A Greek American is a citizen of the United States who has significant Greek heritage. According to the 2000 U.S. Census Report, there were 1,153,295 people of Greek heritage living in the United States that year. 365,435 Americans spoke Greek at home. Greek Americans have a heavy concentration in New York City (most notably in Astoria) and Chicago. Tarpon Springs, Florida is also home to a large Greek-American community.
History
The first Greek known to have arrived on U.S. soil was a man named Don Theodoro, who landed on Florida with the Narváez expedition in 1528 [1][2]. He died during the expedition, as did most of his companions.
In 1768, about 500 Greeks from Smyrna, Crete and Mani settled in New Smyrna, Florida (near present-day New Smyrna Beach). The colony was unsuccessful, and the settlers moved to St. Augustine, Florida in 1776, where their traces were lost to history.[3][4]
The first significant Greek community to develop was in New Orleans during the 1850s. By 1866 the community was numerous and prosperous enough to have a Greek consulate and the first Greek Orthodox church in the United States.[5]. During that period, most Greek immigrants to the New World came from Asia Minor, and those Aegean islands still under Ottoman rule. By 1890, there were almost 15,000 Greeks living in the U.S.
Immigration picked up in the 1890s, mostly because of the displacement caused by the hardships of Ottoman rule, the Balkan Wars and World War I. 450,000 Greeks arrived to the States between 1890 and 1917, many as hired labor for the railroads and mines of the American West; another 70,000 arrived between 1918 and 1924. Changes in immigration laws after 1924 significantly reduced the immigration rate; less than 30,000 arrived between 1925 and 1945, many of whom were "picture brides" for single Greek men.[6]
Greeks again began to arrive in large numbers after 1945, fleeing the economic devastation caused by World War II and the Greek Civil War. From 1946 until 1982, approximately 211,000 Greeks emigrated to the United States.
After the 1981 admission of Greece to the European Union, numbers fell to an average of less than 2,000 annually. In recent years, Greek immigration to the United States has been minimal; in fact net migration has been towards Greece. Over 72,000 U.S. citizens currently live in Greece (1999); most of them are Greek Americans.
The predominant religion among Greeks and Greek-Americans is Eastern Orthodox Christianity. There are also a number of Americans who descend from Greece's large Sephardic and Romaniote Jewish communities.
Popular culture
- The popular 1970s show Kojak featured Telly Savalas as Greek-American police detective Theo Kojak, and his brother George as Detective Stavros. Kojak was originally supposed to be Polish (hence the name), but this was changed to match Savalas' profile.
- The 2002 comedy film My Big Fat Greek Wedding portrayed the love story of a Greek-American woman (portrayed by Greek Canadian Nia Vardalos) and a non-Greek-American man. It also examines the protagonist's troubled love/hate relationship with her cultural heritage and value system. The movie spawned an unsuccessful TV series, My Big Fat Greek Life.
- The Famous Teddy Z was an acclaimed but short-lived TV series about a fictional talent agent named Teddy Zakalakis, portrayed by Jon Cryer.
- The TV series Full House was about a family that included Greek-American Uncle Jesse, portrayed by John Stamos. Jesse's Greek dad was also recurring character.
- The Greek Restaurant was a recurring sketch in the early years of Saturday Night Live. More recently, Tina Fey has often joked about her Greek heritage on the show.
- Tom's Restaurant, a Greek-American owned business, has become one of the symbols of urban New York life.
- Elektra Natchios is a Marvel Comics superhero, portrayed by Jennifer Garner in the 2005 movie Elektra.
- In the 1973 blockbuster The Exorcist, Jason Miller (actor) starred as Greek-American Father Damien Karras, one of the priests who exorcised young Regan. In one scene, Karras’s mother, played by Greek actress Vasiliki Maliaros, is listening to a Greek radio station broadcasting the song ?st???a µ?? aµa?t?a µ?? (My Story, My sin) by the late popular Greek singer Rita Sakellariou.
Major Greek-American organizations
There are hundreds of regional, religious and professional Greek-American organizations. Some of the largest ones include:
- The American Hellenic Educational Progressive Association (AHEPA) is the largest community organization of Greek Americans. It was founded in Atlanta, Georgia in 1922 during a period of anti-Greek attacks by the Ku Klux Klan. Its current membership exceeds 18,000.
- The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America is the religious organization most closely associated with the Greek-American community. It was established in 1921, and is under the leadership of the Orthodox Church of Constantinople. The church operates the Greek Orthodox Youth of America (GOYA), the largest Greek youth group in the United States.
- The Council of Hellenes Abroad is a Greek government sponsored umbrella organization for Greek immigrant organizations worldwide.
List of notable Greek Americans
Business
- Jim Bitzos, vice president of RSA Data Security Inc
- Michael Capellas, (Greek Father)
- Tom Carvel1, founder of the Carvel franchise
- Christos Cotsakos, co-founder of E*Trade
- Nicholas Davatzes, president and CEO of Arts & Entertainment Television Networks
- Jamie Dimon, CEO of JPMorgan Chase
- Peter Diamandis, founder of the International Space University
- Elena Ford, Ford Motor Company executive. (Greek Father)
- Jim Gianopoulos, Fox President
- Peter Jarvis, last name actually Javaris, original owner of Culpeper Regional Airport
- George Kariotis, businessman, ran against Michael Dukakis for governor of Massachusetts in 1986.
- Peter Karmanos, founder, president & CEO of Compuware
- Ted Leonsis Vice Chair of AOL
- Peter M. Nicholas Cofounder Boston Scientific Corporation
- Alexander Pantages, vaudeville and early motion picture producer and impresario
- Greg Papadopoulos, senior vice president and CTO officer of Sun Microsystems Inc.
- George Perlegos, founder and Chairman of the Board of Atmel Corporation
- John Rigas, founder of Adelphia Communications Corporation
- Stratton Sclavos, president & CEO of Verisign Inc.
- Charles Skouras1, movie magnate, president of Fox Coast West & National Pictures
- George Skouras1, movie magnate, president of United Artists
- Spyros Skouras1, movie magnate, president of 20th Century Fox
- Leo Stefanos, inventor of DOVEBAR®
- William Tavoulareas, president of Mobil Oil Corporation
- S. Gregory Taylor (Tavlaridis) Founder and owner of St. Moritz Hotel, New York City
- Anthony Thomopoulos, Television Executive
- P. Roy Vagelos, former Chairman and CEO of Merck
- Ed Zander, CEO of Motorola and former president of Sun Microsystems (Greek Mother)
Designers
- James Galanos, fashion desinger
- Diane von Fürstenberg, fashion designer (Jewish Greek mother)
- Peter Speliopoulos, Vice President DKNY design
- Patrick Tatopoulos, creatures designer & special effects
- Dean Tavoularis, Academy Award for Best Art Direction (The Godfather ??)
- John Varvatos, fashion designer
Directors
- Alexandra Cassavetes, director, daughter of John Cassavetes
- John Cassavetes1, movie director
- Nick Cassavetes, movie director (Greek father)
- Peter Chakos, tv editor & director
- George Pan Cosmatos1, film director, Tombstone, Rambo: First Blood Part II
- Elia Kazan1, movie director
- Charles Lederer1, writer/director (Greek maternal grandfather)
- Constantine Makris, TV Director, Law and Order
- Gregory Markopoulos, film director, New American Cinema of the 1960s
- Andrew Moskos, producer/owner of Boom Chicago
- Alexander Payne, Academy award winning movie director
- Nick Paleologos, Producer and Director
- Andy Sidaris, film director of cult B-movie films
- Christian Drew Sidaris, actor & film director, son of Andy Sidaris
- Penelope Spheeris, director, Wayne?s world
- Spiro Veloudos, Producer/Director at Boston’s Lyric Stage Theater in Boston
Entertainment
- The Andrews Sisters, Greek father
- Jennifer Aniston, actress (Greek father)
- John Aniston, actor
- Hank Azaria, actor, Sephardic-Jewish parents from Greece
- Tia Bella, adult film actress
- Vasili Bogazianos, actor.
- Angela Bowie, covergirl model, actress, musician ex-wife of David Bowie (Greek Cypriot mother)
- Paula Cale, actress
- Gabrielle Carteris, actor (Romaniote-Jewish Greek)
- George Chakiris, actor, West Side Story
- Michael Chiklis, actor, The Shield
- Michael Constantine, actor
- Marion Davies1, actress (Greek father)
- Frank Dicopoulos, actor
- Olympia Dukakis, actress
- Tina Fey, writer and actress
- Michael Flessas, actor
- Calista Flockhart, actress (Greek great-grandmother)
- Angie Harmon [7] "Angie Harmon:"It would be shaping my eyebrows. Being half Greek and half American Indian, I have the unibrow. So once I started working on them, I really did see a change. You create another kind of beauty."
- Marilu Henner, actress (Greek mother)
- Melina Kanakaredes, actress
- Robert Karvelas1, actor; portrayed Larrabee on Get Smart
- Andreas Katsulas, actor
- Alex Karras, actor
- Chris Kratt, television star
- Martin Kratt, television star
- Patricia Lake1, actress (Greek maternal grandfather)
- Demetri Martin, comedian
- Maria Menounos, actress/journalist/television presenter
- Andy Milonakis, actor, comedian
- Sofia Milos, actress
- Elizabeth Perkins, actor, (Greek father - Original family surname Pisperikos)
- Chris Sarandon, actor
- George Savalas1, actor
- Telly Savalas1, actor
- Amy Sedaris, actress, comedienne
- Nicollette Sheridan, actress
- Jamie Lynn Sigler, actress, plays Meadow Soprano (Greek Sephardic-Jewish paternal grandmother)
- Skouras Films, movie industry
- John Stamos, actor (Greek father)
- Mena Suvari, actress (Greek mother)
- Tiffani Thiessen, actress, German Father, Greek/Turkish/Welsh Mother
- Betty White, actress
- Rita Wilson, actress (Greek mother)
- Billy Zane, actor
- Lisa Zane, actress
Models
- Kristi Lauren Glakas, Miss Virginia 2006, (Greek parents)
- Erika Harold, Miss America 2003 (Greek/Welsh/German father)
- Maria Lekkakos, Miss Massachusetts 2003
Musicians
- Maurice Abravanel, conductor born in Greece to Sephardic Jewish family
- Annette Artani, singer, wrote the song Everytime for Britney Spears
- Athena Kottak, drummer for KrunK
- Bill Koutsouros, of the ANIMUS
- Maria Callas1, one of the greatest opera sopranos of all time.
- Kelly Clarkson, first American Idol winner (Greek-American mother)
- Greg Dulli, musician (Greek great- grandfather)
- Fiery Furnaces, indie rock band
- Diamanda Galás, performance artist, vocalist, and composer
- Steven Karidoyanes, composer, broadcaster and conductor with Plymouth Philharmonic Orchestra
- Tommy Lee, heavy metal drummer (Greek mother)
- Constantine Maroulis, singer, stage actor, and American Idol finalist
- Tony Orlando, singer
- The Vanity Set, alternative/rebetiko rock band
- Johnny Otis, rhythm and blues musician
- Basil Poledouris, film composer
- Liz Ryder, musician,(Greek mother)
- Jim Verraros - singer/actor, finalist on the 1st American Idol [8] "Jim Verraros: My father was born in Greece, so I am mostly Greek. My mother is German, Irish, French and English."
- Yanni, musician
Photographers
- Plato Antoniou, photographer
- Louie Psihoyos, photographer (National Geographic)
Politics
- Spiro Agnew1, former Vice President of the United States (Greek father)
- Art Agnos, former mayor of San Francisco
- Phil Angelides, state treasurer of California
- George Argyros, US ambassador to Spain
- Shelley Berkley Member of Congress (Greek Sephardic Jewish mother)
- Michael Bilirakis, congressman from Florida.
- John Brademas Former Member of Congress and Former President of New York University
- George Christopher1, former mayor of San Francisco
- Michael Dukakis, former governor of Massachusetts; 1988 Democratic Presidential Candidate
- George Gekas, congressman from Pennsylvania
- Theodore Kanavas, Republican State Senator from Brookfield, Wisconsin.
- Tom C. Korologos, U.S. Ambassador to Belgium
- Andy Manatos, former Assistant Secretary of Commerce
- Nicholas Mavroules, Congressman from Massachusetts
- Sylvia Mathews , National Economic Commission staff
- John Negroponte, United States Director of National Intelligence
- Peter Peterson First Greek American Cabinet Officer, Head of Blackstone Group
- John Podesta, White House Chief of Staff under President Bill Clinton
- Paul Sarbanes, U.S. Senator representing the state of Maryland
- Harry Scolinos, attorney, businessman and politician
- Tasia Scolinos, Justice Department Director Of Public Affairs
- Olympia Snowe, Republican Senator from Maine
- George Stephanopoulos, political commentator, Former White House Communications Director
- George Tenet, former director of the U.S. CIA
- Frances Townsend, assistant to the President and Homeland Security Advisor (Greek father)
- Paul Tsongas1, former senator from Massachusetts
- Gus Yatron, Former Congressman
Science
- Diogenes Allen, Professor of Philosophy
- Michael Anagnos, foremost educator of the deaf and blind
- Chris Argyris, distinguished lifetime contributor to theory and practice of management
- Constantine A. Balanis, electrical engineer
- Michael Dertouzos, innovator & director of the M.I.T. LCS
- Paris Kanellakis1, computer scientist
- Menas Kafatos, quantum physicist
- Charles Moskos, leading military sociologist in the US Military
- Dimitris Nanopoulos, theoretical physicist
- Nicholas Negroponte, scientist
- Kyriacos Costa Nicolaou, chemist
- George Papanicolaou, created the Pap Smear
- John Allen Paulos, mathematician
- John G. Proakis, scientist
- Panayiotis Zavos, geneticist (Greek parents)
Sports
- Harry "the Golden Greek" Agganis1, football and baseball player
- Peter Angelos, owner of the Baltimore Orioles
- Steve Antonopulos, head athletic trainer for the Denver Broncos
- Clay Bellinger, of the Baltimore Orioles
- Annastasia Batikis, played in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League in 1945
- Dave Bautista, wrestler (Greek mother)
- Al Campanis, MLB player and executive of the Dodgers
- Jimmy Carson, NHL hockey player, (Original family surname Kyriazopoulos)
- Chris Chelios, NHL hockey player
- Ed Christofoli , NHL hockey player
- Tara Dakides, Pro Snowboarder and Champion from California
- Cleon Daskalakis, NHL player for Boston Bruins
- Chris Farasopoulos, football player, played for the NY Jets
- Alex Grammas, MLB infielder for St. Louis Cardinals, Cincinnati Reds and the Chicago Cubs.
- Laird Hamilton, surfer born Laird John Zerfas, (Greek father)
- Alex Kampouris, infielder for the Cincinnati Reds
- Maria Kanellis, of WWE RAW, Greek father
- Dean Karnazes, ultramarathon champion, writer, businessman
- Mike Karakas, NHL Player for the Islanders 1935-1946
- Eric Karros, Major League Baseball player for the Dodgers
- Bobby Kingsbury - baseball player for Pittsburgh Pirates
- Niko Koutouvides, linebacker for the Seattle Seahawks
- Alexi Lalas, soccer player
- Matt Lepsis, Left Tackle for the Denver Broncos
- Kay Lionikas, played in the [[All-American Girls Professional (correct spelling of last name)
- Kay Lionikdas, played in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League in 1948-1950
- Billy Loes, MLB Pitcher for the Dodgers and other teams
- Jim Londos Champion Wrestler during the 1930s.
- Greg Louganis (Greek by adoption; ethnically Samoan and Swedish), athlete
- Nick Markakis, outfielder for the Baltimore Orioles
- Tino Martinez, retired first baseman in Major League Baseball
- Aaron Miles, MLP player for the St. Louis Cardinals, Chicago White Sox, and Colorado Rockies (paternal grandmother)
- Gus Niarhos, Major League Baseball Yankees, White Sox, Red Sox, Phillies
- Diane Nyad, long-distance swimmer
- Hanshi John Pachivas, martial arts (World Martial Arts Hall of Fame)
- Milt Pappas, MLB Pitcher for the Baltimore Orioles and Cincinnati Reds and other teams
- June Peppas, played in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League in 1948-1954
- Lonnie Paxton, NFL New England Patriots long-snapper 01/02/03 seasons(half Greek)
- Chris Pelekoudas, MLB & Umpire for National League
- Pete Pihos, NFL player (Pro Football Hall of Fame)
- Joseph Pilates, inventor of the Pilates (Greek father)
- Dawn Marie Psaltis, Dawn Marie of WWE RAW
- Dusty Rhodes, MLB player for New York Giants and San Francisco Giants
- Pete Sampras, tennis player (3/4 Greek, 1/4 Sephardic Jewish)
- John Scolinos, Cal Poly Pomona Baseball Coach of the Century
- Fred Smerlas1, football player for Buffalo Bills & New England Patriots
- Jimmy "the Greek" Snyder1, sports commentator
- Alex Spanos, owner of the San Diego Chargers
- Frank Stams, NFL player - Notre Dame and Rams
- Matt Stover, NFL player, kicker for Baltimore Ravens
- Jason Tatman, 3 time world miniture golf champion. (Greek mother)
- Leo Thalassites, boxing trainer ("Marvelous" Marvin Hagler, Hector "Macho" Camacho)
- George "The Stork" Theodore, MLB Player for the New York Mets
- Nick Theodorou, outfielder for the Dodgers
- Craig Titus, American bodybuilder (Greek father)
- Gus Triandos , MLB player for the Baltimore Orioles and other teams
- Jake Tsakalidis, NBA player for Memphis Grizzlies & Phoenix Suns
- Johnny Unitas, NFL player
- Garo Yepremian, NFL player (Greek Cypriot origin)
- George Zaharias, professional wrestler
TV-Journalists
- Ernie Anastos, WNYW-New York co-anchorman
- John Bolaris, WCBS-New York meteorologist
- Bob Costas, NBC sportscaster (Greek father)
- Mike Galanos, CNN/Sports Illustrated anchor
- Nick Gregory, WNYW-New York meteorologist
- Debbie Matenopoulos, journalist, talk show host
- Bob Papa, Sports anchor
- Ike Pappas, CBS news correspondent
Writers
- Rae Dalven1, author and academic (Romaniote - Greek Jewish)
- Jeffrey Eugenides, author (Greek father)
- Tina Fey, comedienne, head writer of Saturday Night Live (Greek mother)
- Panio Gianopoulos, editor for Bloomsbury and writer
- Christopher Georges1, journalist, the Wall Street Journal
- Anemona Hartocollis, journalist, the New York Times
- Arianna Huffington, author and columnist
- George Gregoriou, professor the William Paterson University, writer
- Vanessa Grigoriadis, contributing editor, the New York Times
- Nick Mamatas. author
- Hope Mihalap, humorist, author, & professional speaker
- George Pelecanos, author
- David Sedaris, essayist and radio contributor
- Dr. Evangeline Harris Stefanakis, Harvard professor
Other
- Helene Alexopoulos, former New York City Ballet prima ballerina
- Criss Angel, magician
- Constantino Brumidi, important artist of the Capitol (Greek Italian Father)
- Jimmy Caras, billiards (5 world championships)
- Cat Cora, Iron Chef on Food Network's Iron Chef America
- George T. Davis, legendary criminal defense attorney
- Nick "the Greek" Dandolos1, gambler
- Gracia Dura Bin1, early settler, wife of Dr. Andrew Turnbull
- Iakovos1, former Greek Orthodox Archbishop of America
- Milton Katselas, legendary acting coach and founder of The Beverly Hills Playhouse
- Peter Liacouras, former President of Temple University
- George Lois, advertiser (ESPN, USA Today, Xerox, MTV, Wolfschmidt, Tommy Hilfiger)
- Constantine Papadakis, President of Drexel University
- Jack Pierce1, acclaimed make up artist
- Manuel Stefanakis, President of the American Farm School
- TAKI 183, graffiti artist
Notes: [1] Deceased.
See also
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Miscellaneous topics
- Greeks
- Greek Canadians
- Greek Australian
- Greeks in Great Britain
- Greek Cypriots
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