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This is a list of notable Croatian 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 Croatian American or must have references showing they are Croatian American and are notable.
Johnny Mercer – songwriter and singer[6] (mother of Croatian and Irish descent)
Helen Merrill – jazz singer
Zinka Milanov – operatic soprano
Tomo Miličević – musician, guitarist
Paul Mirkovich – musical director (The Voice)
Guy Mitchell – singer and actor
Krist Novoselic – musician, bassist
David Paich – composer, producer and keyboardist
Marty Paich - pianist, composer, arranger, record producer, music director, and conductor
Walter Parazaider – founding member and saxophone player
Tristan Perich – contemporary composer and sound artist
Steve Popovich - record producer
Plavka – singer
Paul Salamunovich – conductor, brother of producer Mike Salamunovich
Louis Svečenski – violinist
Milka Ternina – operatic soprano
Military personnel[]
Sylvester Antolak – US Army Sergeant, recipient of the Medal of Honor
Paul William Bucha – US Army Captain, recipient of the Medal of Honor; highly decorated American Vietnam War veteran; foreign policy adviser to Barack Obama's 2008 presidential campaign
Norman Cota – US Army Major General in WWII
Louis Cukela – double recipient of the Medal of Honor
Albert A. Francovich – Navy Cross recipient
Rade Grbitch – US Navy, recipient of the Medal of Honor
Ron Kovic – US Marine Corps, Vietnam War veteran; peace activist
Richard Marcinko – U.S. Navy SEAL commander and Vietnam War veteran
Michael J. Novosel – US Army Chief Warrant Officer, recipient of the Medal Of Honor; veteran of World War II, Korean War, and Vietnam War
Ivan L. Slavich, Jr. – United States Army colonel
Peter Tomich – US Navy Chief Watertender, WWII recipient of the Medal of Honor
John J. Tominac – US Army First Lieutenant, recipient of the Medal of Honor
Albert Vadas – US Navy, recipient of the Medal of Honor
Donald W. Wolf – Navy Cross recipient
Politicians[]
Michael D. Antonovich – Los Angeles County Supervisor, 5th District, nine terms from 1980 to 2016 (second longest tenure in Los Angeles County history); former California State Assemblyman for six years (Republican)
Mark Begich – one-term U.S. Senator from Alaska; former mayor of Anchorage, Alaska[7] (Democrat)
Nick Begich – U.S. Representative (D-AK; 2011-17)[8] (Democrat)
Michael Bilandic – Illinois politician; Mayor of Chicago[9] (Democrat)
John Bonacic – New York State Senator (Republican)
John Cherberg – politician, football coach, teacher and television executive
Renee Ellmers – U.S. Representative (R-NC; 2011-17); mother of partial Croatian descent
Frank Ivancie – Portland City Council; Mayor of Portland, Oregon (1980-85) (Democrat)
John Kasich – former member of U.S. House of Representatives (Ohio)[3] and Governor of Ohio since 2011 (Republican); mother of Croatian descent
Dennis Kucinich – former mayor of Cleveland; member of U.S. House of Representatives (D-Ohio); 2004 Democratic presidential candidate[10]
Tony P. Mardesich – Washington State Representative from 1949 to 1950 (Democrat)
August P. Mardesich – Washington State Representative from 1950 to 1963 (Democrat)
John Martinis – Washington State Representative from 1969 to 1984 (Democrat)
Mary Matalin – political commentator, strategist and pundit; assistant to U.S. President George W. Bush (Republican)
George W. Milias – California State Assemblyman from 1962 to 1970 (Republican)
Rose Perica Mofford – 18th governor of Arizona from 1988 to 1991 (Democrat)
Emil Mrkonic – former member of the Pennsylvania State House of Representatives (Democrat)
Tony Peraica – Cook County Commissioner for the 16th district; nominee for Cook County Board President in 2006 (Republican)
Rudy Perpich – former governor, lieutenant governor, and United States Senator from Minnesota[11] (Democrat)
George Radanovich – businessman (vintner); California politician; former member of U.S. House of Representatives[12] (Republican)
Mark Sokolich – politician; Mayor of Fort Lee, New Jersey (Democrat)
Michael A. Stepovich – politician; last governor of the Alaska Territory from 1957 to 1958 (Republican)
Rudy Svorinich – Los Angeles City Councilman and Council President Pro Tempore representing the 15th (Greater Harbor Area) district from 1993 to 2001 (Republican)
Vincent Thomas – represented San Pedro's 68th and 52nd Districts in the California State Assembly from 1941 to 1979 (Democrat)
Carmen Trutanich – Los Angeles City Attorney from 2009 to 2013 (Independent)
Andy Vidak – California State Senator for 16th district → then 14th district (Republican)
Scientists, inventors and engineers[]
Lada Adamic – network scientist
Ralph S. Baric - epidemiologist
Tanja Bosak – geobiologist
Milislav Demerec – geneticist
Anthony Francis Lucas – oil explorer; inventor; organized with Pattillo Higgins the drilling of an oil well near Beaumont, Texas that became known as Spindletop, which led to the widespread exploitation of oil and the start of the petroleum age
Daniel Gajski – computer scientist
Anthony Grbic – electrical engineer
Victor Grinich – one of the "traitorous eight" who founded Silicon Valley
Jadranka Skorin-Kapov - operations research scientist
George M. Skurla – aeronautical engineer for the Apollo program, director of operations at the Kennedy Space Center, former president of the Grumman Corporation
Marin Soljacic – Ph.D professor of physics, electrical engineer at MIT; inventor
Davor Solter - biologist
James Spudich – biochemist
Sportspeople[]
John Abramovic – former basketball player
Mario Ancic – in legal department of the NBA; former professional tennis player, once ranked No. 7 in the world
Marijon Ancich – football coach in California
Johnny Babich – former baseball player
Gary Beban – former NFL player, 1967 Heisman Trophy winner
Bill Belichick – NFL football head coach; six-time Super Bowl winner with the New England Patriots [15][16]
Steve Belichick – football player
Pete Bercich – former NFL player and coach with the Minnesota Vikings; currently the color commentator on KFAN radio
Scott Boras – sports agent
Nick Burley, born Nicholas Barovich – bare-knuckle boxer, Heavyweight Champion of the Yukon Territory in 1902[17]
Pete Carroll – Super Bowl-winning coach, Seattle Seahawks; former USC football coach
Tom Cecic – US National Soccer Team player
Ann Cindric – All-American Girls Professional Baseball League player
Ralph Cindrich – former NFL player
Fred Couples – golfer (Croatian mother)
Helen Crlenkovich - Diver, Actress
Lou Cvijanovich – California High School coach, only coach who won CIF titles in three different sports
David Diehl – former football player and offensive lineman in the National Football League (Croatian mother)
Duje Dukan – NBA basketball player
Bill Fralic – former professional American football offensive guard
Gary Gabelich
Elvis Grbac – former NFL quarterback
Bobby Grich – former MLB player
Tom Haller – former MLB player
John Havlicek – Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame (Croatian mother)
Frankie Hejduk – US National Soccer Team player and member of the Columbus Crew
Les Horvath – 1944 Heisman Trophy winner and former NFL quarterback
Al Jurisich – former MLB player
John Jurkovic – former NFL player
Mirko Jurkovic – former football player
Mike Karakas – NHL hockey player
David Kopay – first professional athlete (American football) to be openly gay
Blase Cardinal Cupich – Roman Catholic Archbishop of Chicago
Edward J. Damich – former judge and professor
John Owen Dominis – last Hawaiian royalty, by marriage to Hawaiian Queen Lydia Kamekaha Kapaaka in 1862
Mike Grgich – winemaker; 1976 winner at the Judgement of Paris for the Best White Wine in the world; inducted into the Vintner's Hall of Fame in 2008
Noma Gurich – judge serving as a justice of the Oklahoma Supreme Court
Jay Kordich (1923-2017) – "father of juicing" and the inventor of the Juiceman Juicer. Both his parents were Croatian immigrants from the island of Vis.
Bill Kurtis – television journalist and producer[25]
Michael Lah – cartoonist
Louis Lucas – winemaker
Capricia Penavic Marshall – Chief of Protocol of the United States (2009 to August 2013; father of Croatian descent)
Anthony Maglica – inventor, owner and founder of Mag Instrument Inc.[26]
Boris Miksic – Cortec Corporation owner and founder
Zinka Milanov – operatic soprano
Steve Nelson (born Stjepan Mesaros) – Spanish Civil War veteran and Communist Party leader
Katie Pavlich – journalist, blogger, political commentator, author, podcaster.
Kevin Radich – sports reporter
Bill Rancic – entrepreneur; husband of E! News' Giuliana DePandi
Gene Rayburn – radio and television personality[27]
Nicholas Sulentic – industrialist, creator of Sears Craftsman tool boxes, chests and cabinets
Miroslav Volf – Protestant theologian
Vanna White – television personality (biological father of Puerto Rican and Croatian descent; she was adopted and reared by her stepfather, whose name she took)
