# List of Romanian Americans

This is a list of notable Romanian-Americans, including both original immigrants from Romania who obtained American citizenship and their American descendants.

## Academics
### Literary critics

* Matei Călinescu – professor at Indiana University Bloomington

### Mathematicians

* Alexandra Bellow – mathematician, Professor Emeritus at Northwestern University
* Ana Caraiani – mathematician, member of the American Mathematical Society
* Ioana Dumitriu – mathematician, professor at the University of Washington
* Ciprian Foias – mathematician, distinguished professor at Texas A&M University
* Tudor Ganea – mathematician, known for his work in algebraic topology
* Nicholas Georgescu-Roegen – mathematician, statistician, and economist
* Matei Machedon – mathematician, professor at the University of Maryland
* Ciprian Manolescu – mathematician, professor at Stanford University
* Irina Mitrea – mathematician, professor at Temple University
* Mircea Mustață – mathematician, professor at the University of Michigan
* Florian Pop – mathematician, professor at the University of Pennsylvania
* Mihnea Popa – mathematician, professor at Northwestern University
* Sorin Popa – mathematician, professor at the University of California, Los Angeles
* Cristian Dumitru Popescu – mathematician, professor at the University of California, San Diego
* Ovidiu Savin – mathematician, professor at Columbia University
* Rodica Simion – mathematician, known for her work in combinatorics
* Ileana Streinu – mathematician, professor at Smith College
* Bogdan Suceavă – mathematician, professor at California State University Fullerton
* Dan-Virgil Voiculescu – mathematician, professor at the University of California, Berkeley
* Alexandru Zaharescu – mathematician, professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign

### Historians, sociologists and philosophers

* Eugene Borza – professor of history at Pennsylvania State University
* Ioan Petru Culianu – historian of religion
* Mircea Eliade – philosopher, writer, historian of religions
* Radu Florescu – emeritus professor of history at Boston College

## Art

* Art Garfunkel – musician
* Eugen Ciucă – sculptor
* Noche Crist – painter
* Christopher Georgesco – sculptor
* Cristian Gheorghiu – contemporary artist
* Ami James – tattoo artist
* De Hirsh Margules – painter (Romanian-Jewish descent)
* Alexandra Nechita – cubist painter

## Architects

* Max Abramovitz – architect of Avery Fisher Hall, of Romanian-Jewish descent
* Haralamb H. Georgescu – architect

## Business

* Micky Arison – chairman of Carnival Corporation and owner of NBA's Miami Heat
* Jeffrey Brotman – co-founder of Costco Wholesale Corporation (Romanian-Jewish descent)
* Safra Catz – CEO of Oracle Corporation
* Dan Dascalescu – entrepreneur, co-founder of Blueseed
* John DeLorean – engineer, founder of the DeLorean Motor Company
* Peter Georgescu – chairman emeritus of Young & Rubicam
* Michael Horodniceanu – engineer and businessman, former president of MTA Capital Construction
* Stephanie Korey – co-founder and executive chairman of Away
* David Marcus – former President of PayPal, and current Vice President of Messaging Products at Facebook
* 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 school in the United States

## Entertainment
### Actors

* Sadie Alexandru – actress
* Lauren Bacall – actress (Romanian Jewish mother)
* Bob Balaban – actor (part Romanian-Jewish descent)
* Jillian Bell – actress and screenwriter
* Tim Conway – actor and comedian (Romanian mother)
* Melinda Culea – actress
* Fran Drescher – actress and comedian (part Romanian-Jewish descent)
* Illeana Douglas – actress
* Tim Dunigan - actor
* Jennifer Ehle – actress
* Lisa Ferraday – actress
* Ana Gasteyer – actress and comedian
* Joseph Gordon-Levitt – actor (part Romanian-Jewish descent)
* Oana Gregory – actress
* Dustin Hoffman – actor and filmmaker (part Romanian-Jewish descent)
* Harvey Keitel – actor and producer (Romanian Jewish mother)
* Tristan Leabu – actor
* Andrea Marcovicci – actress and singer
* Carl Reiner – comedian and actor (Romanian Jewish mother)
* Edward G. Robinson – actor (Romanian-Jewish descent)
* Sebastian Stan – actor
* Johnny Pacar – actor and singer
* Johnny Weissmuller – Olympic swimmer, water polo player and actor
* David Pittu – actor
* Natalie Portman – Academy Award-winning actress (part Romanian-Jewish descent)
* Ana Ularu – actress
* Ray Wise – actor (Romanian mother)
* Adrian Zmed – actor best known from the T.J. Hooker 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 – 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
* Andrei Șerban – director of theater and opera
* Erwin Stoff – film producer and founder of 3 Arts Entertainment

### Singers and musicians

* Herb Alpert – lead singer, and horn player with Tijuana Brass (Romanian-Jewish descent)
* Lucian Ban – jazz piano player, composer
* Yeat - rapper, singer, audio engineer. Romanian mother.
* Shelby Cinca – punk rock guitarist
* Sergiu Comissiona – conductor and musician
* Valery Gaina – guitarist, songwriter, composer
* Art Garfunkel – singer, poet, and actor (Romanian-Jewish descent)
* Angela Gheorghiu – soprano
* Alma Gluck – soprano
* Christina Grimmie – singer
* Harloe – singer
* Șerban Lupu [ro]- violinist
* Yolanda Marculescu – soprano
* Necro – rapper
* Margareta Paslaru – singer
* Irma Wolpe Rademacher - pianist
* Beverly Sills – soprano
* Virginia Zeani – opera singer

### Sports

* Fred Arbanas (1939–2021) – American football player
* Nadia Comăneci (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 (born 1966) – American football player and undefeated wrestler (Romanian-Jewish descent).
* Hroniss Grasu (born 1991) – American football player
* Hank Greenberg (1911–1986) – Baseball Hall of Famer (Romanian-Jewish descent).
* Lou Groza (1924–2000) – Pro Football Hall of Famer
* Ernie Grunfeld (born 1955) – basketball player and former general manager of the Washington Wizards
* Red Holzman (1920–1998) – NBA Hall of Fame coach and former player (Romanian Jewish mother)
* Sabrina Ionescu (born 1997) – basketball player for the New York Liberty; college honors at the University of Oregon include multiple national player of the year awards in 2019 and 2020
* Andrei Iosivas, wide receiver for the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League (NFL)
* Fred Lebow (1932–1994) – founder of the New York City Marathon
* Dominique Moceanu (born 1981) – US Olympic gymnast
* Corina Morariu (born 1978) – former professional tennis player, reached the world No. 1 ranking in doubles in 2000
* Gheorghe Mureșan (born 1971) – former NBA player; lives in USA
* Stephen Negoesco (1925–2019) – soccer coach
* Betty Okino (born 1975) – US Olympic gymnast
* Sam Paulescu (born 1984) – American football player
* Nick Roman (1947–2003) – American football player
* Dolph Schayes (1928–2015) – NBA Hall of Famer player and coach
* Bud Selig (born 1934) – Commissioner of Major League Baseball
* Charley Stanceu (1916–1969) – baseball player
* Mark Suciu (born 1992) – professional skateboarder
* Otmar Szafnauer (born 1964) – Team Principal of the Alpine F1 Team
* Kevin Youkilis (born 1979) – Major League Baseball player; first baseman for the Boston Red Sox

## Law

* Timothy Stanceu – Chief United States Judge of the United States Court of International Trade
* David Sam – Senior Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Utah
* Alexander Bickel – Legal scholar and expert on the United States Constitution (Romanian-Jewish descent)

## Media/Journalism

* Rukmini Callimachi – journalist, The New York Times
* Harry Caray – former baseball broadcaster
* Chip Caray – sports broadcaster for Fox Sports South
* Liz Claman – anchor of the Fox Business Network show Countdown to the Closing Bell
* Horace Dediu – technology journalist
* Steve Fainaru – investigative journalist and senior writer for ESPN.com and ESPN The Magazine
* John Florea – photojournalist for Life magazine
* Lisa Kennedy – host of the Kennedy show on the Fox Business Network
* Dan Moldea – author and investigative journalist
* George Puscas – sports reporter for the Detroit Free Press
* Marc Stein – sports reporter for The New York Times (Romanian-Jewish descent)
* Brian Unger – journalist and commentator for NPR

## Military

* Nicolae Dunca – captain in the 12th New York Infantry Regiment in the American Civil War
* George Pomutz – Brevet Brigadier General, commanded the 15th Iowa Infantry Regiment in the American Civil War
* Eugen Ghica-Comănești – captain in the 5th New York Volunteer Infantry in the American Civil War
* Alexander Vraciu – World War II Navy pilot; ace

## Politics

* Steven Fulop – current Mayor of Jersey City (Romanian-Jewish descent)
* Michael Gruitza – former Democratic member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives
* Chris Lauzen – Illinois state senator of District 25 (1993–2013)
* John Rakolta – former United States Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates appointed by Donald Trump
* Elizabeth Tamposi – former Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs at the U.S. Department of State (1989–1992)
* Ben Toma – 55th Speaker of the Arizona House of Representatives
* Adrian Zuckerman – former United States Ambassador to Romania appointed by Donald Trump, first US Ambassador born in Romania
* Mihaela Plesa - current Texas State Representative from District 70 (2023-)

## Religion

* John Michael Botean – Romanian Greek-Catholic bishop
* Nathaniel Popp – Romanian Orthodox Archbishop
* Vasile Louis Puscas – Romanian Greek-Catholic bishop
* Alexander Ratiu – former Romanian Greek-Catholic priest and author
* Valerian Trifa – former archbishop of Romanian Orthodox Church of America and Canada

## Sciences

* Rodica Baranescu – mechanical engineer known for her research in automotive diesel engines
* Adrian Bejan – mechanical engineer, Benjamin Franklin Medal Laureate
* George de Bothezat – engineer, businessman, and pioneer of helicopter flight
* Mircea Dincă – chemist
* Diana Fosha – psychologist
* Viviana Gradinaru – neuroscientist
* Dan Graur – scientist
* Liviu Librescu – material scientist, and professor of Engineering Science and Mechanics at Virginia Tech
* Horațiu Năstase – physicist and professor in the High energy physics group at Brown University in Providence, RI, USA.
* Mihai Nadin – researcher in electrical engineering
* George Emil Palade – Nobel Prize-winning biologist
* Sergiu Pașca – scientist and physician at Stanford University
* Vasile Popov – leading systems theorist and control engineering specialist
* Gideon Rodan – biochemist and osteopath
* Nicholas Sanduleak – astronomer
* Isaac Jacob Schoenberg – mathematician
* Gabriela Mustata Wilson – health informatician,and professor at The University of Texas at Arlington

### Computer science

* Andrei Alexandrescu – computer scientist, worked as a research scientist at Facebook
* Andrei Broder – computer scientist and distinguished scientist at Google
* Maria-Florina Balcan – computer scientist
* Mihaela Cardei – computer scientist and researcher, professor at Florida Atlantic University
* Flaviu Cristian – computer scientist, noted for his work in distributed systems
* Roxana Geambasu – computer scientist and associate professor of computer science at Columbia University
* 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
* Daniela Rus – director of the MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory
* Ion Stoica – computer scientist, professor of computer science at the University of California Berkeley and co-director of AMPLab
* Rada Mihalcea – computer scientist, professor of computer science and engineering at the University of Michigan
* Anca Mosoiu – computer scientist, credited with helping to build the tech industry in Oakland.
* Fabian Pascal – computer scientist, consultant to large software vendors such as IBM, Oracle Corporation, and Borland
* Matei Zaharia – 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 – writer and anti-communist activist
* Nina Cassian – poet, journalist, film critic
* Andrei Codrescu – poet, writer, radio host
* Thomas Pavel – literary theorist, critic, and novelist currently teaching at the University of Chicago
* Norman Manea – 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 – poet, writer, journalist
* Marius Alexandru – Romanian-born author, poet and translator immigrated to the United States in 1997

## Comics writers

* Will Eisner – comics writer, artist, and entrepreneur (Romanian-Jewish descent)
* Sandu Florea – illustrator, comic book, and comic strip creator
* Elena Kucharik – illustrator
* Stan Lee – comic book writer, editor, publisher and former president and chairman of Marvel Comics (Romanian-Jewish descent)
* Saul Steinberg – cartoonist and illustrator (Romanian-Jewish descent)

## Others

* George Barris – photographer best known for his photographs of Marilyn Monroe
* Antoinette Bonner – jewel thief
* Scarlett Bordeaux (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 – mixing engineer, who has recorded and mixed tracks for artists including Adele, Stevie Wonder, Rod Stewart, Bruno Mars, Taylor Swift and many more
* Joe Oros – automobile designer for the Ford Motor Company
* Ion Mihai Pacepa – general of Securitate
* Mircea Răceanu – diplomat
* Vladimir Tismăneanu – specialist in political systems and comparative politics
* George W. Trippon – fashion designer and television host