It’s Hard to Believe These 30 Celebs Have Asian Genes

The world is a fun place. Genes are mixed, and from one generation to another, the pureness of the blood becomes less pure. For example, many celebrities in Hollywood actually have Asian blood running through their veins. You might not notice it at first sight, because they don’t look like stereotypical Asians, but that is because their American gene is strong. Nevertheless, the beauty of today’s diversity is at full display in the following celebrities. And if you look closely, you’ll notice their Asian charm.

1. Eddie Van Halen (Part Chinese-Malaysian)

Eddie might have a Dutch last name, but that is thanks to his father. His mother, on the other hand, was from Indonesia. So, Chinese-Malaysian blood also runs through the veins of the legendary guitar player. Who would believe it?

2. Amerie (Half Korean)

It’s hard to detect her Asian half, but Amerie is half Korean. Her mother is from Korea while her father, on the other hand, is African-American. Her parents met during the war, when her father served in the United States military. Their love resulted in a child, and her mother moved to America with her father.

3. Vanessa Hudgens (Part Irish, Native American, Filipino, Spanish, and Chinese)

So many genes are mixed in Vanessa Hudgens, it’s hard to describe. Let’s start with her father, who has both Irish and Native American blood. Her mother, on the other hand, is a native of Manila in the Philippines, but she is of Chinese and Spanish descent. The only thing all of them have in common is their gift for singing. All of Vanessa’s grandparents were musicians. And while she didn’t inherit the Asian gene, she sure did inherit that musician gene.

4. Rob Schneider (Quarter Filipino)

Rob Schneider is one of the best comedians in Hollywood, and he takes pride in his heritage. He is part Filipino through his mother (who was half Filipino) and part Jewish through his father. Rob has asked directors not to give him roles because of his Pinoy heritage, but because of his talent and good acting. He sure makes Pinoy people proud.

5. Karrueche Tran (Half Vietnamese)

Karruche actually looks a little bit like an Asian girl. She is tall, unlike Asian girls, but her facial lines show Asian heritage. She is Vietnamese through her mother. Although she lived with her father, a homosexual, she never revealed his secret until just few years ago, when reporters asked her about her life with a Vietnamese mother.

6. Enrique Iglesias (Half Filipino)

People already associated Enrique as a Latin star, but few knew that the singer’s mother is actually Filipino. His father, Julio, one of the most recognizable Spanish singers, was married to a journalist and socialite from the Philippines.

7. Will Demps (Half Korean)

Not only is Will Demps half Korean (his mother is Korean), but he also speaks the language quite well. Demps can speak conversational Korean and also Spanish. Talk about diversity. Just for clarification, he doesn’t have Spanish origins. He just loves the language, and learned it during his childhood. His father is African-American.

8. Sharon Leal (Half Filipino)

Sharon has no American genes. She was not even born in America. She was born in Seoul, Korea, to a mother from Korea and a father from Poland. She moved to America as a child, where her career as an actress took off.

9. Norah Jones (Half Indian)

In 2013, Norah traveled back to India to reunite with her father and perform. She said afterwards that the experience was bittersweet. Speaking of her Indian heritage, her father is the famous sitar maestro Ravi Shankar. Her half-sister is also a musician. Fun fact: Norah was born Geetali Norah Jones Shankar.

10. Ne-Yo (Quarter Chinese)

Born as Shaffer Chimere Smith, Ne-Yo is part Chinese (his father is of African-American and Chinese descent). His mother is African-American, and both of his parents were musicians. His mother raised him after she left his father. They moved to Las Vegas, where Ne-Yo first started performing under the name GoGo. He got his stage name, Ne-Yo, thanks to Big D Evans, who claimed that Smith sees the music in the same way that Neo sees the matrix.

11. Cassie Ventura (Half Filipino)

Cassie was born in Connecticut, the daughter of an African-American mother and a Filipino father. She attended school in Connecticut before moving to Los Angeles as an adult.

12. Kirk Hammett (Half Filipino)

The lead guitarist and songwriter for Metallica is actually of mixed race. His mother is of Filipino descent, while his father has some Irish ancestry. Some might say that the same diversity shows through when playing the guitar. Metallica sure benefits from his skills and talent.

13. Kristin Kreuk (Half Chinese)

Imagine a Canadian actress with Dutch and Chinese ancestry. That’s Kristin Kreuk in a nutshell. The actress, known for her role in Smallville, was born in Vancouver, Canada, where she grew up in a family comprised of a Chinese mother and a Dutch father. Diversity at its best!

14. Marié Digby (Half Japanese)

Marie grew up with a Chinese mother, and she had troubles learning the language as a child. But she says that depression in her early days helped shape her career. The songwriter and singer is mostly famous for her cover version of Rihanna’s “Umbrella.” She has done many other covers, and in 2009 she released an album with Japanese cover songs, showing her skills in the Japanese language.

15. Freddie Mercury (Full Parsee)Many know Freddie as the flamboyant British Rock Star. But in fact, he is the son of two Indian parents. Being a full Parsee was never an issue for Mercury, as he was proud of his Asian heritage. The little boy changed his name to Freddie Mercury when his parents moved to London, fleeing the bloody revolution in India. He was also raised by an African nanny hired by his parents.

16. Nicole Scherzinger (Half Filipino)

One thing is certain: Nicole sure does look like an Asian and has those Filipino facial lines. She was born Nicole Valiente to a Filipino father and an Hawaiian / Ukrainian mother. Her mother was eighteen when her parents met, and they split when Nicole was only a baby. She changed her name to Scherzinger when her stepfather adopted her.

17. Mark-Paul Gosselaar (Quarter Indonesian)

Mark is more than just part Indonesian. He is also of Dutch descent; his mother, of Dutch and Indonesian descent, was born in Bali, Indonesia. His father is American, and at one point, he even learned to speak Dutch and was fluent in the language. His siblings were not.

18. Naomi Campbell (African-American, Chinese-Jamaican)

Naomi has been called “the Black Bardot” and “African Marilyn” because of her beauty. She was basically the next fashion and beauty icon after Bridgette Bardot and Marilyn Monroe. Fun fact: she never met her father, who left her mother when she was 19 years old and pregnant with Naomi. But speaking of her descent, her mother is Jamaican, while her father shares Jamaican and Chinese descent.

19. Tyga (Half Vietnamese, half Jamaican)

Michael Ray Stevenson has Jamaican and Vietnamese descent. He grew up listening rap singers, and decided to become one when he grew up. In order to be more appealing, he changed his stage name to Tyga.

20. Michelle Branch (Quarter Indonesian)

Michelle is another celebrity who has so many different genes flowing through her veins. Aside from the Indonesian descent, she also has Dutch, French, and Irish descent. Her father was Irish, while her mother had Indonesian, French and Dutch descent.

21. KT Tunstall (Half Chinese)

Kate Victoria Tunstall is a Scottish singer and songwriter known by KT Tunstall, her stage name. She has so many different genes flowing through her veins. For starters, she was born to an Irish father, who was married to a half-Chinese, half-Scottish woman. Her mother, Carol Ann, was actually from Hong Kong, and she met KT’s father when she was working as an exotic dancer in Edinburgh.

22. Keanu Reeves (Quarter Hawaiian, Quarter Chinese)

Keanu Reeves is a Canadian-born actor. He might not appear to have Asian blood running through his veins, but his grandmother was Chinese and Hawaiian. He is proud of his heritage, saying he grew up around Chinese cuisine, art, furniture and style.

23. Kelis (Part Chinese)

Her father is of African-American descent, and her mother has part Chinese and part Puerto Rican descent. But Kelis has said she considers herself black, despite her Asian heritage and descent.

24. Dean Cain (Quarter Japanese)

Superman is actually part Japanese. Dean Cain, the actor who portrayed the role of Superman early in his career, is proud of his Asian heritage. He was born Dean George Tanaka. His father was half-Japanese. To honor his heritage, Dean has a tattoo on his ankle, the kanji character for Tanaka.

25. Chanel Iman (Quarter Korean)

Recognized for her work as a Victoria’s Secret model, Chanel also has an Asian background. Her mother has Korean heritage, making Iman one-quarter Korean. Her father, on the other hand, is of African-American descent.

26. Bruno Mars (Puerto Rican, Jewish, and Filipino)

Bruno Mars is described as an Hawaiian-born singer. And that is true to some point. He also has Filipino and Jewish heritage. But let’s start from the beginning. His father is of Puerto Rican and Jewish descent, but was born in Brooklyn, New York. His mother, on the other hand, was born in the Philippines, but immigrated to Hawaii as a child. She is of Filipino and Spanish descent.

27. Karen O (Half Korean)

Karen was born as Karen Lee Orzolek, with parts of both her father’s and mother’s names in her name. For example, her father was Polish, so you can see where Orzolek comes from. Her mother, on the other hand, was born in South Korea, so that is where the “Lee” comes from. Even though she was born in South Korea, she was raised in America, as her parents moved to the States when Karen was just two years old.

28. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson (Half Samoan)

Dwayne is another actor proud of his Asian heritage. He has a Samoan heritage through his mother, and in 2003 he did a tattoo to honor his heritage. The tattoo is located on his arm and chest, and many believe it shows the head of a Samoan warrior.

29. Chad Michael Murray (Quarter Japanese)

The Internet cannot seem to decide about the heritage of the former model-turned-actor. The rumor is that he is part Japanese thanks to his grandparents, but the star of the teen drama One Tree Hill denied the rumors on Twitter when asked about it.

30. Apl.de.ap (Half Filipino)

Known by his stage name, Allan Pineda Lindo was actually born in the Philippines to a Filipino mother. His father was of African-American descent, and his family moved to the States when he was 14 years old.