en Stearnkjekjikja
From Glee to the Simpson's, from Roswell's aliens and Star Trek to Lady Gaga and Will & Grace -- a growing number of ethnic Mennonite actors is confidently, if perhaps a bit controversially, impacting how ethnic Mennonites and Amish are perceived... In celebration of the Oscars™, I thought it would be fun to indicate some of the acting powerbrokers of known Mennonite ethnicity. This has been a somewhat difficult task in that actors are not known for revealing their religious upbringing or might not identify as ethnic Mennonites or Amish. But, they are there – the following is just a taste as to who to look out for.
While movies ( en Ssinema ) have long been controversial amongst Mennonite households and congregations, the number of Mennonites and ethnic Amish involved in film and television has grown tremendously and they are definitely making a name for themselves -- often bringing their ethnic roots along with them. (I am not making a judgment about the spiritual ramifications -- merely noting and celebrating their shared ethnic roots.)
From a list of some 45-odd ethnic Mennonites, Russländer Mennoniten and ethnic Amish, and giving Matt Groening a rest (we just congratulated him on the 500th Episode of his long-time classic animated series The Simpsons), four actors (catch up, women - this is so far a Men's Night at the MENnonite Oscars, ... ) stand out at present:
