Just days before the release of “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood,” a movie based on the late Fred Rogers of “Mister Rogers,” played by the actor Tom Hanks, genealogists at ancestry.com have revealed that the pair actually share a great-great-great-great-great grandfather, making them sixth cousins.
The relation stretches back to a man named Johannes Meffert, who was born in 1732. Rogers died of stomach cancer in 2003 at age 74. His show, “Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood” was on the air from 1968 to 2001.
The film tells the story of a reporter whose life changes after he meets Rogers.
“It all just comes together, you see,” Hanks told Access Hollywood when the show informed him of the relation.
“Fred Rogers and Tom Hanks are sixth cousins sharing the same 5x great-grandfather … who immigrated from Germany to America in the 18th century,” Ancestry spokeswoman Keri Madonna told CNN on Tuesday.
Hanks’ wife, Rita Wilson, told Access Hollywood she couldn’t believe the news.
“No, impossible! You’re pulling our leg,” she said.
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