List of Russian Americans
Encyclopedia
This is a list of notable Russian American
s, including both original immigrants who obtained American citizenship and their American descendants.
To be included in this list, the person must have a Wikipedia article showing they are Russian American or must have references showing they are Russian American and are notable.
Russian American
Russian Americans are primarily Americans who traces their ancestry to Russia. The definition can be applied to recent Russian immigrants to the United States, as well as to settlers of 19th century Russian settlements in northwestern America which includes today's California, Alaska and...
s, including both original immigrants who obtained American citizenship and their American descendants.
To be included in this list, the person must have a Wikipedia article showing they are Russian American or must have references showing they are Russian American and are notable.
Entertainment
- Pamela AndersonPamela AndersonPamela Denise Anderson is a Canadian-American actress, model, producer, author, activist, and former showgirl, known for her roles on the television series Home Improvement, Baywatch, and V.I.P. She was chosen as a Playmate of the Month for Playboy magazine in February 1990...
, Canadian-American actress, sex symbol, activist known for her roles on the television series BaywatchBaywatchBaywatch is an American action drama series about the Los Angeles County Lifeguards who patrol the beaches of Los Angeles County, California, starring David Hasselhoff. The show ran in its original title and format from 1989 to 1999, sans the 1990-1991 season, of which it was not in production...
, mother is of Russian ancestry. - René Auberjonois, Tony Award-winner, American character actor (and grandson of the painter), best known for his early 1980s role as Clayton Endicott III on the television show Benson and his role as Odo on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
- Olga BaclanovaOlga BaclanovaOlga Vladimirovna Baclanova, or Baklanova, was a Russian-born actress, who achieved prominence during the silent film era. She was billed as the Russian Tigress and remains most noted by modern audiences for portraying the leading lady in Tod Browning's unique horror movie Freaks , which features...
, actress - Eric BalfourEric BalfourEric Salter Balfour is an American singer and actor of film and television. He is the lead singer of Born As Ghosts, formerly known as Fredalba...
, Actor, Portraying Milo Pressman in 24, is of Russian, French and Native American ancestry. - Sasha BarreseSasha BarreseAlexandra "Sasha" Barrese is an American actress known for her roles in The Hangover and The Hangover Part II.-Early life:...
, actress of Irish, Dutch, American Indian, and Russian descent. - Mikhail BaryshnikovMikhail BaryshnikovMikhail Nikolaevich Baryshnikov is a Soviet and American dancer, choreographer, and actor, often cited alongside Vaslav Nijinsky and Rudolf Nureyev as one of the greatest ballet dancers of the 20th century. After a promising start in the Kirov Ballet in Leningrad, he defected to Canada in 1974...
, dancer/actor - Agnes BrucknerAgnes BrucknerAgnes Bruckner is an American actress. She began acting on television in the late 1990s and has since appeared in seven films, including The Woods, Blue Car, and Murder By Numbers.-Early life:...
, American actress, mother is Russian background. - Michael BoltonMichael BoltonMichael Bolton is an American singer and songwriter. Bolton originally performed in the hard rock and heavy metal genres from the mid 1970s to the mid 1980s, both on his early solo albums and those recorded as the frontman of the band Blackjack...
, American singer, his achievements include selling many albums, eight top ten albums, two number one singles on the Billboard charts, and awards from both the American Music AwardsAmerican Music Awards-Conception:The AMAs were created by Dick Clark in 1973 to compete with the Grammys after the move of that year's show to Nashville, Tennessee led to CBS picking up the Grammy telecasts after its first two in 1971 and 1972 were broadcast on ABC...
and Grammy Awards. - Yul BrynnerYul BrynnerYul Brynner was a Russian-born actor of stage and film. He was best known for his portrayal of Mongkut, king of Siam, in the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical The King and I, for which he won an Academy Award for Best Actor for the film version; he also played the role more than 4,500 times on...
, Russian-born American actor, won Academy Award. - Cheryl BurkeCheryl BurkeCheryl Stephanie Burke is a professional dancer. She is best known for being one of the professional dancers on ABC's Dancing with the Stars, where she was the first woman to win the show and the first person to win twice ....
, professional dancer is well known for starring on the television series Dancing with the StarsDancing with the StarsDancing with the Stars is the name of several international television series based on the format of the British TV series Strictly Come Dancing, which is distributed by BBC Worldwide – the commercial arm of the BBC. Currently the format has been licensed to over 35 countries...
, father is Russian and Irish descent. - Amanda BynesAmanda BynesAmanda Laura Bynes is an American actress, comedian, singer, and fashion designer. Bynes appeared in several successful television series, such as All That and The Amanda Show, on Nickelodeon in the mid to late 1990s and early 2000s, and in 2002, she starred in the TV series, What I Like About You...
, American actress - Eddie CantorEddie CantorEddie Cantor was an American "illustrated song" performer, comedian, dancer, singer, actor and songwriter...
, actor and dancer - Michael ChekhovMichael ChekhovMichael Chekhov was a Russian-American actor, director, author, and theatre practitioner. His acting technique has been used by actors such as Clint Eastwood, Marilyn Monroe, Yul Brynner, and Robert Stack. Constantin Stanislavski referred to him as his most brilliant student...
, actor and dancer - Jennifer ConnellyJennifer ConnellyJennifer Lynn Connelly is an American film actress, who began her career as a child model. She appeared in magazine, newspaper and television advertising, before making her motion picture debut in the 1984 crime film Once Upon a Time in America...
, American actress, mother is of Russian/Polish Jewish descent - Gavin DeGrawGavin DeGrawGavin Shane DeGraw is an American musician and singer-songwriter. He is known for his songs "Chariot", "Follow Through", "I Don't Want to Be" , "In Love with a Girl", and "Not Over You".-Early life:DeGraw grew up in the Catskills in South Fallsburg,...
, musician, has Russian and Irish ancestry. - Alexis DenisofAlexis DenisofAlexis Denisof is an American actor who is known for playing Wesley Wyndam-Pryce in the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and its spin-off Angel.-Early life:...
, actor - Leonardo DiCaprioLeonardo DiCaprioLeonardo Wilhelm DiCaprio is an American actor and film producer. He has received many awards, including a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor for his performance in The Aviator , and has been nominated by the Academy Awards, Screen Actors Guild and the British Academy of Film and Television...
, American actor, Golden Globe and a Silver Bear Award winner, mother is of half Russian descent. - Kirk DouglasKirk DouglasKirk Douglas is an American stage and film actor, film producer and author. His popular films include Out of the Past , Champion , Ace in the Hole , The Bad and the Beautiful , Lust for Life , Paths of Glory , Gunfight at the O.K...
, American actor, born to Russian Jewish parents. - Michael DouglasMichael DouglasMichael Kirk Douglas is an American actor and producer, primarily in movies and television. He has won three Golden Globes and two Academy Awards; first as producer of 1975's Best Picture, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, and as Best Actor in 1987 for his role in Wall Street. Douglas received the...
, actor, his father Kirk (also an actor) is of Russian Jewish decent. - Robert Downey Jr, actor
- Robert Downey Sr, director
- Michael DudikoffMichael DudikoffMichael Joseph Dudikoff II is an American actor who has been in numerous films, including the American Ninja series , Tron , Bachelor Party , Platoon Leader , River of Death , Soldier Boyz , Ringmaster , and The Silencer , to name a few...
, American actor - Val EmmichVal EmmichVal Matthew Emmich is a pop rock singer-songwriter and actor from New Jersey. In 2001 he became the first unsigned artist to be featured on MTV's Total Request Live. As an actor he has appeared in such television shows as 30 Rock and Ugly Betty.-Early life:Emmich was born in Manalapan Township,...
, singer-songwriter and actor, of Italian, Russian, and German ancestry. - Peter FalkPeter FalkPeter Michael Falk was an American actor, best known for his role as Lieutenant Columbo in the television series Columbo...
His father was PolishPolesthumb|right|180px|The state flag of [[Poland]] as used by Polish government and diplomatic authoritiesThe Polish people, or Poles , are a nation indigenous to Poland. They are united by the Polish language, which belongs to the historical Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages of Central Europe...
and his mother RussianRussiansThe Russian people are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Russia, speaking the Russian language and primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries....
. - Harrison FordHarrison FordHarrison Ford is an American film actor and producer. He is famous for his performances as Han Solo in the original Star Wars trilogy and as the title character of the Indiana Jones film series. Ford is also known for his roles as Rick Deckard in Blade Runner, John Book in Witness and Jack Ryan in...
, actor, mother was of Russian Jewish descent - James FrancoJames FrancoJames Edward Franco is an American actor, film director, producer, screenwriter, author, painter, performance artist and instructor at New York University. He left college in order to pursue acting and started off his career by making guest appearances on television series in the 1990s...
, American actor, mother of Russian Jewish descent - Drew FullerDrew FullerDrew Fuller is an American actor and former male model. He is best known for his portrayal of Chris Halliwell in the television series Charmed and for playing soldier Trevor LeBlanc on Lifetime's Army Wives.-Early life:Fuller was born in Atherton, California and grew up in Newport Beach; he has a...
, American actor of Russian, Scottish and English heritage. - Edward FurlongEdward FurlongEdward Walter Furlong is an American actor whose best known film roles are John Connor in Terminator 2: Judgment Day and Daniel Vinyard in American History X. He is a two-time Saturn Award nominee, winning the 1992 Saturn Award for Best Performance by a Younger Actor for his performance in...
, actor the star of such movies as Terminator 2 and American History XAmerican History XAmerican History X is a 1998 American drama film directed by Tony Kaye and starring Edward Norton and Edward Furlong. It was distributed by New Line Cinema....
, his father is Russian origin. - Galen GeringGalen GeringGalen Laius Gering is an American actor best known for his portrayal of Luis Lopez-Fitzgerald on the NBC daytime soap opera Passions...
, actor of Russian Jewish and Spanish descent. - Samuel GoldwynSamuel GoldwynSamuel Goldwyn was an American film producer, and founding contributor executive of several motion picture studios.-Biography:...
, director and producer - Tony GoldwynTony GoldwynAnthony Howard "Tony" Goldwyn is an American actor and director. He portrayed the villain Carl Bruner in Ghost, Colonel Bagley in The Last Samurai, and the voice of the title character of the Disney animated Tarzan.-Early life:...
, actor - Katerina GrahamKaterina GrahamKaterina Alexandre "Kat" Graham is an American actress, singer, songwriter, record producer, dancer, and model. She has appeared in numerous television shows and film productions, as well as music videos...
, actress, singer, record producer, dancer, and model, mother of Russian Jewish ancestry. - Seth GreenSeth GreenSeth Benjamin Green is an American actor, comedian, voice actor, and television producer. He is well known for his role as Daniel "Oz" Osbourne in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, as Dr. Evil's son Scott in the Austin Powers series of comedy films, Mitch Miller in That '70s Show, and the voice of Chris...
, actor, part Russian Jewish ancestry - Maggie GyllenhaalMaggie GyllenhaalMargaret Ruth "Maggie" Gyllenhaal born November 16, 1977) is an American actress. She is the daughter of director Stephen Gyllenhaal and screenwriter Naomi Foner Gyllenhaal and the older sister of actor Jake Gyllenhaal. She made her screen debut when she began to appear in her father's films...
Her Mother Naomi Foner GyllenhaalNaomi Foner GyllenhaalNaomi Gyllenhaal is an American screenwriter. She has written the screenplays for several feature films, including Running on Empty , Losing Isaiah, and most recently Bee Season. She is...
is of Russian Jewish descent - Jake GyllenhaalJake GyllenhaalJacob Benjamin "Jake" Gyllenhaal is an American actor. The son of director Stephen Gyllenhaal and screenwriter Naomi Foner, Gyllenhaal began acting at age ten...
, His Mother Naomi Foner GyllenhaalNaomi Foner GyllenhaalNaomi Gyllenhaal is an American screenwriter. She has written the screenplays for several feature films, including Running on Empty , Losing Isaiah, and most recently Bee Season. She is...
is of Russian Jewish descent - Ben HarperBen HarperBenjamin Chase "Ben" Harper is an American singer-songwriter and musician. Harper plays an eclectic mix of blues, folk, soul, reggae and rock music and is known for his guitar-playing skills, vocals, live performances and activism. Harper's fan base spans several continents...
, American singer-songwriter musician and two-time Grammy AwardGrammy AwardA Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
winner. - David HomykDavid HomykDavid Homyk is an American singer-songwriter and record producer. His music can be described as a blend of Maroon 5 and James Blunt, often mixed with a Timbaland style production. A producer by trade, David has made recordings for many well-known artists, including Beyoncé Knowles and her sister...
, singer, songwriter, record producer, actor, and commercial model, is of Egyptian, Ukrainian, Russian, English, Welsh, Scottish-Irish ancestry. - Kidada JonesKidada JonesKidada Ann Jones is an American actress, model, and fashion designer.-Early life:Kidada Jones is the elder daughter of composer/arranger Quincy Jones and actress Peggy Lipton. She was raised in Bel-Air, California, with her younger sister, actress Rashida Jones.She began working as a celebrity...
, American actress, model, and fashion designer, daughter actress Peggy Lipton and musician Quincy Jones. - Rashida JonesRashida JonesRashida Leah Jones is an American film and television actress, comic book author, screenwriter and occasional singer. She played Louisa Fenn on Boston Public and Karen Filippelli on The Office as well as roles in the films I Love You, Man and The Social Network...
, American actress, model, and musician, sister of Kidada Jones. - Jon Bon JoviJon Bon JoviJon Bon Jovi is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and actor, best known as the founder, occasional rhythm guitarist, and lead singer of rock band Bon Jovi, which was named after him...
, musician, Golden Globe winner. Mother is of part Russian descent. - Milla JovovichMilla JovovichMilla Jovovich December 17, 1975)is an American model, actress, musician, and fashion designer. Over her career, she has appeared in a number of science fiction and action-themed films, for which music channel VH1 has referred to her as the "reigning queen of kick-butt".Milla Jovovich began...
, actress, and model. Born in Kiev to a Russian mother, and a Serbian father - Stacy KamanoStacy KamanoStacy Lee Kamano is an American television actress, best known for her role on Baywatch Hawaii.-Career:...
, actress of German, Russian and Polish and Japanese descent. - Lila KedrovaLila KedrovaLila Kedrova was a Russian-born French actress.-Biography:Kedrova claimed to have been born in 1918, in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Her parents were Russian opera singers. Lila Kedrova's brother was Nikolay Kedrov, Jr...
, Russian-born French-American actress. Won Academy Award for Best Supporting ActressAcademy Award for Best Supporting ActressPerformance by an Actress in a Supporting Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry. Since its inception, however, the...
. - Justin KirkJustin KirkJustin Kirk is an American stage and film actor. He is known for playing Prior Walter in Mike Nichols's screen adaptation of Angels in America and for his portrayal of Andy Botwin in Showtime's Weeds.-Early life and education:Kirk was born in Salem, Oregon, son of a...
, American stage and film actor, of Danish, English, and Russian Jewish descent. - Charles KlapowCharles KlapowCharles "Chucky" Klapow is an American choreographer and dance instructor who has performed and choreographed for various performers and several television and stage productions. He is also known for his teachings of the mental approach to dance...
, American choreographer and dance instructor, winner Emmy AwardEmmy AwardAn Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
, father of Russian origin. - Joe LandoJoe LandoJoseph John Lando is an American actor, most recognizable for playing Byron Sully on the TV series Dr...
, film actor - Maria LarkMaria LarkMaria Lark is an Russian/American television actress known for her role as Bridgette DuBois in the NBC/CBS television series Medium.-Personal life:...
, American television actress, born in Russia - Margarita LevievaMargarita LevievaMargarita Levieva is an American actress. Born in the Soviet Union, she was a professional gymnast before going on to star in the films The Invisible, Adventureland and Spread.-Personal life:...
, Russian-born American actress. Born in the Soviet UnionSoviet UnionThe Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
, she was a professional gymnast before going on to star in the films The InvisibleThe Invisible (film)The Invisible is a 2007 American supernatural thriller teen film starring Justin Chatwin, Margarita Levieva, Chris Marquette, Marcia Gay Harden, and Callum Keith Rennie...
, AdventurelandAdventureland (film)Adventureland is a 2009 Retro comedy-drama film written and directed by Greg Mottola. The film stars Jesse Eisenberg, Kristen Stewart, Margarita Levieva, Ryan Reynolds, Martin Starr, Bill Hader, and Kristen Wiig.-Plot:...
and SpreadSpread (film)Spread is a 2009 film starring Ashton Kutcher and Anne Heche and directed by David Mackenzie. The film was released under the name L.A. Gigolo in Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden, as Toy Boy in France, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands, Oh yeah in Argentina and as American Playboy in Spain and...
. - Karina LombardKarina LombardKarina Lombard is an actress and singer.- Early life :Lombard was born in Tahiti. Her mother, Nupuree Lightfoot, is a medicine woman of the Lakota Nation and was an immigrant living in Tahiti. Her father, Henry Lombard, a banker, is a European aristocrat of Russian, Italian and Swiss descent....
, actress and singer of Lakota Sioux, Russian, Italian and Swiss - Walter MatthauWalter MatthauWalter Matthau was an American actor best known for his role as Oscar Madison in The Odd Couple and his frequent collaborations with Odd Couple star Jack Lemmon, as well as his role as Coach Buttermaker in the 1976 comedy The Bad News Bears...
, actor and comedian - Wentworth MillerWentworth MillerWentworth Earl Miller III is an English-born American actor; model and screenwriter who rose to stardom following his role as Michael Scofield in the Fox Network television series Prison Break.-Early life:...
, actor, played Michael ScofieldMichael ScofieldMichael J. Scofield is the main protagonist in the American television series Prison Break. He is portrayed by Wentworth Miller. The character first appeared in the series pilot as a man who stages a bank robbery in order to get sent into the prison where his older brother, Lincoln Burrows , is...
in the television series Prison BreakPrison BreakPrison Break is an American television serial drama created by Paul Scheuring, that was broadcast on the Fox Broadcasting Company for four seasons, from 2005 until 2009. The series revolves around two brothers; one has been sentenced to death for a crime he did not commit, and the other devises an...
. Mother is part Russian. - Sarah NatochennySarah NatochennySarah Natochenny is an American actress and fashion model. She is known for providing the voice of Ash in the Pokémon anime metaseries. and movies since 2006, taking over for Veronica Taylor. Natochenny also voiced the lead role Alicia on the Xbox 360 video game Bullet Witch...
, actress - Larisa OleynikLarisa OleynikLarisa Romanovna Oleynik is an American actress. She came to fame in the mid-1990s, after starring in the title role of the popular television series, The Secret World of Alex Mack, and has also appeared in theatrical films, including The Baby-Sitters Club and 10 Things I Hate About You...
, actress (Mad MenMad MenMad Men is an American dramatic television series created and produced by Matthew Weiner. The series premiered on Sunday evenings on the American cable network AMC and are produced by Lionsgate Television. It premiered on July 19, 2007, and completed its fourth season on October 17, 2010. Each...
, 3rd Rock From The Sun3rd Rock from the Sun3rd Rock from the Sun is an American sitcom that aired from 1996 to 2001 on NBC. The show is about four extraterrestrials who are on an expedition to Earth, which they consider to be a very insignificant planet...
), Russian father - Mandy PatinkinMandy PatinkinMandel Bruce "Mandy" Patinkin is an award-winning American actor of stage and screen and a tenor vocalist. He is a noted interpreter of the musical works of Stephen Sondheim, and is best-known for his work in musical theatre, originating iconic roles such as Georges Seurat in Sunday in the Park...
, actor and singer - Sean PennSean PennSean Justin Penn is an American actor, screenwriter and film director, also known for his political and social activism...
, two-time Academy Award winning actor, paternal grandparents Jewish immigrants from Russia and Lithuania - Michael Perretta, American hip-hop musician, better known as Evidence, Russian mother
- Joaquin PhoenixJoaquin PhoenixJoaquin Rafael Phoenix , formerly credited as Leaf Phoenix, is an American film actor. He was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and his family returned to the continental United States four years later...
, actor - River PhoenixRiver PhoenixRiver Jude Phoenix was an American film actor, musician, and teen icon. He was the oldest brother of fellow actors Rain, Joaquin, Liberty, and Summer Phoenix.Phoenix began acting at age 10 in television commercials...
(1970-1993), actor - Bronson PinchotBronson PinchotBronson Alcott Pinchot is an American actor. He has appeared in several feature films, including Risky Business, Beverly Hills Cop , The First Wives Club, True Romance, Courage Under Fire and It's My Party...
, actor - Natalie PortmanNatalie PortmanNatalie Hershlag , better known by her stage name Natalie Portman, is an actress with dual American and Israeli citizenship. Her first role was as an orphan taken in by a hitman in the 1994 French action film Léon, but major success came when she was cast as Padmé Amidala in the Star Wars prequel...
, actor - Sam RaimiSam RaimiSamuel Marshall "Sam" Raimi is an American film director, producer, actor and writer. He is best known for directing cult horror films like the Evil Dead series, Darkman and Drag Me to Hell, as well as the blockbuster Spider-Man films and the producer of the successful TV series Hercules: The...
, Jewish American film, producer, actor and writer, whose parents came from Russia and Hungary - Ted RaimiTed RaimiTheodore "Ted"/"Half Ted" Raimi is an American actor, perhaps best known for his roles as Lieutenant Tim O'Neill in seaQuest DSV and Joxer the Mighty in Xena: Warrior Princess/Hercules: The Legendary Journeys...
, actor and brother of San Raimi - RavenRaven (drag queen)Raven is an American drag queen and reality television personality from Riverside, California. He is best known as a contestant on second season of RuPaul's Drag Race...
, drag queen and reality-television star - Don RicklesDon RicklesDonald Jay "Don" Rickles is an American stand-up comedian and actor. A frequent guest on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, Rickles has acted in comedic and dramatic roles, but is best known as an insult comic....
, actor and comedian - Melanie Safka-Schekeryk Folk Singer
- Nicole ScherzingerNicole ScherzingerNicole Prescovia Elikolani Valiente Scherzinger is an American singer-songwriter, dancer, record producer, model, and actress. Scherzinger is perhaps best known for being the lead vocalist of the Pussycat Dolls....
, American singer, actress and dancer, lead of the group The Pussycat Dolls - Regina SpektorRegina SpektorRegina Ilyinichna Spektor is a Russian American singer-songwriter and pianist. Her music is associated with the anti-folk scene centered in New York City's East Village.-Early life:...
, Jewish-Russian born American singer-songwriter and pianist - born in MoscowMoscowMoscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
, RussiaRussiaRussia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects... - Princess SuperstarPrincess SuperstarPrincess Superstar is an American emcee and DJ.Her musical style, as she describes it, is flip-flop — a mixture of 'hip hop, electroclash and electronica'.-Background:...
, musician, father is of Russian Jewish descent. - Liv TylerLiv TylerLiv Rundgren Tyler is an American actress and model. She is the daughter of Aerosmith's lead singer, Steven Tyler, and Bebe Buell, model and singer. Tyler began a career in modeling at the age of 14, but after less than a year she decided to focus on acting. She made her film debut in the 1994...
, actress, of part-Russian descent. - Lana WoodLana WoodLana Wood is an American actress and producer. She was born to Russian émigré parents, Nikolai and Maria Zakharenko, and is the younger sister of the late actress Natalie Wood. Her first major role was at age 9 in the John Wayne western The Searchers. She was a regular on the soap opera Peyton Place...
, actress - Natalie WoodNatalie WoodNatalie Wood, born Natalia Nikolaevna Zacharenko was an American film and television actress. After first working in films as a child, Wood became a successful Hollywood star as a young adult, receiving three Academy Award nominations before she was 25 years old.Wood began acting in movies at the...
(1938-1981), Academy Award nominated actress, won a Golden Globe - Anton YelchinAnton YelchinAnton Viktorovich Yelchin is an American film and television actor. He began performing in the late 1990s, appearing in several television roles, as well as the Hollywood films Along Came a Spider and Hearts in Atlantis...
, actor - Olesya RulinOlesya RulinOlesya Rulin is a Russian-American actress and singer who is perhaps best known for co-starring in the first three films of the High School Musical franchise as Kelsi Nielsen. She also starred in the films Private Valentine: Blonde & Dangerous and Flying By .-Early life:Rulin was born Olesya...
, actress and singer - Michelle TrachtenbergMichelle TrachtenbergMichelle Christine Trachtenberg is an American actress. She is best known for her roles as Dawn Summers in the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and as Georgina Sparks in Gossip Girl...
, American television and film actress - Elena ZoubarevaElena ZoubarevaElena Zoubareva is a Russian American soprano specializing in opera and classical crossover. Zoubareva is also a voice expert and a creator of the FitVoice program...
, opera singer - David Copperfield (illusionist)David Copperfield (illusionist)David Copperfield is an Emmy Award-winning American illusionist, and was described by Forbes as the most commercially successful magician in history. Copperfield's network specials have been nominated for 38 Emmy Awards and won a total of 21 Emmys...
, American illusionist and stage magician
Literature
- Isaac AsimovIsaac AsimovIsaac Asimov was an American author and professor of biochemistry at Boston University, best known for his works of science fiction and for his popular science books. Asimov was one of the most prolific writers of all time, having written or edited more than 500 books and an estimated 90,000...
, science fictionScience fictionScience fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
writer - Reginald BretnorReginald BretnorReginald Bretnor was a science fiction author who flourished between the 1950s and 1980s. Most of his fiction was in short story form, and usually featured a whimsical story line or ironic plot twist...
, science fiction and fantasy writer - Joseph BrodskyJoseph BrodskyIosif Aleksandrovich Brodsky , was a Russian poet and essayist.In 1964, 23-year-old Brodsky was arrested and charged with the crime of "social parasitism" He was expelled from the Soviet Union in 1972 and settled in America with the help of W. H. Auden and other supporters...
, Nobel Prize in Literature 1987 - Michael DorfmanMichael DorfmanMichael Dorfman is a Jewish writer, essayist, journalist, and human rights activist. Revivalist of the Yiddish culture among the Russian Jews....
, writer - Sergei Dovlatov, short story writer and novelist
- Vladimir NabokovVladimir NabokovVladimir Vladimirovich Nabokov was a multilingual Russian novelist and short story writer. Nabokov wrote his first nine novels in Russian, then rose to international prominence as a master English prose stylist...
, writer - Ayn RandAyn RandAyn Rand was a Russian-American novelist, philosopher, playwright, and screenwriter. She is known for her two best-selling novels The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged and for developing a philosophical system she called Objectivism....
, philosopher and novelist - Michael RostovtzeffMichael RostovtzeffMikhail Ivanovich Rostovtzeff, or Rostovtsev was one of the 20th century's foremost authorities on ancient Greek, Iranian, and Roman history....
, writer - Maxim D. ShrayerMaxim D. ShrayerShrayer, Maxim D. is a bilingual Russian-American author, translator, and literary scholar, and a professor of Russian, English, and Jewish Studies at Boston College.-Biography:...
, Moscow-born author, literary scholar and translator - David Shrayer-Petrov , author of the first novel about refuseniks, poet, memoirist
- Gary ShteyngartGary ShteyngartGary Shteyngart is an American writer born in Leningrad, USSR. Much of his work is satirical and relies on the invention of elaborately fictitious yet somehow familiar places and times.-Life:...
, Russian-born writer - Michelle IzmaylovMichelle IzmaylovMichelle L. Izmaylov is an accomplished writer of fantasy-fiction books for young adults and the author of bestseller "Dream Saver". The Pocket Watch, Izmaylov's first novel, was published when she was 11...
, Russian-American science fiction and fantasy writer
Science
- Alexei A. Abrikosov, theoretical physicist
- George GamowGeorge GamowGeorge Gamow , born Georgiy Antonovich Gamov , was a Russian-born theoretical physicist and cosmologist. He discovered alpha decay via quantum tunneling and worked on radioactive decay of the atomic nucleus, star formation, stellar nucleosynthesis, Big Bang nucleosynthesis, cosmic microwave...
, astrophysicist - Lera BoroditskyLera BoroditskyLera Boroditsky is an Assistant Professor of Psychology at Stanford University and Editor in Chief of Frontiers in Cultural Psychology. Professor Boroditsky does research in cognitive science with a specific focus on cognitive linguistics. She studies language and cognition, specifically...
, cognitive scientist - Vladimir Nikolayevich IpatieffVladimir Nikolayevich IpatieffVladimir Nikolayevich Ipatieff was a Russian and American chemist...
, chemist - Sergei KhrushchevSergei KhrushchevSergei Nikitich Khrushchev , son of former Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev, now resides in the United States where he is a Senior Fellow at the Watson Institute for International Studies at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island.-Career:...
, professor & son of former Soviet Premier Nikita KhrushchevNikita KhrushchevNikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev led the Soviet Union during part of the Cold War. He served as First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1953 to 1964, and as Chairman of the Council of Ministers, or Premier, from 1958 to 1964... - Wassily LeontiefWassily LeontiefWassily Wassilyovich Leontief , was a Russian-American economist notable for his research on how changes in one economic sector may have an effect on other sectors. Leontief won the Nobel Committee's Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences in 1973, and three of his doctoral students have also...
, economist, Nobel Prize 1973 - Abraham MaslowAbraham MaslowAbraham Harold Maslow was an American professor of psychology at Brandeis University, Brooklyn College, New School for Social Research and Columbia University who created Maslow's hierarchy of needs...
, psychologist - Alexander ShulginAlexander ShulginAlexander "Sasha" Theodore Shulgin is an American pharmacologist, chemist, artist, and drug developer.Shulgin is credited with the popularization of MDMA, commonly known as ecstasy, in the late 1970s and early 1980s, especially for psychopharmaceutical use and the treatment of depression and...
, pharmacologist, chemist and drug developer - Igor SikorskyIgor SikorskyIgor Sikorsky , born Igor Ivanovich Sikorsky was a Russian American pioneer of aviation in both helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft...
, helicopter designer - Otto StruveOtto StruveOtto Struve was a Russian astronomer. In Russian, his name is sometimes given as Otto Lyudvigovich Struve ; however, he spent most of his life and his entire scientific career in the United States...
, astrophysicist - Leon ThereminLéon ThereminLéon Theremin was a Russian and Soviet inventor. He is most famous for his invention of the theremin, one of the first electronic musical instruments. He is also the inventor of interlace, a technique of improving the picture quality of a video signal, widely used in video and television technology...
, physicist, inventor of Theremin - Vladimir Kosma Zworykin, one of the inventors of television
Sports
- Benjamin AgostoBenjamin AgostoBenjamin Alexandro Agosto is an American ice dancer. With partner Tanith Belbin, Agosto is the 2006 Olympic silver medalist, a four-time World medalist, the 2004–2006 Four Continents champion, and 2004–2008 U.S. champion....
, ice dancer. - Mohini BhardwajMohini BhardwajMohini Bhardwaj is a retired American gymnast who competed at the 1997 and 2001 World Championships and earned a team silver medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens...
, gymnast. - Fred BiletnikoffFred BiletnikoffFrederick S. "Fred" Biletnikoff is a former American football wide receiver and coach. He spent the majority of his professional playing and coaching days with the Oakland Raiders...
, football wide receiver and coach. - Sue BirdSue BirdSuzanne Brigit "Sue" Bird is an American professional women's basketball player for the Seattle Storm and WBC Spartak Moscow Region....
, professional women's basketball player. - Shirley BabashoffShirley BabashoffShirley Frances Babashoff is a former swimmer from the United States, who set six world records and earned a total of eight individual Olympic medals in her career...
, Olympic Swimmer - Silver/Gold medalist - Alex Bogomolov, Jr.Alex Bogomolov, Jr.Aleksandr Aleksandrovich Bogomolov, most known as Alex Bogomolov Jr. , nicknamed Bogie, is a Russian professional tennis player.-Tennis career:...
, professional tennis player. - Nathan BorNathan BorNathan Bor was an American boxer who won a bronze medal at the 1932 Summer Olympics.-Amateur career:Bor was the 1932 United States Amateur Lightweight Champion and won the bronze medal in the lightweight class after winning the third place fight against Mario Bianchini.-Olympic Results:**Defeated...
, boxer. - Maxim DlugyMaxim DlugyMaxim Dlugy is a Grandmaster of chess. He was born on January 29, 1966 in Moscow, USSR. He arrived with his family in the United States in about 1979. He was a late developer and was only an average player for his age until he shot up in strength in the early 1980s. He was awarded the International...
, grandmaster of chess. - Rod DyachenkoRod DyachenkoRodion Sergeyevich "Rod" Dyachenko is a Russian footballer who currently plays for Samut Songkhram in the Thai Premier League.-Youth and College:Dyachenko was born in the Russian SFSR in the Soviet Union prior to the breakup of the country in the early 1990s...
, footballer. - Bill GoldbergBill GoldbergGoldberg earned a scholarship to play for the University of Georgia Bulldogs football team where he served as a defensive tackle. He was taken in the 11th round, with the 302nd overall selection, in the 1990 NFL Draft....
, former professional wrestler. - Red HolzmanRed HolzmanWilliam "Red" Holzman was an NBA basketball player and coach probably best known as the head coach of the New York Knicks from 1967 to 1982. Holzman helped lead the Knicks to two NBA Championships in 1970 and 1973, and was elected into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1985...
, basketball player and coach. - Irving JaffeeIrving JaffeeIrving Warren Jaffee was an American speed skater who won two gold medals at the 1932 Winter Olympics, becoming the most successful athlete there along with his compatriot Jack Shea.-Early life:Jaffee, who was Jewish, was born to Jewish parents who had emigrated from Russia in 1896...
, speed skater. - Anna KotchnevaAnna KotchnevaAnna Kotchneva is a former Soviet rhythmic gymnast. She is the 1987 World Champion in clubs, the 1987 World bronze medalist in the hoop, and the 1987 World co-bronze medalist in the rope with Marina Lobatch....
, gymnast. - Vladimir Kozlov, professional wrestler.
- Andrei KirilenkoAndrei Kirilenko (basketball)Andrei Gennadyevich Kirilenko is a Russian-American professional basketball player who plays at the small forward position for the CSKA Moscow in the Russian Professional Basketball League. He also plays for the Russia national basketball team...
, Basketball player. - Varvara LepchenkoVarvara LepchenkoVarvara Lepchenko is an American female professional tennis player. She reached her singles career high of no. 74 on November 15, 2010. She has won six ITF titles during her career.-Early life and junior career:...
, professional tennis player. - Valeri LiukinValeri LiukinValeri Viktorovich Liukin is a retired competitive artistic gymnast who competed for the former Soviet Union. Liukin is the 1988 Olympic Champion in the team competition and individually on the horizontal bar and Olympic silver medalist in the all-around and the parallel bars...
, artistic gymnast. - Nastia LiukinNastia LiukinAnastasia Valeryevna "Nastia" Liukin is a Russian-American artistic gymnast. She was the 2008 Olympic individual all-around Champion, the 2005 and 2007 World Champion on the balance beam, and the 2005 World Champion on the uneven bars...
, gymnast. - Frank MirFrank MirFrancisco Santos Miranda is an American mixed martial artist, as well as a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Kenpō Karate, who competes in the heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He is a former UFC Heavyweight Champion and a former UFC Interim Heavyweight Champion...
, American mixed martial artist. - Evgeni NabokovEvgeni NabokovEvgeni Viktorovich Nabokov is a Russian professional ice hockey goaltender who is playing for the New York Islanders of the National Hockey League .Nabokov was selected by San Jose in the 1994 NHL Entry Draft...
, San Jose Sharks' former Goalie. - Patrick O'Neal (sportscaster)Patrick O'Neal (sportscaster)Patrick O'Neal is a studio host and reporter for Fox Sports West/Prime Ticket in Los Angeles. Most of his appearances come during pregame and postgame shows of the Los Angeles Dodgers and Los Angeles Kings, as well as the Los Angeles Lakers.In 2005, he was a sideline reporter on several telecasts...
, studio host and reporter. - Denis PetukhovDenis PetukhovDenis Petukhov is a Russian-American ice dancer. With partner and wife Melissa Gregory, he is the 2004-2007 U.S. silver medalist.-Biography:...
, figure skater. - Sergei RaadSergei RaadSergei Raad is a Russian footballer who currently plays for FC JAX Destroyers in the USL Premier Development League.-Youth and College:Raad's birth name is Sergei Kolomeites...
, soccer player. - Andy SeminickAndy SeminickAndrew Wasal Seminick was an American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher for the Philadelphia Phillies between 1943 and 1951, and the Cincinnati Reds/Redlegs from 1952 through part of 1955, when he rejoined the Phillies for the rest of his career until...
, professional baseball player. - Kerri Strug, gymnast.
- Nikolai VolkoffNikolai VolkoffJosip Nikolai Peruzović , better known by his ring name of Nikolai Volkoff, is a professional wrestler who is best known for his performances for the World Wrestling Federation...
, professional wrestler. - Ted WilliamsTed WilliamsTheodore Samuel "Ted" Williams was an American professional baseball player and manager. He played his entire 21-year Major League Baseball career as the left fielder for the Boston Red Sox...
, American Major League Baseball left fielder.
Models
- Anya MonzikovaAnya MonzikovaAnna Monzikova is a Russian/American model and actress.-Personal life:Monzikova was born in Vologda, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union. She lived in Russia up to the age of eight, when she moved to Florida. After she graduated from high school, she moved again to Los Angeles, California to pursue a...
, model and actress born in VologdaVologdaVologda is a city and the administrative, cultural, and scientific center of Vologda Oblast, Russia, located on the Vologda River. The city is a major transport knot of the Northwest of Russia. Vologda is among the Russian cities possessing an especially valuable historical heritage... - Michele MerkinMichele MerkinMichele Merkin is an American model and television host.-Early life and beginnings:Merkin was born in San Francisco, California of Swedish and Russian Jewish descent as the youngest child and only daughter of four children. She attended boarding school in England...
, model and television host, also of Swedish and Russian Jewish descent - Josie MaranJosie MaranJohanna Selhorst "Josie" Maran is an American model and actress.-Early life:Maran was born in Menlo Park, California. She attended Castilleja School, an all-girls' school in Palo Alto, California. She is of Russian-Jewish descent on her paternal side. Her first cover was Glamour in 1998...
, model of Russian descent - Erika HaroldErika HaroldErika N. Harold was Miss America 2003, having qualified for the pageant by being selected Miss Illinois 2002. Her official platform was "Preventing Youth Violence and Bullying: Protect Yourself, Respect Yourself." This platform choice was said to have grown out of personal experience; she recounts...
, Miss AmericaMiss AmericaThe Miss America pageant is a long-standing competition which awards scholarships to young women from the 50 states plus the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands...
2003, mother is Native-American, African-American and Russian descent.* - Angelika KallioAngelika KallioAngelika Kallio is a Latvian-born Finnish model. She is one of the most successful fashion models from Finland, living and working abroad since the early 1990s.-Background:...
, model born in RigaRigaRiga is the capital and largest city of Latvia. With 702,891 inhabitants Riga is the largest city of the Baltic states, one of the largest cities in Northern Europe and home to more than one third of Latvia's population. The city is an important seaport and a major industrial, commercial,... - Irina PantaevaIrina PantaevaIrina Pantaeva is a former model and actress.Pantaeva was born in Ulan-Ude, Buryatia, Russian SFSR. She is an ethnic Buryat. In 1992, she moved to Paris to become a model...
, model and actress born in Ulan-UdeUlan-UdeUlan-Ude is the capital city of the Republic of Buryatia, Russia, located about southeast of Lake Baikal on the Uda River at its confluence with the Selenga... - Sasha PivovarovaSasha PivovarovaSasha Pivovarova is a Russian model. She is perhaps best known for her consecutive 6-season run with Prada.-Modeling career:As an art history student at the Russian University for the Humanities, Pivovarova never dreamed of becoming a model until friend and photographer Igor Vishnyakov took photos...
, model born in MoscowMoscowMoscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent... - Natasha PolyNatasha PolyNatalya Sergeyevna Polevshchikova , generally shortened to Natasha Poly , is a Russian model.-Early life and career start:...
, model born in PermPermPerm is a city and the administrative center of Perm Krai, Russia, located on the banks of the Kama River, in the European part of Russia near the Ural Mountains. From 1940 to 1957 it was named Molotov .... - Vlada RoslyakovaVlada RoslyakovaVlada Roslyakova is a Russian model.- Early life and modelling :...
, model born in OmskOmsk-History:The wooden fort of Omsk was erected in 1716 to protect the expanding Russian frontier along the Ishim and the Irtysh rivers against the Kyrgyz nomads of the Steppes... - Tatiana SorokkoTatiana SorokkoTatiana Sorokko is a Russian-born American model, fashion journalist and haute couture collector. She walked the runways for the world's most prominent designers and fashion houses, appeared on covers of leading fashion magazines, and became the first Russian model of the post-Soviet period to gain...
, model and fashion writer born in Arzamas-16 - Valentina ZelyaevaValentina ZelyaevaValentina Zelyaeva is a Russian model who has appeared on the cover of Spanish, Chinese, Greek, and Mexican editions of Vogue....
, model born in Moscow - Eugenia VolodinaEugenia Volodina-Career:Volodina's modeling career began in 1998 when she attended an open call at a Russian casting agency. Although she didn't win, she was invited to take part in a Parisian modeling agency in 2000. Soon after, she was sent to Paris, where Volodina began to establish her career. Increased...
, model born in KazanKazanKazan is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Tatarstan, Russia. With a population of 1,143,546 , it is the eighth most populous city in Russia. Kazan lies at the confluence of the Volga and Kazanka Rivers in European Russia. In April 2009, the Russian Patent Office granted Kazan the... - Tatiana KovylinaTatiana KovylinaTatiana Kovylina is a Russian model. She has appeared in advertisements for Ann Taylor, Calvin Klein Jeans, Cole Haan, and Givenchy. In 2002, she was on the cover of Madame Figaro and in 2005, she walked the runway for Victoria's Secret, which she returned to in 2009...
, model born in Kazan - Daria StrokousDaria StrokousDaria Strokous is a Russian model, film actress, and photographer. Strokous was born in Moscow, Soviet Union, then still part of the Soviet Union, to Vladimir Strokous, a prominent business man in the city, and Olga Strokous...
, model born in Moscow - Ariel XAriel XAriel X is a pornographic actress. She started as an amateur fetish model in 2003 then began appearing in mainstream adult films around 2005 at the age of 25. Since then she has appeared in over 100 movies...
, fetish model, pornographic actress, of Russian, Irish, and Polish descent.
Military
- Igor SikorskyIgor SikorskyIgor Sikorsky , born Igor Ivanovich Sikorsky was a Russian American pioneer of aviation in both helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft...
, helicopter designer and inventor - John Basil TurchinIvan TurchaninovIvan Vasilyevich Turchaninov , better known by his Anglicised name of John Basil Turchin, was a Union army brigadier general in the American Civil War...
, Union armyUnion ArmyThe Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...
generalGeneralA general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
in the American Civil WarAmerican Civil WarThe American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
Business
- Michael BloombergMichael BloombergMichael Rubens Bloomberg is the current Mayor of New York City. With a net worth of $19.5 billion in 2011, he is also the 12th-richest person in the United States...
, Mayor of New York City, founder of BloombergBloomberg L.P.Bloomberg L.P. is an American privately held financial software, media, and data company. Bloomberg makes up one third of the $16 billion global financial data market with estimated revenue of $6.9 billion. Bloomberg L.P...
business empire - Sergey BrinSergey BrinSergey Mikhaylovich Brin is a Russian-born American computer scientist and internet entrepreneur who, with Larry Page, co-founded Google, one of the largest internet companies. , his personal wealth is estimated to be $16.7 billion....
, co-founder of GoogleGoogleGoogle Inc. is an American multinational public corporation invested in Internet search, cloud computing, and advertising technologies. Google hosts and develops a number of Internet-based services and products, and generates profit primarily from advertising through its AdWords program... - Boris Chaikovsky, founder of Tele-King International
- Alexander PoniatoffAlexander M. PoniatoffAlexander Matveevich Poniatoff was a Russian-American electrical engineer.Poniatoff was born 25 March 1892 in Aisha, Zelenodolsky District, Tatarstan, Russian Empire. He emigrated from Russia to China, where he worked for the Shanghai Power Company until he emigrated to the United States in 1927...
, founder of Ampex Corporation - Alexander P. de Seversky, founder of the Seversky Aircraft Corporation, founder and trustee of the New York Institute of TechnologyNew York Institute of TechnologyNew York Institute of Technology is a private, non-sectarian, co-educational research university in New York City. NYIT has five schools and two colleges, all with a strong emphasis on technology and applied scientific research...
- Igor SikorskyIgor SikorskyIgor Sikorsky , born Igor Ivanovich Sikorsky was a Russian American pioneer of aviation in both helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft...
, founder of the Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation, a leading US helicopter manufacturer - Serge SorokkoSerge SorokkoSerge Sorokko is an American art dealer, publisher and owner of the Serge Sorokko Gallery in San Francisco. He played a major role in establishing the first cultural exchanges in the field of visual arts between the United States and the Soviet Union during the period of perestroika...
, art dealer, publisher and patron - Michael StroukoffMichael StroukoffMichael Stroukoff was a Russian-born aircraft designer, who served in the White Army before emigrating to the United States. After spending some time as an architect, he joined the Chase Aircraft Company and designed a number of transport aircraft for the United States Army Air Forces and the...
, President of the Chase Aircraft Company, founder of the Stroukoff Aircraft Corporation
Other
- Antuan BronshteinAntuan BronshteinAntuan Bronshtein is a Russian immigrant, convicted murderer, and reputed associate of the Russian Mafia.-Crimes and convictions:Bronshtein, 19 years old at the time, was stopped near his apartment in Philadelphia on 22 February 1991 while driving a stolen car...
, convicted murderer and Russian immigrant - Peter DemensPeter DemensPeter Demens born Pyotr Alexeyevitch Dementyev is one of the founders of the U.S. city of Saint Petersburg, Florida.-Early life:Peter Demens was born to a wealthy family in the Tver Oblast of Russia. Demens was a well educated aristocrat who was also liberal-minded. "Demens' father had left him...
, is one of the founders of the U.S. city of Saint Petersburg, Florida. - Anatoli EfimoffAnatoli Efimoff- Early Years in Russia :The artist Anatole Alexandrovich Efimoff, Anatolii Aleksandrovich Efimov 1897 - 1981, was born November 21, 1897 to well-to-do parents in the Russian city of Ufa in the Urals. Anatole’s artistic and musical talents were recognized at a young age, and in 1906 he entered the...
, artist - Betty FreemanBetty FreemanBetty Wishnick-Freeman was an American philanthropist and photographer. Freeman was born in Chicago, Illinois. At the age of three she moved with her parents and two brothers to Brooklyn, attending high school in New Rochelle, New York...
, art philanthropist, father was a Russian immigrant - John A. Gotti, leader of the Gambino Crime FamilyGambino crime familyThe Gambino crime family is one of the "Five Families" that dominates organized crime activities in New York City, United States, within the nationwide criminal phenomenon known as the Mafia . The group is named after Carlo Gambino, boss of the family at the time of the McClellan hearings in 1963...
of the Cosa Nostra. Mother is of Russian descent - Oleg KaluginOleg KaluginOleg Danilovich Kalugin , is a former KGB general. He was a longtime head of KGB operations in the United States and later a critic of the agency.-Early life and the KGB career:...
, former head of KGBKGBThe KGB was the commonly used acronym for the . It was the national security agency of the Soviet Union from 1954 until 1991, and was the premier internal security, intelligence, and secret police organization during that time.The State Security Agency of the Republic of Belarus currently uses the...
operations in the United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... - Pitirim SorokinPitirim SorokinPitirim Alexandrovich Sorokin was a Russian-American sociologist born in Komi . Academic and political activist in Russia, he emigrated from Russia to the United States in 1923. He founded the Department of Sociology at Harvard University. He was a vocal opponent of Talcott Parsons' theories...
, founded Harvard Sociology Dept 1930 - Jim TalentJim TalentJames Matthes "Jim" Talent is an American politician and former senator from Missouri. He is a Republican and resided in the St. Louis area while serving in elected office. He identifies with the conservative wing of the Republican party, being particularly outspoken on judicial appointments,...
, former U.S. Senator, paternal grandparents were Jewish immigrants from Russia