HAILEE STEINFELD
Mixed (Ashkenazi Jewish, Filipino, African-American, German, British)
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Hailee Steinfeld — heritage & background
Quick answer: Hailee Steinfeld is of mixed racial and ethnic heritage. Her father, Peter Steinfeld, is of Ashkenazi Jewish descent, and her mother, Cheri Domasin Steinfeld, has Filipino, African-American, German, and British ancestry. Her late maternal grandfather, Ricardo Domasin, was both Filipino (from Panglao, Bohol) and African-American — a heritage she reconnected with powerfully while preparing for her role as Mary in Ryan Coogler's 2025 film Sinners.
Is Hailee Steinfeld Mixed Race? Is She Biracial?
Yes — Hailee Steinfeld is mixed race. She comes from a remarkably diverse background that combines Ashkenazi Jewish heritage on her father's side with Filipino, African-American, German, and British ancestry on her mother's side. Her racial and ethnic identity is genuinely multiracial rather than fitting neatly into any single category.
For much of her early life, Steinfeld described herself as "a little bit of everything." She was aware that her father was Jewish and her mother was Filipino, but her African-American heritage — specifically through her maternal grandfather Ricardo Domasin — was something she had not fully explored or processed. It was her preparation for the role of Mary in Ryan Coogler's 2025 film Sinners — set in 1932 Jim Crow-era Mississippi and centering on a mixed-race woman — that pushed her to genuinely reckon with that part of her heritage.
"This movie brought me closer to my roots in ways I never expected," she said in interviews about Sinners. "It gave me a hunger to understand where I come from. My grandfather's life, the struggles he faced, the cultures he carried — I feel like I'm only now beginning to comprehend what that truly means." The film, which garnered her an Academy Award nomination, became a deeply personal journey of self-discovery about her Black and Filipino ancestry.
What Is Hailee Steinfeld's Ethnicity?
Hailee Steinfeld's ethnicity is genuinely multi-layered, drawing from four distinct ancestral streams. On her father's side, she has Ashkenazi Jewish heritage — the lineage of Eastern European Jewish communities who formed one of the most prominent immigrant groups in 20th-century American life. On her mother's side, she inherits Filipino heritage from her grandfather Ricardo Domasin (who came from Panglao, an island in the Bohol province of the Philippines), African-American heritage (also through Ricardo Domasin), and British and German heritage through her maternal grandmother.
Steinfeld grew up in the Tarzana neighborhood of Los Angeles, in a family that she described as celebrating its multiracial background. Her mother Cheri has Filipino-American heritage through her father Ricardo, giving Steinfeld a connection to the large Filipino-American community in Southern California. As a teenager performing in Hollywood, she was often noted for her racially ambiguous appearance — which could be read as Latina, white, or Asian depending on the context.
The role of Mary in Sinners changed everything. Mary is a character who is specifically mixed-race — Black and white — living in the Deep South during the height of Jim Crow segregation, navigating the deadly consequences of mixed ancestry in that era. For Steinfeld to embody that character credibly required confronting her own African-American and Filipino roots, the life of her grandfather Ricardo Domasin (who died in 2014), and what it means to carry that history forward.
Father's Side: Ashkenazi Jewish Heritage
Hailee Steinfeld's father, Peter Steinfeld, is a personal trainer based in Los Angeles. He is of Ashkenazi Jewish descent — the lineage of Jewish communities from Eastern and Central Europe (Germany, Poland, Russia, and surrounding countries) who began emigrating to the United States in large numbers in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Ashkenazi Jews are among the most genetically studied populations in the world. They formed a distinct cultural and ethnic community in Europe for over a thousand years, maintaining a shared language (Yiddish), religious practice, and endogamous marriage traditions. In the United States, Ashkenazi Jewish families became major contributors to entertainment, academia, law, and medicine. Steinfeld has described growing up in a household that "celebrated it all" — both her father's Jewish traditions and her mother's Christian faith. "I celebrate it all," she told interviewers when asked about her religious background.
Mother's Side: Filipino and African-American Heritage
Hailee Steinfeld's mother, Cheri Domasin Steinfeld (née Domasin), is an interior designer from a mixed-heritage background. Her ancestry includes Filipino (from her father, Ricardo Domasin), African-American (also from Ricardo Domasin), German, and British roots.
Cheri's father — Hailee's maternal grandfather — was Ricardo Domasin, who was of Filipino origin from Panglao, Bohol, in the Philippines, and of African-American heritage. Ricardo Domasin passed away in 2014, when Hailee was 17 years old. The timing of his death — just as Steinfeld's career was accelerating — means she carries the weight of a grandfather she knew, but perhaps did not fully understand until the Sinners project brought his world into sharp focus.
The maternal grandmother, by contrast, is of German, English, Scottish, and Irish ancestry — the broad British Isles and Northwestern European heritage that is foundational to much of white American ancestry. This gives Steinfeld's mother's side a fascinating duality: roots in the Philippines and Black America on one hand, and British and German roots on the other.
Grandparents: A Complete Picture
| Relationship | Name | Heritage |
|---|---|---|
| Paternal Grandfather | [Name not publicly known] | Ashkenazi Jewish |
| Paternal Grandmother | [Name not publicly known] | Ashkenazi Jewish |
| Maternal Grandfather | Ricardo Domasin | Filipino (Panglao, Bohol) and African-American |
| Maternal Grandmother | [Name not publicly known] | German, English, Scottish, Irish |
DNA & Genetic Ancestry
Hailee Steinfeld has not publicly shared results from a commercial DNA test such as 23andMe or AncestryDNA. Based on documented family history, her ancestry includes Ashkenazi Jewish (father's side), Filipino and African-American (maternal grandfather's side), and German and British Isles heritage (maternal grandmother's side).
No DNA test results — including percentages or breakdown — have been publicly confirmed by Steinfeld as of 2026. Her heritage as described in interviews and media coverage about Sinners is based on documented genealogy rather than genetic testing.
Nationality vs. Ethnicity
Hailee Steinfeld is an American by nationality — born in Tarzana, Los Angeles, California, on December 11, 1996. She holds U.S. citizenship and has spent her entire life and career in the United States.
Her ethnicity is multiracial: a blend of Ashkenazi Jewish, Filipino, African-American, German, and British heritage that reflects the complex tapestry of American immigration and cultural mixing across generations. The distinction matters because her nationality tells us she is American, while her ethnicity reveals the rich ancestral threads — from Eastern Europe, the Philippine Islands, the African diaspora, and Northwestern Europe — that make up who she is.
Hailee Steinfeld in Her Own Words
In a 2019 appearance on The Kelly Clarkson Show, Steinfeld described her background as "a little bit of everything" when asked about her ethnicity. She confirmed that she had visited the Philippines and that her family celebrated its multiracial heritage.
Speaking about her preparation for Sinners in 2025, she told the New York Times: "I feel like I've been on the doorstep of this for a long time and this character is what pushed me to sort of truly live in myself." She also said: "I wish my grandfather was still here" — referring to Ricardo Domasin — reflecting the emotional depth her exploration of his heritage brought her during filming.
On the significance of the Sinners role she explained: "It gave me a hunger to understand where I come from. My grandfather's life, the struggles he faced, the cultures he carried — I feel like I'm only now beginning to comprehend what that truly means."
Relationships and Children
Hailee Steinfeld became engaged to Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen in November 2023, following a period of public dating. As of 2026, they remain engaged. Steinfeld has no children. Josh Allen is of white American heritage, primarily of German and English descent, from Firebaugh, California. Any future children would be of her mixed heritage combined with Allen's European-American background.
Is Hailee Steinfeld Alive?
Yes, Hailee Steinfeld is alive as of April 2026. She is 29 years old, born December 11, 1996. After her breakthrough role in the Coen Brothers' True Grit (2010) — for which she received an Academy Award nomination at age 14 — she has built a multifaceted career as both an actress and singer. Her role as Mary in Sinners (2025) brought her renewed critical attention and another Oscar nomination, and she remains one of Hollywood's most prominent young talents.
Visual Family Tree
Hailee Steinfeld (Ashkenazi Jewish, Filipino, African-American, German, British)
Peter Steinfeld (Ashkenazi Jewish)
[Paternal Grandfather — name not publicly known] (Ashkenazi Jewish) · [Paternal Grandmother — name not publicly known] (Ashkenazi Jewish)
Cheri Domasin Steinfeld (Filipino, African-American, German, British)
Ricardo Domasin (Filipino — Panglao, Bohol — and African-American) · [Maternal Grandmother — name not publicly known] (German, English, Scottish, Irish)
Sources
- Hailee Steinfeld Explores Her African American and Filipino Roots — AP/Facebook
- Hailee Steinfeld Says Sinners Reconnected Her to Roots — Yahoo Entertainment
- What is Hailee Steinfeld's Ethnicity? — Capital FM
- Hailee Steinfeld Ethnicity — Yahoo Entertainment
- Hailee Steinfeld Reflects on Filipino-Black Heritage — Philstar
- Sinners Helped Hailee Steinfeld Explore Her Family's Racial History — Refinery29
- Hailee Steinfeld On Connecting With Family History — Blavity
EthniCelebrity Research Team
Ethnicity & Heritage Writers
Our team specialises in researching and documenting the ethnic backgrounds, nationality, and ancestry of public figures — drawing on genealogical records, interviews, and verified biographical sources.