Misplaced Pages

Revision as of 17:56, 9 May 2009

The following is a list of Finnish Americans, including both original immigrants who obtained American citizenship and their American descendants.

This list is incomplete; you can help by adding missing items. (August 2008)

To be included in this list, the person must have a Misplaced Pages article showing they are Finnish American or must have references showing they are Finnish American and are notable.

List

Film and television

• Pamela Anderson, actress
• David Chokachi (b. 1968) actor
• Matt Damon (b. 1970) award-winning screenwriter and actor
• Taina Elg (b. 1931) Golden Globe-winning film and stage actress
• George Gaynes (b. 1917) film actor
• Renny Harlin (b. 1959) producer/director
• Brian Heidik (b. 1968) won $1,000,000 on the Thailand edition of Survivor
• Paul Kangas, host of Nightly Business Report television program
• Marta Kristen (b. 1945) perhaps best known for her role as the character "Judy Robinson" in the cult television series Lost in Space
• Christine Lahti (b. 1950) film actress
• Jessica Lange (b. 1949) two-time Academy Award-winning film actress
• Dick Latvala (1943-1999), tape archivist for the Grateful Dead
• David Lynch (b. 1946) director
• Lisa Niemi, actress
• Marian Nixon (1904-1983) actress
• 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
• Bonnie Pietila, the casting director and producer for The Simpsons
• Joyce Randolph, (born Joyce Sirola on October 21, 1924)
• Albert Salmi (1928–1990) film and television actor
• Renée Zellweger (b. 1969) Academy Award-winning film actress

Musicians

• Jorma Kaukonen (b. 1940) blues, folk and rock guitarist
• Hiski Salomaa (1891–1957) folk singer and song writer
• Wilho Saari, Kantele musician
• T-Bone Slim (1890?–1942?) humourist, poet, songwriter, hobo, and a labour activist in the Industrial Workers of the World
• Jaco Pastorius (1951–1987) influential jazz bassist
• Sylvester Ahola, jazz musician
• Einar Aaron Swan, jazz musician
• David Uosikkinen (b. 1956), rock drummer

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
• John Hanson, President of the United States in Congress Assembled, 1782.
• John Morton (1724–1777) delegate who cast the deciding vote in favor of the United States Declaration of Independence
• Oskari Tokoi (1873–1963) Finnish politician
• William A. Niskanen, chairman of the Cato Institute

Other

• Rudy Autio (1926–2007) sculptor
• Eino Friberg (1901-1995) Protestant Minister and English translator of The Kalevala, the Finnish national epic.
• JT Lindroos Designer, publisher, editor and writer
• Tiina Nunnally, author and reknown translator
• Miriam Patchen, Peace Activist
• Emil Petaja, author
• Eero Saarinen (1910–1961) architect and product designer of the 20th century, famous for his simple, sweeping, arching structural curves
• Eliel Saarinen (1873–1950) architect who became famous for his art nouveau buildings in the early years of the 20th century
• Alex Steffen writer.
• Haddon Sundblom, artist
• Nick Theslof, soccer player and coach, first American player to play in Europe.
• Lauri Törni (1919–1965) Finnish Army Captain who led an infantry company in Finnish Winter and Continuation War and moved to the United States after the war
• Vaino Jack Vehko, Automotive Engineer, NASA Rocket Scientist
• Carl A. Wirtanen (1910–1990) astronomer
• Wallace Wood, comics artist (EC Comics, Mad Magazine, Marvel Comics)
• Charles Wuorinen (b. 1938) composer
• Aileen Wuornos Famous serial killer
• Matt Niskanen An ice hockey player
• Dwight Helminen An ice hockey player
• Lars Helminen An ice hockey player
• Link Gaetz An ice hockey player
• Chris Pronger An ice hockey player

References

1. Iltalehti, 22nd June, 2007
2. See the list of Finnish artists
3. See the list of Finnish artists
4. http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0253359/bio
5. Finnish-born (Helsinki)
6. "Finnish director Renny Harlin..."
7. "the half-Finnish American celebrity Brian Heidik..."
8. The Finns in America (European Reading Room, Library of Congress)
9. Born in Norway to a German father and a Finnish mother; describes herself as a "Finnish Girl" at
10. Noted as one of several Finnish Americans at
11. Noted as one of several Finnish Americans at ; notes that Lange is "the granddaughter of Finnish and Dutch-German migrants"
12. See the list of Finnish artists
13. See the list of Finnish artists
14. born in Petsamo, Finland
15. Noted as one of several Finnish Americans at ; parents were Finnish immigrants
16. http://ethnicelebs.com/renee-zellweger
17. Described as "Finnish-American" at ; father was Finnish and mother was Jewish-American
18. "Arthur Kylander, Finnish American Folksinger"; born in Kangasniemi, Finland
19. "T-Bone Slim (the itinerant Finnish-American worker from Ashtabula, Ohio, Matt Valentine Huhta)"
20. "Jaco's Grandmother on his Mom's side, Kaisa Eriika ISOJÄRVI, was born north of the Arctic Circle in Lappi, Finland, and married David Haapala from Minnesota, whose father, Andrew Haapala was from Oulu, Finland"
21. "Although a few younger Finns held notable positions in the party leadership (e.g. Gus Hall, the party general secretary"
22. "JOHN MORTON was an early Finnish-American"
23. Welcome to... / Bienvenue à
24. "Finnish was his first language and he didn't learn English until ..."
25. "Finnish-born U.S. architect"
26. "Eliel Saarinen (Finnish, 1873-1950)"
27. "Legendary Finnish war hero Lauri Törni (Larry Thorne) to get final resting place in Arlington National Cemetery"
28. Wirtasen vanhemmat olivat suomalaisia.
29. Steve Starger and J. David Spurlock: Wally's World, Vanguard Productions, 2006
30. Noted as one of several Finnish-Americans at

• Lists of American people by ethnic or national origin
• Finnish Americans