List of Americans with Finnish ancestry
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The following is a list of Finnish Americans, or United States citizens of Finnish descent.
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Contents |
[edit] List
[edit] Film and television
- Pamela Anderson, actress[1]
- David Chokachi (b. 1968) actor[2]
- Matt Damon (b. 1970) award-winning screenwriter and actor[3]
- George Gaynes (b. 1917) film actor[4]
- Renny Harlin (b. 1959) producer/director[5]
- Brian Heidik (b. 1968) won $1,000,000 on the Thailand edition of Survivor[6]
- Paul Kangas, host of Nightly Business Report television program[7]
- Marta Kristen (b. 1945) perhaps best known for her role as the character "Judy Robinson" in the cult television series Lost in Space[8]
- Christine Lahti (b. 1950) film actress[9]
- Jessica Lange (b. 1949) two-time Academy Award-winning film actress[10]
- Dick Latvala (1943-1999), tape archivist for the Grateful Dead
- David Lynch (b. 1946) director[11]
- Lisa Niemi, actress
- Maila Nurmi (1921–2008) created the well-remembered 1950s character of Vampira. Her portrayal of this character on television and in films was influential over decades that followed[12]
- Bonnie Pietila, the casting director and producer for The Simpsons
- Joyce Randolph, (born Joyce Sirola on October 21, 1924)
- Albert Salmi (1928–1990) film and television actor[13]
[edit] Musicians
- Jorma Kaukonen (b. 1940) blues, folk and rock guitarist[14]
- Hiski Salomaa (1891–1957) folk singer and song writer[15]
- Wilho Saari, Kantele musician
- T-Bone Slim (1890?–1942?) humourist, poet, songwriter, hobo, and a labour activist in the Industrial Workers of the World[16]
- Jaco Pastorius (1951–1987) influential jazz bassist[17]
[edit] Politics
- Gregory Nevala Calvert (1937–2005) National Secretary of Students for a Democratic Society in 1966–67.
- Gus Hall (1910–2000) labor organizer, a founder of the United Steelworkers of America trade union, a leader of the Communist Party USA and five-time U.S. presidential candidate[18]
- John Hanson, President of the United States in Congress Assembled, 1782.
- John Morton (1724–1777) delegate who cast the deciding vote in favor of the United States Declaration of Independence[19]
- Oskari Tokoi (1873–1963) Finnish politician[20]
- William A. Niskanen, chairman of the Cato Institute
[edit] Other
- Rudy Autio (1926–2007) sculptor[21]
- Eino Friberg (1901-1995) Protestant Minister and English translator of The Kalevala, the Finnish national epic.
- Dick Kangas High School friend of Bob Dylan. Made the first recordings of Dylan's music in May 1959.
- Paul Kangas — host of Nightly Business Report since it was a local Florida program in 1979[22]
- JT Lindroos Designer, publisher, editor and writer
- Eero Nelimarkka artist.
- Tiina Nunnally, author and reknown translator
- Miriam Patchen, Peace Activist
- Emil Petaja, author
- Eero Saarinen (1910–1961) architect and product designer of the 20th century, famous for his simple, sweeping, arching structural curves[23]
- Eliel Saarinen (1873–1950) architect who became famous for his art nouveau buildings in the early years of the 20th century[24]
- Alex Steffen writer.
- Haddon Sundblom, artist
- Lauri Törni (1919–1965) Finnish Army Captain who led an infantry company in Finnish Winter and Continuation War and moved to the United States after the war[25]
- Vaino Jack Vehko, Automotive Engineer, NASA Rocket Scientist
- Carl A. Wirtanen (1910–1990) astronomer[26]
- Wallace Wood, comics artist (EC Comics, Mad Magazine, Marvel Comics) [27]
- Charles Wuorinen (b. 1938) composer[28]
- Rick Halperin Current Chairman of Amnesty International USA
- Aileen Wuornos Famous serial killer
- Lars Lofberg Chess player
[edit] References
- ^ Iltalehti, 22nd June, 2007[1]
- ^ See the list of Finnish artists[2]
- ^ See the list of Finnish artists[3]
- ^ [4] Finnish-born (Helsinki)
- ^ [5] "Finnish director Renny Harlin..."
- ^ [6] "the half-Finnish American celebrity Brian Heidik..."
- ^ The Finns in America (European Reading Room, Library of Congress)
- ^ Born in Norway to a German father and a Finnish mother; describes herself as a "Finnish Girl" at [7]
- ^ Noted as one of several Finnish Americans at [8]
- ^ Noted as one of several Finnish Americans at [9]; [10] notes that Lange is "the granddaughter of Finnish and Dutch-German migrants"
- ^ See the list of Finnish artists[11]
- ^ [12] born in Petsamo, Finland
- ^ Noted as one of several Finnish Americans at [13]; parents were Finnish immigrants
- ^ Described as "Finnish-American" at [14]; father was Finnish and mother was Jewish-American
- ^ [15] "Arthur Kylander, Finnish American Folksinger"; born in Kangasniemi, Finland
- ^ [16] "T-Bone Slim (the itinerant Finnish-American worker from Ashtabula, Ohio, Matt Valentine Huhta)"
- ^ [17]"Jaco's Grandmother on his Mom's side, Kaisa Eriika ISOJÄRVI, was born north of the Arctic Circle in Lappi, Finland, and married David Haapala from Minnesota, who's father, Andrew Haapala was from Oulu, Finland"
- ^ [18] "Although a few younger Finns held notable positions in the party leadership (e.g. Gus Hall, the party general secretary"
- ^ [19] "JOHN MORTON was an early Finnish-American"
- ^ Welcome to... / Bienvenue à
- ^ [20] "Finnish was his first language and he didn't learn English until ..."
- ^ Noted as one of several Finnish-Americans at [21]
- ^ [22] "Finnish-born U.S. architect"
- ^ [23] "Eliel Saarinen (Finnish, 1873-1950)"
- ^ [24] "Legendary Finnish war hero Lauri Törni (Larry Thorne) to get final resting place in Arlington National Cemetery"
- ^ [25] Wirtasen vanhemmat olivat suomalaisia. [Wirtanen's parents were Finns]
- ^ Steve Starger and J. David Spurlock: Wally's World, Vanguard Productions, 2006 [26]
- ^ Noted as one of several Finnish-Americans at [27]
