Hailey Gates
LOS ANGELES – MAY 22: Gates at the Gracies at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel on May 22, 2018 in Beverly Hills, CA, kathclick/bigstock.com
Birth Name: Hailey Benton Gates
Place of Birth: Los Angeles, California, United States
Date of Birth: March 28, 1990
Ethnicity: English, as well as Irish and Scottish, distant German
Hailey Gates is an American model, actress, director, filmmaker, and journalist. She hosted the documentary show States of Undress. Her roles include the films Ricki and the Flash, Uncut Gems, Challngers (2024), Marty Supreme, The Moment, and The Drama (2026); and the series Twin Peaks: The Return. She has directed and written the short Women’s Stories: Shako Mako and the film Atropia.
She has roots in California going back seven generations. Her parents separated when she was a child, after which she frequently moved around Los Angeles; reportedly living in sixteen different houses. Hailey has stated:
My great grandfather was the first mayor of Santa Monica. I grew up with California WASPs. Different than East Coast WASPs, because instead of martinis they drink margaritas; they still know how to fox trot and play bridge, but they also know how to surf and divorce fairly amicably. Hang Ten invented the board short, and that is what I imagine my ancestors lived in most of the time – board shorts and Brooks Brothers.
Hailey’s patrilineal line can be traced to Eli Shugart Gates, who was born, c. 1810, in Ohio.
Hailey’s paternal grandfather was Mark Thomas Gates, Jr. (the son of Mark Thomas Gates, Sr. and Margaret Woods). Hailey’s grandfather Mark was born in California. Hailey’s great-grandfather Mark was born in Gage County, Nebraska, and was a prominent mortician, who was Mayor of Santa Monica, from 1947 to 1951. He was the son of Dr. Eugene Franklin Gates, a Methodist minister, who was pastor for many Santa Monica churches; and of Fannie Miller. Hailey’s great-grandmother Margaret was born in Los Angeles, California, the daughter of James Edwin Woods and Aimee Charlotta Scollay.
Hailey’s paternal grandmother was Elizabeth Birks Wilson (the daughter of William Wilson, Jr. and Geraldine Phillips “Gerry” Birks). Elizabeth was born in California. William was born in Ireland/Northern Ireland. Geraldine was born in Canada, the daughter of John Henry Metcalfe Birks, whose paternal grandmother was from Birmingham, Warwickshire, England; and of Ann McNeil.
Hailey’s maternal grandfather was Robert Francis Maguire III (the son of Robert Francis Maguire, Jr. and Jean L. Shepard). Hailey’s grandfather Robert was born in Oregon, and was a real estate businessperson, who helped create the Los Angeles skyline; and developed many prominent buildings including the US Bank Tower. Hailey’s great-grandfather Robert was born in Portland, Multnomah, Oregon, the son of Robert Francis Maguire and Ruth G. Kimball. Hailey’s great-grandmother Jean was born in Portland, the daughter of Henry Lee Shepard, Jr., of Boston, and Clara Sawyer.
Hailey’s maternal grandmother is film writer and director Joan Tewkesbury (the daughter of Walter Stanley Tewkesbury and Mabel Frances Stevenson). Walter was from Ingersoll, Oxford County, Ontario, Canada, the son of Walter French Tewkesbury, who was from Port Huron, St. Clair, Michigan; and of Rhoda Jane Lillywhite. Hailey’s great-grandmother Mabel was born in Paris, Edgar, Illinois, the daughter of Franklin M. Stevenson and Mary Clara Barlet.
Hailey’s matrilineal line can be traced to Mary Nancy Combs, who was born, c. 1792, in Johnston, North Carolina, the daughter of John J. Combs, who was English.
Sources: Marriage announcement of Hailey’s parents – https://www.newspapers.com
Genealogy of Hailey’s paternal grandfather, Mark Thomas Gates, Jr. (focusing on his father’s side) – https://www.findagrave.com
Hailey’s paternal grandfather, Mark Thomas Gates, Jr., on the 1950 U.S. Census – https://www.familysearch.org
Information about Hailey’s paternal great-grandfather, Mark Thomas Gates, Sr. – https://scvhistory.com
Genealogy of Hailey’s paternal grandmother, Elizabeth Birks Wilson (focusing on her own mother’s side) – https://gw.geneanet.org
Hailey’s paternal grandmother, Elizabeth Birks Wilson, on the 1940 U.S. Census – https://www.familysearch.org
Marriage announcements of Hailey’s paternal great-grandparents, William Wilson, Jr. and Geraldine Phillips “Gerry” Birks – https://www.newspapers.com
https://www.newspapers.com
Obituaries of Hailey’s maternal grandfather, Robert Francis Maguire III – https://www.legacy.com
https://www.latimes.com
Hailey’s patrilineal line can be traced back to Eli Shugart Gates who was born on October 1, 1810 in Ohio.
Eli Shugart Gates on FamilySearch;
Hailey’s maternal grandfather is Robert Francis Maguire III, born in Oregon the son of Robert Francis Maguire Jr. and Jean L. Shepard.
Robert Francis Maguire Jr. was born in Portland, Multnomah, Oregon the son of Robert Francis Maguire Sr. and Ruth G. Kimball.
Jean L. Shepard was born in Portland, Washington, Oregon, the daughter of Henry Lee Shepard Jr. of Boston and Clara Sawyer of Minnesota.
Hailey’s maternal grandmother is screenwriter and director Joan Tewkesbury, the daughter of Walter Stanley Tewkesbury of Ingersoll, Oxford County, Ontario, Canada and Mabel Frances Stevenson of Paris, Edgar, Illinois.
Walter Stanley Tewkesbury is the son of Walter French Tewkesbury of Port Huron, St. Clair, Michigan and Rhoda Jane Lillywhite of Ingersoll, Oxford, Ontario, Canada.
Mabel Frances Stevenson was born in Paris, Edgar, Illinois, the daughter of Franklin M. Stevenson of Paris, Edgar, Illinois and Mary Clara Barlet of Stonehill, Dent, Missouri.
Hailey’s maternal grandmother’s genealogy;
Hailey’s maternal grandfather’s genealogy;
Hailey’s matrilineal line can be traced back to Mary Nancy Combs, who was born, c. 1792, in Johnston, North Carolina to John J. Combs who was born in Woolwich, Greenwich, London, England, United Kingdom.
Mary Nancy Combs on FamilySearch;
Hailey’s Mom birth record familysearch page
Also her current husband Marc Schaber married in 2015 and her 1st husband who is Hailey’s father is Mark Thomas Gates III married in 11/8/1987 and here’s the source https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-los-angeles-times-mark-thomas-gates/49030569/
Also Mark Thomas Gates III birth record familysearch page and his parents Mark T. Gates Jr. and Elizabeth B. Wilson marriage record page https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:V621-YW9?lang=en. Also here’s Mark T. Gates Jr. with parents in the familysearch census page https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:6XG8-9TGK?lang=en. Also Mark T. Gates Jr. parents Mark Thomas Gates and Margaret Woods page and their findagrave page https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/32592407/mark_t-gates.
Also Mark Thomas Gates Jr. and Elizabeth Birks Wilson engagement https://www.newspapers.com/article/pasadena-independent-mark-thomas-gates-e/49036063/
Also Elizabeth Birks Wilson with parents in the census familysearch page https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K9WS-VT5?lang=en. Elizabeth’s parents William Wilson, Jr born in Ireland and Geraldine Birks born in Canada, their marriage source https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-los-angeles-times/84474987/.
Also Geraldine Birks geneanet.org page https://gw.geneanet.org/charleseldridge151?n=birks&oc=&p=geraldine&type=fiche
So, she also has some Scottish and Irish ancestry, maybe also some Welsh, with more distant German. It’s extremely unlikely for an American to be 100% of English heritage, it’s another Mary Elizabeth Winstead case.
Obituary of her maternal grandfather, Robert F. Maguire III; https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/legacyremembers/robert-maguire-obituary?id=10823583
Her maternal great aunt, Alix Kathleen Maguire, (grandfather’s sister) on FamilySearch;
It’s impossible that her family has only traceable English ancestors if they have lived on U.S. since the 1600s
I don’t know about that, it’s not impossible. It would be more likely that she ended up having some irish or scottish along the lines, but WASPS are a pretty insular and wealthy community. It’s not that unlikely that she is the descendant of a few rich families
Certainly not impossible, but also highly, highly unlikely in the year 2026. It wouldn’t be especially unusual for her to be of overwhelmingly English heritage given her social background. But I would be surprised if she doesn’t have at least any Scottish or Welsh ancestors. Even many of our high-born early presidents usually have SOME other British ancestry than just English.
They often tend to have a few either Colonial Dutch from NY/NJ or 1700s German ancestors besides British