This is a list of notable people from

San Jose, California San Jose, officially San José (; ; ), is a major city in the U.S. state of California that is the cultural, financial, and political center of Silicon Valley and largest city in Northern California by both population and area. With a 2020 popu ...

. It includes people who were born/raised in, lived in, or spent portions of their lives in San Jose, or for whom San Jose is a significant part of their identity, as well as music groups founded in San Jose. This list is in alphabetical order by surname.

Actors and entertainment industry

* Elisa Marina Alvarado,

Chicana Chicano or Chicana is a chosen identity for many Mexican Americans in the United States. The label ''Chicano'' is sometimes used interchangeably with ''Mexican American'', although the terms have different meanings. While Mexican-American ident ...

director, actress, educator, born in San Jose * Frank Bacon, actor, playwright and father of Lloyd Bacon, raised in San Jose and lived there for 17 years *

Lloyd Bacon Lloyd Francis Bacon (December 4, 1889 – November 15, 1955) was an American screen, stage and vaudeville actor and film director. As a director he made films in virtually all genres, including westerns, musicals, comedies, gangster films, an ...

, Hollywood director, son of actor Frank Bacon, born in San Jose *

Adrienne Barbeau Adrienne Jo Barbeau (born June 11, 1945) is an American actress, singer and the author of three books. Barbeau came to prominence in the 1970s as Broadway's original Rizzo in the musical '' Grease'', and as Carol Traynor, the divorced daughter o ...

, actress, attended

Del Mar High School Del Mar High School (DMHS) is a four-year, public secondary school established in 1959 in San Jose, California. It is part of the Campbell Union High School District, (CUHSD), the other schools in which are Branham, Leigh, Prospect, and Westm ...

class of 1963 *

Calum Best Calum Milan Best (born February 6, 1981) is a British-American television personality. He is the only child of footballer George Best. Early life Best was born in San Jose, California, the son of parents from the United Kingdom: Angie Best (bo ...

, British television personality, son of footballer

George Best George Best (22 May 1946 – 25 November 2005) was a Northern Irish professional footballer who played as a winger, spending most of his club career at Manchester United. A highly skilful dribbler, Best is regarded as one of the greatest pla ...

, born in San Jose *

Brett Dalton Brett Patrick Dalton (born January 7, 1983) is an American actor. He is best known for playing Grant Ward and Hive in ABC's series '' Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.'', as well as Michael Munroe in the 2015 video game '' Until Dawn''. Early life Dalton ...

, actor, born in San Jose * Vernon Dent, comedy actor in numerous ''Three Stooges'' shorts, born in San Jose * Rosanna DeSoto, actress, born in San Jose * Dustin Diamond, child actor, known as Screech from ''

Saved By The Bell ''Saved by the Bell'' is an American television sitcom created by Sam Bobrick for NBC. The series premiered, in primetime, on August 20, 1989, a Sunday night. Targeted at kids and teens, ''Saved by the Bell'' was broadcast in the United States ...

'', born in San Jose * Ricco Fajardo, voice actor in Danganronpa 3: The End of Hope's Peak High School and various anime, TV actor, born in San Jose * Renée Elise Goldsberry, actress, known for originating the role of

Angelica Schuyler Angelica Church (née Schuyler ; February 20, 1756 – March 6, 1814) was an American socialite. She was the eldest daughter of Continental Army General Philip Schuyler, and a sister of Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton and sister-in-law of Alexande ...

in the Broadway musical ''

Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: People * Hamilton (name), a common British surname and occasional given name, usually of Scottish origin, including a list of persons with the surname ** The Duke of Hamilton, the premier peer of Scotland ** Lord Hamilto ...

, born in San Jose'' *

Michael Gough Francis Michael Gough ( ; 23 November 1916 – 17 March 2011) was a British character actor who made more than 150 film and television appearances. He is known for his roles in the Hammer Horror Films from 1958, with his first role as Sir Arthu ...

, voice actor, born in San Jose *

Farley Granger Farley Earle Granger Jr. (July 1, 1925 – March 27, 2011) was an American actor, best known for his two collaborations with director Alfred Hitchcock: ''Rope'' in 1948 and '' Strangers on a Train'' in 1951. Granger was first noticed in a small ...

, actor, best known for '' Strangers on a Train'', born in San Jose * Nick Groff, paranormal investigator and television personality, born in San Jose * Krazy George Henderson,

cheerleader Cheerleading is an activity in which the participants (called cheerleaders) cheer for their team as a form of encouragement. It can range from chanting slogans to intense physical activity. It can be performed to motivate sports teams, to ente ...

, inventor of "The Wave", sports entertainment *

Josh Holloway Josh Lee Holloway (born July 20, 1969) is an American actor best known for his roles as James "Sawyer" Ford on the television show ''Lost'' and as Will Bowman on the science fiction drama ''Colony''. Most recently he had a recurring role in sea ...

, actor, ''

Lost Lost may refer to getting lost, or to: Geography * Lost, Aberdeenshire, a hamlet in Scotland *Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail, or LOST, a hiking and cycling trail in Florida, US History *Abbreviation of lost work, any work which is known to have bee ...

'', born in San Jose * Gabriela Sepúlveda, singer and actress, Jenni Rivera: Mariposa De Barrio, born in San Jose * Fran Jeffries, singer and actress, born in Palo Alto *

Anjelah Johnson Anjelah Nicole Johnson-Reyes (born May 14, 1982) is an American actress, comedian, and former NFL cheerleader. Johnson was a cast member on the series ''MADtv'' during its 13th season. Her characters included a Vietnamese nail salon employee n ...

, comedian, born in San Jose *

Neil Kaplan Neil Charles Kaplan is an American voice actor, audiobook narrator, entertainer, and comedian. Biography Kaplan got his start as a comedian doing impressions of presidents such as Ronald Reagan and Richard Nixon. He also impersonated a little- ...

, voice actor, attended elementary school, jr. high, and high school in San Jose *

Jeannie Mai Jeannie Mai-Jenkins (born Jeannie Camtu Mai) is an American television host and stylist best known for her work on the makeover show ''How Do I Look?'' and the syndicated daytime talk show ''The Real''. As a fashion expert, she is frequently fea ...

, TV personality, talk show host, fashion expert, makeup artist, born in San Jose * Peverell Marley, Oscar-nominated, Golden Globe-winning cinematographer, born in San Jose *

Charles Martinet Charles Martinet (, ; born September 17, 1955) is an American actor and voice actor, known for his portrayal of both Mario and Luigi in the ''Super Mario'' video game series since 1992. He is also the voice of other characters in the series suc ...

, actor and voice actor, best known for providing the voice of

Nintendo is a Japanese multinational video game company headquartered in Kyoto, Japan. It develops video games and video game consoles. Nintendo was founded in 1889 as by craftsman Fusajiro Yamauchi and originally produced handmade playing cards ...

Mario is a character (arts), character created by Japanese video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. He is the title character of the ''Mario (franchise), Mario'' franchise and the mascot of Japanese video game company Nintendo. Mario has appeared in ...

, born in San Jose * Candi Milo, voice actress, born in San Jose *

Linda Park Linda Park (born July 9, 1978) is a South Korean-born American actress, best known for her portrayal of communications officer character Hoshi Sato in the television series '' Star Trek: Enterprise''. Early life Park was born in South Korea and ...

, actress, originally from

Seoul, South Korea Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 o ...

and raised in San Jose * Miguel Perez, actor, born in San Jose * Kurtwood Smith, actor, ''

That '70s Show ''That '70s Show'' is an American television period teen sitcom that aired on Fox from August 23, 1998, to May 18, 2006. The series focuses on the lives of a group of six teenage friends living in the fictional town of Point Place, Wisconsin, ...

'' *

Smothers Brothers The Smothers Brothers are Thomas ("Tom" – born February 2, 1937) and Richard ("Dick" – born November 20, 1938), American folk singers, musicians, and comedians. The brothers' trademark double act was performing folk songs (Tommy on acoustic gu ...

, musical comedy duo and actors *

Ernie Reyes Jr. Ernie Reyes Jr. (born January 15, 1972) is an American actor and martial artist, known for his acting work in films such as ''The Last Dragon'', ''Red Sonja'' (1985), as Donatello's stuntman in ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'', '' Teenage Mutant ...

, actor and

martial artist Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defense; military and law enforcement applications; competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; and the preserv ...

, born in San Jose * Diane Rodriguez,

theatre director A theatre director or stage director is a professional in the theatre field who oversees and orchestrates the mounting of a theatre production such as a play, opera, dance, drama, musical theatre performance, etc. by unifying various endeavors a ...

, actor, writer, born in San Jose *

Dave Tatsuno Dave Tatsuno (born Masaharu Tatsuno August 18, 1913 – January 26, 2006, in California) was a Japanese American businessman who documented life in his family's internment camp during World War II. His footage was later compiled into the film ...

, Japanese-American internment camp resident who made amateur film ''

Topaz Topaz is a silicate mineral of aluminium and fluorine with the chemical formula Al Si O( F, OH). It is used as a gemstone in jewelry and other adornments. Common topaz in its natural state is colorless, though trace element impurities can mak ...

'', about camp life *

Kathy Uyen Kathy Uyen (also known as Kathy Uyen Nguyen) is a Vietnamese American actress, producer, and screenwriter. She has twice been the recipient of Vietnamese film industry Golden Kite Awards as Best Supporting Actress in Victor Vu's '' Passport to Lo ...

, actress and producer for Vietnamese cinema, born in San Jose * Kate Walsh, actress, born in San Jose * Luis Valdez, playwright and director *

Kung Fu Vampire Kung Fu Vampire is a Latin American rapper from San Jose, California. Since 2001, he has been recognized as a " goth rapper", and for being accompanied by a band in his live hip hop performances. He released his debut album, ''Blood Bath Beyond ...

, musician, also on the Discovery Channel's " Oddities", born in San Jose *

Akhil Akkineni Akhil Akkineni (born 8 April 1994) is an American actor of Indian descent who works in Telugu films. Born into the Akkineni family, he is the son of actors Nagarjuna and Amala. In his film career, Akkineni has earned several accolades such as ...

, Indian-American actor who predominantly works in

Telugu film Industry Telugu cinema, also known as Tollywood, is the segment of Indian cinema dedicated to the production of motion pictures in the Telugu language, widely spoken in the states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Telugu cinema is based in Film Nagar, H ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...

Artists

Comics and zines

* Brent Anderson, comic artist with

DC Comics DC Comics, Inc. ( doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with the ...

, born in San Jose * Jan Eliot, comic artist of ''

Stone Soup Stone Soup is a European folk story in which hungry strangers convince the people of a town to each share a small amount of their food in order to make a meal that everyone enjoys, and exists as a moral regarding the value of sharing. In varyin ...

'', born in San Jose * Julia Kaye, comic artist of ''Up and Out'', illustrator, raised in San Jose *

Jhonen Vasquez Jhonen C. Vasquez (; born September 1, 1974) is an American cartoonist, animator, screenwriter, music video director, and voice actor. He is best known for creating the comic book '' Johnny the Homicidal Maniac''—along with its spin-off comics ...

, creator of alternative comics for Slave Labor Graphics and ''

Invader ZIM ''Invader Zim'' is an American animated science fiction dark comedy television series created by comic book writer and cartoonist Jhonen Vasquez for Nickelodeon. The series centers on an extraterrestrial named Zim (voiced by Richard Steven Ho ...

'', born in San Jose

Mixed media

* Susan O'Malley (artist), public art, museum curation, and author, raised in San Jose.

Painters

Lucy Bacon Lucy Angeline Bacon (July 30, 1857 – October 17, 1932) was a Californian artist known for her California Impressionist oil paintings of florals, landscapes and still lifes. She studied in Paris under the Impressionist Camille Pissarro. She is t ...

, Impressionist painter lived in San Jose from 1898 until 1909, taught at the Washburn Preparatory School. * James Caprell, fine artist, born in San Jose * Ernest de Saisset, portrait artist. *

Chris Johanson Chris Johanson is an American painter and street artist. He is a member of San Francisco's Mission School art movement. Biography Johanson was born in suburban San Jose, California in 1968. He grew up skateboarding, attending punk rock show ...

, fine artist part of the Mission School art movement, born in San Jose * Bill Koeb, illustrator and painter, also comics, known for his illustrative work for Clive Barker's ''

Hellraiser ''Hellraiser'' is a 1987 British supernatural horror film written and directed by Clive Barker, and produced by Christopher Figg, based on Barker's 1986 novella ''The Hellbound Heart''. The film marked Barker's directorial debut. Its plot invol ...

'' series *

Suzanne Scheuer Suzanne Scheuer (1898 – 1984) was an American fine artist, best known for her New Deal-era murals. She painted one of the murals in Coit Tower, ''Newsgathering''. Biography Suzanne Scheuer was born in San Jose, California on February 11 ...

, painter known for her New Deal-era murals, born in San Jose *

Herman Volz Herman Roderick Volz (1904–1990) was a Swiss-American painter, muralist, lithographer, set designer, decorative artist and ceramist. He was politically active, vocal and often made social statements through his imagery and he was especially take ...

, fine artist that worked with the

Federal Art Project The Federal Art Project (1935–1943) was a New Deal program to fund the visual arts in the United States. Under national director Holger Cahill, it was one of five Federal Project Number One projects sponsored by the Works Progress Administrati ...

, lived in San Jose from 1960 to 1990, died in San Jose

Photographers

* Bill Owens, photographer and photojournalist documenting

suburb A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area, which may include commercial and mixed-use, that is primarily a residential area. A suburb can exist either as part of a larger city/urban area or as a separ ...

ia, born in San Jose * Alfred T. Palmer, photographer of Americana during World War II, born in San Jose

Sculptors

* Ruthadell Anderson, sculptor, fiber artist, textile artist; born in San Jose and attended San Jose State University. * Therese May, fine art quilting, lived in San Jose

Athletes

* Yorgo Alexandrou, Olympic bobsledder for Armenia (two-man bobsleigh, 2002 Salt Lake City), born and raised in San Jose * Chidobe Awuzie NFL player, born in San Jose * Scott Baker,

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (A ...

player, born in San Jose * Bayley, WWE wrestler * Isaac Brizuela, footballer, born in San Jose * Brent Burns, pro hockey player

San Jose Sharks The San Jose Sharks are a professional ice hockey team based in San Jose, California. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division in the Western Conference, and are owned by San Jose Sports & Entertain ...

, lives in San Jose *

Steve Caballero Steve Caballero (born November 8, 1964) is an American professional skateboarder. He is known for the difficult tricks and air variations he invented for vertical skating and for setting the long-standing record for the highest air achieved on a ...

, professional skateboarder, born in San Jose *

Mark Canha Mark may refer to: Currency * Bosnia and Herzegovina convertible mark, the currency of Bosnia and Herzegovina * East German mark, the currency of the German Democratic Republic * Estonian mark, the currency of Estonia between 1918 and 1927 * Finn ...

, baseball player, born in San Jose *

Ken Caminiti Kenneth Gene Caminiti (April 21, 1963 – October 10, 2004) was an American third baseman who spent 15 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) with the Houston Astros (1987–1994, 1999–2000), San Diego Padres (1995–1998), Texas Rangers ( ...

, pro baseball player (San Jose State), 1996 NL MVP * Rich Campbell, NFL player, played high school football in San Jose *

John Carlos John Wesley Carlos (born June 5, 1945) is an American former track and field athlete and professional American football player. He was the bronze-medal winner in the 200 meters at the 1968 Summer Olympics, where he displayed the Black Power sal ...

, Olympic silver medalist, 200m (1968 Mexico City); track and field athlete; pro football player *

Andre Carter Rubin Andre Carter (born May 12, 1979) is an American football coach recently for Louisiana State University and former player in the National Football League (NFL). A defensive end, he played college football for the University of Californi ...

, pro football player * Henry Cejudo, 2012 Olympic gold medalist in freestyle wrestling,

MMA Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, incor ...

fighter, born in San Jose *

Brandi Chastain Brandi Denise Chastain (born July 21, 1968) is an American retired soccer player, two-time FIFA Women's World Cup champion, two-time Olympic gold-medalist, coach, and sports broadcaster. She played for the United States national team from 1988 ...

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

player, World Cup champion, born in San Jose *

Amy Chow Amy Yuen Yee Chow ( Chinese: 周婉儀; pinyin: Zhōu Wǎnyí; born May 15, 1978) is an American former artistic gymnast who competed at the 1996 and 2000 Summer Olympics. She is best known for being a member of the Magnificent Seven, which ...

, Olympic gold medalist in gymnastics (1996), born in San Jose *

Kay Cockerill Kay Cockerill (born October 16, 1964 in San Jose, California) is an American golfer. Amateur and college career She won the U.S. Women's Amateurs in 1986 and 1987. As a non-scholarship player at UCLA she had six individual wins from 1983 to 198 ...

, professional golfer, born in San Jose * Jerry Coleman, decorated combat pilot, MLB player and manager, Ford Frick Award-winning sportscaster, born in San Jose *

Angelo Caloiaro Angelo Dominik Caloiaro (born July 28, 1989) is an American-Italian professional basketball player for Galatasaray Nef of the Basketbol Süper Ligi (BSL). He played college basketball for the University San Francisco before playing professionall ...

(born 1989), American-Italian basketball player in the

Israeli Basketball Premier League Ligat HaAl ( he, ליגת העל, lit., ''Supreme League or Premier League''), or the Israeli Basketball Premier League, is the top-tier level league of professional competition in Israeli club basketball, making it Israel's primary basketball c ...

* Michelle Do, Olympic table tennis player *

Polina Edmunds Polina Edmunds (born May 18, 1998) is a retired American figure skater. She is the 2015 Four Continents champion, the 2014 CS U.S. Classic champion, and a two-time U.S. national silver medalist ( 2014, 2016). She represented the United States a ...

, Olympic figure skater *

Herman Edwards Herman Edwards Jr. (born April 27, 1954) is an American football coach and former cornerback who was most recently the head football coach at Arizona State. He played in the National Football League (NFL) for ten seasons, primarily with the Phi ...

, NFL player, coach, TV commentator * Jon Fitch, UFC fighter * Peggy Fleming,

1968 Winter Olympics The 1968 Winter Olympics, officially known as the X Olympic Winter Games (french: Les Xes Jeux olympiques d'hiver), were a winter multi-sport event held from 6 to 18 February 1968 in Grenoble, France. Thirty-seven countries participated. Frenchm ...

figure skating Figure skating is a sport in which individuals, pairs, or groups perform on figure skates on ice. It was the first winter sport to be included in the Olympic Games, when contested at the 1908 Olympics in London. The Olympic disciplines are me ...

gold medalist, born in San Jose *

Rudy Galindo Val Joe "Rudy" Galindo (born September 7, 1969) is an American former competitive figure skater who competed in both single skating and pair skating. As a single skater, he is the 1996 U.S. national champion, 1987 World Junior Champion, and 199 ...

, national champion

figure skater Figure skating is a sport in which individuals, pairs, or groups perform on figure skates on ice. It was the first winter sport to be included in the Olympic Games, when contested at the 1908 Olympics in London. The Olympic disciplines are me ...

, born in San Jose * Jeff Garcia, pro football quarterback (San Jose State) * Jeremy Giambi, baseball player, born in San Jose * Naomi Girma, soccer player for the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

* Dan Gladden, baseball player, two-time World Series champion (1987, 1991 with

Minnesota Twins The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central Division. The team is named after the Twin Cities area w ...

), born in San Jose * Aaron Gordon, player for the

Denver Nuggets The Denver Nuggets are an American professional basketball team based in Denver. The Nuggets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. The team was founded as the D ...

and brother of Drew Gordon, born in San Jose *

Drew Gordon Drew Edward Gordon (born July 12, 1990) is an American professional basketball player for Rizing Zephyr Fukuoka of the B.League. The power forward began his college basketball career with the UCLA Bruins, then transferred during his sophomore ...

, player for the

Philadelphia 76ers The Philadelphia 76ers, colloquially known as the Sixers, are an American professional basketball team based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The 76ers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Ea ...

and brother of Aaron Gordon, born in San Jose *

Shawn Green Shawn David Green (born November 10, 1972) is an American former Major League Baseball right fielder. Green was a 1st round draft pick and a two-time major league All-Star. He drove in 100 runs four times and scored 100 runs four times, hit ...

, MLB 2-time All-Star

outfielder An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to cat ...

Kyle Harrison Kyle Harrison (born March 12, 1983) is an American retired professional lacrosse player from Baltimore, Maryland. Currently, he serves as the PLL Director of Player Relations and Diversity Inclusion. He had a 17-year career in professional fi ...

(born 2001), baseball pitcher for the

San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco, California. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1883 as the New Yo ...

Dany Heatley Daniel "Dany" James Heatley (born January 21, 1981) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey winger. Originally drafted by the Atlanta Thrashers second overall in the 2000 NHL Entry Draft, he won the Calder Memorial Trophy as the National H ...

, pro hockey player,

Mike Holmgren Michael George Holmgren (born June 15, 1948) is a former American football coach and executive. He began his NFL career as a quarterbacks' coach and later as an offensive coordinator with the San Francisco 49ers, where they won Super Bowls XXI ...

, NFL coach and executive * Cass Jackson, former college football head coach, one of the first African-American head football coaches at a predominantly white college (Oberlin College). * John Johnson, NBA basketball, First Team All American at the University of Iowa, lived and died in San Jose * Brent Jones, football player, Santa Clara University, San Francisco 49ers, three-time Super Bowl champion, born in San Jose *

James Jones James Jones may refer to: Sports Association football *James Jones (footballer, born 1873) (1873–1955), British Olympic footballer * James Jones (footballer, born 1996), Scottish footballer for Wrexham * James Jones (footballer, born 1997), We ...

, pro football player (San Jose State), Green Bay Packers, Oakland Raiders, born in San Jose *

Carney Lansford Carney Ray Lansford (born February 7, 1957) is an American former professional baseball player and coach. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a third baseman from 1978 to 1992, most notably as a member of the Oakland Athletics team that wo ...

, pro baseball player, Oakland A's, 1989 World Series champion, 1981 A.L. batting champion, born in San Jose *

Joe Leonard Joe Leonard (August 4, 1932 in San Diego, California – April 27, 2017 in San Jose, California) was an American professional motorcycle racer and racecar driver. Biography Motorcycle career Leonard won the first A.M.A. Grand National Champion ...

, automobile and motorcycle champion *

Cung Le Cung Le ( vi, Lê Cung; born May 25, 1972) is a Vietnamese-born American actor, retired mixed martial artist, Sanshou fighter and kickboxer. He competed as a middleweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), holding a record of ...

, Vietnamese mixed martial arts fighter, three-time

Sanshou Sanda (), formerly Sanshou (), also known as Chinese boxing or Chinese kickboxing, is the official Chinese kickboxing full-contact combat sport. Sanda is a fighting system which was originally developed by the Chinese military based upon the ...

bronze medalist * Roger Maltbie, professional PGA golfer and

NBC Sports NBC Sports is an American programming division of the broadcast network NBC, owned and operated by NBC Sports Group division of NBCUniversal and subsidiary of Comcast. The division is responsible for sports broadcasts on the network, and its ...

''On Air'' golf analyst *

Patrick Marleau Patrick Denis Marleau (born September 15, 1979) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey forward. With 1,779 NHL games played, he is the all-time leader in games played in league history. He passed the record previously held by Gordie Howe ...

, pro hockey player,

Jake McGee Jacob Daniel McGee (born August 6, 1986) is an American professional baseball pitcher who is currently a free agent. McGee was selected by Tampa Bay Devil Rays in the fifth round of the 2004 MLB draft. He made his MLB debut in 2008. He previou ...

, baseball player *

Kyle McLaren Kyle Edgar McLaren (born June 18, 1977) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman who played 12 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Boston Bruins and San Jose Sharks. Playing career McLaren was drafted by the Bosto ...

, pro hockey player

Tommy Medica Thomas Anthony Medica (born April 9, 1988) is an American former professional baseball first baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Diego Padres. Amateur career Medica played college baseball at Santa Clara University, aft ...

, baseball player, born in San Jose *

Marty Mornhinweg Marty Mornhinweg (born March 29, 1962) is an American football coach and former player who was a senior offensive consultant for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL). He was the offensive coordinator for the San Francis ...

, NFL player and coach * Evgeni Nabokov, pro hockey player,

James Nunnally James William Nunnally (born July 14, 1990) is an American professional basketball player for KK Partizan Belgrade of the Serbian KLS, the Adriatic League and the EuroLeague. High school career Nunnally attended Weston Ranch High School in St ...

(born 1990), professional basketball player for Maccabi Tel Aviv of the

and the Euroleague, and formerly in the NBA, born in San Jose *

Brian Oldfield Brian Oldfield (June 1, 1945 – March 26, 2017) was an American athlete and personality of the 1970s and early 1980s. A standout shot putter, Oldfield was credited with making the rotational technique popular. With his "Oldfield spin," he set the ...

, athlete, world and American record holder in shot put *

Jesús Padilla Jesús Andrés Padilla Cisneros (born March 3, 1987 in San Jose, California) is a Mexican-American former soccer player who played as a striker. Career Padilla was born and raised in San Jose, California and moved to Guadalajara with his pare ...

, soccer player for

Chivas de Guadalajara Club Deportivo Guadalajara (); often simply known as Guadalajara () and their nickname ''Chivas'' (), is a Mexican professional football club based in Zapopan, Jalisco. Guadalajara is one of the ten founding members of the Mexican First Divisi ...

, born in San Jose *

Jim Plunkett James William Plunkett (born December 5, 1947) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for sixteen seasons. He achieved his greatest professional success during his final eight seasons with the ...

, quarterback, Stanford University, 1970 Heisman Trophy winner, Oakland Raiders, two-time Super Bowl champion (SB XV MVP), born in San Jose * John Powell, two-time Olympic bronze medalist (1976 Munich, 1984 L.A.), discus throw *

Dave Righetti David Allan Righetti (born November 28, 1958), nicknamed "Rags", is an American professional baseball coach and former player. A left-handed pitcher, Righetti played in Major League Baseball from 1979 through 1995 for the New York Yankees, San F ...

, baseball player; 1981 A.L. Rookie of the Year (N.Y. Yankees); pitched no-hitter on July 4, 1983; San Francisco Giants pitching coach, born in San Jose * Ricco Rodriguez, mixed martial artist, UFC and ADCC champion, born in San Jose * Frank Shamrock, MMA fighter *

Tommie Smith Tommie C. Smith (born June 6, 1944) is an American former track and field athlete and former wide receiver in the American Football League. At the 1968 Summer Olympics, Smith, aged 24, won the 200-meter sprint finals and gold medal in 19.83&nb ...

, Olympic gold medalist - 200m, (1968 Mexico City), track and field athlete (San Jose State), pro football player * Dave Stieb, pro baseball pitcher * Carl Sullivan, football player, born in San Jose * Mike Swain, Olympic gold medalist, four-time Olympian, San Jose State judo coach * Mike Swick, UFC fighter * Josh Thomson, mixed martial artist and model, born in San Jose *

Joe Thornton Joseph Eric Thornton (born July 2, 1979) is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre who is currently an unrestricted free agent. He has previously played for the Boston Bruins, San Jose Sharks, Toronto Maple Leafs and Florida Panthers of the ...

, pro hockey player,

* Pat Tillman, pro football player and decorated Army Ranger, born in San Jose *

Debi Thomas Debra Janine Thomas (born March 25, 1967) is an American former figure skater and physician. She is the 1986 World champion, the 1988 Olympic bronze medalist, and a two-time U.S. national champion. Her rivalry with East Germany's Katarina Witt ...

, Olympic figure skater, grew up in San Jose *

Loren Toews Loren James Toews (born November 3, 1951) is a retired NFL football player. Toews graduated from Del Mar High School in San Jose, California and later University of California, Berkeley where he received his degree in biological sciences. I ...

, pro football player * Yosh Uchida, businessman, educator, contributor to San Jose State judo team, born in San Jose * Cain Velasquez, MMA fighter *

Dick Vermeil Richard Albert Vermeil (; born October 30, 1936) is a former American football coach who served as a head coach in the National Football League (NFL) for 15 seasons. He was the head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles for seven seasons, the St. L ...

, college and pro football head coach, Super Bowl champion (St. Louis Rams, 1999) *

Aly Wagner Alyson Kay Wagner (born August 10, 1980) is an American sports broadcaster and retired soccer midfielder who last played for Los Angeles Sol of Women's Professional Soccer and the United States women's national soccer team. She is a two-time ...

, retired soccer player * Bill Walsh, college and pro football head coach, three-time Super Bowl champion (San Francisco 49ers)

Business leaders and entrepreneurs

Gurbaksh Chahal Gurbaksh Singh Chahal (born July 17, 1982) is an Indian-American internet entrepreneur who is the founder of several internet advertising companies. Chahal founded his first advertising network at an age of 16 and two years later, became a milli ...

, entrepreneur *

Andy Dinh Andy Dinh (born April 19, 1992), better known as Reginald, is an American entrepreneur and former professional ''League of Legends'' player. He is the founder, owner, and CEO of Team SoloMid (TSM), an esports organization most well known for its ...

, entrepreneur and professional gamer, born in San Jose * Amadeo Peter Giannini, founder of

Bank of America The Bank of America Corporation (often abbreviated BofA or BoA) is an American multinational investment bank and financial services holding company headquartered at the Bank of America Corporate Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. The bank ...

, born in San Jose *

Steve Jobs Steven Paul Jobs (February 24, 1955 – October 5, 2011) was an American entrepreneur, industrial designer, media proprietor, and investor. He was the co-founder, chairman, and CEO of Apple; the chairman and majority shareholder of Pixar; ...

, co-founder and former CEO of Apple Inc., lived in San Jose * Donald Snyder, investment banker, born in San Jose * Peter Ueberroth, sports and business executive, San Jose State University alumnus * Ken Williams, MLB executive, general manager for

2005 World Series The 2005 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 2005 season. The 101st edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff between the American League (AL) champion Chicago White Sox and the National ...

champion

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and ...

Steve Wozniak Stephen Gary Wozniak (; born August 11, 1950), also known by his nickname "Woz", is an American electronics engineer, computer programmer, philanthropist, inventor, and entrepreneur, technology entrepreneur. In 1976, with business partner Steve ...

, co-founder of Apple Inc., born in San Jose *

Jerry Yang Jerry Chih-Yuan Yang (born November 6, 1968) is a Taiwanese-American billionaire computer programmer, internet entrepreneur, and venture capitalist. He is the co-founder and former CEO of Yahoo! Inc. As of February 2022, Yang has a net worth ...

, co-founder of

Yahoo! Yahoo! (, styled yahoo''!'' in its logo) is an American web services provider. It is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California and operated by the namesake company Yahoo Inc., which is 90% owned by investment funds managed by Apollo Global Mana ...

Chefs

Angela Dimayuga Angela Solita Dimayuga (born 1985) is an American chef and political activist. She was an executive chef at Mission Chinese Food New York, and help build the restaurant in the early years. Dimayuga was included in the Zagat's "30 Under 30" List i ...

, internationally known chef born and raised in San Jose

Dancers

* Mythili Kumar, South Indian traditional dancer of

Bharatanatyam Bharatanatyam () is a major form of Indian classical dance that originated in Tamil Nadu. It is one of the eight widely recognized Indian classical dance forms, and expresses South Indian religious themes and spiritual ideas, particularly of ...

, resides in San Jose, founder of Abhinaya Dance School of San Jose * Yuriko Kikuchi (née Amemiya), worked with the Martha Graham Dance Company, born in San Jose

Designers

* Mai Kitazawa Arbegast, landscape architect, born in San Jose"Mai K. Arbegast." Contra Costa Times. 15 Apr. 2012: n. pag. Legacy.com. Accessed 27 Feb 201

/ref> * Scott Campbell (artist), Scott Campbell, video game concept artist for

LucasArts Lucasfilm Games (known as LucasArts between 1990 and 2021) is an American video game licensor that is part of Lucasfilm. It was founded in May 1982 by George Lucas as a video game development group alongside his film company; as part of a large ...

then

Double Fine Productions Double Fine Productions, Inc. is an American first-party video game developer of Xbox Game Studios based in San Francisco, California. Founded in July 2000 by Tim Schafer shortly after his departure from LucasArts, Double Fine's first two g ...

, art director, comic artist and illustration, born and raised in San Jose *

Theodore Lenzen Theodore Lenzen (1833–1912) was a Prussian-born American architect. He was prolific with architectural designs in San Jose, California, during the late 19th-century. He was part of the firm Theodore Lenzen & Son, with his son Louis T. Lenzen. ...

, Prussian-born architect, active in San Jose * Joe Murray, animator, born in San Jose * Emily Williams, pioneering female architect in the 20th century, attended

California State Normal School The California State Normal School was a teaching college system founded on May 2, 1862, eventually evolving into San Jose State University, San José State University in San Jose, California, San Jose and the University of California, Los Angel ...

(later known as SJSU)

Musicians and bands

Antwon Antonio Williams (born October 25, 1986), better known by his stage name Antwon, is an American rapper based in San Jose, California. In 2013, he was included on '' Complex''s "15 Unsigned Rappers Who Should Get a Deal After SXSW" list. He was al ...

, rapper, lives in San Jose *

Ashe (singer) Ashlyn Rae Willson (born April 24, 1993), better known as Ashe, is an American singer and songwriter. She is best known for her 2019 single " Moral of the Story", which was featured in the Netflix film '' To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You'' ...

, singer, born in San Jose *

Bassnectar Lorin Gabriel Ashton, better known under his stage name Bassnectar (born February 16, 1978), is an American DJ and record producer. Biography Ashton grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and attended Bellarmine College Preparatory. He initiall ...

, DJ and electronic music producer *

Louie Bellson Louie Bellson (born Luigi Paulino Alfredo Francesco Antonio Balassoni, July 6, 1924 – February 14, 2009), often seen in sources as Louis Bellson, although he himself preferred the spelling Louie, was an American jazz drummer. He was a composer, ...

, professional drummer *

Tommy Castro Tommy Castro (born April 15, 1955, San Jose, California, United States) is an American blues, R&B, and rock guitarist and singer. He has been recording since the mid-1990s. His music has taken him from local stages to national and internation ...

, blues, rock * Charizma, rapper, born in San Jose *

Count five Count Five was an American garage rock band, formed in San Jose, California in 1964, known for their hit single "Psychotic Reaction". Background The band was founded in 1964 by lead guitarist John "Mouse" Michalski (born 1948, Cleveland, O ...

garage rock Garage rock (sometimes called garage punk or 60s punk) is a raw and energetic style of rock and roll that flourished in the mid-1960s, most notably in the United States and Canada, and has experienced a series of subsequent revivals. The sty ...

band, formed in San Jose **

John "Sean" Byrne Count Five was an American garage rock band, formed in San Jose, California in 1964, known for their hit single "Psychotic Reaction". Background The band was founded in 1964 by lead guitarist John "Mouse" Michalski (born 1948, Cleveland, O ...

, musician with Count five, lived in San Jose * Irene Dalis, opera singer, founder of

Opera San Jose Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a librett ...

, born in San Jose *

Jimmy DeGrasso Jimmy DeGrasso (born March 16, 1963) is an American heavy metal drummer. DeGrasso played with Mama's Boys and Lita Ford before eventually working with Y&T and Megadeth and as a session or touring musician for Ozzy Osbourne (1986), White ...

, heavy metal drummer *

DJ Shadow Joshua Paul Davis (born June 29, 1972), better known by his stage name DJ Shadow, is an American DJ, songwriter and record producer. His debut studio album, '' Endtroducing.....'' was released in 1996. Biography Early years (1989–1995) DJ Sha ...

, born Joshua Davis, instrumental hip-hop DJ, born in San Jose *

The Doobie Brothers The Doobie Brothers are an American rock band formed in 1970 in San Jose, California, known for their flexibility in performing across numerous genres and their vocal harmonies. Active for five decades, with their greatest success in the 1970s, ...

, rock band ** Tom Johnston, lived in San Jose with the Doobie Brothers *

Fleetwood Mac Fleetwood Mac are a British-American rock band, formed in London in 1967. Fleetwood Mac were founded by guitarist Peter Green, drummer Mick Fleetwood and guitarist Jeremy Spencer, before bassist John McVie joined the line-up for their epo ...

, rock band **

Lindsey Buckingham Lindsey Adams Buckingham (born October 3, 1949) is an American musician and record producer, best known as the lead guitarist and male lead vocalist of the band Fleetwood Mac from 1975 to 1987 and 1997 to 2018. In addition to his tenure with Fl ...

, musician with Fleetwood Mac **

Stevie Nicks Stephanie Lynn Nicks (born May 26, 1948) is an American singer, songwriter, and producer known for her work with the band Fleetwood Mac and as a solo artist. After starting her career as a duo with her then-boyfriend Lindsey Buckingham, releasi ...

, singer and musician with Fleetwood Mac *

Jeff Foskett Jeffrey Foskett (February 17, 1956) is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer best known as a touring and studio musician for Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys since the 1980s. Foskett was described as the Beach Boys' "vice principal" ...

, guitarist and singer, best known for work with

The Beach Boys The Beach Boys are an American rock band that formed in Hawthorne, California, in 1961. The group's original lineup consisted of brothers Brian, Dennis, and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine. Distinguished by the ...

* Getter, DJ, electronic music producer and rapper *

Heavy Heavy Low Low Heavy Heavy Low Low is an American mathcore band from San Jose, California. Biography Formed in early 2004 in San Jose, California, they played shows throughout the West Coast and developed a significant following, becoming known in the earl ...

, metal band formed in San Jose * Antony Hegarty, frontwoman of

Antony and the Johnsons Antony and the Johnsons is an American music group presenting the work of Anohni and her collaborators. Career British experimental musician David Tibet of Current 93 heard a demo and offered to release Anohni's music through his Durtro labe ...

* The Holdup, reggae and hip hop band formed in San Jose *

Greg Kihn Gregory Stanley Kihn (born July 10, 1949) is an American rock musician, radio personality, and novelist. He founded and led The Greg Kihn Band, which scored hit songs in the 1980s, and has written several horror novels. History Kihn was born ...

, rock musician and radio DJ *

, rapper from San Jose *

Los Tigres del Norte Los Tigres del Norte (English: ''The Tigers of the North'') are a norteño band from San Jose, California. Originally founded in Mocorito, Sinaloa, Mexico, with sales of 60 million albums, the band is one of the most recognized groups in the ...

, Mexican band formed in San Jose * Laura Mam - musician and music industry entrepreneur * Bryan Mantia, drummer for Primus and

Guns N' Roses Guns N' Roses is an American hard rock band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 1985. When they signed to Geffen Records in 1986, the band comprised vocalist Axl Rose, lead guitarist Slash, rhythm guitarist Izzy Stradlin, bassist Duff ...

, born in San Jose * Kamtin Mohager, lead musician for

The Chain Gang of 1974 Kamtin Mohager () is an American singer, songwriter, musician, record producer, and graphic designer born in San Jose, California. Raised in Hawaii, and later Colorado, Mohager began pursuing punk rock music in his teenage years. Later inspired b ...

No Use for a Name No Use for a Name (sometimes abbreviated NUFAN or No Use) was an American punk rock band from Sunnyvale, California, United States formed in 1986 by Chris Dodge (guitar), Steve Papoutsis (bass) and Rory Koff (drums). The band's sound evolved cons ...

, band **

Matt Riddle Matthew Fredrick Riddle (born January 14, 1986, in Allentown, Pennsylvania) is an American professional wrestler and former mixed martial artist. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand, but is currently inactive due ...

, bassist of No Use for a Name, born in San Jose **

Tony Sly Anthony James Sly (November 4, 1970 – July 31, 2012) was an American singer, songwriter and guitarist, best known as the front man of the punk rock band No Use for a Name. In his later years he also gained attention for his acoustic ...

, lead singer and guitarist of No Use for a Name, born in San Jose * Peanut Butter Wolf, disc jockey and producer from San Jose *

Plavka Plavka Coleridge (née Lonich; born March 25, 1974) is an American singer. She is best known for being the singer of the German trance act Jam & Spoon, whose classically infused trance sound dominated the international charts in the mid-1990s, ...

, international singing star, born in San Jose *

Nikki Sixx Nikki Sixx (born Frank Carlton Serafino Feranna Jr.; December 11, 1958) is an American musician, best known as the co-founder, bassist, and primary songwriter of the heavy metal band Mötley Crüe. Prior to forming Mötley Crüe, Sixx was a me ...

, bassist for

Mötley Crüe Mötley Crüe is an American heavy metal band formed in Los Angeles in 1981. The group was founded by bassist Nikki Sixx, drummer Tommy Lee, lead guitarist Mick Mars and lead singer Vince Neil. Mötley Crüe has sold over 100 million albu ...

, born in San Jose *

Sleep Sleep is a sedentary state of mind and body. It is characterized by altered consciousness, relatively inhibited Perception, sensory activity, reduced muscle activity and reduced interactions with surroundings. It is distinguished from wakefuln ...

doom metal Doom metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music that typically uses slower tempos, low-tuned guitars and a much "thicker" or "heavier" sound than other heavy metal genres.K. Kahn-Harris, ''Extreme Metal: Music and Culture on the Edge'' ...

band formed in San Jose * Smash Mouth, pop-rock band formed in San Jose *

Snow Tha Product Claudia Alexandra Madriz Meza (born June 24, 1987) known professionally as Snow Tha Product, is an American rapper, singer, actress, youtuber, and podcaster. She was signed to Atlantic Records from 2012 until November 2018. Since then, she has ...

, rapper, born in San Jose *

Skip Spence Alexander Lee "Skip" Spence (April 18, 1946 – April 16, 1999) was a Canadian-born American singer, songwriter, and musician. He was co-founder of Moby Grape, and played guitar with them until 1969. In the same year, he released his only s ...

, co-founder of

Moby Grape Moby Grape is an American rock band founded in 1966, known for having all five members contribute to singing and songwriting, and who collectively merged elements of folk music, blues, country, and jazz with rock and psychedelic music. They were ...

Stone Temple Pilots Stone Temple Pilots (also known by the initialism STP) is an American rock band from San Diego, California, that originally consisted of Scott Weiland (lead vocals), brothers Dean (guitar) and Robert DeLeo (bass, backing vocals), and Eric Kr ...

, band **

Eric Kretz Eric Kretz (born June 7, 1966) is an American musician and producer, best known as the drummer for the rock band Stone Temple Pilots. He is of German descent. He has also played for Talk Show and Spiralarms. Kretz, who was born in San Jose, Cal ...

, drummer for Stone Temple Pilots,

Talk Show A talk show (or chat show in British English) is a television programming or radio programming genre structured around the act of spontaneous conversation.Bernard M. Timberg, Robert J. Erler'' (2010Television Talk: A History of the TV Talk Sh ...

, and Spiralarms, born in San Jose **

Scott Weiland Scott Richard Weiland (; né Kline, October 27, 1967 – December 3, 2015) was an American singer and songwriter. During a career spanning three decades, Weiland was best known as the lead singer of the rock band Stone Temple Pilots from ...

, vocalist for Stone Temple Pilots, Velvet Revolver,

Camp Freddy Camp Freddy was an American hard rock supergroup consisting of established musicians who played rock covers at various shows around the United States from 2002 through 2014. The band consisted of core members Matt Sorum on drums, Dave Navarro a ...

The Wondergirls The Wondergirls are a rock supergroup and side project formed in 1999. In its initial, short lived incarnation, the band featured Stone Temple Pilots frontman Scott Weiland, Mark McGrath of Sugar Ray, Ian Astbury of The Cult, Shannon Leto of Thir ...

Art of Anarchy Art of Anarchy is an American hard rock supergroup formed in 2011. The band features twin brothers Jon and Vince Votta on guitar and drums, Disturbed bassist John Moyer, former Guns N' Roses guitarist Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal as co-guitarist and ...

, and The Magnificent Bastards, born in San Jose *

Randy Stonehill Randall Evan Stonehill (born March 12, 1952) is an American singer and songwriter from Stockton, California, best known as one of the pioneers of contemporary Christian music. His music is primarily folk rock in the style of James Taylor, bu ...

, singer/songwriter, born in San Jose * Syndicate of Sound, garage rock band formed in San Jose * Traxamillion, rapper *

Xiu Xiu Xiu Xiu ( ) is an American experimental band, formed in 2002 by singer-songwriter Jamie Stewart in San Jose, California. Currently, the line-up consists of Stewart (the only constant member since formation) and Angela Seo. The band's name co ...

(band), avant-garde band formed in San Jose *

Yvette Young Yvette Young is an American musician from San Jose, California. She is the front-woman for the math rock band Covet. History Young is of Chinese heritage and comes from a musical family: her father Phil is a singer, accordionist, and composer, ...

, singer/songwriter, guitarist/front-woman of Covet * Kim Yubin, member of South Korean girl group

Wonder Girls Wonder Girls () was a South Korean girl group formed by JYP Entertainment. The group debuted in February 2007 with the single " Irony" and 5 members: Yeeun, Sunye, Sunmi, Hyuna and Sohee. After Hyuna's departure in July, Yubin was added int ...

* Quinn Godfrey, member of grunge rock band Heatmiser

Politicians, civil servants and activists

César Chávez Cesar Chavez (born Cesario Estrada Chavez ; ; March 31, 1927 – April 23, 1993) was an American labor leader and civil rights activist. Along with Dolores Huerta, he co-founded the National Farm Workers Association (NFWA), which later merg ...

, American labor leader and

civil rights Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from infringement by governments, social organizations, and private individuals. They ensure one's entitlement to participate in the civil and political life ...

activist * C. C. Cottrell, 1933 to 1939 California State Assembly member *

Nathan Damigo Identity Evropa () was an American Neo-Nazism, neo-Nazi and white supremacist organization established in March 2016. Ghost skin, It was rebranded as the American Identity Movement in March 2019. In November 2020, the group disbanded. Leaders and ...

, founder of Identity Evropa an American neo-Nazi and white supremacist organization, grew up in San Jose. * Don Edwards, U.S. Representative from California 1963–1995, born in San Jose *

Thomas Fallon Thomas Fallon (1825–1885) an Irish-born Californian politician, best known for serving as 10th Mayor of San Jose. Fallon remains a controversial figure in San Jose's history, owing to his role in the American Conquest of California. Biogra ...

, soldier, Mayor of San Jose *

Ron Gonzales Ronald R. Gonzales (born 1951) is an American politician and member of the Democratic Party, who served as the 63rd Mayor of San Jose, California. Gonzales was the first Hispanic to serve as Mayor of San Jose since 1845. Early life Gonzales ...

, Mayor of

Sunnyvale Sunnyvale () is a city located in the Santa Clara Valley in northwest Santa Clara County in the U.S. state of California. Sunnyvale lies along the historic El Camino Real and Highway 101 and is bordered by portions of San Jose to the nort ...

, Mayor of San Jose *

Mike Honda Michael Makoto "Mike" Honda (born June 27, 1941) is an American politician and former educator. A member of the Democratic Party, he served in Congress from 2001 to 2017. Initially involved in education in California, he first became active in ...

, U.S. Representative *

Sherman Otis Houghton Sherman Otis Houghton (April 10, 1828 – August 31, 1914) was an American politician from California. He also married, in succession, two survivors of the Donner Party. Biography Early life and education Houghton was born in New York City, on ...

, Mayor of San Jose, U.S. Representative *

Norman Mineta Norman Yoshio Mineta ( ja, 峯田良雄, November 12, 1931 – May 3, 2022) was an American politician. A member of the Democratic Party, Mineta served in the United States Cabinet for Presidents Bill Clinton, a Democrat, and George W. Bush, a ...

, Mayor of San Jose,

United States Secretary of Transportation The United States secretary of transportation is the head of the United States Department of Transportation. The secretary serves as the principal advisor to the president of the United States on all matters relating to transportation. The secre ...

United States Secretary of Commerce The United States secretary of commerce (SecCom) is the head of the United States Department of Commerce. The secretary serves as the principal advisor to the president of the United States on all matters relating to commerce. The secretary rep ...

, born in San Jose * James F. Reed, organizer of the

Donner Party The Donner Party, sometimes called the Donner–Reed Party, was a group of American pioneers who migrated to California in a wagon train from the Midwest. Delayed by a multitude of mishaps, they spent the winter of 1846–1847 snowbound in th ...

, businessman and soldier * Michael A. Rice, biologist and

Rhode Island Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the List of U.S. states by area, smallest U.S. state by area and the List of states and territories of the United States ...

politician, born in San Jose * Iola Williams, politician and civil rights activist, first African-American to serve on

San Jose City Council The San Jose City Council, officially San José City Council, is the legislature of the government of the City of San Jose, California. As the Mayor of San Jose, Sam Liccardo casts the 11th vote on matters before the council and acts as chair ...

(1979–1991), Vice Mayor of San Jose for two terms

Scientists

* Edgar F. Codd,

computer scientist A computer scientist is a person who is trained in the academic study of computer science. Computer scientists typically work on the theoretical side of computation, as opposed to the hardware side on which computer engineers mainly focus (a ...

Dian Fossey Dian Fossey (, January 16, 1932 – ) was an American primatologist and conservationist known for undertaking an extensive study of mountain gorilla groups from 1966 until her murder in 1985. She studied them daily in the mountain forests of R ...

, primatologist, SJSU graduate * Dudley R. Herschbach, winner of the

1986 The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. **Spain and Portugal en ...

Nobel Prize in Chemistry ) , image = Nobel Prize.png , alt = A golden medallion with an embossed image of a bearded man facing left in profile. To the left of the man is the text "ALFR•" then "NOBEL", and on the right, the text (smaller) "NAT•" then "M ...

, born in San Jose *

Michio Kaku Michio Kaku (, ; born January 24, 1947) is an American theoretical physicist, futurist, and popularizer of science ( science communicator). He is a professor of theoretical physics in the City College of New York and CUNY Graduate Center. Kak ...

, physicist, born in San Jose

Writers

* Reza Aslan,

Iranian-American Iranian Americans are United States citizens or nationals who are of Iranian ancestry or who hold Iranian citizenship. Iranian Americans are among the most highly educated people in the United States. They have historically excelled in busine ...

author, religious studies scholar, producer, and television host; attended Del Mar High School (class of 1990) *

Tad Williams Robert Paul "Tad" Williams (born March 14, 1957) is an American fantasy and science fiction writer. He is the author of the multivolume ''Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn'' series, ''Otherland'' series, and '' Shadowmarch'' series as well as the stan ...

, author of the

Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn ''Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn'' is a trilogy of epic fantasy novels by American writer Tad Williams, comprising '' The Dragonbone Chair'' (1988), '' Stone of Farewell'' (1990), and '' To Green Angel Tower'' (1993). ''Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn'' ta ...

series. *

Raymond Carver Raymond Clevie Carver Jr. (May 25, 1938 – August 2, 1988) was an American short story writer and poet. He contributed to the revitalization of the American short story during the 1980s. Early life Carver was born in Clatskanie, Oregon, a mil ...

, American short story writer and poet *

Carolyn Cassady Carolyn Elizabeth Robinson Cassady (April 28, 1923 – September 20, 2013) was an American writer and associated with the Beat Generation through her marriage to Neal Cassady and her friendships with Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg, and other promin ...

, author of the

Beat Generation The Beat Generation was a literary subculture movement started by a group of authors whose work explored and influenced American culture and politics in the post-war era. The bulk of their work was published and popularized by Silent Genera ...

, lived in San Jose *

Neal Cassady Neal Leon Cassady (February 8, 1926 – February 4, 1968) was a major figure of the Beat Generation of the 1950s and the psychedelic and counterculture movements of the 1960s. He was prominently featured as himself in the "scroll" (first d ...

, author of the Beat Generation,

Merry Pranksters The Merry Pranksters were comrades and followers of American author Ken Kesey in 1964. Ken Kesey and the Merry Pranksters lived communally at Kesey's homes in California and Oregon, and are noted for the sociological significance of a lengthy roa ...

member, inspiration for character Dean Moriarty in

Jack Kerouac Jean-Louis Lebris de Kérouac (; March 12, 1922 – October 21, 1969), known as Jack Kerouac, was an American novelist and poet who, alongside William S. Burroughs and Allen Ginsberg, was a pioneer of the Beat Generation. Of French-Canadian an ...

's novel ''On The Road'', lived in San Jose *

Howard Dully Howard Dully (born November 30, 1948) is one of the youngest recipients and survivors of the transorbital lobotomy, a procedure performed on him when he was 12 years old. Dully received international attention in 2005, following the broadcasting ...

, author, ''My Lobotomy'' * Kate Elliott, novelist *

Khaled Hosseini Khaled Hosseini (;Pashto/Dari ; born March 4, 1965) is an Afghan-American novelist, UNHCR goodwill ambassador, and former physician. His debut novel ''The Kite Runner'' (2003) was a critical and commercial success; the book and his subsequen ...

, best-selling novelist, author of ''

The Kite Runner ''The Kite Runner'' is the first novel by Afghan-American author Khaled Hosseini. Published in 2003 by Riverhead Books, it tells the story of Amir, a young boy from the Wazir Akbar Khan district of Kabul. The story is set against a backdrop of ...

'', lived in San Jose * William Lewis Manly, pioneer, hero, banker, and author of '' Death Valley in '49'' * Viet Thanh Nguyen, author of ''

The Sympathizer ''The Sympathizer'' is the 2015 debut novel by Vietnamese-American professor Viet Thanh Nguyen. It is a best-selling novel and recipient of the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. The novel received generally positive acclaim from critics, and it ...

'', winner of the 2016 Pulitzer Prize in Fiction; attended

Bellarmine College Preparatory Bellarmine College Preparatory is an all-male, Jesuit, private secondary school located in San Jose, California. Founded in 1851, it is the oldest secondary school in California and the second-oldest west of the Mississippi River. In 2020, Niche ...

James Wesley Rawles James Wesley, Rawles (born 1960) is an American author, former U.S. Army Intelligence officer, and survival retreat consultant. Rawles describes himself as a Constitutionalist Christian libertarian. He presents his name as "James Wesley, Rawle ...

, novelist *

Al Ruffo Albert J. Ruffo (July 1, 1908 – February 10, 2003) was an American politician, philanthropist, educator, lawyer, and football coach. Ruffo grew up in Tacoma, Washington. In 1927 he moved to San Jose, California to attend nearby Santa Clara Uni ...

, Mayor of San Jose *

Kay Ryan Kay Ryan (born September 21, 1945) is an American poet and educator. She has published seven volumes of poetry and an anthology of selected and new poems. From 2008 to 2010 she was the sixteenth United States Poet Laureate. In 2011 she was named ...

, poet, former

Poet Laureate of the United States The Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress—commonly referred to as the United States Poet Laureate—serves as the official poet of the United States. During their term, the poet laureate seeks to raise the national cons ...

, born in San Jose *

Amy Tan Amy Ruth Tan (born on February 19, 1952) is an American author known for the novel '' The Joy Luck Club,'' which was adapted into a film of the same name, as well as other novels, short story collections, and children's books. Tan has written ...

, best-selling novelist, author of '' The Joy Luck Club'' *

Louis Theroux Louis Sebastian Theroux (; born 20 May 1970) is a British-American documentarian, journalist, broadcaster, and author. He has received two British Academy Television Awards and a Royal Television Society Television Award. After graduating fro ...

, English documentary filmmaker, journalist and broadcaster *

Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston (born September 26, 1934) is an American writer. Her writings primarily focus on ethnic identity formation in the United States of America. She is best known for her autobiographical novel ''Farewell to Manzanar'' that n ...

, author of the memoirs

Farewell to Manzanar ''Farewell to Manzanar'' is a memoir published in 1973 by Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston and James D. Houston. The book describes the experiences of Jeanne Wakatsuki and her family before, during, and following their relocation to the Manzanar internm ...

, attended high school and college in San Jose

Journalists

Francis B. Murdoch Francis Butter Murdoch (March 21, 1805 – May 10, 1882) was an American attorney and newspaper publisher. As a lawyer, he practiced law in Pennsylvania, Michigan, Illinois and Missouri, and initiated freedom suits for Dred Scott and Harriet Rob ...

, founder and publisher of the ''San Jose Weekly Telegraph'' (1853–1860) and the ''San Jose Weekly Patriot'' (1863–1875) *

Vicky Nguyen Vicky Nguyen (born ) is a Vietnamese-born American investigative journalist working with NBC News in New York City. Nguyen joined NBC News in April 2019 as the Investigative and Consumer correspondent. Her reporting has been seen on ''The Today S ...

, NBC News anchor

Other

Isai Alvarado Joel Isai Alvarado, professionally known as Isai (pronounced "Isaiah"), is an American '' Super Smash Bros. 64'' player widely regarded as the game's greatest player of all time. He is credited with developing the modern ''Smash 64'' metagame and ...

, professional video game player, ''

Super Smash Bros. ''Super Smash Bros.'' is a Crossover (fiction), crossover fighting game series published by Nintendo. The series was created by Masahiro Sakurai, who has directed every game in the series. The series is known for its unique gameplay objectiv ...

'' player *

Susan Atkins Susan Denise Atkins (May 7, 1948 – September 24, 2009) was an American convicted murderer who was a member of Charles Manson's "Family". Manson's followers committed a series of nine murders at four locations in California, over a perio ...

, convicted murderer, Manson Family member *

Joey Chestnut Joseph Christian Chestnut (born November 25, 1983) is an American competitive eater. As of 2022, he is ranked first in the world by Major League Eating. He is a California native and resides in Westfield, Indiana. Chestnut's height is ; his weigh ...

, competitive eater *

Jason Dahl Jason ( ; ) was an ancient Greek mythological hero and leader of the Argonauts, whose quest for the Golden Fleece featured in Greek literature. He was the son of Aeson, the rightful king of Iolcos. He was married to the sorceress Medea. He wa ...

, captain of

United Airlines Flight 93 United Airlines Flight 93 was a domestic scheduled passenger flight that was hijacked by four al-Qaeda attackers aboard the plane on the morning of September 11, 2001, as part of the September 11 attacks. The plane eventually crashed in Som ...

on September 11, 2001, born in San Jose * David Marius Guardino, psychic *

Henry Morris Naglee Henry Morris Naglee (January 15, 1815 – March 5, 1886) was a civil engineer, banker, vintner, and a Union General in the American Civil War. Life and career Naglee was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on January 15, 1815. He graduated from ...

U.S. Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states t ...

general A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of highest military ranks, high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers t ...

and served in the

Mexican–American War The Mexican–American War, also known in the United States as the Mexican War and in Mexico as the (''United States intervention in Mexico''), was an armed conflict between the United States and Mexico from 1846 to 1848. It followed the 1 ...

Matt Stonie Matthew Kai Stonie (born ) is an American competitive eater and YouTuber. He is the number five ranked competitive eater in Major League Eating. Stonie won the 2015 Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest, dethroning 8-time defending champion Joey Ch ...

, competitive eater, born in San Jose *

Henry Suzzallo Henry Suzzallo (August 22, 1875 – September 25, 1933) was the president of the University of Washington from 1915 to 1926. He later served as director of the National Advisory Committee on Education and president of the Carnegie Foundation for ...

, educator *

Rick Warren Richard Duane Warren (born January 28, 1954) is an American Southern Baptist evangelical Christian pastor and author. He is the founder of Saddleback Church, an evangelical megachurch affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention in Lake Fore ...

, pastor *

Sarah Winchester Sarah Lockwood Winchester (née Pardee; 1839 – September 5, 1922) was an American heiress who amassed great wealth after the death of her husband, William Wirt Winchester, and her mother in law, Jane Ellen Hope. Her inheritance included $20 m ...

, heiress to the Winchester Rifle Company,

occultist The occult, in the broadest sense, is a category of esoteric supernatural beliefs and practices which generally fall outside the scope of religion and science, encompassing phenomena involving otherworldly agency, such as magic and mysticism an ...

, architect to the

Winchester Mystery House The Winchester Mystery House is a mansion in San Jose, California, that was once the personal residence of Sarah Winchester, the widow of firearms magnate William Wirt Winchester. The house became a tourist attraction nine months after Winc ...

, lived in San Jose * Matt Field,

Formula D Formula Drift (also known as Formula D) is a United States-based motorsport drifting series. Formula Drift, Inc. was co-founded by Jim Liaw and Ryan Sage in 2003 as a sister company to Slipstream Global Marketing, the same partnership that int ...

driver

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:List of People From San Jose, California San Jose San Jose

People A person (plural, : people) is a being that has certain capacities or attributes such as reason, morality, consciousness or self-consciousness, and being a part of a culturally established form of social relations such as kinship, ownership of pr ...

Actors and entertainment industry

Artists

Comics and zines

Mixed media

Painters

Photographers

Sculptors

Athletes

Business leaders and entrepreneurs

Chefs

Dancers

Designers

Musicians and bands

Politicians, civil servants and activists

Scientists

Writers

Journalists

Other

See also

References