List of Lebanese Americans

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Lebanese Americans

Ralph Nader • Christa McAuliffe • Jamie Farr Helen Thomas • Darrell Issa • Tiffany Tony Shalhoub • John E. Sununu • James Abourezk Rima Fakih • Ray LaHood • Marlo Thomas
Total population
504,000 (Ancestry Unknown) 0.16% of total population (2007)[1]
Regions with significant populations
Michigan, California, New York, Florida, Ohio, Massachusetts, Texas,[2] Illinois, Pennsylvania, Arizona, New Jersey, Washington
Languages
American English, Arabic, French, and Armenian
Religion
Predominantly Christianity (mostly Catholic), with minorities of Islam and Judaism.
Related ethnic groups
Other Lebanese people and Arab diaspora, Syrian Americans, Turkish Americans, Cypriot Americans, Egyptian Americans, Armenian Americans and Greek Americans.

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

Arts and Entertainment

Artists

• Nabil Kanso – painter
• Sam Maloof – woodworker^[3]

Beauty pageant contestants

• Rima Fakih – Miss USA 2010^[4]

Entertainment personalities

• Shakira - singer, songwriter. Father is Lebanese and mother is Colombian.
• Paul Anka - singer, songwriter, actor, producer
• Rose Abdoo - comedian, actress
• Rowan Blanchard - actress (father of lLebanese descent)
• Jenna Dewan – actress (paternal grandfather was of Lebanese descent)
• Shannon Elizabeth – actress (father of Lebanese descent)
• Lili Estefan – Cuban-American television personality, niece of Emilio Estefan
• Jamie Farr – actor (sitcom M*A*S*H)
• Edy Ganem - actress (parents are of Lebanese descent)
• Khrystyne Haje – actress (sitcom Head of the Class)
• Hank the Angry Drunken Dwarf – radio and television personality
• Salma Hayek – Mexican-American actress (paternal grandfather was Lebanese)^[5]
• Dan Jbara – television and film producer
• Gregory Jbara – television and film actor
• Casey Kasem – radio personality, American Top 40 franchise; voiceover actor (cartoon series Scooby-Doo, Transformers)^[6]
• Kerri Kasem – radio and television host (daughter of Casey Kasem)
• Mario Kassar – filmmaker, founder of Carolco Pictures
• Catherine Keener – actress, mother of Lebanese descent^[7]
• Mia Khalifa — pornographic actress and adult model
• Callie Khouri – Oscar-winning screenwriter^[8]
• Emile Kuri – Mexican-born American Oscar-winning art director
• Frank Lackteen – actor
• John Leguizamo – actor (maternal grandfather was Lebanese)
• Peter Macdissi – film and television actor
• Terrence Malick – filmmaker, of part Lebanese descent
• Wentworth Miller – actor, maternal great-grandmother of Lebanese descent
• George Nader – actor, uncle of Michael Nader
• Michael Nader – actor, All My Children^[8]
• Kathy Najimy – actress
• George Noory – radio host (radio program Coast To Coast AM)
• Michael Nouri – actor, film Flashdance^[8][9]
• Zoe Saldana – Dominican-American actress, has claimed some Lebanese ancestry^[10]
• Elie Samaha – film producer
• Tom Shadyac – film director (of 3/4 Lebanese descent)^[8]
• Tony Shalhoub – actor (sitcom Monk)^[11]
• Haaz Sleiman – actor (series Nurse Jackie; film The Visitor)
• Celeste Thorson- actress, model, activist, screenwriter
• Danny Thomas – actor
• Marlo Thomas – actress (father was of Lebanese descent)
• Paola Turbay - Columbian American actress, model, beauty queen and television presenter
• Tony Thomas – producer (father was of Lebanese descent)
• Emeraude Toubia - actress (father is Lebanese)
• Vince Vaughn – actor (paternal grandmother was of Lebanese descent)^[12]
• Amy Yasbeck – actress (father was of Lebanese descent)^[13]

Fashion designers

• Joseph Abboud – fashion designer
• Reem Acra – fashion designer

Musicians

• Ron Affif – jazz guitarist and musician
• Paul Anka - Canadian-American singer, songwriter, and actor (both parents of Lebanese descent)
• Nadia Azzi - pianist
• Jack Barakat – guitarist of the American band All Time Low
• Dick Dale – rock guitarist and surf music pioneer
• John Dolmayan – Lebanese-American of Armenian descent, drummer of band System of a Down
• Mohammed El-Bakkar – tenor singer, oud player, and conductor
• Emilio Estefan – Cuban-American musician and producer; husband of Gloria Estefan^[14]
• Emile Ghantous - songwriter, musician, music producer
• Kat Dahlia - singer, songwriter, rapper
• Sammy Hagar – rock musician
• Paul Jabara – composer^[8]
• Soraya – Colombian-American singer^[15]
• Serj Tankian – Lebanese-American of Armenian descent, lead singer of band System of a Down
• Tiffany – singer^[8]
• Tiny Tim – folk singer^[8]
• Jane Wiedlin - musician, singer-songwriter, and actress; best known as a member of the all-female new wave band, The Go-Go's

Business

• Magid Abraham – market research expert and businessman
• Malouf Abraham, Jr. – businessman
• Nahim Abraham – businessman, philanthropist
• Salem Abraham – businessman
• Tom Abraham – businessman, philanthropist
• Clifford Antone – founder of Antone's blues club in Austin, Texas
• Thomas J. Barrack, Jr. – businessman and founder of Colony Capital
• Debra Cafaro - CEO of Ventas Inc. a healthcare real estate investment trust
• Charles Elachi – director of Jet Propulsion Laboratory
• Tony Fadell – product development manager at Apple Inc.
• Frédéric Fekkai – French-American hairdresser and founder of Frédéric Fekkai salons and hair products^[16]
• Alec Gores – entrepreneur
• Tom Gores – founder and CEO of Platinum Equity.
• Joseph J. Jacobs – former chairman and founder of the Jacobs Engineering Group
• Joe Jamail – attorney and businessman
• George Joseph – founder of Mercury Insurance Group
• Robert Khuzami - former director U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission
• Jean Succar Kuri – businessman
• John J. Mack – former CEO of investment bank Morgan Stanley (2005 - 2009)
• George J. Maloof, Jr. – businessman and owner of the Sacramento Monarchs, Sacramento Kings and the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas
• George J. Maloof, Sr. – businessman and former owner of the Houston Rockets
• Manuel Moroun – businessman and the owner of the Ambassador Bridge
• Fares D. Noujaim – business executive
• Jacques Nasser – former CEO of Ford Motor Company
• Paul Orfalea – founder of Kinko's^[17]
• Madeleine A. Pickens – business executive
• Richard E. Rainwater – investor and fund manager
• Joe Robbie - attorney and original owner of the Miami Dolphins
• Moose Scheib - founder and CEO of LoanMod.com

Education and academics

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

History

• Philip Khuri Hitti – historian of Arab culture and history^[18]
• Akram Fouad Khater - professor, author, expert on Lebanese-American studies

Journalism

• Tamsen Fadal – television journalist
• Brigitte Gabriel – journalist
• Octavia Nasr – former television journalist for CNN
• Walid Phares – security and anti-terrorism expert
• Anthony Shadid – foreign correspondent for The New York Times and earlier The Boston Globe
• Serena Shim – journalist
• Helen Thomas – journalist who covered every U.S. President from 1961 to 2010
• Paula Faris – journalist (father was of Lebanese descent)

Medicine

• Daniel Amen - psychiatrist and author
• M. Amin Arnaout - nephrologist and physician-scientist
• Amin J. Barakat - physician, known for the diagnosis of Barakat syndrome
• Michael DeBakey – surgeon, medical innovator
• George Hatem – "Ma Haide," a founder of the public health system in China
• Charles Sophy - psychiatrist

Military

• John Abizaid – retired General in the United States Army^[19]
• James Jabara – first American jet ace
• George Joulwan – retired U.S. Army General
• Michael A. Monsoor – U.S. Navy SEAL awarded Medal of Honor after being killed during the Iraq War

Politics

Activists

• Jill Kelley – international advocate, American socialite, and former diplomat ^[20][21][22]
• Candy Lightner – activist and founder of Mothers Against Drunk Drivers
• James Zogby – founder of Arab-American Institute^[23]
• John Zogby – pollster founder of Zogby International

Politicians

• James Abdnor – former U.S. Senator and U.S. Representative from South Dakota^[24]
• James Abourezk – former U.S. Senator from South Dakota
• Vincent Sheheen - member of the South Carolina senate
• Malouf Abraham, Sr. – politician and businessman
• Spencer Abraham – former U.S. Senator from Michigan
• Victor G. Atiyeh – former Governor of Oregon^[25]
• John Baldacci – former Governor of the State of Maine
• Charles Boustany – U.S. Representative from Louisiana
• Chris Greeley – former Maine state representative
• Philip Habib – former U.S. Ambassador and envoy
• Darrell Issa – U.S. Representative from California
• Chris John – former U.S. Representative from Louisiana
• Abraham Kazen, Jr. – former U.S. Representative from Texas
• Darin LaHood - Republican representative from Illinois
• Nico LaHood - Bexar County District Attorney Texas
• Ray LaHood – U.S. Transportation Secretary and former U.S. Representative from Illinois
• Manuel Maloof – former U.S. government official and businessman
• George J. Mitchell – former U.S. Senator from Maine
• Toby Moffett – former U.S. Representative from Connecticut
• Ralph Nader – political activist and former U.S. presidential candidate (Green Party)^[26]
• Mary Rose Oakar – former U.S. Representative from Ohio^[27]
• Jeanine Pirro – politician, judge and television host
• Nick Rahall – U.S. Representative from West Virginia
• Edmund Reggie – judge and politician
• Selwa Roosevelt – former U.S. government official
• Donna Shalala – former U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services
• John E. Sununu – former U.S. Senator and U.S. Representative from New Hampshire
• John H. Sununu – former White House Chief of Staff; former Governor of New Hampshire
• Suzanne Haik Terrell - former Louisiana Elections Commissioner

Other personalities

• Joseph Farah – author and journalist
• Adele Khoury Graham – educator and former first lady of the State of Florida
• Victoria Reggie Kennedy – attorney and widow of U.S. Senator Edward Kennedy
• Timothy Massad – U.S. Treasury Department official and corporate lawyer
• Nassim Nicholas Taleb – best-selling author, risk expert and statistician, university professor, and former trader and business person

Sciences

• Hassan Kamel Al-Sabbah – Lebanese-American technology innovator^[28][29]
• Elias Corey – 1990 Nobel Prize winner in Chemistry^[30]
• Michael Debakey – doctor and heart surgeon, medical innovator
• Charles Elachi – Director of NASA Jet Propulsion Labs
• Charbel Farhat – Director, Army High Performance Computing Research Center, Stanford University, and Member of National Academy of Engineering
• Christa McAuliffe – secondary school teacher and first American civilian selected to be an astronaut; perished in the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster; great niece of historian Philip Khuri Hitti^[18]

Sports

Athletes

• Nazem Kadri – NHL player for Toronto Maple Leafs
• Skandor Akbar – former professional wrestler
• Abe Mickal – American football player for LSU
• David Azzi – professional American football player
• Samir Bannout – former professional bodybuilder and winner of Mr. Olympia title in 1983
• Terry Brunk – (aka "Sabu") professional wrestler
• Liz Carmouche – mixed martial artist
• Doug Flutie – former professional American football player ^[31]
• Matt Freije – ex-NBA player and member of Lebanon national basketball team
• John Grabow – MLB pitcher for the Chicago Cubs
• Ryan Kalil – professional American football player
• Steve Kerr – retired professional basketball player and current head coach of the Golden State Warriors
• Joe Lahoud – former professional baseball player
• Jordyn Wieber – Olympic gymnast and gold medallist
• Johnny Manziel – professional football player
• Bobby Rahal – professional car racer and team owner
• Graham Rahal – professional car racer
• Soony Saad – professional soccer forward player
• Damien Sandow – professional American wrestler in the WWE
• Rony Seikaly – former professional basketball player in the NBA and for both the U.S. and Lebanon's national basketball team
• Joe Vogel – professional basketball player and member of Lebanon's national basketball team
• Jackson Vroman – former professional basketball player and member of Lebanon's national basketball team
• Charley Zivic – professional boxer

Playing card tournament titleholders

• Kassem "Freddy" Deeb – two-time WSOP-bracelet winner
• Ihsan "Sammy" Farha – two-time WSOP-bracelet winner

Writers

• Paula Gunn Allen – Native American poet and activist
• William Peter Blatty – writer, screenwriter
• Vance Bourjaily – novelist
• Lee Francis – poet
• Khalil Gibran – author and philosopher^[32]
• Geoff Johns – comic book writer
• Stephen Karam - playwright
• Raymond Khoury – novelist and screenwriter
• Saree Makdisi – author and literary critic
• Mikha'il Na'ima – author and poet
• Amin al-Rihani – author
• Nassim Nicholas Taleb – essayist

See also

• Lebanese Americans
• Lebanon–United States relations
• List of Lebanese people
• List of Lebanese people (diaspora)
• Arab Americans

References

1. "B04003. Total Ancestry Reported". 2007 American Community Survey. U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved November 15, 2008.
2. Every Culture – Lebanese American
3. Adamson, Jeremy; Sam Maloof (2001). The Furniture of Sam Maloof. W. W. Norton & Company. p. 2. ISBN 0-393-73080-8. |owned an orchard in Douma, Lebanon
4. Charles, David (May 27, 2010). "An Amazing Melting Pot of Religions and Faiths". Patheos.com. Retrieved June 23, 2010.
5. Drawn From Life
6. TY: Casey Kasem born as Kamal Amin Kasem
7. Being Catherine Keener from Entertainment Weekly, date 14 April 2006
8. "Lebanese Americans". Lebanese Global Information Center. 2003–2005.
9. The Persistence of Whiteness: Race and Contemporary Hollywood Cinema from Google Books
10. Zoë Saldana: A Woman We Love from Esquire Magazine
11. ^ Tony Shalhoub at the Internet Movie Database
12. "Vince Vaughn: Company". Vincev.com. Retrieved May 24, 2006.
13. Lee, Linda (March 9, 2003). "A NIGHT OUT WITH: John Ritter and Amy Yasbeck; Clowning and Autographing". The New York Times. Retrieved May 8, 2010.
14. "Emilio Estefan". Fort Lauderdale Sun Sentinel. May 2009.
15. Soraya Survivor from Cuerpo Magazine 2005
16. Prominent Lebanese Americans
17. "Making a Difference". Washington D.C.: the Embassy of Lebanon. Retrieved February 13, 2007.
18. "20 Years Later...Remembering Lebanese American Astronaut Christa McAuliffe" (PDF). Lebanese Monthly Magazine. February 2006. p. 18, Volume 1, Issue 2. Retrieved January 12, 2009.
19. Anne Barnard and Neil Swidey (March 27, 2003). "Commander's background a strength". Boston Globe. Retrieved December 3, 2008.
20. http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/06/us/from-petraeus-scandal-an-apostle-for-privacy.html?_r=2
21. http://www.economist.com/news/international/21584338-foreign-ministries-employ-ever-more-amateurs-do-their-bidding-abroad-booming-trade
22. http://tbo.com/list/military-news/two-congressmen-have-questions-in-jill-kelley-leak-20140414/
23. Shain, Yossi (1999). Marketing the American Creed Abroad: Diasporas in the U.S. and Their Homelands. Cambridge University Press. p. 122. ISBN 052164531X.
24. Politics and Propaganda: Weapons of Mass Seduction
25. Embassy of Lebanon in Washington: Making a Difference from www.lebanonembassyus.org
26. Ralph Nader: An Unreasonable Man
27. Women in Congress: Mary Roase Oakar
28. http://www.starsofscience.com/phase-2/temps/arab_inventors.asp
29. http://publicweb.unimap.edu.my/~ptrpi/v1/index2.php?option=com_docman&task=doc_view&gid=36&Itemid=248
30. Elias James Corey – Autobiography
31. Lebanese Americans, Sports Celebrities, Photos and Information
32. "Kahlil Gibran (1883–1931)", biography at Cornell University library on-line site, retrieved December 3, 2008