey’s paternal grandfather, Mark Thomas Gates, Jr., on the 1950 U.S. Census – https://www.familysearch.org
Information about Hailey’s paternal great-grandfather, Mark Thomas Gates, Sr. – https://scvhistory.com
Genealogy of Hailey’s paternal grandmother, Elizabeth Birks Wilson (focusing on her own mother’s side) – https://gw.geneanet.org
Hailey’s paternal grandmother, Elizabeth Birks Wilson, on the 1940 U.S. Census – https://www.familysearch.org
Marriage announcements of Hailey’s paternal great-grandparents, William Wilson, Jr. and Geraldine Phillips “Gerry” Birks – https://www.newspapers.com https://www.newspapers.com
Obituaries of Hailey’s maternal grandfather, Robert Francis Maguire III – https://www.legacy.com https://www.latimes.com