Brooke Burke

Burke in 2014, photo by kathclick/Bigstock.com

Birth Name: Brooke Lisa Burke

Place of Birth: Hartford, Connecticut, U.S.

Date of Birth: September 8, 1971

Ethnicity:
*father – Irish, as well as English and French-Canadian
*mother – Portuguese, possibly Ashkenazi Jewish

Brooke Burke is an American television personality, fitness personality, author, actress, and businessperson. She has also been known as Brooke Burke-Charvet.

Brooke is the daughter of Donna and George F. Burke. Her father is of Irish, as well as English and French-Canadian, ancestry. Her mother was born Patricia Ann, and along with her twin sister was adopted by Fay (Waingrow) and Nicholas Bruno, and renamed Donna Marie Bruno. Brooke’s mother’s adoptive mother Fay was Jewish, and Brooke’s mother was raised Jewish; it is not clear if Brooke’s mother, by birth, has Jewish ancestry. Brooke’s biological maternal grandfather was said to have been a “Portuguese sailor.”

Brooke was herself raised Jewish. She has two children with her former husband, plastic surgeon Garth Fisher; and two children with her former husband, French singer, actor, and model David Charvet. David is also Jewish; all of Brooke’s children were also raised in the Jewish faith. She has stated:

…I’m Jewish, and David’s family is Jewish. We keep Shabbat, we celebrate all the high holidays… my girls went to a Jewish school for all their early education. We’re not religious, but we do keep all the traditions.

Brooke’s paternal grandfather was George F. Burke, Sr. (the son of James Patrick Burke and Elizabeth Agnes O’Dowd). George was of Irish descent. Elizabeth was the daughter of John Thomas O’Dowd/Dowd and Mary Agnes Gilligan.

Brooke’s paternal grandmother was Elizabeth F. Hindle (the daughter of Simon Francis Scott Hindle and Blandine Beauchene). Simon was the son of English parents, Simon Hindle and Catherine Hosler/Husler/Horsley. Blandine was the daughter of Canadian parents, Eugene Beauchene/Beauchaine and Nancy Mary Arpin.

Sources: Brooke talks about her family background – http://www.globalmomschallenge.org

Marriage record of Brooke’s parents – https://familysearch.org

Obituary of Brooke’s paternal grandmother, Elizabeth F. (Hindle) Burke – https://www.legacy.com

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