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Katharine Hepburn  is one of my most acclaimed actresses of the Old Hollywood era, and the only actor in history to have four Academy Awards. She received her fourth Oscar for her performance as Eleanor of Aquitaine, Queen consort of King Henry II of England, in Anthony Harvey's The Lion in Winter (1968). But did you know that she was actually a direct descendant of Eleanor and Henry II, who were, in «technical terms,» her 23rd great-grandparents? Here's another interesting fact: Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine were also direct ancestors of Olivia de Havilland , Joan Fontaine, Humphrey Bogart and Laurence Olivier via their great-grandson, King Edward I of England, whose children originated the blood lines from which all of these actors (including Kate) descended. This means that they are all somehow related.   King Edward I of England was Katharine Hepburn's 20th great-grandfather. Edward I (1239-1307) married Eleanor of Castile (1241-1290) in 1254 and together they ...

Last year I discovered by chance that Olivia de Havilland , Joan Fontaine and Humphrey Bogart are all direct descendants of King Edward I of England. I was so fascinated by that fact that I decided to delve further into the world of genealogy and try to find out what other classic Hollywood actors might be descendants of the kings of England. During this process, I learned that Sir Laurence Olivier — or Larry, as I always call him — is also a direct descendant, albeit through a different (and more royal) blood line, of Edward I. If you are interested to know the particulars of this intricate connection, you are welcome to keep on reading. Sir Laurence Olivier is a direct descendant of King Edward I of England. Let us begin our story with Edward I (1239-1307). He was the first of five children of King Henry III of England (1207-1272) and his wife, Eleanor of Provence (c. 1223-1291), a probable distant relative of Charlemagne, king of the Franks and Christian emperor of the West. Via hi...

Last month, I wrote an article in which I proved that sisters Olivia de Havilland and Joan Fontaine are direct descendants of King Edward I of England and, therefore, kin to several prominent figures — not only several members of the British royal family, but also a number of U.S. presidents, authors and actors, including Humphrey Bogart. Now, he may not strike you as the aristocratic type, but Bogie also happened to be a direct descendant of Edward I, who was, in technical terms, his 19th great-grandfather.    Humphrey Bogart was a direct descendant of King Edward I of England.   If you remember, Edward I (1239-1307) married firstly Eleanor of Castile (1241-1290) in 1254. Their daughter, Elizabeth of Rhuddlan (1282-1316), was the wife of Humphrey de Bohun , 4th Earl of Hereford, 3rd of Essex (c. 1276-1321/2). So far, Bogie has the exact same ancestry as Joan and Olivia. But while the de Havilland sisters descended from Elizabeth and Humphrey's first daughter, Eleano...

One of Olivia de Havilland 's last screen appearances as an actress was in the television film The Royal Romance of Charles and Diana (1982), in which she played Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother. But did you know that Olivia and, consequently, her younger sister Joan Fontaine were actually distantly related to the Queen Mother, Prince Charles and even Princess Diana? More interestingly, did you know that Olivia and Joan — through their father's side of the family — were direct descendants of King Edward I and, therefore, of his 2nd great-grandfather, William the Conqueror, the first Norman king of England? In fact, their ancestry can be traced back to even before William the Conqueror. For instance, Richard II, Duke of Normandy, William's grandfather, was Joan and Olivia's 28th great-grandfather. In turn, Richard was the great-grandson of Rollo, an early Viking settler who became the first ruler of Normandy in 911. History and genealogy are of two of the subjects tha...