List Of Eastern Orthodox Christians

This is primarily a list of notable people who contributed to the history of Eastern Orthodox Christianity's theology or culture. However it is also for people whose Eastern Orthodox identity is an important part of their notability. As there are many nations that are predominantly Eastern Orthodox names from such nations should usually meet a stricter standard, but in the case of converts their conversion might be notable enough to make an exception.

Artists

*Andrei Rublev – important in the history of Russian Iconography
*El Greco – from Crete, noted for Christian art
*Feofan Grek – noted iconographer
*Boris Kustodiev – Russian artist known for depictions of Russian Orthodox people and culture
*Jerzy Nowosielski – famous Polish painter, noted for his numerous works of Byzantine-influenced religious art
* Karl Matzek – convert from Catholicism who did religious art for the faith
*Prokhor of Gorodets – icon painter
*Toros Roslin – Armenian of Oriental Orthodoxy, but some of his works are Byzantine-influenced
*Simon Ushakov – leading religious artist linked to the reforms of Patriarch Nikon
* Valentin Alexandrovich Serov – Russian painter, and one of the premier portrait artists of his era.
*Constantin Brâncuși – Romanian world-renowned sculptor
*Gala Dalí – (Birth name Elena Ivanovna Diakonova Russian: Елена Ивановна Дьяконов), model, wife and muse of Salvador Dalí.
*Aminé – Ethiopian-American rapper.

Entrepreneurs/industrialists

* Nikolay Alekseyev
* Igor Sikorsky

Entertainers

*Jennifer Aniston
*Stana Katic
*John Belushi – member of the Albanian Orthodox Church in childhood; his funeral was in that faith
*James Belushi – member of the Albanian Orthodox Church, John's brother.
*Charles Bronson – former Russian Orthodox, son of a Kryashen.
*Yul Brynner – actor. His remains were interred in France on the grounds of the Saint-Michel-de-Bois-Aubry Russian Orthodox monastery near Luzé between Tours and Poitiers.
*George Chakiris – contributor to a Greek Orthodox Cathedral
*Michael Chiklis – actor, second generation Greek-American..
* Anna Maria – Indonesian model
*Kira Kazantsev – Miss America 2015
* Vassiliki Betty Cantrell – Greek Orthodox Church Sunday school teacher, Miss America 2016
*Sandra Dee – (birth name: Alexandra Cymboliak Zuck). One time wife of Bobby Darin. Raised Russian Orthodox in New Jersey. Her mother was of Carpathian Russian ancestry.
*Nina Dobrev
*Olympia Dukakis – actress, Greek Orthodox.
*Tina Fey – Greek-American on her mother's side and married in a Greek Orthodox wedding.
*Zach Galifianakis – Baptized at St. Barbara's Greek Orthodox Church in Durham, NC
*Tom Hanks – Converted on marrying Rita Wilson, mention by Saint Sophia Cathedral, Los Angeles.
*Hank Hanegraaff – radio talk host and important figure of Christian countercult movement, Chrismated at St. Nektarios Greek Orthodox Church in Charlotte, NC.
* Jonathan Jackson – actor, convert from Protestant Church
*Andreas Katsulas – actor; Greek Orthodox. Before his passing, he requested that memorials be made to St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church, St. Louis, MO.
*Melina Kanakaredes – St. Nicholas's Greek Orthodox Church listed her as a possible speaker, credits the church as helpful to her in youth. Grew up at Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church in Akron, OH
*Elia Kazan – Director, born to Greek parents who immigrated from the Ottoman Empire to the United States
*Emir Kusturica – Serbian Orthodox. Raised in a Bosnian Muslim Family. His conversion gained some media attention.
*Ana Layevska – Ukrainian-born Mexican actress and violinist (of Russian origin)
*Karl Malden (Mladen Sekulovich) – said to have been Serbian Orthodox.
*Constantine Maroulis – Greek Orthodox, brother of Athan Maroulis
*Debbie Matenopoulos
*Maria Menounos – actress, presenter
*Telly Savalas – contributed to Greek Orthodox Cathedrals and his bald image began after playing Pontius Pilate
*Amy Sedaris – American actress, author and comedian
*Shawnee Smith – American actress, Smith is a convert to the Russian Orthodox Church
*John Stamos – American actor
*Nia Vardalos – actress
*Rita Wilson – actress
*Lana Wood (birth name: Svetlana Gurdin, family name changed from Zakharenko) Russian Orthodox actress – sister of Natalie Wood.
* Natalia Nikolaevna Zakharenko – Russian Orthodox actress known as Natalie Wood.
* Mahesa Gibran – Indonesian actor
*Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa – On November 12, 2015, he was baptized as Panteleymon in the Russian Orthodox Joy of All Who Sorrow church in Moscow
*Alla Pugacheva – Russian singer and model

Musicians and composers

* Djuro Zivkovic - a contemporary Serbian-Swedish composer, born 1975 in Belgrade, since 2000 based in Sweden.
*Maksym Berezovsky - Known for religious music
*Dmytro Bortniansky - Religious music.
*John Craton - American classical composer
*George Enescu - Romanian composer
*Bill Evans
*Enca (Ruensa Haxhiaj) - Albanian pop singer
*Alexander Frey - Conductor, pianist, organist and composer, was baptized in the Greek Orthodox church, but is also a practicing Episcopalian.
*David Gahan - English lead singer for Depeche Mode, converted to Greek Orthodox Christianity to marry his current wife Jennifer.
*Chris Hillman - original member of The Byrds
*Lena Katina - Member of Russian music group t.A.T.u.
*Boris Ledkovsky - Russian-American composer of Church music
*George Michael - celebrity pop singer, a Greek-Cypriote.
*Dimitris Mitropoulos - Conductor, pianist and composer. Music Director of the New York Philharmonic and the Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra.
*Stevan Stojanović Mokranjac - one of the most famous Serbian composers and music educators of the nineteenth century.
*Ivan Moody - British composer, conductor and Orthodox priest.
*Katie Melua - singer
*Inva Mula - Albanian Orthodox, famous opera singer.
*Arvo Pärt – Estonian composer, known for religious music, convert from Lutheranism
*Georgs Pelēcis – Latvian composer and musicologist.
*Ciprian Porumbescu - Romanian composer
*Tose Proeski - Macedonian pop singer
*Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov - Possibly atheist after some point, but did Russian Orthodox church music.
*Sergei Rachmaninoff
*Mstislav Rostropovich - Conductor, National Symphony, cellist
* Kurt Sander - American composer who converted to Russian Orthodoxy in 1993. Composer of the first complete English-language setting of the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom.
*Thomas Simaku - Albanian Orthodox, famous composer
*Trey Spruance - Leader of the multi-genre outfit Secret Chiefs 3
*Igor Stravinsky - Left the faith from 1900 to 1926, after rejoining he did Symphony of Psalms.
*John Tavener - Converted to Orthodoxy, and much of his music is influenced by that. He is now often said to be Universalist or Perrenialist, although he himself says that he remains Orthodox.
*Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky - Russian composer of the Romantic era. His wide-ranging output includes symphonies, operas, ballets, instrumental and chamber music and songs
* Stephen M. Wolownik - Church music early on

Historians

*Fr. Demetrios Constantelos - professor of history and religious studies, Richard Stockton College, Pomona, New Jersey - Byzantine chief advocate of the church
*Avraamy Palitsyn - Russian historian who died at the Solovetsky Monastery
*Jaroslav Pelikan - professor of ecclesiastical history, Yale University, and a convert from Lutheranism
*Nicephorus Callistus Xanthopoulos - Byzantine ecclesiastical historian
*John Xiphilinus - also a monk
*Joannes Zonaras - also a theologian
*Nikolay Yakovlevich Danilevsky
*Mircea Eliade - famous Romanian writer, philosopher and historian
*Evagrius Scholasticus - 6th century Byzantine historian.
*Sozomen - wrote a history that ended in the year 429 A.D.
*Socrates Scholasticus - wrote a church history that ended in the year 439 A.D, during Theodosius II (or Younger's) reign.
* Saint Theophanes the Confessor - Byzantine Saint, who championed the cause of the Iconodules, who venerate icons. He wrote a 9th-century Byzantine Chronicle.

Journalists

*Saša Petricic - award-winning Serbian Canadian journalist. Since 2011, he has been Middle East correspondent and videojournalist for CBC Television's The National and other CBC News programs.
*Ernie Anastos - New York television anchor
*Thalia Assuras - CBS News anchor
*Alexis Christoforous - CBS News anchor / correspondent
* Chris Clark - retired news anchor, WTVF, Nashville, Tennessee
*Rod Dreher - ''Dallas Morning News'' columnist, "Crunchy Con" blog
*Mike Emanuel - Fox News White House Correspondent
*Terry Mattingly - syndicated columnist
* Natalie Jacobson - born Natalie Salatich, television news anchor, WCVB - Boston - Serbian Orthodox
*Serge Schmemann - ''International Herald Tribune'' writer/editor
*George Stephanopoulos - ABC News chief Washington correspondent; a former altar boy, and son of a priest.

Linguists

*Nikita Yakovlevich Bichurin - Russian Orthodox Church monk and Sinologist
*Saint Innocent of Alaska - wrote books on Tlingit and worked on an alphabet for Aleut
*Pyotr Kafarov - student of Bichurin, also a Sinologist and ROC monk
*Mateja Matejić - priest in the Serbian Orthodox Church
* Alexander Nedoshivin - Russian Orthodox Church priest and Esperantist
*Epifany Slavinetsky - Polyglot, Russian Orthodox Church monk, and translator
*Roman Jakobson