Yani Gellman

Gellman in 2003, photo by Prphotos.com

Place of Birth: Miami, Florida, U.S.

Ethnicity: Ashkenazi Jewish, possibly other

Yani Gellman is an American and Canadian actor. His roles include the films Urban Legends: Final Cut, Jason X, The Lizzie McGuire Movie, and 47 Meters Down; the series Goosebumps, Tru Confessions, Guinevere Jones, Monster Warriors, The Young and the Restless, Pretty Little Liars, and 90210, and the made-for-tv films Boss of Bosses and The Matthew Shepard Story.

He was born in Miami. His mother, Marilyn James, is Australian, and his father, David Henry Gellman, was Canadian. An article that described Yani as being of Jewish heritage also stated that he was “born to a Russian-English father from Toronto and a Spanish-English mother from Australia.” His father’s parents were both Jewish, from Russia and England, respectively. It is not clear from this description if his mother is of Jewish heritage as well. Some web sites describe Yani as having Sephardi Jewish ancestry.

He was named after a family friend, writer Jan Joors.

Because of his father’s work as a reporter, the family frequently moved during Yani’s childhood, living in Australia, Spain, and Texas, before settling in Toronto, Canada. Yani speaks Spanish.

Yani’s paternal grandfather was Morris Gellman (the son of David Gelman and Esther Kitz/Kotz). Morris was a Russian Jewish immigrant.

Yani’s paternal grandmother was Annie/Anne Miller (the daughter of Isack Miller and Deborah Seltzer). Annie was born in Leeds, Yorkshire, England, to Russian Jewish parents.

Sources: Genealogy of Yani Gellman (focusing on his father’s side) – https://www.geni.com

Obituary of Yani’s father – https://www.legacy.com

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