The first Greek known to set foot on U.S. soil was Don Teodoro or Theodoros, a sailor and ship caulker serving aboard the expedition of the Spanish explorer, Panfilio de Narváez, who anchored off what is now Pensacola, Florida, in 1528. Offering himself as a hostage in presumably killed by the Indians on the land. In 1763, as Florida passed from Spanish to British hands, 1,403 people from the Mediterranean, 500 of them Greeks mostly from Mani, were recruited to establish plantations near present-day New Smyrna Beach, Florida. Andrew Turnbull, a Scott, married to Maria Gracia Rubini, the daughter of a Greek merchant in London, born in Smyrna, Asia Minor, secured land about 75 miles south of St. Augustine, Florida, which he named New Smyrna in honor of his wifes birthplaceAs the colony was unsuccessful, the Greek remnant of New Smyrna, no more than 100 people, found a new life in St. Augustine, Florida in 1776. A census in 1783 reports that most of the Greeks in St. Augustine were prospering and some had established themselves as merchants, but eventually became assimilated with the local Spanish population. The first significant Greek community to develop was in New Orleans during the 1850s. By 1866, the community was numerous and prosperous enough to have a Greek consulate and the first Greek Orthodox church in the United States. Immigration picked up in the 1890s, and 450,000 Greeks arrived to the States between 1890 and 1917, many as hired labor for the railroads and mines of the American West; another 70,000 arrived between 1918 and 1924. Less than 30,000 arrived between 1925 and 1945, many of whom were picture brides for single Greek men. Greeks again began to arrive in large numbers after 1945, fleeing the economic devastation caused by World War II and the Greek Civil War. After the 1981 admission of Greece to the European Union, numbers fell to an average of less than 2,000 annually. In recent years, Greek immigration to the United States has been minimal; in fact, net migration has been towards Greece. Over 72,000 U.S. citizens currently live in Greece (1999); most of them are Greek Americans.Today, Greek Americans can be found in every state of the Union, with a heavy concentration in New York City and Chicago, with smaller communities in the greater Detroit, Cleveland, Boston and Baltimore areas. North & South Carolina, as well as Tarpon Springs, Florida are also home to a large Greek-American community. FIRST IMMIGRANTS The flood of Greek immigrants who arrived in America before 1920 can be traced along three major routes: 1. Greeks going to Western states to work on railroad gangs and in mines. As early as 1907, it was estimated by the Greek Consul General in New York that there were between 30,000 and 40,000 Greek laborers in the American West. They found work in the mines and smelters of the Rocky Mountain region, especially Colorado (see Buried Unsung: Louis Tikas and the Ludlow Massacre by Zeese Papanikolas) and Utah, and on the railroad throughout the west. Greek railroad laborers were especially concentrated in California, where in 1910, there were more Greeks proportionate to the total state population than anywhere else in the U.S. Though Greeks came to the West as manual laborers, many began to move into the middle class early on. Even before World War I, but especially in the 20s, many Greeks began to leave the mines and railroads to become storeowners, establishing restaurants, bars, candy stores, or confectioneries, hotels and other businesses at a rapid rate. Though many remained blue-collar workers, the main development was toward the emergence of a Greek American bourgeoisie. Eventually, women arrived from the old country and a normal life was made possible, which further attenuated middle class aspirations 2. Greeks going to New England mill towns to work in the textile and shoe factories. New England was a second major destination of Greek immigrants, where they worked in textile and shoe factories. Although they settled in many towns in New Hampshire, Connecticut and Massachusetts, the foremost mill town was Lowell, Massachusetts, a community that has a special significance in the history of Greek Americans. In 1906, Holy Trinity, the first Byzantine style Greek Orthodox Church in America, was erected in Lowell. By 1910, Lowell, with a total population of 100,000, had 20,000 Greeks. By as late as 1920s, Lowell had the third largest Greek population in America, trailing only New York and Chicago. Greek towns appeared in all parts of the U.S. wherever a sufficient number of Greek immigrants were located. Lowell, Massachusetts, had one of the first and most extensive Greek towns. Greeks who went to the large Northern cities, principally New York and Chicago and worked in factories, or as busboys, dishwashers, bootblacks and peddlers, mostly in the big cities of the Middle Atlantic and Great Lakes states. By the eve of World War I, there were at least several thousand Greeks in large cities such as Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Buffalo, Cleveland, Toledo, Detroit, Gary, Indiana, and Milwaukee, with Chicago and New York the preeminent Greek American cities. Many Greeks in Chicago worked in meatpacking plants, steel mills and factories. But many others took the entrepreneurial route. It was in this capacity that the Greek immigrant was to make his most distinguishing mark on American society. Newly arrived and often still boys, Greek immigrants, who started out as bootblacks, busboys or peddlers of fruit, candy and flowers, somehow managed to set aside a portion of their meager profits, their mercantile future almost predestined. Once they settled in, the immigrants began developing a social life initially based around Greek coffee shops. Soon schools and churches were set up followed by the first Greek newspapers. 4. Tarpon Springs, Florida The first Greek immigrants arrived to this city during the 1880s, to work as divers in the sponge harvesting industry. In 1905, John Cocoris introduced a new technique of sponge diving to Tarpon Springs and recruited Greek divers from the Dodecanese Islands and Halki in particular. By the 1930s, there was a very productive sponge industry in Tarpon Springs, generating millions of dollars a year. After a red tide algae bloom in 1947 that wiped out the sponge fields, most of the sponge boats and divers switched to fishing and shrimping. Today, the town is mostly shops, restaurants, and museums dedicated to the memory of Tarpon Springs’ earlier industry. BECOMING AMERICANS 1920–1960 The 1920s marked the start of a new age for Hellenism in America. The American government curtailed immigration policy and quotas, commencing an extensive campaign to ‘Americanize’ the immigrants and assimilate the millions of immigrants who had arrived in the previous two decades, particularly those from Eastern and Southeastern Europe. In general terms, the Greeks reacted positively to assimilation. For example, the primary objective of the AHEPA organization was to assist Greeks integrate better into American society. There were other similar organizations that worked to achieve a balance between Americanization and preserving Greek identity such as GAPA and the Archdiocese, which acquired considerable prestige from the 1930s onwards following the enthronement of Archbishop Athinagoras. Around the same time various other organizations also helped Greek overcome the financial crisis of 1929. When the Greek-Italian War started in 1940, Greek-Americans mobilized in support of Greece, and Greeks were viewed in a particularly positive light by American popular opinion. The 1950s saw the coming of age of the second generation of Greek-Americans, and with it social improvement for them and further integration of the Greek Diaspora into American society.HE REVIVAL OF ETHNICITY 1960–1980 The beginning of the 1960s saw the so-called revival of ethnicity, which entailed the widespread dissemination and acknowledgement of the cultural roots and traditions of each ethnic community, including the Greek-Americans. At the same time, the climate of radicalism and reflection in America at that time helped thenew generation of Greeks abroad, and in particular women, break free of traditional, patriarchal family structures within the Greek-American family. The turn towards Hellenism became all the stronger with the arrival of new immigrants after World War II while the reputation acquired by Greeks in America strengthened the sense of pride in their Greek roots. Among the best-known Greeks from that time were Elia Kazan, the soprano Maria Callas, the conductor Dimitri Mitropoulos and the doctor George Papanikolaou. Immigration flows increased in the period from 1960 to 1974 leading to the establishment of ‘Greek town’ in the Astoria area of New York. The two-sided development of the Greek presence in America – assimilation coupled with a retention of Greek identity – found its perfect form of expression in the demonstrations over the Cyprus question after 1974. All the Diaspora organizations participated, including the Church led by Archbishop Iakovos, who had made the Archdiocese even more powerful after assuming the throne in 1959, never hesitating to express progressive views, such as his public support for the Civil Rights Movement in the Southern States. A key element in the success of these demonstrations and the imposition of sanctions on Turkey by the USA in the period 1975–1978 was the role of the Greek-American members of Congress such as Representative John Brademas and Senator Paul Sarbanes. The 1980s can be characterized as the start of a return to historical memory, a review of the path taken by Greeks in America. It was during that decade that many publications were released and the archive of photographer Leon Pantoti was rediscovered. This was yet another opportunity for Greek-Americans to honor their unique heritage.>After the 1981 admission of Greece to the European Union, annual U.S. immigration numbers fell to less than 2,000. In recent years, Greek immigration to the United States has been minimal; in fact, net migration has been towards Greece. Over 72,000 U.S. citizens currently live in Greece (1999); most of them are Greek Americans. RE: http://www.mfa.gr/www.mfa.gr/AuthoritiesAbroad/North+America/USA/General ConsulateNewYork/en-US/ BIBLIOGRAPHY Moskos, Charles C., “Greek Americans: Struggle and Success”, 1989 Panagopoulos, E. P., “New Smyrna – An eighteenth Century Odyssey” Saloutos Theodore, “The Greeks in the United States”, 1964 Iliou, Maria, and Kitroeff, Alexander, “The Journey: The Greek American Dream”, film, 2007
This iList Of well known Greek-Americans.
Jennifer Aniston – Golden Globe and Emmy Award-winning film/television actress, best known for her role as Rachel Green on the sitcom Friends, daughter of actors John Aniston and Nancy Dow.
John Aniston – Born Yannis Anastassakis, father of actress Jennifer Aniston.
Hank Azaria – One of the principal voice actors on the animated television series The Simpsons.
Dennis Boutsikaris
DeAnna Pappas
Angela Bowie
Paula Cale
Gabrielle Carteris – Actress, best known for her role as Andrea Zuckerman on the television series Beverly Hills, 90210.
Paul Cavonis – TV and movie actor
George Chakiris
Michael Chiklis
Tim Considine – Actor, writer and photographer, grandson of vaudeville and film producer
Alexander Pantages.
Michael Constantine
Nick Dennis
Nancy Dow – Actress, mother of actress Jennifer Aniston.
Olympia Dukakis – Academy Award and Golden Globe- winning actress.
Tina Fey Michael Flessas – Actor, Palme d’Or (Golden Palm) winning film Dancer in the Dark at the Cannes Film Festival. Paternal grandparents both born in Greece.
Zach Galifianakis
Christopher George
Angie Harmon Lindsay
Hartley Marilu Henner
Ant (Anthony Steven Kalloniatis) – Last Comic Standing comedian
Melina Kanakaredes
Andreas Katsulas
Zoe Kazan – Actress, granddaughter of Elia Kazan
Nick Kiriazis
Elias Koteas – Canadian/US movie actor
George Maharis
Constantine Maroulis
Demetri Martin
Maria Menounos
Andy Milonakis
Nico Minardos
Alexa Nikolas
Elizabeth Perkins
Ryan Pinkston TV and movie actor
Chris Sarandon
George Savalas
Telly Savalas
Alexander Scourby – Actor and narrator, played ‘Old Polo’ in Giant, James Dean’s last film
Amy Sedaris
Jamie-Lynn Sigler
Marina Sirtis – Played Counselor
Deanna Troi in Star Trek: The Next Generation.
John Stamos
Mena Suvari – Actress, best known for her roles in the films American Pie and American Beauty.
Tiffani Thiessen Actress, best known for her role as Valerie Malone on the television series Beverly Hills, 90210.
Betty White
Rita Wilson – Actress, film producer and singer.
Shanelle Workman – Voice actress for various video games and animated TV shows
Billy Zane – Actor and director, best known for his role as Caledon Hockley in the film Titanic.
Lisa Zane – actress and singer, sister of actor Billy Zane.
Jason Mantzoukas Greek American actor, comedian, and writer.
Architects Costas Kondylis
Nicholas Negroponte – Architect and computer scientist
Artists Criss Angel – Illusionist
Thomas Chimes painter Chryssa – sculptor
Peter Forakis – abstract geometric sculptor
George Stavrinos – illustrator (Society of Illustrators Hall of Fame)
Peter Voulkos – sculptor, ceramics art innovator
Electros Vekris – Sculptor kinetics Business
Kary Antholis – senior vice president for miniseries at HBO
George Argyros – founder of real estate company Amel & Affiliates
Jason Calacanis – entrepreneur & founder of Weblogs, Inc.
John Calamos – founder of Calamos Investments
Michael Capellas – terminal CEO of MCI and Compaq
Tom Carvel – founder of the Carvel franchise
Christos Cotsakos – co-founder of E-Trade
Zoe Cruz – ex co-president of Morgan Stanley
Nickolas Davatzes – president and CEO of A&E Television Networks
The Demoulas Brothers – founders of the DeMoulas’ Market Basket J
amie Dimon – (Papademetriou) – CEO of JPMorgan Chase, grandson of Smyrna broker
Peter Diamandis – magazine entrepreneur, founder of the International Space University
Jim Gianopoulos – Fox President
Bill Jemas – former publisher of Marvel Comics & former executive vice president of Marvel Entertainment Group
Lazaros Kalemis – founder & CEO of Alpha Card Services
Peter Karmanos, Jr. – founder, president & CEO of Compuware and owner of the NHL team Carolina Hurricanes
Alyssa LaRoche – founder of Aimee Weber Studio Inc.
Ted Leonsis – vice chair of AOL
George Lycurgus – developer of hotels on Waikiki and the Volcano House
George P. Mitchell – original developer of The Woodlands
Peter M. Nicholas – co-founder of Boston Scientific Corporation
Alexander Pantages – vaudeville and early motion picture producer and impresario
Constantine Papadakis – president of Drexel University
Greg Papadopoulos – senior vice president and Chief Technical Officer of Sun Microsystems Inc.
Peter Peterson (Petropoulos) – ex-CEO of Bell & Howell, Lehman Bros, Chair Council on Foreign Relns, chair BlackStone, Nixon Commerce Scy
Ted Phillips – president and CEO of the NFL team the Chicago Bears
Harry Markopoulos – independent financial investigator
John Rigas – founder of Adelphia Communications Corporation
Stratton Sclavos – president & CEO of VeriSign
Charles Skouras – movie magnate, president of Fox Coast West and National Pictures
George Skouras – movie magnate, president of United Artists
Spyros Skouras – movie magnate, president of 20th Century Fox
Alex Spanos – California realty magnate, chaired Amer Bible Society
Leo Stefanos – inventor of the Dove Bar
William Tavoulareas – president of Mobil Oil Corporation
Angelo Tsakopoulos – real estate developer and founder of AKT Developments in Sacramento, CA
George Tsakopoulos – real estate developer and founder of Tsakopoulos Investments in Sacramento, CA P.
Roy Vagelos – M.D. and former chairman and CEO of Merck “Most Admired USA CEO”
Harry Wilson – former investor and restructuring expert
Ed Zander – CEO of Motorola and former president of Sun Microsystems
Mark Ballas – professional dancer on Dancing with the Stars
Steve Condos – tap dancer
Homer Ladas – Argentine tango dancer and teacher Hermes Pan – choreographer for Fred Astaire
Natalie Fotopoulos – dance teacher, contestant on the FOX reality show, So You Think You Can Dance
Designers Patricia Field – fashion designer James Galanos – fashion designer Basil Gogos –
illustrator Peter Speliopoulos – vice president, DKNY design
Patrick Tatopoulos – special effects and creature designer
Dean Tavoularis – Academy Award winner for Best Art Direction (The Godfather Part II) J
ohn Varvatos – fashion designer
Nick Verreos – American fashion designer
Directors Alexandra Cassavetes – director, daughter of John Cassavetes
John Cassavetes – movie director Nick Cassavetes – movie director
George Pan Cosmatos film director, Tombstone, Rambo: First Blood Part II
Milton Katselas – director,
Hollywood acting teacher
Elia Kazan – movie director, two-time Academy Award winner for Gentleman’s Agreement and On the Waterfront, A Streetcar Named Desire, Viva Zapata, East of Eden
Gregory Markopoulos – film director, New American Cinema of the 1960s
Paolo Marinou-Blanco – film director and screenwriter
Andrew Moskos – producer/owner of Boom Chicago
Alexander Payne – Academy Award winning movie director
Phedon Papamichael – director, cinematographer
Harris Savides, Cinematographer
Andy Sidaris – film director of cult B-movie films
Penelope Spheeris – director (Wayne’s World)
Billy Zane – actor, director Military LTG
Peter G. Burbules – retired United States Army Lieutenant General. U.S. Army Ordnance Hall of Fame.
Matthew Bogdanos – colonel in the United States Marine Corps Reserves Alden Partridge Colvocoresses – USA (Col. Ret.), developer of the first satellite map of the United States
George Colvocoresses – commander of the Saratoga during the American Civil War
George Partridge Colvocoresses – led a distinguished military career rising to the rank of Admiral
George Dilboy – first Greek-American to receive US Army Medal of Honor
Charles Moskos – leading military sociologist in the US Military. Author of Greek Americans: Struggle and Success.
William Pagonis, retired three-star U.S. Army General & Chairman of the Board/Director for Railamerica, Inc.
George Sirian – served in the US Navy with distinction for nearly fifty years
James G. Stavridis – USN is the current Commander, United States Southern Command
Peter G. Tsouras – retired Lieutenant Colonel in the United States Army
Models Kristi Lauren Glakas – Miss Virginia 2006 J
oey Hart – Penthouse model Patricia Kara – model, actress, TV personality
Maria Lekkakos – Miss Massachusetts USA 2004
Becky and Jessie O’Donohue – American Idol contestants and models
Ryan Pinkston – actor and model
Suzi Simpson – model, actress, aspiring screenwriter
Musicians Maurice Abravanel – conductor Teddy Andreadis – keyboardist
The Andrews Sisters – singers
Art Alexakis singer/songwriter/guitarist, member of Everclear
Johnny Antonopoulos- singer/guitarist
Annette Artani – singer/songwriter
John Cacavas – composer, conductor
Maria Callas – considered one of the greatest opera sopranos of all time
Kelly Clarkson – American Idol (Season 1) winner
Greg Dulli – musician The Fiery Furnaces – indie rock band Alexander Frey – conductor, pianist, organist and composer
Diamanda Galás – performance artist, vocalist, and composer
Nick Gravenites – blues, rock and folk singer-songwriter Kalomoira – pop singer
Steven Karidoyanes – composer, broadcaster and conductor with Plymouth Philharmonic Orchestra
Wayne Kramer – guitarist for Motor City Five
Tim Lambesis – Lead singer of Metalcore band As I Lay Dying
Tommy Lee – heavy metal drummer
Paul Lekakis – singer
Jessie Malakouti – singer
Athan Maroulis – singer, producer, musician, older brother of American Idol Season 4 finalist Constantine Maroulis
Constantine Maroulis – singer, stage actor, American Idol (Season 4) finalist
Dimitri Minakakis – original singer and founding member of the band The Dillinger Escape Plan
Dimitris Mitropoulos – world-renowned symphony conductor
Becky O’Donohue – singer and American Idol (Season 5) semi-finalist
Tony Orlando – singer
Johnny Otis – rhythm and blues musician
Shuggie Otis – rock, blues & funk guitarist and songwriter
Vangelis Papathanassiou (aka “Vangelis”) (born 1943) – composer, performer Basil Poledouris – film composer J
im Sclavunos – drummer for Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
Derek Sherinian – virtuoso rock and jazz fusion keyboardist
Chris Spheeris – new age multi-instrumentalist, composer, recording artist, collaborated on several albums with Paul Voudouris
Chris Trousdale (born 1985) – singer, former Dream Street member
Tatiana Troyanos – mezzo-soprano The Vanity Set – alternative/rebetiko rock band
Alex Varkatzas – Lead singer of Hard Rock/Metalcore band Atreyu
Jim Verraros (born 1983) – singer, entertainer, one of the top 10 finalists in the first season of American Idol
Yanni – new-age musician
Frank Zappa – composer – see The Real Photographers
Chris Hondros
Christopher Makos – photographer for Calvin Klein, Esquire and Andy Warhol
George Tames – photographer for the New York Times from 1945–1985
Dimitris Theocharis
Constantine Manos
Popsie Randolph Politics Federal level
Spiro Agnew – former Vice President of the United States, Governor of Maryland, first Greek-American governor in U.S. history
George Argyros – US ambassador to Spain
Shelley Berkley – member of Congress
Gus Bilirakis – congressman, Republican co-chair of the Congressional Caucus on Hellenic Issues
Michael Bilirakis – Congressman from Florida Director,
George Tenet – former CIA director
Dina Titus – Congresswoman from Nevada Frances Townsend – assistant to the President and Homeland Security Advisor
Paul Tsongas – former Senator from Massachusetts
Niki Tsongas – Congresswoman from Massachusetts’s 5th congressional district
Gus Yatron – former Pennsylvania Congressman and boxer State level
Elaine Alquist – California State Assembly
Phil Angelides – state treasurer of California, 2006 democratic candidate for Governor of California
Dean Alfange – Deputy New York State Attorney General and founding member of the Liberal Party of New York.
Jim Aslanides – former member of the Ohio House of Representatives
Demetrius J. Atsalis – Massachusetts House of Representatives
James Bacalles – New York State Assembly
Susan Bysiewicz – former Secretary of the State of Connecticut
Gale D. Candaras – Massachusetts Senate
Larry Chatzidakis – former New Jersey General Assembly
James C. Condos – former Vermont State Senate and is currently the Vermont Secretary of State
Charlie Crist – former Governor of Florida
Mike Haridopolos – Florida Senate
Ted Gatsas – Mayor of Manchester, New Hampshire. former member of New Hampshire Senate
Adeline Jay Geo-Karis – former Illinois State senator, former Naval Officer
Michael N. Gianaris – New York State Assembly
Alexi Giannoulias –
Frank Skartados – New York State
John Catsimatidis New York Buisines Man CEO of Apple Group
Constantine Papadakis – president of Drexel University Christos
Papadimitriou – professor of computer science at University of California, Berkeley
George Papanicolaou – created the Pap Smear, and more generally, the field of cytopathology
Athanasios Papoulis – engineer and applied mathematician
John Allen Paulos – mathematician
Nicholas A. Peppas – Chaired Professor in Engineering, University of Texas at Austin
Symeon C. Symeonides, current dean of Willamette University College of Law George Tchobanoglous – civil and environmental engineer, professor at University of California,
Davis Marius Vassiliou – Computational scientist and aerospace executive
Tom Ypsilantis – physicist
Panayiotis Zavos – geneticist Sports Harry “the Golden Greek” Agganis college football star and professional baseball player for the Boston Red Soxs
Tom Anastos – Head Hockey Coach, Michigan State University
Peter Angelos – MLB owner of the Baltimore Orioles
Annastasia Batikis – played in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League in 1945
David Batista (Bautista) – WWE SmackDown!, professional wrestler (Greek mother)
Clay Bellinger – MLB player of the Baltimore Orioles
Adam Burish – NHL player with the Dallas Stars
Nick Calathes – former Florida Gators basketball player
Al Campanis – MLB player and executive of the Los Angeles Dodgers
Jimmy Carson – NHL hockey player (original family surname Kyriazopoulos)
Chris Chelios – NHL hockey player
Anton Christoforidis – professional boxer, NBA World Light Heavyweight Champion 1941
Zach Collaros – quarterback for the University of Cincinnati football team
Ria Cortesio – professional baseball umpire
Tara Dakides – pro snowboarder and champion from California
Chris Farasopoulos – NFL player, played for the New York Jets
Nick Fotiu – NHL player, played for the New York Rangers
Danielle Fotopoulos – soccer player, US women’s national soccer team
George Kottaras – catcher for the Milwaukee Brewers
Nick Galis – basketball player, played in Europe (where he is known as Nikos Galis) and is regarded as one of Europe’s all-time basketball greats
Alex Grammas – MLB manager and infielder for St. Louis Cardinals, Cincinnati Reds and the Chicago Cubs.
Laird Hamilton (born Laird John Zerfas) surfer
Alex Holmes – NFL tight end for the St. Louis Rams, mother is
Greek George John Soccer player, currently with Major League Soccer club FC Dallas
Maria Kanellis – professional wrestler with WWE Smackdown
Alex Karalexis- professional fighter with the Ultimate Fighting Championship
Chris Karamesines – racecar driver
Dean Karnazes – ultramarathon champion, writer, businessman
Mike Karakas – NHL player for the Islanders 1935–1946
Alex Karras – NFL player with the Detroit Lions, wrestler and actor
Lou Karras – NFL player with the Washington Redskins, older brother of Alex Karras
Ted Karras – NFL player with the Chicago Bears and Detroit Lions, older brother of Alex Karras
Gus Kartes – former Chicago Storm footballer
Eric Karros – former MLB player for the Los Angeles Dodgers, and now a baseball broadcaster
George Kastrinakis – former professional basketball player in Greece
Michael Katsidis – (born in Australia) current boxer
Bobby Kingsbury – MLB player for the Pittsburgh Pirates
Frank Klopas – retired soccer player, formerly of AEK, Apollon, Kansas City Wizards, Chicago Fire and the U.S. national team
Chris Kontos – former NHL player known for his prolific scoring in the play-offs
George Kontos – MLB pitcher with the San Francisco Giants
John Korfas – former Greek pro basketball player.
Tom Kostopoulos – NHL hockey player.
Niko Koutouvides – NFL linebacker for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Kosta Koufos – player for the Denver Nuggets in the NBA and the Greece national team
Alexi Lalas – soccer player for the L.A. Galaxy, U.S. national team
Steve Lappas – former college basketball coach at Villanova and UMass Themistocles Leftheris – American pair skater, 2007 U.S. National Pairs bronze medalist
Kay Lionikas – played in the All-American Girl s Professional Baseball League from 1948–1950
Billy Loes, MLB Pitcher for the Dodgers and other teams
Jim Londos – champion wrestler during the 1930s
Greg Louganis – Olympic diving champion (Greek by adoption; ethnically Samoan and Swedish)
Christina Loukas- Olympic diver
Nick Markakis – MLB outfielder who currently plays for the Baltimore Orioles
Tino Martinez – former MLB first baseman for the N.Y. Yankees (Greek mother)
Aaron Miles – MLB player for the St. Louis Cardinals, Chicago White Sox, and Colorado Rockies (paternal grandmother)
David Nelson – former professional Greek basketball player
Gus Niarhos – MLB Yankees, White Sox, Red Sox, Phillies
Joe Panos – NFL player with the Philadelphia Eagles and Buffalo Bills 1994–2000 (birth name Zois Panagiotopoulos)
Petros Papadakis – Host of various sports shows on radio, former college football tailback and team captain at USC 1996–2000.
Milt Pappas – MLB pitcher for the Baltimore Orioles and Cincinnati Reds and other teams
Tom Pappas – Track & field decathlete, 2003 world decathlon champion and 2-time Olympian. J
une Peppas – All-American Girls Professional Baseball League 1948–1954
George Parros – NHL hockey player
Tony Pashos – NFL lineman with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Lonnie Paxton – NFL New England Patriots long-snapper 2001–2003
Peter Philipakos – Soccer player, formerly of Olympiacos F.C., currently with Ethnikos Piraeus.
Pete Pihos – NFL player with the Philadelphia Eagles (Pro Football Hall of Fame)
Joseph Pilates – inventor of Pilates
Dawn Marie Psaltis (Dawn Marie) – former WWE diva
Kurt Rambis – former NBA player, won 4 championships with the L.A. Lakers (birth name Kyriakos Rambidis)
Chris Roupas – Former Greek American Professional Basketball Player, First Penn State Nittany Lion to play professional basketball in Greece
John Sitaras – fitness professional, creator of the Sitaras Method and founder of Sitaras Fitness in New York City
Pete Sampras – tennis player, considered one of the best tennis players in history
Peter Skouras – retired soccer player, formerly of Olympiakos Pireaus, PAOK Thessaloniki, San Diego Sockers | North American Soccer League, and United States Youth National Teams
Fred Smerlas – NFL player for the Buffalo Bills and the New England Patriots
Jimmy “the Greek” Snyder – sports commentator
Alex Spanos – NFL owner of the San Diego Chargers
Trish Stratus – WWE diva
Matt Stover – NFL player, kicker for Baltimore Ravens
George Theodore – MLB outfielder for the New York Mets
Craig Titus – American bodybuilder
Gus Triandos – MLB player for the Baltimore Orioles and other teams
Lou Tsioropoulos – former NBA player with the Boston Celtics
Garo Yepremian – NFL player (Greek Cypriot origin)
George Zaharias – sports promoter and professional wrestler in the 1930s (birth name Theodore Vetoyanis)
Gust Zarnas – NFL player with the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers 1938–1940
Clint Zavaras – MLB pitcher with the Seattle Mariners in 1989 TV/journalists
Ernie Anastos – WNYW-New York co-anchorman Thalia Assuras – TV reporter, CBS News (born in Canada, moved to U.S.)
John Bolaris – WCBS-New York meteorologist
Jimmy Cefalo – sportscaster
Alexis Christoforous- CBS News Early Show
Chris Clark was the lead news anchor at WTVF in Nashville, TN. He also gave Oprah Winfrey her first television job Bob Costas – NBC sportscaster
Spero Dedes – Los Angeles Lakers sportscaster
Stefan Fatsis – National Public Radio
Mike Galanos – CNN/Sports Illustrated anchor
Paul Glastris – editor in chief of The Washington Monthly
Nick Gregory – WNYW New York meteorologist for over twenty years
Chris Hondros – photojournalist Soterios Johnson – WNYC- morning anchor Harry Kalas – sports announcer
Demetria Kalodimos – anchorperson for WSMV-TV Nashville, Tennessee
Bill Lekas – sports announcer
Ernie Manouse – TV anchor/producer, PBS
John Manuel – co-editor in chief, Baseball America magazine
Rory Markas – sports announcer
Debbie Matenopoulos – journalist, talk show host
Maria Menounos- correspondent for Today and Access Hollywood
John Metaxas – WCBS New York radio correspondent
Bob Papa – sports anchor and announcer
Greg Papa – sportscaster
Petros Papadakis – former USC Trojans running back, sports talk show host Ike Pappas – former CBS News correspondent
Ted Sarandis – sports announcer
Andrea Stassou – reporter for WCBS-TV in New York
George Stephanopoulos – Host of ABC’s This Week
Jason Terzis – sports anchor and producer for WOOD-TV in Grand Rapids, MI.
Maria Stephanos- weeknights anchor–WFXT-TV (Fox 25:Boston) Writers
Chloe Aridjis – writer (daughter of Greek-Mexican Homero Aridjis and American Betty Ferber de Aridjis)
Aliki Barnstone – poet and translator, author of The Collected Poems of C.P. Cavafy: A New Translation (W.W. Norton, 2006)
A. I. Bezzerides – novelist and screenwriter
Demetrios Constantelos – priest and academic scholar
Rae Dalven – author and academic (Romaniote – Greek Jewish)
N. A. Diaman – novelist and artist
Jeffrey Eugenides – novelist and short story writer
Tina Fey, comedienne, former head writer of Saturday Night Live and creator of 30 Rock
Christos Gage – DC/Marvel Comics/Wildstorm and Law & Order writer Nicholas Gage – reporter for the Wall Street Journal
Dan Georgakas – writer, critic and member of the editorial board for Cineaste
Panio Gianopoulos – writer and editor for Bloomsbury Publishing
Vanessa Grigoriadis – contributing editor for New York magazine and Rolling Stone magazine
George Gregoriou – William Paterson University professor,
Arianna Huffington (born Arianna Stassinopoulos) – columnist, pundit and founder of the popular liberal website The Huffington Post
John Kass – columnist, Chicago Tribune
Zoe Kazan – screenwriter and playwright
Paul Kemprecos
Nick Mamatas
Markos Moulitsas, blogger and political columnist, founder of the influential liberal blog Daily Kos
George Pelecanos, crime novelist and television drama writer (The Wire)
Stephanos Papadopoulos, poet, translator
David Sedaris, essayist and radio contributor
Giorgio A. Tsoukalos Byron Vazakas – poet (nominee for the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry, 1947)
Criss Angel – magician
Pete Athans – mountaineer Constantino Brumidi – important artist of the Capitol
Yiorgos Caralambo – one of the eight men hired by US Army in 1856 to lead the camel driver experiment in the Southwest.
Philip Tedro, or Hadji Ali, hired by US Army in 1856 to lead the camel driver experiment in the Southwest.
Cat Cora – Iron Chef on Food Network’s Iron Chef America
Nick “the Greek” Dandolos – gambler
Gracia Dura Bin – early settler, wife of Dr. Andrew Turnbull
Iakovos – former Greek Orthodox Archbishop of America, Harvard professor, Selma marcher, President World Council of Churches
George Lois – advertising executive (ESPN, USA Today, Xerox, MTV, Wolfschmidt, Tommy Hilfiger), “Fizz Fizz What a Relief it Is”, “No Dancing in the Isles” “Crazy People” (Big break hired by Rossides for Javits 1960)
Jack Pierce – makeup artist
Jenni Pulos – On show Flipping Out
Dino Stamatopoulos – television comedy writer, actor and producer who has worked on Mr. Show, TV Funhouse, Mad TV, Moral Orel, and Late Night with Conan O’Brien Michael Symon – Iron Chef on Food Network’s Iron Chef America
Paul Vallas – CEO of the Chicago Public Schools
Nick Venet – record producer P etro Vlahos – Oscar-awarded Hollywood special effects pioneer
Kyriaki Aronis Makeup
Artist John Brademas – former member of Congress, former president of New York University, former chair of Federal Reserve Bank of New York.
Michael Dukakis – former Governor of Massachusetts, 1988 Democratic presidential candidate
Nick Galifianakis – former Congressman from North Carolina.
George Gekas – former Congressman from Pennsylvania
Ron Klink – former Representative from Pennsylvania
Tom C. Korologos – U.S. Ambassador to Belgium, Reagan lobbyist
Nicholas Mavroules – former Congressman from Massachusetts
Andrew Manatos – former Assistant Secretary of Commerce under Jimmy Carter
Sylvia Mathews – National Economic Commission staff
John Negroponte – United States Director of National Intelligence, former United States Ambassador to the United Nations
Peter Peterson – first Greek American Cabinet Officer, head of Blackstone Group
John Podesta – White House Chief of Staff under President Bill Clinton
John Sarbanes – eldest son of Paul Sarbanes, Congressman, Maryland’s 3rd congressional district
Paul Sarbanes – former Senator for Maryland; co-sponsored the Sarbanes–Oxley Act on corporate accounting T
asia Scolinos – Justice Department Director Of Public Affairs
Olympia Snowe – Republican Senator from Maine
Zack Space – member of the U.S. House of Representatives for Ohio
George Stephanopoulos – political commentator, former White House Communications
George Harlamon – former mayor of Waterbury, Connecticut
Bill Saffo – Mayor of Wilmington, North Carolina
Harry Scolinos – attorney, businessman and politician Science/Academia
Diogenes Allen – professor of philosophy Gust Avrakotos – political adviser
Saul Amarel – artificial intelligence pioneer
Paul Alivisatos – nanotechnologist
Chris Argyris – distinguished lifetime contributor to theory and practice of management
Kyriacos A. Athanasiou – biomedical engineer
Constantine A. Balanis – electrical engineer
D. James Bidzos – VeriSign Vice Chairman of the Board (previously CEO of RSA Data Security)
Lambros D. Callimahos – NSA cryptanalyst
George Canellos – renowned oncologist and cancer researcher Leda Cosmides – psychologist
Michael Dertouzos – innovator and director of the M.I.T. LCS
Persi Diaconis – mathematician
George A. Economou – optical systems expert
Menas Kafatos – quantum physicist
Paris Kanellakis – computer scientist
Peter Liacouras – former president of Temple University
Nicholas Metropolis – physicist
Andreas Gerasimos Michalitsianos – NASA astrophysicist
Tom Maniatis – biologist
Dimitris Nanopoulos – professor of theoretical physics at TAMU
Nicholas Negroponte – scientist, MIT Media Lab founder and director; architect
Alexander Nehamas – professor of philosophy
Kyriacos Costa Nicolaou – chemist
C. L. Max Nikias – engineer and president of the University of Southern California
Alexi Giannoulias – Illinois State Treasurer
Theodore Kanavas – Republican senator from Brookfield, Wisconsin.
Phyllis Katsakiores – New Hampshire House of Representatives
Joseph M. Kyrillos – New Jersey General Assembly
Phil P. Leventis – Democratic member of the South Carolina Senate
Nicole Malliotakis – New York State Assembly
Sandy Pappas – Minnesota State Senator representing St. Paul
Aravella Simotas – New York State Assembly
Costas Constandinidis New York City Council Member
Theodore J. Sophocleus – Maryland House of Delegates
Joyce Spiliotis – Massachusetts House of Representatives
Theodore C. Speliotis – Massachusetts House of Representatives
Bruce Tarr (Tamvakologos)- Massachusetts Senate and the Minority leader
Philip J. Williams – former member of the Michigan House of Representatives Local level
Art Agnos – former mayor of San Francisco
Helen Boosalis – former mayor of Lincoln, Nebraska
George Christopher – former mayor of San Francisco Adeline J
ay Geo-Karis – former Illinois State senator, former naval officer
