The following is a list of notable Greek Americans, including both original immigrants of full or partial Greek descent who obtained American citizenship and their American descendants.
George Lois – advertising executive (ESPN, USA Today, Xerox, MTV, Wolfschmidt, Tommy Hilfiger), "Fizz Fizz What a Relief it Is", "No Dancing in the (a)Isles" "Crazy People" (Big break hired by Rossides for Javits 1960) Spyros Skouras, president of 20th Century Fox from 1942 to 1962
Marisa Churchill – known for Top Chef (season 2), author of the Sweet & Skinny cookbooks, Food Network Challenge, and host of My Sweet & Skinny Life on Alpha channel in Greece.
George Mavrothalassitis – chef and restaurateur known as one of the cofounders of Hawaii Regional Cuisine in the early 1990s
Spike Mendelsohn – chef and restaurateur best known as the fifth-place finisher of the fourth season of Top Chef (2008–2009)
John Cocoris – introduced the technique of sponge diving in 1905 to Tarpon Springs by recruiting divers and crew members from Greece. The first divers came from the Saronic Gulf islands of Aegina and Hydra, but they were soon outnumbered by those from the Dodecanese islands of Kalymnos, Symi and Halki.
Betty Robbins – second Jewish female cantor in history
- Ambrosios Athanasios Mandilaris (Father Ambrose) (1872-1960) Greek Orthodox Church; President of Greek Coummunity of Chicago; called the Church Builder.
George Chakiris – Academy Award winner "Best Supporting Actor" for West Side Story (1961 film) George Chakiris, actor, Academy Award winner for his role in West Side Story as the leader of the Sharks gang
John Considine – grandson of vaudeville and film producer Alexander Pantages on his mother's side, and nephew on his father's side to writer Bob Considine. Brother to actor/writer Tim Considine. Notable for his role as a writer for the 1960s American television series Combat! as well as appearances as an actor in series like Knight Rider and Murder, She Wrote.
Tim Considine – actor, writer and photographer, grandson of vaudeville and film producer Alexander Pantages.[23] Noted for his writing work on the American TV series Combat!, along with his brother John Considine, and his starring role as Jamie Frederick in My Three Sons.
Michael Constantine – actor, born Constantine Ioannides, son of Greek immigrants.
Dan Vadis – actor famous for his lead roles in many Italian films made in the 1960s
Titos Vandis – Greek stage and film star. Later starred on Broadway and in Hollywood. Character actor in over 100 U.S. TV shows and dozens of U.S. films.
Tracy Spiridakos – actress, born in Canada by Greek-born parents, best known for her role as Charlotte "Charlie" Matheson in the NBC post-apocalyptic science fiction series Revolution.
Mena Suvari – actress, best known for her roles in the films American Pie and American Beauty, maternal grandmother was of Greek descent[51]
Nia Vardalos – actress. From My Big Fat Greek Wedding; Canadian-born
Gloria Votsis – actress. She is known for her small roles in several TV series such as Hawaii Five-0, The Gates, CSI, CSI: NY, CSI: Miami, and Suburgatory. Votsis also had a starring role in the film The Education of Charlie Banks alongside Jesse Eisenberg. She also recurred as Alex Hunter on the USA drama White Collar.
Jack Pierce – designer of makeup and costumes for all of Universal Studios's iconic movie monsters, including: Frankenstein, Dracula, The Wolf Man, et al.
Petro Vlahos – Oscar-awarded Hollywood special effects pioneer
Producers
Jean Doumanian – born Jeannine Karabas. Early associate producer of Saturday Night Live and briefly replaced Lorne Michaels as Executive Producer; Producer of seven Woody Allen films. Tony Award-winning producer of several Broadway plays.
Lane Brody – singer. Born "Eleni Voorlas" in Chicago area. Brody and Johnny Lee wrote lyrics to and recorded the theme music for the 1983–1984 NBC television show, The Yellow Rose. The theme song of the same name became a No. 1 hit on the U.S. country singles chart on April 21, 1984.
Dark cabaret
Lola Blanc – singer, songwriter; her father is Greek-American.
Alex Martinez – graffiti artist, illustrator, muralist (Greek mother)
Taki 183 – original artist who spawned the Graffiti craze in New York City of 1960s-70s. Demetrios/Demetraki ("Taki") hailed from 183rd Street in Washington Heights, hence his moniker "Taki 183".
Kimon Nicolaides – art teacher, author and artist, who developed the widely used method of teaching drawing "The Natural Way to Draw"
Ithaka Darin Pappas – multi-disciplinary artist, creator of The Reincarnation of a Surfboard, credited with being the founder of the Contemporary Surf Art movement
Military
Gus George Bebas – naval aviator and a recipient of the Distinguished Flying Cross
George Doundoulakis – Greek-American soldier who worked under British Intelligence during World War II and served with the OSS in Thessaly, Greece. Later becoming a physicist, he is known by his twenty-six US patents in the fields of radar, electronics, and narrowband television.
Helias Doundoulakis – served in the United States Army and the Office of Strategic Services — the OSS — as a spy during the Battle of Crete in WWII. Later becoming a civil engineer, he worked on many elite projects for the U.S. Navy and NASA as project leader at Grumman Aerospace. Brother of George Doundoulakis.
James G. Kalergis – U.S. Army officer who played a significant role in the post-Vietnam era reorganization of the U.S. Army
George Marshall (1781–1855) served in the U.S. Navy during the War of 1812, he was a Master Gunner and wrote Marshall's Practical Marine Gunnery.
James Megellas – retired United States Army officer, the most decorated officer in the history of the 82nd Airborne Division, received a Distinguished Service Cross, a Silver Star, and been nominated for the Medal of Honor
Charles Moskos – leading military sociologist in the US Military. Author of Greek Americans: Struggle and Success.
Steve Pisanos – (November 10, 1919 – June 6, 2016) aka "The Flying Greek" - flying ace who served as a fighter pilot with the British Royal Air Force (RAF) and later in the United States Army Air Forces in World War II. He retired in 1974 from the U.S. Air Force as a colonel. Steve Pisanos 2006 Gathering of Eagles Lithograph
Commander Demetries Grimes - is a combat decorated former US naval officer, aviator, SECDEF Executive Fellow, and diplomat. He served as US Naval Attache to Israel and Greece, deputy commander of the US military base in Crete, Combined Joint Inter-Agency 435 (CJIATF-435), and adviser on Ukraine and non-NATO partners to NATO's Maritime Commander in London, UK.
George Doundoulakis – physicist and soldier who worked under British Intelligence during World War II and then served with the OSS in Thessaly, Greece. He is known by his twenty-six US patents in the fields of radar, electronics, and narrowband television.
Helias Doundoulakis – civil engineer who was employed at Grumman Aerospace Corporation for over thirty five years and group leader on many USAF and NASA projects. These included the Apollo space missions and the Lunar Excursion Module, the F-14 Tomcat fighter jet, and the Space Shuttle. His design of the oxygen tanks on the ill-fated Apollo 13 mission was instrumental in the return of the Apollo 13 crew, for which Doundoulakis was given a plaque by Captain James Lovell, Fred Haise, and Jack Swigert. Served in the United States Army and the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) — as a spy during the Battle of Crete in WWII.
John Dugundji - aeronautical engineer, professor at MIT
Helena Zachos (March 5, 1856 – February 28, 1951) - American college professor and elocutionist, who was on the faculty at Cooper Union from 1897 to 1939. Daughter of educator and abolitionist Professor John Celivergos Zachos.
HelenaZachos
John Celivergos Zachos (December 20, 1820 – March 20, 1898) - worked as Library Curator and Professor of English Language at Cooper Union from 1872 until his death in 1898. In 1861 was named the first superintendent of the Port Royal Experiment where freed slaves were educated on the liberated islands off of Charleston, SC.
Nick Galis – former professional basketball player, played in Europe (where he is known as Nikos Galis), and regarded as one of Europe's all-time basketball greats
Dee Andros (born Demosthenes Konstandies "Dee" Andrecopoulos) - American football player, coach, and college athletics administrator. Brother of Plato Andros.
Plato Andros (Plato Gus Andrecopoulos) - college All-American guard for the University of Oklahoma. He played four years in the NFL for the Chicago Cardinals. Brother of Dee Andros.
Zach Collaros – quarterback for the University of Cincinnati football team
Ted Karras III - Center for Cincinnati Bengals and New England Patriots. Played in 3 consecutive Super Bowls for Patriots, winning 2 championships (2016 & 2018).
Pete Pihos – NFL player with the Philadelphia Eagles (Pro Football Hall of Fame). Is the only NFL player to have been named All-Pro on both offense and defense in the same year.
Gene Rossides – Star QB who presided over the Golden Era of Columbia Football of 1945–48. Drafted by [New York Giants] in 1949. Protégé of Sid Luckman.
Fred Smerlas – NFL player for the Buffalo Bills and the New England Patriots
Frank Stams {Stamoulis} - defensive lineman for University of Notre Dame, including their 1988 National Championship team. He was converted to linebacker in the NFL, where he played for the Los Angeles Rams, Cleveland Browns and Kansas City Chiefs.
Jimmy "the Greek" Snyder James George Snyder Sr. (born Dimetrios Georgios Synodinos, September 9, 1918 – April 21, 1996) - American sports commentator and Las Vegas oddsmaker.
John Limniatis – Canadian retired professional soccer player. He played 44 times and scored one goal for the Canadian national team, also captaining and later becoming the head coach of the Montreal Impact.
David Batista (Bautista) - former WWE professional wrestler (Greek mother and Filipino father) and actor Dave Batista, WWE World Heavyweight Championship
Spero Dedes – (born February 27, 1979) is an American sportscaster. He is currently employed by CBS Sports, calling the NFL, NBA, and college basketball. Previously worked play-by-play for the Los Angeles Lakers (radio) and New York Knicks (radio & TV).
Jimmy Cefalo – sportscaster & former NFL wide receiver for Miami Dolphins.
Jimmy "the Greek" Snyder – James George Snyder Sr. (born Dimetrios Georgios Synodinos, September 9, 1918 – April 21, 1996), was an American sports commentator on CBS' The NFL Today from 1976 to 1988 and Las Vegas oddsmaker.
Dr. George C. Nichopoulos – personal physician to Elvis Presley from 1970 to 1977 (Presley's death). Although exonerated in the death of Presley, Dr. Nichopoulos was later stripped of his medical license due to overprescribing medications to many other patients in the state of Tennessee.
Peter Kourakos "Pete The Greek" - founder of Greek-American organized crime in Astoria, Queens, New York.
Spyredon "Spiros" Velentzas – Spiros Velentzas, aka "Sakafias", expanded the activities of the Kourakos crime family in New York City in the 1980s-1990s.
^Green, Penelope (July 11, 2018). "Margaret Hoover and John Avlon on their Post-Partisan Marriage". The New York Times. Retrieved September 8, 2018. Mr. Avlon, who grew up in New York City, is a grandchild of Greek immigrants. Their experiences have made him, he said, a proud patriot.
^"Feature Articles". www.helleniccomserve.com. Archived from the original on 2016-10-29.
^ ab"TNH's 50 Wealthiest Greek-Americans 2017 List". The National Herald. 8 March 2017. Retrieved 18 December 2022.
^"Madoff Whistleblower: SEC Failed To Do The Math". National Public Radio. March 2, 2010. Retrieved 18 December 2022.
^"The Most Popular Person in Buffalo with Courage, Daring and a Touch of Magic, Sabres Owner John Rigas Reminds Us How to Dream". November 1998. Retrieved 18 December 2022.
^"John Sitilides: fact-driven foreign policy fuels this Washington insider". September 22, 2019. Retrieved 18 December 2022.
^"Social Diary 4/22/05 - When Too Much of Too Much Is Still Not Enough". Newyorksocialdiary.com. Retrieved 2009-06-18.
^[2] Archived 2007-09-28 at the Wayback Machine "Greek American, originally from Springfield, Massachusetts"
^ ab[3] "To show in Milan is 'the top' according to the Greek American who decided to leave the catwalks of New York and head for those here in Milan."
^[4] Archived 2006-10-09 at the Wayback Machine " I’m half Greek and half Venezuelan, and I speak fluent Spanish and Greek."
^"American Idol: Interview With Becky O'Donohue". Fansofrealitytv.com. 2006-02-26. Archived from the original on 2006-03-04. Retrieved 2011-09-18.
^"The Films of Andy Sidaris". Mondo-digital.com. Retrieved 2011-09-18.
^[6] Archived 2014-01-21 at the Wayback Machine "Eugenides is himself Greek-American, Detroit-born, suburb-raised--all sources of inspiration for his second novel."
^[7] Archived 2008-04-06 at the Wayback Machine "How I was both Spiderman and a tiny unathletic Greek boy..." [8] "As the son of Greek immigrants, he participated in the familiar first generation event of multiple identities"
^"Death Notice: MICHAEL GEORGE KALODIMOS". Chicago Tribune. 2008-10-30.
^ ab[9] "The son of a Greek Orthodox priest (note: Orthodox priests can marry prior to ordination) and a nutritionist, Martin grew up with his brother and sister in Toms River, New Jersey. His parents co-owned a Greek diner with his grandparents and uncle. Martin, the prototypical "good Greek boy," served as an altar boy at church and bused tables at the restaurant."
^ ab[10] "As far as religion goes, we were raised Greek Orthodox..." [11] "My father's mother, our grandmother, lived with us for a while. She didn't speak any English. She was all Greek and she was freaky. She had long hair, which she wore in braids..." [12] Archived 2016-03-04 at the Wayback Machine
^"Karina Smirnoff Wants To Dance With Somebody | Interview".
^[13] Archived 2016-08-09 at the Wayback Machine " Born on the island of Crete in Greece, Yanni Anastasakis, aka John Aniston, and his family moved to the United States when he was a child. His father promptly changed the family name to Aniston."
^[14] [15] Archived 2006-05-14 at the Wayback Machine "Chiklis got his acting talent from his mother, Kate... his flamboyance from his father, Charlie, a macho second-generation Greek-American who runs a hair salon in the Boston suburb of Lowell, where Chiklis was born."
^[16] Archived 2019-05-29 at the Wayback Machine "Tim's mother, Carmen, was an heiress to the theatre chain founded by her father, Alexander Pantages, who immigrated to the United States from Greece around 1885."
^[17] Archived 2006-04-27 at the Wayback Machine "Andreas Katsulas, whose striking Greek visage..."
^Jones, Patty (2012-05-10). "The Dictator wields a comic arsenal | Vancouver, Canada". Straight.com. Retrieved 2012-05-30.
^Papapostolou, Anastasios (20 November 2010). "24" Greek-American Star Adoni Maropis Plans Screenplay in Crete!". Hollywood Greek Reporter. Retrieved 20 June 2013.
^"Constantine Maroulis - NY, New York - Rock / Pop". MySpace.com. 2005-02-25. Retrieved 2009-06-18.
^[19] "It never occurred to me that Chris Sarandon is Greek (for those that don't know, Tarpon Springs is an ethnic Greek community located just north of St. Petersburg), until I thought about it - he very much looks Greek, later explaining that his father was from a "Greek village in Turkey"."
^[21][22] Archived 2007-05-29 at the Wayback Machine "Born to Greek parents, Savalas served in World War II after he dropped out of Columbia University..." You should not trust yurunalists, Columbia lists him as having graduated in 1950 from their "adult" General Studies school after the army. [23]
^[24][25] Archived 2007-05-29 at the Wayback Machine "Born to Greek parents, Savalas served in World War II after he dropped out of Columbia University..." You should not trust yurunalists, Columbia lists him as having graduated in 1950 from their "adult" General Studies school after the army. [26]
^ ab[27][permanent dead link] "John is also Greek and part Irish." [28] "John Stamos' original family name is Stamopolous, which was shortened by his grandparents when they came to America from Greece."
^ abc"Billy Zane Interview"BloodRayne"Movie: Tim Nasson". Wildaboutmovies.com. 2005-12-27. Archived from the original on 2013-11-02. Retrieved 2009-06-18.
^ ab[29] "Her father John Aniston was born on the island of Crete in Greece. Her mother Nancy Dow is partly Greek." (1930-present)
^[30] "Her father, Ernest J. Carteris, was of Greek descent."
^"Katie Chonacas: Running with success". 16 February 2011.
^[31] "Nancy Dow is Scottish, Irish, Italian and Greek."
^ ab[32] "Olympia Dukakis, Greek-American stage and film actress... will discuss the impact of her Greek-American heritage on her career, as well as past performances, particularly her lead role in the ancient tragedy "Hecuba."" [33] "The daughter of Greek immigrants..."
^ ab[34] "Fey's mother is Greek-American and her father is German-Scottish, but she's wary of claiming an ethnic identity. "I’ve said a few things about being Greek, and now every Greek organization wants to adopt me," Fey told me." [35] "Because of the Greek-girl thing, I have, like, boobs and butt."
^[36] Archived 2006-08-15 at the Wayback Machine "Angie Harmon: "It would be shaping my eyebrows. Being half Greek and half American Indian, I have the unibrow. So once I started working on them, I really did see a change. You create another kind of beauty.""
^[37] "Her (Real) Heritage: "I'm Greek, Italian and Jewish. In TV Guide they wrote that I was French, Greek and Jewish. I am mostly Greek. I don't know where French came from."
^[38] Archived 2006-05-10 at the Wayback Machine "My grandfather always told me, "You know you're American first, but you're a Greek-American, which makes you a better American.""
^[39] Archived 2006-03-21 at the Wayback Machine "The stunning Maria Menounos had no problem getting her Greek on for our photo shoot, but her heritage hasn’t always been easy for her. "My dad was very strict," she says. "A guy would call the house and he would say, ‘I have a gun, and I will use it!’"... My parents said I had to marry a Greek boy. I dated them, but they weren’t for me. They want slaves. I want someone to be my slave! My mom still puts my dad's socks on him when she wakes him up in the morning."
^[40] "Sigler is half-Cuban and half-Greek (Jewish)"
^[41] Archived 2006-08-04 at the Wayback Machine "A raven haired beauty who is equal parts Greek passion and English reserve"
^"Mena Suvari Interview - Mena Suvari on Rumor Has It, Jennifer Aniston, and Rob Reiner". Archived from the original on 2007-12-14. Retrieved 2007-11-25. "Well we’re both [she and Jennifer Aniston] Greek, which is a shoe-in right there." [42][permanent dead link] "Mena, the world traveler: Part Estonian and part Greek, Suvari was named for her godmother, who was born in the Mena House, a hotel at the base of the Pyramids in Egypt." [43] "Brought up in South Carolina, her Estonian father is a retired psychiatrist and her Greek mother a nurse."
^[44] Grandfather Nicholas Cachikis was born in Greece.
^[45] "...Rita Wilson's parents - her father was Bulgarian, while mother Dorothy was Greek - changed their surname to Wilson after moving to the United States." "My mother is Greek and my father is Bulgarian. I am a first-generation American and native Los Angeleno. I was born and raised in Hollywood. I would go to school and be American and then come home and be Greek." [46] "...her producers include actor Rita Wilson, who is half Greek...".
^[47] "...Greek-American entertainer Lisa Zane..."
^[48] Archived 2008-02-25 at the Wayback Machine "Greek-American production designer Dean Tavoularis"
^[49][50] "My father is a Greek from Macedonia. I don’t know his roots exactly."
^"7/14/04: Basil Poledouris Interview". Archived from the original on 2006-10-23. Retrieved 2006-03-23. "The other element that influenced me early on had to do with my Greek Orthodox raising where I used to sit in church and just be enthralled with the choir. So, there are a lot of Gregorian modal ideas in my music that go back to that."
^[51][permanent dead link] "I'm Greek and my wife and I will cook a Greek dinner for eight for the winner. That is a Greek."
^"About Chris". Chrisspheeris.com. Archived from the original on 2011-09-25. Retrieved 2011-09-18. Born and raised in Milwaukee Wisconsin, Chris spent his summers in Greece, the land of his heritage...
^[53] Archived 2006-06-28 at the Wayback Machine "his Greek musician's claims to fame" [54] Archived 2006-06-16 at the Wayback Machine "He divides his time between L.A. and the Seattle, WA area, and is now an American citizen."
^[55] Archived 2006-06-27 at the Wayback Machine "renowned Greek opera singer whose personal life enthralled Greece in the 1950s and 1960s"
^[56] "This website is dedicated to preserving the musical memory of the late, great, Tatiana Troyanos, Greek-American Mezzo-Soprano"
^[57] Archived 2018-12-15 at the Wayback Machine "Called upon to help support their Greek-Norwegian family when their father's business was wiped out by the Depression"
^[58] "I'm Greek, so we have pretty big booties in my family." [59] "I'm Greek and Irish, but I don't know Greek. I just have the booty, that's the only part I got of it, that's the curve of it all."
^[60] Archived 2007-09-28 at the Wayback Machine "Kalomira Sarantis is missing the second semester of her first year in college. She is pursuing her lifetime dream – a career as a professional singer – in a very unorthodox way, as a contestant on the Antenna TV program "Fame Story" in Greece."
^[61] Archived 2006-05-12 at the Wayback Machine "the half-Greek, half-Puerto Rican kid"
^Trousdale - "Feeling the Vibe || Chris Trousdale Interview Page 2". Archived from the original on 2006-10-16. Retrieved 2006-06-23. "Half and half? Yeah I think…my dad is full Greek and my mom's Black Irish."
^[62] "Jim Verraros: My father was born in Greece, so I am mostly Greek. My mother is German, Irish, French and English."
^[63][permanent dead link] "Mr. Greg Dulli (he's Greek, ya know...)"
^[64] Archived 2006-06-30 at the Wayback Machine "We were baptized Greek Orthodox, so we are Greek Orthodox", Matt says. "If you're baptized Greek Orthodox, you're in for good. That's it."
^"Interview:Wayne Kramer (MC5, solo)". 12 April 2012.
^[66] Archived 2006-07-18 at the Wayback Machine "Are you a fan of anal sex? TL, "Being Greek, you'd think I'd be a big anal sex fan. It's kinda nasty. I'm not really feeling it too much, although I've done it several times -- but it's not my favorite."
^[67] "My own band, the Vanity Set, half of whom (including myself) are second-generation Greek-Americans, adore rebetiko music."
^Elissa Strauss, “Sarah Aroeste, keeping Ladino music alive,” New York Daily News, November 11, 2008.
^Mordechai Shinefield, “Monday Music: The Face of Ladino Dream-Pop,” The Forward, May 21, 2012.
^[68] Archived 2006-06-18 at the Wayback Machine "Annette Artani, a native Greek-American New Yorker"
^[69] Archived 2006-06-25 at the Wayback Machine "Well, here I am. I'm an Anatolian Greek - a middle eastern Greek - and I'm an American, which is a bloody weird combination."
^[70] "Constantine comes from a "massive" Greek American family"
^[71] Archived 2006-05-17 at the Wayback Machine "I’m half Irish and I’m half Greek"
^[72] "Born in Berkeley, California, to a Greek immigrant family"
^[73] Archived 2007-10-28 at the Wayback Machine "Greek American bandleader Johnny Otis"
^[74] "My own band, the Vanity Set, half of whom (including myself) are second-generation Greek-Americans"
^"Word Balloon Comics Podcast". Wordballoon.libsyn.com. 2006-12-17. Archived from the original on 2011-09-30. Retrieved 2011-09-18.
^http://72.14.207.104/search?q=cache:SymsEkFOslcJ:www.hellenicnews.com/print.html?newsid%3D2885%26lang%3DUS+Maria+Stephanos+Greek&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=3[permanent dead link]
^"George T. Kalaris, 73, Official Who Changed C.I.A.'s Direction". NY Times. Retrieved 26 November 2015.
^Lavin, Cheryl (October 19, 1993). "One-woman Show: There Are 16 Cook County Board Members-plus Maria Pappas". Chicago Tribune. Chicago, Illinois. Retrieved August 4, 2017.
^Anastasios Papapostolou (2010-03-13). "Chrysostomos "Max" Nikias Named 11th President of USC". USA.GreekReporter.com. Retrieved 2011-09-18.
^"WWF comes to Michigan". Archived from the original on 2006-06-24.
^Martine Powers (October 11, 2007). "Former prof. dies at 91". Yale Daily News. Retrieved 2017-06-21.
^"Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2007-03-11. Retrieved 2006-08-02.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) "Markakis, who is half Greek and half German, led the Greek Olympic team..."
^It's All Greek "Basketball" To Chris Roupas, Kevin Forsythe, The York Daily Record, May 1, 1983
^"Τ.Τζον: "Στόχος μου να καθιερωθώ"". Sport24.gr. 2009-04-19.