Profile Text
Chenoweth in 2012, Helga Esteb / Shutterstock.com
Place of Birth: Tulsa, Oklahoma, U.S.
Date of Birth: July 24, 1968
Ethnicity: English, some Scottish and Irish, more distant French, Cherokee Native American, and Welsh
Kristin Chenoweth is an American actress, singer, and author. She is known for her vocal range of 4 octaves. She is known for her stage performances as Sally Brown in You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown and Glinda in Wicked . Her roles also include the films Bewitched (2005), The Pink Panther , RV , Running with Scissors , Stranger than Fiction , Deck the Halls (2006), Space Chimps , Tinker Bell (2008), and its sequels; Four Christmases , Into Temptation , You Again , Hit and Run (2012), Family Weekend , The Opposite Sex , Rio 2 , Strange Magic , The Boy Next Door , The Peanuts Movie , Twinsters , Hard Sell , Class Rank , My Little Pony: The Movie , The Star (2017), The Witches (2020), Holidate , National Champions , Bros (2022), Wicked (2024), and Our Little Secret ; the made-for-tv movies Annie (1999), The Music Man (2003), Twelve Men of Christmas , Descendants , and A Christmas Love Story ; the shows Kristin , The West Wing , Sesame Street , Elmo’s World , Robot Chicken , Pushing Daisies , Sit Down, Shut Up ; Glee , GCB , The Good Wife , Kristie , BoJack Horseman , Trial & Error , Schmigadoon! , and Stumble ; and the special Hairspray Live! She is 4′ 11½″.
The surname Chenoweth is Cornish, and can be traced to Anthony Chenoweth, who was born, c. 1616, in St. Martin, Cornwall, England.
Kristin was adopted and named Kristin Dawn Chenoweth, by Junie (Smith) and Jerry Morris Chenoweth. Jerry is the son of Roy Morris Chenoweth, who was born in Hinton, Caddo County, Oklahoma, and Mildred Alice Livengood. Junie is the daughter of Doyal Smith and Katherine Hale. Kristin has stated that she is the only person in her adoptive family that is not tall, and the only one who is musically talented.
Kristin’s biological father was musician Billy Eugene Etheridge, who played with rock band The Chessmen, and acted in stage musicals. He was from Dallas, Texas. Kristin’s biological mother was Wanda Lynn Cooper, who was born in Natchez, Mississippi.
Kristin is married to musician Josh Bryant, who is the guitarist for country band Backroad Anthem.
Kristin’s biological paternal grandfather was Billy/Billie Joe Etheridge (the son of Willie Etheridge and Nellie May Story).
Kristin’s biological paternal grandmother was Marie Janice Delbrel (the daughter of William George Delbrel and Myrtle May Galloway). Marie was born in Dallas, Texas. William was born in Dallas, the son of William Francis Delbrel and Josie Parsons. Francis’s father, Pierre “Peter” Delbrel, was born in Bordeaux, France, and moved to Galveston, Texas, where he ran a restaurant and was a lighthouse keeper. Francis’s mother, Theresa Thompson, was said to have been born in Mexico. Kristin’s great-grandmother Myrtle was born in Texas, the daughter of Edward D. Galloway, and of a mother surnamed Finley.
Kristin’s biological maternal grandfather was Charles Eugene “Charlie” Cooper, Jr. (the son of Charles Eugene Cooper and Ruth Lucretia/Lurilla Starnes). Kristin’s grandfather Charles was born in Natchez, Adams County, Mississippi. Kristin’s great-grandfather Charles was born in Mississippi, the son of Charles William Cooper and Carrie A. Henry. Ruth was the daughter of Samuel Scott Starnes, Jr. and Ruth Rebecca Stephens.
Kristin’s biological maternal grandmother was Pauline Marie “Polly” Brown (the daughter of Oscar McKinley Brown and Ola May Blaylock). Pauline was born in Wilburton, Latimer, Oklahoma. Oscar was born in Ola, Yell, Arkansas, the son of Russell Billmore Brown and Nan Pollard/Phillips. Kristin’s great-grandmother Ola was the daughter of James Thomas Blaylock and Bertie Valera Young.
A DNA test whose results were displayed on the show Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates, Jr. (2026) stated that Kristin’s genetic ancestry consists of:
*96% European ——–*38% Scotland ——–*30% England & Northwestern Europe ——–*16% Germanic Europe ——–*11% Ireland ——–*1% Wales *4% Indigenous American ——–*4% Indigenous Americas – Yucatan Peninsula
*96% European ——–*38% Scotland ——–*30% England & Northwestern Europe ——–*16% Germanic Europe ——–*11% Ireland ——–*1% Wales *4% Indigenous American ——–*4% Indigenous Americas – Yucatan Peninsula
Kristin has referred to herself as having one quarter Cherokee ancestry. Her genetic ancestry is somewhere between 1/16th and 1/32 Indigenous.
Genetically, Kristin was found to have a common ancestor with comedian and actress Wanda Sykes , likely through shared European ancestry.
Sources: http://www.parade.com
Genealogy of Kristin Chenoweth – https://www.geni.com
Birth record of Kristin’s biological father – https://www.familysearch.org