This is a list of notable
Romanian-Americans, including both original immigrants from
Romania
Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Moldova to the east, and ...
who obtained American citizenship and their American descendants.
Academics
Literary Critics
*
Matei Călinescu – professor at
Indiana University Bloomington
Indiana University Bloomington (IU Bloomington, Indiana University, IU, or simply Indiana) is a public research university in Bloomington, Indiana. It is the flagship campus of Indiana University and, with over 40,000 students, its largest ca ...
Mathematicians
*
Alexandra Bellow – mathematician, Professor Emeritus at
Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world.
Charte ...
*
Ana Caraiani – mathematician, member of the
American Mathematical Society
The American Mathematical Society (AMS) is an association of professional mathematicians dedicated to the interests of mathematical research and scholarship, and serves the national and international community through its publications, meetings, ...
*
Ioana Dumitriu
Ioana Dumitriu (born July 6, 1976) is a Romanian-American mathematician who works as a professor of mathematics at the University of California, San Diego.[University of Washington
The University of Washington (UW, simply Washington, or informally U-Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington.
Founded in 1861, Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast; it was established in Seattl ...](_bla ...<br></span></div> – mathematician, professor at the <div class=)
*
Ciprian Foias
Ciprian Ilie Foiaș (20 July 1933 – 22 March 2020) was a Romanian-American mathematician. He was awarded the Norbert Wiener Prize in Applied Mathematics in 1995, for his contributions in operator theory.
Education and career
Born in Reșița ...
– mathematician, distinguished professor at
Texas A&M University
Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, or TAMU) is a public, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System in 1948. As of late 2021, T ...
*
Tudor Ganea
Tudor Ganea (October 17, 1922 –August 1971) was a Romanian-American mathematician, known for his work in algebraic topology, especially homotopy theory. Ganea left Communist Romania to settle in the United States in the early 1960s. He tau ...
– mathematician, known for his work in
algebraic topology
Algebraic topology is a branch of mathematics that uses tools from abstract algebra to study topological spaces. The basic goal is to find algebraic invariants that classify topological spaces up to homeomorphism, though usually most classify ...
*
Nicholas Georgescu-Roegen
Nicholas Georgescu-Roegen (born Nicolae Georgescu, 4 February 1906 – 30 October 1994) was a Romanian mathematician, statistician and economist. He is best known today for his 1971 ''The Entropy Law and the Economic Process'', in which he argu ...
– mathematician, statistician, and economist
*
Matei Machedon – mathematician, professor at the
University of Maryland
The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the University System of M ...
*
Ciprian Manolescu
Ciprian Manolescu (born December 24, 1978) is a Romanian-American mathematician, working in gauge theory, symplectic geometry, and low-dimensional topology. He is currently a professor of mathematics at Stanford University.
Biography
Manoles ...
– mathematician, professor at
Stanford University
*
Irina Mitrea – mathematician, professor at
Temple University
Temple University (Temple or TU) is a public state-related research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1884 by the Baptist minister Russell Conwell and his congregation Grace Baptist Church of Philadelphia then calle ...
*
Mircea Mustaţă – mathematician, professor at the
University of Michigan
, mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth"
, former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821)
, budget = $10.3 billion (2021)
, endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...
*
Florian Pop – mathematician, professor at the
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest-regarded universitie ...
*
Mihnea Popa – mathematician, professor at
Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world.
Charte ...
*
Sorin Popa
Sorin Teodor Popa (24 March 1953) is a Romanian American mathematician working on operator algebras. He is a professor at the University of California, Los Angeles.
Biography
Popa earned his PhD from the University of Bucharest in 1983 under the s ...
– mathematician, professor at the
University of California, Los Angeles
The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California S ...
*
Cristian Dumitru Popescu – mathematician, professor at the
University of California, San Diego
The University of California, San Diego (UC San Diego or colloquially, UCSD) is a public land-grant research university in San Diego, California. Established in 1960 near the pre-existing Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego is t ...
*
Ovidiu Savin
Ovidiu Vasile Savin (born January 1, 1977) is a Romanian-American mathematician who is active in the field of the partial differential equations.
Scientific activity
Savin received his Ph.D. in mathematics from the University of Texas at Austin ...
– mathematician, professor at
Columbia University
Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...
*
Rodica Simion
Rodica Eugenia Simion (January 18, 1955 – January 7, 2000) was a Romanian-American mathematician. She was the Columbian School Professor of Mathematics at George Washington University. Her research concerned combinatorics: she was a pioneer in t ...
– mathematician, known for her work in
combinatorics
*
Ileana Streinu – mathematician, professor at
Smith College
*
Bogdan Suceavă – mathematician, professor at
California State University Fullerton
California State University, Fullerton (CSUF or Cal State Fullerton) is a public university in Fullerton, California. With a total enrollment of more than 41,000, it has the largest student body of the 23-campus California State University (CSU) ...
*
Dan-Virgil Voiculescu – mathematician, professor at the
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant u ...
*
Alexandru Zaharescu
Alexandru Zaharescu (born June 4, 1961) is a Romanian mathematician. He is a professor in the Department of Mathematics, University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, and a Senior Researcher at the Institute of Mathematics of the Romanian Academy ...
– mathematician, professor at the
University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign
The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U of I, Illinois, University of Illinois, or UIUC) is a public land-grant research university in Illinois in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana. It is the flagship institution of the Univer ...
Historians, sociologists and philosophers
*
Eugene Borza
Eugene N. Borza (3 March 1935 – 5 September 2021) was a professor emeritus of ancient history at Pennsylvania State University, where he taught from 1964 until 1995.
Academic career
Born in Cleveland, Ohio, USA, Borza came from a family of immi ...
– professor of history at
Pennsylvania State University
*
Ioan Petru Culianu – historian of religion
*
Mircea Eliade
Mircea Eliade (; – April 22, 1986) was a Romanian historian of religion, fiction writer, philosopher, and professor at the University of Chicago. He was a leading interpreter of religious experience, who established paradigms in religiou ...
– philosopher, writer, historian of religions
*
Radu Florescu – emeritus professor of history at
Boston College
Art
*
Art Garfunkel
Arthur Ira Garfunkel (born November 5, 1941) is an American singer, poet, and actor. He is best known for his partnership with Paul Simon in the folk rock duo Simon & Garfunkel.
Highlights of Garfunkel's solo music career include one top-10 h ...
– musician
*
Eugen Ciucă – sculptor
*
Noche Crist – painter
*
Christopher Georgesco – sculptor
*
Cristian Gheorghiu – contemporary artist
*
Ami James
Ami James ( he, עמי ג'יימס; born 6 April 1972) is an Israeli-American tattoo artist, television personality and entrepreneur.
Early life
James was born in the Egyptian city of Sharm El Sheikh (then occupied by Israel). His American-bo ...
– tattoo artist
*
De Hirsh Margules
De Hirsh Margules (1899–1965) was a Romanian-born American "abstract realist"De Hirsh Margules Dies at 65; A Greenwich Village Notable - "Painter, Poet and Reporter Was the 'Man Who Knew Everyone'" in Area", ''The New York Times'', (1965, Febru ...
– painter (Romanian-Jewish descent)
*
Alexandra Nechita – cubist painter
Architects
*
Max Abramovitz
Max Abramovitz (May 23, 1908 – September 12, 2004) was an American architect. He was best known for his work with the New York City firm Harrison & Abramovitz.
Life
Abramovitz was the son of Romanian Jewish immigrant parents. He graduate ...
– architect of
Avery Fisher Hall
David Geffen Hall is a concert hall in New York City's Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts complex on Manhattan's Upper West Side. The 2,200-seat auditorium opened in 1962, and is the home of the New York Philharmonic.
The facility, desi ...
, of Romanian-Jewish descent
*
Haralamb H. Georgescu – architect
Business
*
Micky Arison
Micky Arison (born June 29, 1949) is an Israeli-American billionaire businessman and chairman of Carnival Corporation, the world's largest cruise operator. From 1979 until 2013, he was also the company's chief executive officer. Arison is also the ...
– chairman of
Carnival Corporation and owner of NBA's
Miami Heat
The Miami Heat are an American professional basketball team based in Miami. The Heat compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The club plays its home games at FT ...
*
Jeffrey Brotman
Jeffrey Hart Brotman (September 27, 1942 – August 1, 2017) was an American attorney, entrepreneur, and executive. Brotman was the co-founder and chairman of Costco Wholesale Corporation.
Early life and education
Brotman was born in a Jewish fam ...
– co-founder of
Costco Wholesale Corporation
Costco Wholesale Corporation (doing business as Costco Wholesale and also known simply as Costco) is an American multinational corporation which operates a chain of membership-only big-box retail stores (warehouse club). As of 2022, Costco i ...
(Romanian-Jewish descent)
*
Safra Catz
Safra Ada Catz ( he, צפרא עדה כץ; born December 1, 1961) is an American billionaire banker and technology executive. She is the CEO of Oracle Corporation. She has been an executive at Oracle since April 1999, and a board member since 20 ...
– CEO of
Oracle Corporation
*
Dan Dascalescu – entrepreneur, co-founder of
Blueseed
*
John DeLorean
John Zachary DeLorean (January 6, 1925 – March 19, 2005) was an American engineer, inventor, and executive in the U.S. automobile industry, widely known for his work at General Motors and as founder of the DeLorean Motor Company.
DeLorean man ...
– engineer, founder of the
DeLorean Motor Company
The DeLorean Motor Company (DMC) was an American automobile manufacturer formed by automobile industry executive John DeLorean in 1975. It is remembered for the one model it produced—the stainless steel DeLorean sports car featuring gull- ...
*
Peter Georgescu Peter Andrew Georgescu (born March 9, 1939 in Bucharest) is a Romanian-American business executive, author, and the Chairman Emeritus of Young & Rubicam.
Early life and education
Peter's father, Valeriu C. Georgescu was the manager of the Romanian ...
– chairman emeritus of
Young & Rubicam
VMLY&R is an American marketing and communications company specializing in advertising, digital and social media, sales promotion, direct marketing and brand identity consulting, formed from the merger of VML, founded in 1992, and Young & Rubica ...
*
Michael Horodniceanu – engineer and businessman, former president of
MTA Capital Construction
MTA Construction and Development Company is a subsidiary of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), formed in July 2003 as MTA Capital Construction Company to manage the MTA's major capital projects in the New York metropolitan area. I ...
*
Stephanie Korey – co-founder and executive chairman of
Away
*
David Marcus – former President of
PayPal
PayPal Holdings, Inc. is an American multinational financial technology company operating an online payments system in the majority of countries that support online money transfers, and serves as an electronic alternative to traditional paper ...
, and current Vice President of Messaging Products at
Facebook
Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin Mosk ...
*
Martin Bud Seretean – founder, and former CEO of Coronet Industries.
*
Anastasia Soare – CEO and founder of
Anastasia Beverly Hills
*
Christine Valmy – founded the first
esthetician
Cosmetology (from Greek , ''kosmētikos'', "beautifying"; and , ''-logia'') is the study and application of beauty treatment. Branches of specialty include hairstyling, skin care, cosmetics, manicures/pedicures, non-permanent hair removal such a ...
school in the United States
Entertainment
Actors
*
Sadie Alexandru – actress
*
Lauren Bacall – actress (Romanian Jewish mother)
*
Bob Balaban
Robert Elmer Balaban (born August 16, 1945) is an American actor, author, comedian, director and producer. He was one of the producers nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture for ''Gosford Park'' (2001), in which he also appeared.
Balab ...
– actor (part Romanian-Jewish descent)
*
Jillian Bell
Jillian Leigh Bell (born April 25, 1984) is an American actress, comedian and screenwriter. She stars in the 2019 film ''Brittany Runs a Marathon'' and 2022's ''I'm Totally Fine''. She starred as Jillian Belk on ''Workaholics'', voiced the role o ...
– actress and screenwriter
*
Tim Conway
Thomas Daniel "Tim" Conway (December 15, 1933 – May 14, 2019) was an American actor, comedian, writer, and director. From 1966 to 2012 he appeared in more than 100 TV shows, TV series and films. Among his more notable roles, he portrayed the ...
– actor and comedian (Romanian mother)
*
Melinda Culea – actress
*
Fran Drescher
Francine Joy Drescher (born September 30, 1957) is an American actress, comedian, writer, activist, and trade union leader. She is known for her role as Fran Fine in the television sitcom '' The Nanny'' (1993–1999), which she created and prod ...
– actress and comedian (part Romanian-Jewish descent)
*
Illeana Douglas
Illeana Hesselberg (born July 25, 1961 or 1965), known professionally as Illeana Douglas, is an American actress and filmmaker. She appeared in three episodes of '' Six Feet Under'', for which she received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination as O ...
– actress
*
Jennifer Ehle
Jennifer Anne Ehle (; born December 29, 1969) is an American actress, the daughter of English actress Rosemary Harris and American author John Ehle. She gained fame for her role as Elizabeth Bennet in the 1995 BBC miniseries '' Pride and Prejudi ...
– actress
*
Lisa Ferraday
Lisa Ferraday (born Lisa Demezey; March 10, 1921 – March 22, 2004) was a Romanian-American model and actress. As an actress she appeared in theatre, radio and television but is best known for her appearances as a leading lady in several Col ...
– actress
*
Ana Gasteyer
Ana Kristina Gasteyer (born May 4, 1967) is an American actress and comedian. She was a cast member on ''Saturday Night Live'' from 1996 to 2002. She has since starred in such sitcoms as ABC's '' Suburgatory,'' TBS's ''People of Earth'', NBC's ...
– actress and comedian
*
Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Joseph Leonard Gordon-Levitt (; born February 17, 1981) is an American actor. He has received various accolades, including nominations for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy for his leading performances ...
– actor (part Romanian-Jewish descent)
*
Oana Gregory – actress
*
Dustin Hoffman
Dustin Lee Hoffman (born August 8, 1937) is an American actor and filmmaker. As one of the key actors in the formation of New Hollywood, Hoffman is known for his versatile portrayals of antiheroes and emotionally vulnerable characters. He is ...
– actor and filmmaker (part Romanian-Jewish descent)
*
Harvey Keitel
Harvey Keitel ( ; born May 13, 1939) is an American actor. He is known for his portrayal of morally ambiguous and "tough guy" characters. He first rose to prominence during the New Hollywood movement, and has held a long-running association with ...
– actor and producer (Romanian Jewish mother)
*
Tristan Leabu – actor
*
Andrea Marcovicci
Andrea Louisa Marcovicci ( ro, Marcovici; born November 18, 1948) is an American actress and singer.
Life and career
Marcovicci was born in Manhattan, to Helen Stuart, a singer, and Eugen Marcovicci, a physician and internist of Romanian desce ...
– actress and singer
*
Carl Reiner
Carl Reiner (March 20, 1922 – June 29, 2020) was an American actor, stand-up comedian, director, screenwriter, and author whose career spanned seven decades. He was the recipient of many awards and honors, including 11 Primetime Emmy Awards, ...
– comedian and actor (Romanian Jewish mother)
*
Edward G. Robinson – actor (Romanian-Jewish descent)
*
Sebastian Stan
Sebastian Stan (born August 13, 1982) is a Romanian-American actor. He gained recognition for his role as Bucky Barnes / Winter Soldier in the Marvel Cinematic Universe media franchise beginning with the film '' Captain America: The First Ave ...
– actor
*
Johnny Pacar – actor and singer
*
Johnny Weissmuller
Johnny Weissmuller (born Johann Peter Weißmüller; June 2, 1904 – January 20, 1984) was an American Olympic swimmer, water polo player and actor. He was known for having one of the best competitive swimming records of the 20th century. H ...
– Olympic swimmer, water polo player and actor
*
David Pittu – actor
*
Natalie Portman
Natalie Portman (born Natalie Hershlag, he, נטע-לי הרשלג, ) is an Israeli-born American actress. She has had a prolific film career since her teenage years and has starred in various blockbusters and independent films, receiving mu ...
– Academy Award-winning actress (part Romanian-Jewish descent)
*
Ray Wise – actor (Romanian mother)
*
Adrian Zmed
Adrian George Zmed (born March 14, 1954) is an American actor, singer and television personality, noted for the roles of Johnny Nogerelli in ''Grease 2'' and Officer Vince Romano in the '' T.J. Hooker'' television series.
Early life
Zmed was bo ...
– actor best known from the
T.J. Hooker
''T. J. Hooker'' is an American police drama television program starring William Shatner in the title role as a 15-year veteran police sergeant. The series premiered as a mid-season replacement on March 13, 1982, on ABC and ran on the network un ...
television series.
Screenwriter, directors and producer of films and theatre
*
Frieda Fishbein – literary and theatrical agent
*
Stanley Kubrick – film director, screenwriter, producer and photographer. His father's parents and paternal grandparents were of Romanian Jewish descent.
*
Jean Negulesco
Jean Negulesco (born Ioan Negulescu; – 18 July 1993) was a Romanian-American film director and screenwriter.Oliver, Myrna"Jean Negulesco 1900–1993 ''The Los Angeles Times'', 22 July 1993. He first gained notice for his film noirs and later ...
– film director and screenwriter
*
Petru Popescu – screenwriter from Hollywood and best-selling author
*
Steve Sabol – film producer and one of the founders of
NFL Films
NFL Productions, LLC, doing business as NFL Films, is the film and television production company of the National Football League. It produces commercials, television programs, feature films, and documentaries for and about the NFL, as well as ...
*
Andrei Șerban – director of theater and opera
*
Erwin Stoff
Erwin Stoff (born 26 April 1951 in Vorona) is a Romanian-born American film producer. He is best known for being the president of company 3 Arts Entertainment, Inc., based in Beverly Hills, CA. Among his credits are ''The Matrix'', '' Beautiful ...
– film producer and founder of
3 Arts Entertainment
3 Arts Entertainment is an American talent management and television/film production company founded by Erwin Stoff, Michael Rotenberg and Howard Klein in 1991.
The company has gone on to produce TV shows such as '' King of the Hill'', ''The Of ...
Singers and musicians
*
Herb Alpert
Herb Alpert (born March 31, 1935) is an American trumpeter who led the band Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass in the 1960s. During the same decade, he co-founded A&M Records with Jerry Moss. Alpert has recorded 28 albums that have landed on the ...
– lead singer, and horn player with
(Romanian-Jewish descent)
*
Lucian Ban – jazz piano player, composer
*
Laura Bretan – soprano singer
*
Yeat
Noah Olivier Smith (born February 26, 2000), known professionally as Yeat (occasionally stylized as YEAT ), is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He gained recognition in mid-2021 after the release of his mixtape ''4L' ...
- rapper
*
Shelby Cinca
The Cassettes (also known as ''The Cassettes Musical Explorers Society'') are a Washington, D.C., based "Mystic Country"/ Steampunk band formed in 1999.
History
The Cassettes were originally formed as an outgrowth of front-man Shelby Cinca’s fo ...
– punk rock guitarist
*
Sergiu Comissiona
Sergiu Comissiona (June 16, 1928 – March 5, 2005) was a Romanian-Israeli-American conductor and violinist.
Biography
Early life
Born in Bucharest, Romania in a Jewish family, he began violin studies at the age of five, was hired as a violin ...
– conductor and musician
*
Valery Gaina - guitarist, songwriter, composer
*
Art Garfunkel
Arthur Ira Garfunkel (born November 5, 1941) is an American singer, poet, and actor. He is best known for his partnership with Paul Simon in the folk rock duo Simon & Garfunkel.
Highlights of Garfunkel's solo music career include one top-10 h ...
– singer, poet, and actor (Romanian-Jewish descent)
*
Angela Gheorghiu
Angela Gheorghiu (; ; born 7 September 1965) is a Romanian soprano, especially known for her performances in the operas of Puccini and Verdi, widely recognised by critics and opera lovers as one of the greatest sopranos of all time.
Embarking ...
– soprano
*
Alma Gluck
Alma Gluck (May 11, 1884October 27, 1938) was a Romanian-born American soprano.
Biography
Gluck was born as Reba Feinsohn to a Jewish family in Iași, Romania, the daughter of Zara and Leon Feinsohn. Gluck moved to the United States at a you ...
– soprano
*
Christina Grimmie – singer
*
Harloe
Jessica Ashley Karpov (born July 10, 1992), better known as Harloe (stylized in all caps), is an American singer and songwriter, based in Los Angeles. In addition to her career as a recording artist, Karpov co-wrote and co-produced four songs on ...
– singer
*
Yolanda Marculescu – soprano
*
Necro – rapper
*
Margareta Paslaru – singer
*
Irma Wolpe Rademacher - pianist
*
Beverly Sills
Beverly Sills (May 25, 1929July 2, 2007) was an American operatic soprano whose peak career was between the 1950s and 1970s.
Although she sang a repertoire from Handel and Mozart to Puccini, Massenet and Verdi, she was especially renowned f ...
– soprano
*
Virginia Zeani – opera singer
Sports
*
Fred Arbanas
Frederick Vincent Arbanas (January 14, 1939 – April 16, 2021) was an American football tight end. He played college football for the Michigan State Spartans. Arbanas was drafted in the second round (22nd overall) in the 1961 NFL Draft by the ...
(1939–2021) – American football player
*
Nadia Comăneci
Nadia Elena Comăneci Conner (born November 12, 1961) is a Romanian retired gymnast and a five-time Olympic gold medalist, all in individual events. In 1976, at the age of 14, Comăneci was the first gymnast to be awarded a perfect score of 10 ...
(born 1961) – Olympic gold medalist in gymnastics (defected to the US in 1989)
*
Danny Barbir (born 1998) – soccer player
*
Sam Cosmi (born 1999) – American football player
*
Nick Denes (1906–1975) – American football and basketball coach
*
Eric Ghiaciuc (born 1981) – American football player
*
John Ghindia (1925–2012) – American football player and coach
*
Bill Goldberg
William Scott Goldberg (born December 27, 1966), often known mononymously as Goldberg, is an American semi-retired professional wrestler and former professional football player. He is best known for his tenures in WCW and WWE.
One of the most ...
(born 1966) – American football player and undefeated
wrestler
Wrestling is a series of combat sports involving grappling-type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. Wrestling techniques have been incorporated into martial arts, combat spor ...
(Romanian-Jewish descent).
*
Hroniss Grasu (born 1991) – American football player
*
Hank Greenberg
Henry Benjamin Greenberg (born Hyman Greenberg; January 1, 1911 – September 4, 1986), nicknamed "Hammerin' Hank", "Hankus Pankus", or "The Hebrew Hammer", was an American professional baseball player and team executive. He played in Major Leagu ...
(1911–1986) –
Baseball Hall of Famer (Romanian-Jewish descent).
*
Lou Groza
Louis Roy Groza (January 25, 1924 – November 29, 2000), nicknamed "the Toe", was an American professional football player who was a placekicker and offensive tackle while playing his entire career for the Cleveland Browns in the All-America F ...
(1924–2000) –
Pro Football Hall of Fame
The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame for professional American football, located in Canton, Ohio. Opened on September 7, , the Hall of Fame enshrines exceptional figures in the sport of professional football, including players, coa ...
r
*
Ernie Grunfeld
Ernest Grunfeld (born April 24, 1955) is a Romanian-American former professional basketball player and former general manager in the National Basketball Association (NBA). In college at the University of Tennessee, he set a new record as the sch ...
(born 1955) – basketball player and former general manager of the
Washington Wizards
The Washington Wizards are an American professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C. The Wizards compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The team plays ...
*
Red Holzman
William "Red" Holzman (August 10, 1920 – November 13, 1998) was an American professional basketball player and coach. He is best known as the head coach of the New York Knicks of the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1967 to ...
(1920–1998) –
NBA Hall of Fame
The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is an American history museum and hall of fame, located at 1000 Hall of Fame Avenue in Springfield, Massachusetts. It serves as basketball's most complete library, in addition to promoting and prese ...
coach and former player (Romanian Jewish mother)
*
Sabrina Ionescu
Sabrina Elaine Ionescu (born December 6, 1997) is an American professional basketball player for the New York Liberty of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She played college basketball for the Oregon Ducks. She is the NCAA all- ...
(born 1997) – basketball player for the
New York Liberty; college honors at the
University of Oregon
The University of Oregon (UO, U of O or Oregon) is a public research university in Eugene, Oregon. Founded in 1876, the institution is well known for its strong ties to the sports apparel and marketing firm Nike, Inc, and its co-founder, billion ...
include multiple national player of the year awards in
2019
File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...
and
2020
2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global social and economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, worldwide lockdowns and the largest economic recession since the Great Depression in t ...
*
Fred Lebow
Fred Lebow (June 3, 1932 – October 9, 1994), born Fischel Lebowitz, was a runner, race director, and founder of the New York City Marathon. Born in Arad, Romania, he presided over the transformation of the race from one with 55 finishers in 1970 ...
(1932–1994) – founder of the
New York City Marathon
The New York City Marathon (currently branded TCS New York City Marathon after its headline sponsor (commercial), sponsor) is an annual Marathon (sport), marathon () that courses through the five boroughs of New York City. It is the largest mar ...
*
Dominique Moceanu
Dominique Helena Moceanu (, ; ; born September 30, 1981) is a retired American gymnast. She was a member of the gold-medal-winning United States women's gymnastics team (the " Magnificent Seven") at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta.
Moceanu ...
(born 1981) – US Olympic gymnast
*
Corina Morariu
Corina Maria Morariu (born January 26, 1978) is an American former professional tennis player.
Morariu (pronounced: mo-RA-R'ju) was born in Detroit, Michigan and is of Romanian descent. She turned professional in 1994. Mainly known as a doubles ...
(born 1978) – former professional tennis player, reached the world No. 1 ranking in doubles in 2000
*
Gheorghe Mureșan
Gheorghe Dumitru Mureșan (; born 14 February 1971), also known as "Ghiță" (), is a Romanian former professional basketball player. At , he is tied with Manute Bol for the tallest player ever to have played in the NBA.
Early life
Mureșan was ...
(born 1971) – former NBA player; lives in USA
*
Stephen Negoesco (1925–2019) – soccer coach
*
Betty Okino
Elizabeth Anna Okino (born June 4, 1975 in Entebbe, Uganda) is a retired American gymnast, a member of the famous "Károlyi Six-Pack" who in 1992, helped the United States win their first Olympic team medal, in a non-boycotted Olympic Games. She ...
(born 1975) – US Olympic gymnast
*
Sam Paulescu (born 1984) – American football player
*
Nick Roman
Nicholas George Roman (September 23, 1947 – May 18, 2003) was an American football defensive end who played five seasons in the National Football League (NFL) with the Cincinnati Bengals and Cleveland Browns. He was drafted by the Bengals in th ...
(1947–2003) – American football player
*
Dolph Schayes
Adolph Schayes (May 19, 1928 – December 10, 2015) was an American professional basketball player and coach in the National Basketball Association (NBA). A top scorer and rebounder, he was a 12-time NBA All-Star and a 12-time All-NBA selection. ...
(1928–2015) – NBA
Hall of Famer player and coach
*
Bud Selig
Allan Huber "Bud" Selig
(; born July 30, 1934) is an American baseball executive who currently serves as the Commissioner Emeritus of Baseball. Previously, he served as the ninth Commissioner of Baseball from 1998 to 2015. He initially served as ...
(born 1934) – Commissioner of Major League Baseball
*
Charley Stanceu (1916–1969) – baseball player
*
Mark Suciu (born 1992) – professional skateboarder
*
Otmar Szafnauer
Otmar Szafnauer (born 13 August 1964) is a Romanian-American engineer.
Biography
Szafnauer was born in Semlac, a small village in Western Romania to an American father of German descent and a Romanian mother. His family moved to Detroit in th ...
(born 1964) – Team Principal of the
Alpine F1 Team
Alpine F1 Team, competing as BWT Alpine F1 Team, is a Formula One constructor which made its debut at the start of the 2021 Formula One World Championship. Formerly named Renault F1 Team and owned by the French automotive company Groupe Renault ...
*
Kevin Youkilis
Kevin Edmund Youkilis (; born March 15, 1979), nicknamed "Youk" , is an American former professional baseball first baseman and third baseman, who primarily played for the Boston Red Sox. A native of Cincinnati, Ohio, he was drafted by the Red S ...
(born 1979) – Major League Baseball player; first baseman for the
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eigh ...
Law
*
Timothy Stanceu –
Chief United States Judge of the
United States Court of International Trade
The United States Court of International Trade (case citations: Int'l Trade or Intl. Trade) is a U.S. federal court that adjudicates civil actions arising out of U.S. customs and international trade laws. Seated in New York City, it exercises ...
*
David Sam - Senior Judge of the
United States District Court for the District of Utah
The United States District Court for the District of Utah (in case citations, D. Utah) is the federal district court whose jurisdiction is the state of Utah. The court is based in Salt Lake City with another courtroom leased in thstate courth ...
Media/Journalism
*
Rukmini Callimachi
Rukmini Maria Callimachi (born Sichitiu on 25 June 1973) is a Romanian-born American journalist. She currently works for ''The New York Times''.
Background
Callimachi gained her name "Rukmini" through her family's closeness to the Indian theos ...
– journalist, ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
''
*
Harry Caray
Harry Christopher Caray (; March 1, 1914 – February 18, 1998) was an American radio and television sportscaster. During his career he called the play-by-play for five Major League Baseball teams, beginning with 25 years of calling the games ...
– former baseball broadcaster
*
Chip Caray – sports broadcaster for ''
Fox Sports South
Bally Sports South (BSSO) is an American regional sports network owned by Diamond Sports Group, and operates as an affiliate of Bally Sports Networks. The network carries regional coverage of professional and collegiate sports events from across ...
''
*
Liz Claman
Elizabeth Kate Claman (born December 12, 1963) is the anchor of the Fox Business show ''The Claman Countdown''. Claman was previously the co-anchor of the CNBC morning television program '' Morning Call''. Before that, Claman was the co-host ...
– anchor of the
Fox Business Network
Fox Business (officially known as Fox Business Network, or FBN) is an American business news channel and website publication owned by the Fox News Media division of Fox Corporation. The channel broadcasts primarily from studios at 1211 Avenu ...
show ''Countdown to the Closing Bell''
*
Horace Dediu – technology journalist
*
Steve Fainaru
Steve Fainaru ( ro, Făinaru; born 1962) is an American investigative journalist and senior writer for ESPN.com and ''ESPN The Magazine''. He was previously a correspondent for the ''Washington Post'', where his coverage of the Iraq War earned him ...
– investigative journalist and senior writer for
ESPN.com
ESPN.com is the official website of ESPN. It is owned by ESPN Internet Ventures, a division of ESPN Inc.
History
Since launching in April 1995 as ESPNET.SportsZone.com (ESPNET SportsZone), the website has developed numerous sections including ...
and ''
ESPN The Magazine
''ESPN The Magazine'' was an American monthly sports magazine published by the ESPN sports network in Bristol, Connecticut. The first issue was published on March 11, 1998. Initially published every other week, it scaled back to 24 issues a year ...
''
*
John Florea
John Florea (born in Alliance, Ohio on May 28, 1916; died in Las Vegas on August 25, 2000) was an American television director and a photographer.
Career
Florea started as a photographer for the San Francisco Examiner, then was signed onto the ...
– photojournalist for ''
Life magazine''
*
Lisa Kennedy – host of the ''Kennedy'' show on the ''
Fox Business Network
Fox Business (officially known as Fox Business Network, or FBN) is an American business news channel and website publication owned by the Fox News Media division of Fox Corporation. The channel broadcasts primarily from studios at 1211 Avenu ...
''
*
Dan Moldea – author and investigative journalist
*
George Puscas – sports reporter for the ''
Detroit Free Press
The ''Detroit Free Press'' is the largest daily newspaper in Detroit, Michigan, US. The Sunday edition is titled the ''Sunday Free Press''. It is sometimes referred to as the Freep (reflected in the paper's web address, www.freep.com). It primari ...
''
*
Marc Stein – sports reporter for ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
'' (Romanian-Jewish descent)
*
Brian Unger
Brian Douglas Unger
(born 1965) is an American actor, comedian, writer, producer, and commentator.
Biography
Born in Dayton, Ohio to Richard ("Rich") Unger and Eleanor ("Ellie") Oprea, Unger grew up in Granville, Ohio. He graduated from Granvill ...
– journalist and commentator for ''
NPR
National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other ...
''
Military
*
Nicolae Dunca
Nicolae Dunca (1837 – June 8, 1862) was a Romanian military officer who served in several conflicts in Europe and in the American Civil War.
Life and career
Dunca was born in 1837 in Iași, Moldavia.Eugene PiványHungarians in the American Civi ...
– captain in the
12th New York Infantry Regiment
The 12th New York Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War.
Service
3 Month Service of the 12th New York State Militia
The 12th New York Volunteer Infantry is sometimes confused with the 12th New ...
in the American Civil War
*
George Pomutz
George Pomutz (in Romanian: Gheorghe Pomuț, in Hungarian: Pomucz György or Pomutz György; May 31, 1818 – October 12, 1882) was a Romanian-American officer during the Hungarian Revolution of 1848 against the Habsburgs, a general in the Union ...
–
Brevet Brigadier General, commanded the
15th Iowa Infantry Regiment in the
American 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 ...
*
Eugen Ghica-Comănești – captain in the
5th New York Volunteer Infantry in the American Civil War
*
Alexander Vraciu –
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
Navy pilot; ace
Politics
*
Steven Fulop
Steven Michael Fulop (born February 28, 1977) is an American politician serving as the 49th and current mayor of Jersey City, New Jersey. A Democrat, he was formerly the Councilman for Jersey City's Ward E. On May 14, 2013, Fulop defeated incumbe ...
– current
Mayor of Jersey City
The Mayor of the City of Jersey City is the head of the executive branch of the government of Jersey City, New Jersey, United States. The mayor has the duty to enforce the municipal charter and ordinances; prepare the annual budget; appoint depu ...
(Romanian-Jewish descent)
*
Michael Gruitza
Michael C. Gruitza ( ro, Gruița; born May 2, 1951) is a former Democratic member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.
Gruzita attended Kennedy Catholic High School, graduating in 1969.
He earned a degree from Gannon College in 1973 ...
– former
Democratic member of the
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
*
Chris Lauzen
Christopher John Lauzen is an American politician, businessman, and Certified Public Accountant who served as the chairman of the Kane County Board in Illinois. Lauzen was elected in 2012. He previously served as a Republican member of the Illin ...
–
Illinois
Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rockf ...
state senator of District 25 (1993–2013)
*
John Rakolta
John Rakolta Jr ( ro, Racolța; born June 15, 1947 in Oakland County, Michigan) is an American businessman and a former diplomat who served as the United States Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates from 2019 to 2021. He is the former CEO of Wa ...
– former
United States Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates
The ambassador of the United States to the United Arab Emirates is the official representative of the president of the United States to the head of state of the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The U.S. embassy to the UAE is located in Embassies Dist ...
appointed by
Donald Trump
Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021.
Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of P ...
*
Elizabeth Tamposi – former
Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs at the
U.S. Department of State
The United States Department of State (DOS), or State Department, is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy and relations. Equivalent to the ministry of foreign affairs of other ...
(1989–1992)
*
Ben Toma
Ben Toma is an American politician serving as a member of the Arizona House of Representatives for the 27th district. Elected in November 2016, he assumed office in January 2017. He was selected to be Speaker of the House in 2022, taking office ...
- the 55th Speaker of the
Arizona House of Representatives
*
Adrian Zuckerman – former
United States Ambassador to Romania
A United States diplomatic representative to Romania has existed since 1880. The United States formally recognized Romania in 1878, following the Treaty of Berlin; diplomatic relations were opened in 1880, and American diplomats were sent to the ...
appointed by
Donald Trump
Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021.
Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of P ...
, first US Ambassador born in Romania
Religion
*
John Michael Botean – Romanian Greek-Catholic bishop
*
Nathaniel Popp – Romanian Orthodox Archbishop
*
Vasile Louis Puscas
Vasile Louis Puscas ( ro, Puşcaş; September 13, 1915 – October 3, 2009) was an American prelate of the Romanian Catholic Church.
Puscas was born in Aurora, Illinois and was ordained to the priesthood on May 14, 1942. He was appointed ap ...
– Romanian Greek-Catholic bishop
*
Alexander Ratiu
Priesthood (Catholic Church), Father Alexander Ratiu ( ro, Rațiu; 4 May 1916 – 25 July 2002) was a Romanian people, Romanian-American priest of the Romanian Church United with Rome, Greek-Catholic, Romanian Greek-Catholic Church. While serving ...
– former
Romanian Greek-Catholic priest
A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in partic ...
and author
*
Valerian Trifa
Valerian Trifa (; secular name Viorel Donise Trifa ; June 28, 1914 – January 28, 1987) was a Romanian Orthodox cleric and fascist political activist, who served as archbishop of the Romanian Orthodox Church in America and Canada. For part of hi ...
– former archbishop of Romanian Orthodox Church of America and Canada
Sciences
*
Rodica Baranescu
Rodica A. Baranescu ( ro, Bărănescu; born 1940) is a Romanian-American mechanical engineer known for her research in automotive diesel engines. Specifically she focuses on alternative fuels and optimization in emissions and performance of the e ...
– mechanical engineer known for her research in automotive
diesel engine
The diesel engine, named after Rudolf Diesel, is an internal combustion engine in which ignition of the fuel is caused by the elevated temperature of the air in the cylinder due to mechanical compression; thus, the diesel engine is a so-ca ...
s
*
Adrian Bejan
Adrian Bejan is an American professor who has made contributions to modern thermodynamics and developed his constructal law. He is J. A. Jones Distinguished Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Duke University and author of the books Design i ...
– mechanical engineer, Benjamin Franklin Medal Laureate
*
George de Bothezat
George de Bothezat ( ro, Gheorghe Botezatu, italic=yes, russian: Георгий Александрович Ботезат, italic=yes, June 7, 1882 – February 1, 1940) was a Romanian-Russian American engineer, businessman, and pioneer of helic ...
– engineer, businessman, and pioneer of helicopter flight
*
Mircea Dincă
Mircea Dincă (born 1980) is a Romanian-American inorganic chemist. He is a Professor of Chemistry and W. M. Keck Professor of Energy at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). At MIT, Dincă leads a research group that focuses on the s ...
– chemist
*
Diana Fosha – psychologist
*
Viviana Gradinaru – neuroscientist
*
Dan Graur – scientist
*
Liviu Librescu – material scientist, and professor of Engineering Science and Mechanics at
Virginia Tech
Virginia Tech (formally the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and informally VT, or VPI) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Blacksburg, Virginia. It also has educational facilities in six re ...
*
Horațiu Năstase –
physicist
A physicist is a scientist who specializes in the field of physics, which encompasses the interactions of matter and energy at all length and time scales in the physical universe.
Physicists generally are interested in the root or ultimate cau ...
and professor in the
High energy physics
Particle physics or high energy physics is the study of Elementary particle, fundamental particles and fundamental interaction, forces that constitute matter and radiation. The fundamental particles in the universe are classified in the Standa ...
group at
Brown University in
Providence, RI, USA.
*
Mihai Nadin Mihai Nadin (born February 2, 1938 in Braşov, Romania) is a scholar and researcher in electrical engineering, computer science, aesthetics, semiotics, human-computer interaction (HCI), computational design, post-industrial society, and anticipa ...
– researcher in
electrical engineering
*
George Emil Palade –
Nobel Prize
The Nobel Prizes ( ; sv, Nobelpriset ; no, Nobelprisen ) are five separate prizes that, according to Alfred Nobel's will of 1895, are awarded to "those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind." Alfr ...
-winning biologist
*
Sergiu Pașca – scientist and physician at
Stanford University
*
Vasile Popov – leading
systems theorist and
control engineering
Control engineering or control systems engineering is an engineering discipline that deals with control systems, applying control theory to design equipment and systems with desired behaviors in control environments. The discipline of controls o ...
specialist
*
Gideon Rodan –
biochemist and
osteopath
*
Nicholas Sanduleak – astronomer
*
Isaac Jacob Schoenberg
Isaac Jacob Schoenberg (April 21, 1903 – February 21, 1990) was a Romanian-American mathematician, known for his invention of splines.
Life and career
Schoenberg was born in Galați. He studied at the University of Iași, receiving his ...
- mathematician
Computer science
*
Andrei Alexandrescu
Andrei Alexandrescu (born 1969) is a Romanian-American C++ and D language programmer and author. He is particularly known for his pioneering work on policy-based design implemented via template metaprogramming. These ideas are articulated ...
– computer scientist, worked as a research scientist at
Facebook
Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin Mosk ...
*
Andrei Broder
Andrei Zary Broder (born April 12, 1953 in Bucharest) is a distinguished scientist at Google. Previously, he was a research fellow and vice president of computational advertising for Yahoo!, and before that, the vice president of research for ...
– computer scientist and distinguished scientist at
Google
Google LLC () is an American Multinational corporation, multinational technology company focusing on Search Engine, search engine technology, online advertising, cloud computing, software, computer software, quantum computing, e-commerce, ar ...
*
Maria-Florina Balcan – computer scientist
*
Mihaela Cardei – computer scientist and researcher, professor at
Florida Atlantic University
Florida Atlantic University (Florida Atlantic or FAU) is a public research university with its main campus in Boca Raton, Florida, and satellite campuses in Dania Beach, Davie, Fort Lauderdale, Jupiter, and Fort Pierce. FAU belongs to the 12-ca ...
*
Flaviu Cristian – computer scientist, noted for his work in
distributed systems
A distributed system is a system whose components are located on different networked computers, which communicate and coordinate their actions by passing messages to one another from any system. Distributed computing is a field of computer sci ...
*
Roxana Geambasu
Roxana Geambașu is a Romanian-American computer scientist who is an associate professor of Computer Science at Columbia University. The topics of her research include cloud computing, security and privacy, and operating systems.
Education
Geamb ...
– computer scientist and associate professor of computer science at
Columbia University
Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...
*
Virgil Gligor – computer scientist, professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at
Carnegie Mellon University, he has been inducted into the
National Cybersecurity Hall of Fame.
*
Grigore Rosu – computer scientist, professor at the
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U of I, Illinois, University of Illinois, or UIUC) is a public land-grant research university in Illinois in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana. It is the flagship institution of the Univ ...
*
Daniela Rus – director of the
MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory
Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) is a research institute at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) formed by the 2003 merger of the Laboratory for Computer Science (LCS) and the Artificial Intelligence Lab ...
.
*
Ion Stoica
Ion Stoica is a Romanian-American computer scientist specializing in distributed systems, cloud computing and computer networking. He is a professor of computer science at the University of California, Berkeley and co-director of AMPLab. He co-fo ...
– computer scientist, professor of computer science at the
University of California Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant univ ...
and co-director of
AMPLab
AMPLAB was a University of California, Berkeley lab focused on big data analytics located in Soda Hall. The name stands for the Algorithms, Machines and People Lab. It has been publishing papers since 2008 and was officially launched in 2011. The ...
.
*
Rada Mihalcea – computer scientist, professor of computer science and engineering at the
University of Michigan
, mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth"
, former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821)
, budget = $10.3 billion (2021)
, endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...
*
Anca Mosoiu – computer scientist, credited with helping to build the tech industry in Oakland.
*
Fabian Pascal
Fabian Pascal is a Romanian-American consultant to large software vendors such as IBM, Oracle Corporation, and Borland, but is better known as an author and seminar speaker. Born in Romania, Pascal lives in the San Francisco, CA area of the U ...
– computer scientist, consultant to large software vendors such as
IBM,
Oracle Corporation, and
Borland.
*
Matei Zaharia
Matei Zaharia is a Romanian-Canadian computer scientist, educator and the creator of Apache Spark.
As of April 2022, Forbes ranked him and Ion Stoica as the 3rd- richest people in Romania with a net worth of $1.6 billion.
Biography
Zaharia g ...
– computer scientist, creator of
Apache Spark.
Writers
*
Stefan Baciu – poet
*
John Balaban – poet
*
Cristina A. Bejan – writer
*Matei Călinescu - literary critic and professor of comparative literature at Indiana University, in Bloomington, Indiana.
*
Ion Cârja
Ion Cârja (sometimes spelled Cârjă or Cârje) (March 25, 1922 – May 8, 1977) was a Romanian and American writer and anti-communist activist, who was a political prisoner in Communist Romania.
Biography
Cârja was born in Whitman, Log ...
– writer and anti-communist activist
*
Nina Cassian – poet,
journalist
A journalist is an individual that collects/gathers information in form of text, audio, or pictures, processes them into a news-worthy form, and disseminates it to the public. The act or process mainly done by the journalist is called journalis ...
, film critic
*
Andrei Codrescu – poet, writer, radio host
*
Thomas Pavel – literary theorist, critic, and novelist currently teaching at the
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chic ...
*
Norman Manea
Norman Manea (; born July 19, 1936), is a Romanian Jewish writer and author of short fiction, novels, and essays about the Holocaust, daily life in a communist state, and exile. He lives in the United States, where he is a Professor and writer ...
– writer
*
Valery Oișteanu – poet, art critic, writer, essayist, and photographer
*
Virgil Nemoianu – essayist, literary critic, and philosopher of culture
*
Michael Radu – political writer
*
Saviana Stănescu – writer (poet, playwright)
*
Dorin Tudoran
Dorin Tudoran (born June 30, 1945) is a Romanian poet, essayist, journalist, and dissident. A resident of the United States since 1985, he has authored more than fifteen books of poetry, essays, and interviews.
Biography
Early life
Born in Ti ...
– poet, writer, journalist
Marius Alexandru- Romanian-born author, poet and translator immigrated to the United States in 1997
Comics writers
*
Will Eisner
William Erwin Eisner (March 6, 1917 – January 3, 2005) was an American cartoonist, writer, and entrepreneur. He was one of the earliest cartoonists to work in the American comic book industry, and his series '' The Spirit'' (1940–1952) was no ...
– comics writer, artist, and entrepreneur (Romanian-Jewish descent)
*
Sandu Florea
Sandu Florea (; born 28 June 1946) is a Romanian-American comic book and comic strip creator, also known as an inker and book illustrator. A trained architect and a presence on the science fiction scene during the 1970s, he became a professional ...
– illustrator, comic book, and comic strip creator
*
Elena Kucharik
Elena Kucharik is a children's illustrator known for her artwork across the entire line of Care Bears items from the 1980s. She was co-creator of that franchise along with Linda Denham. Kucharik is also an illustrator of the Christian children' ...
– illustrator
*
Stan Lee – comic book writer, editor, publisher and former president and chairman of
Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics is an American comic book publishing, publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Co ...
(Romanian-Jewish descent)
*
Saul Steinberg
Saul Steinberg (June 15, 1914 – May 12, 1999) was a Romanian-American artist, best known for his work for ''The New Yorker'', most notably '' View of the World from 9th Avenue''. He described himself as "a writer who draws".
Biography
S ...
– cartoonist and illustrator (Romanian-Jewish descent)
Others
*
George Barris – photographer best known for his photographs of
Marilyn Monroe
Marilyn Monroe (; born Norma Jeane Mortenson; 1 June 1926 4 August 1962) was an American actress. Famous for playing comedic " blonde bombshell" characters, she became one of the most popular sex symbols of the 1950s and early 1960s, as wel ...
*
Scarlett Bordeaux
Elizabeth Chihaia (born May 13, 1991) is an American professional wrestler, model, singer and ring announcer better known by the ring name Scarlett Bordeaux. She is currently signed to WWE, where she performs on the SmackDown brand under the rin ...
(born 1991) – WWE wrestler
*
Alexandra Botez – chess player
*
Catherine Caradja – philanthropist, aristocrat, Romanian expatriate to the U.S.
*
Misha Gabriel – dancer and choreographer
*
Serban Ghenea
Șerban Ghenea (born October 13, 1969) is a Grammy award-winning Romanian-Canadian audio engineer and mixer.
Early life and education
Ghenea was born in Bucharest, Romania in 1969. In 1976 he moved to Montreal with his family. He later attended ...
– mixing engineer, who has recorded and mixed tracks for artists including
Adele
Adele Laurie Blue Adkins (, ; born 5 May 1988), professionally known by the mononym Adele, is an English singer and songwriter. After graduating in arts from the BRIT School in 2006, Adele signed a rec ...
,
Stevie Wonder,
Rod Stewart,
Bruno Mars
Peter Gene Hernandez (born October 8, 1985), known professionally as Bruno Mars, is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. He is known for his stage performances, retro showmanship, and for performing in a wide range of musical ...
,
Taylor Swift
Taylor Alison Swift (born December 13, 1989) is an American singer-songwriter. Her discography spans multiple genres, and her vivid songwriting—often inspired by her personal life—has received critical praise and wide media coverage. Bor ...
and many more
*
Joe Oros – automobile designer for the
Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company (commonly known as Ford) is an American multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Dearborn, Michigan, United States. It was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. The company sells automobi ...
*
Ion Mihai Pacepa – general of Securitate
*
Mircea Răceanu – diplomat
*
Vladimir Tismăneanu
Vladimir Tismăneanu (; born July 4, 1951) is a Romanian American political scientist, political analyst, sociologist, and professor at the University of Maryland, College Park. A specialist in political systems and comparative politics, he is di ...
– specialist in political systems and comparative politics
*
George W. Trippon – fashion designer and television host
See also
*
Romanian Canadians
Romanian Canadians are Canadian citizens of Romanian descent or Romania-born people who reside in Canada.
According to the Canadian Census data of 2021, there are 215,885 Romanian-Canadians. Some sources estimates that this number might be as ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Romanian Americans
American people of Romanian descent
Romanian-American
Romanian
Romanian may refer to:
*anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Romania
**Romanians, an ethnic group
**Romanian language, a Romance language
*** Romanian dialects, variants of the Romanian language
** Romanian cuisine, tradition ...
Americans
Americans are the citizens and nationals of the United States of America.; ; Although direct citizens and nationals make up the majority of Americans, many dual citizens, expatriates, and permanent residents could also legally claim Ame ...
Romanian diaspora in the United States