You can’t judge a book by its cover. These superstars are commonly mistaken for white, but each has a unique ethnic makeup you might not have known.
1. Rashida Jones
The Parks and Recreation star is the daughter of African American producer Quincy Jones (Thriller, Off the Wall) and Jewish American model/actress Peggy Lipton (The Mod Squad.) Rashida graduated from Harvard University in 1997 with a degree in religion and philosophy.
2. Rob Schneider
The funnyman’s maternal grandmother was Filipina, while his three other grandparents identified as Caucasian. Schneider started on Saturday Night Live in 1988, quickly working his way up the ladder.
3. Troian Bellisario
The Pretty Little Liars actress is the daughter of screenwriter Donald P. Bellisario (of Serbian and Italian descent) and African American television producer Deborah Pratt. Bellisario graduated at the top of her class from Campbell Hall School in Los Angeles. She once counted Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen as close childhood friends.
4. Eddie van Halen
The Indonesian guitarist was born in the Netherlands to a Dutch father and Indonesian mother. When Eddie was seven, the family settled in Pasadena, an affluent suburb of Los Angeles. Rolling Stone considers van Halen the world’s eighth greatest guitarist.
5. Alexis Bledel
The Gilmore Girls star was born in Texas to a Mexican mother and Argentine father. Bledel’s native tongue is Spanish; she learned English in school.
6. Darren Criss
The Glee star’s mother is of Chinese, Filipino and Spanish descent. His investment banker father has English, Irish and German ancestry. Originally from San Francisco, Criss graduated from the University of Michigan with a degree in theatre.
7. Malcolm Gladwell
The New York Times bestselling author was born to an English father and Jamaican mother of African and European origin. Gladwell graduated from the University of Toronto where he majored in history.
8. Pete Wentz
The Fall Out Boy bassist was born to a father of English and German descent, while his mother identifies as Afro-Jamaican. Wentz is distantly related to former U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell.
9. Nathan Adrian
Three-time Olympic gold medalist Nathan Adrian holds an honors degree in public health from the University of California, Berkeley. His mother Cecilia is of Chinese origin, while his father James is Caucasian.
10. Chad Michael Murray
Much like his One Tree Hill character Lucas Scott, a real-life parent abandoned the family. Raised in Buffalo, New York by a single father, Murray’s mother is half Japanese.