Amy Schumer was overcome with emotion upon discovering more about her Jewish heritage.

The 35-year-old actress and comedian learnt about her Jewish relatives’ emigration from Eastern Europe to America in 1912 as part of the US television series Finding Your Roots, hosted by #FindingYourRoots Jr.

Her eyes filled with tears when she was shown an immigration document with the names of her great-grandmother and her parents, who left Ukraine.

Mr Gates also showed her a photo of her great-great grandfather’s grave.

He died within a year of coming to America and is buried at the United Hebrew Cemetery in Staten Island.

Schumer said: “I’m excited to find out about that town and think about them more. And I know I’ll go see this grave. I think this will change me.”

During the show, the Trainwreck star discovered she had an ancestor on her mother’s side who was captured by Native Americans in Massachusetts.

He and two of his siblings were taken as prisoners to Canada, according to Mr Gates, a Harvard historian.

Ms Schumer, whose mother converted to Judaism before marrying her father, is not the first Jewish celebrity to appear on the programme.

In previous episodes, famous Jewish figures including Scarlett Johansson, Paul Rudd, Dustin Hoffman, Carole King, Larry David and Bernie Sanders have discovered more about their ancestors.