Lists of Italian Americans

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This is a list of notable Italian Americans.

Lists of Americans

By U.S. state
By ethnicity

* Afghan
* African-American Jews
* African Americans
* Alabama Creoles
* Albanian
* Algerian
* Amish
* Anglo-Americans
* Angolan
* Antiguan and Barbudan
* Arab
* Argentine
* Armenian
* Asian
* Assyrian
* Australian
* Austrian
* Azerbaijani

* Bahamian
* Baloch
* Bangladeshi
* Barbadian
* Bashalde
* Basque
* Belarusian
* Belgian
* Belizean
* Bengali
* Beninese
* Berber
* Bermudian
* Bhutanese
* Bissau-Guinean
* Bolivian
* Bosniak
* Bosnian
* Brazilian
* British
* Bulgarian
* Burmese

* Cajun
* Californio
* Cambodian
* Cameroonian
* Canadian
* Canarian
* Cape Verdean
* Catalan
* Caribbean
* Central Asian
* Chamorros
* Chilean
* Chinese
* Colombian
* Congolese
* Coptic
* Cornish
* Cossack
* Costa Rican
* Croatian
* Cuban
* Cypriot
* Czech

* Danish
* Dominican Americans (Dominica)
* Dominican Americans (Dominican Republic)
* Dutch
* Dutch West Indian

* Ecuadorian
* Egyptian
* English
* Equatoguinean
* Eritrean
* Estonian

* Faroese
* Fijian
* Filipino
* Finnish
* French
* French-Canadian
* French Polynesian
* Frisian
* Fula
* Fuzhou

* Gabonese
* Galician
* Gambian
* Garifuna
* German
* Ghanaian
* Greek
* Greenlandic
* Grenadian
* Guamanian Jews
* Guatemalan
* Guinean
* Gujarati
* Guyanese

* Haitian
* Hakka
* Hispanic and Latino
* Hispanos
* Hmong
* Hoklo
* Honduran
* Hongkonger
* Hungarian

* Icelandic
* Igbo
* Indian
* Indo-Caribbean
* Indo-Fijian
* Indonesian
* Iranian
* Iraqi
* Irish
* Irish Travellers
* Israeli
* Italian
* Iu Mien
* Ivorian

* Jamaican
* Japanese
* Jews
* Jordanian

* Kalmyk
* Karen
* Kashubian
* Kazakh
* Kenyan
* Kittian and Nevisian
* Korean
* Kurdish
* Kuwaiti
* Kyrgyz

* Laotian
* Latvian
* Lebanese
* Liberian
* Libyan
* Liechtensteiner
* Lithuanian
* Louisiana Creole
* Louisiana Isleños
* Luxembourg

* Macedonian
* Malawian
* Malayali
* Malaysian
* Maldivian
* Malian
* Maltese
* Manx
* Māori
* Marshallese
* Mauritanian
* Métis
* Mexican
* Melungeon
* Micronesian
* Moldovan
* Mongolian
* Montenegrin
* Moroccan

* Native American
* Native Hawaiian
* Nepalese
* New Zealand
* Nicaraguan
* Nigerian
* North African
* Norwegian
* Nuevomexicano

* Old Stock

* Pakistani
* Palauan
* Palestinian
* Panamanian
* Papuan
* Paraguayan
* Pashtun
* Peruvian
* Polish
* Portuguese
* Puerto Rican
* Puerto Rican Jews
* Punjabi

* Romani
* Romanian
* Russian
* Rusyn

* Saint Lucian
* Salvadoran
* Sammarinese
* Samoan
* Saudi
* Scotch-Irish
* Scottish
* Senegalese
* Serbian
* Sicilian
* Sierra Leonean
* Sindhi
* Singaporean
* Slovak
* Slovene
* Somali
* Sorbian
* South African
* South Asian
* South Sudanese
* Spanish
* Sri Lankan
* Sudanese
* Surinamese
* Swedish
* Swiss
* Syrian
* Syrian Jews

* Taiwan
* Tajik
* Tamil
* Tanzanian
* Tejanos
* Telugu
* Thai
* Tibetan
* Togolese
* Tongan
* Trinidadian and Tobagonian
* Tunisian
* Turkish
* Turkmen

* Ugandan
* Ukrainian
* Uruguayan
* Uzbek
* Uyghur

* Venezuelan
* Vietnamese
* Vincentian
* Virgin Islander

* Welsh

* Yemeni
* Yoruba
* Yugoslav

* Zimbabwean

* Category

* v
* t
* e

This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by adding missing items with reliable sources.

## Anarchists

[edit]

* Luigi Galleani (1861–1931)
* Arturo Giovannitti (1884–1959) - union leader and poet
* Nicola Sacco (1891–1927) - defendant in Sacco and Vanzetti case
* Bartolomeo Vanzetti (1888–1927) - defendant in Sacco and Vanzetti case
* Carlo Tresca (1879–1943) - newspaper editor, orator, and labor organizer. Leader of the Industrial Workers of the World during the 1910s.

## Architects

[edit]

* Vito Acconci
* Pietro Belluschi
* Giorgio Cavaglieri
* Mario J. Ciampi
* Neil Denari
* Eugene De Rosa
* Romaldo Giurgola
* Michael Manfredi
* Rosaria Piomelli
* George Ranalli
* Mario Salvadori
* Lawrence Scarpa
* Ricardo Scofidio
* Paolo Soleri
* Robert Venturi
* Peter Marino

## Artists

[edit]

Main article: List of Italian American entertainers

### Comic artists, cartoonists, illustrators

[edit]

* Brian Azzarello \- comic book writer
* Joseph Barbera (1911–2006) - animator, cartoon artist, storyboard artist, director, producer, and co-founder, together with William Hanna, of Hanna-Barbera
* Timothy D. Bellavia (born 1971) - children's illustrator, author and founder of the We Are All The Same Inside \- Sage doll-making workshop
* Ivan Brunetti (born 1967) - cartoonist and comics author
* Joe Pesci \- Italian American actor and musician
* John Buscema (1927–2002) - comic-book artist and one of the mainstays of Marvel Comics during its 1960s and 1970s ascendancy into an industry leader and its subsequent expansion to a major pop culture conglomerate
* Greg Capullo (born 1962) - comic book artist
* Anthony Flamini (born 1978) - comic book writer
* Frank Frazetta (1928–2010) - one of the world's most influential fantasy and science fiction artists
* Dick Giordano (1932–2010) - comic book artist and editor
* Frank Giacoia (1925–1989) - comic book artist
* Carmine Infantino (1925–2013) - comic book artist and editor who was a major force in the Silver Age of Comic Books
* Walter Lantz (1900–1994) - cartoonist and animator, founded the Walter Lantz Studio, created Woody Woodpecker
* Bob Montana (1920–1975) - comic strip artist who created the characters that launched Archie comics
* Joe Orlando (1927–1998) - illustrator, writer, editor and cartoonist
* Jimmy Palmiotti \- writer and artist of various comics, games and film
* Leo Politi (1908–1996) - artist and author who wrote and illustrated some 20 children's books
* Don Rico (1912–1985) - comic book writer-artist, paperback novelist, screenwriter and wood engraver; co-created the Marvel Comics character Black Widow with Stan Lee
* John Romita Jr. (born 1956) - comic artist best known for his extensive work for Marvel Comics from the 1970s to the 2010s
* John Romita, Sr. (born 1930) - comic book artist known for his work on Marvel Comics' The Amazing Spider-Man
* Don Rosa (born 1951) - comic book artist for Disney comics
* Eric Stefani (born 1967) - pop musician, former Simpsons animator, and Grammy-nominated composer and writer
* Jim Valentino (born 1952) - writer, penciler and editor of comic books
* Gerard Way (born 1977) - comic book writer; frontman of the American rock band My Chemical Romance

### Digital artists and illustrators

[edit]

* Ashley Biden (born 1981) - founder of the fashion company Livelihood, daughter of Joe and Jill Biden
* Louise Fili (born 1951) - graphic designer, 2014 American Institute of Graphic Arts Medalist[1]
* Fred Marcellino (1939–2001) - illustrator

### Painters

[edit]

* John Balossi (1931–2007) - painter and sculptor
* Edward E. Boccia (1921-2012) - painter, teacher and poet
* Alfred D. Crimi (1900–1994) - muralist and painter
* Ettore (Ted) DeGrazia (1909–1982) - painter, best known for American Southwest subjects
* Robert De Niro, Sr. (1922–1993) - abstract expressionist, father of actor Robert De Niro, Jr.
* Sheila Giolitti (born 1957) - painter and art dealer
* Robert Longo
* Nicola Monachesi (1795–1851) painter believed to have painted the earliest frescos in America
* Carla Carli Mazzucato (born 1935) - modern expressionist painter
* Tony Sisti (1901–1983) - painter and boxer
* Frank Stella (born 1936) - painter and printmaker
* Joseph Stella (1877–1946) - futurist painter known for his depictions of industrial America

### Photographers

[edit]

* Lynsey Addario (born 1973) - photojournalist known for her coverage of women in war-torn countries
* Severo Antonelli (1907–1995) - legendary figure in Philadelphia Italian American history and the subject of one of the largest ever one-man shows at the Smithsonian Institution
* Franco A. "Frank" Barsotti (1937–2012) - photographer and professor emeritus from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago
* Justin Guariglia (born 1974) - photographer and contributing editor to National Geographic Traveler, and a regular contributor to Smithsonian Magazine
* Isa Leshko (born 1971) - artist/photographer and author of Allowed to Grow Old: Portraits of Elderly Animals from Farm Sanctuaries published by the University of Chicago Press in 2019
* Luis Marden (1913–2003) - photographer, explorer, writer, filmmaker, diver, navigator, and linguist who worked for National Geographic magazine
* Nick Saglimbeni \- 3D photographer
* Francesco Scavullo (1921–2004) - fashion photographer known for his work on the covers of Cosmopolitan magazine and his celebrity portraits
* Mario Sorrenti (born 1971) - fashion photographer

### Sculptors

[edit]

* Vincent Cavallaro
* Mario Dal Fabbro
* Jasper D'Ambrosi
* John DeAndrea
* Joe De Santis
* Arturo Di Modica
* Mark Di Suvero
* Virginio Ferrari
* Thomas Gaetano LoMedico
* Costantino Nivola
* Corrado Parducci
* Piccirilli Brothers
* Italo Scanga \- neo-Dadaist

## Business

[edit]

Main article: List of Italian American business people

* Edward J. DeBartolo Sr.\- businessman
* Giuseppe Mario Bellanca (1886–1960)- aviation pioneer, airplane designer and builder
* Paul Busti (1749–1824) - Holland Land Company Agent General (C.O.O.)
* Roger Enrico (1944–2016) - Entrepreneur who is best known for his lengthy service as CEO of PepsiCo
* Fortune Gallo(1878–1970) - Opera impresario
* Amadeo Giannini (1870–1949) - Bank of America president
* Lee Iacocca (1924–2019) - As Ford Motor Company executive developed the Ford Mustang in the 1960s, and then revived the Chrysler Corporation as its CEO during the 1980s
* Orra E. Monnette (1873–1936) - Bank of America, Los Angeles founder
* Jack Dorsey \- co-founder of Twitter, Inc. and Block, Inc.

## Criminals

[edit]

Main article: List of Italian American mobsters

* Salvatore Briguglio \- former mobster, one of the prime suspects in the disappearance of Jimmy Hoffa
* Al Capone, "Scarface" - famous mobster
* Michael Franzese \- former mobster
* Santino William Legan \- perpetrator of the Gilroy Garlic festival shooting

## Entertainers

[edit]

Main article: List of Italian American entertainers

### Actors

[edit]

Main article: List of Italian American actors

## Food

[edit]

* Mario Batali \- chef
* Joe Bastianich \- chef and television personality
* Lidia Bastianich \- chef and television personality
* Hector Boyardee \- famous for his Chef Boyardee brand of food products
* Caesar Cardini \- creator of the Caesar salad
* Michael Chiarello \- celebrity chef specializing in Italian-influenced California cuisine
* Tom Colicchio \- chef, restaurateur, political activist, and head judge on Bravo's Emmy Award winning Top Chef
* Giada De Laurentiis \- host of the Food Network program Everyday Italian
* Dom DeLuise \- actor and celebrity chef who wrote several cookbooks and videos on his family's Italian-influenced cuisine
* Guy Fieri \- chef and host of the Food Network program "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives"
* Nick DiGiovanni \- chef and Internet personality who has set multiple food-related Guinness World Records
* Gina Keatley \- chef and television personality; influenced charities in New York City
* Sirio Maccioni \- restaurateur and author
* Rosanna Pansino \- chef and youtuber personality
* Rachael Ray \- Food Network chef and Emmy-winning television personality
* Nick Stellino \- chef and television personality
* Carlo Vaccarezza \- restaurateur
* Buddy Valastro \- baker, reality television personality, and businessman

## Inventors

[edit]

* Anthony Adducci (1937–2006) - pioneer of the medical device industry in Minnesota; best known for founding Guidant Corp. precursor Cardiac Pacemakers, inc., now part of Boston Scientific, the company that manufactured the world's first lithium battery-powered artificial pacemaker[2]
* Giuseppe Mario Bellanca \- designer of the first monoplane in the United States with an enclosed cabin
* Enea Bossi
* Lorenzo Del Riccio \- inventor of fotofinish camera
* Daniel DiLorenzo \- medical device entrepreneur and physician-scientist. He is the inventor of several technologies for the treatment of neurological disease
* Federico Faggin (born 1941) - physicist, engineer, inventor and entrepreneur; best known for designing the first commercial microprocessor, the Intel 4004
* Gerard J. Foschini
* The Jacuzzi family - developed the deep well water pump that led to the famous whirlpool bath
* Antonio Meucci (1808–1889) - credited by the Congress of the United States with the invention of the telephone
* Antonio Pasin (1897–1990) - inventor of the Radio Flyer stamped steel toy wagoni
* Sam Porcello (1935–2012) - food scientist who worked at Nabisco on the modern Oreo cookie in particular, was the inventor of the white Oreo cookie creme-filling. His work earned him the nickname, "Mr. Oreo."
* Lorenzo Ponza \- inventor of the modern baseball pitching machine
* Francis Rogallo \- engineer at NASA, designed the Rogallo wing, which found its greatest success in hang gliders and kites
* Andrea Rossi (born 1950) - entrepreneur who claims to have invented the cold fusion device E-Cat
* Andrew Toti
* Andrew Viterbi (born 1935) - engineer, billionaire, cofounder of Qualcomm, inventor of the Viterbi algorithm
* Frank Zamboni \- inventor of the modern ice resurfacer

## Jurists

[edit]

### Judges

[edit]

* Samuel Alito \- Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States (2006–present)
* Antonin Scalia (1936–2016) - Former Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States
* William Nardini \- Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit (2019–present)
* Frank Caprio \- Chief Judge of the Municipal Court of Providence (1985–2023)

### Lawyers

[edit]

* Bill Bufalino \- American attorney who represented the International Brotherhood of Teamsters from 1947 until 1971.

## Law enforcement figures

[edit]

* Joseph Arpaio (born 1932 in Springfield, Massachusetts) - law enforcement officer, most notably as the Sheriff of Maricopa County, Arizona; the child of immigrants from Lacedonia
* Michael D'Andrea \- officer of the Central Intelligence Agency, appointed to head the Agency's Iran Mission Center
* Pete DeFazio
* Cate Edwards \- daughter of former United States Senator John Edwards and Elizabeth Edwards
* Gil Garcetti (born 1941) - Los Angeles County's 40th district attorney
* Joseph D. Pistone \- undercover FBI agent who went undercover as Donnie Brasco and infiltrated the Bonanno crime family
* Louis Freeh (born 1950 in Jersey City, New Jersey) - Director of the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) 1993–2001
* Rudolph Giuliani \- early career was a US attorney in S.D.N.Y., prosecuting high-profile cases, including Cosa Nostra cases
* Dan Mitrione \- Italian-born American police officer and U. S. government advisor in Latin America
* Frank Rizzo
* Frank Serpico
* Joe Petrosino \- NYCPD lieutenant in charge of the Italian Squad, an elite corps of Italian-American detectives formed to fight the Mafia
* Charles Joseph Bonaparte \- member of Theodore Roosevelt's Cabinet and founder of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

## Journalism (print and multimedia)

[edit]

* Melissa Anelli \- resident of Staten Island, journalist at Staten Island Advance and webmaster of The Leaky Cauldron
* Charly Arnolt \- sports journalist (ESPN, OutKick, WWE)
* Carlo Barsotti \- emigrated from Italy to New York City in 1872. In 1879, he founded the Il Progresso Italo-Americano newspaper in New York City
* Maria Bartiromo \- financial journalist and television host
* Joe Benigno \- WFAN sports radio personality
* David Brancaccio \- journalist
* Harry Caray (1914–1998) - born Harry Christopher Carabina, sports broadcaster, did play-by-play for the St. Louis Cardinals, Chicago White Sox, and most famously the Chicago Cubs; Cubs win! Cubs win!
* Tucker Carlson \- television host and conservative political commentator
* Matt Casamassina \- video game journalist working for IGN
* Danny Casolaro \- freelance journalist
* Igor Cassini \- journalist
* Chris Cimino \- co-host of Today in New York on WNBC, the NBC affiliate in New York City
* Kellyanne Conway \- president and CEO of The Polling Company Inc./Woman Trend, and has been a political commentator on CNN, Fox News, and Fox Business
* Anthony Cumia \- "Anthony" of the Opie and Anthony show
* Chris Cuomo \- television journalist anchor at NewsNation
* Rick Francona \- NBC military analyst
* Michael Gargiulo \- co-host of Today in New York on WNBC, the NBC affiliate in New York City
* John Iadarola \- progressive political commentator for The Young Turks
* Megyn Kelly \- Fox News Channel political commentator and former corporate defense attorney
* Charlotte Laws \- author, columnist, political commentator, former politician, animal rights advocate, anti-revenge porn activist (known as the "Erin Brockovich of revenge porn")
* Anthony Fantano \- music critic and founder of The Needle Drop, a music related video blog
* Al Giordano \- political commentator, and former anti-nuclear and environmental activist
* Steve Lopez \- journalist; a columnist for the Los Angeles Times since 2001; the son of Spanish and Italian immigrants
* Rob Marciano \- journalist and meteorologist
* Ann Nocenti \- journalist, writer and editor, known for her work on comic books and magazines
* Alexandra Pelosi \- journalist, documentary filmmaker, and writer; daughter of Nancy Pelosi and Paul Pelosi
* Dana Perino \- political commentator and author who served as the 26th White House Press Secretary, serving under President George W. Bush
* Generoso Pope Jr. (1927–1988) - founder of the National Enquirer
* Tony Rizzo \- sports anchor with WJW-TV, the Fox affiliate in Cleveland
* Allison Rosati \- WMAQ-TV nightly anchor, maternal Italian ancestry
* Rick Santelli (born 1956) - editor for the CNBC Business News network
* Peter Santenello (born 1977) - videomaker, traveler, and entrepreneur who produces videos about travel and human stories
* Lauren Scala \- co-host of Today in New York on WNBC, the NBC affiliate in New York City
* Elaine Sciolino \- Paris bureau chief of The New York Times
* Karley Sciortino \- writer, television host, and producer
* Carla Sinclair \- editor-in-chief at Craft magazine for O'Reilly Media

## Military

[edit]

See also: List of Italian American Medal of Honor recipients

* Sgt. John Basilone \- USMC, Medal of Honor recipient of World War II
* Major John Belli \- Quartermaster General of the U.S. Army 1792–1794
* Corporal Anthony Casamento \- USMC, Medal of Honor recipient of World War II
* Christopher G. Cavoli \- commander of United States European Command and Supreme Allied Commander Europe
* Lieutenant General Peter W. Chiarelli
* Lieutenant General Joseph P. DiSalvo \- Military Deputy Commander of United States Southern Command
* General Curtis Scaparrotti, Commander of United States European Command
* Col. Luigi Palma di Cesnola \- Civil War Union Cavalry officer, and Medal of Honor recipient
* Lt Col Rick Francona \- U S Air Force officer
* Major Don Gentile (Dominic Salvatore Gentile) (1920–1951) - US Air Force officer
* Bancroft Gherardi \- rear admiral of the US Navy, who served during the Mexican–American War and the American Civil War. The first Italian-American admiral in the US Navy.
* Edmund P. Giambastiani \- Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
* Giovanni Martini \- trumpeter; only member of Custer's army to leave the site of the Battle of the Little Big Horn alive
* General Raymond T. Odierno \- incumbent Chief of Staff of the United States Army
* Peter Pace \- USMC, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
* Antonio Pierro \- lived to be one of the oldest surviving veterans of World War I
* Joseph L. Romano
* William B. Taliaferro \- Confederate general, of Anglo-Italian descent. Though his ancestors came from England to the colonies, his Taliaferro ancestors were originally from Italy.
* Vito Trause \- World War II prisoner of war
* Walter Schirra \- naval officer and aviator, aeronautical engineer, test pilot, and one of the original seven astronauts chosen for Project Mercury
* Maj. Gen. Francis D. Vavala \- Adjutant General, Delaware Army National Guard
* Humbert Roque Versace \- United States Army officer and POW in Vietnam
* Gen. Anthony Zinni \- USMC, former Commander in Chief of U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM)

## Politicians

[edit]

Main article: List of Italian American politicians by state

### Founding Fathers of the United States

[edit]

* Caesar Rodney \- signer of the Declaration of Independence, and President of Delaware was 1/64th Italian
* William Paca \- often listed as an Italian American, but based on erroneous speculation about the Paca surname

### Members of Congress

[edit]

* Mark Amodei \- American lawyer and politician serving as the U.S. representative for Nevada's 2nd congressional district (2011–present)
* John Baldacci \- American politician. As Democrat, he served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1995 to 2003. Also served as the 73rd Governor of Maine from 2003 to 2011.
* John Barrasso \- American physician and politician serving as the senior United States senator from Wyoming (2007–present)
* Mario Biaggi \- American politician a Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York from 1969 to 1988.
* David Cicilline \- American lawyer and politician serving as the U.S. representative for Rhode Island's 1st congressional district (2011–present)
* Catherine Cortez Masto \- American lawyer and politician serving as the senior United States senator from Nevada (2017–present)
* Ted Cruz \- United States senator for Texas is of mixed Cuban, Irish and Italian ancestry (2013–present)
* Emilio Q. Daddario \- American Democratic politician from Connecticut. He served as a member of the 86th through 91st United States Congress. (1959–1971)
* Rosa DeLauro \- American Democratic politician from Connecticut representing Connecticut's 3rd Congressional District (1991-present)
* John Ensign \- Congressman and United States Senator from Nevada (1995–2011)
* James Joseph Lanzetta \- American engineer and lawyer member of the United States House of Representatives from New York (1933–1935) and 1937–1939)
* Kevin McCarthy \- American businessman and former Speaker of the United States House of Representatives in the United States House of Representatives (2007–2023)
* Joe Manchin \- American politician serving as the senior United States senator from West Virginia (2010–present)
* Nancy Pelosi \- Speaker of the United States House of Representatives (2007–2011, 2019–2023)
* Steve Scalise \- United States House of Representatives minority whip and representative for Louisiana's 1st congressional district (2008–present)
* Tom Suozzi \- Member of the United States House of Representatives from New York's 3rd congressional district (2017–present)

### Minister

[edit]

* Leon Panetta \- U.S. Secretary of Defense 2011–2013
* Mike Pompeo \- U.S. Secretary of State 2018–2021

### Diplomats

[edit]

* Peter F. Secchia \- U.S. Ambassador to Italy, 1989–1993
* John J. Maresca \- U.S. Ambassador, United States Delegation to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, 1992–1994
* Richard F. Celeste \- U.S. Ambassador to India, 1997–2001
* Thomas M. Foglietta \- U.S. Ambassador to Italy, 1997–2001
* Paul Cellucci \- U.S. Ambassador to Canada, 2001–2005
* Paul A. Trivelli \- U.S. Ambassador to Nicaragua, 2005–2008
* Joseph A. Mussomeli \- U.S. Ambassador to the Philippines; Ambassador to Cambodia, 2005–2008;
* Ronald P. Spogli \- U.S. Ambassador to Italy and first U.S. Ambassador to San Marino, 2005–2009
* Peter Cianchette \- U.S. Ambassador to Costa Rica, 2008–2009
* Luigi R. Einaudi \- acting Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS)
* Francis J. Ricciardone, Jr. \- U.S. Ambassador to the Philippines and Republic of Palau, 2002–2005; Ambassador to Egypt, 2005–2008; and Deputy Ambassador to Afghanistan, 2009–2010
* Linda S. Taglialatela \- U.S. Ambassador to Barbados, the Eastern Caribbean and the OECS since 2016
* Claire A. Pierangelo \- U.S. Ambassador to Madagascar and Comoros since 2022

### Governors and former governors

[edit]

* John Baldacci \- former governor of Maine (2003–2011)
* Donald Carcieri \- former governor of Rhode Island (2003–2011)
* Dick Celeste \- former governor of Ohio (1983–1991)
* Argeo Paul Cellucci \- former governor of Massachusetts (1997–2001)
* Chris Christie \- former governor of New Jersey (2010–2018)
* Andrew Cuomo \- former governor of New York (2011–2021)
* Mario Cuomo \- former governor of New York (1983–1994)
* Ron DeSantis \- governor of Florida
* Edward D. DiPrete \- former governor of Rhode Island (1985–1991)
* Michael DiSalle \- former governor of Ohio (1959–1963)
* James Florio \- former governor of New Jersey (1990–1994)
* Foster Furcolo \- former governor of Massachusetts (1957–1961)
* Ella T. Grasso \- former governor of Connecticut (1975–1980); first woman to be elected governor without following a husband
* Andrew H. Longino \- former governor of Mississippi (1900–1904)
* Janet Napolitano \- former governor of Arizona (2003–2009)
* William Paca \- signer of the American Declaration of Independence, member of the Continental Congress, governor of Maryland, Federal District Judge
* John Orlando Pastore \- former governor of Rhode Island (1945–1950)
* George Pataki \- former governor of New York (1995–2006)
* Gina Raimondo \- former governor of Rhode Island (2015–2021)
* Albert Rosellini \- former governor of Washington State (1957–1965)
* Al Smith \- former governor of New York (1919–1921; 1923–1929)
* John A. Volpe \- former governor of Massachusetts (1961–1963; 1965–1969)

### Mayors and former mayors

[edit]

* Hugh Addonizio (1914–1981) - Mayor of Newark, New Jersey, 1962–1970
* Joseph Alioto (1916–1998) - Mayor of San Francisco, 1968–1976
* Thomas L. J. D'Alesandro, Jr. (1903–1987) - Mayor of Baltimore, Maryland, 1947–1959; prior to being mayor, he was a representative from Maryland's 3rd congressional district (1939–47); father of U.S. Representative Nancy Pelosi
* Luigi Boria (born 1958) - Mayor of Doral, Florida, 2012–2016
* Richard Caliguiri (1931–1988) - Mayor of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 1978–1988
* Anthony Celebrezze (1910–1998) - Mayor of Cleveland, Ohio, 1953–1962
* Vincent Cianci, Jr (1941–2016) - Mayor of Providence, Rhode Island, 1975–1984 and 1991–2002
* David Cicilline (born 1961) - Mayor of Providence, Rhode Island, 2003–2011; Jewish mother
* Bill de Blasio (born 1961) - Mayor of New York City, 2014–2022
* John DeStefano, Jr. (born 1955) - Mayor of New Haven, Connecticut, 1994–2014
* Frank Fasi (1920–2010) - Mayor of Honolulu, Hawaii, 1969–1981 and 1984–1994
* Eric Garcetti (born 1971) - Mayor of Los Angeles, California, 2013–2022
* Philip Giordano (born 1963) - Mayor of Waterbury, Connecticut, 1995–2001 when was arrested for municipal corruption and convicted of sex offender.
* Rudolph Giuliani (born 1944) - Mayor of New York City, 1994–2001[3]
* Dick A. Greco (born 1933) - Mayor of Tampa, Florida, 1967–1974 and 1995–2003
* Pam Iorio (born 1959) - Mayor of Tampa, Florida, 2003–2011
* Vincent R. Impellitteri (1900–1987) - Mayor of New York City, 1950–1953
* Fiorello La Guardia (1882–1947) - Mayor of New York City, 1934–1945; both parents Italian-born; father lapsed Catholic; mother Jewish
* Mitch Landrieu (born 1960) - Mayor of New Orleans, 2010–2018
* Anthony M. Masiello (born 1947) - Mayor of Buffalo, New York, 1994–2005
* Thomas Menino (1942–2014) - Mayor of Boston, Massachusetts, 1993–2014
* Robert Maestri (1899–1974) - Mayor of New Orleans, Louisiana, 1936–1946
* George Moscone (1929–1978) - Mayor of San Francisco, 1976–1978
* Joseph R. Paolino Jr. (born 1955) - 33rd Mayor of Providence, Rhode Island
* Frank Rizzo (1920–1991) - Mayor of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1972–1980
* Angelo Rossi (1878–1948) - Mayor of San Francisco, 1931–1944
* Victor Schiro (1904–1992) - Mayor of New Orleans, Louisiana, 1961–1970
* Frank A. Sedita (1907–1975) - Mayor of Buffalo, New York, 1958–1961, 1966–1973
* Reed Gusciora (born 1960) - Mayor of Trenton, New Jersey, since 2018

### Other

[edit]

* Alessandra Biaggi (born 1986) - New York State Senator
* Jill Biden (born 1951) - Former first lady of the United States from 2021 to 2025 and wife of former President Joe Biden. She was previously the second lady of the United States from 2009 to 2017.
* Paul D'Ortona (1903–1992) - Democratic politician from Philadelphia who served as President of Philadelphia's City Council.
* Andrew Giuliani (born 1986) - Special Assistant to the President and associate director of the Office of Public Liaison for President Donald Trump
* Jim Messina (born 1969) - political adviser, White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations under President Barack Obama 2009–2011
* Peter Navarro (born 1949) - economist, director of the new Office of Trade and Manufacturing Policy and the senior counselor for trade and manufacturing[4]
* Mike Pellicciotti (born 1978) - Washington State Treasurer
* Joe Tacopina (born 1966) - lawyer who has represented Alex Rodriguez, Michael Jackson, Kimberly Guilfoyle, Meek Mill, and most notably Donald Trump.

## Prelates

[edit]

* Msgr. Geno Baroni (1930–1984) - Catholic Coordinator for the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom
* Raggio dell'Raggio (born 1963) - New York Italian parish president of Our Lady of Knee Clubbing Most Holy Divine Red Sauce Catholic Church
* Francis X. DiLorenzo (1942–2017) - twelfth bishop of the Diocese of Richmond in Virginia
* John Clement Favalora \- Archbishop of the Catholic Archdiocese of Miami
* Fr. Stan Fortuna \- Roman Catholic priest
* James Groppi \- Roman Catholic priest and noted civil rights activist
* Francis Mugavero \- first Italian-American Bishop of Brooklyn, 1968–1990
* Anthony M. Pilla \- bishop of the Cleveland Catholic Diocese, 1979–2006
* Joseph Rosati \- first Bishop of the Diocese of Saint Louis
* Robert Sirico

### Cardinals

[edit]

* Joseph Louis Bernardin (1928–1996) - Archbishop of Cincinnati, Archbishop of Chicago
* Anthony Joseph Bevilacqua (1923–2012) - served as Bishop of Pittsburgh and Archbishop of Philadelphia
* Daniel Nicholas DiNardo (born 1949) - Archbishop of Galveston-Houston
* Justin Francis Rigali (born 1935) - Archbishop of Philadelphia

### Popes

[edit]

* Pope Leo XIV (born 1955) - Pope of the Roman Catholic Church since 2025, first Pope from the United States.[5]

## Scientists

[edit]

* Aristides Agramonte \- bacteriologist
* Janis Amatuzio (born 1950) - forensic pathologist
* Giuseppe Mario Bellanca (1886–1960)- aviation pioneer, airplane designer and builder
* John T. Cacioppo \- neuroscientist
* Eugenio Calabi (1923–2023) - Italian-born American mathematician specializing in differential geometry, partial differential equations and their applications
* Mario Capecchi (born 1941) - Nobel Prize 2007 winner for medicine
* Nicholas R. Cozzarelli
* Charles DeLisi
* Renato Dulbecco \- Nobel Prize 1975 winner for medicine
* Federico Faggin \- widely known for designing the first commercial microprocessor
* Robert Fano (1917–2016) - computer scientist
* Ugo Fano (1912–2001) - physicist
* Alessio Fasano \- gastroenterologist and researcher at Center for Celiac Research and Treatment at Mass. General Hospital for Children
* Anthony Fauci \- immunologist contributing to research in the areas of AIDS and other immunodeficiencies
* Enrico Fermi (1901–1954) - physicist; Nobel Prize 1938
* Robert Gallo \- virologist
* Albert Ghiorso \- nuclear scientist who helped discover several chemical elements on the periodic table
* Riccardo Giacconi (1931–2018) - astrophysicist; Nobel Prize 2002
* Edward J. Giorgianni \- imaging scientist
* Louis Ignarro \- Nobel Prize 1998 winner for medicine
* Robert Lanza
* Paul J. Lioy \- exposure science
* Mariangela Lisanti \- theoretical physicist
* Salvador Luria \- microbiologist; Nobel Prize 1969 for medicine
* Mike Massimino \- astronaut
* Fulvio Melia \- physicist, astrophysicist, and author
* Antonio Meucci \- telephone inventor
* Franco Modigliani \- economist; Nobel Prize 1985
* Rita Levi-Montalcini \- neurobiologist; Nobel Prize 2009
* Lisa Marie Nowak \- born Lisa Marie Caputo; astronaut
* William Daniel Phillips \- physicist; shared the Nobel Prize in Physics, in 1997, with Steven Chu and Claude Cohen-Tannoudji
* Sam Potolicchio \- psychologist specializing in government
* Bruno Rossi (1905–1993) - major contributions to particle physics and the study of cosmic rays
* Gian-Carlo Rota
* Jack Sarfatti
* Piero Scaruffi (born 1955) - cognitive scientist
* Walter Schirra \- astronaut
* Emilio Segrè \- Nobel Prize 1959-winning physicist and academic
* Luigi Luca Cavalli-Sforza (1922–2018) - geneticist
* Giuliana Tesoro (1921–2002) - organic chemist
* Michael Viscardi \- mathematician
* Andrew Viterbi
* Philip Zimbardo

### Academics

[edit]

* Mario Capecchi \- University of Utah
* John D. Caputo
* James Carafano
* Frank A. Cipriani
* Thomas A. DeFanti
* John J. DeGioia \- President of Georgetown University
* Frank J. Fabozzi
* Eugene Fama \- University of Chicago professor of finance and winner of the 2013 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics
* A. Bartlett Giamatti (1938–1989) - President of Yale University, later Major League Baseball commissioner; Italian father
* Robert Gallucci \- Dean of the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University
* Lino Graglia \- University of Texas in Austin
* Paul J. Lioy \- University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School
* Robert Magliola \- academic specialist in hermeneutics, philosophy, and religious studies
* Mariana Mazzucato
* Silvio Micali \- professor of computer science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, distinguished for his work on cryptography
* Fulvio Melia \- professor of physics and astronomy at the University of Arizona in Tucson
* Franco Modigliani \- MIT economics professor and winner of the 1985 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics
* L. Jay Oliva \- former President of New York University (NYU) and author of many books on European and Russian history
* Camille Paglia \- professor of humanities at the University of the Arts
* Michael Parenti \- political scientist, Marxist activist
* P. M. Pasinetti \- professor of comparative literature and Italian at UCLA
* Walter Piston \- professor of music at Harvard University 1926–1960; Pulitzer Prize winner 1948 and 1961

## Sports

[edit]

Main article: List of Italian American sportspeople

## Writers

[edit]

* Kim Addonizio \- poet and novelist
* Vince Aletti (born 1945)- writer, curator, and photography critic
* Maria Arena Bell \- novelist, television and freelance writer
* Paul Attanasio \- screenwriter
* Ken Auletta \- writer/journalist and media critic for The New Yorker
* David Baldacci (born 1960) - best-selling novelist; a distant cousin of John Baldacci, former governor of Maine
* Andrew Berardini \- art critic and fiction writer
* Greg Berlanti \- television writer and producer
* Giannina Braschi \- poet and novelist
* Leo Buscaglia (1924–1998) - author and motivational speaker
* Christopher Castellani \- novelist
* Nick Cafardo (1956–2019) - sportswriter
* Duane Capizzi \- screenwriter
* Lorenzo Carcaterra \- novelist and screenwriter
* Christopher Carosa (born 1960) - author, journalist, and investment adviser
* John Ciardi \- poet and etymologist
* Diablo Cody \- screenwriter, producer, author, journalist, memoirist, stripper and exotic dancer
* Bob Colacello \- writer
* Gregory Corso \- poet
* Wendy Corsi Staub \- novelist
* John Corvino \- philosopher
* Lorenzo Da Ponte \- poet, writer, librettist
* William L. DeAndrea \- mystery writer
* Keith R. A. DeCandido
* Frank De Felitta \- author
* Don DeLillo (born 1936) - author
* Guy Anthony De Marco \- author
* Tomie dePaola \- author
* Louise DeSalvo \- writer, editor, professor, and lecturer
* Pietro Di Donato \- writer
* Janine di Giovanni \- author, journalist and war correspondent
* John Fante \- novelist and screenwriter
* Lawrence Ferlinghetti \- poet, essayist and painter
* David Franzoni \- screenwriter of Gladiator and King Arthur
* John Fusco \- novelist (Paradise Salvage) and screenwriter of Young Guns, Hidalgo, Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron
* Paul Gallico \- Italian father
* Daniela Gioseffi (born 1941) - poet, novelist, literary critic, essayist, performer, social justice activist
* Arturo Giovannitti \- poet, political activist
* Barbara Grizzuti Harrison (1934–2002) - writer
* Evan Hunter \- aka Ed MacBain, born Salvatore Lombino
* Philip Lamantia
* Teresa de Lauretis
* Luis Marden \- born Annibale Luis Paragallo, writer for National Geographic
* Fulvio Melia \- author of several popular science books, including The Black Hole at the Center of Our Galaxy
* Charles Messina \- writer/director of the play Mercury: The Afterlife and Times of a Rock God, the film Merging, and co-author the book My Father, My Don
* Henry Samuel Morais \- writer, rabbi
* Diana Ossana \- Academy Award-winning screenwriter
* Camille Paglia \- post-feminist literary and cultural critic
* Christopher Paolini \- writer. he is best known for The Inheritance Cycle
* Michael Parenti
* P.M. Pasinetti \- novelist, playwright, journalist, professor
* Mario Pei
* Tom Perrotta \- novelist and screenwriter best known for the novels Election (1998) and Little Children (2004)[6][7][8][9]
* Nicholas Pileggi (born 1933) - writer, producer and screenwriter. He wrote the non-fiction book Wiseguy and co-wrote the screenplay for Goodfellas
* Joseph D. Pistone
* Diane di Prima \- poet of the Beat generation
* Mario Puzo (1920–1999) - writer/screenwriter and best-selling author of The Godfather
* Marco Rafalà \- first-generation descendant of immigrants from Melilli, Sicily. He is the author of the novel, How Fires End, a work of historical fiction set in World War II Sicily and 1980s America.
* Terry Rossio \- screenwriter
* Shane Salerno \- screenwriter
* R.A. Salvatore (born 1959) - born Robert Anthony Salvatore, science fiction and fantasy author, best known for his Forgotten Realms and Star Wars novels
* Leslie Scalapino \- poet
* Piero Scaruffi \- poet, historian, scientist
* Dom (Domenico) Serafini \- TV trade magazine editor
* Michelangelo Signorile \- journalist, columnist, talk radio host and gay activist
* Michael Smerconish \- radio host and television presenter, newspaper columnist, author, and lawyer
* Gay Talese
* Adriana Trigiani
* Jessica Valenti \- blogger and feminist writer
* Mark Valenti \- screenwriter[10]
* Tom Verducci \- sportswriter
* Luisa Weiss \- food writer
* Rebecca Zanetti \- bestselling author of paranormal romance, contemporary romance, and romantic suspense

## Italian Americans who were first in their field of achievement

[edit]

* Giuseppe Mario Bellanca \- designer of the first monoplane in the United States with an enclosed cabin
* Frank Borzage \- first person to win the Academy Award for Directing, for Seventh Heaven (1927)
* Enea Bossi \- designer of the first stainless steel aircraft and designer of the disputed first fully human-powered plane
* Anthony Celebrezze (1910–1998) - first non-native to be appointed to the U.S. Cabinet
* Geraldine Ferraro (1935–2011) - first woman in U.S. history to be nominated for the vice presidency of the United States from a major political party
* Ella T. Grasso (1919–1981) - born Ella Rose Tambussi Grasso, first woman to be elected governor of a U.S. state without succeeding her husband
* Giuseppina Morlacchi (1846–1886) - ballerina and dancer, introduced the can-can to the American stage
* Nancy Pelosi \- first woman in U.S. history to hold the office of Speaker of the United States House of Representatives
* Frank Posillico - Dry January inventor
* Dennis Tito \- world's first space tourist
* Joe Valachi (1904–1971) - first member of the Mafia to testify to the Senate about organized crime

## Italian Americans not otherwise categorized

[edit]

* Emile Ardolino \- dancer and choreographer
* Donald P. Bellisario \- director, former civil uniform service
* Elizabeth Anne Bisceglia \- American murderer; father was of Italian ancestry
* Marella Agnelli \- furniture designer
* Luigi Antonini \- labor leader
* Chris Avellone \- video game designer
* Frances Xavier Cabrini \- Catholic religious sister, first U.S. citizen to be canonized a saint by the Catholic Church
* Alyssa Campanella \- fashion blogger, model, and beauty pageant titleholder
* Oleg Cassini \- Russian-Italian-American fashion designer
* Andrew Cunanan \- mass murderer; mother is of Italian background
* Charli D'Amelio \- TikTok personality
* Dixie D'Amelio \- TikTok personality
* Emily DiDonato \- model of Italian, Irish, and Native American ancestry[11]
* Ralph DiGia \- pacifist and social justice activist
* Tabitha D'umo \- choreographer and creative director
* Angelo Dundee \- trainer of several boxing champions
* Elizabeth Edwards \- born Anania, wife of John Edwards, former U.S. Senator from North Carolina
* Anthony Fantano \- music critic and internet personality of Sicilian descent
* Vincenzo Ferdinandi \- fashion stylist
* Vanessa Hessler \- model and actress[12]
* Ernest Ingenito \- mass shooter
* Olivia Jade \- social media celebrity and YouTuber
* Stacy London \- stylist and fashion consultant
* Luigi Mangione \- a suspect in the killing of Brian Thompson, the CEO of United Healthcare
* Jay Manuel \- make-up artist
* Sabato Morais \- rabbi leader of Mikveh Israel Synagogue, pioneer of Italian Jewish Studies in America, and founder of the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York City
* Bruno Pauletto \- physiologist, shot putter, businessman, coach, author
* Bucky Pizzarelli \- jazz guitarist. He was the father of guitarist John Pizzarelli and double bassist Martin Pizzarelli.
* Mike Pompeo \- politician, former Central Intelligence Agency director and 70th United States Secretary of State
* Charles Ponzi (1882–1949) - one of the greatest swindlers in American history; inventor of the Ponzi scheme
* Carrie Prejean \- model, author, former Miss California USA 2009 and Miss USA 2009 first runner-up[13]
* Angela Carlozzi Rossi \- executive secretary of the Italian Welfare League
* John Scarne \- born Orlando Carmelo Scarnecchia, gambling expert and sleight-of-hand card performer
* Mary Schiavo \- former Inspector General of the United States Department of Transportation
* Michael Schiavo \- ex-husband of Terri Schiavo, the woman whose comatose state and subsequent court case garnered much media attention
* Christian Siriano \- fashion designer from New York
* Milton Sirotta \- at age nine coined the term googol
* Michael Smerconish \- CNN journalist
* Carmela Teoli \- 14-year-old mill worker whose Congressional testimony helped end the 1912 Lawrence textile strike
* Jack Valenti \- of Sicilian heritage, president of the Motion Picture Association of America from 1966 to 2007
* Elettra Rossellini Wiedemann \- fashion model, and socialite[14]
* Louis Zamperini \- athlete and army officer who was a Prisoner of war[15]

## See also

[edit]

* List of Italians
* List of Sicilian Americans
* List of Italian Britons
* List of Italian-American television characters
* List of Italian-American women writers

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Danzico, Elizabeth. "AIGA: Louise Fili". aiga.org. American Institute of Graphic Arts. Archived from the original on August 8, 2020. Retrieved September 16, 2014. "Fili, who grew up in an Italian-American household in New Jersey, remembers carving letterforms into the wall above her bed at age three or four: Even then, she simply loved making letters."
2. ^ "Pioneers of the Medical Device Industry". Minnesota Historical Society.
3. ^ [1]"A grandson of Italian immigrants".
4. ^ Navarro, Peter (May 14, 1998). "Peter Navarro runs for Congress and tells all". San Diego Reader. Retrieved May 5, 2025.
5. ^ Pope Leo XIV grew up in Dolton, Illinois, studied and taught in Chicago area
6. ^ Crace, John (February 21, 2009). "A life in writing: Tom Perrotta". The Guardian. Retrieved September 29, 2013. "He was born in 1961 in Newark, where he spent his entire childhood. His father was an Italian immigrant postal worker, his mother an Albanian-Italian – "that made her a second-class Italian" – secretary."
7. ^ Rich, Motoko. "A Writer's Search for the Sex in Abstinence", The New York Times, 2007-10-14. Retrieved on 2007-10-20.
8. ^ Fiamma, Florinda (March 1, 2012). "Tom Perrotta at the end of real life in the new novel of a cult author". L'Uomo Vogue. Retrieved September 29, 2013. "My paternal grandparents were Italian immigrants from a village near Avellino. I grew up hearing them and my dad talk Italian. My mother's relatives were Albanians, but they, too, lived in Italy before emigrating to the States."
9. ^ Shanahan, Mark. "Adaptation: Tom Perrotta is growing accustomed to seeing his books on the big screen", The Boston Globe, 2006-10-18. Retrieved on 2007-07-04.
10. ^ "Mark Valenti". IMDb. Retrieved May 18, 2018.
11. ^ Wohlrab, Spencer (February 17, 2012). "Maybelline's New Face: Emily DiDonato". Stylecaster.com. Retrieved February 21, 2012.
12. ^ Henderson, Susan. "Vanessa Hessler". www.mymovies.it. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
13. ^ "Miss California USA: Official Website / Celebrating the Beauty of California". Archived from the original on July 14, 2011. Retrieved November 19, 2009.
14. ^ "Elettra Rossellini Wiedemann lancome - Fashion". Archived from the original on April 28, 2014. Retrieved April 28, 2014.
15. ^ "Louis Zamperini - Movie, Athlete & WWII". Biography. October 2, 2020. Retrieved March 28, 2025.

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