Trisha Shetty (Editor)

List of Polish Americans

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List of Polish Americans

This is a list of notable Polish Americans, including both original immigrants who obtained American citizenship and their American descendants.

Contents

Television, radio and film actors

  • Nick Adams (1931–1968), film actor; mother was of Polish descent
  • Grant Aleksander (born 1959), film and daytime actor, Guiding Light
  • Pico Alexander (born 1991), actor; parents are Polish immigrants
  • Stanley Andrews (1891–1969), TV/radio actor
  • David Arquette (born 1971), actor, director, screenwriter; mother (née Nowak) was of Polish Jewish and Russian Jewish descent
  • Rosanna Arquette (born 1959), actress, director, producer; mother (née Nowak) was of Polish Jewish and Russian Jewish descent
  • Jacob Artist (born 1992), actor, singer, and dancer; mother is of Polish descent
  • Joe Augustyn (born 1952), screenwriter, movie producer
  • Jake T. Austin (born 1994), actor; father is of part Polish descent
  • Carroll Baker (born 1931), film actress and author; father of Polish ancestry
  • Christine Baranski (born 1952), actress
  • Kristen Bell (born 1980), film/television actress (Veronica Mars), mother is of Polish descent
  • Maria Bello (born 1967), actress (A History of Violence, Thank You for Smoking, The Cooler); mother is of Polish descent
  • Brian Benben (born 1956), television actor; father was of Polish descent
  • Jack Benny (1894–1974), comedian, vaudevillian, and actor for radio, television, and film; of Polish Jewish descent
  • Carlos Bernard (né Carlos Bernard Papierski; born 1962), actor (24)
  • Craig Bierko (born 1964), actor and singer; father has Polish ancestry
  • Marc Blucas (born 1972), actor; paternal grandfather of Polish descent
  • Jon Bon Jovi (born 1962), singer, songwriter, actor, producer, and philanthropist; maternal grandfather of Polish descent
  • Alex Borstein (born 1971), actress, voice actress, writer, and comedian; of Polish Jewish descent
  • Lisa Boyle (born 1968), actress and model; of part Polish descent
  • Andrew Bryniarski (born 1969), actor and bodybuilder; father of Polish descent
  • Amanda Bynes (born 1986), actress and comedian; paternal grandmother was of Polish descent
  • Liz Cackowski (born 1975), comedy writer and actress; of part Polish descent
  • Nicolas Cage (born 1964), actor; maternal grandmother was of Polish descent (surname Siputa)
  • Bobby Campo (born 1983), actor; paternal grandmother of Polish descent
  • Steve Carell (born 1962), actor; mother of Polish descent
  • Jessica Cauffiel (born 1976), actress and singer; paternal grandmother of Polish ancestry
  • Jennifer Connelly (born 1970), Academy Award-winning actress; her mother was of Russian Jewish and Polish Jewish descent
  • Robert Conrad (born 1935; né Conrad Robert Falk), film and television actor; Polish on father (Leonard Falkowski)'s side
  • D.J. Cotrona (born 1980), actor; mother of half Polish descent
  • Elżbieta Czyżewska (1938–2010), Polish-born award-winning theater, film and TV actress
  • Jenna Dewan-Tatum (born 1980), actress, model, and dancer; paternal grandmother of Polish descent
  • Janice Dickinson (born 1955), model/reality television star; mother was of Polish descent
  • Dagmara Dominczyk (born 1976), Polish-born American actress; sister of Marika Dominczyk
  • Marika Dominczyk (born 1980), Polish-born American actress; sister of Dagmara Dominczyk
  • Anne Dudek (born 1975), television actress (Mad Men, House M.D.)
  • David Duchovny (born 1960), actor, paternal grandmother of Polish ancestry
  • Alexis Dziena (born 1984), film and television actress (When in Rome), of part Polish descent
  • George Dzundza (born 1945), actor, of part Polish descent
  • Zac Efron (born 1987), actor, paternal grandfather was the son of Polish Jewish parents
  • Jesse Eisenberg (born 1983), actor, of Polish Jewish and Ukrainian Jewish descent
  • Linda Emond (born 1959), actress; paternal grandmother was of Polish descent
  • Briana Evigan (born 1986), actress; of part Polish descent
  • Peter Falk (1927–2011), actor; of Polish Jewish descen
  • Jason David Frank (born 1973), actor and mixed martial artist; mother of half Polish descent
  • Johnny Galecki (born 1975), actor; father of Polish descent
  • Arlene Golonka (born 1936), actress
  • Katerina Graham (born 1989), actress (Vampire Diaries), mother of Polish Jewish and Russian Jewish descent
  • Gilda Gray (1901–1959), actress and dancer
  • Ari Graynor (born 1983), actress; father of Polish descent
  • Alice Greczyn (born 1986), actress
  • Kim Greist (born 1958), actress; Polish maternal grandmother
  • Zach Grenier (born 1954), actor; mother of Polish descent
  • Sasha Grey (born 1988), actress; maternal great-grandfather of Polish descent
  • Chelsea Handler (born 1975), actress and comedian; maternal great-grandmother of Polish origin
  • Marilu Henner (born 1952), television actress (Taxi) and health book author; father was of Polish descent
  • John Hodiak (1914–1955), film actor
  • Bonnie Hunt (born 1961), Golden Globe- and Emmy Award-nominated actress, comedian, writer, director, television producer and daytime television host, maternal grandparents were Polish
  • Ryan Hurst (born 1976), actor; mother of Polish descent
  • Scarlett Johansson (born 1984), actress (Lost in Translation); mother is of Polish and Polish Jewish descent
  • Jake Johnson (born 1978), actor; maternal grandmother, Lucille/Lucy Kopacz, was of Polish descent
  • JoJo (born 1990), singer and actress; maternal grandmother of Polish origin
  • Jane Kaczmarek (born 1955), actress (Malcolm in the Middle)
  • Nina Kaczorowski (born 1975), actress, stunt woman, model and dancer
  • Vincent Kartheiser (born 1979), actor; maternal great-grandmother was Polish, from Błonie
  • Harvey Keitel (born 1939), Academy Award-nominated actor, of Polish Jewish and Romanian Jewish descent
  • Ted Knight (1923–1986), Emmy Award–winning film and television actor (The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Too Close for Comfort)
  • Mitchell Kowal (1915-1971), film actor
  • Linda Kozlowski (born 1958), film actress (Crocodile Dundee)
  • Jane Krakowski (born 1968), film, stage and television actress (Ally McBeal, 30 Rock); winner of the 2003 Tony Award; of three quarters Polish descent
  • John Krasinski (born 1979), TV and film actor (The Office); of half Polish and half Irish descent
  • Lisa Kudrow (born 1963), actress, of Polish Jewish and Belarusian Jewish descent
  • Shia LaBeouf (born 1986), actor, voice actor, and comedian, mother is of Polish Jewish and Russian Jewish descent
  • Lisa Lampanelli (born 1961), comedian and actress; maternal grandfather, Stanley Velgot, of Polish descent
  • Carole Landis (1919–1948), film actress; mother was of Polish descent and father of Norwegian descent
  • Joe Lando (born 1961), TV and film actor (Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman)
  • Matt Lanter (born 1983), actor and model; of part Polish descent
  • Téa Leoni (born 1966), film and TV actress; paternal grandmother was of Polish descent
  • Logan Lerman (born 1992), actor; his maternal grandfather was a Polish Jewish immigrant, and the rest of Logan's ancestry is Russian Jewish, Lithuanian Jewish, and other Polish Jewish
  • Justin Long (born 1978), film and television actor; his mother, former Broadway actress Wendy Lesniak, is of Polish descent
  • Josh Lucas (born 1971), actor
  • Eric Mabius (born 1971), TV and film actor (Ugly Betty, The Crow), mother is of Polish descent
  • Rose Marie (born 1923), TV and film actress (The Dick Van Dyke Show); mother of Polish heritage and father of Italian descent
  • Ross Martin (1920–1981), Polish Jewish immigrant, TV and film actor (Wild Wild West)
  • Joseph Mazzello (born 1983), actor; maternal grandfather of Polish descent
  • Jenny McCarthy (born 1972), actress and comedian; mother of part Polish descent
  • Izabella Miko (born 1981), Polish-American actress and dancer
  • Patrycja Mikula (born 1983), also known as Patricia Mikula, model and Playboy Cybergirl
  • Wentworth Miller (born 1972), actor, model, screenwriter, and producer; maternal great-grandmother, Florence Busczniewicz, of Polish descent
  • Christopher Mintz-Plasse (born 1989), actor; paternal grandmother, Joan Stolarczyk, was of Polish descent
  • Helena Modjeska (1840–1909), Polish-born actress who specialized in Shakespearean roles
  • Cameron Monaghan (born 1993), actor and model; mother of part Polish descent
  • Kyle Mooney (born 1984), actor and comedian; maternal great-grandfather of Polish descent
  • Zero Mostel (1915–1977), actor of stage and screen, of Polish Jewish descent
  • Pola Negri (1894–1987), Polish film actress who achieved notoriety as a femme fatale in silent films between the 1910s and 1930s
  • Paul Newman (1925–2008), actor; of Polish Jewish/Hungarian Jewish (paternal) and Slovak Catholic (maternal) descent
  • Jerry O'Connell (born 1974), TV and film actor; maternal grandfather was of Polish descent
  • Jodi Lyn O'Keefe (born 1978), actress and model; of part Polish descent
  • Jerry Orbach (1935–2004), Tony Award-winning stage, film, musical theatre and television actor and singer; mother was of Polish-Lithuanian Roman Catholic background; father was a German Jewish immigrant
  • Frank Oz (born 1944), British-born American film director, actor and puppeteer, father was a Polish Jew
  • Joanna Pacuła (born 1957), Polish-born actress
  • Jared Padalecki (born 1982), actor (Gilmore Girls, Supernatural); father is of Polish descent
  • Adrianne Palicki (born 1983), actress; paternal grandfather of Polish descent
  • Gwyneth Paltrow (born 1972), actress; paternal family were Jewish immigrants from Belarus and Poland; grandfather's surname was "Paltrowicz"
  • Annie Parisse (born 1975), actress; father of part Polish descent
  • James Penzi (born 1952), playwright, screenwriter, poet; mother is Polish
  • Mary Kay Place (born 1947), actress and singer; Polish maternal great-grandmother
  • Stefanie Powers (born 1942), actress and singer; mother was of Polish descent
  • Beata Pozniak (born 1960), Polish-born actress, film director, painter, fashion model and activist who is now based out of the United States (Babylon 5, JFK)
  • Robert Prosky (1930–2008), TV and film actor (Hill Street Blues)
  • Danny Pudi (born 1979), TV actor; mother is of Polish descent
  • Maggie Q (born 1979), model and actress (Nikita, Mission: Impossible III, Die Hard 4.0); father is of Irish and Polish descent
  • Jack Quaid (born 1992), actor; maternal grandfather of Polish ancestry
  • Emily Ratajkowski (born 1991), actress and model; paternal grandfather was of Polish (Catholic) descent, maternal grandfather was a Polish Jewish immigrant
  • John Ratzenberger (born 1947), TV actor (Cheers), mother was of Polish descent
  • Dana Reeve (1961–2006), actress, singer, and activist for disability causes; paternal grandmother of Polish descent
  • Ronda Rousey (born 1987), MMA fighter and actress; of part Polish descent
  • Eli Roth (born 1972), film director, producer, writer and actor, of Polish Jewish, Russian Jewish, and Austrian Jewish descent
  • Paul Rudd (born 1969), actor, of Polish Jewish and Russian Jewish descent
  • Amy Ryan (born 1969), actress, born Amy Beth Dziewiontkowski; of part Polish descent
  • Meg Ryan (born 1961), née Hyra, actress, Polish ancestry on her father's side
  • Thomas Sadoski (born 1976), actor; paternal grandfather of Polish descent
  • Jonathan Sadowski (born 1979), actor of Polish and Italian descent
  • Fred Savage (born 1976), actor (The Wonder Years), of Polish Jewish and Russian Jewish descent
  • Rob Schneider (born 1963), actor, comedian, screenwriter, and director; father was of Polish Jewish and Russian Jewish descent
  • Liev Schreiber (born 1967), film and stage actor, mother is of Polish Jewish descent
  • Chloë Sevigny (born 1974), film actress and model; mother is of Polish descent
  • Atticus Shaffer (born 1998), actor; maternal grandmother, Wanda Mary Jankowski, of Polish descent
  • Casey Siemaszko (born 1961), film/television actor, Polish father
  • Nina Siemaszko (born 1970), film/television actress, Polish father
  • Joseph Sikora (born 1976), Polish-American actor (Boardwalk Empire, The Heart, She Holler, Power)
  • Bill Smitrovich (born 1947), actor
  • Leelee Sobieski (born 1982), actress, father is of partial Polish descent
  • Olga Sosnovska (born 1972), Polish-born TV and soap opera actress (All My Children)
  • Martin Starr (born 1982), actor; maternal great-grandmother, Mary M*A*S*H. Krzyzanowski, of Polish descent
  • Ben Stiller (born 1965), actor, father is of Polish Jewish descent
  • Gloria Swanson (1899–1983), actress (best known for Sunset Boulevard); mother, Adelaide Klainowksi, was of part Polish descent
  • Loretta Swit (born 1937), musical theatre and television actress (M*A*S*H)
  • Keith Szarabajka (born 1952), TV and film actor
  • Eric Szmanda (born 1975), TV actor (CSI), of part Polish descent
  • Christine Taylor (born 1971), actress; of part Polish descent
  • Miles Teller (born 1987), actor; paternal great-grandmother, Catherine Stancavage, was of Polish descent
  • Meghan Trainor (born 1993), singer and actress; maternal grandfather of Polish descent
  • Alan Tudyk (born 1971), TV, film and stage actor; father of Polish descent
  • Liv Tyler (born 1977), actress and model; paternal great-grandfather was a Polish immigrant
  • Tom Tyler (1903–1954), film actor (Adventures of Captain Marvel)
  • James Urbaniak (born 1963), film, television and theatre actor
  • Travis Van Winkle (born 1982), actor; maternal grandmother of Polish descent
  • Michael Vartan (born 1968), film and television actor; mother is a Jewish immigrant from Poland
  • Jean Wallace (1923–1990), film actress
  • Eli Wallach (1915–2014), actor, of Polish Jewish descent
  • Devon Werkheiser (born 1991), actor; maternal great-grandmother was of Polish descent
  • Paul Wesley (born 1982), actor, born Paul Wasilewski to Polish parents (Fallen, The Vampire Diaries)
  • Alicia Witt (born 1975), actress, singer, songwriter, and pianist (paternal great-grandfather of Polish ancestry)
  • Pia Zadora (born 1954), actress and singer; mother was of Polish descent
  • Maddie Ziegler (born 2002), actress and dancer; of partial Polish descent
  • Madeline Zima (born 1985), actress; maternal grandfather of Polish ancestry
  • Vanessa Zima (born 1986), actress; maternal grandfather of Polish ancestry
  • Yvonne Zima (born 1989), actress; maternal grandfather of Polish ancestry
  • Sheri Moon Zombie (born 1970), actress; mother of Polish descent
  • Daphne Zuniga (born 1962), actress; maternal grandfather of Polish descent
  • Chris Zylka (born 1985), actor; maternal grandfather of Polish descent

    • Architects

  • John S. Flizikowski (1868–1934), prominent Chicago architect
  • Frank Gehry (born 1929), Canadian-born of Polish Jewish descent; California architect
  • Norman Jaffe (1932–1993), architect widely noted for his contemporary residential architecture
  • Daniel Libeskind (born 1946), Polish-born architect
  • Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk (born 1950), Polish American leader of the New Urbanism movement
  • Witold Rybczynski (born 1943), Scottish-born architect, author and professor; later based in Canada and the United States

    • Artists

  • Richard Anuszkiewicz (born 1930), painter, sculptor, and printmaker
  • Joseph Bakos (aka Jozef Bakos; 1891–1977), Southwestern artist
  • Władysław T. Benda (1873–1948), painter and illustrator
  • Hedwig Gorski (born 1949), performance poet and avant-garde artist
  • Frank Kozik, graphic artist who has worked with Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Stone Temple Pilots, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Melvins, The Offspring and Butthole Surfers; runs Man's Ruin Records
  • Tamara de Lempicka (1898–1980), art deco artist
  • Jan Lorenc (born 1954), photographer and designer
  • Jozef Mazur (1897–1970), painter and stained glass artist
  • Rafał Olbiński (born 1945), artist
  • Ed Paschke (1939–2004), artist
  • Miroslaw Rogala (born 1954), video artist
  • Theodore Roszak (1907–1981), sculptor
  • Jan Sawka (1946–2012), painter, sculptor, printmaker, stage design, and set design
  • Kesha Sebert (born 1987), singer
  • David Seymour (1911–1956), Polish-born photographer and photojournalist
  • Julian Stanczak (born 1928), painter
  • Stanisław Szukalski (1893–1987), painter, sculptor and pseudoscientific historian
  • Arthur Szyk (1894–1951), political cartoonist
  • Jack Tworkov (1900–1982), painter
  • Piotr Uklański, artist and photographer
  • Max Weber (1881–1961), Polish-born Expressionist painter
  • Jurek Wajdowicz (born 1951), photographer, artist and graphic designer
  • Krzysztof Wodiczko (born 1943), artist
  • Korczak Ziolkowski (1908–1982), sculptor of Crazy Horse Memorial

    • Authors

  • Charles Bukowski (1920–1994), writer
  • Virginia C. Bulat (1938–1986), author and historian
  • Mark Z. Danielewski (born 1966), author (House of Leaves)
  • Stuart Dybek (born 1942), poet, writer
  • Hedwig Gorski (born 1949), performance poet, avant-garde artist
  • John Guzlowski (born 1948), poet/essayist, author (Lightning and Ashes)
  • Chuck Klosterman (born 1972), author with German and Polish ancestry
  • Lelord Kordel (1904–2001), author of books on nutrition and healthy living
  • Jerzy Kosinski (1933–1991), novelist
  • Chris Kuzneski (born 1969), best-selling author of multiple thrillers (Sign of the Cross, The Lost Throne)
  • Richard C. Lukas (born 1937), author, historian and freelance writer
  • Czesław Miłosz (1911–2004), Nobel Prize–winning poet, prose writer, essayist and translator
  • Andrew Nagorski (born 1947), non-fiction/fiction author and award-winning senior editor of Newsweek magazine
  • Michael Alfred Peszke (born 1932), psychiatrist and historian of the Polish Armed Forces in World War II
  • David Pietrusza (born 1949), non-fiction and historical author
  • James Rollins (born 1961; né Czajkowski), bestselling author of fantasy and action-adventure thrillers (Sandstorm, Map of Bones)
  • Leo Rosten (1908–1997), teacher and academic; best known as a humorist in the fields of scriptwriting, storywriting, journalism and Yiddish lexicography
  • Diane Wakoski (born 1937), poet and essayist in residence at Michigan State University
  • Maia Wojciechowska (1927–2002), writer of children's books
  • Leo Yankevich (born 1961), critic, editor, poet and translator associated with the New Formalist movement
  • Adam Zamoyski (born 1949), historian and a member of the Zamoyski ancient Polish nobility family
  • George Zebrowski (born 1945), science fiction author
  • Roger Zelazny (1937–1995), writer of fantasy and science fiction short stories and novels
  • Aleksandra Ziółkowska-Boehm (born 1949), academic and non-fiction and historical author

    • Designers

  • R. Zygmunt Pawlowski (born 1957), tartan designer (Nevada State tartan)

    • Filmmakers

  • Joe Augustyn (born 1952), screenwriter, producer (Night of the Demons)
  • Andrzej Bartkowiak (born 1950), cinematographer, director and actor
  • Richard Boleslavsky (1889–1937), director (The Painted Veil)
  • Mark Cendrowski, television director
  • Tad Danielewski (1921–1993), director/producer; his first wife was Polish-American actress Sylvia Daneel, with whom he emigrated to the United States
  • Samuel Goldwyn (1882–1974), Polish-born U.S. Hollywood motion picture producer and founding contributor of several motion picture studios
  • Janusz Kamiński (born 1959), two-time-Oscar-winning cinematographer and film director who has photographed all of Steven Spielberg's movies since Schindler's List (1993)
  • Stanley Kubrick (1928–1999), US/UK filmmaker, screenwriter, producer and photographer
  • Martin Kunert, writer/director (Campfire Tales, MTV's Fear, Voices of Iraq)
  • Rudolph Maté (1898–1964), cinematographer and film director
  • Alan J. Pakula (1928–1998), producer, writer and director (Sophie's Choice)
  • Roman Polanski (born 1933), filmmaker born and raised in Poland; fled from the U.S. to France in 1978 due to allegations of statutory rape
  • Andrzej Sekuła (born 1954), cinematographer and film director
  • Aaron Spelling (1923–2006), film and television producer
  • Sam Spiegel (1901–1985), Academy Award-winning film producer
  • J. Michael Straczynski (born 1954), writer/producer (Babylon 5 franchise)
  • Gore Verbinski (born 1964), director (Pirates of the Caribbean (all 3 films), The Mexican, The Ring)
  • Andy Wachowski (born 1967), filmmaker, director (The Matrix, V for Vendetta)
  • Lana Wachowski (born 1965), filmmaker, director (The Matrix, V for Vendetta)
  • Albert Warner (1883–1967), co-founder of Warner Bros. Studios
  • Harry Warner (1881–1958), one of the founders of Warner Bros. and a major contributor to the development of the film industry
  • Jack L. Warner (1892–1978), president and driving force behind the highly successful development of Warner Bros. Studios in Hollywood
  • Sam Warner (1887–1927), co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Warner Bros. film company
  • Billy Wilder (1906–2002), journalist, screenwriter, film director, and producer whose career spanned more than 50 years and 60 films
  • Dariusz Wolski, Polish-born cinematographer (Pirates of the Caribbean, The Crow, A Perfect Murder, Crimson Tide)

    • Journalists

  • Mika Brzezinski (born 1967), NBC and MSNBC News journalist and commentator
  • Rita Cosby (born 1964), MSNBC anchor; journalist
  • Christopher Hitchens, literary critic and political activist
  • Laura Ingraham (born 1964), conservative political TV commentator/radio show host/author
  • Larry King (born 1933), Larry King Live
  • John Kobylt, radio personality and co-host of talk radio program John and Ken on KFI AM 640 (Los Angeles, California)
  • Max Kolonko, TV personality, news correspondent, author, producer
  • Michelle Kosinski (born 1974), NBC News correspondent
  • Alan Krashesky, anchorman of Chicago's WLS-TV or ABC 7
  • Jim Miklaszewski, chief Pentagon correspondent for NBC News
  • Carl Monday, investigative journalist in Cleveland
  • Mike Royko (1932–1997), long-time Chicago newspaper columnist
  • Wilma Smith (née Pokorny), anchorwoman WJW-TV
  • Gloria Steinem (born 1934), American feminist icon, journalist, and social and political activist
  • Ivo Widlak (born 1978), Polish-born international press, radio and television Journalist

    • Models

  • Michelle Buswell (born 1983), model
  • Anna Chudoba, model/reality TV star
  • Janice Dickinson (born 1955), self-proclaimed first supermodel, fashion photographer, actress, author and an agent
  • Katarzyna Dolinska, model and contestant of America's Next Top Model, Cycle 10
  • Anna Jagodzinska, Polish model, born in Sierpc
  • Diane Klimaszewski (born 1971), model and one half of the Coors Light Twins with sister Elaine
  • Elaine Klimaszewski (born 1971), model and one half of the Coors Light Twins with sister Diane
  • Joanna Krupa (born 1981), model and actress
  • Jordan Monroe (born 1986), Playboy model
  • Beth Ostrosky Stern (born 1972), model and wife of Howard Stern
  • Emily Ratajkowski (born 1991), Polish-American model who appeared on iCarly
  • Anja Rubik, Polish model, born in Rzeszów
  • Mia Tyler (born 1978), plus-size model, actress, public speaker and advocate; great-grandfather emigrated from Poland

    • Musicians

  • Michael Anthony (born 1954), born Michael Anthony Sobolewski; bassist (Van Halen)
  • Jerry Augustyniak (born 1958), drummer (10,000 Maniacs)
  • Pat Benatar (born 1953), Patricia Mae Andrzejewski, rock singer ("Heartbreaker", "Hit Me With Your Best Shot", "Love Is A Battlefield")
  • Eddie Blazonczyk (born 1941), polka musician
  • Mike Bordin (born 1962), drummer for (Faith No More)
  • Clem Burke (born 1954), drummer (Blondie)
  • Peter Cetera (born 1944), singer/songwriter, bassist (Chicago)
  • Greyson Chance (born 1997), singer, songwriter, and pianist; maternal great-grandmother, Annie J. Kosinski, of Polish descent
  • Leonard Chess, co-founder of Chess Records
  • Phil Chess, co-founder of Chess Records
  • Florian Chmielewski (born 1927), Minnesota musician; politician; former legislator; former President of the Minnesota Senate
  • John Curulewski (1950–1988), one of the original members of Styx
  • Dick Dale (born 1937), pioneer of surf rock and one of the most influential guitarists of the early 1960s; experimented with reverb and made use of custom made Fender amplifiers
  • Poe (née Ann Danielewski, born 1968), singer-songwriter
  • Neil Diamond (born 1941), singer-songwriter, born to a Jewish family descended from Russian and Polish immigrants
  • Henry Doktorski (born 1956), accordionist, pianist, composer and conductor
  • Urszula Dudziak (born 1943), jazz singer
  • Adam Dutkiewicz (born 1977), guitarist (Killswitch Engage)
  • Rik Fox (née Suligowski), heavy metal bass/guitar player (Steeler, W.A.S.P); also actor and published writer
  • Piotr Gajewski (born 1959), conductor, music director (National Philharmonic)
  • Isis Gee (born 1972), pop singer-songwriter
  • Paul Gilbert (born 1966), guitarist (Mr.Big, Racer X)
  • Leopold Godowsky (1870–1938), Polish-born pianist/composer
  • Benny Goodman (1909–1986), jazz musician, clarinetist and bandleader, known as "King of Swing", "Patriarch of the Clarinet", "The Professor", and "Swing's Senior Statesman; of Polish Jewish descent
  • Lawrence Gwozdz (born 1953), saxophone player
  • Josef Hofmann (1876–1957), Polish-born pianist and composer
  • Mieczysław Horszowski (1892–1993), Polish-born pianist
  • Frank Iero (born 1981), guitarist for the band (My Chemical Romance)
  • Walter Jagiello (1930–2006), polka musician; akas: "Mały Władziu", "Li'l Wally", "The Polka King"
  • Bobby Jarzombek (born 1963), drummer (Halford)
  • Ron Jarzombek, guitarist (Watchtower)
  • Steve Jocz (born 1981), drummer (Sum 41)
  • Jan Kaczmarek (born 1953), Academy Award-winning composer
  • Greg Kihn (born 1950), pop musician, frontman (The Greg Kihn Band)
  • Pee Wee King (1914–2000), country-western singer and songwriter ("Tennessee Waltz")
  • Frank Klepacki (born 1974), musician, video game music composer and sound director
  • Miliza Korjus (1909–1980), Polish-born opera singer and Academy Award-nominated actress
  • Adam Kowalczyk, guitar player (Live)
  • Ed Kowalczyk (born 1971), vocalist (Live)
  • Benjamin Kowalewicz (born 1975), vocalist (Billy Talent)
  • Gene Krupa (1909–1973), big band and jazz drummer
  • JoJo (born 1990), pop and R&B singer–songwriter; actress
  • Liberace (1919–1987), entertainer of Polish and Italian descent
  • Adam Makowicz (born 1940), jazz pianist and composer
  • Marilyn Manson (born 1969), musician, artist
  • Ray Manzarek (born 1939), The Doors keyboardist and co-founder
  • Marilyn Mazur (born 1955), percussionist/composer/singer/pianist/bandleader
  • Paul Mazurkiewicz, drummer (Cannibal Corpse)
  • Robert Muczynski (born 1929), composer
  • Karen O (born 1978), singer ("Yeah Yeah Yeahs)
  • Ric Ocasek, lead singer and rhythm guitarist (The Cars)
  • Ken Peplowski (born 1959), jazz clarinetist and saxophonist
  • Christina Perri (born 1986), singer and songwriter
  • Gene Pitney (1940–2006), singer and songwriter
  • Bogdan Raczynski, musician
  • Axl Rose (born 1962), lead vocalist for the band Guns N' Roses
  • Frederic Rzewski (born 1938), composer and pianist
  • John Rzeznik (born 1965), guitarist and vocalist of Goo Goo Dolls
  • Richie Sambora (born 1959), Bon Jovi guitarist
  • Jacques Singer (1910–1980), conductor
  • Stevenson Sedgwick, composer, keyboard player (The Phantom Limbs), multi-instrumentalist, composer Black Ice
  • Matt Skiba (born 1976), singer and guitarist (Alkaline Trio, blink-182)
  • Ruth Slenczynska (born 1925), pianist
  • Hillel Slovak (1962–1988), Israeli-American musician; original guitarist and founding member of Red Hot Chili Peppers
  • Walt Solek, polka musician
  • Peter Steele (1962–2010), vocalist, bassist (Type O Negative)
  • Zygmunt Stojowski (1870–1946), pianist and composer
  • Leopold Stokowski (1882–1977), conductor and composer
  • Roman Totenberg, Polish-born violinist
  • Steven Tyler (born 1948), lead vocalist (Aerosmith); maternal grandfather emigrated from Poland
  • Thomas Tyra (1933–1995), college bandmaster, composer, arranger and music educator
  • Keith Urban (born 1967), New Zealand-born U.S.-based Grammy an,ARIA-winning country music singer
  • Michał Urbaniak (born 1943), Polish-born jazz musician
  • Bobby Vinton (born 1935), pop singer
  • Henryk Wars (1902–1977), composer
  • Cory Wells, born Emil Lewandowski in Buffalo, New York; one of the three lead vocalists in the band Three Dog Night
  • Jack White, singer/guitarist for The White Stripes
  • D'arcy Wretzky (born 1968), bassist (The Smashing Pumpkins)
  • Franciszek Zachara (1898–1966), composer, pianist

    • Television personalities

  • Elisabeth Hasselbeck (born 1977), co-host of The View and contestant on Survivor
  • Bonnie Hunt (born 1961), host of The Bonnie Hunt Show
  • Jenny Jones (born 1946), talk show host who hosted The Jenny Jones Show from 1991 to 2002
  • Jane Kaczmarek (born 1955), Emmy-nominated actress Malcolm in the Middle and Raising the Bar
  • John Krasinski (born 1979), actor, The Office (US series)
  • Richard "Mach" Machowicz, host of Discovery Channel's Future Weapons, former Navy SEAL
  • Charlie O'Connell (born 1975), reality and TV actor (The Bachelor)
  • Kinga Philipps (born 1976), actress/producer
  • Janelle Pierzina (born 1980), contestant on the sixth and All-Star seasons of the American version of the CBS reality show Big Brother
  • Stefanie Powers (born 1942), film and television actress best known for her role as Jennifer Hart in the 1980s television series Hart to Hart
  • Anthony Stanislas Radziwill (1959–1999), television executive/filmmaker
  • Pat Sajak (born 1946, née Patrick Sajdak), host of the popular and long-running television game show Wheel of Fortune
  • Jon Stewart (born 1962), host
  • Edyta Śliwińska (born 1982), television personality; ballroom dancer (Dancing with the Stars)
  • Paul Winchell (1922–2005), ventriloquist, voice actor and comedian; his grandparents were Jewish immigrants from Poland and Austria-Hungary

    • Theater and dance

  • Christine Baranski, stage, film and television actress (Tony, Emmy, Drama Desk award winner)
  • Walter Bobbie (né Wladysław Babij), Broadway director
  • Pesach Burstein (1896–1986), Polish-born Israeli-American actor, comedian, singer; director of Yiddish vaudeville/theatre (husband of Lillian Lux and father of Mike Burstyn)
  • Mike Burstyn (born 1945), musical theatre actor; entertainer (son of Pesach Burstein and Lillian Lux)
  • David Burtka (born 1975), stage actor
  • John Gromada, Broadway composer and sound designer
  • Jerry Jarrett (né Jerome Jaroslow), Broadway musical theatre actor
  • Staś Kmieć, theater and dance choreographer
  • Lillian Lux (1918–2005), singer, author, songwriter and actress in Yiddish theater and Yiddish vaudeville; wife of Pesach Burstein; mother of Mike Burstyn
  • pl:Ida Nowakowska, actress, singer and dancer
  • Anna Sokolow, leading American modern-dance choreographer, Broadway choreographer
  • Zypora Spaisman, Lublin-born, U.S. stage actress (Yiddish Theatre); was midwife in Poland during World War II
  • Marta Wittkowska, contralto operatic singer
  • Karen Ziemba, Tony Award-winning actress, singer and dancer

    • Business and economics

  • Max Factor, Sr., Polish-born cosmetics company founder
  • David Geffen (born 1943), American record executive, film producer, theatrical producer and philanthropist
  • Leo Gerstenzang, inventor of Q-Tips
  • Alan Greenspan (born 1926), economist; Chairman of the Federal Reserve of the United States, 1987-2006
  • Nathan Handwerker (1890–1974), Polish-Jewish-American entrepreneur known for creating the Nathan's Famous brand of hot dogs
  • Barbara Piasecka Johnson (1937–2013), humanitarian and art collector, who was one of the richest women in the world
  • Henry Juszkiewicz, Chairman/CEO of Gibson Guitar Corporation
  • Tom Kalinske, former president and CEO of Sega of America
  • Dennis Kozlowski, former CEO of Tyco International, convicted in 2005 of fraud
  • Reuben and Rose Mattus, founders of the Häagen-Dazs company
  • Edward P. Roski, real estate businessman; rated #163 on Forbes' 400 Richest Americans (2008), with a net worth of approximately $2.5 billion
  • Frank Piasecki, founder of Piasecki Helicopter Company, inventor of dual-rotor helicopters
  • Helena Rubinstein, Polish-born cosmetics company founder
  • Lydia Sarfati, founder of the Repechage cosmetics company
  • Martha Stewart (née Martha Kostyra; born 1941), business magnate, author, editor, former stockbroker, model, and homemaking advocate
  • Bob Stupak (1942–2009), founded Vegas World casino and the Stratosphere tower
  • Jack Tramiel (born 1928), founder of Commodore; President and CEO of Atari
  • Sanford I. Weill (born 1933), banker, philanthropist, CEO/Chairman of Citigroup
  • Warren Winiarski (born 1928), winemaker, stag leap winery
  • Steve Wozniak (born 1950), co-founder of Apple, philanthropist
  • Anne Wojcicki, co-founder of 23andMe, a personal genomics and biotechnology company
  • Susan Wojcicki, senior vice president in charge of product management and engineering at Google
  • Christian Brevoort Zabriskie (1864–1936), vice president of Pacific Coast Borax Company
  • Sam Zell (born 1941), U.S.-born billionaire and real estate entrepreneur

    • Explorers

  • John Scolvus (15th century), aka John of Cologneo, navigator (possibly the first Pole in the Americas)

    • Military

  • Gabby Gabreski (1919–2002), fighter ace in World War II, and again in Korea
  • Ralph Ignatowski (1926–1945), awarded the Purple Heart with Gold Star, Presidential Unit Citation with Star, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, and the World War II Victory Medal
  • Jan Karski (1914–2000), Polish World War II resistance fighter and scholar
  • Tadeusz Kościuszko (1746–1817), Polish and Lithuanian national hero, general and a leader of 1794 uprising (which bears his name) against the Russians
  • Włodzimierz Krzyżanowski (1824–1887), Polish military leader and a Union general in the American Civil War
  • Donald J. Kutyna (born 1933), General, commander in chief of the North American Aerospace Defense Command and the United States Space Command from 1990 to 1992, and commander of Air Force Space Command at Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado from 1987 to 1990
  • Robert J. Modrzejewski (born 1934), U.S. Marine and Medal of Honor Recipient for conspicuous gallantry in Vietnam
  • Kazimierz Pułaski (1746–1779), Polish soldier and politician; has been called "the father of American cavalry"; from 1777 until his death, he fought in the American Revolutionary War for the independence of the U.S.
  • Hyman G. Rickover (1900–1986), .U.S Navy Admiral; known as the "father of the Nuclear Navy"; first Director of Naval Reactors
  • Edward Rowny (born 1917), U.S. Army General and ambassador Chief U.S. Negotiator for Arms Control
  • John Shalikashvili (1936–2011), U.S. Army general and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; born in Warsaw, Poland and emigrated to the U.S. as a teenager; became the first draftee to rise to rank of General and first JCS Chairman after General Colin Powell
  • Frank P. Witek (1921–1944), U.S. Marine and Medal of Honor recipient

    • Politics

  • Mark Begich, United States Senator from Alaska, 2009-2015
  • Dan Benishek (born 1952), physician; U.S. Representative for Michigan's 1st congressional district (R-MI)
  • A. Bruce Bielaski, director of the Bureau of Investigation (now the Federal Bureau of Investigation)
  • Jackie Biskupski, politician and businesswoman from Utah
  • Michael Bloomberg (born 1942), businessman and politician, and the former Mayor of New York City
  • Zbigniew Brzezinski (born 1928), Polish-American political scientist, geostrategist, and statesman
  • Susan Bysiewicz (born 1961), Secretary of State, Connecticut
  • John D. Cherry (born 1951), Lt. Governor, Michigan
  • Florian Chmielewski (born 1927), Minnesota musician; politician; former legislator; former President of the Minnesota Senate
  • Andrew R. Ciesla (born 1953), State Senator, New Jersey, Republican
  • Mark Critz, U.S. Congressman
  • Ed Derwinski (1926–2012), former U.S. Secretary of Veteran Affairs
  • John Dingell (born 1926), Democratic Representative from Michigan, Dean (longest-serving member) of the House of Representatives
  • Thaddeus J. Dulski (1915–1988), U.S. House of Representatives, New York
  • Renee Ellmers U.S. Representative for North Carolina's 2nd congressional district since 2011.
  • John A. Gronouski (1919–1996), Postmaster General and ambassador
  • Chuck Hagel, United States Senator (R-NE); U.S. Secretary of Defense
  • Kyle Janek (born 1958), Texas State Senator
  • Leon Jaworski (1905–1982), special prosecutor during the Watergate scandal
  • Mike Johanns, United States Senator
  • Paul E. Kanjorski (born 1937), Pennsylvania Congressman, Democrat
  • Marcy Kaptur (born 1946), U.S. Representative for the Ninth Congressional District of Ohio, Democrat
  • Casimir Kendziorski (1898–19??), Wisconsin State Senate (1949–74)
  • Jerry Kleczka (born 1943), United States House of Representatives from 1985 to 2005, representing the Fourth Congressional District of Wisconsin
  • Ted Kulongoski (born 1940), Governor of Oregon
  • Kyle Kulinski,(born 1988) progressive and atheist commentator, host of Secular Talk. Father of partial Polish descent.
  • Raymond Lesniak (born 1946), New Jersey State Senator
  • Bill Lipinski (born 1937), United States House of Representatives (D-IL) from 1983–2005, representing the 3rd District of Illinois; father of Dan Lipinski
  • Dan Lipinski (born 1966), member of the United States House of Representatives (D-IL), representing the 3rd District of Illinois; son of Bill Lipinski
  • George D. Maziarz (born 1953), Republican state senator from New York's 62nd district
  • Christopher Murphy (born 1973), United States Senator (D-CT); mother of Polish descent
  • Barbara Mikulski (born 1936), Senior United States Senator (D-MD)
  • Frank Murkowski (born 1933), former United States Senator and Governor (Republican); father of Lisa Murkowski
  • Lisa Murkowski (born 1957), Junior United States Senator from Alaska; first U.S. Senator born in Alaska; Alaska's first female senator (Republican); daughter of Frank Murkowski
  • Edmund Muskie (1914–1996), Democratic politician from Maine, served as Governor of Maine, a U.S. Senator, as U.S. Secretary of State, and ran as a candidate for Vice President of the United States
  • Marian P. Opala (born 1921), Oklahoma Supreme Court Justice
  • Tim Pawlenty (born 1960), Governor of Minnesota, Republican
  • Ed Pawlowski, Mayor of Allentown, Pennsylvania
  • Gene Pelowski (born 1952), Representative in the Minnesota State Legislature for District 31A; schoolteacher (Winona Senior High School, Winona, Minnesota)
  • Władysław Pleszczyński, conservative editor and writer
  • Adam Przeworski (born 1940), Professor of Political Science
  • Roman Pucinski (1919–2002), House of Representatives, Illinois
  • Nicholas Andrew Rey (1938–2009), United States Ambassador to Poland from 1993–97
  • Dan Rostenkowski (1928–2010), served in the U.S. Congress as a U.S. Representative from 1959–95 (D-IL)
  • Bernie Sanders (born 1941), United States Senator from Vermont
  • Bart Stupak (born 1952), former U.S. Representative (D-MI)
  • Richard Trumka, American labor movement leader
  • Alexander Vershbow, United States Ambassador to South Korea
  • Jackie Walorski, United States Representative
  • Aldona Wos, United States Ambassador to Estonia until 2006
  • Marion Zioncheck (1901–1936), United States House of Representatives from 1933–36

    • Religion

  • Paul Gregory Bootkoski (born 1940), Bishop of Metuchen, New Jersey
  • Fabian Bruskewitz (born 1935), Bishop of Lincoln, Nebraska
  • Walter Ciszek (1904–1984), Jesuit priest held by the Soviet Union for 23 years, between 1941 and 1963
  • Franciszek Chalupka (died 1909), Polish priest, graduate of Orchard Lake Seminary, founder of the first Polish parishes in New England, started from 1887
  • Józef Dąbrowski (1842–1903), Catholic priest
  • William A. Dembski (born 1960), Episcopalian; prominent proponent of intelligent design
  • Edward Kmiec (born 1936), Bishop of Buffalo, New York
  • John Cardinal Krol (1910–1996), Archbishop of Philadelphia
  • Jerome Edward Listecki (born 1949), Archbishop of Milwaukee, Wisconsin
  • Adam Cardinal Maida (born 1930), Archbishop of Detroit, Michigan
  • David Miscavige (born 1960), Chairman of the Board of Religious Technology Center (RTC), a corporation that controls the trademarked names and symbols of Dianetics and Scientology, and controls the copyrighted teachings of Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard
  • Leopold Moczygemba (1824–1891), Franciscan, founder of the first Polish settlement in Panna Maria, Texas
  • Thomas J. Paprocki (born 1952), Roman Catholic Bishop of Springfield, Illinois
  • Edmund Cardinal Szoka (born 1927), former president of the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State and Governor of Vatican City
  • Thomas Wenski (born 1950), Bishop of Orlando, Florida
  • David Zubik (born 1949), Roman Catholic Bishop of Pittsburgh

    • Science

  • Henryk Arctowski (1871–1958), scientist, oceanographer and Antarctica explorer
  • Julius Axelrod (1912–2004), biochemist
  • Paul Baran (1926–2011), Internet pioneer, one of the developers of packet-switched networks along with Donald Davies and Leonard Kleinrock
  • Mieczysław G. Bekker (1905–1989), engineer and scientist; inventor of the lunar rover
  • Eric Bender (born 1984), exercise scientist; doctor of physical therapy
  • Karol J. Bobko (born 1937), former NASA astronaut
  • Elonka Dunin (born 1958), game developer, writer, and amateur cryptographer; maintains a website dedicated to the Kryptos sculpture/cipher located at the CIA's headquarters
  • Andrzej Ehrenfeucht (born 1932), mathematician and computer scientist; formulated the Ehrenfeucht–Fraïssé game and Ehrenfeucht–Mycielski sequence
  • Kazimierz Fajans (1887–1975), pioneer in the science of radioactivity; created Fajans' rules; discovered the element protactinium
  • Christopher Ferguson (born 1961), former NASA astronaut
  • Richard Feynman (1918–1988), physicist; 1965 Nobel Prize in Physics
  • Casimir Funk (1884–1967), biochemist, generally credited with the first formulation of the concept of vitamins in 1912
  • Walter Golaski (1913–1996), engineer
  • Joanna Hoffman, part of the original Apple Macintosh developer team; acted as the team's only marketing person for more than a year; wrote the first draft of the Macintosh User Interface Guidelines
  • Josef Hofmann (1876–1957), inventor of windshield wipers, shock absorbers for vehicles, and oil burning furnace
  • Roald Hoffmann (born 1937), chemist and writer, Nobel Prize winner (1981)
  • Leonid Hurwicz (1917–2008), economist, Nobel Prize winner (2007)
  • Christopher Jargocki (born 1944), physicist and author
  • Hilary Koprowski (born 1916), virologist and immunologist
  • Alfred Korzybski (1879–1950), developed the theory of general semantics
  • Stephanie Kwolek (born 1923), inventor nylon and kevlar
  • Gerhard Lenski (born 1924), sociologist known for contributions to the sociology of religion, social inequality, and ecological-evolutionary social theory
  • Richard Lenski (born 1956), evolutionary biologist, proved evolution with the E. coli long-term evolution experiment
  • Janusz Liberkowski (born 1953), winner of the first season of the show American Inventor; his invention was the Anecia Safety Capsule
  • Henryk Magnuski (1909–1978), inventor of the first walkie talkie the SCR-300
  • Bronislaw Malinowski (1884–1942), one of the most important 20th-century anthropologists
  • Krzysztof Matyjaszewski (1950), polymer chemist best known for the discovery of atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP)
  • Albert Abraham Michelson (1852–1931), Polish-born American physicist; awarded the Nobel Prize in physics (1907) for work done on the measurement of the speed of light; the first American to receive the Nobel in the sciences
  • Ralph Modjeski (1861–1940), engineer and bridge builder
  • Jan Moor-Jankowski (1924–2005), primatologist; Polish independence fighter during World War II
  • Stanisław Mrozowski (1902–1999), worked on the Manhattan Project
  • Jan Mycielski (1932), mathematician whose work includes the Ehrenfeucht–Mycielski sequence, The Mycielskian, The Mycielski–Grötzsch graph and Mycielski's theorem
  • Bohdan Paczyński (1940–2007), astronomer, leading scientist in theory of the evolution of stars
  • Scott E. Parazynski (born 1961), NASA astronaut, performed a dangerous EVA never performed before to repair a live solar array on the International Space Station
  • James A. Pawelczyk (born 1960), astronaut, Associate Professor of Physiology and Kinesiology at Penn State; the first Pole in outer space (1980)
  • Sidney Pestka (born 1936), geneticist and biochemist who discovered how the genetic code of the mRNA is translated into protein through the small ribosomal subunit
  • Frank Piasecki (born 1929), aviation engineer, developed vertical lift aircraft
  • Piotr Piecuch (born 1960), physical chemist, best known for his work in theoretical and computational chemistry, particularly ab initio quantum-mechanical methods based on coupled-cluster theory
  • Marek Pienkowski (born 1945), medical researcher and clinician known for innovations in diagnosis and treatment of immunological deficiencies and asthma/allergic disorders.
  • Isidor Isaac Rabi (1898–1988), emigrated to the U.S. in 1899; awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics (1944) for work on molecular-beam magnetic-resonance detection method.
  • Wojciech Rostafiński (born 1921), worked for NASA; contributed to the theory of aeronautics and applied mathematics; listed in Scientific Citation Index
  • Albert Sabin, Polish-born medical scientist, discovered oral vaccine for poliomyelitis
  • Andrew Schally (born 1926), endocrinologist and Nobel Prize winner in 1977 in Medicine for research work
  • Tadeusz Sendzimir (1894–1989), engineer and inventor of international renown with 120 patents in mining and metallurgy, 73 of which were awarded to him in the United States
  • Maria Siemionow, Polish surgeon who performed the first face transplant surgery in the U.S.
  • Igor Sikorsky (1889–1972), helicopter engineer who founded the first helicopter industry in the U.S.
  • Jack W. Szostak (born 1952), Nobel Prize–winning biologist; his work helped us to understand telomeres and helped create the human genome project
  • Alfred Tarski (1902–1983), mathematician and philosopher
  • Joseph Tykociński-Tykociner (1877–1969), patent and invention of sound film on motion pictures
  • Adam Ulam (1922–2000), historian and political scientist at Harvard University, one of the world's foremost authorities on Russia and the Soviet Union
  • Stanisław Ulam (1909–1984), mathematician who participated in the Manhattan Project and proposed the Teller–Ulam design of thermonuclear weapons
  • Andrzej Walicki (born 1930), economist; in 1998 he won Balzan Prize for his contribution to the study of the Russian and Polish cultural and social history, and also the study of European culture in the 19th century
  • Frank Wilczek (born 1951), physicist, Nobel Prize 2004
  • Anne Wojcicki, biotech analyst, biologist, and businesswoman; co-founder of 23andMe (genetics testing)
  • Stanley Wojcicki, professor and former chair of the physics department at Stanford University in California
  • Aleksander Wolszczan (born 1946), astronomer, discoverer of the first extrasolar planets and pulsar planets
  • Maria Zakrzewska (1829–1902), pioneering female doctor in the United States
  • Edmund Zalinski (1849–1909), invented pneumatic dynamite torpedo-gun, invented an electrical fuse, Other inventions included a modified entrenching tool, a ramrod-bayonet, and a telescopic sight for artillery and the Zalinsky boat, one of the earliest submarines in the United States
  • George D. Zamka (born 1962), NASA astronaut
  • Casimir Zeglen (1869–19??), invented the bulletproof vest in 1897; a Catholic priest of St. Stanislaus Kostka Roman Catholic Church in Chicago
  • Florian Znaniecki (1882–1958), sociologist and philosopher
  • Wojciech H. Zurek (1900–1992), pioneer in information physics; co-author of a proof stating that a single quantum cannot be cloned; coined the terms "einselection" and "quantum discord"
  • Antoni Zygmund (1900–1992), mathematician, "trigonometric series"

    • Baseball

  • Rick Ankiel (born 1979), former professional baseball outfielder and pitcher
  • Mike Bielecki (born 1959), former professional baseball player
  • Joe Borowski, Cleveland Indians closing pitcher
  • Dave Borkowski (born 1977), former Major League Baseball relief pitcher
  • Stan Coveleski (1889–1984), Major League Baseball player during the 1910s and 1920s
  • Jim Czajkowski (born 1963), Major League Baseball starting pitcher
  • Doug Drabek (born 1962), former professional baseball player
  • Moe Drabowsky (1935–2006), right-handed relief pitcher in Major League Baseball
  • Tim Federowicz (born 1987), catcher for the Chicago Cubs
  • Mark Fidrych (1954-2009), pitcher in Major League Baseball
  • Jason Grabowski (born 1976), pitcher in Major League Baseball
  • Steve Gromek (1920–2002), pitcher in Major League BaseballBaseball
  • Mark Grudzielanek (born 1970), second baseman in Major League Baseball, plays for the Kansas City Royals
  • Mark Gubicza (1962–present), former pitcher in Major League Baseball
  • Ray Jablonski (1926–1985), third baseman in Major League Baseball with an eight-year career from 1953 to 1960
  • Scott Kamieniecki (born 1964), former professional baseball player
  • Matt Kata (born 1978), Major League Baseball infielder
  • Ryan Klesko (born 1971), Major League Baseball player
  • Ted Kluszewski (1924–1988), Major League first baseman
  • Paul Konerko (born 1976), former professional baseball first baseman
  • Tony Kubek (born 1936), baseball player and television broadcaster
  • Whitey Kurowski (1918–1999), third baseman in Major League Baseball who played his entire career for the St. Louis Cardinals (1941–49)
  • Mat Latos (Born 1987), professional baseball pitcher
  • Eddie Lopat (1918–1992), Major League Baseball pitcher
  • Stan Lopata (1925–2013), Major League Baseball player
  • Mark Lukasiewicz (born 1973), former professional baseball player who played two seasons for the Anaheim Angels
  • Greg Luzinski (born 1950), former left fielder in Major League Baseball
  • Joe Maddon (born 1954), Major League Baseball manager, currently serving as manager of the Chicago Cubs
  • Gary Majewski (born 1980), former Major League Baseball pitcher
  • Phil Mankowski (born 1953), former third baseman in Major League Baseball who played for the Detroit Tigers and New York Mets
  • Brian Matusz (born 1987), professional baseball pitcher for the Baltimore Orioles of Major League Baseball
  • Bill Mazeroski (born 1936), former Major League baseball player
  • Barney McCosky (1917–1996), center fielder/left fielder in Major League Baseball
  • Doug Mientkiewicz (born 1974), former first baseman for the Minnesota Twins, Boston Red Sox, and several other MLB teams
  • Dave Mlicki (born 1968), former right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball
  • Stan Musial (1920–2013), Major League Baseball player who played 22 seasons for the St. Louis Cardinals from 1941 to 1963
  • Joe Niekro (1944–2006), starting pitcher in Major League Baseball; younger brother of Hall of Fame pitcher Phil Niekro; father of first baseman Lance Niekro
  • Phil Niekro (born 1939), former pitcher in Major League Baseball and member of the Baseball Hall of Fame
  • C. J. Nitkowski (born 1973), left-handed former professional baseball pitcher
  • Tom Paciorek (born 1946), Major League outfielder and first baseman for 18 seasons between 1970 and 1987
  • Freddie Patek (born 1944), Major League Baseball player for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Kansas City Royals, and California Angels
  • Ron Perranoski (born 1936), Major League pitcher
  • A. J. Pierzynski (born 1976), Major League catcher
  • Johnny Podres (1932–2008), Major League Baseball left-handed starting pitcher
  • Jack Quinn (1883–1946), Major League pitcher
  • Ron Reed (born 1942), Major League pitcher
  • Al Simmons (1902–1956), player in Major League Baseball over three decades
  • Marc Rzepczynski (born 1985), Major League pitcher
  • Bill "Moose" Skowron (born 1930), Major League Baseball player, primarily a first baseman
  • Matt Szczur, active Major League outfielder for the Chicago Cubs
  • Frank Tanana (born 1953), former left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball
  • Alan Trammell (born 1958), baseball shortstop for the Detroit Tigers from 1977 to 1996
  • Troy Tulowitzki (born 1984), Major League Baseball shortstop
  • Helen Walulik (1929–2012), All-American Girls Professional Baseball League player
  • Ted Wilks (1915-1989), relief pitcher (aka "The Cork") with the St. Louis Cardinals, Pittsburgh Pirates, Cleveland Indians; coach of the Kansas City A's (now Oakland)
  • Carl Yastrzemski (born 1939), Major League Baseball player
  • Richie Zisk (born 1949), Major League Baseball player for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Chicago White Sox, Texas Rangers, and Seattle Mariners from 1971 to 1983

    • Basketball

  • Carol Blazejowski (born 1956), women's professional basketball player
  • Vince Boryla (born 1927), pro basketball player, coach, and executive
  • Frank Brickowski (born 1959), retired basketball player
  • Dan Dickau (born 1978),
  • Mike Gminski (born 1959), former college and professional basketball player
  • Tom Gola (1933–2014), one of Philadelphia's most famous basketball players
  • Bobby Hurley (born 1971), Duke and NCA basketball player
  • Frank Kaminsky (born 1993), basketball player
  • Thomas Kelati (born 1982), professional basketball player for the Polish national team
  • Mike Krzyzewski (born 1947), head coach of the Duke University men's basketball team and the 2008 gold medal-winning U.S. men's Olympic basketball team
  • Mitch Kupchak (born 1954), former professional basketball player and current general manager of the Los Angeles Lakers since the 2000–2001 season after Jerry West moved to the Memphis Grizzlies organization
  • Bob Kurland (born 1924), 7-foot basketball center
  • Red Mihalik (born 1916), NCAA and Olympic official/referee
  • Paul Mokeski (born 1957), former basketball player
  • Eric Piatkowski (born 1970), National Basketball Association player with the Phoenix Suns
  • Joe Proski (born 1940), first trainer of Phoenix Suns; inducted into Phoenix Ring of Fame in 2001
  • Joel Przybilla (born 1979), professional basketball player in the NBA
  • A.J. Slaughter (born 1987), professional basketball player for the Polish national team
  • Kelly Tripucka (born 1959), National Basketball Association player for the Detroit Pistons, Utah Jazz, and Charlotte Hornets from 1981 to 1991
  • Steve Wojciechowski (born 1976), assistant coach of the Duke University men's basketball team
  • Marcin Gortat (born 1984), professional basketball player in the NBA. Washington Wizards.

    • Bowling

  • Eddie Lubanski, considered one of the greatest bowlers of all time; is in the Guinness book of World Records

    • Boxing

  • Bobby Czyz (born 1962), boxer
  • Andrew Golota (born 1968), professional boxer from Poland who has been involved in many controversial fights
  • Stanley Ketchel (1886–1910), boxer who became one of the greatest world middleweight champions
  • Stanley Poreda (1909–1983), Jersey City boxer considered a top heavyweight contender in the early 1930s
  • Paweł Wolak (born 1981), former WBC USNBC Light Middleweight Champion
  • Teddy Yarosz (1910–1974), NBA Middleweight Boxing Champion
  • Tony Zale (1913–1997), two-time Middleweight World Champion Boxer

    • Figure skating

  • Tara Lipinski (born 1982), Olympic gold medalist figure skater and celebrity
  • Janet Lynn (born 1953), figure skater and Olympic bronze medalist

    • Football

  • Danny Abramowicz (born 1945), wide receiver in the NFL who played for the New Orleans Saints and the San Francisco 49ers
  • Pete Banaszak (born 1944), college and professional football player
  • Steve Bartkowski (born 1952), former NFL quarterback
  • Chuck Bednarik (1925-2015), former Hall of Fame NFL linebacker for the Philadelphia Eagles
  • Tom Brady (born 1977), 5 time Super Bowl champion, NFL quarterback for the New England Patriots; Maternal grandmother of Polish decent.
  • Zeke Bratkowski (born 1931), All-American quarterback at the University of Georgia in 1952 and 1953
  • Bryan Bulaga (born 1989), NFL offensive tackle
  • Frank Bykowski (1915–1985), football player
  • Brad Cieslak (born 1982), tight end in the NFL; currently plays for the Cleveland Browns.
  • Lou Creekmur (born 1927), NFL left offensive tackle/guard for the Detroit Lions from 1951–59
  • Frank Dancewicz (1924–1985), former NFL quarterback
  • Mike Ditka (born 1939), former NFL player, television commentator, and coach
  • Frank Gatski (1919–2005), former NFL player
  • Stephen Gostkowski (born 1984), placekicker for the New England Patriots of the NFL
  • Jim Grabowski (born 1944), football player and broadcaster
  • Bruce Gradkowski, quarterback for the Cincinnati Bengals
  • Chris Gronkowski (born 1986), fullback for the Denver Broncos
  • Dan Gronkowski (born 1985), tight end for the Cleveland Browns
  • Rob Gronkowski (born 1989), tight end for the New England Patriots
  • Jack Ham (born 1948), former linebacker who played for the Pittsburgh Steelers
  • Leon Hart (1928–2002), tight end and defensive end
  • Henry Hynoski (born 1988), fullback for the New York Giants
  • Jim Irsay (born 1959), owner and CEO of the Indianapolis Colts
  • Jeff Jagodzinski (born 1963), head coach of the Boston College Eagles football team
  • Sebastian Janikowski (born 1978), kicker for the Oakland Raiders
  • Vic Janowicz (1930–1996), halfback for Ohio State University
  • Ron Jaworski (born 1951), former football player, NFL analyst on ESPN
  • Mike Kenn (born 1956), former offensive tackle for the Atlanta Falcons
  • Joe Klecko (born 1953), former NFL defensive end
  • Gary Kubiak (born 1961), NFL coach and former player
  • Frank Kush (born 1929), football coach who most prominently served as head coach at Arizona State University for more than two decades
  • Joe Kowalewski (born 1982), tight end for the New York Jets
  • Glen Kozlowski (born 1962), wide receiver for the Chicago Bears
  • Ted Kwalick (born 1947), former tight end in the NFL and World Football League
  • Chris Liwienski (born 1975), offensive guard who currently plays for the Miami Dolphins of the NFL
  • Johnny Lujack (born 1925), former quarterback for the University of Notre Dame and the Chicago Bears
  • Don Majkowski (born 1964), former NFL quarterback
  • Stas Maliszewski (born 1944), Princeton All-American 1964 and 1965, Baltimore Colts 1966 NFL Draft
  • Ted Marchibroda (born 1931), former quarterback and head coach in the NFL
  • Dan Marino, former quarterback for the Miami Dolphins
  • John Matuszak (1950–1989), former defensive end with the Oilers, Chiefs, and Raiders; son of Marv Matuszak
  • Marv Matuszak (1931–2004), former linebacker; son of John Matuszak
  • Lou Michaels, former pro defensive lineman, 1958–1971, with the Colts, Steelers, Rams, and Packers
  • Walt Michaels (born 1929), former player and coach, remembered for his six-year tenure as head coach of the New York Jets from 1977–1982
  • Dick Modzelewski (born 1931), former college and pro football player with the Redskins, Steelers, Giants and Browns; coach for the Cleveland Browns; member of the College Football Hall of Fame
  • Mike Munchak (born 1960), former pro offense with the Houston Oilers; Pro Football Hall of Fame
  • Gene Mruczkowski (born 1980), offensive lineman for the New England Patriots of the NFL
  • Scott Mruczkowski (born 1982), center, San Diego Chargers, Bowling Green
  • Bronko Nagurski (1908–1990), former NFL player and professional wrestler
  • Ray Nitschke (1936-1998), former Hall of Fame NFL linebacker for the Green Bay Packers
  • Bill Osmanski (1915–1996), College and Pro Football Hall of Fame; former player with Chicago Bears
  • Walt Patulski (born 1950), former defensive end for the University of Notre Dame, Buffalo Bills, and St. Louis Cardinals
  • Jason Pociask (born 1983), tight end for the New York Jets
  • Paul Posluszny (born 1984), linebacker for the Jacksonville Jaguars
  • Bill Romanowski (born 1966), former football player for the San Francisco 49ers and Oakland Raiders
  • Tony Romo, NFL quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys
  • Ed Rutkowski (born 1941), former wide receiver and quarterback for the Buffalo Bills; later became County Executive of Erie County (Buffalo)
  • Mark Stepnoski, one of NFL's top linemen with the Dallas Cowboys
  • Hank Stram (1923–2005), Head Coach, Kansas City Chiefs
  • Mike Tomczak (born 1962), former NFL quarterback
  • Frank Tripucka (born 1927), former quarterback for the Broncos, Cardinals and Lions
  • Steve Wisniewski, former Pro-bowler, offensive guard with the Oakland Raiders
  • Alex Wojciechowicz (1915–1992), former offensive lineman and linebacker for the Detroit Lions and Philadelphia Eagles
  • Tom Zbikowski (born 1985), safety for the Baltimore Ravens

    • Golf

  • Billy Burke (1902–1972), prominent golfer of the 1930s
  • Betsy King (born 1955), professional golfer
  • Paul Stankowski (born 1969), professional golfer with two PGA Tour wins; finished tied for 5th at the 1997 Masters as well as a tie for 17th at the 1997 U.S. Open
  • Bob Toski (born 1926), golf player and teacher
  • Al Watrous (1899–1983), PGA Champion
  • Walt Zembriski (born May 4, 1935), former ironworker; played on both the PGA and Senior PGA tour

    • Hockey

  • Eric Boguniecki (born 1975), center for the Anaheim Ducks from New Haven, Connecticut
  • Len Ceglarski (born 1926), U.S. Olympic ice hockey team silver medal winner, 1952
  • Mike Komisarek (born 1982), defenseman for the Toronto Maple Leafs from West Islip, New York
  • Ed Olczyk (born 1966), former head coach and player in the National Hockey League
  • Joe Pavelski (born 1984), center for the San Jose Sharks from Stevens Point, Wisconsin
  • James Wisniewski (born 1984), defenseman for the Columbus Blue Jackets from Canton, Michigan

    • Olympic athletes

  • Alyson Dudek (born 1990), short track speed skater at the 2010 and 2014 Winter Olympics; won bronze in 2010
  • Mark Gorski (born 1960), track cyclist; gold medal
  • Bob Gutowski (1935–1960), pole vaulter; won silver at 1956 Summer Olympics
  • Jeffrey Klepacki, rower in 1992, 1996 and 2000 Olympics; won Rowing World Championship titles in 1994, 1998 and 1999
  • Christopher Liwski, rower on 2004 and 2008 Olympic teams (alternate); won Rowing World Championship title in 2007
  • Norbert Schemansky (born 1924), gold, silver and bronze Olympic m in weightlifting
  • Jenn Suhr (née Stuczynski), pole vaulter, won silver at 2008 Summer Olympics
  • Stanisława Walasiewicz (a.k.a. Stella Walsh) (1911–1980), athlete and Olympic champion

    • Soccer

  • Brad Guzan, USA international goalkeeper currently playing in England for Aston Villa
  • Wojtek Krakowiak (born 1976), soccer player; most recently for the Tampa Bay Mutiny of Major League Soccer
  • Danny Szetela (born 1987), soccer player for the Columbus Crew of the MLS
  • Chris Wondolowski (born 1983), soccer player for the San Jose Earthquakes of the MLS; 2010 MLS Golden Boot winner

    • Wrestling

  • Ole Anderson (born 1942)
  • Killer Kowalski (1926–2008)
  • Chris Mordetsky (born 1983)
  • Beth Phoenix (born 1980)
  • Ivan Putski (born 1941), Polish-born American professional wrestler and champion
  • Stanley Radwan (1908–1998), professional wrestler and strongman
  • Trish Stratus (born 1975)
  • Greg "The Hammer" Valentine (born 1950)
  • Johnny Valentine (1928–2001)
  • Rob Van Dam (born 1970)
  • Velvet Sky (born 1981)
  • Stanislaus Zbyszko (1879–1967)

    • Other sports

  • Jane Bartkowicz (born 1949), a top woman U.S. tennis player in the 1960s
  • Arthur Dake (1910–2000), Grand Master chess player
  • Stefan Janoski (born 1979), professional skateboarder of half-Polish, half-Irish descent; one of the most recognized pro skateboarders
  • Henryk Jordan (1842–1907), philanthropist, physician, and pioneer of physical education in Poland
  • Brad Keselowski (born 1984), NASCAR driver
  • Ed Korfanty, fencing master, U.S. National Women's saber coach, Olympic saber coach, and a former Men's Veteran's Saber World Champion
  • Steve Kuclo (born 1985), bodybuilder
  • Alan Kulwicki (1954–1993), auto racing champion
  • Billy Packer (born 1940), sportscaster for CBS Sports
  • Gary Styczynski (born 1965), professional poker player; won the 2007 World Series of Poker

    • Other

  • George Adamski (1891–1965), one of the first people to publicly claim to have seen and photographed UFOs
  • Leon Czolgosz (1873–1901), assassin of U.S. President William McKinley
  • John Wayne Gacy (1942–1994), serial killer
  • Ted Kaczynski (born 1942), the Unabomber
  • Alvin Karpis (1907–1979), associate of Ma Barker gang, Alcatraz prisoner
  • Richard "Iceman" Kuklinski (1935–2006), notorious hitman, claimed to have killed 200 people
  • Joseph Opala (born 1950), scholar of African American history
  • Curtis Sliwa (born 1954), Guardian Angels founder
  • Wilfrid Michael Voynich (1865–1930), antiquarian and bibliophile, and the eponym of the Voynich manuscript
  • Henry Earl J. Wojciechowski (aka Hymie Weiss) (1898–1926), mob boss and rival of Al Capone
  • John Wojnowski (born 1943), protester against pedophilia in the Catholic Church

    • References

    List of Polish Americans Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA


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