List of Americans with Finnish ancestry

The following is a list of Finnish Americans, or United States citizens of Finnish descent.

List

Film and television

*David Chokachi (b. 1968) actor [See the list of Finnish artists [http://www25.brinkster.com/finhollywood/international.html] ]
*Matt Damon (b. 1970) award-winning screenwriter and actor [See the list of Finnish artists [http://www25.brinkster.com/finhollywood/international.html] ]
*George Gaynes (b. 1917) film actor [ [http://movies2.nytimes.com/gst/movies/filmography.html?p_id=26241] Finnish-born (Helsinki)]
*Renny Harlin (b. 1959) producer/director [ [http://movies2.nytimes.com/gst/movies/filmography.html?p_id=93452] "Finnish director Renny Harlin..."]
*Brian Heidik (b. 1968) won $1,000,000 on the Thailand edition of "Survivor" [ [http://www.itampere.info/journal/issue0204/Wc2eacdcb04a36.htm] "the half-Finnish American celebrity Brian Heidik..."]
*Paul Kangas, host of "Nightly Business Report" television program [ [http://www.loc.gov/rr/european/FinnsAmer/finchro.html The Finns in America (European Reading Room, Library of Congress) ] ]
*Marta Kristen (b. 1945) perhaps best known for her role as the character "Judy Robinson" in the cult television series "Lost in Space" [Born in Norway to a German father and a Finnish mother; describes herself as a "Finnish Girl" at [http://www.martakristen.com/marta/magazine/elokuva16/index.htm] ]
*Christine Lahti (b. 1950) film actress [Noted as one of several Finnish Americans at [http://www.everyculture.com/multi/Du-Ha/Finnish-Americans.html] ]
*Jessica Lange (b. 1949) two-time Academy Award-winning film actress [Noted as one of several Finnish Americans at [http://www.loc.gov/rr/european/FinnsAmer/finchro.html] ; [http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/01/30/1075340818857.html?from=storyrhs] notes that Lange is "the granddaughter of Finnish and Dutch-German migrants"]
*Dick Latvala (1943-1999), tape archivist for the Grateful Dead
*David Lynch (b. 1946) director [See the list of Finnish artists [http://www25.brinkster.com/finhollywood/international.html] ]
*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 [ [http://movies2.nytimes.com/gst/movies/filmography.html?p_id=72733] born in Petsamo, Finland]
*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 [Noted as one of several Finnish Americans at [http://www.everyculture.com/multi/Du-Ha/Finnish-Americans.html] ; parents were Finnish immigrants]

Musicians

*Jorma Kaukonen (b. 1940) blues, folk and rock guitarist [Described as "Finnish-American" at [http://www.mrlucky.com/html/music/rev53a.htm] ; father was Finnish and mother was Jewish-American]
*Hiski Salomaa (1891–1957) folk singer and song writer [ [http://www.fingerlakesfinns.org/articles/kylander.htm] "Arthur Kylander, Finnish American Folksinger"; born in Kangasniemi, Finland]
*Wilho Saari, Kantele musician
*T-Bone Slim (1890?–1942?) humourist, poet, songwriter, hobo, and a labour activist in the Industrial Workers of the World [ [http://www.iww.org/culture/chronology/Siitonen1.shtml] "T-Bone Slim (the itinerant Finnish-American worker from Ashtabula, Ohio, Matt Valentine Huhta)"]
*Jaco Pastorius (1951–1987) influential jazz bassist [ [http://www.jacop.net/faq.html] "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"]

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 [ [http://www.genealogia.fi/emi/art/article253e.htm] "Although a few younger Finns held notable positions in the party leadership (e.g. Gus Hall, the party general secretary"]
*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 [ [http://finnishheritagemuseum.org/fame/] "JOHN MORTON was an early Finnish-American"]
*Oskari Tokoi (1873–1963) Finnish politician [ [http://collections.ic.gc.ca/heirloom_series/volume7/countries/finland.html Welcome to... / Bienvenue à ] ]
*William A. Niskanen, chairman of the Cato Institute

Other

*Rudy Autio (1926–2007) sculptor [ [http://www.missoulian.com/articles/2007/06/24/obits/01sun/01_june24.txt] "Finnish was his first language and he didn't learn English until ..."]
*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.
*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 [ [http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9064590] "Finnish-born U.S. architect"]
*Eliel Saarinen (1873–1950) architect who became famous for his art nouveau buildings in the early years of the 20th century [ [http://www.artnet.com/artist/424573443/eliel-saarinen.html] "Eliel Saarinen (Finnish, 1873-1950)"]
*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 [ [http://www2.hs.fi/english/archive/news.asp?id=20030617IE9] "Legendary Finnish war hero Lauri Törni (Larry Thorne) to get final resting place in Arlington National Cemetery"]
*Vaino Jack Vehko, Automotive Engineer, NASA Rocket Scientist
*Carl A. Wirtanen (1910–1990) astronomer [ [http://www.yle.fi/teema/tiedeuutiset/2003/rosetta%20wirtaselle.shtml] Wirtasen vanhemmat olivat suomalaisia. [Wirtanen's parents were Finns] ]
* Wallace Wood, comics artist (EC Comics, Mad Magazine, Marvel Comics) [Steve Starger and J. David Spurlock: Wally's World, Vanguard Productions, 2006 [http://www.vanguardproductions.net/wallywood/] ]
*Charles Wuorinen (b. 1938) composer [Noted as one of several Finnish-Americans at [http://www.loc.gov/rr/european/FinnsAmer/finchro.html] ]
*Rick Halperin Current Chairman of Amnesty International USA
*Aileen Wuornos Famous serial killer
*Lars Lofberg Chess player

References