Brittany Murphy
Murphy in 2002, Joe Seer / Shutterstock.com
Birth Name: Brittany Anne Bertolotti
Date of Birth: November 10, 1977
Place of Birth: Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.
Date of Death: December 20, 2009
Place of Death: Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Ethnicity:
*50% Italian
*25% Irish
*25% Slovak
Brittany Murphy was an American actress and singer. Her roles included the films Family Prayers, Clueless, Freeway (1996), Bongwater, Drive (1997), Falling Sky, The Prophecy II, Phoenix (1998), Drop Dead Gorgeous, Girl, Interrupted; Trixie, Cherry Falls, Sidewalks of New York, Summer Catch, Don’t Say a Word, Riding in Cars with Boys, Spun (2002), 8 Mile, Just Married, Uptown Girls, Good Boy! (2003), Little Black Book, Frank Miller’s Sin City, Neverwas, The Groomsmen, Love and Other Disasters, Happy Feet, The Dead Girl (2006), The Ramen Girl, Futurama: The Beast with a Billion Backs, Across the Hall, Deadline (2009), Abandoned (2010), and Something Wicked; the made-for-tv movies The Devil’s Arithmetic, Common Ground (2000), Tribute (2009), and Megafault; the shows Drexell’s Class, Almost Home, Party of Five, Sister, Sister; Boy Meets World, Pepper Ann, and King of the Hill; the video game Marc Ecko’s Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure; and the music videos for “A Little Respect,” “Closest Thing to Heaven,” and “Faster Kill Pussycat.”
Brittany was the daughter of Sharon and Angelo Joseph “AJ” Bertolotti. She was of Italian descent on her father’s side, and of Irish and Slovak ancestry on her mother’s side. She stated in an interview that she attributed her olive complexion to her Italian roots. Brittany was married to British filmmaker Simon Monjack, until her death.
Brittany’s paternal grandfather was Anthony Frederick “Burke” Bertolotti (the son of Angelo Bertolotti and Maria Torcicoda). Anthony was born in Manhattan, New York County, New York, to Italian parents. Angelo was the son of Serafino Bertolotti and Maria Botti. Brittany’s great-grandmother Maria was the daughter of Luigi Torcicoda and Maria Bergonzi.
Brittany’s paternal grandmother was Loretta Robilatti/Robilotto (born Aurelia Robilotta, the daughter of Giuseppe Robilotto and Caterina Leonarda Maria Sinisgalli). Loretta was an Italian emigrant, from Montemurro, Potenza, Basilicata. Giuseppe was born Giuseppe Maria Robilotta, and later changed his surname to Robilotto. He was the son of Domenico Robilotta and Margherita di Lorenzo. Brittany’s great-grandmother Caterina was the daughter of Maurizio Sinisgalli and Aurelia Leonarda Maria Friguglietti.
Brittany’s maternal grandfather’s surname was Murphy. He had or has Irish ancestry.
Brittany’s maternal grandmother was born Elizabeth Kochan (the daughter of Wasil Kochan and Sophie/Sofia Salanski). Elizabeth was born in Pennsylvania. Wasil and Sophie were Slovak emigrants, listed as being from the former Austro-Hungarian Empire, with Wasil being from Ľubeľa, which is now in Slovakia. Elizabeth’s family were Eastern Orthodox Christians.
It has often been stated on the internet that Brittany’s maternal grandmother was Jewish. This is not accurate.
Sources: Genealogy of Brittany Murphy – https://www.findagrave.com
Brittany’s father on the 1930 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org
Brittany’s maternal grandmother, Elizabeth “Betty” Kochan, on the 1940 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org
Wedding record of Brittany’s great-aunt (grandmother’s sister) – https://familysearch.org
Obituary of Brittany’s maternal great-aunt (grandmother’s sister) – https://semian.funeraltechweb.com
WWII Draft Registration record of Brittany’s maternal great-grandfather, Wasil Kochan – https://familysearch.org
Irish Abroad reference to Brittany’s Irish heritage – http://www.irishabroad.com
Murphy with husband Simon Monjack, 2007, photo by prphotos
oh man, so young, so beautiful, what a shame…
Angelo was the son of Serafino Bertolotti and Maria Botti. Brittany’s great-grandmother Maria was the daughter of Luigi Torcicoda and Maria Bergonzi.
Loretta was born Aurelia Robilotta, but she later changed her given name to Loretta. She was from Montemurro, Potenza. Giuseppe was born Giuseppe Maria Robilotta, but he later changed his surname to Robilotto. He was the son of Domenico Robilotta and Margherita di Lorenzo. Caterina’s middle names are Leonarda Maria, and was the daughter of Maurizio Sinisgalli and Aurelia Leonarda Maria Friguglietti.
I thought she had Italian… another sctress… gone too soon
Wait a minute, I thought her grandmother was Jewish?
It’s a weird rumor first started by The Jewish Chronicle of England in 2007.
http://website.thejc.com/home.aspx?AId=53059&ATypeId=1&search=true2&srchstr=brittney%20murphy&srchtxt=0&srchhead=1&srchauthor=0&srchsandp=0&scsrch=0
While I haven’t been able to find much information on Brittany’s maternal grandfather, Brittany’s maternal grandmother was definitely of non-Jewish Eastern European descent. Brittany’s grandmother’s sister belonged to an Orthodox Christian church.