List of Finnish Americans

The following is a list of Finnish Americans, 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 Finnish American or must have references showing they are Finnish American and are notable.

List

Academics

• Lars Ahlfors (1907–1996), mathematician, one of the first two people to be awarded the Fields Medal, Wolf Prize winner, and William Caspar Graustein Professor of Mathematics at Harvard University.
• Max Dimont (1912–1992), historian and author. He published Jews, God and History, which received critical acclaim and has sold over a million and a half copies, and which the Los Angeles Times praised it "unquestionably the best popular history of the Jews written in the English language". After its publication, he traveled and lectured extensively on Jewish history throughout the United States, Canada, South Africa, Brazil, and Finland. Other works include The Indestructible Jews, The Jews in America, and Appointment in Jerusalem.
• Jaakko Hintikka (1929–2015), professor of philosophy at Boston University. He is regarded as the founder of formal epistemic logic and of game semantics for logic.
• Benjamin B. Rubinstein (1905–1989), physician and psychoanalyst who had a practice in New York and who wrote extensively on philosophy of psychoanalysis.
• Linus Torvalds (born 1969), software engineer best known for having initiated the development of the Linux kernel, became a U.S. citizen in September 2010.^[1]
• Vaino Jack Vehko (1918–1999), automotive engineer, NASA rocket scientist. In 1960 he became Director of Engineering on the Saturn S1 and S1B booster rocket program at Chrysler Space Division's Michoud operation in New Orleans, Louisiana, the Saturn boosters successfully launched all the NASA Apollo and moon missions.
• Carl A. Wirtanen (1910–1990), astronomer.^[2]

Arts and literature

• Jean M. Auel (1936– ) author, wrote the Earth's Children books, her books have sold 34 million copies worldwide in many translations ^[3]
• Rudy Autio (1926–2007) sculptor^[4]
• Eino Friberg (1901–1995) Protestant Minister and English translator of The Kalevala, the Finnish national epic.
• Rick Hautala (1949–2013) writer
• JT Lindroos Designer, publisher, editor and writer
• Tiina Nunnally, author and renown translator
• Emil Petaja, author
• Eero Saarinen (1910–1961) architect and product designer of the 20th century, famous for his simple, sweeping, arching structural curves^[5]
• Eliel Saarinen (1873–1950) architect who became famous for his art nouveau buildings in the early years of the 20th century^[6]
• Alex Steffen, writer.
• Haddon Sundblom, artist
• Wallace Wood, comics artist (EC Comics, Mad Magazine, Marvel Comics) ^[7]

Business

• Mary Barra, CEO of General Motors
• Lars Kovala (1818–1894) Finnish-born American businessman, merchant, fur trader, and investor.
• Mike Markkula (1942– ) entrepreneur who was an angel investor and second CEO of Apple Computer, Inc., who provided early critical funding and managerial support, known as Apple employee #3
• Marissa Mayer, CEO of Yahoo and former Google Executive^[8]
• Gustave Niebaum (1842–1908) established Inglenook Winery in Napa Valley, CA, the first Bordeaux style winery in the USA
• Oscar Wirkkala (1880–1959) logger and inventor, developed the high lead method of logging—this skyline (or "spar") method, ideally suited for steep terrain, revolutionized the industry, also invented important pieces of that industry's machinery used during the first half of the 20th century

Film and television

• Pamela Anderson, actress, father is of part Finnish ancestry^[9]
• Lucas Bryant
• David Chokachi (b. 1968) actor, mother is of Finnish descent ^[10]
• Matt Damon (b. 1970) award-winning screenwriter and actor, mother is of partial Finnish descent ^[10]
• Richard Davalos (b. 1935) actor, father is of Finnish descent, starred in East of Eden (1955) as James Dean's brother and portrayed the convict Blind Dick in Cool Hand Luke (1967), won the Theatre World Award for his performance in the Arthur Miller play A Memory of Two Mondays in 1955 ^[11]
• Anna Easteden (b. 1976) An Award Nominated actress whose film appearances include The House of Branching Love (2009) and Sideways (2009). She is known for her performance as "Bee Sting" in Who Wants to Be a Superhero? season 2 (2007) on Sci Fi Channel. She co-starred in soap operas: Passions and Days Of Our Lives on NBC and the television series: Bones on Fox.
• Taina Elg (b. 1931) Golden Globe-winning film and stage actress ^[12]
• George Gaynes (1917-2016) film actor, known for his role as Commandant Eric Lassard in the Police Academy film series^[13]
• Renny Harlin (b. 1959) producer/director is an immigrant from Finland^[14]
• Brian Heidik (b. 1968) won $1,000,000 on the Thailand edition of Survivor
• Nancy Juvonen (b. 1967) American-Finnish film producer, she and Drew Barrymore own the production company Flower Films, films produced by Nancy Juvonen include Never been Kissed (1999), Charlie's Angels (2000), Donnie Darko (2002), Charlie's Angels – Full Throttle (2003), married comedian and talk show host Jimmy Fallon ^[15]
• Paul Kangas, host of Nightly Business Report television program^[16]
• Marta Kristen (b. 1945) perhaps best known for her role as the character "Judy Robinson" in the cult television series Lost in Space^[17]
• Christine Lahti (b. 1950) film actress, paternal grandparents were immigrants from Finland^[18]
• Jessica Lange (b. 1949) two-time Academy Award-winning film actress, maternal grandparents were of Finnish descent^[19]
• Dick Latvala (1943–1999), tape archivist for the Grateful Dead
• Scott Lautanen, television director and producer^[10]
• David Lynch (b. 1946) director, mother is of part Finnish ancestry^[10]
• Lisa Niemi (b. 1956) Actress. She wrote, directed and starred in the 2003 film One Last Dance, along with Patrick Swayze. She co-starred in Steel Dawn (1987) with Swayze and co-starred in Beat Angel (2004). Niemi also appeared in Letters from a Killer, Next of Kin, Younger and Younger, Live! From Death Row, She's Having a Baby and Slam Dance. She choreographed the films Urban Cowboy and Grandview, U.S.A. Niemi directed Dance, a 1990 film. She once again directed her husband Patrick Swayze, this time in an episode of his TV series The Beast
• Marian Nixon (1904–1983) actress^[10]
• Maila Nurmi (1921–2008) created the well-remembered 1950s character of Vampira. Her portrayal of this character on television and in films was influential over decades that followed^[20]
• Bonnie Pietila, the casting director and producer for The Simpsons
• Joyce Randolph, (born Joyce Sirola on October 21, 1924) actress, best known for playing Trixie Norton on The Honeymooners
• Allison Rosati (b. 1963) journalist, mother is of part Finnish ancestry
• Albert Salmi (1928–1990) film and television actor^[21]
• Vanessa Williams (b. 1963) singer, actress, producer, former fashion model and first African American woman to be crowned Miss America. She had DNA test done revealing she was 12% Finnish.^[22]

Military personnel

• Johannes Anderson (1887–1950) a Finland-born U.S. Army soldier during World War I, and a Medal of Honor recipient.
• Timothy L. Kopra (1963– ) Astronaut, Flew missions on the International Space Station and Space Shuttle Discovery, U.S. Army Colonel, Desert Storm Veteran, Bronze Star, West Point Graduate
• Reino Hayhanen (1920– ) U.S. Spy, Soviet Lt. Colonel who defected to the U.S. during the Cold War, helped break open the Hollow Nickel Case which led to the capture of top Soviet spies in the U.S. looking for atomic secrets
• Lauri Törni (1919–1965) Finnish Army Captain who led an infantry company in Finnish Winter and Continuation Wars. Moved to the United States after World War II and adopted the name Larry Thorne. Served with the U.S. Army Special Forces in Vietnam War and was killed in Laos while on a clandestine mission.
• Dale Eugene Wayrynen (1947–1967) U.S. Army enlisted soldier and a recipient of America's highest military decoration — the Medal of Honor — for his actions in the Vietnam War

Musicians

• Sylvester Ahola, jazz musician
• Jorma Kaukonen (b. 1940) blues, folk and rock guitarist^[23]
• Hiski Salomaa (1891–1957) folk singer and songwriter^[24]
• Wilho Saari, Kantele musician
• T-Bone Slim (1890?–1942?) humourist, poet, songwriter, hobo, and a labour activist in the Industrial Workers of the World^[25]
• Jaco Pastorius (1951–1987) influential jazz bassist^[26]
• Einar Aaron Swan, jazz musician
• David Uosikkinen (b. 1956), rock drummer
• Bobby Vee (b. 1943), rock singer, 1960s teen idol, Finnish on his mother's side (Tapanila)
• Charles Wuorinen (b. 1938), Pulitzer Prize winning composer ^[27]
• Mark Hoppus (b. 1972), bass player in Blink-182
• Muriel Anderson (b. 1960), guitarist and harp-guitarist
• Esa-Pekka Salonen (b. 1958), orchestral conductor and composer. Principal Conductor and Artistic Director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic
• Osmo Vänskä (b. 1953), orchestral conductor, clarinetist and composer. Music director of the Minnesota Orchestra.

Dance

• Carolyn Carlson (b. 1943), choreographer and performer ^[28]

Politics

• Gregory Nevala Calvert (1937–2005) National Secretary of Students for a Democratic Society in 1966–67.
• Gus Hall (1910–2000) labor organizer, a founder of the United Steelworkers of America trade union, a leader of the Communist Party USA and five-time U.S. presidential candidate^[29]
• Cheri Honkala (1963–) the Green Party's nominee for vice-president in the 2012 U.S. presidential election.
• Emil Hurja (1892–1953) pioneer of political opinion polling, a top advisor to President Franklin D. Roosevelt, appeared on the cover of Time Magazine in March 1936
• Oscar Larson (1871–1957) U.S. Representative from Minnesota, Republican, lawyer
• Robert W. Mattson, Sr. (1924–1982) Minnesota State Attorney General from 1964 to 1967
• Robert W. Mattson, Jr. (1948–2012) served one term as the Minnesota State Auditor from 1975–1979 and was Minnesota State Treasurer from 1983–1987
• John Morton (1724–1777) Signer of the Declaration of Independence, delegate who cast the deciding vote in favor of Pennsylvania's support for United States Declaration of Independence^[30]
• William Alex Stolt (1900–2001) Mayor of Anchorage, Alaska from 1941 to 1944 ^[31]
• Oskari Tokoi (1873–1963) Finnish politician^[32]
• William A. Niskanen, chairman of the Cato Institute
• John Raymond Ylitalo (1916–1987) U.S. Ambassador to Paraguay, career U.S. Foreign Service Officer

Sports

• Dick Enberg (1935– ) famous sportscaster currently employed by the San Diego Padres, CBS, and ESPN
• Drew Gooden NBA player. Finnish mother
• Dwight Helminen An ice hockey player
• Lars Helminen An ice hockey player
• Shawn Huff, basketball player for the Finnish national team. Finnish mother
• William Kolehmainen (1887–1967), long-distance runner
• Gerald Lee, basketball player for the Finnish national team. Finnish mother.
• John Michaelson only Major League Baseball player born in Finland
• Alex Murphy NCAA basketball player and brother of Erik Murphy. Finnish mother
• Erik Murphy, basketball player for the Finnish national team. Finnish mother.
• Matt Niskanen An ice hockey player
• Dan O'Brien (1966– ) former American decathlete, deemed one of the best decathlon athletes of the 1990s, winning an Olympic gold medal in Atlanta in 1996 after winning three consecutive world titles.
• Pete Rasmus (1906–1975), discus thrower^[33]
• Kevin Tapani Major League Baseball pitcher who played for the New York Mets, Minnesota Twins, Los Angeles Dodgers, Chicago White Sox, and Chicago Cubs from 1989 to 2001
• Nick Theslof, soccer player and coach, first American player to play in Europe.
• Ben Sippola, soccer player.
• Randy Carlyle, An ice hockey player, coach

Other

• Armi Kuusela, winner of the first Miss Universe beauty contest
• Miriam Patchen, Peace Activist

References