Minnie Driver Meets First Ever Paternal Relative | Who Do You Think You Are
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- Опубліковано 15 бер 2022
- Minnie visits Stockton-on-Tees in search for answers about her grandparents. She visits the family history centre at Stockton central library, where she discovers she still has a cousin who is alive. Minnie jumps at the chance to meet Jean ‘Eileen’ Wiper.
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Hollywood actress Minnie Driver is on a mission to find out more about her late father, Ronnie, and his family's background. Minnie's parents were not married, and Minnie only discovered when she was older that her father had a wife and another family all the time Minnie's parents were together. Minnie knows her father was awarded a medal for his role in the battle of Heligoland Bight during World War Two, but is shocked to discover that he apparently threw it away. She sets out to investigate why her father would relinquish such an honour. The trail leads Minnie to relatives she never knew existed, and she discovers a kindred spirit in the family.
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I love that Minnie showed up with biscuits and a plant. What a sweetheart.
👍🏿
Suppose its cheaper than giving her a right few quid and take the financial pressure off an old lady from darlington even her fee for this programme.......then again she is unheard of now,,probably needs the money
@@james6901 Did you not get enough attention as a child?
@Garth Wright Think I understand why he didn't get any attention!
Carmen Garth you’ve just gone and taken the words out my mouth cos it’s not about my words it’s about your words 😘👌
I met Minnie one time. I brought her and my friend Lou light up tiaras to an event they cohosted. Minnie was so appreciative of a dollar store tiara and insisted they both put them on and immediately faced the press in them. She really made my night. Just a wonderful person.
This is a beautiful story thank for sharing it .
That is ridiculously adorable.
I love her more after hearing this, how fun and thoughtful!!
How wonderful to know someone with celebrity who appears to be nice, really is nice. I love that.
She was in my karate class and was way to kind to her opponents. I knocked her out 2 times accidentally.
Imagine being in your 80s living your life and a celebrity rings you up, eagerly asking to meet up. That would be something.
"come off yer high horse have ya? i gots 7 kids and me man can't work on account of his bad knee. seeing as yer loaded, how bout you toss a few pounds to yer family?"
Well I wish Brad Pitt knock to my door telling me we could be relate...lol
This older lady might not even who is Minnie!
🙄 They put their pants on the same way as everyone else. Minnie is an actor. It's a craft. So is carpentry, bookbinding, and masonry.
They're just people
The fact that she saw her on tv and wondered about her, my gosh this was so sweet.
If I ever write a book, I would love Minnie to do the audiobook. Her voice is so soothing and lovely
Make sure your book has someone laughing in it, because I cannot get enough of Minnie's laugh.
Minnie is the definition of class and beauty...she is breathtaking
I've always loved Minnie Driver in her performances, and she seems like a class act in her personal life as well.
Check out her podcast, "Minnie Questions". She is excellent.
Matt Damon didn’t think so!
@@jamesncraigrocjames2092 ya gotta know when to fold em’
@@jamesncraigrocjames2092 Matt Damon treated her like garbage!
Minnie is literally the poster child for class and purity. She really is such a sweet human being
Her accent is heavenly
You don't know her
@@monkeytennis8861 neither do you.
@@BrendanDesta its called a posh accent. theres vid of her fighting her neighbour in califonia. proper ruthless
@@hassyg4083🙄
I'm a Thistlethwaite from Middlesbrough, and I loved hearing my family name and possibly my relatives associated with Minnie, small world 🌎
How did they know right away that your surname was from York?
Minnie is so sweet when she finds out about Eileen!
They have the same laugh 😃
Minnie comes across as very genuine. And as another person commented, how kind to arrive with gifts.
She is sweet but also it's basic good manners to come with gifts when you visit or meet someone.
Minnie driver seems so down to earth and her cousin is lovely.
Her cousin is lovely... where's that?
I met an father's brother for the first time three years ago. I was 74 and he was 95.
Wow. You are lucky he was still alive. Hope you had a good time with him!
That is so touching. The respect Minnie shows that sweet lady.
not much respect for the other family though, the family her mom wants to break up
It's always amazing when you meet someone from your family that you don't know and you end up having a connection via humor or behaviors or attitude and feel quite comfortable with them.
I noticed how they almost harmonized with their hearty laughs a the tail end of the vid.
...and they are still alive to share unknown stories
I fell in love with Minnie when I first saw her in the movie Return to Me. She is a real sweetheart.
That is my favorite role of hers! I love that she plays someone much more vulnerable than some of her other roles. She’s adorable and so unique.
@@vdussaut9182 oh yes, I love the way she reacts during the scene where she slaps the guy. Its great to see a role where a woman is sweet and decent. I dont see that in real life.
I agree. That was very kind to show up with that bouquet of flowers in the biscuits. So proper and well mannered. So British. ❤️
Minnie seems to be a wonderful woman. Very beautiful and genuine. I can’t imagine a phone call from her saying she was my cousin! I would be so excited.
Minnie was so sweet and gracious to her long-lost relative. The two women seemed thrilled to know of each other
she's the product of an affair. she is just rubbing her nose in it by meeting the other family.
@@lang-ed3bk rubbing her nose in it… Are you for real!? Doesn’t matter how she came into this world, she has the right to know where she came from and who her biological family are.
@@RebeccaC2007 No, she should’ve done it IN PRIVATE, not on national television! She is acting like this affair that resulted in a love child was no big deal!
Are YOU for real??? THIS WAS FROM AN AFFAIR. Just because you want to know your biological family, doesn’t give you a right to do whatever you want! A situation like this should be handled delicately! Your comment was all about being selfish, “who cares who I hurt further, it’s all about what I want!”
@@lang-ed3bk I totally disagree. Minnie's relative had the choice of meeting Minnie or not and she was clearly happy to meet
@@kellysong2256 it's easy for her when she wasn't the one affected. the actual victims did not participate. there are always family members that don't care about their impact on the family, especially if they want to see a celebrity or be on tv.
Watching this makes me miss my Grandma - a sweet, warmhearted, huggable and happy woman who always had a soft spot for all of us kids.
Imagine getting a call from Minnie Driver (or any celebrity really) like “hey we’re related!” 😳😮
The amazing thing is that it had occurred to Eileen before. Driver must not be the most common name.
It's probably more common than we think, especially when you consider things like second or third cousins.
And, at one point, through marriage, they were related to Tom Cruise. And totally unaware of it!
It that way I would like to Brad Pitt call me please ....lol
Ah - this is so touching. It reminds me of meeting my 2nd cousin Esther when she was age 90; the two sides of our family had been out of contact since her father died in 1951. Seeing Ms. Driver meet her own 2nd cousin brings back all the joyous feelings I experienced meeting Esther and sharing stories and photos for the next 7 years until she died.
Beautiful she’s met her family she never knew about
Minnie really seems like such a lovely person. I’ve been following her career for ages and sort of met her once (long story). She comes across as kind and sincere.
She was terrific in the TV show "The Riches". Fantastic acting. I wish the show had been renewed.
Tell us on here the long story.....I have all day! Not sure about you and everyone else, though! But I'm sure it's a super story.
How sweet. Eileen and Minnie even have similar laughs
I thought that also
She doesn’t age. She looks great.
I’ve been doing family history for ages, I finally found a photo of my second great grandmother. I cried. Still looking for a photo of her husband.
My mother was "bought" from her unmarried mother in WW1. She always knew her birth mother and on grandma's deathbed she told my mom her real father's name. Archibald Gillies a machinist who worked at Camel-Lairds in Liverpool. He was from Scotland. I have often wondered about that side of the family and how they would feel about relatives in South Carolina and Ohio. Life is a funny old thing.
A lot of unmarried mothers who were 'lucky' enough to have babies just before or during the first world war, could move somewhere new, change their name and say their husband died in the war and were forever the war widow.
If they could get a job, they often got away with it.
I know several instances where unmarried mothers claimed to have given birth overseas, and they didn't have a copy of the birth certificate - and back then, they were often waved through.
I know of one trainee navigator in Canada, who crossed the border to visit the city his mother told him he was born in - and I suspect he went there to get a copy of his birth certificate, and would have been very disappointed that they had lost all record of his birth.
His mother was a world war 1 widow but her 'husband' had been a married man with a daughter 25 years older than her baby half brother. And I believe that part of the family never knew of the navigator half brother who died in WW2.
His mother never left Australia - ever. Not even able to visit her son's grave in the Netherlands.
@@georgielancaster1356 Wow. Thanks for the story Georgie.
Interesting history. Someone should put together a book about those stories.
We don't realize how many women in the past were in that predicament.
Did that mother in Australia ever marry, and have other children?
Gillies is a surname often associated with Engineering. For example a company in New Zealand,GT gillies were a very successful engineering company and old man Gillies was a real Scotland fanatic and proud of his scots heritage.
@@serpentines6356 sorry. Wasn't told there was a reply.
I have a million stories. Original WW2 personnel research for 2 decades.
Offered book deal but too preoccupied with other stuff.
I believe the father paid a bit for care of son - but then shot through to other side of Australia, in rural area, I think when son was 10ish. Back then, she would have had almost no chance of ever finding him. I think, he moved so that she could not tell his wife and/or demand money.
I think he'd stopped paying. He had come from Scotland and much earlier, had been leader of a wacko catholic splinter group that eschewed doctors and all medical care, for prayer. A woman follower died giving birth because they wouldn't call a doctor. He was a total rogue.
She sacrificed everything for her only child. He had a good job, good future. He had always thought he was born in America so he wasn't obliged to serve, theoretically, but he enlisted.
He was flying through some of the worst death rates and was killed within 2 years. If he had enlisted a year later, his odds of surviving would have been much greater.
His foul father lived long past WW2 and I don't think he ever knew or cared his only son was lost.
Edit: Sorry can only be vague. He was I think, my first deep dive on background - so 20ish years ago.
She never married and I think was dead within 2 or 5 years of her son.
@@Mercmad , the name Gillies is famous among older guitarists in Canada ---- there was an audio electronics designer named Garnet Gillies who built amplifiers and effects pedals for the Guess Who's Randy Bachman, and others. Gillies built a preamp or possibly a "fuzzbox" that Bachman used on the song "American Woman". One of his famous effects devices was called the Herzog, like the movie director I guess (no idea why).
These stories are so nice. I had never met my father, but recently was able to connect with my father's family and have wonderful cousins and family I have connected with. There's nothing like connecting with family.
I love to hear the changes in Minnie's accent and listen to her lovely, kind, soft voice
Minnie Driver's responses to all that info felt so open & honest, and relatable. And she even looked a bit like her 2nd cousin, too! I wonder if she tried to trace abt other of her grandparent's siblings...or better yet, any of her father's siblings... to find other living cousins.
I thought they looked alike too. Especially the nose profiles!
This is so wonderful. Minnie Driver, filling the empty parts of her life. And to meet a relative she had never known is so beautiful, and sweet. Way to go, Minnie! God Bless you.
such disrespect to the other family. IS EVERYONE HERE IGNORING THE AFFAIR???
That's so sweet that Eileen and Minnie have such similar laughs:)
I noticed that too!
Yes! Laughing with hearty, un-self-conscious, gusto. I inherited the same laugh from my Shetlander Nana who emigrated to the States, and was about the same age as Minnie's grandparents.
I loved this show, and this one especially. My GG Grandmother had three kids without being married. My Mom, and Dad, were pregnant with my Brother before they were married. That same brother was pregnant with my niece before he married my Sister-in-law. That same niece was pregnant with my Great Niece before she was married. That's why I love this our history does repeat itself. My Mom being Catholics never complain about it and we wondered why, until we found out many years later when she finally told us you can't condemn someone for an act you've done.
Minnie Driver seems like a very nice person.
Always been a Minnie fan, i’ll never forget her guest appearances on will & grace. Such a graceful person.
Beautiful cousin Eileen,those bright blue eyes and 84.
Minnie is so genuinely pleased to meet her cousin. This is incredibly pleasant and good. Thank you for doing this. Texas
Thank you for doing this..?!
i think it's quite disrespectful to the other family, as she is the product of an affair. just go announce it to the whole world, why doesn't she. her attitude is like the affair was no big deal, such disrespect. she's not looking for long-lost family, you know. the reason she hasn't met them yet is bc she's the product of an AFFAIR. STOP IDEALIZING THE SITUATION.
She is even more beautiful as she has gotten older. It's lovely to see a woman be happy with herself enough to keep it as it is.
She is beautiful and I'm a fan but she hasn't kept it as it is. Her top lip hardly moves!
Minnie seems so sweet and I love her laugh. I’m so happy she was able to meet someone from her father’s side
How wonderful for Minnie, one of my favorite actresses of all time.
"Hello, my name is Minnie Driver", I think the relative knew who she was.
Hi pretty lady. How are you doing today????
I love Minnie Driver. There’s an honesty and genuineness about her, especially compared to other Hollywood actors.
she has a big mouth
@@martinvanburen4578 and you have a big troll
This lady Ilene is beyond adorable. They're lucky to have found each other 😊
What a lovely person Minnie is
I am so glad Minnie found her 2nd cousin. I am from a 2nd generation family. I am not sure where to start my search for relatives from either my Father's side or my 1st Grandmother's side. I just recently was told that as early as the early 20's my father had 4 children, at the time I have always thought he only had 1 boy , who passed away at a very young age. Once I discover the 1st family from the early 20's I will start a second search for my father's 2nd family and all who follow the Ybarra blood line. Wish me luck.
Wow! Did anyone else notice their laughter is identical.
Lots of people preferred their middle name to their first in Eileen's younger times. What a lovely lady Eileen is. I miss that generation.
Was it because they were named after someone in the family? I can imagine that taking the middle name might reduce confusion, not to mention instill more confidence as an individual.
Same with my grandmother. She always went by Gwendoline but her first name was Ada. As someone else mentioned children often shared the same name as their parents though, my grandmother had the same name as her mother.
I'd watch Minnie Driver in anything. Her authenticity always rings through. And Eileen seems very lovely 💗
When I graduated from college I worked as a trainee social worker for County Council in neighborhoods like that. Typically sweet shop and tobacconists on the corner, pub in the middle of the block I loved that time.
Lovely story and these two ladies are adorable together!
I love these stories. They’re heartwarming. I hope Minnie and Maude have kept in touch.
Hello Cheryl how are you doing
I freaking love Minnie Driver ! So down to Earth and Genuine.
I love Ms. Driver.
Her genuine spirit just shines through the screen no matter what she's doing. Just such a lovely human.
I always thought Minnie was American as I never heard her speak outside her Hollywood acting roles. I'm surprised I was so wrong! She's English! I never knew!
Minnie is so sweet and genuine 💗 so nice she met her family.
Minnie is a gem!
It's a lovely moment where they meet. There is an electricity there, a warmth, and instant love. Wonderful moment, thanks for sharing.
Well, that was sweet. I've gained new appreciation for Minnie Driver, not just as a wonderful talent but as a wonderful person.
Totally looks alike if you ask me. Check the shapes of eyes and noses etc. She was similar in speech and voice too. The problem with older relatives is you can't realise how many similaries until you are in the older age as well.
That was charming, thank you! I really liked Minnie Driver as an actress.
She has the lovely family cheekbones too. So similar to Maud's face shape.
@@cherylm5234true, definitely the cheekbones...
They laugh in the same way too. It's really sweet.
I have adored Minnie ever since GWH, she is an absolutely amazing woman
She is 52. Wow. She looks great! ❤️
Minnie seems like a real cool person and I have always liked her. It was so nice that she allowed us to tag along on her discovery journey
I am happy to see, that Minnie was able to make a connection with her family history ❤️.
It was so heart warming to see this. Family ties are so under rated. I treasure my genealogy records.
Hi Brenda how are you doing
I've always been a big fan of Minnie but after watching these videos I'm in love with her as a human being she just seems to be such a beautiful person inside and out.
Thats awsome that
You got to find her before it was too late. I'm in tears and I don't know you Minnie. Bless you Girl
Minnie has aged so beautifully. If you told me she's in her 30's I'd believe you.
Botox and fillers. Not judging - but really she had had some help so she hasn’t aged beautifully naturally. I agree - she does look good!
@@nataliedelacerda715 well she has a good plastic surgeon bc she looks natural to me.
@@BlankCanvas88 agreed
I find Minnie so beautiful. And her wit and very personable attitude makes her even more so.
Beautiful excerpt. Minnie is so gentle and has such gorgeous humour 😍
Minnie seems so genuine and kind. ❤️One of the few of Hollywood I would like to meet. And her laugh is beautiful.
I love this! I’m so glad she was able to find a relative on her father’s side. They have the same laugh. ❤
This woman is utterly delightful.
How cool is that…. I hope she finds more of her relatives from this and get a picture and the back history of her grandparents…. 💙
Out of all these videos from "WDYTYR", this one is my favorite. I could watched another 11 mins of her talking to her cousin Eileen.
I've met her! She is a really fun, thoughtful, sweet person💓
LOVE Minnie.
That brought me to tears seeing them two meeting for the first time.
Eileen wondered all her life whether there was a relation to Minnie....then one day the Ancestry team came a calling
She's been one of my favorite actresses since "Circle of Friends." I've never met her, probably never will, and you can always rest assured that an actor is NOT the character they're portraying. Still, her work has made me smile, and it's very nice to see something wonderful make her smile. 🙂
I always thought that it had to be very difficult for Minnie and her siblings to be the "shameful" hidden family, since her father was already married with another family, and is why Minnie never met any of her father's relatives. It seems quite selfish of both her parents to have children in that situation. It's so nice that Minnie got to meet her cousin, who looks the sweetest lady, and as said, so nice of her to bring gifts.
I have watched so many of these in the last several months and I have to tell you this must’ve been my most favorite meeting of a long lost relative.
It was so genuine and so endearing
She reminded me a lot of my grandmother, who I very much miss the chemistry between you. Two was amazing. 💕
Yes u can tell U and Eileen are related. The laugh u shared at the end.
Minnie is so amazing!! I'm so glad she was able to meet someone in her family!! And they were so adorable/ and seemed so comfortable talking with one another just as if they have always known each other!! I hope that Minnie will stay in contact with her!!💜
I'm familiar with a similar scenario. Soldier volunteered with Irish Brigaide fighting in Spain during their Civil War of in 1936. When he left, he did not know that his sweetheart was pregnant. Plus, was a prisoner of war. Henceforth, only once released, he married her and learned that he had a daughter. This occurres more than many know.
This what doing your family history can do. I found over 50 half cousins of various degrees I never knew about from my fathers side. Because of that I now know all about my paternal grandfather. She is lucky to be able to meet a living relative who knew these people in life.
This was the sweetest video ever!
I remember her from Circle of Friends. She still looks good.
She is still beautiful. A brilliant actress. Love her accent.
Minnie Driver is enchanting.
Even if this woman knew the grandparents weren't married, she wouldn't say. So lovely.
Minnie seems so genuine and warm! Loved seeing her interact with Eileen ❤❤❤
So happy for both of them. I always loved Mini as an actress and she seems like such a sweet woman, cute sense of humor. It must be hard to not know your past. I hope this encourages others to find any living relatives never known. You never know what you're missing. This was such a beautiful connection, I hope they enjoy each other and make many memories.
As others have noted, Minnie is a sweet-natured woman. I met her in Malibu many years ago and she let me cuddle her cute, little puppy. Very gracious lady.
Minnie seems like a sweet lady, with a wonderful sense of humor. Could listen to her voice and accent all day long.
She’s been the absolute love of my life without knowing it, ever since I first saw her. She what I would call a classic and elegant beauty
Weirdo
I love these. I live near Philadelphia but I know I have distant relatives in Ireland and England. I often wonder about them. My great grandparents moved to America from Ireland when they were young.
Love that Minnie got to meet Jean. Finding past ancestors is great, but connecting to current relatives makes me smile.
Good old Darlington. Amazing how often it pops up. The street is just like the one I spent my childhood on with my grandma Maud Monkman
I’m so happy for Minnie driver what a wonderful moment.
This is so cool. I'm very happy Minnie was able to meet her cousin.