This is list of notable

Slovene American Slovene Americans or Slovenian Americans are Americans of full or partial Slovene or Slovenian ancestry. Slovenes mostly immigrated to America during the Slovene mass emigration period from the 1880s to World War I. History The first Slove ...

s, including both original immigrants who obtained American citizenship and their American descendants. To be included in this list, the person must have a Wikipedia article showing they are Slovene American or must have references showing they are Slovene American and are notable.

List

Entertainment

Actors

Ami Dolenz Ami Bluebell Dolenz (born January 8, 1969) is an American former actress. Early life Dolenz was born in Burbank, California, into a show business family. She is the daughter of Micky Dolenz of the 1960s group the Monkees, and British televisi ...

– actor *

George Dolenz George Dolenz (born Jure Dolenc; akas: Giorgio Dolenz and George Dolentz; January 5, 1908 February 8, 1963) was an American film actor born in Trieste (then part of Austria-Hungary, now Italy), in the city's Slovene community. Biography Un ...

– actor *

Micky Dolenz George Michael Dolenz Jr. (born March 8, 1945) is an American actor, musician, TV producer and businessman. He is best known as the drummer and one of three primary vocalists for the pop-rock band the Monkees (1966–1970, and multiple reunions ...

– actor,

musician A musician is a person who composes, conducts, or performs music. According to the United States Employment Service, "musician" is a general term used to designate one who follows music as a profession. Musicians include songwriters who wri ...

(Drummer/Singer of The Monkees) *

Frank Gorshin Frank John Gorshin Jr. (April 5, 1933 – May 17, 2005) was an American actor, comedian and impressionist. He made many guest appearances on ''The Ed Sullivan Show'' and ''Tonight Starring Steve Allen''. As an actor, he played the Riddler on the ...

– actor *

Melissa Joan Hart Melissa Joan Hart (born April 18, 1976) is an American actress, producer, and director. She had starring roles as the title characters in the sitcoms ''Clarissa Explains It All'' (1991–1994), ''Sabrina the Teenage Witch'' (1996–2003), and ''M ...

– actress *

Željko Ivanek Željko Ivanek (né Šimić-Ivanek; ; ; born August 15, 1957) is an American actor, known for his role as Ray Fiske on ''Damages'', for which he won a Primetime Emmy Award. Ivanek is also known for his role of Ed Danvers on '' Homicide: Life on t ...

– Emmy Award-winning actor *

Lana Rhoades Lana Rhoades is an American podcaster, social-media personality, and former pornographic film actress. Throughout her career she has appeared in publications such as ''Hustler Hustler or hustlers may also refer to: Professions * Hustler, an ...

– actress *

Audrey Totter Audrey Mary Totter (December 20, 1917 – December 12, 2013) was an American radio, film, and television actress and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer contract player in the 1940s. Early life Audrey – some sources indicate "Audra" – Totter w ...

– actress * Patrick Warburton – actor (his father is of Slovenian ancestry)

Comedy

Anthony Jeselnik Anthony Jeselnik ( ; born ) is an American comedian, writer, actor, and producer. He is known for his dark comedy style, which emphasizes ironic misdirection, non sequiturs, biting insults, an arrogant demeanor, and a stage persona that frequen ...

– comedian

Musicians

* Karen Kamensek – orchestral and operatic conductor *

Joey Miskulin Joseph Michael Miskulin (born January 6, 1949) is an American accordionist and producer. In a music career spanning more than four decades, Joey Miskulin has collaborated with a range of artists including Johnny Cash, John Denver, Emmylou Harr ...

–

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

-winning musician and

record producer A record producer is a recording project's creative and technical leader, commanding studio time and coaching artists, and in popular genres typically creates the song's very sound and structure.Virgil Moorefield"Introduction" ''The Producer as ...

* Frankie Yankovic –

-winning musician, known as "America's

Polka Polka is a dance and genre of dance music originating in nineteenth-century Bohemia, now part of the Czech Republic. Though associated with Czech culture, polka is popular throughout Europe and the Americas. History Etymology The term ...

King", popularized

Slovenian-style polka Slovenian-style polka (also known as Cleveland Style polka) is an American style of polka in the Slovenian tradition. It is usually associated with Cleveland and other Midwestern cities. Instruments The Slovenian style polka band always includes ...

"Weird Al" Yankovic Alfred Matthew "Weird Al" Yankovic ( ; born October 23, 1959) is an American singer, musician, songwriter, record producer, actor and author. He is best known for creating comedy songs that make light of pop culture and often parody specifi ...

–

comedy Comedy is a genre of fiction that consists of discourses or works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. The term o ...

performer known for his parodies of popular music *

Emily Kokal Emily Camille Kokal (born September 30, 1980) is an American musician from Chico, California. She is best known as the singer and guitarist of the indie rock band Warpaint. Kokal is one of the founding members of the band. Early life Kokal was b ...

– musician from rock band Warpaint

Sports

Mike Adamle Michael David Adamle (born October 4, 1949) is a former American football player and sports broadcaster. Adamle was a sports anchor at other Chicago television stations, including WLS-TV from 1982 to 1989 before hosting '' American Gladiators'', ...

–

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

player – Northwestern Wildcats and

NFL The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the major ...

– also a television and radio sports reporter and

WWE World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and vario ...

wrestling announcer *

Tony Adamle Anthony "Tony" Adamle (May 15, 1924 – October 7, 2000) was a professional American football linebacker and fullback in the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) and the National Football League (NFL). He played his entire career for the Clev ...

– American football player –

Ohio State Buckeyes The Ohio State Buckeyes are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Ohio State University, located in Columbus, Ohio. The athletic programs are named after the colloquial term for people from the state of Ohio and after the state tree ...

and

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference ( ...

(member of 1950 and 1954

NFL Championship Throughout its history, the National Football League (NFL) and other rival American football leagues have used several different formats to determine their league champions, including a period of inter-league matchups to determine a true national c ...

teams) *

Jeff Blatnick Jeffrey Carl "Jeff" Blatnick (July 26, 1957 – October 24, 2012) was an American super heavyweight Greco-Roman wrestler and sports commentator. He won NCAA Division II heavyweight wrestling championships in 1978 and 1979 and won the Olympic gold ...

– Olympic champion in freestyle wrestling * Frank Brimsek –

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hock ...

player *

Bryant Dunston Bryant Kevin Dunston Jr. (; born May 28, 1986) is an American-born naturalized Armenian professional basketball player who plays at the center position for Anadolu Efes of the Turkish Basketball Super League (BSL) and the EuroLeague. He also rep ...

– professional basketball player for the Slovenian national team since he acquired Slovenian citizenship in 2015 *

Bob Golic Robert Perry Golic (born October 26, 1957) is an American former college and professional football player, television actor, radio personality and sports commentator. Golic played defensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 ...

– American football player ( Notre Dame Fighting Irish and

–

, among other teams) – also an actor '' Saved by the Bell: The College Years'' * Mike Golic – American football player ( Notre Dame Fighting Irish and

–

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team plays ...

, among other teams) – also

ESPN ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The ...

radio personality and host on

Mike and Mike in the Morning ''Mike & Mike'' (formerly ''Mike and Mike in the Morning'') was an American sports-talk radio show that was hosted by Mike Greenberg and Mike Golic on ESPN networks from 2000–2017. The show aired on ESPN Radio, and was simulcast on televis ...

* Randy Gradishar – American football player (

and

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquart ...

) *

John Gruden John Daniel Gruden (born June 4, 1970) is an American former professional ice hockey defenseman. He currently serves as an assistant coach for the Boston Bruins. Prior to Boston, he most served as an assistant coach for the New York Islanders of ...

– ice hockey player * Eric Heiden – Olympic

speed skater Speed skating is a competitive form of ice skating in which the competitors race each other in travelling a certain distance on skates. Types of speed skating are long track speed skating, short track speed skating, and marathon speed skating. ...

, winner of five gold medals at the

1980 Winter Olympics The 1980 Winter Olympics, officially the XIII Olympic Winter Games and also known as Lake Placid 1980, were an international multi-sport event held from February 13 to 24, 1980, in Lake Placid, New York, United States. Lake Placid was elected ...

Luke Hochevar Luke Anthony Hochevar (; born September 15, 1983) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played college baseball at the University of Tennessee, and played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Kansas City Royals from 2007 throu ...

– Major League Baseball pitcher *

Frank Hribar Frank Andrew Ribar (born Hribar) (January 15, 1917 – October 1, 1976) was an American football guard in the National Football League (NFL) for the Washington Redskins. He played high school football at Aliquippa High School, in Aliquippa, P ...

– NFL Washington Redskins *

Wally Judnich Walter Franklin Judnich (January 24, 1916 – July 10, 1971) was an American professional baseball player. A center fielder, Judnich played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for seven seasons with the St. Louis Browns, Cleveland Indians, and Pitts ...

–

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...

player * Joe Kuhel – baseball player and manager *

Les Kuntar Leslie Stephen Kuntar (born July 28, 1969) is an American former professional ice hockey player. He played in six NHL games with the Montreal Canadiens during the 1993–94 season. Prior to his professional career, Kuntar played for St. Lawrenc ...

– ice hockey player *

Sepp Kuss Sepp Kuss (born September 13, 1994) is an American professional cyclist who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . Career Kuss started out in mountain bike racing as a junior and as a student at the University of Colorado won two races at the Colle ...

– professional cyclist * Trajan Langdon –

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

(NBA and Europe) player *

Dan Majerle Daniel Lewis Majerle (; born September 9, 1965), also known by the nickname "Thunder Dan", is an American former professional basketball player and former coach of the Grand Canyon Antelopes. He played 14 years in the National Basketball Associat ...

– basketball (NBA) player * Ariel McDonald – former basketball player who played for the Slovenian national team in 2001 since he acquired citizenship, 2000 Israeli Basketball Premier League MVP * Ken Novak – American football player * Anton Peterlin – soccer player * Anthony Randolph – basketball (NBA and Europe) player * Peter Vidmar – gymnast, U.S. team captain and winner of two gold medals and a silver medal in the 1984 Olympics, was the highest scoring gymnast in U.S. history (with a 9.89 average) *

Fritzie Zivic Fritzie Zivic (May 8, 1913 – May 16, 1984), born as Ferdinand Henry John Zivcich ( hr, Živčić), was an American boxer who held the world welterweight championship from October 4, 1940, until July 29, 1941. His managers included Luke Carney, ...

– boxer * Mark Zupan – athlete, wheelchair rugby team captain

Journalists

Jim Klobuchar James John Klobuchar ( ; April 9, 1928 – May 12, 2021) was an American journalist, author, and newspaper columnist from Minnesota. Klobuchar was regarded as a regionally well-known and admired local sports and politics reporter during his long ...

– author and journalist * Charles Kuralt – journalist

Academic and scientific

* Richard Carl Fuisz – inventor *

Rado Lenček Rado Ludovik Lenček (3 October 1921 – 27 January 2005) was a Slovene linguist, cultural historian and ethnologist, who lived and worked in the United States. Xenia Slavica : papers presented to Gojko Ružičić on the occasion of his seventy-fif ...

–

linguist Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. It is called a scientific study because it entails a comprehensive, systematic, objective, and precise analysis of all aspects of language, particularly its nature and structure. Linguis ...

ethnologist Ethnology (from the grc-gre, ἔθνος, meaning 'nation') is an academic field that compares and analyzes the characteristics of different peoples and the relationships between them (compare cultural, social, or sociocultural anthropology) ...

, cultural historian * Jerry Michael Linenger – astronaut *

Ronald Sega Ronald "Ron" Michael Sega (also Ronald Šega) (Ph.D.) (born December 4, 1952) is professor of systems engineering and Vice President for Energy and the Environment at the Colorado State University Research Foundation, a non-profit advocacy organiza ...

– astronaut * Joseph Velikonja – professor of geography * Sunita Williams – astronaut

Military

Ferdinand J. Chesarek Ferdinand Joseph Chesarek (February 18, 1914 – November 20, 1993) was a United States Army general. World War II Ferdinand Chesarek graduated from the United States Military Academy and was commissioned a second lieutenant in the field artill ...

– general *

Frank Gorenc Frank Gorenc (born 14 October 1957) is a retired United States Air Force four-star general who served as the Commander, United States Air Forces in Europe – Air Forces Africa and Commander, Allied Air Command. He previously served as the Assist ...

– general * Stanley Gorenc – general * John S. Lekson –

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

Major General * Rudolf Perhinek – captain * Ronald Zlatoper – admiral

Politicians

John Blatnik John Anton Blatnik (August 17, 1911 – December 17, 1991) was a United States Congressman from Minnesota. He was a member of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party (DFL), which is affiliated with the Democratic Party. Early life Blat ...

–

Congressman A Member of Congress (MOC) is a person who has been appointed or elected and inducted into an official body called a congress, typically to represent a particular constituency in a legislature. The term member of parliament (MP) is an equivalen ...

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

Joe Cimperman Joe Cimperman (born circa 1970) is an Americans, American Democratic Party (United States), Democratic politician who served as a member of the Cleveland City Council of Cleveland, Ohio, representing near-west side neighborhoods from 1997 to 201 ...

–

Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

City Councilman and 2008 candidate for the

Dennis Eckart Dennis Edward Eckart (born April 6, 1950) is an American lawyer and politician who is a former member of the United States House of Representatives. Eckart, a member of the Democratic Party, represented Ohio's 11th congressional district from 198 ...

– public and cultural worker;

US Congress The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washingto ...

man *

Paul Gosar Paul Anthony Gosar ( ; born November 27, 1958) is an American Far-right politics, far-rightMultiple sources: * * * politician and former dentist who has been the United States House of Representatives, U.S. representative for since 2013. A Re ...

–

Tom Harkin Thomas Richard Harkin (born November 19, 1939) is an American lawyer, author, and politician who served as a United States senator from Iowa from 1985 to 2015. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously was the U.S. representative for Iowa' ...

–

United States Senator The United States Senate is the Upper house, upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States House of Representatives, House of Representatives being the Lower house, lower chamber. Together they compose the national Bica ...

Amy Klobuchar Amy Jean Klobuchar ( ; born May 25, 1960) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the senior United States senator from Minnesota, a seat she has held since 2007. A member of the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL), Minne ...

–

Raymond P. Kogovsek Raymond Peter Kogovsek (; August 19, 1941 – April 30, 2017) was an U.S. Representative from Colorado for three terms from 1979 to 1985. Early life and education Born in Pueblo, Colorado, Kogovsek graduated from Pueblo Catholic High School, 1 ...

–

* Frank Lausche – Mayor of

and Governor of Ohio *

James Oberstar James Louis Oberstar (September 10, 1934 – May 3, 2014) was an American politician who served in the United States House of Representatives from 1975 to 2011. A member of the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party, he represented nor ...

–

Philip Ruppe Philip Edward Ruppe (born September 29, 1926) is an American former politician from the U.S. state of Michigan and a member of the Republican Party. He served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1967 to 1979 before running, unsuccessfully ...

–

* Ron Suster – Ohio state representative and judge *

George Voinovich George Victor Voinovich (July 15, 1936June 12, 2016) was an American politician who served as a United States senator from Ohio from 1999 to 2011, the 65th governor of Ohio from 1991 to 1998 and the 54th mayor of Cleveland from 1980 to 1989, th ...

– Mayor of

, and Governor of Ohio *

Cheri Pierson Yecke Cheri Pierson Yecke (born February 5, 1955) is an author and retired conservative Republican professor in the United States. Biography Yecke holds a bachelor's degree in history from the University of Hawaii, a master's of science degree in ...

– politician, academic

Religious

Friderik Irenej Baraga Irenaeus Frederic Baraga (June 29, 1797 – January 19, 1868; sl, Irenej Friderik Baraga) was a Slovenian Roman Catholic missionary to the United States and a grammarian by and author of Christian poetry and hymns in Native American langu ...

( Frederic Baraga) –

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

Bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

and

Missionary A missionary is a member of a Religious denomination, religious group which is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Tho ...

Elden Francis Curtiss Elden Francis Curtiss (born June 16, 1932) is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Helena in Montana from 1976 to 1993, and as archbishop of the Archdiocese of Omaha in Nebraska from 1993 to 2 ...

– former

Archbishop In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdi ...

Omaha, Nebraska Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 39th-largest cit ...

and former Bishop of

Helena, Montana Helena (; ) is the capital city of Montana, United States, and the county seat of Lewis and Clark County. Helena was founded as a gold camp during the Montana gold rush, and established on October 30, 1864. Due to the gold rush, Helena would ...

* Antonija Höffern – missionary and educator *

Ignatius Mrak Ignatius Mrak (October 16, 1810 – January 2, 1901) was a Slovenian-born American prelate of the Catholic Church who served as Bishop of Saulte Saint Marie and Marquette from 1869 to 1879. Biography Early life Ignatius Mrak was born on Octob ...

–

bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

Francis Xavier Pierz Francis Xavier Pierz ( sl, Franc Pirc or ''Franc Pirec''; german: link=no, Franz Pierz) (November 20, 1785 – January 22, 1880) was a Roman Catholic priest and missionary to the Ottawa and Ojibwe Indians in present-day Michigan, Wisconsin, Ontar ...

–

Writers

* Louis Adamič – author * Tea Obreht – author * Rose Mary Prosen – poet

Others

Joe Kenda Joseph Patrick Kenda (born November 14, 1946) is a retired Colorado Springs Police Department detective lieutenant who was involved in 387 homicide cases over a 23-year career. He solved 356 cases, a closure rate of 92%. He was featured on the In ...

– detective lieutenant and TV producer *

Santino William Legan On July 28, 2019, a mass shooting occurred at the Gilroy Garlic Festival in Gilroy, California. The gunman killed three people and wounded 17 others before killing himself after a shootout with responding police officers. , investigators had no ...

– perpetrator of the Gilroy Garlic Festival Shooting *

Joe Sutter Joseph Frederick Sutter (March 21, 1921 – August 30, 2016) was an American engineer for the Boeing Airplane Company and manager of the design team for the Boeing 747 under Malcolm T. Stamper, the head of the 747 project. ''Air & Space/Smit ...

– manager of the design team for the

Boeing 747 The Boeing 747 is a large, long-range wide-body airliner designed and manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes in the United States between 1968 and 2022. After introducing the 707 in October 1958, Pan Am wanted a jet times its size, t ...

* Melania Trump – former

First Lady of the United States The first lady of the United States (FLOTUS) is the title held by the hostess of the White House, usually the wife of the president of the United States, concurrent with the president's term in office. Although the first lady's role has never ...

, wife of 45th U.S. President

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 Pe ...

and fashion model

References

{{reflist *Gobetz, E. 2009. Slovenians made a difference in America and the World. Slovenian American Times, Vol. 1, Issue 7, Pages 1; 15. 23 May 2009.

Slovenian Slovene or Slovenian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Slovenia, a country in Central Europe * Slovene language, a South Slavic language mainly spoken in Slovenia * Slovenes The Slovenes, also known as Slovenians ( sl, Sloven ...

Americans Americans are the Citizenship of the United States, citizens and United States nationality law, nationals of the United States, United States of America.; ; Although direct citizens and nationals make up the majority of Americans, many Multi ...