Is Joseph Gordon-Levitt as diverse as the roles he plays? His ethnicity, confirmed

Joseph Gordon-Levitt is a critically acclaimed 43-year-old A-list actor who also dabbles in writing, directing, and producing.

Having started acting as a child in a musical theater group (where he portrayed the Scarecrow in a production of The Wizard of Oz), he got his acting break in commercials after being approached by an agent while performing in his theater group. Products he advertised included Sunny Jim peanut butter, Cocoa Puffs breakfast cereal, Pop-Tarts toaster pastries, and shoes for the G.R. Kinney Company.

Gordon-Levitt’s first significant small-screen role came in the 1988 television movie Stranger on My Land, and his first big-screen role came as an unnamed student extra in 1992’s Beethoven. Since then, his star has gradually risen to the point that he’s an Emmy Award-winning, Golden Globe-nominated, and Tony Award-nominated actor.

His other notable television roles include appearances in Family Ties, Murder, She Wrote, Dark Shadows, Quantum Leap, L.A. Law, Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman, Roseanne, 3rd Rock from the Sun (the show that made him a star), That ’70s Show, The Outer Limits, The Mindy Project, The Muppets, Mr. Corman (which he also wrote, directed, and executive produced), Star Wars: Visions, and Super Pumped. He has also hosted Saturday Night Live twice.

However, it’s cinema that Gordon-Levitt is best known for, and his filmography is highly impressive. His major credits include Halloween H20: 20 Years Later (1998), Manic (2001), Treasure Planet (2002), Havoc (2005), Shadowboxer (2005), G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (2009), 500 Days of Summer (2009), Inception (2010), The Dark Knight Rises (2012), Looper (2012), Lincoln (2012), Don Jon (2013), Sin City: A Dame to Kill For (2014), The Walk (2015), The Night Before (2015), Snowden (2016), Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017), The Trial of the Chicago 7 (2020), Pinocchio (2022), and Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F (2024) (filmography information per IMDb).

Given he’s such a massive star, much is known about Gordon-Levitt’s personal life. For instance, he married Tasha McCauley, the founder and CEO of the technology company Fellow Robots, in 2014, and they have three children together. He also endured the tragedy of losing his then-36-year-old older brother, Daniel Gordon-Levitt, in 2010 after he overdosed on ketamine. He also recently made his political views clear when he spoke out against Donald Trump. But fans still have questions about him, one of which is regarding his ethnicity. So, what is Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s ethnic heritage?

What is Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s ethnicity?

Both of Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s parents — news director Dennis Levitt and politician Jane Gordon — are white American Jews. Gordon-Levitt has explicitly described his ethnicity as being “100% Ashkenazi Jewish” (as per WIRED).

Dennis Levitt and Jane Gordon were among the founders of the Progressive Jewish Alliance (now known as Bend the Arc: A Jewish Partnership for Justice). It’s a progressive Jewish political organization that blends advocacy, community organising, and leadership training and advocates for a more equal and just society, with a strict focus on domestic issues. Gordon-Levitt is a proudly Jewish and hugely talented star. We wish him all the best in his future endeavors.