McBee Family Genealogy & History

Deron Michael McBee, born on August 23, 1960, is an American actor and sportsman best known for his roles as Motaro in "Mortal Kombat Annihilation" and Malibu on "American Gladiators." His career highlights include touring the professional racquetball circuit and appearing in action films where his fighting skills shine, such as in "Enter the Blood Ring." Known for his impressive physique achieved through prayer and faith, McBee has also starred in numerous television guest roles. His training in karate and swordsmanship complements his performances as a villain in various action movies.

Cecil McBee, born on May 19, 1935, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, is a renowned American jazz bassist known for his significant contributions to classic jazz as both a leader and sideman. His career took off in the 1960s in New York, where he collaborated with iconic musicians like Miles Davis, Wayne Shorter, and Alice Coltrane. McBee's work has earned him a Grammy Award for "Blues for Coltrane: A Tribute to John Coltrane" in 1988. Acknowledged for his impact on jazz, he was inducted into the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame in 1991. McBee continues to influence the music world through teaching at the New England Conservatory in Boston.

Thomas Page McBee is a pioneering American transgender journalist, television writer, and amateur boxer, renowned for being the first transgender man to box in Madison Square Garden. His acclaimed books include "Amateur: A True Story About What Makes a Man," and "Man Alive: A True Story of Violence, Forgiveness and Becoming a Man," the latter winning a Lambda Literary Award. McBee's diverse writing portfolio spans major publications like The New York Times and Esquire. In television, he contributed to "Tales of the City," "The L Word: Generation Q," and "The Umbrella Academy," where he played a key role in crafting a transgender storyline.

Vardry Echols McBee, known as "the father of Greenville, South Carolina," was a prominent American entrepreneur, saddlemaker, and philanthropist in the 19th century. Born in 1775, McBee was instrumental in developing Greenville through his numerous ventures, including industrial works on the Reedy River, a stone mill, and textile factories. Notably, he contributed to the success of the Greenville and Columbia Railroad with a $50,000 subscription, the largest individual railroad investment of its time. McBee was a Unionist who opposed South Carolina's secession, yet he provided land for Confederate use during the Civil War.

Vardry McBee was born in the Spartanburg District of South Carolina as the youngest of ten children to a Revolutionary War officer. He married Jane Alexander from a prominent local family, and they had nine children, with seven reaching maturity. McBee's family background included connections to both prominent society and possibly a slave mistress, with descendants involved in South Carolina politics and architecture.