Ukrainian-American celebrities

1. Jay Adler

Jay Adler was born on September 26, 1896 in New York City, New York, USA. He was an actor, known for The Killing (1956), Cry Danger (1951) and The Big Combo (1955). He died on September 23, 1978 in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California, USA.

2. Luther Adler

Actor | The Loves of Carmen

The actor and Broadway director Luther Adler was born into a Yiddish theatrical dynasty. One of the six children born to Jacob P. and Sara Adler, he made his debut in the world in New York City, originally billed as Lutha J. Adler. His full siblings Charles, Jay, Julia, and Stella (the famous ...

3. Stella Adler

Actress | Shadow of the Thin Man

Stella Adler was born on February 10, 1901, in New York, the youngest daughter of the Yiddish theater actors, Jacob P. Adler and Sarah Adler, who founded an acting dynasty. In addition to her parents, Stella's family included her siblings Charles Adler, Jay Adler, Julia and Luther Adler, all of whom...

4. Dianna Agron

Actress | The Family

Dianna Elise Agron was born in Savannah, Georgia to Mary and Ronald Agron and grew up in a middle-class family in Savannah before moving to Texas and, later, San Francisco, California, because her father was a general manager for Hyatt. Dianna and her brother Jason were raised Jewish and she ...

5. Pamela Adlon

Actress | Better Things

Pamela Adlon comes from an acting family and began her career in television in 1983. She has appeared in many popular TV shows, including as a voice actress in a number of animated TV series including, most famously, King of the Hill (1997) for which she won an Emmy for her role as Bobby Hill.

Voice of Bobby Hill

6. Herb Alpert

Music_department | Never Say Never Again

Bandleader who had several big instrumental hits in 1960s with his band, Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass. First big hit was "The Lonely Bull" in 1963. He and the Brass followed that with other big hits like "Tijuana Taxi", "Spanish Flea" (familiar to some as "the Dating Game song"), "A Taste of ...

7. Wesley Archer

Director | Rick and Morty

Wesley Meyer Archer is an American animation director and storyboard artist from Houston, Texas who is known for directing episodes of animated shows such as Rick & Morty, The Simpsons, King of the Hill, The Goode Family, Starship Regulars, Allen Gregory, Zombie College, Supermodels, Futurama, ...

8. Allan Arkush

Producer | Heroes

Allan Arkush was born on April 30, 1948 in Jersey City, New Jersey, USA. He is a producer and director, known for Heroes (2006), Rock 'n' Roll High School (1979) and Crossing Jordan (2001).

9. Eleanor Audley

Actress | Sleeping Beauty

Eleanor Audley was an American actress, with a distinctive voice that helped her find work as a voice actress in radio and animation. She is primarily remembered as the first actress to voice Lady Tremaine and Maleficent, two of the most memorable Disney villains.

Audley's real name was Eleanor ...

10. Frances Bay

Actress | Blue Velvet

Cute, tiny, and prolific little old lady character actress Frances Bay worked constantly in both films and TV shows alike after making her debut at the age of 59 in life with a small part in the comedy Foul Play (1978) in 1978.

She frequently portrayed eccentric elderly women and good-hearted ...

11. Julian Beck

Actor | Poltergeist II: The Other Side

A bold, innovative, avant-garde figure in theatre who helped revolutionized the style of playwriting and acting in the 1950s and 1960s, actor/writer/producer/directer Julian Beck was certainly a odd-looking sort with his baleful, hollow eyes, stark and skullish features and near-bald dome capped by...

12. Leonard Bernstein

Soundtrack | New York Philharmonic Young People's Concerts

Renowned composer ("West Side Story", "Candide", "On The Town"), conductor, arranger, pianist, educator, author, TV/radio host, educated at the Boston Latin School and Harvard University (BA) with Walter Piston. Edward Burlingame Hill and A. Tillman Merritt. He studied piano with Helen Coates, ...

13. Steven Bochco

Writer | Hill Street Blues

Attended Carnegie Tech (now Carnegie-Mellon University) as a playwriting major. Barbara Bosson (his second wife), Michael Tucker, Bruce Weitz and Charles Haid were classmates; he and Tucker drove cross-country to Hollywood for full-time jobs at Universal, where Bochco would remain for 12 years.

In ...

Creator of “Hill Street Blues”, “L.A. Law” and “Doogie Howser, M.D.”

14. Natalie Burn

Actress | Til Death Do Us Part

Natalie Burn is an accomplished actress of Ukrainian heritage, now holding American citizenship. She boasts a distinguished career, marked by her commitment to excellence in the performing arts. Natalie is proud to be a lifetime member of The Actors Studio and an active member of the Academy of ...

15. Mark Cuban

Producer | Shark Tank

Mark Cuban was born July 31, 1958 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to Shirley (Feldman) and Norton Cuban, an automobile upholsterer. His family, of Eastern European Jewish descent, was originally named Chabenisky. Mark graduated from Indiana University in 1981 with a degree in Business. After college, ...

16. Michael Cudlitz

Actor | Grosse Pointe Blank

Michael Cudlitz was born on December 29, 1964 in Queens, New York, USA. He is an actor and director, known for Grosse Pointe Blank (1997), The Walking Dead (2010) and Sex Drive (2008). He is married to Rachael Cudlitz. They have two children.

17. Jules Dassin

Director | Du rififi chez les hommes

Jules Dassin was an Academy Award-nominated director, screenwriter and actor best known for his films Rififi (1955), Never on Sunday (1960), and Topkapi (1964).

He was born Julius Samuel Dassin on 18 December 1911, in Middletown, Connecticut, USA. He was one of eight children of Russian-Jewish ...

18. Dimitri Diatchenko

Actor | Get Smart

A native of San Francisco, Dimitri Diatchenko attended Newton North High School in Newton, Massachusetts. After high school, he attended Stetson University in Deland, Florida where he was a scholarship music student, majoring in classical guitar. After completing the Bachelors program, he ...

19. Hal Douglas

Actor | The Holiday

Voiceover artist par excellence Hal Douglas was born Harold Cone on September 1, 1924 in Stamford, Connecticut. The son of Samuel and Miriam Levenson Cone, Hal and his brother Edwin were primarily raised by their grandparents Sarah and Tevya Levenson after their mother died when Hal was only nine. ...

20. Fran Drescher

Writer | The Nanny

Francine Joy "Fran" Drescher was born on September 30, 1957 in Queens, New York City, New York to Sylvia Drescher, a bridal consultant & Mort Drescher, a naval systems analyst. Fran attended Hillcrest High School in New York with another now-famous name, Ray Romano. She was a studious girl and was ...

21. Bob Dylan

Soundtrack | Renaldo and Clara

Robert Allen Zimmerman was born 24 May 1941 in Duluth, Minnesota; his father Abe worked for the Standard Oil Co. Six years later the family moved to Hibbing, often the coldest place in the US, where he taught himself piano and guitar and formed several high school rock bands. In 1959 he entered the...

22. Taissa Farmiga

Actress | The Final Girls

Taissa Farmiga is an American actress, and the younger sister of Academy Award nominee Vera Farmiga, who is 21 years her senior. She was born in Readington Township, New Jersey, USA, to Ukrainian-born parents Michael and Lubomyra (Spas) Farmiga.

Unlike her older sister, Taissa initially had no ...

23. Vera Farmiga

Actress | Up in the Air

Vera Farmiga is an American actress who has received an Academy Award nomination for her role in Up in the Air (2009) and Primetime Emmy Award nominations for her roles in Bates Motel (2013) and When They See Us (2019).

She was born Vera Ann Farmiga, the second of seven children, on August 6, 1973, ...

24. Mark Feuerstein

Actor | What Women Want

Mark Feuerstein got his break-through on television as a recurring character on the daytime soap opera Loving (1983). Most of the people in his family are lawyers. He was a high school state championship wrestler. He enjoys mountain-biking, wrestling, dancing (hip-hop to salsa) and jogging.

He got ...

25. Totie Fields

Actress | That's Life

Totie Fields was born on May 7, 1927 in Hartford, Connecticut, USA. She was an actress, known for That's Life (1968), Medical Center (1969) and Laugh-In (1967). She was married to George William Johnston. She died on August 2, 1978 in Los Angeles, California, USA.

26. Betty Lou Gerson

Actress | One Hundred and One Dalmatians

Betty Lou Gerson was born on April 20, 1914 in Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA. She was an actress, known for One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961), Cinderella (1950) and Cats Don't Dance (1997). She was married to Louis Rocco Lauria and Joe Ainley. She died on January 12, 1999 in Los Angeles, ...

27. Amy Goodman

Producer | Barney the Dinosaur Documentary

Amy Goodman was born on April 13, 1957 in Bay Shore, Long Island, New York, USA. She is a producer, known for Barney the Dinosaur Documentary (2022), Democracy Now! (2001) and Broadcast Blues (2009).

28. Elliott Gould

Actor | MASH

Elliott Gould is an American actor known for his roles in M*A*S*H (1970), his Oscar-nominated performance in Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice (1969), and more recently, his portrayal of old-time con artist Reuben Tishkoff in Ocean's Eleven (2001), Ocean's Twelve (2004) and Ocean's Thirteen (...

29. Jason Gould

Actor | Say Anything...

Jason Gould was born on December 29, 1966 in New York City, New York, USA. He is an actor and director, known for Say Anything (1989), The Prince of Tides (1991) and Boys Life 3 (2000).

30. Wayne Gretzky

Actor | D2: The Mighty Ducks

Wayne Gretzky, nicknamed "The Great One, " is widely considered the greatest hockey player of all-time. At the time of his retirement at the end of the 1998-99 NHL season he was the NHL's all-time scoring leader in Goals, Assists & Points in both the regular season & Stanley Cup Playoffs. He led ...

31. Monty Hall

Producer | Let's Make a Deal

Monty Hall was born Maurice Halperin on August 25, 1921 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Manitoba in 1945. He's the father of Tony Award winner Joanna Gleason, television writer/director Sharon Hall, and Emmy Award winner ...

Let’s Make A Deal

32. Bob Jaffe

Actor | FBI

Bob Jaffe is known for FBI (2018), The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon (2014) and Time After Time (2017).

33. Nicole Jaffe

Actress | Scooby Doo, Where Are You!

Jaffe's career was mainly based on doing voice-over work. She is best remembered as the voice of the nerdy-and-intelectual Velma Dinkley in the Scooby-Doo cartoons from 1969-1973; before actress Pat Stevens picked up the role. After the demise of the last Scooby cartoon The New Scooby-Doo Movies (...

Voice of Velma Dinkley

34. Billy Joel

Soundtrack | Oliver & Company

William Martin Joel is an American singer, pianist, composer and songwriter. Commonly nicknamed the "Piano Man" after his single and signature song of the same name, he has led a commercially successful career as a solo artist since the 1970s, having released 12 pop and rock studio albums from 1971...

35. Larry King

Actor | Ghostbusters

Larry King was born on November 19, 1933 in Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA. He was a producer and actor, known for Ghostbusters (1984), Shrek 2 (2004) and Enemy of the State (1998). He was married to Shawn Ora Engemann, Julie Alexander, Sharon Lepore, Alene Akins, Mickey Sutphin, Annette ...

36. Don Kirshner

Producer | Toomorrow

Don Kirshner was born on April 17, 1934 in Bronx, New York City, New York, USA. He was a producer and composer, known for Toomorrow (1970), Musical Chairs (1975) and The Kowboys (1970). He was married to Sheila Grod. He died on January 17, 2011 in Boca Raton, Florida, USA.

37. Bernie Kopell

Actor | Get Smart

Genial character comedian Bernie Kopell is undoubtedly best known as Dr. Adam Bricker, doling out sage advice on TV's The Love Boat (1977) for its entire run of ten seasons and 250 episodes. He once described the experience as "a paid vacation. We got to be in 98 countries". While this may have ...

38. Martin Kove

Actor | The Karate Kid

Martin Kove was born on March 6, 1947 in Brooklyn, New York. Strong-featured, narrow-eyed actor who has portrayed a mixed bag of both good guys and bad guys. He first turned up on screen in several minor roles, and was noticed as the villainous Nero the Hero in the low-budget road race Death Race ...

39. Heather Kozar

Actress | Back Home Again

Tall (5'8"), busty, and shapely blonde bombshell Heather Kozar was born on May 4, 1976 in Akron, Ohio. Heather was raised in a strict Christian household. She graduated from Green High School in 1994. Kozar was the Playmate of the Month in the January, 1998 issue of "Playboy." Heather graced the ...

40. John Kricfalusi

Animation_department | The Ren & Stimpy Show

Canadian-born cartoon cartoonist Kricfalusi began his career by working on low end Saturday morning cartoons like The Jetsons (1962) revival and Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids (1972). In 1987, Kricfalusi's mentor, Ralph Bakshi, saved him by hiring him as supervising director on his show Mighty Mouse...

Creator of “Ren and Stimpy”

41. Mila Kunis

Actress | Black Swan

Milena Markovna "Mila" Kunis is a Ukrainian-American actress born to a Jewish family in Chernivtsi, Ukraine.

Her mother, Elvira, is a physics teacher, her father, Mark Kunis, is a mechanical engineer, and she has an older brother named Michael. Her family moved to Los Angeles, California, in 1991. ...

42. Charles Lane

Actor | You Can't Take It with You

Mean, miserly and miserable-looking, they didn't come packaged with a more annoying and irksome bow than Charles Lane. Glimpsing even a bent smile from this unending sourpuss was extremely rare, unless one perhaps caught him in a moment of insidious glee after carrying out one of his many nefarious...

43. Harvey Lembeck

Actor | Stalag 17

Harvey Lembeck was an American actor of Jewish descent, primarily known for comedic roles. Early in his life, Lembeck had worked as a dancer, and radio announcer.

Lembeck was born in Brooklyn, New York City in 1923, and attended New Utrecht High School in Brooklyn.. In 1939, the 16-year-old Lembeck ...

44. Michael Lembeck

Actor | The Krofft Supershow

Michael Lembeck was born in Brooklyn, New York, USA to Harvey Lembeck and Caroline Lembeck, both in show business. He graduated from Beverly Hills High School in 1966 and his classmates in a drama course included Rob Reiner, Albert Brooks and Richard Dreyfuss.

After continuing his drama studies at ...

45. Barry Levinson

Director | Rain Man

Barry Lee Levinson was born in Baltimore, Maryland, to Violet (Krichinsky) and Irvin Levinson, who worked in furniture and appliance. He is of Russian Jewish descent. Levinson graduated from high school in 1960, attended college at American University in Washington, DC. He did well, but decided he ...

46. Will Lyman

Actor | Mystic River

Will Lyman is a greatly underused actor who grabbed a bit of popularity with two TV series: Crossbow (1987) and Hull High (1990), playing Mr. Deerborn under the direction of Kenny Ortega. He also played in two well-regarded made-for-TV movies, American Playhouse: Three Sovereigns for Sarah: Part I ...

47. Rachel Maddow

Actress | The Ides of March

Rachel Maddow was born on April 1, 1973 in Castro Valley, California, USA. She is an actress and writer, known for The Ides of March (2011), The Rachel Maddow Show (2008) and Red, White & Royal Blue (2023). She is married to Susan Mikula.

48. Noel Madison

Actor | Miss V from Moscow

American actor of stage and screen. His father was a famous character actor, Maurice Moscovitch who sent his son abroad to study in Paris, Lausanne, and London. Upon returning to the U.S. following his stage debut in Great Britain, he began an active career on the American stage, specializing in ...

49. Paul Mazursky

Actor | An Unmarried Woman

Paul Mazursky was born on April 25, 1930 in Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA. He was an actor and writer, known for An Unmarried Woman (1978), Harry and Tonto (1974) and Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice (1969). He was married to Betsy Mazursky. He died on June 30, 2014 in Beverly Grove, ...

50. Brett Melnick

Producer | Bystander

Brett Melnick is known for Bystander (2021), The Mysterious Disappearance of Mr. Bankington (2013) and Conveyor Belt (2015).

51. Allan Melvin

Actor | Flash Gordon

Allan Melvin was born on February 18, 1923 in Kansas City, Missouri, USA. He was an actor and writer, known for Flash Gordon (1979), Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends (1981) and Archie Bunker's Place (1979). He was married to Amalia Faustina Sestero. He died on January 17, 2008 in Brentwood, Los ...

52. Lee Mendelson

Soundtrack | The Royal Tenenbaums

Lee Mendelson was born on March 24, 1933 in San Francisco, California, USA. He was a producer and writer, known for The Royal Tenenbaums (2001), You Don't Look 40, Charlie Brown! (1990) and Happy Anniversary, Charlie Brown (1976). He was married to Ploenta Inthapruksa, Thompson, Barbara Claire and ...

53. Jason Mesnick

Self | The Bachelorette

Jason Mesnick was born on July 5, 1976 in Cleveland, Ohio, USA. He has been married to Molly Malaney since February 27, 2010. They have one child.

54. Elliot Mintz

John and Yoko: A Love Story

Elliot Mintz was born on February 16, 1945. He is a publicist, known for John and Yoko: A Love Story (1985), Cult of Celebrity and The U.S. vs. John Lennon (2006).

55. George Montgomery

Actor | Samar

George Montgomery was boxing champion at the University of Montana where he majored in architecture and interior design. Dropping out a year later he decided to take up boxing more seriously. He moved to California where he was coached by ex-heavyweight world champion James J. Jeffries. While in ...

56. Aubrey Morris

Actor | A Clockwork Orange

He was one of those delightful, typically British actors with a penchant for playing eccentrics. Early in his career, Jeremy Brett once quaintly introduced Aubrey Morris to Noël Coward as "the finest small-part player in London". Born Aubrey Steinberg of Jewish-Ukrainian ancestry, he was one of ...

57. Maurice Moscovitch

Actor | The Great Dictator

Maurice Moscovitch was born on November 23, 1871 in Odessa, Kherson Governorate, Russian Empire [now Ukraine]. He was an actor, known for The Great Dictator (1940), Make Way for Tomorrow (1937) and Love Affair (1939). He died on June 18, 1940 in Los Angeles, California, USA.

58. Paul Muni

Actor | Scarface

Paul Muni was born Sept. 22, 1895, in Lemberg, Austro-Hungarian Empire, to Salli and Phillip Weisenfreund, who were both professionals. His family was Jewish, and spoke Yiddish. Paul was educated in New York and Cleveland public schools. He was described as 5 feet 10 inches, with black hair and ...

59. Leonard Nimoy

Actor | Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home

Leonard Simon Nimoy was born in Boston, Massachusetts, to Dora (Spinner) and Max Nimoy, who owned a barbershop. His parents were Ukrainian Jewish immigrants. Raised in a tenement and acting in community theaters since age eight, Nimoy did not make his Hollywood debut until he was 20, with a bit ...

Spock on Star Trek

60. Larisa Oleynik

Actress | 10 Things I Hate About You

Larisa Oleynik was born in Santa Clara County, California, to Lorraine (Allen), a nurse, and Roman Oleynik, an anesthesiologist. Her father is of Ukrainian and Rusyn descent.

Larisa's big break came when she was eight. She had gotten the part of young Cosette in a production of "Les Misérables". Her...

61. Ken Olin

Producer | This Is Us

Actor Ken Olin's dark, sincere, extreme good looks were steadily put to use on the small screen during the 80s, but, in retrospect, the actor will probably now be considered more of a major force behind the camera as a producer and director when all is said and done.

Born Kenneth Edward Olin in ...

62. Chuck Palahniuk

Writer | Fight Club

Chuck is a low key writer who never stops writing and taking down notes to file away for future writing. Very funny, very creative and very thought provoking. His books often make you look at yourself in ways that you would never have before. Same goes for the world, he will make you notice things ...

Author of Fight Club

63. Holly Palance

Actress | The Omen

Holly Palance was born on August 5, 1950 in Los Angeles, California, USA. She is an actress, known for The Omen (1976), The Best of Times (1986) and The Thorn Birds (1983). She was previously married to Roger Spottiswoode.

64. Jack Palance

Actor | City Slickers

Jack Palance quite often exemplified evil incarnate on film, portraying some of the most intensely feral villains witnessed in 1950s westerns and melodrama. Enhanced by his tall, powerful build, icy voice, and piercing eyes, he earned two "Best Supporting Actor" nominations early in his career. It ...

65. Jack Plotnick

Actor | Girls Will Be Girls

Jack Plotnick was born in Columbus, Ohio, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for Girls Will Be Girls (2003), Gods and Monsters (1998) and Space Station 76 (2014).

66. Amy Schumer

Writer | Trainwreck

Amy Beth Schumer is an American comedian, writer and actress from Manhattan who is known for Trainwreck, Last Comic Standing, Snatched, Expecting Amy, Price Check, I Feel Pretty, The Humans and Inside Amy Schumer. She is married to chef Chris Fischer and had a son. Slated to appear as the iconic ...

67. William Shatner

Actor | Star Trek V: The Final Frontier

William Shatner has notched up an impressive 70-plus years in front of the camera, displaying heady comedic talent and being instantly recognizable to several generations of cult television fans as the square-jawed Captain James T. Kirk, commander of the starship U.S.S. Enterprise.

Shatner was born ...

Captain Kirk on Star Trek

68. Michael Showalter

Writer | Wet Hot American Summer

Michael Showalter is a director, writer, and producer who most recently directed the 2017 hit The Big Sick. Previously he directed and co-wrote the 2016 film Hello, My Name Is Doris starring Sally Field. Michael's first film was the The Baxter (2005) starring Michelle Williams and Justin Theroux. ...

69. Ed Solomon

Writer | Men in Black

Ed Solomon was born on September 15, 1960 in Saratoga, California, USA. He is a writer and producer, known for Men in Black (1997), Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure (1989) and Now You See Me 2 (2016). He was previously married to Cynthia Cleese.

70. Steven Spielberg

Producer | Schindler's List

One of the most influential personalities in the history of cinema, Steven Spielberg is Hollywood's best known director and one of the wealthiest filmmakers in the world. He has an extraordinary number of commercially successful and critically acclaimed credits to his name, either as a director, ...

Directed: • Jaws • Jurassic Park • Schindler’s List • Saving Private Ryan • E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial • Indiana Jones trilogy

71. Susan Stamberg

Actress | The Siege

Susan Stamberg was born on September 7, 1938 in Newark, New Jersey, USA. She is an actress, known for The Siege (1998), Alive from Off Center (1984) and Yoo-Hoo, Mrs. Goldberg (2009). She was previously married to Louis Collins Stamberg.

72. Daniel Stern

Actor | City Slickers

Daniel Stern was born in Bethesda, Maryland, to a social worker father and a day care manager mother. He has been acting professionally since the age of seventeen. Following his high school graduation, he auditioned for the Washington Shakespeare Festival seeking a job as a lighting engineer but ...

73. Alec Sulkin

Producer | Ted 2

Alec Sulkin was born on February 14, 1973 in the USA. He is a producer and actor, known for Ted 2 (2015), Family Guy (1999) and Ted (2012).

74. Miles Teller

Actor | Whiplash

Miles Alexander Teller is an American actor and musician. For his performance in the film The Spectacular Now (2013), he won the Dramatic Special Jury Award for Acting at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival. He has appeared in the films Rabbit Hole (2010), Footloose (2011), Project X (2012), That ...

75. Alex Trebek

Producer | Jeopardy!

Born and raised in Sudbury, Ontario, Alex Trebek graduated from the University of Ottawa with a degree in Philosophy. After his first decision to become a newscaster, he joined the CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Company), Canada's premier network in 1961. As he was working, he helped organize national ...

Host of Jeopardy

76. Jeremy Allen White

Actor | Shameless

Jeremy Allen White (born 1991) is an American film and television actor. He is best known for his long-running role as Phillip "Lip" Gallagher on the Showtime dreamed series Shameless (2011-2021). He has also appeared in the first season of the thriller series Homecoming (2018) and in several films...

77. Shelley Winters

Actress | The Poseidon Adventure

Shelley Winters was born Shirley Schrift of very humble beginnings on August 18, 1920 (some sources list 1922) in East St. Louis, Illinois. Her mother, Rose Winter, was born in Missouri, to Austrian Jewish parents, and her father, Jonas Schrift, was an Austrian Jewish immigrant. She had one sibling...

78. Katheryn Winnick

Actress | Vikings

Award-winning actress, director, producer, Katheryn Winnick, is best known for starring and directing the critically acclaimed, Emmy award-winning television series "Vikings." Winnick made her directorial debut in sixth and final season which earned her "Best Director" at the 2020 WIN Awards. She ...

79. Madeline Kahn

Actress | Paper Moon

Madeline Kahn was born Madeline Gail Wolfson of Russian Jewish descent on September 29, 1942 in Boston, Massachusetts, to Freda Goldberg (later known as Paula Kahn), who was still in her teens, and Bernard B. Wolfson, a garment manufacturer. She began her acting career in high school and went on to...

80. Julie Warner

Actress | Tommy Boy

Julie grew up on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Her father, Neil Warner, was a musical arranger, who wrote jingles for products such as Tic-Tacs and Fig Newtons. Her mother, Naomi, is a freelance book agent. A 10-years younger brother, James, works for the New York City Parks Department. At 12, ...

81. George Gershwin

Soundtrack | Manhattan

He was born Jacob Gershowitz, 26 September 1898, in Brooklyn, New York, of Russian-Jewish immigrants. As a boy he could play popular and classical works on his brother Ira's piano by ear. In 1913 he quit school to study music and began composing for Tin Pan Alley; by 1919 he had his first hit "...

82. David Kohan

Writer | Will & Grace

David Kohan is the Creator/Executive Producer of Will & Grace (1998), Good Morning, Miami (2002) and Executive Producer of The Stones (2004). For his work on "Will & Grace" he has been honored with an Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series; a People's Choice Award (Favorite New Comedy); four ...

Creator of “Will & Grace”

83. Natalie Wood

Actress | Rebel Without a Cause

Natalie Wood was an American actress of Russian and Ukrainian descent. She started her career as a child actress and eventually transitioned into teenage roles, young adult roles, and middle-aged roles. She drowned off Catalina Island on November 29, 1981 at age 43.

Wood was born July 20, 1938 in ...

84. Gene Wilder

Actor | Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory

When he was 11, he wanted to be a comedian like Sid Caesar. Then, when he was 15 and saw Lee J. Cobb in 'Death of a Salesman,' he decided he would be a comedy actor and found that Mel Brooks was a great influence on his screen writing. He combined both talents with directing in The World's Greatest...

Willy Wonka

85. Paddy Chayefsky

Writer | Marty

Author, producer, and composer who earned a Bachelor of Science degree from CCNY, then a Purple Heart during World War II while serving in the US Army. Joining ASCAP in 1955, his chief musical collaborators included George Bassman and Harry Warren. His popular-song compositions include "Marty" and ...

86. Art Linson

Producer | Into the Wild

Art Linson has produced critically acclaimed movies in every decade since the seventies including Fight Club, Heat, The Untouchables , Fast Times at Ridgemont High , Into the Wild, and two time Oscar winner Melvin and Howard. Art is an award winning producer, author, screenwriter, and director.

...

87. Gerald R. Molen

Producer | Rain Man

Gerald R. Molen was born on January 6, 1935 in Great Falls, Montana, USA. He is a producer and production manager, known for Rain Man (1988), Jurassic Park (1993) and Schindler's List (1993).

88. Alex Zamm

Director | Woody Woodpecker

ALEX ZAMM DIRECTOR & SCREENWRITER

BIO:

Alex Zamm is an American director and screenwriter with a focus on creating family entertainment that is often visual effects heavy and frequently incorporates animals and kids.

Zamm recently directed, co-wrote and co-produced the hybrid cgi-live action film, ...

89. Brian Levant

Producer | Still the Beaver

Brian Michael Levant is an American filmmaker and producer known for directing many films such as The Flintstones, Jingle All the Way, Snow Dogs, Scooby-Doo: The Mystery Begins, The Flintstones: Viva Rock Vegas, Scooby-Doo: Curse of the Lake Monster, Are We There Yet?, The Spy Next Door and Max 2: ...

90. Owen Roizman

Cinematographer | The French Connection

Ace cinematographer Owen Roizman was born September 22, 1936, in Brooklyn, New York. His father Sol was a cinematographer for Fox Movietone News and his uncle Morrie Roizman was a film editor. Owen studied math and physics at Gettysburg College in Pennsylvania. He began his career shooting TV ...

91. Fred A. Chulack

Editorial_department | Spartacus

Fred A. Chulack was born on October 1, 1926 in Los Angeles, California, USA. He was an editor and production manager, known for Spartacus (1960), The Blue and the Gray (1982) and Hollywood Wives (1985). He died on October 31, 2003 in Los Angeles, California, USA.

92. William Paley

Self | The 1st TV Academy Hall of Fame

William Paley was born on September 27, 1901 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. He was married to Babe Paley and Dorothy Jones Hart . He died on October 26, 1990 in New York City, New York, USA.

93. Armand Hammer

Actor | The Cosby Show

Armand Hammer was born on May 21, 1898 in New York City, New York, USA. He was an actor, known for The Cosby Show (1984), Tovarishch amerikanskiy millioner (1988) and The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (1962). He was married to Frances Barrett, Angela Zevely and Olga Vadimovna Von Root. He ...

94. Sam Wanamaker

Actor | Superman IV: The Quest for Peace

Actor and director Sam Wanamaker was born in Chicago, Illinois, to Ukrainian Jewish immigrants, Molly (Babell) and Maurice Wattenmaker, a tailor. He studied at Drake University, IA, then trained at Goodman Theatre, Chicago, worked with summer stock companies in Chicago as an actor and director, and...

95. Harold Ramis

Writer | Ghostbusters

Born on November 21, 1944 in Chicago, Illinois, Harold Allen Ramis got his start in comedy as Playboy magazine's joke editor and reviewer. In 1969, he joined Chicago's Second City's Improvisational Theatre Troupe before moving to New York to help write and perform in "The National Lampoon Show" ...

96. John Garfield

Actor | Four Daughters

John Garfield was born Jacob Julius Garfinkle on the Lower East Side of New York City, to Hannah Basia (Margolis) and David Garfinkle, who were Jewish immigrants from Zhytomyr (now in Ukraine). Jules was raised by his father, a clothes presser and part-time cantor, after his mother's death in 1920,...

97. Bobby Breen

Actor | Hawaii Calls

Bobby Breen was born on November 4, 1925 in Montreal, Québec, Canada. He was an actor, known for Hawaii Calls (1938), Rainbow on the River (1936) and Make a Wish (1937). He was married to Audrey Howard and Jocelyn Lesh. He died on September 19, 2016 in Pompano Beach, Florida, USA.

98. Nick Adams

Actor | No Time for Sergeants

Nick Adams, best known to audiences as Johnny Yuma of the TV series The Rebel (1959), played leads and supporting parts in many films of the 1950s, often cast in the same "troubled young man" mold as his good friend, James Dean. He was nominated for an Oscar for his performance in Twilight of Honor...

99. Ed Ames

Actor | Daniel Boone

Born Malden, Massachusetts on July 9, 1927 (real name Urick), Ed, Vic Ames, Gene Ames and Joe Ames were sons of Ukrainian Jewish parents and four of nine children. They were very poor but Ed attended Boston Public Latin School along with brother Joe. The singing group, The Ames Brothers, was formed...

100. Leon Ames

Actor | Peggy Sue Got Married

Leon Ames was born Harry Wycoff in Portland, Indiana, to Cora Alice (DeMoss) and Charles Elmer Wycoff. He had always wanted to be an actor and he did it the hard way, serving a long apprenticeship in touring amateur theatre companies -- even selling shoes for a while on 42nd Street in the 1920s. It...