This is alist of notableSlovak 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 Slovak American or must have references showing they are Slovak American and are notable. Some of this list might have Slovak immigrant ancestors of German, Hungarian, or Romani descent.
Arts, culture, and entertainment
[edit]- Jon Bon Jovi – rock musician, singer-songwriter and actor (paternal grandmother of Slovak descent)
- David Boreanaz – actor (mother was half Slovak descent)
- Dove Cameron – singer, actress
- Jim Caviezel – film actor (paternal grandmother of Slovak descent)[1]
- Scarlett Chorvat – film and television actress
- Alexandra Daddario – actress
- Matthew Daddario – actor
- Laco Déczi (Ladislav Déči) – Slovak-American jazz trumpeter and composer, leader of Jazz Celula New York
- Steve Ditko – comic book artist and writer, co-creator of theMarvel Comics heroesSpider-Man andDoctor Strange
- David Dobrik – YouTuber
- Jackie Evancho – singer
- Five for Fighting (Vladimir John Ondrasik III) – singer-songwriter
- Moritz Fuerst – artist employed withUnited States Mint in the 19th century
- Dave Grohl – rock musician, multi-instrumentalist, singer-songwriter, and film director, of part Slovak descent
- James Haven – actor and producer
- Ema Horvath – actress
- Steve Ihnat – actor, director
- Justin Jedlica – "human Ken doll"
- Angelina Jolie – actress, former fashion model andGoodwill Ambassador for theUN Refugee Agency; daughter ofJon Voight (paternal grandfather of Slovak descent)
- Bianca Kajlich – actress, her father, Dr. Aurel Jan "Relo" Kajlich, was a Slovak immigrant
- Candace Kroslak – actress
- Austin Mahone – singer-songwriter
- Victor S. Mamatey – professor of history, active in Slovak immigrant organizations in the United States
- Luba Mason – singer-songwriter, actress, dancer
- MatPat – YouTuber, internet personality
- Brittany Murphy – actress
- Pola Negri – actress, her father, Juraj Chalupec, was a Slovak immigrant
- Paul Newman – actor and film director (his mother was Slovak)[2][3]
- Benjamin Orr, musician (Rusyn mother from present dayKojšov, Slovakia and Ukrainian father)[4]
- Emil Sitka – actor, parents were Slovak immigrants
- Allisyn Snyder – actress
- Sara Tomko – actress
- Robert Urich – actor
- Katarina Van Derham – model, actress, and publisher
- Jon Voight – actor (paternal grandfather was a Slovak immigrant from Košice; paternal grandmother was also of Slovak descent)
- Kiernan Shipka – actress
- Melanie Gaydos (of partial Slovak descent)
- Andy Warhol – (Andrew Warhola) pop-art painter, both parents were Rusins from Slovak part of Czechoslovakia
- Michael Badnarik – software engineer, political figure, and radio talk show host
- Mark Critz – U.S. Congressman
- William T. Dzurilla – international attorney andlaw clerk toJusticeByron White of theUnited States Supreme Court
- Carolyn Forché – professor, poet, editor, and human rights advocate
- John Mica –Republican former member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromFlorida
- Joseph M. Gaydos –Democratic member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromPennsylvania
- Peter P. Jurchak – legal counsel for the United Mine Workers
- John Katko – U.S. Representative from New York
- Vincent Obsitnik – diplomat born in Slovakia, former Ambassador of the United States of America to Slovakia
- Tom Ridge –Republican, 43rd Governor of Pennsylvania and 1st Secretary ofUnited States Department of Homeland Security
- John Roberts –Chief Justice of the United States
- Philip Ruppe – U.S. Representative
- Claudine Schneider – U.S. Representative from Rhode Island
- Joe Sestak –U.S. Representative,Democrat,Pennsylvania 7th District; retired USNavalvice-admiral; democratic presidential candidate in 2020 election
- Steve Sisolak – 30th governor of Nevada
- John Slezak – U.S. Under Secretary of the Army from 1954 to 1955
- Judy Baar Topinka –Republican politician inIllinois
- Jesse Ventura – 38thGovernor of Minnesota, wrestler, television personality
- Pete Visclosky – U.S. Representative for Indiana's 1st congressional district
Science and medicine
[edit]- Gene Cernan – NASA astronaut, naval aviator, electrical engineer, aeronautical engineer, and fighter pilot
- John Dopyera – inventor of the resonator acoustic guitar
- Mike Fincke – NASA astronaut,International Space Station commander
- Daniel Carleton Gajdusek – co-recipient of 1976Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for early work onkuru (his father was Slovak)
- Ivan Alexander Getting –electrical engineer, inventor ofGPS
- Lars Krutak – anthropologist, writer, photographer, and curator
- Jozef Murgaš – inventor, architect, botanist, painter, US patriot, and Roman Catholic priest
- Douglas D. Osheroff – physicist
- Ján Vilček – biomedical scientist, educator, inventor and philanthropist; currently a professor in the Department of Microbiology at the New York University School of Medicine and President of the Vilcek Foundation
- Joe Baksi – former professional boxer, heavyweight
- John Grimek – bodybuilder, never defeated in his entire professional career, the son of Slovak immigrants George and Maria Grimek, peasants from the village Ústie nad Oravou in northern Slovakia
- Chuck Bednarik – former professionalAmerican football player for thePhiladelphia Eagles of theNFL
- George Blanda – former quarterback and kicker for theOakland Raiders andHouston Oilers
- Jeff Bzdelik – basketball coach; currently an assistant with theHouston Rockets, former assistant with theMemphis Grizzlies, and former head coach of theDenver Nuggets,U.S. Air Force Academy,University of Colorado, andWake Forest University
- Robbie Ftorek – former professionalice hockey player
- Bill Hartack – jockey
- Elle Hartje – ice hockey player
- Mike Holovak – football player, coach, and executive
- Al Hostak – former professional boxer, middleweight
- Scott Kazmir – MLB player
- Matthew Knies – ice hockey player
- Andy Kosco – former baseball player
- Jack Kralick – former pitcher forWashington Senators andCleveland Indians
- Leslie Krichko – Olympic skier
- Johnny Kucab – pitcher forPhiladelphia Athletics in 1940s and 1950s
- Kyle Kuric – professionalbasketball player inSpain, currently withGran Canaria
- John Kundla – professionalNBA coach, member ofNaismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. (His father Ján was Slovak immigrant)
- Joseph Lapchick – former basketball player and coach
- Pete Latzo – boxer
- Bethanie Mattek-Sands – professional tennis player
- Stan Mikita – former professional ice hockey player
- Stephen Nedoroscik — gymnast, 2024 Olympic medal winner
- Andy Pafko – baseballcenter fielder for the Chicago Cubs (1943–51), Brooklyn Dodgers (1951–52) and Milwaukee Braves (1953–59)
- Kelly Pavlik – undefeatedWBO/World Boxing Councilmiddleweightboxing champion[6]
- Mike Piazza – professional baseball player
- Nicole Rajičová – figure skater
- George Shuba – formeroutfielder for theBrooklyn Dodgers[7]
- Brian Sikorski – baseball relief pitcher
- Paul Stastny – professional ice hockey player
- Peter Šťastný – former professional ice hockey player
- Yan Stastny – professional ice hockey player
- Dean Talafous – former professional ice hockey player
- Brett Tomko – former MLB pitcher
- Scott Touzinsky – volleyball player
- Alex Tuch – professional ice hockey player
- Elmer Valo – right fielder, coach and scout in Major League Baseball
- Jason Varitek – former captain and catcher for Boston Red Sox (1997–2011)
