Rupert Everett

One celebrity to feature on the BBC series Who Do You Think You Are?  is British actor Rupert Everett.  Rupert was born in Norfolk in 1959 and began his acting career in London at the age of 15.  He travelled up to Scotland to work at the Citizen’s Theatre in Glasgow and his big break came in 1981 at the Greenwich Theatre.  He has since starred in many major film roles including My Best Friend’s Wedding, Stardust, Shakespeare in Love and provides the voice of Prince Charming in the second and third sequels of Shrek.

His family tree shows a broad heritage with ancestors in the south and north of England, Wales and Scotland.  His father, Major Anthony Michael Everett, a veteran of the Burma campaign, passed away recently in 2009 at the age of 87.

His maternal Great-Grandfather Captain Donald Charles Hugh Maclean was awarded the DSO for services during the Boer War in South Africa. This Army record can be found in the Roll Of Honour records at www.TheGenealogist.co.uk which include the The Victoria Cross and Distinguished Service Order records.

His paternal great grandfather Patrick Lawless, born in Ireland around 1838, was an Iron Works labourer as well as a Beer House and Hotel keeper according to Victorian census records.

Following Rupert’s maternal ancestors, you come across Captain William Geoffrey Vyvyan born 21st January 1876 (his great grandfather) who joined the Royal Welsh Fusiliers in June 1899 and in 1901 he was awarded the medal with clasp for his part in the relief of Peking China. Shortly after in 1902 he was promoted to Lieutenant and in 1909 to Captain.

During WW1 Captain Vyvyan was reported missing in action on the 21st October, with his fate unknown, until information was received from the Foreign Office in March 1915 to confirm that Captain Vyvyan had indeed died at the hands of the Germans and is buried in Bedford House Cemetery, Belgium.

You can find his Death Index entry in the WW1 Death Records available at TheGenealogist.co.uk along with a short biography and portrait within the Bond of Sacrifice records.

The prestigious Vyvyan family originate from Cornwall, and Captain Vyvyan’s father Herbert Francis Vyvyan was the Rector of Withiel Cornwall as shown in the 1881 census. The household shows that the family had 5 servants consisting of cook, kitchen maid, parlour maid, house Maid and Nurse.

You can follow Herbert back to 1841 through the census records on The Genealogist which shows Herbert followed in his fathers (Viell Francis Vyvyan) footsteps as a clergyman. A number of Wills from the Vyvyan family can be found within the PCC Will collection available on The Genealogist.

Vyell Francis Vyvyan can be found listed as Rector of Withiel, Cornwall in the 1852 Clergy List available on CD from www.GenealogySupplies.com.

You can view Rupert Everett's family tree here