Chris Pratt is one of Hollywood’s biggest stars, known for leading roles in major blockbuster films like Guardians of the Galaxy, Jurassic World, and The Lego Movie. With his All-American good looks and charming personality, many fans wonder about Pratt’s ethnic background and whether he has any Hispanic heritage.
Chris Pratt’s Background
Christopher Michael Pratt was born on June 21, 1979 in Virginia, Minnesota. He was raised in Lake Stevens, Washington as the youngest child of Kathleen Louise “Kathy” and Daniel Clifton “Dan” Pratt. His mother worked at a Safeway supermarket while his father worked in mining and remodeling houses.
Pratt’s ancestry is mostly Norwegian and English, with some German and French-Canadian roots. There are no immediate Hispanic origins on either side of his family tree. His mother Kathy is of Norwegian descent while his father Dan has English, as well as smaller amounts of German and Swiss-German, ancestry.
In interviews over the years, Pratt has never claimed any Hispanic heritage. He identifies as a white American with deep roots in Minnesota and Washington state.
His Early Life and Education
Pratt’s family moved to Lake Stevens, Washington when he was three years old. He grew up playing a variety of sports, including football, wrestling, and track running. In high school, Pratt worked as a discount ticket salesman and daytime stripper.
After graduating from Lake Stevens High School in 1997, Pratt attended community college but dropped out halfway through the first semester. He worked a variety of odd jobs, including as a coupon salesman and daytime stripper, before being discovered by actress and director Rae Dawn Chong while waiting tables at the Bubba Gump Shrimp Company restaurant in Maui, Hawaii.
His Career and Rise to Stardom
Pratt’s career began in the early 2000s with minor television roles in shows like The Huntress, Everwood, and The O.C. His breakout came in 2009 when he was cast as Andy Dwyer in the sitcom Parks and Recreation alongside star Amy Poehler. The show proved to be his big break, earning Pratt critical acclaim and commercial success.
After Parks and Rec ended in 2015, Pratt transitioned to leading man status in a string of major Hollywood blockbusters. His film highlights include:
- Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
- Jurassic World (2015)
- The Magnificent Seven (2016)
- Passengers (2016)
- Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
- Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018)
- The Lego Movie franchise
He also voiced the lead character in the Pixar film Onward (2020). Thanks to these high-profile roles, Pratt is today one of the most popular and bankable movie stars.
His Personal Life
In Pratt’s personal life, he married actress Anna Faris in 2009 after meeting her on the set of Take Me Home Tonight. The couple have one son together, Jack, who was born in 2012. Pratt and Faris separated in 2017 and finalized their divorced in 2018.
Later that year, Pratt began dating Katherine Schwarzenegger, daughter of actor Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver. They became engaged in 2019 and were married in June 2019. Pratt and Schwarzenegger’s first child together, a daughter named Lyla, was born in August 2020.
His Heritage and Ethnicity
Despite his All-American good looks, there is no evidence that Chris Pratt has any Hispanic ancestry. His family background is overwhelmingly Northern European, with Norwegian, English, German, and French-Canadian roots.
Pratt has never claimed Hispanic heritage in any interviews. He identifies as a white American with deep family ties to Minnesota and Washington state.
Some fans may speculate about possible Hispanic lineage based on Pratt’s appearance or his Spanish language skills shown in certain film roles. However, these appear to simply be a result of Pratt’s acting talents rather than his actual ethnic background.
Could He Be Considered Hispanic?
Given the lack of Hispanic heritage in his family history, most definitions would dictate that Chris Pratt not be considered Hispanic. However, the term Hispanic is complex with both cultural and ethnic implications.
The U.S. Census Bureau defines Hispanic as referring to “a person of Cuban, Mexican, Puerto Rican, South or Central American, or other Spanish culture or origin regardless of race.” Under this definition, Pratt would not qualify as Hispanic since he has no familial ties to Spain or any Latin American countries.
That said, some may argue that Pratt could potentially identify culturally as Hispanic if he chose to. Though highly unlikely, if he felt a personal affinity to Hispanic culture and customs, he could possibly be considered a Hispanic American on cultural grounds.
Overall though, since Chris Pratt has not identified as Hispanic nor does he have any Hispanic ancestry, most would agree that he does not meet the criteria to be considered Hispanic by either ethnicity or culture.
His Appeal to Hispanic Audiences
While not Hispanic himself, Chris Pratt remains highly popular among Hispanic movie fans. For example, a study by the National Research Group found Chris Pratt to be the #1 most appealing actor among Hispanic audiences:
| Rank | Actor | Hispanic Appeal Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chris Pratt | 81% |
| 2 | Dwayne Johnson | 76% |
| 3 | Kevin Hart | 73% |
Some reasons for Pratt’s popularity among Hispanic viewers include:
- His likeable personality and humor on screen
- His appeal as an action star in films like Jurassic World
- Speaking Spanish in certain acting roles
- Interacting with Hispanic co-stars like Michael Peña
Pratt has discussed embracing the opportunity to portray more Hispanic characters and work with Latin talent. So while not Hispanic himself, he clearly has strong appeal among this key demographic group.
His Future Projects
Moving forward, Chris Pratt remains one of Hollywood’s most sought-after leading men. Some of his upcoming projects include:
- Jurassic World 3 – reprising his role in the dinosaur franchise (2023)
- Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 – returning as Star-Lord (2023)
- The Terminal List – starring in an Amazon Prime original series (2022)
- Garfield – voicing the lasagna-loving cat in a new animated film (2024)
Pratt is also attached to a number of other major films likely to be released over the next few years. Given his box office power, he will continue having his pick of top Hollywood projects for the foreseeable future.
Conclusion
In the end, Chris Pratt does not have Hispanic heritage or identify as Hispanic. His ancestry is traced back to Norway, England, Germany, and France-Canada. While extremely popular among Hispanic movie fans, he has not claimed Latino ethnicity or culture.
That said, representation matters in Hollywood today. If Pratt chose to embrace a Hispanic identity or took on more Latino roles, he could potentially serve as an honorary member supporting this community. But until then, the evidence clearly shows that Chris Pratt is not in fact Hispanic.