Profile Text
Johnson in 2018, photo by DFree /Bigstock.com
Birth Name: Rian Craig Johnson
Place of Birth: Silver Spring, Maryland, U.S.
Date of Birth: December 17, 1973
Ethnicity: Swedish (one quarter), Italian (one quarter), English, German, one eighth Polish
Rian Johnson is an American filmmaker. He has directed and written the films Brick (2005), The Brothers Bloom , Looper , Star Wars: The Last Jedi , Knives Out , Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery , and Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery . He has also directed episodes of Breaking Bad and Poker Face , the latter of which he also both created and wrote for. He also directed the music videos for “Woke Up New” and “Oh Baby.”
His brother is music producer Aaron Johnson. His cousin is film composer, director, and producer Nathan Johnson, with whom he comprises folk duo the Preserves. He was partly raised in Denver, Colorado, and San Clemente, California. Rian is married to film critic, author, and journalist Karina Longworth.
Rian’s paternal grandfather is Carl Howard Johnson (the son of Carl Hugo Johnson and Alida Henrikson). Rian’s grandfather Carl was born in Illinois, to Swedish parents.
Rian’s paternal grandmother is Dorsey Margurite Starck (the daughter of Walter Richard Gustave/Gustav Starck and Margaret Leona “Greta’ Koszalke). Dorsey was born in Illinois. Walter was born in North Dakota, to German parents, The Rev. Ernest J. W. Starck, who was a Lutheran pastor, and Elizabeth Wolf. Rian’s great-grandmother Margaret was born in Illinois, to Polish parents, Ignac Koszalke/Koschalke and Augustyna Szymerowski.
Rian’s maternal grandfather was Anthony Vernon “Tony” Skaronea (the son of James J. Skaronea and Louisa K. Vittorio). Anthony was born in Ottawa, Illinois, to Italian parents. James was born in Ferentino, Lazio, the son of Giovanni Schietroma. Louisa was the daughter of Ambrogio Vittorio and Philomena Cuisarella, who was from Fontana Liri Superiore, Provincia di Frosinone, Lazio.
Rian’s maternal grandmother was Wannetta Pearl Leonard (the daughter of Ira Ralph Leonard and Maude Melby Berge). Wannetta was born in Streator, Illinois. Ira was the son of Ira Grant Leonard and Elizabeth Belle Gillman, whose father was born in Bedfordshire, England. Maude was the daughter of Frederick “Fred” Berge, whose parents were from Baden-Württemberg, Germany; and of Sarah Ann Wright.
Sources: Obituary of Rian’s father – https://www.legacy.com
Genealogies and obituaries of Rian’s maternal grandparents, Anthony Vernon “Tony” Skaronea and Wannetta Pearl (Leonard) Skaronea – https://www.findagrave.com