List of Portuguese Americans

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

Art and architecture

 * William Pereira (1909–1985), architect, Cape Canaveral, CBS Television City & Transamerica Pyramid in San Francisco.
 * João de Brito (born 1958), painter, sculptor, artist.
 * Mel Ramos (born July 24, 1935), U.S. figurative painter, whose work incorporates elements of realist and abstract art.
 * Nathan Oliveira (December 19, 1928–November 13, 2010), American painter, printmaker, and sculptor, born in Oakland, California to Portuguese parents.

Business

 * Buddy DeSylva (1895–1950), American songwriter, movie producer & co-founder of Capitol Records.
 * Teresa Heinz Kerry (born 1938), philanthropist, heiress of H.J. Heinz Company, widow of Henry John Heinz III, and wife of John Kerry. (Mozambican-born Portuguese)
 * Izzy Gomez, Portuguese immigrant, chef and restaurateur in the North Beach neighborhood of San Francisco, California, USA. In 1943, he was recognized by LIFE Magazine as one of San Francisco's most colorful characters.

Culinary

 * Emeril Lagasse is a Portuguese-American celebrity chef, restaurateur, television personality, and cookbook author.
 * George Mendes is the Portuguese-American executive chef of Aldea, a Michelin starred restaurant in New York City.
 * David Leite is the Portuguese-American publisher of the two-time James Beard Award-winning website Leite's Culinaria. He has written for The New York Times, Martha Stewart Living, Bon Appétit, Saveur, Food & Wine, Gourmet, Food Arts, Men's Health, The Los Angeles Times Magazine, Chicaco Sun Times, The Washington Post, and other publications in the United States and abroad.

Film and television

 * Krista Allen (born 1972), model (maternal grandfather of Portuguese descent).
 * Bruno de Almeida (born 1965), filmmaker (both parents are Portuguese).
 * Joaquim de Almeida (born 1957), actor (24).
 * Mary Astor (1906–1987), Academy Award winning actress (starred in The Maltese Falcon w/ Humphrey Bogart), maternal grandfather was of Portuguese descent
 * Camilla Belle (born 1986), actress (her mother is Brazilian-Portuguese)
 * Sada (formerly Sara) Bettencourt, featured in the reality series The Real L Word (Portuguese-born parents)
 * Rowan Blanchard (born 2001), actress. (Portuguese mother)
 * Brooke Burke (born 1971), model/TV show host: "Wild On..." (Portuguese grandfather).
 * Auli'i Cravalho (born 2000), actress and singer, Moana.
 * Dorothy DeBorba (born 1925), 1930s child actor, Our Gang, Little Rascals series. (Portuguese Azorean ancestry).
 * Louise Fazenda (1895–1962), silent comedy films actress
 * Hal De Forrest (1862–1938), Portuguese-born American early silent film actor.
 * Frank Delima (born 1949), comedian.
 * Joe DeRita (1909–1993), "Curly Joe" of the Three Stooges.
 * Paolo Marinou-Blanco, film director and screenwriter
 * Edgar Morais (born 1989), actor
 * Shiloh Fernandez, American actor of Portuguese and Russian descent.
 * Ana Carolina da Fonseca (born October 25, 1978), American film and television actress, television personality and model. She was born in São Paulo, Brazil, to Portuguese parents; she moved to the United States at age 12.
 * Lyndsy Marie Fonseca (born 1987), American actress; of 3/4 Portuguese ancestry
 * Patricia Ford (born 1969), model and porn star. (Hawaiian)
 * Hal De Forrest (born 1862, Portugal – died February 16, 1938, New York City), Portuguese-born American early silent film actor.
 * James Franco (born 1978), actor, director, screenwriter, and film producer; paternal grandfather was of Portuguese descent
 * Dylan Ferreira (born 2005), actor, father of part Portuguese descent
 * Jamie Ferreira (born 1998), actor, director, producer, and screenwriter, father of part Portuguese descent
 * Thomas Ferreira (born 2001), actor, father of part Portuguese descent
 * Khalid Gonçalves (born 1971), actor/musician. Both parents were from Portugal.
 * Jasmine Guy (born March 10, 1962)[1], American actress, singer and dancer. She is best known for her starring role as Whitley Gilbert in the television sitcom A Different World and Roxy in Dead Like Me.
 * Tom Hanks (born 1956), 2-time Academy Award-winning American actor, voice-over artist and movie producer, two grandparents on his mother's side were Azorean, two grandparents on his father's side were Azorean, thus he's half Portuguese on both sides.
 * Emeril Lagasse (born 1959), chef and host of LIVE! Cooking with Emeril.
 * Vanessa Marcil (born 1969), actress known for her roles in the long-running soap opera General Hospital, Gina on Beverly Hills, 90210, mother is of partial Portuguese descent.
 * Danica McKellar (born 1975), American actress best known for her role as Winnie Cooper in the television show The Wonder Years.
 * Tamara Mello (born 1976), actress, she appeared in the TV series Popular as Lily
 * Jesse Metcalfe (born 1978), actor, 22 appearances on Desperate Housewives (mother is of Portuguese and Italian descent)
 * Carmen Miranda (1909–1955), actress and singer.
 * Shanna Moakler (born 1975), model, actress. Wife of Blink 182 drummer Travis Barker.
 * Wendy Moniz (born 1971), best known for her role as Dinah Marler Thorpe Jessup on the daytime soap opera Guiding Light.
 * Vasco Nunes (born 1974), born in Lisboa, Director of Photography, Producer and Director, Produced two Grand Jury Prizes at Sundance Film Festival, has several films in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art in NYC, and many cinema, TV and music projects completed.
 * Nestor Paiva (1905–1966), 1930s–60s actor who appeared on Get Smart, The Beverly Hillbillies, and The Addams Family.
 * Harold Peary (1908–1985), American actor, comedian and singer.
 * Kevin Pereira (born 1982), co-host of G4's Attack of the Show!
 * Pedro Mendonça Pinto (born 1975 in Lisbon, Portugal), Portuguese American journalist who is currently a sports anchor for CNN International based in London, England.
 * J. G. Quintel (born 1982), Emmy Award-winning Animator and writer; Creator of Regular Show. Father is Azorean Portuguese.
 * Keanu Reeves (born 1964), Best known for his role as Neo in the action film trilogy The Matrix. (English, Portuguese, Irish, Chinese and Native Hawaiian descent)
 * Mandell Maughan, best known for her role as Maggie on CBS' Me, Myself & I (Both parents are Portuguese)
 * Daniela Ruah (born 1983), best known for her role Kensi Blye in the CBS series NCIS: Los Angeles (Portuguese Jewish, Ashkenazi Jewish, and 1/16th Spanish)
 * Al Santos (born 1976), New York actor/model. (Portuguese & Irish ancestry)
 * Tom Silva, general contractor on the PBS show This Old House.
 * Joe Souza, actor. His grandmother is from Lisbon, Portugal.
 * John Soares, director, actor, editor, and fight choreographer known for Sockbaby and The Danger Element. (Portuguese-born grandparents).
 * Jada Pinkett-Smith, American actress of African-American, West Indian, Creole, and Portuguese -Jewish ancestry.
 * Jonathan Taylor Thomas (born 1981), actor and former teen idol. (Portuguese-American maternal grandfather)
 * Karen Valentine (born May 25, 1947; Sebastopol, California), American actress of Italian and Portuguese extraction. She is best known for her role as the idealistic schoolteacher "Alice Johnson" in the television series Room 222.
 * Meredith Vieira (born 1953), host of NBC's Today and the syndicated game show Who Wants To Be A Millionaire.
 * Marliece Andrada, (born August 22, 1972), Playboys Playmate of the Month for March 1998; She joined the cast of Baywatch in the 1997 season.

Literature

 * Brian Haberlin, writer and comic book artist. Co-creator of the Witchblade franchise and former editor in chief for Spawn, of Portuguese (Madeira, Portugal) and Native Hawaiian heritage on his mother's side of the family and of Azorean Portuguese on his grandfather's Haberlin side of the family.
 * John Dos Passos (1896–1970), Portuguese-American novelist, journalist, playwright and artist.
 * Charles Reis Felix (born 1923), writer.
 * Mordecai Manuel Noah (1785–1851), playwright, diplomat, journalist, and utopian.
 * Judah Monis (1683–1764), North America's first college instructor of Hebrew language.
 * Sam Pereira (born 1949), American poet.
 * Daniel Silva (born 1960), American author who writes thriller/espionage novels.
 * Danielle Steel (born 1947), writer. (Portuguese mother)
 * Katherine Vaz
 * Frank X. Gaspar
 * Millicent Borges Accardi, Portuguese-American poet. She has received literary fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), the California Arts Council, Barbara Deming Foundation
 * George Leite, California author, poet, publisher and bookstore owner of Portuguese descent active in the San Francisco Bay Area in the 1940s and 1950s.
 * Stephen Rebello, American writer, screenwriter and former clinical therapist. Born to parents of third-generation Portuguese-American and French-Portuguese American extraction in Fall River, Massachusetts, Rebello was raised in Somerset, Massachusetts.
 * Emma Lazarus, Portuguese-American Jewish poet born in New York City. She is best known for "The New Colossus", a sonnet written in 1883; its lines appear on a bronze plaque in the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty placed in 1903.
 * Nancy Vieira Couto, well established Portuguese-American poet, born in 1942. She lives in Ithaca, New York.
 * Richard Zimler, best-selling author who earned a 1994 National Endowment of the Arts Fellowship in Fiction and the 1998 Herodotus Award. He has been published in many countries and translated into more than 20 languages. Zimler lives in Porto, Portugal, and was a Professor of Journalism at the University of Porto and College of Journalism for 16 years. He has been a naturalized Portuguese citizen since 2002.
 * Larry Correia, Portuguese-American fantasy novelist, known for his Monster Hunter and Grimnoir Chronicles series.
 * Sarah Hoyt (maiden name Sarah Marques d'Almeida), science fiction, fantasy, and historical fiction novelist.
 * David Leite, Portuguese American memoirist, food writer, cookbook author, publisher of the two-time James Beard Award-winning website Leite's Culinaria, and an entrepreneur.
 * Allison Adelle Hedge Coke, Portuguese-American poet and writer (Enos family). She is a Distinguished Professor of Creative Writing at the University of California Riverside and has received several literary fellowships including the Library of Congress (Witter Banner).

Photography

 * Vasco Nunes (1974–2016), born in Lisboa, director of photography, producer and director. Produced two Grand Jury Prizes at Sundance Film Festival, has several films in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art in NYC, and many cinema, TV and music projects completed.
 * Pete Souza (born 1954), American photojournalist and the chief White House photographer for President Barack Obama. Pete Souza is of Portuguese descent.

Military

 * Uriah P. Levy (1792–1862), Commodore of the U. S. Navy, known for his purchase and restoration of Thomas Jefferson's estate, Monticello.
 * Jerry Vasconcells – World War I flying ace.
 * Sgt. Leroy A. Mendonca – of Pauoa, Hawaii was a Filipino and Portuguese-American soldier in the United States Army; died in the Korean War at age 19, becoming the youngest soldier awarded the Medal of Honor (posthumously) in the United States on July 4, 1951.

Music

 * Priscilla Ahn (1984– ), Singer. She also features her knowledge of the Portuguese language on her song "I Am Strong" featuring DJ Tiesto.
 * Nuno Bettencourt (1966– ), Guitarist for Extreme.
 * Mary Costa (1930- ), American singer and actress, who is best known for providing the voice of Princess Aurora in the 1959 Disney film, Sleeping Beauty. She is also a professional opera singer.
 * Elmar Oliveira – Violinist who, in 1978, was the first American to win the gold medal in Moscow's Tchaikovsky competition.
 * Hugo Ferreira, rock musician and singer-songwriter for the band Tantric.
 * Bobbie Gentry (1944– ), Country singer.
 * Don Ho (1930–2007), Hawaiian musician, of Chinese, Portuguese, Hawaiian, Dutch and German heritage.
 * Hoku (1981– ), Hawaiian pop star and actress, daughter of Don Ho
 * Demi Lovato (1993- ), American singer with half Mexican, half Irish roots. Her Mexican heritage can be traced back to Portugal.
 * Vincent Lopez (1895–1975), One of the top bandleaders of the Roaring Twenties.
 * Tony Martin (1913–2012), Produced many hit records between 1941 and 1957; he had his own radio show and also appeared in films.
 * Jason C. Medeiros (born September 9, 1977) better known as Mr. J. Medeiros, is an American M.C., record producer, songwriter, and social activist. He is responsible for forming the Hip Hop group The Procussions, the IAmConstance campaign, and his own label De Medeiros.
 * Glenn Medeiros (1970– ), Hawaiian singer.
 * Joe Perry (1950– ) – Lead guitarist and contributing songwriter for the rock band Aerosmith.
 * Linda Perry (1965– ), songwriter, 2-time Grammy winner. (Portuguese father/ Brazilian mother)
 * Steve Perry (1949– ), Former lead singer of the rock band Journey and solo artist.
 * O.C. (1972– ) Brooklyn, New York MC and member of hip hop stable Diggin' In The Crates (Portuguese grandparents)
 * Joe Raposo (1937–1989), American composer and lyricist, 5-time Grammy winner.
 * David Lee Roth (1954– ), American rock vocalist for Van Halen. (Grandmother from Azores, Portugal).
 * Phil Demmel (1967–), Guitar player for Metal-band Machine Head.
 * Dez Fafara (1966–), vocalist in the Metal-bands DevilDriver and Coal Chamber.
 * Katy Perry (1984–), singer and songwriter, of German, English and Portuguese descent, more specifically "Azorean" with roots in Horta, Faial, disclosed the Huffington Post. According to the source, Katy Perry, who was born Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson, adopted "Perry" from her mother's maiden name of "Pereira". "The Perry branch of her family is of Portuguese origin (more specifically, Azorean). Three of her great-great-grandparents hailed from the Azores and it's Horta that gets the bragging rights for her Perry origins" — writes the Huffington Post. In most instances, the name "Perry" is the anglicization of "Pereira" a very common Portuguese surname which translates to "pear tree."
 * Tynisha Keli (1985–), R&B and Pop singer-songwriter.
 * Curtis Salgado (1954–), American singer and harmonica player.
 * John Philip Sousa (1854–1932), American composer known as The March King, inventor of the Sousaphone.
 * Sky Ferreira (1992–), singer and songwriter.
 * Sean Paul (1973–), Grammy winner, reggae/pop. (Portuguese-Jewish, African, English and Chinese heritage)
 * Dev (singer) (1989-), singer.
 * Sarah Borges, is a rock and roll musician from Taunton, Massachusetts, signed to Sugar Hill Records.
 * Ramana Vieira, is a contemporary Portuguese-American singer of the traditional Portuguese Fado. January-February 2001 edition of Mundo Português Magazine called Vieira, "The New Voice of Portuguese World Music."
 * Craig Chaquico (born September 26, 1954) is an American guitarist of Portuguese descent. He has had over thirty years of success in a variety of genres: in the 1970s with the post-Summer of Love Jefferson Starship, in that band's 1980s incarnation, Starship, and in the 1990s and 2000s as a contemporary jazz and New Age solo artist.
 * John Reis (1969-), also known by the pseudonyms Speedo, Slasher, and The Swami, is an American musician, singer, guitarist, record label owner, and disc jockey. Reis was born in 1969 in the Ocean Beach area of San Diego, California to Portuguese American heritage.
 * Freddie Tavares (1913-1990), helped designed Fender Stratocaster and other Fender products, steel guitarist
 * That Poppy (1995-), real name Moriah Rose Pereira, is an American singer-songwriter and YouTube personality of Portuguese descent from Nashville, Tennessee.
 * Shawn Mendes (1998-), is a Canadian singer/songwriter of Portuguese descent. His father, Manuel Mendes, was born in Algarve in the south of Portugal.

Patriots

 * Emma Lazarus (1849–1887), poet and essayist, best known for a sonnet about the Statue of Liberty, "The New Colossus", which was engraved on the statue's pedestal, welcoming immigrants to the United States: "Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore, Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"
 * John Philip Sousa (1854–1932), composer of many marching band songs. Wrote "Stars and Stripes Forever" aboard a steam freighter while traveling from Terceira to the U.S. (Portuguese father)
 * Peter Francisco (1760–1831), American Revolution patriot.

Politics

 * Samuel A Mabry (born 1942), former Vice Mayor of the City of Falls Church, Virginia, and twice-elected to the City Council. Grandson of Antonio and Mariana Bello who immigrated from the Azores.
 * Duke Aiona (born June 8, 1955), American politician who served as Lieutenant Governor of Hawaii (2002-10). He is of Hawaiian, Chinese, and Portuguese descent.
 * John Arruda (John M. Arruda), Mayor of Fall River, Massachusetts, for six years.
 * Judah Philip Benjamin (August 6, 1811–May 6, 1884), American politician and lawyer. He was born a British subject in Saint Croix, during the British occupation of the Danish West Indies (now U.S. Virgin Islands), to Phillip Benjamin, an English Jew, and his wife, Rebecca Mendes, a Portuguese Jew.
 * Mariano S. Bishop (November 14, 1906–January 2, 1953), labor organizer and union leader who served in turn as principal Organizer, Director, and Executive Vice President of the Textile Workers Union of America.
 * Dennis Cardoza (born 1959), former member of the United States House of Representatives (2003-2012), from California, grandparents from the Azores.
 * Benjamin N. Cardozo (1870–1938), former U.S. Supreme Court Justice (1932-1938).
 * Francis Lewis Cardozo (February 1, 1836–July 22, 1903), clergyman, politician, and educator. He was the first African American to hold a statewide office in the United States. Francis Cardozo was the son of a free black woman, Lydia Weston, and a Portuguese-Jewish man, Isaac Cardozo, who worked at the customhouse.
 * Tony Coelho (born 1942), former member of the United States House of Representatives (1979-1989), from California, grandparents from two different islands in the Azores.
 * Jasiel Correia (born 1991), mayor of Fall River, Massachusetts.
 * Jim Costa (born 1952), member of the U.S. House of Representatives, from California, grandparents from the Azores.
 * Mary L. Fonseca (1915–1005), Massachusetts state senator
 * Joseph Francis (born 1973), Joseph F. Francis, former member of the Massachusetts State Senate.
 * Albert A. Gore, Sr. (1907–1998), former member of U.S. House of Representatives (1939-1953, from Tennessee, probably the first Portuguese American to serve in Congress; former U.S. Senator (1953-1971) from Tennessee; his 5 great grandmother was Mary Maderas (as spelled in the census) of Virginia, daughter of his 6 great grandfather Charles (Carlos) Madeiros of Virginia, son of his 7 great grandfather Domingo Madeiros immigrant from the Azores.
 * Al Gore (born 1948), Albert A. Gore, Jr., former Vice President of the United States (1993-2001), Nobel Peace Prize winner, from Washington, D.C., his 6 great grandmother was Mary Maderas (as spelled in the census) of Virginia, daughter of his 7 great grandfather Charles (Carlos) Madeiros of Virginia, son of his 8 great grandfather Domingo Madeiros immigrant from the Azores.
 * André Heinz (1969), politician, one of the heirs of H.J. Heinz Company, and son of Teresa Heinz. Portuguese on mother's side)
 * Christopher Heinz (born 1973), politician, André's brother, and son of Teresa Heinz, and one of the heirs of H.J. Heinz Company. (Portuguese on mother's side)
 * Michael Machado, former member of the California State Assembly and State Senate.
 * Jack M. Martins (born June 19, 1967[1][2]), member of the New York State Senate, representing Nassau County, New York. Martins is a former Mayor of Mineola, New York. Martins is a first-generation American, born to parents who emigrated from northern Portugal in the 1960s.
 * Dina Matos McGreevey (born 1966), former New Jersey First Lady.
 * Ben Nighthorse Campbell, former U.S. Senator, mother was an immigrant from Portugal
 * Devin Nunes, member of U.S. House of Representatives from California.
 * M. Teresa Paiva-Weed (born 1959), President of the Rhode Island Senate since 2008.
 * Richard Pombo (born 1961), former Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California (1993-2007).
 * Jack Reed, U.S. Senator from Rhode Island, mother was Portuguese.
 * Michael A. Rice (born 1955), biologist & Rhode Island state legislator since 2009.
 * Francis Salvador (1747–1776),
 * Ronald A. Sarasin, former Member of the U.S. House of Representatives (1973-1979) from Connecticut.
 * Patrick Joseph "Pat" Toomey, Sr. (born November 17, 1961), U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania. (Native of Providence, Rhode Island. Portuguese-American mother). He is a member of the Republican Party, and succeeded Arlen Specter. He served as the U.S. Representative for Pennsylvania's 15th congressional district from 1999 to 2005. Descent from the Azores.
 * John Vasconcellos (1932–2014), former member of the California State Assembly and State Senate. (Portuguese father/ German mother).
 * David Valadao (born 1977), U.S. Representative from California

Religion

 * Stephen Peter Alencastre (1876–1940), Hawaiian Roman Catholic prelate.
 * Marcelino Manoel de Graça (1882–1960), born in Brava, Cape Verde, Charismatic religious leader, also known as "Sweet Daddy Grace", who founded the United House of Prayer for All People in the Harlem area of New York. His congregation, made up mainly of African Americans, included over three million people.
 * William Joseph Levada (born 1936), Roman Catholic archbishop. Ancestor's name Oliveira.
 * Humberto Sousa Medeiros (1915–1983), Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church.
 * Gershom Mendes Seixas (1745–1816), first American born rabbi, patriot, personal friend of George Washington and religious leader of the Portuguese Synagogue of New York.
 * Clarence Richard Silva (born 1949), Roman Catholic Bishop of Hawaii.
 * John da Silva Antão (b. March 1933, Salreu, Estarreja, Portugal), priest in the Archdiocese of Newark, religious leader of the Portuguese-American community in New Jersey and a community leader in Elizabeth, New Jersey.

Science and medicine

 * Goncalo R. Abecasis (born 1976), geneticist at the University of Michigan. One of the world's most cited scientists in 2009.
 * António Damásio (born 1944), Portuguese-American neuroscientist/neurobiologist. He is a University Professor and David Dornsife Professor of Neuroscience at the University of Southern California (where he also heads the Brain and Creativity Institute), an Adjunct Professor at the Salk Institute and the author of several books describing his scientific thinking.
 * Robert L. Carneiro (1927– ) – a prominent anthropologist and curator of the American Museum of Natural History
 * George Perry (1953– ) – Alzheimer's disease researcher noted for his discovery of the role of oxidative stress in Alzheimer's disease.
 * Craig C. Mello (1960– ) – winner of 2006 Nobel Prize for Medicine.
 * Manuela Maria Veloso (born August 12, 1957), is the Head of the Machine Learning Department at Carnegie Mellon University & Herbert A. Simon University Professor in the School of Computer Science at Carnegie Mellon University.

Baseball

 * Kevin John Correia, (born August 24, 1980 in San Diego, California) baseball pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates. On December 17, 2010, the Pirates signed Correia to a 2-year, $8 million deal. On March 24, 2011, the Pirates named Correia their Opening Day starter.
 * Sid Fernandez (1962– ), National League baseball player (Native Hawaiian, Portuguese and Spanish).
 * Lew Fonseca (1899–1989), born in Oakland, California; infielder, American League batting champion with Cleveland, coach for Chicago Cubs, manager of the Chicago White Sox; pioneered the use of film to analyze player performance, director of MLB films.
 * Jonny Gomes (1980– ), Current outfielder and designated hitter for the Boston Red Sox.
 * Davey Lopes (1945– ), Former star w/ LA Dodgers. (Cape Verdean / Black African, Portuguese and Irish)
 * Rod Correia (1967– ), Former Baseball player for Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.
 * Billy Martin (1928–1989), Former Yankees/A's manager. (father from Azores Portugal who later migrated to Hawaii)
 * Dustin Pedroia (1983– ), Current second baseman for the Boston Red Sox, American League MVP in 2008.
 * Mark Teixeira (1980– ), Retired first baseman for the New York Yankees.
 * Shane Victorino (1980– ), Baseball player for the Boston Red Sox. (Portuguese, Hawaiian and Japanese)
 * Joseph Lawrence "Joe" Abreu (May 24, 1913 – March 17, 1993) was a Portuguese American Major League Baseball infielder. He played nine seasons in professional baseball, one at the major league level. He served in the United States Navy during World War II.
 * Ronald Douglas Correia (born September 13, 1967, in Providence, Rhode Island) is a retired Portuguese-American professional baseball player who played 3 seasons for the California Angels of Major League Baseball.

Basketball

 * Ticha Penicheiro (1974– ), Basketball player for the Sacramento Monarchs.
 * Jason Kapono (1981– ), basketball forward for the Philadelphia 76ers. (Hawaiian and Portuguese descent).

Golf

 * Billy Andrade (1964– ), Pro golf player.
 * Tony Lema (1934–1966), Winner of numerous professional golf tournaments; at the time of his death he ranked tenth in all-time earnings in the PGA.

Soccer

 * Carlos Mendes, New York Red Bulls
 * Claudio Reyna (1973– ), Former captain of the U.S. national soccer team.
 * Fred "Fredy" Pereira is a former Portuguese-American soccer forward who spent three seasons in the North American Soccer League and earned six caps with the U.S. national team in 1977.
 * Telmo Pires is a retired Portuguese-American soccer player professionally in the North American Soccer League, American Soccer League and Major Indoor Soccer League. He earned one cap with the United States men's national soccer team in 1975.
 * Altino "Tino" Domingues (born in Coimbra, Portugal) is a retired Portuguese-American soccer defender. He played professionally in the United States and earned four caps with the U.S. national team in 1976.
 * Manuel "Manny" Matos is a retired Portuguese-American football (soccer) midfielder from New Bedford, Massachusetts who played professionally in the North American Soccer League and American Soccer League.
 * Manuel "Manny" Matos is a retired Portuguese-American soccer player from Mineola, New York who played professionally in the North American Soccer League and Major Indoor Soccer League.
 * Kimberly Maria Brandão (born April 26, 1984) is a Portuguese American professional women's soccer player who is currently a captain of the full Portugal Women's National Team and also the team captain of professional franchise, Buffalo Flash, a western New York state team which is the most recent winner of the United Soccer Leagues' W-League.
 * Adelino William ("Billy") Gonsalves (sometimes spelt in the Portuguese form, Gonçalves) (August 10, 1908 in Portsmouth, Rhode Island – July 17, 1977 in Kearny, New Jersey) was an American soccer player, sometimes described as the "Babe Ruth of American Soccer".He spent over 25 years playing in various American professional leagues and was a member of the U.S. squad at the FIFA World Cup in 1930 and 1934. He is a member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame.
 * Andrew Sousa, is a Portuguese American football player from Fall River, Ma. Sousa was drafted in 2011 by the New England Revolution.

Wrestling

 * Peter Polaco (1973– ), American professional wrestler.
 * Ana Rocha (1985– ), Female professional wrestler.

Other sports

 * Dennis Alexio (born March 12, 1959 in Vacaville, California) is a former world champion kickboxer in the light heavyweight, cruiserweight and heavyweight divisions.
 * Kurt Gouveia (1964–) Football player who played 13 season in the NFL with the Washington Redskins Philadelphia Eagles and San Diego Chargers and was a member of both their 1987 and 1991 Super Bowl Championship teams (Redskins). Gouveia was born in Hawaii.
 * Vic Seixas, Jr., (1923–), E. Victor Seixas, Jr. Hall of Fame tennis star who won Wimbledon in 1953 and the U.S. Open Championship in 1954.
 * Jamie Silva (1984–) Football player for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League. He was signed by the Colts as an undrafted free agent in 2008. He played college football at Boston College.
 * James J. Silva (born December 14, 1984 in East Providence, Rhode Island) is an American football safety of Portuguese descent (his family comes from Azores) for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League. He was signed by the Colts as an undrafted free agent in 2008. He played college football at Boston College.
 * Juliana "Juli" Furtado (born April 4, 1967 in New York City) is an American mountain biker, who began her sports career in skiing. From 1980 to 1987, she was the youngest member of the U.S. National ski team. Although American by birth, Furtado is of partial Portuguese ancestry.
 * Nate Costa (born May 15, 1988 from Hilmar, California) is an American football quarterback for the University of Oregon Ducks. He is of Portuguese descent (his father was born on the Azores island of Terceira).

Non-athletes

 * Wayne Fontes (1940– ), National Football League Coach
 * Mike Pereira – NFL Officiating Director.
 * Pedro Pinto, sports announcer and commentator for World Sports, CNN News Network.
 * Fred Silva (1927–2004), Official in the National Football League (NFL) for 21 seasons.

Others

 * José Joaquín Almeida (1777–1832) Portuguese-born American naturalized corsair who fought in the Anglo-American War of 1812 and the War of Independence of Argentina.
 * Paul Charles Morphy – American chess player.
 * David Leite (b. Fall River, Massachusetts) is a Portuguese American food writer.
 * Joseph "The Animal" Barboza (September 20, 1932 – February 11, 1976) was a Portuguese-American mafioso and one of the most feared mob hitmen during the 1960s. He is reputed to have murdered at least 26 men in his lifetime—yet never proven.
 * Cheryl Ann Araujo (1961–1986) was a Portuguese-American rape survivor whose case became national news, and was the basis of the 1988 film The Accused.
 * Dominic Sandoval, American dancer, of mixed Filipino, Indonesian, Hispanic, and Portuguese heritage
 * David J. Silva, Ph.D. (born 1964), language scholar and university administrator. Both parents were born in the Azores.
 * Joe Madureira, comic book artist and videogame developer.
 * José "Joseph" Costa, Golden Age aviation pioneer, born in Santa Cruz, Madeira Island, emigrated to Corning, attempted a solo Atlantic crossing in 1936.
 * Edward T. Vieira, Jr., M.B.A., Ph.D., Portuguese American Professor of Marketing & Statistics, author of various textbooks, research publications, and researcher. Dr. Vieira's grandparents on his father's side were from the Azores.