Michael Douglas; Scarlett Johansson.Photo:Daniele Venturelli/Getty; Monica Schipper/GettyMichael Douglashas discovered a fellow actor is also a distant relative:Scarlett Johansson.On the PBS seriesFinding Your Roots, hostHenry Louis Gates Jr.revealed that theBlack Widowactress is a “DNA cousin” of Douglas, 79.“Are you kidding?” asked a visibly shocked Douglas on the show. “Oh, that’s amazing. All right. This is cool. This is so cool.”According to Gates and his “book of life” containing research from professional genealogists, Douglas and Johansson, 39, “share identical branches of DNA on four different chromosomes.”The two actors’ branches of shared DNA “appear on Scarlett’s maternal lines, which stretch back to Jewish communities in Eastern Europe,” Gates explained to Douglas.“That’s incredible,” responded the Oscar winner. Then he quipped: “Well, I look forward to seeing Scarlett next time!”Johansson and Douglas both appeared in theMarvel Cinematic Universe’s biggest installment, 2019’sAvengers: Endgame, as Natasha Romanoff and Hank Pym, respectively.Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.Michael Douglas on “Finding Your Roots”.PBSDouglas is the first child of actorsKirk Douglasand Diana Hill. Hispaternal grandparentswere Russian Jews who emigrated to America. TheKominsky Methodstar, who has three children, has been married to Welsh actressCatherine Zeta-Jonessince 2000.The April 2 episode of the series featuring Douglas, the penultimate installment ofFinding Your Rootsseason 10, also includesLena Dunham. The writer-director-actor similarly learned of an ancestral celebrity connection, sharing “at least one common ancestor" with fellow filmmakerLarry David, according to Gates.“This is thehottestinformation I could have ever gotten,” responded Dunham, 37, in awe. “My husband’s going to freak out!”Scarlett Johansson in 2023.Cindy Ord/Getty ImagesFinding Your Rootshas since 2012 unveiled genealogical surprises for well-known public figures. Among the series’ many discoveries have beenEdward Nortonlearning that he andJulia Robertsare genetic cousins,Kerry Washingtonrealizing she was conceived through a sperm donor,Bob Odenkirkunearthing ties toKing CharlesandNathan Lane, andViola Davisfinding out that she’s related to Anita Hill.In February, Gates told PEOPLE about how questions about his own lineage sparked his investigations into family trees. “I went into orbit when I found out that DNA could be used to trace your ancestry back 500 years,” he said of his journey to launching the series. “When you spit in that test tube, you never know what’s going to pop out.”Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates Jr.airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on PBS.
Michael Douglas; Scarlett Johansson.Photo:Daniele Venturelli/Getty; Monica Schipper/Getty
Daniele Venturelli/Getty; Monica Schipper/Getty
Michael Douglashas discovered a fellow actor is also a distant relative:Scarlett Johansson.On the PBS seriesFinding Your Roots, hostHenry Louis Gates Jr.revealed that theBlack Widowactress is a “DNA cousin” of Douglas, 79.“Are you kidding?” asked a visibly shocked Douglas on the show. “Oh, that’s amazing. All right. This is cool. This is so cool.”According to Gates and his “book of life” containing research from professional genealogists, Douglas and Johansson, 39, “share identical branches of DNA on four different chromosomes.”The two actors’ branches of shared DNA “appear on Scarlett’s maternal lines, which stretch back to Jewish communities in Eastern Europe,” Gates explained to Douglas.“That’s incredible,” responded the Oscar winner. Then he quipped: “Well, I look forward to seeing Scarlett next time!”Johansson and Douglas both appeared in theMarvel Cinematic Universe’s biggest installment, 2019’sAvengers: Endgame, as Natasha Romanoff and Hank Pym, respectively.Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.Michael Douglas on “Finding Your Roots”.PBSDouglas is the first child of actorsKirk Douglasand Diana Hill. Hispaternal grandparentswere Russian Jews who emigrated to America. TheKominsky Methodstar, who has three children, has been married to Welsh actressCatherine Zeta-Jonessince 2000.The April 2 episode of the series featuring Douglas, the penultimate installment ofFinding Your Rootsseason 10, also includesLena Dunham. The writer-director-actor similarly learned of an ancestral celebrity connection, sharing “at least one common ancestor" with fellow filmmakerLarry David, according to Gates.“This is thehottestinformation I could have ever gotten,” responded Dunham, 37, in awe. “My husband’s going to freak out!”Scarlett Johansson in 2023.Cindy Ord/Getty ImagesFinding Your Rootshas since 2012 unveiled genealogical surprises for well-known public figures. Among the series’ many discoveries have beenEdward Nortonlearning that he andJulia Robertsare genetic cousins,Kerry Washingtonrealizing she was conceived through a sperm donor,Bob Odenkirkunearthing ties toKing CharlesandNathan Lane, andViola Davisfinding out that she’s related to Anita Hill.In February, Gates told PEOPLE about how questions about his own lineage sparked his investigations into family trees. “I went into orbit when I found out that DNA could be used to trace your ancestry back 500 years,” he said of his journey to launching the series. “When you spit in that test tube, you never know what’s going to pop out.”Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates Jr.airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on PBS.
Michael Douglashas discovered a fellow actor is also a distant relative:Scarlett Johansson.
On the PBS seriesFinding Your Roots, hostHenry Louis Gates Jr.revealed that theBlack Widowactress is a “DNA cousin” of Douglas, 79.
“Are you kidding?” asked a visibly shocked Douglas on the show. “Oh, that’s amazing. All right. This is cool. This is so cool.”
According to Gates and his “book of life” containing research from professional genealogists, Douglas and Johansson, 39, “share identical branches of DNA on four different chromosomes.”
The two actors’ branches of shared DNA “appear on Scarlett’s maternal lines, which stretch back to Jewish communities in Eastern Europe,” Gates explained to Douglas.
“That’s incredible,” responded the Oscar winner. Then he quipped: “Well, I look forward to seeing Scarlett next time!”
Johansson and Douglas both appeared in theMarvel Cinematic Universe’s biggest installment, 2019’sAvengers: Endgame, as Natasha Romanoff and Hank Pym, respectively.
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Michael Douglas on “Finding Your Roots”.PBS
PBS
Douglas is the first child of actorsKirk Douglasand Diana Hill. Hispaternal grandparentswere Russian Jews who emigrated to America. TheKominsky Methodstar, who has three children, has been married to Welsh actressCatherine Zeta-Jonessince 2000.
The April 2 episode of the series featuring Douglas, the penultimate installment ofFinding Your Rootsseason 10, also includesLena Dunham. The writer-director-actor similarly learned of an ancestral celebrity connection, sharing “at least one common ancestor" with fellow filmmakerLarry David, according to Gates.
“This is thehottestinformation I could have ever gotten,” responded Dunham, 37, in awe. “My husband’s going to freak out!”
Scarlett Johansson in 2023.Cindy Ord/Getty Images
Cindy Ord/Getty Images
Finding Your Rootshas since 2012 unveiled genealogical surprises for well-known public figures. Among the series’ many discoveries have beenEdward Nortonlearning that he andJulia Robertsare genetic cousins,Kerry Washingtonrealizing she was conceived through a sperm donor,Bob Odenkirkunearthing ties toKing CharlesandNathan Lane, andViola Davisfinding out that she’s related to Anita Hill.
In February, Gates told PEOPLE about how questions about his own lineage sparked his investigations into family trees. “I went into orbit when I found out that DNA could be used to trace your ancestry back 500 years,” he said of his journey to launching the series. “When you spit in that test tube, you never know what’s going to pop out.”
Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates Jr.airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on PBS.
source: people.com
