List of French Americans

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A French American or Franco-American is a citizen of the United States of America of French descent and heritage. The majority of Franco-American families did not arrive directly from France, but rather settled French territories in the New World (primarily in the 17th and 18th centuries) before moving to the United States later on (see Quebec diaspora and Great Upheaval). About thirteen million U.S. residents are of French descent, and about 1.5 million of them speak the French language at home. Being isolated, mixed with different cultures or ignored the French-Americans developed particular cultures that reflect various of degrees of adaptation of their environments. This gave birth to streams of French-Americans like the Acadians, the Cajuns (literally Acadian pronounced with a southern accent), Louisianans and many others.

The following is a list of notable French Americans:

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[edit] See also

[edit] References

 The references in this article would be clearer with a different or consistent style of citation, footnoting, or external linking.
  1. ^ [1] "Kahn, French-born, but a US resident since 1982"
  2. ^ [2] "André Meyer, the French financier who transformed Lazard into a dealmaking powerhouse from the 1950s to the 1970s"
  3. ^ [3] "World's Richest: #43 Pierre Omidyar, Net Worth: $10.1 billion French émigré"
  4. ^ [4] Her mother DeDe was French, English and Irish
  5. ^ [5] "Half French-Canadian and half Armenian, she grew up in California during the 1950s."
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Noted as a French American at [6]
  7. ^ Jim Carrey: The Joker Is Wild (2000). Knelman, Martin. U.S.: Firefly Books Ltd. p. 8. ISBN 1-55209-535-5 (U.S.).. Retrieved on 2006-03-24.
  8. ^ Vibe chat. Lacey Chabert.com (1998). Retrieved on 2006-11-24.
  9. ^ [7] "From stage performer to singer to painter, the French actor..."
  10. ^ [8] "Half Irish, half French-Canadian, half English."
  11. ^ [9] "Julie Delpy is one of the most popular French actresses..." [10] "She became a U.S. citizen three years ago, while retaining her French citizenship."
  12. ^ [11] "The story of French actress Arielle Dombasle’s life is like something from another era, a time that exists in old movies and Harlequin romances"
  13. ^ Stated on Maxim magazine radio interview (Alternate link)
  14. ^ [12] "Famous French-Canadian author Robert Goulet…"
  15. ^ Nevin, Charles. The glamour of Swindon: Billie Piper, Melinda. The Independent. July 18, 2005. Accessed April 14, 2007.
  16. ^ Sessums, Kevin. Wild at heart. Allure. November 2004. Accessed April 14, 2007.
  17. ^ [13] [14]
  18. ^ [15] "I am only French, Dutch and German. I get my skin color from the French side of my family."
  19. ^ [16] "Meloni, who is half-Italian and half-French Canadian, says that he was surprised to find similarities between the Carbone family and his own."
  20. ^ [17] "Sanchez, who is half Puerto Rican and half French…"
  21. ^ Reni Santoni Biography - Yahoo! Movies
  22. ^ [18] "Did Leelee know much about Joan, who was canonized a saint, before portraying her? "Even though I'm half-French, not terribly much""
  23. ^ [19] "French-born fixture of Andy Warhol's Factory"
  24. ^ Now: Madonna on Madonna - TIME
  25. ^ [20] "A Cajun and Breaux Bridge native, Ali Landry was crowned Miss USA in February 1996 at age twenty-two." [21]
  26. ^ [22] "Francophiles will be pleasantly surprised to learn that despite the unmistakably Celtic ring to her name, May Playmate Maria McBane is every bit as French as croissants and the cancan. Born in Avignon, in the heart of the French wine region of Provence, our 19-year-old May miss was reared in the traditions of the provincial petite francaise until the age of ten, when her family sold their small vineyard and came to America."
  27. ^ Linda Moon - Linda Moon Playboy - Linda Moon Pics
  28. ^ [23] "French icon Joe Dassin"
  29. ^ [24] "French-born American coloratura soprano"
  30. ^ Les Halles Homepage. Brasserie Les Halles. Retrieved on 2007-06-18.
  31. ^ described as "French" at [25]; born in US to French immigrants
  32. ^ Described as "French-Indian" at [26]; maternal grandfather, Jean Baptiste Louis DeCourtel Marchand, was French
  33. ^ Described as "French-Canadian" at [27]; both parents, Medore Moisant and Josephine Fortier, were French Canadian immigrants to the U.S.
  34. ^ Described as "French American" at [28] His father, Apollos Rivoire, was a French Huguenot refugee from Wallonia who had anglicized his name to Paul Revere. His mother, Deborah Hitchbourn, was of English descent[29]
  35. ^ Described as "French American" at [30]; His father, Isaac Roberdeau, was a French Huguenot immigrant and his mother Mary Cunningham was Scottish
  36. ^ [31] "The Boudinots were French Huguenots who fled France and then England after the revocation of the Edict of Nantes"; both of Boudinot's paternal grandparents were French; his mother was of Welsh and Anglo descent [32]
  37. ^ [33] ""I trust that you do know Mr. DeLay is French," she said."
  38. ^ Gravel - [34] "GRAVEL: God no. Mahoney... or it was an Irish name. I'm French-Canadian; I'm American but my parents are French Canadian."
  39. ^ According to [35], his great-grandfather was born in France, most of his other ancestry was English and American
  40. ^ News for New Orleans, Louisiana | Lafourche/Terrebonne News | News for New Orleans, Louisiana |wwltv.com
  41. ^ [36]
  42. ^ Described as "French Hugenot" at [37]; his paternal grandfather was French, while the rest of his ancestors were of English origin[38]
  43. ^ [39] "she was nicknamed the "Cajun Grandma" and won the election to become the top elected official in the state." [40] ""So many people in Louisiana actually speak French every day and feel French, and I think they're a little disappointed about the situation," says Lt. Gov. Kathleen Blanco, a French Acadian whose maiden name was Babineaux. "We're looking at a 200-year historical time when France was our greatest ally.""
  44. ^ [41] "Often referred to as the "Ragin' Cajun" for his animated and colorful debating..."
  45. ^ Pierre Charles L'Enfant, Major, United States Army
  46. ^ [42] "French-Indian who became the principal chief of the Creek Indians in the years following the American Revolution."
  47. ^ [43] "He then became a French correspondent and later Paris bureau chief for ABC News." [44]
  48. ^ [45] [46]
  49. ^ Described as "French Catholic" at [47]; her maternal grandmother, Athena'ise Charleville, was of French descent; the rest of her ancestry was Irish and English[48]
  50. ^ From an interview with Dufresne: [49] "Nathan Leslie: John, do you think your French Canadian background has influenced your writing? If so, how? John Dufresne: It is this primal landscape that shapes us as it shapes the characters in our stories. "You write from where you are," William Stafford said. I write from being a French Canadian/American who grew up on what had been called French Hill until the Irish and Italians muscled us out. And then it was Grafton Hill. Novelist David Plante, author of novels about growing up French Canadian not far from my home, says: "Franco-American culture is gone, and perhaps the only way to have written about it was to believe it was over even while it was being written about. Les vrais paradis sont les paradis perdus might have been said by Proust about an entirely different world, but it applies--with the difference that the Franco past was never a paradise." Grafton Hill was in the fifties and sixties as exclusively Catholic and blue collar as neighborhoods get. Jobs ran to the trades, factories, and public service. There were no dancers or brain surgeons, actors, or professors among the French Canadians on the Hill."
  51. ^ [50] "Will Durant was French-Canadian and a Roman Catholic who had become skeptical of religion."
  52. ^ [51] "Jack Kerouac was born Jean-Louis Kerouac, a French-Canadian child on March 12, 1922 in working-class Lowell, Massachusetts."
  53. ^ [52] His French ancestors immigrated to England in the 16th century
  54. ^ [53] "When it was released in 1956, PEYTON PLACE, the debut novel by French Canadian Grace Metalious…"
  55. ^ [54] "French-born novelist, passionate eroticist and short story writer"
  56. ^ [55] "French economist..."
  57. ^ His paternal grandfather was from the Isle of Jersey; his other ancestry was English - American [56]
  58. ^ SAIL Ser.2, 5.3
  59. ^ [57]
  60. ^ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adras_LaBorde#A_.22good_government.22_columnist
  61. ^ http://nonfictionwise.com/eBooks/CaptainBenjaminLEBonnevilleeBooks.htm
  62. ^ Described as French-Canadian at [58]; parents were French Canadian immigrants to US [59]
  63. ^ [60] describes him as French American; both parents were French; he was raised in Nantes, France [61]"
  64. ^ [62] born in Saint-Brice-sous-Forêt, France
  65. ^ Born in Paris, France to George L'Enfant and Frances Ragond; immigrated to US
  66. ^ [63] "Just like George, he's a nice, country, Cajun guy, who left Louisiana to follow his dream and continued that dream by returning to his roots. "
  67. ^ [64] [65]
  68. ^ [66] "The Cajun Cannon" [67]
  69. ^ [68]
  70. ^ [69] "French-American David Regis earned a starter¿s spot on the 1998 U.S. World Cup squad"
  71. ^ [70] "Could you talk a little about what being both French and American has meant for your soccer development?... Actually, I really think that if I'm a professional today, it's because of my development both in France and in the US. I always try to take what's best for me as an athlete and a keeper from both cultures and honestly think that if I hadn't made the choice of playing internationally for the US youth teams, I wouldn't be in my situation today and wouldn't have developed as quickly."
  72. ^ [71] "French figure skating champion Surya Bonaly has become a US citizen during a ceremony Friday in Las Vegas."
  73. ^ [72] "Detractors of his French born, quotidian jockey said that if Jean Cruguet"
  74. ^ [73] "The California-based Delahoussaye, a Cajun from New Iberia, La., is one of the best riders in Kentucky Derby history."
  75. ^ [74] "Eric Guerin, the twenty-eight-year-old Cajun jockey who rode all of Vanderbilt's top horses under a contract arrangement."
  76. ^ The Official Site of The Chicago Cubs: Team: Player Information
  77. ^ [75] ""the French guy" in World Championship Wrestling"
  78. ^ Library.com "The Story of Frank W. Abagnale Jr. from www.Crime Library.com."
  79. ^ [76] noted that she was proud of her French ancestry, which was distant [77]
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