List of Lebanese Americans

This is a list of notable individuals born in the United States of Lebanese ancestry and/or people of Lebanese and American dual nationality who live or resided in the United States.

Artists

 * Kahlil Gibran – aka Kahlil G. Gibran, artist, sculptor
 * Nabil Kanso – painter
 * Sam Maloof – woodworker

Beauty pageant contestants

 * Rima Fakih – Miss USA 2010

Entertainment personalities

 * Amy Yasbeck – actress (father was of Lebanese descent)
 * Alexander Clooney – actor (mother of Lebanese descent)
 * Ella Clooney – actress (mother of Lebanese descent)
 * Callie Khouri – Oscar-winning screenwriter
 * Casey Kasem – radio personality, American Top 40 franchise; voiceover actor (cartoon series Scooby-Doo, Transformers)
 * Catherine Keener – actress, mother of Lebanese descent
 * Celeste Thorson – actress, model, activist, screenwriter
 * Dan Jbara – television and film producer
 * Danny Thomas – actor
 * David Yazbek – musician and composer famous for the Broadway musical The Full Monty
 * Diane Rehm – host and executive producer of The Diane Rehm Show on National Public Radio
 * Edy Ganem – actress (parents are of Lebanese descent)
 * Elie Samaha – film producer
 * Elizabeth Keener – actress known for her role in The L Word
 * Emeraude Toubia – actress (father is Lebanese)
 * Emile Kuri – Mexican-born American Oscar-winning art director
 * Frank Lackteen – actor
 * Gregory Jbara – television and film actor
 * George Nader – actor, uncle of Michael Nader
 * George Noory – radio host (radio program Coast To Coast AM)
 * Haaz Sleiman – actor (series Nurse Jackie; film The Visitor)
 * Hank the Angry Drunken Dwarf – radio and television personality
 * James Stacy – Film and television actor
 * Jamie Farr – actor (sitcom M*A*S*H)
 * Jane Wiedlin – musician, actress (mother was of Lebanese descent)
 * Jenna Dewan – actress (paternal grandfather was of Lebanese descent)
 * Joan Alexander – Actress known for her role as Lois Lane
 * John A. Kuri – author and writer, film and television producer, and director
 * John Leguizamo – actor (maternal grandfather was Lebanese)
 * Kathy Najimy – actress
 * Kerri Kasem – radio and television host; daughter of Casey Kasem
 * Khrystyne Haje – actress (sitcom Head of the Class)
 * Lili Estefan – Cuban-American television personality, niece of Emilio Estefan
 * Marlo Thomas – actress (father was of Lebanese descent)
 * Mario Kassar – filmmaker, founder of Carolco Pictures
 * Mary Zilba – television personality and singer
 * Mayssa Karaa – Grammy-nominated singer
 * Mia Khalifa — pornographic actress and adult model
 * Michael Ansara – stage, screen, and voice actor (Lebanese born American)
 * Michael Nader – actor, All My Children
 * Michael Nouri – actor, film Flashdance
 * Mo Gallini – actor (father of Lebanese descent)
 * Paola Turbay – Columbian-American actress, model, beauty queen and television presenter
 * Paul Anka – singer, songwriter, actor, producer
 * Peter Macdissi – film and television actor
 * Raya Meddine – actress of Lebanese descent
 * Rose Abdoo – comedian, actress
 * Rowan Blanchard – actress (father of Lebanese descent)
 * Salma Hayek – Mexican-American actress (paternal grandfather was Lebanese)
 * Senta Moses – actress known for her role in Home Alone
 * Shannon Elizabeth – actress (father of Lebanese descent)
 * Terrence Malick – filmmaker, of part Lebanese descent
 * Tom Shadyac – film director (of 3/4 Lebanese descent)
 * Tony Shalhoub – actor (Monk)
 * Tony Thomas – producer (father was of Lebanese descent)
 * Vince Vaughn – actor (paternal grandmother was of Lebanese descent)
 * Wentworth Miller – actor, maternal great-grandmother of Lebanese descent
 * Yasmine Al Masri – Lebanese-born American actress
 * Zoe Saldana – Dominican-American actress, has claimed some Lebanese ancestry

Fashion designers

 * Joseph Abboud – fashion designer
 * Norma Kamali – fashion designer
 * Reem Acra – fashion designer

Musicians

 * Paul Anka – legendary singer-songwriter, and of songs like Diana, Put Your Head on My Shoulder, Lonely Boy, Having Our Baby, Nothing Stronger Than Our Love, My Way, She's A Lady, amidst hundreds of songs in a plentiful discography, and having composed for and sung with other legendary American performers like Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr, Tom Jones, Elvis Presley, Michael Jackson, Dolly Parton, Patty Labelle, Celine Dion and Barbra Streisand (both parents of Lebanese descent)
 * Dick Dale – rock guitarist and surf music pioneer
 * Emile Ghantous – songwriter, musician, music producer
 * Emilio Estefan – Cuban-American musician and producer; husband of Gloria Estefan
 * G.E. Smith – lead guitarist in the band Hall & Oates; musical director of Saturday Night Live
 * Hamed Sinno – Lebanese-American graphic designer, singer/songwriter of the band Mashrou'Leila
 * Jack Barakat – guitarist of the band All Time Low
 * Jane Wiedlin – musician, singer-songwriter, and actress; best known as a member of the all-female new wave band The Go-Go's
 * John Dolmayan – Lebanese-American of Armenian descent, drummer of band System of a Down
 * Kat Dahlia – singer, songwriter, rapper
 * Mohammed El-Bakkar – tenor singer, oud player, and conductor
 * Nadia Azzi – pianist
 * Paul Jabara – composer
 * Neil Sedaka – pop/rock singer, pianist, composer and record producer
 * Ron Affif – jazz guitarist and musician
 * Rosalind Elias – opera singer renowned for her time in the Metropolitan Opera
 * Serj Tankian – Lebanese-American of Armenian descent, lead singer of band System of a Down
 * Soraya – Colombian-American singer
 * Tiffany – singer
 * Tino Coury – singer, songwriter and producer
 * Tiny Tim – folk singer
 * Tyler Joseph – lead singer of band Twenty One Pilots

Business

 * Alec Gores – entrepreneur
 * Caroline Ghosn – entrepreneur
 * Charles Elachi – director of Jet Propulsion Laboratory
 * Clifford Antone – founder of Antone's blues club in Austin, Texas
 * Debra Cafaro – CEO of Ventas Inc., a healthcare real estate investment trust
 * Fares D. Noujaim – business executive
 * Frédéric Fekkai – French-American hairdresser and founder of Frédéric Fekkai salons and hair products
 * George Joseph – founder of Mercury Insurance Group
 * George J. Maloof, Jr. – businessman and owner of the Sacramento Monarchs, Sacramento Kings and the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas
 * George J. Maloof, Sr. – businessman and former owner of the Houston Rockets
 * Jacques Nasser – former CEO of Ford Motor Company
 * Jean Succar Kuri – businessman
 * Joe Jamail – attorney and businessman
 * Joe Robbie – attorney and original owner of the Miami Dolphins
 * John J. Mack – former CEO of investment bank Morgan Stanley (2005–2009)
 * Joseph J. Jacobs – former chairman and founder of the Jacobs Engineering Group
 * Madeleine A. Pickens – business executive
 * Magid Abraham – market research expert and businessman
 * Manuel Moroun – businessman and the owner of the Ambassador Bridge
 * Moose Scheib – founder and CEO of LoanMod.com
 * Nahim Abraham – businessman, philanthropist
 * Tom Abraham – businessman, philanthropist
 * Paul Orfalea – founder of Kinko's
 * Richard E. Rainwater – investor and fund manager
 * Robert Khuzami – former director of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission
 * Salem Abraham – businessman
 * Thomas J. Barrack, Jr. – businessman and founder of Colony Capital
 * Tom Gores – founder and CEO of Platinum Equity
 * Tony Fadell – product development manager at Apple Inc.

Education and academics

 * Charbel Farhat – Chair of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Stanford University; member of National Academy of Engineering
 * Joseph Aoun – president of Northeastern University
 * Robert Khayat – chancellor of the University of Mississippi

History

 * Akram Fouad Khater – professor, author, expert on Lebanese-American studies
 * Philip Khuri Hitti – historian of Arab culture and history

Journalism

 * Anthony Shadid – foreign correspondent for The New York Times and earlier The Boston Globe
 * Helen Thomas – journalist who covered every U.S. President from 1961 to 2010
 * Jim Avila – senior correspondent for ABC News
 * Leila Fadel – Journalist for National Public Radio
 * Lucie Salhany – first woman to head a broadcast television network in 1993 in the position as Chairman of Fox Broadcasting Company
 * Octavia Nasr – former television journalist for CNN
 * Paula Faris – journalist (father was of Lebanese descent)
 * Raghida Dergham – columnist and senior diplomatic correspondent for the London-based Al Hayat
 * Sara Ganim – CNN journalist (father is of Lebanese descent)
 * Serena Shim – journalist
 * Tamsen Fadal – television journalist
 * Walid Phares – security and anti-terrorism expert
 * Jad Abumrad – radio host, composer, and producer, founder and co-host of the syndicated public radio program Radiolab

Medicine

 * Amin J. Barakat – physician, known for the diagnosis of Barakat syndrome
 * Charles Sophy – psychiatrist
 * Daniel Amen – psychiatrist and author
 * George Hatem – "Ma Haide," a founder of the public health system in China
 * M. Amin Arnaout – nephrologist and physician-scientist
 * Michael DeBakey – heart surgeon, medical innovator
 * Paul Nassif – facial plastic surgeon, co-star on the television series "Botched"

Military

 * Alfred Naifeh – U.S. Navy Lieutenant posthumously awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Medal in WWII and namesake of a U.S. Navy ship, USS Naifeh (DE-352)
 * Ernest "Iron Mike" Massad – U.S. Army Major General
 * George Joulwan – retired U.S. Army General
 * James Jabara – first American jet ace
 * John Abizaid – retired General in the United States Army
 * Michael A. Monsoor – U.S. Navy SEAL awarded Medal of Honor after being killed during the Iraq War

Activists

 * Brigitte Gabriel – founder of two non-profit political organizations American Congress For Truth and ACT! for America, she is also an author and was a journalist in Israel working for World News.
 * Candy Lightner – activist and founder of Mothers Against Drunk Drivers
 * James Zogby – founder of the Arab-American Institute
 * Jill Kelley – international advocate, socialite, and former diplomat
 * John Zogby – pollster; founder of Zogby International

Politicians

 * Abraham Kazen, Jr. – former U.S. Representative from Texas
 * Alex Azar – Nominee for United States Secretary of Health and Human Services
 * Charles Boustany – U.S. Representative from Louisiana
 * Chris Greeley – former Maine state representative
 * Chris John – former U.S. Representative from Louisiana
 * Darin LaHood – Republican representative from Illinois
 * Darrell Issa – U.S. Representative from California
 * Donna Shalala – former U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services
 * Edmund Reggie – judge and politician
 * Francis Slay - Former Mayor of Saint Louis
 * George J. Mitchell – former U.S. Senator from Maine
 * James Abdnor – former U.S. Senator and U.S. Representative from South Dakota
 * James Abourezk – former U.S. Senator from South Dakota
 * Jeanine Pirro – politician, judge and television host
 * John Baldacci – former Governor of the State of Maine
 * John E. Sununu – former U.S. Senator and U.S. Representative from New Hampshire
 * John H. Sununu – former White House Chief of Staff; former Governor of New Hampshire
 * Malouf Abraham, Sr. – politician and businessman
 * Manuel Maloof – former U.S. government official and businessman
 * Mary Rose Oakar – former U.S. Representative from Ohio
 * Nick Rahall – U.S. Representative from West Virginia
 * Nico LaHood – Bexar County District Attorney, Texas
 * Philip Habib – former U.S. Ambassador and envoy
 * Ralph Nader – political activist and former U.S. presidential candidate (Green Party)
 * Ray LaHood – U.S. Transportation Secretary and former U.S. Representative from Illinois
 * Richard L. Hanna – politician who has served as a U.S. Representative from New York since 2011
 * Robert G. Abboud – politician from Illinois
 * Selwa Roosevelt – former U.S. government official
 * Spencer Abraham – former U.S. Senator from Michigan
 * Suzanne Haik Terrell – former Louisiana Elections Commissioner
 * Toby Moffett – former U.S. Representative from Connecticut
 * Victor G. Atiyeh – former Governor of Oregon
 * Vincent Sheheen – member of the South Carolina senate

Other personalities

 * Adele Khoury Graham – educator and former first lady of the State of Florida
 * Amal Clooney – Lebanese-British barrister - International Law & Human Rights - UN
 * George Noory – radio host of Coast to Coast AM; author; entertainer
 * Joseph Farah – author and journalist
 * Nassim Nicholas Taleb – best-selling author, risk expert and statistician, university professor, and former trader and business person
 * Timothy Massad – U.S. Treasury Department official and corporate lawyer
 * Victoria Reggie Kennedy – attorney and widow of U.S. Senator Edward Kennedy

Sciences

 * Anthony Atala – Director of the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine
 * Charbel Farhat – Director, Army High Performance Computing Research Center, Stanford University, and Member of National Academy of Engineering
 * Charles Elachi – Director of NASA Jet Propulsion Labs
 * Christa McAuliffe – secondary school teacher and first American civilian selected to be an astronaut; perished in the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster; great niece of historian Philip Khuri Hitti
 * Elias Corey – 1990 Nobel Prize winner in Chemistry
 * Hassan Kamel Al-Sabbah – Lebanese-American technology innovator
 * Michael Debakey – doctor and heart surgeon, medical innovator

Athletes

 * Abe Mickal – football player for LSU
 * Bobby Rahal – professional car racer and team owner
 * Charley Zivic – professional boxer
 * Damien Sandow – professional wrestler in the WWE
 * David Azzi – professional football player
 * Doug Flutie – former professional football player
 * Fred Saigh – lawyer; real estate investor; owner of the American professional baseball franchise the St. Louis Cardinals
 * Graham Rahal – professional car racer
 * Jackson Vroman – former professional basketball player and member of Lebanon's national basketball team
 * Jeff George – former NFL quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts
 * Jim Harrick – former head coach of the University of Georgia Bull Dogs
 * Joe Lahoud – former professional baseball player
 * Joe Vogel – professional basketball player and member of Lebanon's national basketball team
 * John Grabow – MLB pitcher for the Chicago Cubs
 * John Jaha – former first baseman in Major League Baseball, played for the Milwaukee Brewers and Oakland Athletics
 * Johnny Manziel – professional football player
 * Jordyn Wieber – Olympic gymnast and gold medallist
 * Liz Carmouche – mixed martial artist
 * Matt Freije – ex-NBA player and member of Lebanon national basketball team
 * Matt Kalil – professional football player
 * Patrick Maroon – ice hockey player for the Edmonton Oilers in the NHL
 * Petey Sarron – former featherweight boxing champion
 * Rich Kotite – former National Football League player and coach
 * Robert Watkins – former professional football player; of African-American and Lebanese descent
 * Rony Seikaly – former professional basketball player in the NBA and for both the U.S. and Lebanon's national basketball team
 * Ryan Kalil – professional football player
 * Sabu – professional wrestler, real name Terry Brunk
 * Samir Bannout – former professional bodybuilder and winner of Mr. Olympia title in 1983
 * Skandor Akbar – former professional wrestler
 * Soony Saad – professional soccer forward player
 * Steve Kerr – retired professional basketball player and current head coach of the Golden State Warriors

World Series of Poker Champions

 * Ihsan "Sammy" Farha – three-time WSOP-bracelet winner
 * Jennifer Shahade – two-time United States Women's Champion; has the FIDE title of Woman Grandmaster
 * Kassem "Freddy" Deeb – two-time WSOP-bracelet winner

Writers

 * Amin al-Rihani – author
 * D. H. Melhem – poet, novelist, and editor
 * Geoff Johns – comic book writer
 * Khalil Gibran – author and philosopher
 * Lee Francis – poet
 * Mikha'il Na'ima – author and poet
 * Nassim Nicholas Taleb – essayist
 * Paula Gunn Allen – Native American poet and activist
 * Raymond Khoury – novelist and screenwriter
 * Saree Makdisi – author and literary critic
 * Stephen Karam – playwright
 * Vance Bourjaily – novelist
 * William Peter Blatty – writer, screenwriter