List of Slovene Americans

This is a list of notable Slovene Americans, 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 – actor
• George Dolenz – actor
• Micky Dolenz – actor, musician (drummer/singer of The Monkees)
• Frank Gorshin – actor
• Melissa Joan Hart – actress
• Željko Ivanek – Emmy Award-winning actor
• Lana Rhoades – actress
• Audrey Totter – actress
• Patrick Warburton – actor (his father is of Slovenian ancestry)

Comedy

• Anthony Jeselnik – comedian

Musicians

• Karen Kamensek – orchestral and operatic conductor
• Emily Kokal – musician from rock band Warpaint
• Joey Miskulin – Grammy Award-winning musician and record producer
• Frankie Yankovic – Grammy Award-winning musician, known as "America's Polka King", popularized Slovenian-style polka
• "Weird Al" Yankovic – comedy performer known for his parodies of popular music

Sports

• Mike Adamle – American football player – Northwestern Wildcats and NFL – also a television and radio sports reporter and WWE wrestling announcer
• Tony Adamle – American football player – Ohio State Buckeyes and Cleveland Browns (member of 1950 and 1954 NFL Championship teams)
• Jeff Blatnick – Olympic champion in freestyle wrestling
• Frank Brimsek – ice hockey player
• Bryant Dunston – professional basketball player for the Slovenian national team since he acquired Slovenian citizenship in 2015
• Bob Golic – American football player (Notre Dame Fighting Irish and NFL – Cleveland Browns, among other teams) – also an actor Saved by the Bell: The College Years
• Mike Golic – American football player (Notre Dame Fighting Irish and NFL – Philadelphia Eagles, among other teams) – also ESPN radio personality and host on Mike and Mike in the Morning
• Randy Gradishar – American football player (Ohio State Buckeyes and Denver Broncos)
• John Gruden – ice hockey player
• Eric Heiden – Olympic speed skater, winner of five gold medals at the 1980 Winter Olympics
• Luke Hochevar – Major League Baseball pitcher
• Frank Hribar – NFL Washington Redskins
• Wally Judnich – baseball player
• Joe Kuhel – baseball player and manager
• Les Kuntar – ice hockey player
• Sepp Kuss – professional cyclist
• Trajan Langdon – basketball (NBA and Europe) player
• Dan Majerle – 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 – boxer
• Mark Zupan – athlete, wheelchair rugby team captain

Journalists

• Jim Klobuchar – author and journalist
• Charles Kuralt – journalist

Academic and scientific

• Richard Carl Fuisz – inventor
• Rado Lenček – linguist, ethnologist, cultural historian
• Jerry Michael Linenger – astronaut
• Ronald Sega – astronaut
• Joseph Velikonja – professor of geography
• Sunita Williams – astronaut

Military

• Ferdinand J. Chesarek – general
• Frank Gorenc – general
• Stanley Gorenc – general
• Joshua S. Kunch – major
• John S. Lekson – United States Army major general
• Rudolf Perhinek – captain
• Ronald Zlatoper – admiral

Politicians

• John Blatnik – U.S. Representative from Minnesota
• Joe Cimperman – Cleveland, Ohio city councilman and 2008 candidate for U.S. Representative
• Dennis E. Eckart – public and cultural worker; U.S. Representative from Ohio
• Paul Gosar – U.S. Representative from Arizona
• Tom Harkin – U.S. Senator from Iowa
• Amy Klobuchar – U.S. Senator from Minnesota
• Ray Kogovsek – U.S. Representative from Colorado
• Frank Lausche – Mayor of Cleveland, Ohio, U.S. Senator and Governor of Ohio
• Jim Oberstar – U.S. Representative from Minnesota
• Philip Ruppe – U.S. Representative from Michigan
• Joseph Stodola – Mayor of Little Rock, AR
• Ron Suster – Ohio State Representative and judge
• George Voinovich – Mayor of Cleveland, Ohio, U.S. Senator and Governor of Ohio
• Cheri Yecke – politician, academic

Religious

• Friderik Irenej Baraga (Frederic Baraga) – Roman Catholic Bishop and Missionary
• Elden Francis Curtiss – former Roman Catholic Archbishop of Omaha, Nebraska and former Bishop of Helena, Montana
• Antonija Höffern – missionary and educator
• Ignatius Mrak – Roman Catholic bishop
• Francis Xavier Pierz – Roman Catholic bishop

Writers

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

Others

• Joe Kenda – detective lieutenant and TV producer
• Santino William Legan – perpetrator of the Gilroy Garlic Festival shooting on July 28, 2019
• Joe Sutter – manager of the design team for the Boeing 747
• Melania Trump – former First Lady of the United States, wife of 45th U.S. President Donald Trump and fashion model

References

• 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.