Taylor Lautner’s ethnic background is Dutch, French and German, and he has said his mother’s side includes distant Ottawa and Potawatomi ancestry, according to his Wikipedia biography. Scholars question the Native American part.
Is he Native American? Did he have to prove it to play Jacob Black? Those questions have followed Lautner since he was cast in Twilight in 2008, and online answers often conflict. This report relies on interviews, news reports, the tribe’s own website and academic work.
Taylor Lautner’s Ancestry at a Glance
| Question | Answer | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Born | February 11, 1992, Grand Rapids, Michigan | Wikipedia biography |
| Parents | Deborah (née Bos) and Daniel Lautner | Wikipedia biography |
| Ancestry he has stated | Dutch, French and German | MTV interview, May 2008 |
| Disputed part | Distant Ottawa and Potawatomi ancestry through his mother | Lautner, 2008; challenged by scholars |
| Nationality | American | Wikipedia biography |
Is Taylor Lautner Native American?
Lautner has said he has some Native American ancestry. In the interviews cited here he does not describe himself as a tribal member, and scholars dispute the ancestry itself.
In a May 2008 MTV interview, cited on his Wikipedia page, he said his family learned of the link while he prepared for Twilight. He called himself French, Dutch and German, with some Potawatomi and Ottawa Indian on his mother’s side. At Comic Con 2008, an interviewer asked whether he was Indian, since Jacob Black is a Native American character. He answered:
“I have some Native American in my distant background.”
Scholars read the casting differently. Sources cited on his Wikipedia page include:
- A 2011 article in the Journal of Mass Media Ethics, which says other actors playing Quileute characters had to document Native American or First Nations ancestry in the casting call, with Lautner as the exception.
- Natalie Wilson’s 2011 book on the saga, which questions his stated heritage and places his casting in a long history of actors without Native ancestry playing Indigenous roles.
- Dustin Tahmahkera’s 2014 book on Native people in sitcoms, which describes him as not Indigenous.
Why Jacob Black Raised the Question
Jacob Black belongs to the Quileute Nation. The Quileute Tribe’s official website says the tribe is based in La Push, Washington, on the Pacific coast, where it has lived and hunted for thousands of years, and it describes the village as about one square mile. The Associated Press reported in 2010 that the Nation had about 750 members.
How the casting unfolded:
- 2007: Filmmakers begin searching for an actor to play Jacob.
- January 2008: An open casting call is held in Portland, Oregon. Lautner had not heard of the series, but his agent urged him to audition.
- 2008 to 2012: He plays Jacob in all five Twilight films.
- November 16, 2009: Quileute members attend the Los Angeles premiere of New Moon.
- July 2010: The AP reports on how the tribe is responding to the films.
How the Quileute Nation Responded to Twilight
The tribe’s chairwoman told the Associated Press, as published by the Philadelphia Inquirer, that the attention was “a surprise, a good surprise,” and said she hoped people would come to know the real Quileute. Filmmaker Chris Eyre, who is Cheyenne and Arapaho, told the AP the saga’s value lies in showing American Indians in modern settings rather than in the past.
After the New Moon premiere, the Peninsula Daily News reported that Quileute members said Lautner delivered the Quileute phrase in the film well. Attendee Chelsea Jackson, then 17, said he “represented us wonderfully.” The tribe said it would keep the phrase’s translation private for now.
Praise for his performance is a separate matter from his ancestry.
Who Are Taylor Lautner’s Parents?
His parents are Deborah, born Bos, and Daniel Lautner. A 2008 profile in The Grand Rapids Press, as cited by Wikipedia, described his father as a Midwest Airlines pilot and his mother as working for a software company. He has a younger sister, Makena. He grew up in Hudsonville, Michigan, and his family moved to Santa Clarita, California, in 2002 so he could pursue acting.
Claims You May See Online
Several pages in search results list a different birth date and birthplace, an Italian father, an Ojibwe grandmother or a Choctaw link. None match the interviews and biographies used here, and they contradict one another.
Taylor Lautner FAQ
What race is Taylor Lautner?
Race and ethnicity are different labels, and the sources reviewed speak in terms of ancestry. They list Dutch, French and German roots and a distant Native American claim that scholars dispute.
Is Taylor Lautner Quileute?
Jacob Black is Quileute in the story. In the interviews cited here, the ancestry Lautner named is Ottawa and Potawatomi, not Quileute.
Did Lautner speak Quileute in New Moon?
Yes. Jacob murmurs a phrase in Quileute in the film, and tribal members said Lautner delivered it well.
The record rests mostly on Lautner’s own 2008 remarks, and scholars question the Native American part of his account.
