Charisma Carpenter

Carpenter in 2010, photo by Featureflash / Shutterstock.com

Birth Name: Charisma Lee Carpenter

Place of Birth: Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.

Date of Birth: July 23, 1970

Ethnicity: Spanish (maternal grandfather), English, Scottish, as well as evidently French, German, Irish

Charisma Carpenter is an American actress. She is known for her roles on the shows Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and its spin-off, Angel; Charmed, Veronica Mars, and The Lying Game, and in the Josh Kirby… Time Warrior! and The Expendables films, as well as Psychosis and Bound.

She is the daughter of Christine, a bird sanctuary worker, and Don Carpenter, a salesman. Charisma’s maternal grandfather was a Spanish immigrant, who was adopted by an American family. Charisma has described herself as a “proud Latina.”

Charisma also has English, Scottish, and evidently French, German, and Irish, ancestry. Charisma’s maternal grandmother was said to be of one quarter Cherokee Native American ancestry. It is not clear if this Cherokee Native American ancestry has been verified/documented. No Cherokee ancestry appears in genealogies of Charisma’s maternal grandmother, and Charisma’s maternal grandmother, as well as her own parents and grandparents, were all listed as “White” on United States Censuses.

She was raised partly in Rosarito Beach, Baja California, Mexico, and then San Diego, California. She does not speak Spanish fluently.

She has a son with her former husband Damian Hardy.

Charisma’s maternal grandfather was named William P. “Bill” Whidden.

Charisma’s maternal grandmother was Frances Mae Kirkland (the daughter of Reece/Reese Costello Kirkland and Emma Adina Goodman). Frances was born in Florida. Reece was the son of Radford Reece/Reese Kirkland and Dyce Caroline Wiggs/Riggs. Emma was the daughter of Henry Goodman and Mary Ann Harvey.

Sources: Genealogy of Charisma Carpenter (focusing on her mother’s side) – https://www.geni.com

Charisma’s maternal great-grandfather, Reece/Reese Costello Kirkland, on the 1880 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org
Reece/Reese Costello Kirkland on the 1930 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org

Charisma’s maternal great-grandmother, Emma Adina Goodman, on the 1900 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org

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