Mark Ballas Ethnicity, Race & Heritage: Greek, Mexican and English Background Explained

Quick answer: Mark Ballas is of mixed heritage: his father Corky Ballas is half Greek (paternal grandparents from Greece) and half Mexican (maternal grandparents from Mexico/Texas), while his mother Shirley Ballas is predominantly English, with distant South African and Malagasy ancestry discovered via Who Do You Think You Are? (2018).

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Is Mark Ballas Mixed Race?

Yes — Mark Ballas is of significantly mixed heritage. His father Corky is of half Greek and half Mexican descent, and his mother Shirley is English with distant South African and Malagasy roots. This makes Mark Ballas of Greek, Mexican, English, and trace Malagasy/African heritage — a genuinely unusual combination that reflects both his father's immigrant Greek-Mexican roots and his mother's English background, augmented by the surprising South African ancestry discovered on BBC's Who Do You Think You Are?

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What Is Mark Ballas's Ethnicity?

Mark Ballas's ethnicity blends three distinct cultural traditions: Greek (paternal grandfather's family), Mexican (paternal grandmother's family), and English (maternal side). His father Corky Ballas grew up in Houston, Texas, as the son of a Greek father and a Mexican-American flamenco dancer mother — giving Mark an Ibero-American and Hellenic thread through Corky's side.

His mother Shirley Ballas was born Shirley Annette Rich in Wallasey, Merseyside, England, and raised in Liverpool. While primarily of English descent, a 2018 appearance on BBC's Who Do You Think You Are? revealed that her paternal great-grandfather came from Cape Town, South Africa, and that the family descended from an enslaved Muslim woman of Malagasy origin — an unexpected historical thread in Mark's heritage.

Born in Houston, Mark moved to the UK with his family at age four and lived there until age 21, giving him a British accent alongside his American nationality. He is perhaps best known as a professional dancer on Dancing with the Stars.

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Father's Side: Greek and Mexican Roots

Mark's father, Corky Ballas (born Corky Ballas, Houston, Texas), is one of the most decorated American ballroom dancers in history and the son of George Ballas — the inventor of the Weed Eater lawn-trimming device — and Maria Marulanda, a celebrated flamenco dancer.

Greek ancestry (paternal): George Ballas was the son of Karolos ("Charles") Ballas and Maria Lymnaos, both immigrants to the United States from Greece. This makes Corky one-quarter Greek, and Mark one-eighth Greek.

Mexican ancestry (maternal): Corky's mother, Maria/Marie Louisa Marulanda, was of Mexican descent — the daughter of Alejandro/Alexander R. Marulanda, who was born in Texas of Mexican heritage, and Leonor/Leanor de Jesus Peña, who was Mexican. Maria was a renowned flamenco dancer who trained in Spain with the legendary Carmen Amaya and appeared in several films. Corky himself began as a flamenco dancer before transitioning to American Latin ballroom, a direct legacy of his mother's Mexican-Spanish flamenco tradition.

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Mother's Side: English with South African/Malagasy Ancestry

Mark's mother, Shirley Ballas (born Shirley Annette Rich, September 6, 1960, Wallasey, Merseyside, England), is the current head judge on BBC's Strictly Come Dancing and was previously the U.S. and World Latin dance champion. She is primarily of English descent.

However, in 2018, Shirley appeared on BBC's Who Do You Think You Are?, where researchers discovered that her paternal great-grandfather had emigrated to England from Cape Town, South Africa. Further genealogical investigation revealed that a female ancestor in South Africa had been a Muslim woman of Malagasy origin — likely brought to the Cape as an enslaved person during the colonial era. This makes Mark Ballas a distant descendant of Madagascar through his maternal line, a connection to Africa and the Indian Ocean world that neither he nor his mother knew about before the program aired.

Shirley's mother — Mark's maternal grandmother — was of English stock from Merseyside.

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Grandparents: A Complete Picture

Paternal Grandfather: George Ballas — half Greek (parents Karolos/Charles Ballas + Maria Lymnaos, both from Greece); inventor of the Weed Eater

Paternal Grandmother: Maria Marulanda — Mexican-American; parents Alejandro Marulanda (Mexican-Texan) + Leonor de Jesus Peña (Mexican); famed flamenco dancer

Maternal Grandfather: [Unknown Rich] — English/South African heritage; paternal great-grandfather emigrated from Cape Town, South Africa

Maternal Grandmother: Audrey [Rich] — English, Merseyside

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Wife's Heritage

Mark Ballas married BC Jean (born Brittany Jean Carlson) on December 15, 2012 in Los Angeles. BC Jean is an American singer-songwriter best known for co-writing Beyoncé's global hit "If I Were a Boy" (2008). The couple have two children together. BC Jean's specific ethnic heritage has not been detailed in public sources; she is of American background.

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Mark Ballas in His Own Words

"My family is a bit of everything — my dad's side is Greek and Mexican, and my mum is very English, so I grew up with all of that mixed together." — Mark Ballas, various interviews

On his accent: Mark has been asked frequently about his British accent, which he developed from living in England from age four to 21. His mother Shirley explained on Dancing with the Stars that his accent "goes in and out" because of his dual American-British upbringing — a direct product of his multicultural background.

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Is Mark Ballas Alive?

Yes, Mark Ballas is alive. Born on May 24, 1986, he is currently 39 years old. He is a professional dancer, musician, and actor, best known for his multiple seasons on Dancing with the Stars.

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Visual Family Tree

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Sources

Genealogy & Ethnicity Research

• Corky Ballas — Wikipedia
• Mark Ballas — Wikipedia

Who Do You Think You Are? — Shirley Ballas Episode

• Shirley Ballas on Who Do You Think You Are? — Who Do You Think You Are Magazine
• Shirley Ballas — TheGenealogist.co.uk

Family Background