Profile Text
Birth Name: Arthur John Gielgud
Date of Birth: 14 April, 1904
Place of Birth: Kensington, London, England, U.K.
Date of Death: 21 May, 2000
Date of Death: Wotton Underwood, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, England, U.K.
Ethnicity: * father – Polish, Lithuanian * mother – Cornish, English
John Gielgud was a British actor and theatre director. He won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for Arthur (1981).
His father, Franciszek/Frank Henry Gielgud, was the son of Eastern European parents, and was of Polish, and some Lithuanian, descent. His mother, Kate Terry-Lewis, was English and Cornish.
John’s paternal grandfather was Adam/Adomas Jerzy Konstanty Gielgud/Gelgaudas/Giełguduanian (the son of Jan/John/Jonas Giełgud/Gelgaudas and Kunegunda/Cunegunda/Sunegoude/Kunigunda Szemiot/Shemet/Šemetaitė). Jan was the son of Warsaw-born parents, Mykolas/Michał Gelgaudas/Giełgud and Eleonora Tiškevičiūtė/Tyszkiewicz-Łohojska; Jan was of Polish and Lithuanian ancestry. Kunegunda was Polish, the daughter of Tadeusz/Thaddeus/Tadas/Thadeus Szemiot/Szemet/Shemet/Šemeta/Szemioth and Aniela/Angela/Angelė Koszczyc/Koščicaitė.
John’s paternal grandmother was Leontyna/Leontina Aniela/Anielė Aszperger/Ašpergeraitė (the daughter of Wojciech/Vaitiekus Aszperger/Ašpergeras and Aniela/Anielė Kamińska/Kaminskaitė). Leontyna was born in Lviv, Lviv Oblast, Ukraine. Wojciech was born in Vilnius, Lithuania, the son of Wojciech/Albertas Aszperger/Ašpergeras and Regina Sosińska/Sosinskaitė. Aniela Kamińska was a famous Polish stage actress, and was born in Warsaw, the daughter of Steponas/Stefan Kaminskis/Kamiński and Marianna/Marijona Wasińska/Vasinskytė.
John’s maternal grandfather was named Arthur James Lewis.
John’s maternal grandmother was Eliza Kate Terry (the daughter of Benjamin Terry and Sarah Ballard). Kate Terry was born in Falmouth, Cornwall, England. She was a prominent English actress. Kate’s siblings, Fred Terry and Ellen Terry, were also prominent entertainers. Benjamin was the son of Benjamin Terry and Catherine Crawford. Sarah was the daughter of Sally Copley/Trodd.
Source: Genealogy of John Gielgud – http://www.geni.com