List of Lebanese Americans

Artists

Nabil Kanso – painter

Sam Maloof – woodworker

Beauty pageant contestants

Rima Fakih – Miss USA 2010

Entertainment personalities

Elizabeth Keener – actress known for her role in the The L Word

Senta Moses – actress known for her role in Home Alone

Joan Alexander – Actress known for her role as Lois Lane

Mary Zilba – Television personality and singer

Rose Abdoo – comedian, actress

Paul Anka – singer, songwriter, actor, producer

James Stacy – Film and television actor

Michael Ansara – Stage, screen, and voice actor (Lebanese born American}

Rowan Blanchard – actress (father of Lebanese descent)

David Yazbek – musician and composer famous for the Broadway musical the The Full Monty

Jenna Dewan – actress (paternal grandfather was of Lebanese descent)

Shannon Elizabeth – actress (father of Lebanese descent)

Lili Estefan – Cuban-American television personality, niece of Emilio Estefan

Jamie Farr – actor (sitcom M*A*S*H)

Mo Gallini – actor (father of Lebanese descent)

Edy Ganem – actress (parents are of Lebanese descent)

Khrystyne Haje – actress (sitcom Head of the Class)

Hank the Angry Drunken Dwarf – radio and television personality

Salma Hayek – Mexican-American actress (paternal grandfather was Lebanese)

Dan Jbara – television and film producer

Gregory Jbara – television and film actor

Mayssa Karaa – Grammy-nominated singer

Casey Kasem – radio personality, American Top 40 franchise; voiceover actor (cartoon series Scooby-Doo, Transformers)

Kerri Kasem – radio and television host; daughter of Casey Kasem

Mario Kassar – filmmaker, founder of Carolco Pictures

Catherine Keener – actress, mother of Lebanese descent

Mia Khalifa — pornographic actress and adult model

Callie Khouri – Oscar-winning screenwriter

Emile Kuri – Mexican-born American Oscar-winning art director

Frank Lackteen – actor

John Leguizamo – actor (maternal grandfather was Lebanese)

Peter Macdissi – film and television actor

Terrence Malick – filmmaker, of part Lebanese descent

Yasmine Al Masri – Lebanese-born American actress

Raya Meddine – actress of Lebanese descent

Wentworth Miller – actor, maternal great-grandmother of Lebanese descent

George Nader – actor, uncle of Michael Nader

Michael Nader – actor, All My Children

Kathy Najimy – actress

George Noory – radio host (radio program Coast To Coast AM)

Michael Nouri – actor, film Flashdance

Diane Rehm – host and executive producer of The Diane Rehm Show on National Public Radio

Zoe Saldana – Dominican-American actress, has claimed some Lebanese ancestry

Elie Samaha – film producer

Tom Shadyac – film director (of 3/4 Lebanese descent)

Tony Shalhoub – actor (sitcom Monk)

Haaz Sleiman – actor (series Nurse Jackie; film The Visitor)

Celeste Thorson – actress, model, activist, screenwriter

Danny Thomas – actor

Marlo Thomas – actress (father was of Lebanese descent)

Tony Thomas – producer (father was of Lebanese descent)

Emeraude Toubia – actress (father is Lebanese)

Paola Turbay – Columbian-American actress, model, beauty queen and television presenter

Vince Vaughn – actor (paternal grandmother was of Lebanese descent)

Amy Yasbeck – actress (father was of Lebanese descent)

Fashion designers

Joseph Abboud – fashion designer

Reem Acra – fashion designer

Zuhair Murad – fashion designer

Elie Saab – fashion designer

Norma Kamali – fashion designer

Musicians

Ron Affif – jazz guitarist and musician

Rosalind Elias -opera singer renowned for her time in the Metropolitan Opera

Paul Anka – Canadian-American singer, songwriter, and actor (both parents of Lebanese descent)

Nadia Azzi – pianist

Mohammed El-Bakkar – tenor singer, oud player, and conductor

Jack Barakat – guitarist of the band All Time Low

Kat Dahlia – singer, songwriter, rapper

Dick Dale – rock guitarist and surf music pioneer

John Dolmayan – Lebanese-American of Armenian descent, drummer of band System of a Down

Emilio Estefan – Cuban-American musician and producer; husband of Gloria Estefan

Emile Ghantous – songwriter, musician, music producer

Sammy Hagar – rock musician

Paul Jabara – composer

Tyler Joseph – lead singer of band Twenty One Pilots

Neil Sedaka – pop/rock singer, pianist, composer and record producer

G.E. Smith – lead guitarist in the band Hall & Oates; musical director of Saturday Night Live

Soraya – Colombian-American singer

Serj Tankian – Lebanese-American of Armenian descent, lead singer of band System of a Down

Tiffany – singer

Tino Coury – singer, songwriter and producer

Tiny Tim – folk singer

Jane Wiedlin – musician, singer-songwriter, and actress; best known as a member of the all-female new wave band The Go-Go's

Business

Magid Abraham – market research expert and businessman

Malouf Abraham, Jr. – businessman

Nahim Abraham – businessman, philanthropist

Salem Abraham – businessman

Tom Abraham – businessman, philanthropist

Clifford Antone – founder of Antone's blues club in Austin, Texas

Thomas J. Barrack, Jr. – businessman and founder of Colony Capital

Debra Cafaro – CEO of Ventas Inc., a healthcare real estate investment trust

Charles Elachi – director of Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Caroline Ghosn – entrepreneur

Tony Fadell – product development manager at Apple Inc.

Frédéric Fekkai – French-American hairdresser and founder of Frédéric Fekkai salons and hair products

Alec Gores – entrepreneur

Tom Gores – founder and CEO of Platinum Equity

Joseph J. Jacobs – former chairman and founder of the Jacobs Engineering Group

Joe Jamail – attorney and businessman

George Joseph – founder of Mercury Insurance Group

Robert Khuzami – former director of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission

Jean Succar Kuri – businessman

John J. Mack – former CEO of investment bank Morgan Stanley (2005–2009)

George J. Maloof, Jr. – businessman and owner of the Sacramento Monarchs, Sacramento Kings and the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas

George J. Maloof, Sr. – businessman and former owner of the Houston Rockets

Manuel Moroun – businessman and the owner of the Ambassador Bridge

Jacques Nasser – former CEO of Ford Motor Company

Fares D. Noujaim – business executive

Paul Orfalea – founder of Kinko's

Madeleine A. Pickens – business executive

Richard E. Rainwater – investor and fund manager

Joe Robbie – attorney and original owner of the Miami Dolphins

Moose Scheib – founder and CEO of LoanMod.com

Education and academics

Joseph Aoun – president of Northeastern University

Charbel Farhat – Chair of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Stanford University; member of National Academy of Engineering

Robert Khayat – chancellor of the University of Mississippi

History

Philip Khuri Hitti – historian of Arab culture and history

Akram Fouad Khater – professor, author, expert on Lebanese-American studies

Journalism

Jim Avila – senior correspondent for ABC News

Leila Fadel – Journalist for National Public Radio

Raghida Dergham – columnist and senior diplomatic correspondent for the London-based Al Hayat

Tamsen Fadal – television journalist

Paula Faris – journalist (father was of Lebanese descent)

Brigitte Gabriel – journalist

Sara Ganim – CNN journalist (father is of Lebanese descent)

Octavia Nasr – former television journalist for CNN

Walid Phares – security and anti-terrorism expert

Lucie Salhany – first woman to head a broadcast television network in 1993 in the position as Chairman of Fox Broadcasting Company

Anthony Shadid – foreign correspondent for The New York Times and earlier The Boston Globe

Serena Shim – journalist

Helen Thomas – journalist who covered every U.S. President from 1961 to 2010

Medicine

Daniel Amen – psychiatrist and author

M. Amin Arnaout – nephrologist and physician-scientist

Amin J. Barakat – physician, known for the diagnosis of Barakat syndrome

Michael DeBakey – heart surgeon, medical innovator

George Hatem – "Ma Haide," a founder of the public health system in China

Paul Nassif – facial plastic surgeon, co-star on the television series "Botched"

Charles Sophy – psychiatrist

Military

John Abizaid – retired General in the United States Army

James Jabara – first American jet ace

George Joulwan – retired U.S. Army General

Ernest "Iron Mike" Massad – U.S. Army Major General

Michael A. Monsoor – U.S. Navy SEAL awarded Medal of Honor after being killed during the Iraq War

Alfred Naifeh – U.S. Navy Lieutenant posthumously awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Medal in WWII and namesake of a U.S. Navy ship, USS Naifeh (DE-352)

Activists

Joseph Hakim – international advocate, Christian Activist Defend Christian existing world wide President of International Christian Union.

Jill Kelley – international advocate, socialite, and former diplomat

Candy Lightner – activist and founder of Mothers Against Drunk Drivers

James Zogby – founder of the Arab-American Institute

John Zogby – pollster; founder of Zogby International

Politicians

Robert G. Abboud – politician from Illinois

James Abdnor – former U.S. Senator and U.S. Representative from South Dakota

James Abourezk – former U.S. Senator from South Dakota

Malouf Abraham, Sr. – politician and businessman

Spencer Abraham – former U.S. Senator from Michigan

Victor G. Atiyeh – former Governor of Oregon

John Baldacci – former Governor of the State of Maine

Charles Boustany – U.S. Representative from Louisiana

Chris Greeley – former Maine state representative

Philip Habib – former U.S. Ambassador and envoy

Richard L. Hanna – politician who has served as a U.S. Representative from New York since 2011

Darrell Issa – U.S. Representative from California

Chris John – former U.S. Representative from Louisiana

Abraham Kazen, Jr. – former U.S. Representative from Texas

Darin LaHood – Republican representative from Illinois

Nico LaHood – Bexar County District Attorney, Texas

Ray LaHood – U.S. Transportation Secretary and former U.S. Representative from Illinois

Manuel Maloof – former U.S. government official and businessman

George J. Mitchell – former U.S. Senator from Maine

Toby Moffett – former U.S. Representative from Connecticut

Ralph Nader – political activist and former U.S. presidential candidate (Green Party)

Mary Rose Oakar – former U.S. Representative from Ohio

Jeanine Pirro – politician, judge and television host

Nick Rahall – U.S. Representative from West Virginia

Edmund Reggie – judge and politician

Selwa Roosevelt – former U.S. government official

Donna Shalala – former U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services

Vincent Sheheen – member of the South Carolina senate

John E. Sununu – former U.S. Senator and U.S. Representative from New Hampshire

John H. Sununu – former White House Chief of Staff; former Governor of New Hampshire

Suzanne Haik Terrell – former Louisiana Elections Commissioner

Other personalities

Joseph Farah – author and journalist

Adele Khoury Graham – educator and former first lady of the State of Florida

Victoria Reggie Kennedy – attorney and widow of U.S. Senator Edward Kennedy

Timothy Massad – U.S. Treasury Department official and corporate lawyer

George Noory – radio host of Coast to Coast AM; author; entertainer

Nassim Nicholas Taleb – best-selling author, risk expert and statistician, university professor, and former trader and business person

Sciences

Elias Corey – 1990 Nobel Prize winner in Chemistry

Michael Debakey – doctor and heart surgeon, medical innovator

Charles Elachi – Director of NASA Jet Propulsion Labs

Charbel Farhat – Director, Army High Performance Computing Research Center, Stanford University, and Member of National Academy of Engineering

Christa McAuliffe – secondary school teacher and first American civilian selected to be an astronaut; perished in the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster; great niece of historian Philip Khuri Hitti

Hassan Kamel Al-Sabbah – Lebanese-American technology innovator

Athletes

Skandor Akbar – former professional wrestler

David Azzi – professional football player

Samir Bannout – former professional bodybuilder and winner of Mr. Olympia title in 1983

Liz Carmouche – mixed martial artist

Patrick Maroon – ice hockey player for the Edmonton Oilers in the NHL

Doug Flutie – former professional football player

Matt Freije – ex-NBA player and member of Lebanon national basketball team

Jeff George –former NFL quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts

John Grabow – MLB pitcher for the Chicago Cubs

Jim Harrick – former head coach of the University of Georgia Bull Dogs

John Jaha – former first baseman in Major League Baseball, played for the Milwaukee Brewers and Oakland Athletics

Nazem Kadri – NHL player for Toronto Maple Leafs

Matt Kalil – professional football player

Ryan Kalil – professional football player

Steve Kerr – retired professional basketball player and current head coach of the Golden State Warriors

Rich Kotite – former National Football League player and coach

Joe Lahoud – former professional baseball player

Johnny Manziel – professional football player

Abe Mickal – football player for LSU

Bobby Rahal – professional car racer and team owner

Graham Rahal – professional car racer

Soony Saad – professional soccer forward player

Sabu – professional wrestler, real name Terry Brunk

Fred Saigh – lawyer; real estate investor; owner of the American professional baseball franchise the St. Louis Cardinals

Damien Sandow – professional wrestler in the WWE

Petey Sarron – former featherweight boxing champion

Rony Seikaly – former professional basketball player in the NBA and for both the U.S. and Lebanon's national basketball team

Joe Vogel – professional basketball player and member of Lebanon's national basketball team

Jackson Vroman – former professional basketball player and member of Lebanon's national basketball team

Robert Watkins – former professional football player; of African-American and Lebanese descent

Jordyn Wieber – Olympic gymnast and gold medallist

Charley Zivic – professional boxer

World Series of Poker Champions

Kassem "Freddy" Deeb – two-time WSOP-bracelet winner

Ihsan "Sammy" Farha – three-time WSOP-bracelet winner

Jennifer Shahade – two-time United States Women's Champion; has the FIDE title of Woman Grandmaster

Writers

Paula Gunn Allen – Native American poet and activist

William Peter Blatty – writer, screenwriter

Vance Bourjaily – novelist

Lee Francis – poet

Khalil Gibran – author and philosopher

Geoff Johns – comic book writer

Charlie Kadado – novelist and journalist

Stephen Karam – playwright

Raymond Khoury – novelist and screenwriter

Saree Makdisi – author and literary critic

Mikha'il Na'ima – author and poet

Amin al-Rihani – author

Nassim Nicholas Taleb – essayist