RuPaul – 2012 Critics’ Choice Television Awards – Arrivals – The Beverly Hilton Hotel – Beverly Hills, CA, USA – Keywords: Rupaul Andre Charles, Rupaul Charles Orientation: Portrait Face Count: 1 – False – Photo Credit: Andrew Evans / PR Photos
Birth Name: RuPaul Andre Charles
Place of Birth: San Diego, California, United States
Date of Birth: November 17, 1960
Ethnicity:
*African-American (father)
*Louisiana Creole [African, French, Swiss-German, possibly other] (mother)
RuPaul is an American drag queen, actor, model, singer, songwriter, author, and television personality. RuPaul is known for being the host of television series RuPaul’s Drag Race.
RuPaul is the son of Ernestine “Toni” (Fontenet/Fontenette) and Irving Andrew Charles. RuPaul’s parents are from Louisiana; RuPaul’s father was African-American and RuPaul’s mother was a Louisiana Creole.
Two of RuPaul’s maternal ancestors were Andre Adrien Mercier, who was born, c. 1766, in Nantes, France; and Nicholas Wiltz, who was born, c. 1699, in Volkringen, Canton of Bern, Switzerland.
RuPaul has said:
My mother got the name [RuPaul] out of Ebony magazine. It was spelled Ripoll, but she’s Creole, so she made it into this saucy, Frenchy concoction.
RuPaul’s maternal grandfather was Felix “Bukey” Fontenet/Fontenette (the son of Felix Fontenette and Marie Louise Wiltz). Marie was the daughter of François Leufroy Wiltz and Marie Amelie Mercier.
RuPaul’s maternal grandmother was Ernestine Girard/Gerard (the daughter of Joseph Gerard).
Sources: http://www.nytimes.com
Birth record of RuPaul – http://www.familysearch.org
Genealogy of RuPaul’s maternal grandfather, Felix “Bukey” Fontenet/Fontenette – http://www.genealogy.com