With the increasing visibility of interracial couples and multiethnic families, the world is shaping up to become a colorful and diverse place. While Hollywood still has a ways to go when it comes to representing multiethnic identity on-screen, it’s doing better than it was 20 or so years ago when television and film were predominantly white.
And we’re bound to see even more representation in the coming years: According to a Pew Research report in 2017, the number of multiracial or multiethnic infants has tripled since 1980. That’s huge!
Something shaping the way the entertainment industry sees diversity is the plethora of mixed-race actors, singers and models stepping into the spotlight to prove that all colors should be welcome in Hollywood. And while you might not know the exact race of these folks (you will now after this gallery), you’re at least aware of their impact.
Click through for 15 celebrities you might not know were mixed-race.
A version of this article was originally published in July 2017.
Alexis Bledel
Handmaid's Tale actress Alexis Bledel's father was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, while her mother was born in Phoenix, Arizona, but grew up in Mexico.
Photo:
Michael Loccisano/Getty Images Entertainment.
Jessica Szohr
Gossip Girl alum Jessica Szohr's father is of African-American and European descent, while her mother has Hungarian, German, Irish and English ancestry.
Photo:
Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images Entertainment.
Meghan Markle
Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle, in her own words: "While I could say Pennsylvania and Ohio, and continue this proverbial two-step, I instead give them what they're after: 'My dad is Caucasian and my mom is African American. I'm half black and half white,' she wrote for ELLE magazine in 2015.
Photo:
Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images Entertainment.
Alexa Chung
The fashion model's mother is English while her father is three quarters Chinese.
Photo:
Getty Images.
Chrissy Teigen
The Lip Sync Battle co-host's mom's home country is Thailand, while her dad has Norwegian roots.
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Getty Images.
Darren Criss
The Emmy nominated actor's father grew up in Pennsylvania and is of English, German and Irish descent, while his mother is a native of Cebu, Philippines.
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Getty Images.
Hailee Steinfeld
The Pitch Perfect 2 star's dad has genetic traces to Russia and Romania, while her maternal grandfather was half Filipino and half African-American.
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Getty Images.
Mariah Carey
The "Fantasy" hitmaker's dad is African American with Afro-Venezuelan descent, while her mom is Irish.
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Getty Images.
Ne-Yo
The "Closer" singer's mother is African-American, while his father is African-American and Chinese.
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Getty Images.
Olivia Munn
The X‑Men: Apocalypse actress' mother was raised in Vietnam and has Vietnamese and Chinese roots, while her dad is of English, Irish and German descent.
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Getty Images.
Rashida Jones
The Parks and Recreation actress' mother is a descendant of Jewish immigrants from Latvia and Russia, while her father is African-American.
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Getty Images.
Shay Mitchell
The Pretty Little Liars star's mother comes from the Philippines, while her father is of Scottish and Irish descent.
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Getty Images.
Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson
The Moana actor's mother is of Samoan descent, while his father, who is Canadian, has traces of Black Nova Scotian.
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Getty Images.
Vanessa Hudgens
The High School Musical alum's mother is from Manila, Philippines, while her father is of Irish and Native American descent.
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Getty Images.
Zayn Malik
The former One Direction member's father is Pakistani, while his mother is English and Irish.
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Getty Images.
