USA
516 profiles with fame based in USA
Americans with Russian and Soviet roots
The United States is home to the largest and most influential branch of the Russian civilizational diaspora outside the former Soviet space. From the great waves of Jewish emigration that fled the Russian Empire’s pogroms between 1881 and 1914, to the Soviet refuseniks of the 1970s and the post-1991 exodus of scientists and entrepreneurs, millions of people carrying roots in the Empire, the USSR, and modern Russia helped shape American life.
Their imprint is everywhere. Hollywood itself was largely built by immigrants from the Russian Empire — the founders of MGM, Warner Bros., Paramount, and Universal. Google was co-founded by Moscow-born Sergey Brin; Wikipedia’s culture of free knowledge, the polio and hepatitis vaccines, the theory of the transistor, and the music of Irving Berlin and George Gershwin all trace back to this heritage. This page documents notable Americans — actors, scientists, founders, athletes, and artists — whose family stories begin in the Russian world.
Anton Yelchin
Leningrad-born star who redefined a generation
Antony Blinken
U.S. Secretary of State, rooted in Kyiv
Bernie Sanders
U.S. Senator shaped by a father's flight from empire
Bob Dylan
Voice of a generation, roots in Odessa
Chuck Schumer
Senate Majority Leader with Galician-Jewish roots
David Duchovny
Actor and writer with Ukrainian Jewish roots
Elena Kagan
First female Solicitor General, SCOTUS Justice
Gwyneth Paltrow
Oscar winner with roots in the Russian Empire
Harrison Ford
Han Solo's grandfather fled the Russian Empire
Kirk Douglas
Hollywood titan forged from Belarusian immigrant roots
Lenny Kravitz
Rock icon whose roots trace to imperial Kyiv
Leonardo DiCaprio
Oscar-winning actor with Russian Imperial roots
Michael Bloomberg
NYC mayor, billionaire, grandson of a Russian émigré
Mikhail Baryshnikov
Soviet-trained dancer who redefined American ballet
Mila Kunis
Hollywood star born in Soviet Chernivtsi, Ukraine
Milla Jovovich
Kyiv-born action icon who conquered Hollywood
Natalie Portman
Oscar-winning actress with Lithuanian-Jewish roots
Regina Spektor
Moscow-born singer who made anti-folk poetry in New York
Sergey Brin
Google co-founder who escaped Soviet antisemitism
Steven Spielberg
Hollywood titan, roots in the Russian Empire
Sylvester Stallone
Rocky's roots run through Odessa
Winona Ryder
Hollywood icon with roots in the Russian Empire
Yul Brynner
Vladivostok-born king of Hollywood's golden age
Yuri Milner
Soviet-born physicist turned Silicon Valley kingmaker
Aaron Copland
Brooklyn-born voice of the American heartland
Abner Zwillman
Prohibition-era crime boss known as the Al Capone of New Jersey
Abraham Maslow
Brooklyn-born son of Kyiv émigrés who mapped human potential.
Adam Levine
Rock-pop frontman with Russian Empire Jewish roots.
Adam Schiff
California senator who rose through federal law.
Adolph Zukor
The Hungarian-Jewish immigrant who built Hollywood.
Agnes Bruckner
Hollywood actress born in Germany to Russian-German immigrant parents
Akim Tamiroff
Tbilisi-born scene-stealer of Hollywood's golden age
Al Jolson
The Lithuanian-born cantor's son who became America's first superstar.
Alan Arkin
Comic genius rooted in the Russian Empire's diaspora.
Alan King
Stand-up comedian who turned Jewish immigrant anxieties into American comedy gold
Albert Brooks
Hollywood's sharpest neurotic, rooted in the Pale.
Albert Sabin
From Białystok to the vial that ended polio.
Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
Gulag survivor who shook the Soviet empire with a typewriter
Alex Karp
Philosopher-CEO who built the surveillance state's brain
Alex Ovechkin
Moscow's goal machine rewrote NHL history
Alexander Berkman
Russian-born anarchist who attempted to assassinate a steel baron and shaped American radical politics
Alexander Genis
Soviet-born essayist who became the defining voice of Russian emigre literary culture in New York
Alexander Georgiev
Rybinsk-born NHL goaltender who became the Colorado Avalanche starter
Alexander Godunov
Bolshoi's star who chose freedom over the Bolshoi.
Alexander Kartveli
The Georgian émigré who armed the U.S. Air Force
Alexander Mogilny
The Soviet star who skated into freedom
Alexander Polyakov
The Soviet mind that rewired string theory
Alexander Poniatoff
Russian engineer who invented the videotape recorder and founded AMPEX
Alexander Seversky
Ace pilot who armed America's air war
Alexandr Wang
American fashion designer raised by parents who emigrated from the USSR
Alexei Abrikosov
Soviet theorist who mapped the invisible architecture of superconductors.
Alexei Kitaev
Architect of topological quantum computing
Alexei Kovalev
Togliatti's magician who rewrote NHL artistry
Alexei Yashin
Sverdlovsk's son who electrified Ottawa.
Alexey Brodovitch
The Russian émigré who reinvented American design
Alicia Silverstone
Gen-X icon shaped by Empire-era roots
Alla Nazimova
Yalta-born actress who reinvented Hollywood stardom
Allen Ginsberg
Beat prophet whose howl echoed Russian anguish.
Amanda Anisimova
Moscow-born, American-raised WTA force.
Amanda Bynes
Nickelodeon star with Russian-Jewish roots on her mother's side
Amanda Seyfried
Mamma Mia actress with partial Russian ancestry through her mother's German-Russian family
Amy Schumer
Stand-up subversive who made discomfort funny.
Anatole Litvak
Kyiv-born auteur who mastered Hollywood noir
Andre Agassi
Rebel champion forged from immigrant hunger.
Andrea Martin
SCTV comedy legend who became a two-time Tony Award winner on Broadway
Andrei Kirilenko
Izhevsk's iron-willed forward who redefined NBA versatility.
Andrei Linde
The physicist who inflated the universe
Andrei Okounkov
Moscow-born mathematician who reshaped probability and geometry
Andrei Svechnikov
Barnaul's prodigy rewriting NHL history.
Andrei Vasilevskiy
Ufa's son who became the NHL's last line.
Andrew Filev
Russian-born founder of Wrike who built one of the world's leading work management platforms
Andrey Khusid
Perm-born entrepreneur who co-founded Miro, the world's leading visual collaboration platform
Andy Jassy
Empire-born roots, AWS-built empire.
Anna Kournikova
Moscow's golden girl who conquered the world
Anna Trebunskaya
Russian ballroom champion who became a Dancing with the Stars fan favourite
Anne Applebaum
Pulitzer laureate who mapped totalitarianism's ruins
Anne V (Vyalitsyna)
Nizhny Novgorod's model who conquered New York
Annet Mahendru
Moscow-born actress who made espionage bilingual
Annie Leibovitz
The lens that defined American celebrity for 50 years.
Ari Fleischer
Bush's voice at the podium, rooted in the Pale
Armand Hammer
The capitalist who charmed the Kremlin.
Armie Hammer
Hollywood heir to an Odessa oil dynasty
Arnold Rothstein
The gambler who bankrolled organized crime
Arsen Tomsky
Russian founder of InDriver — the ride-hailing app born in Yakutia that challenged Uber globally
Art Garfunkel
The golden tenor who echoed an immigrant's longing.
Artem Chigvintsev
Vladivostok-born dancer who conquered Hollywood.
Artemi Panarin
Chelyabinsk grit forged into NHL artistry.
Arthur Kornberg
Decoded life's blueprint from immigrant roots.
Arthur Miller
Voice of American conscience, rooted in Ukraine.
Ayn Rand
From Petrograd tenements to American philosophy
Barbara Streisand
Brooklyn-born icon with Russian-Galician roots who became the greatest living entertainer
Barbara Walters
The daughter of immigrants who rewrote broadcast history.
Barbra Streisand
From Galician roots to American icon
Barney Balaban
Son of Russian-Jewish immigrants who became president of Paramount Pictures for nearly 30 years
Barry Manilow
Brooklyn's Borscht Belt heir who conquered pop.
Ben Bernanke
The economist who kept the world from the abyss.
Ben Cohen
The ice cream idealist who turned a scoop into a cause.
Ben Horowitz
Silicon Valley titan shaped by immigrant grit.
Ben Stiller
Comic royalty with roots in the Pale of Settlement.
Benny Goodman
The son of Kaunas immigrants who crowned swing.
Bernard Marcus
Son of Russian immigrants who built retail's cathedral.
Bette Midler
Honolulu-raised daughter of the Russian Empire.
Billy Crystal
Odessa's grandson made America laugh for decades
Billy Joel
Piano Man with roots in the Russian Empire
Billy Wilder
Galician émigré who reinvented Hollywood cynicism
Bronson Pinchot
Perfect Strangers star with Russian-descended father who became a beloved sitcom icon
Buddy Hackett
Brooklyn comedian with Russian-Jewish roots who was one of Las Vegas's last great stand-up kings
Bugsy Siegel
Russian-Jewish gangster from Brooklyn who built Las Vegas out of the Nevada desert
Calvin Klein
Bronx-born designer with Russian roots who invented American minimalism
Carl Reiner
Bronx comedian who co-created The Dick Van Dyke Show and shaped American comedy for six decades
Carl Sagan
Brooklyn boy who heard the cosmos call
Carole King
Brooklyn songwriter with Russian-Jewish roots who wrote the soundtrack of a generation
Carrie Fisher
Princess Leia and fearless memoirist with Russian-Jewish roots through her father Eddie Fisher
Charles Bluhdorn
Viennese immigrant with Russian parents who presided over Paramount's golden age
Chelsea Handler
Late-night TV trailblazer with Russian-Jewish roots on her father's side
Cheryl Burke
Dancing with the Stars champion with Russian Empire roots who became America's most-watched ballroom dancer
Chico Marx
Eldest Marx Brother, son of a Russian-Jewish immigrant mother who raised America's greatest comedy team
Chuck Palahniuk
Author of Fight Club, grandson of Ukrainian immigrants from the Russian Empire
Clement Greenberg
Son of Russian-Lithuanian Jewish immigrants who became the most powerful art critic of the 20th century
Costa Ronin
Russian-born actor who played a KGB spy in The Americans and became a Hollywood fixture
Courtney Love
Hole frontwoman and grunge icon with Russian-Jewish roots on her father's side
Crazy Russian Hacker
Donetsk-born YouTuber Taras Kul who became America's favourite science and life-hacks host
Curly Howard
The Three Stooges' most beloved Stooge, son of Lithuanian-Russian Jewish immigrants
Daniil Trifonov
Nizhny Novgorod piano prodigy called the most complete musician of his generation
Danny Kaye
Brooklyn comedian and UNICEF ambassador born to parents from the Russian Empire
Darren Aronofsky
Brooklyn auteur with Russian-Ukrainian Jewish roots who made Pi, Requiem for a Dream and The Whale
Dasha Nekrasova
Minsk-born actress and Red Scare podcast host who became a cult voice of millennial disillusionment
Dasha Zhukova
Moscow-born art patron and Garage Museum founder who brought contemporary art to Russia
Dave Franco
Hollywood actor with Russian-Jewish roots on his mother's side
Daveed Diggs
Hamilton Tony winner with Russian-Jewish roots on his mother's side
David Copperfield
The world's greatest illusionist, son of a mother with Russian Jewish roots
David O. Selznick
Son of a Ukrainian Jewish immigrant who produced Gone with the Wind and Rebecca
David Remnick
Russian-Jewish descended New Yorker editor who won the Pulitzer for his book on the Soviet collapse
David Sarnoff
Born in a Belarus shtetl, built NBC and RCA — the man who invented American broadcasting
David Schwimmer
Friends star with Ukrainian-Russian Jewish roots who played Ross Geller for a decade
David Yang
Yerevan-born entrepreneur who co-founded ABBYY and brought Russian AI to the world
Diane Arbus
Russian-Jewish immigrant granddaughter who became the most influential American photographer of the 20th century
Diane von Furstenberg
Belgian-American fashion icon whose father came from Kishinev in the Russian Empire
Dianna Agron
Glee actress with a Ukrainian-Russian Jewish family name that traces to Novgorod-Siversky
Dimitri Tiomkin
Born in Ukraine, composed the soundtrack of Hollywood's golden age
Dmitry Chaplin
Rostov-born dancer who became a So You Think You Can Dance star and Broadway choreographer
Dmitry Orlov
Novokuznetsk-born NHL defenceman and Stanley Cup champion with the Washington Capitals
Doja Cat
Grammy-winning pop star with a Russian-Jewish grandmother on her mother's side
Don Rickles
Brooklyn insult comedian born to Lithuanian-Russian Jewish parents who became Mr. Warmth
Dustin Hoffman
Hollywood titan forged from immigrant roots
Dutch Schultz
Bronx gangster with German-Russian Jewish roots who ran Prohibition-era New York
Eddie Cantor
Lower East Side entertainer with Russian Jewish roots who became a radio king and Hollywood star
Edward G. Robinson
Romanian-born Hollywood gangster icon whose family came from the Russian Empire
Efim Zelmanov
Soviet-born mathematician who solved a century-old problem and won the Fields Medal
Efrem Zimbalist
Rostov violin virtuoso who became director of the Curtis Institute and shaped American classical music
Emma Goldman
Lithuanian-born anarchist who became the most dangerous woman in America
Erich von Stroheim
Born in Vienna with Russian Empire connections, became Hollywood's greatest director and most hated villain
Ernst Neizvestny
Yekaterinburg sculptor who argued with Khrushchev and created the Tree of Life
Erykah Badu
Neo-soul queen with Russian-Jewish roots on her mother's side
Eugene Dynkin
Soviet mathematician who pioneered probability theory and Dynkin diagrams before emigrating to Cornell
Eugene Kleiner
Vienna-born venture capitalist with Russian roots who co-founded Kleiner Perkins and Silicon Valley itself
Eugenie Leontovich
Moscow-born actress who electrified Broadway and Hollywood from the 1920s to the 1970s
Evgeni Malkin
Magnitogorsk-born NHL superstar and three-time Stanley Cup champion
Evgeny Kuznetsov
Chelyabinsk-born NHL star and three-time Stanley Cup champion with Washington Capitals
Evsey Domar
Russian Empire-born economist who co-created the Harrod-Domar growth model
Ezra Miller
The Flash actor with Russian-Jewish roots who became one of Hollywood's most unconventional stars
FPSRussia (Kyle Myers)
Georgian-born American whose fake Russian persona became one of YouTube's first viral sensations
Fanny Brice
Lower East Side comedian with Russian immigrant parents who became the Ziegfeld Follies' greatest star
Fedor Emelianenko
Ukraine-born MMA legend known as The Last Emperor — considered the greatest heavyweight fighter ever
Feodor Lark
Russian-born actor who became a character actor fixture in Hollywood
Fred Astaire
The greatest dancer in Hollywood history, son of a father who emigrated from the Russian Empire
Fred Zinnemann
Born in Rzeszow in the Russian Empire, directed High Noon and A Man for All Seasons
Fyvush Finkel
Yiddish theatre legend from Brooklyn with Russian-Polish roots who found new fame in Picket Fences
Garry Kasparov
Chess genius turned democracy's fiercest advocate
Gary Shteyngart
Leningrad-born novelist whose satirical fiction made him the voice of the Russian-American experience
Gary Vaynerchuk
From Soviet Babruysk to Silicon Valley's loudest voice
Gene Simmons
KISS co-founder born in Haifa to a Hungarian mother with Russian roots
Gene Wilder
Willy Wonka actor whose father emigrated from Russia and who defined gentle comic genius
Genndy Tartakovsky
Moscow-born animation auteur who created Dexter's Laboratory, Samurai Jack, and Primal
George Balanchine
The Georgian-Russian who reinvented ballet for America
George Burns
Lower East Side comedian with Russian-Austrian Jewish roots who performed until age 98
George Gamow
Odessa-born physicist who cracked the Big Bang, decoded DNA, and explained nuclear fusion
George Gershwin
Brooklyn-born son of Odessa, soundtrack of America
George Soros
The speculator who broke the Bank of England
Gilda Radner
SNL's original queen of comedy with Russian-Lithuanian Jewish roots
Gleb Savchenko
Moscow-born professional dancer and Dancing with the Stars fan favourite
Gogol Bordello
Eugene Hutz — born in Soviet Ukraine, created Gypsy punk and made immigration into a celebration
Goldie Hawn
Oscar-winning actress whose mother had Russian-Jewish roots stretching to Hungary
Gregor Piatigorsky
Born in Dnipro, became the greatest cellist of the 20th century after fleeing the Bolsheviks
Gregory Breit
Mykolaiv-born nuclear physicist who co-discovered the ionosphere and helped build the atomic bomb
Gregory Goodwin Pincus
Son of Russian-Jewish immigrants who co-invented the contraceptive pill and changed the world
Gregory Ratoff
St. Petersburg actor and director who played every European rogue in 1930s Hollywood
Grigory Margulis
Moscow mathematician who won the Fields Medal for revolutionising the theory of Lie groups
Groucho Marx
The Marx Brothers' razor-tongued wit, son of a Russian-Jewish immigrant mother who built America's greatest comedy team
Harold E. Edgerton
Nebraska engineer with Russian-German immigrant parents who invented the electronic flash and made bullets visible
Harpo Marx
The silent Marx Brother — son of a Russian-Jewish immigrant mother — whose harp playing was genuine genius
Harry Warner
Born in the Russian Empire, co-founded Warner Bros and brought sound to cinema
Harvey Fierstein
Torch Song Trilogy playwright with Russian-Jewish roots who reshaped LGBTQ+ visibility on Broadway
Harvey Keitel
Brooklyn's raw nerve, forged in Minsk & Iaşi
Hedy Lamarr
Hollywood's most beautiful star co-invented spread spectrum technology that underpins Wi-Fi and Bluetooth
Helena Rubinstein
Born in Krakow in the Russian Empire, built the first global cosmetics empire
Henny Youngman
King of the One-Liners, son of Russian immigrant parents who defined American stand-up
Henry Kissinger
German-Jewish refugee who became America's most consequential Secretary of State
Herman Muller
Nobel Prize-winning geneticist with Russian-immigrant father who discovered radiation causes mutations
Herschel Bernardi
Broadway and Hollywood actor with Ukrainian-Russian Jewish roots who voiced Charlie the Tuna
Hyman Rickover
Born in Russian-controlled Poland, became the Father of the Nuclear Navy
Ida Rosenthal
Minsk-born immigrant who co-founded Maidenform and invented the modern bra
Idina Menzel
Frozen's Elsa and Broadway's Elphaba — her grandparents came from Russia and Eastern Europe
Igor Jijikine
Moscow-born actor who played the villain in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
Igor Larionov
The Professor — Voskresensk-born centre and three-time Stanley Cup champion
Igor Olenicoff
Moscow-born real estate billionaire and art collector who became one of America's wealthiest immigrants
Igor Shesterkin
Moscow-born Vezina Trophy winner and the NHL's best goaltender
Igor Sikorsky
Born in Kyiv, invented the helicopter and transformed modern aviation
Igor Stravinsky
Born near St. Petersburg, composed The Rite of Spring and changed music forever
Ilya Kabakov
Born in Dnipro, became the most celebrated conceptual artist of the Soviet underground
Ilya Kovalchuk
Tver-born sniper and one of the NHL's most prolific goal-scorers of the 2000s
Ilya Naishuller
Moscow director who made the first-person action film Nobody and the viral Hardest Button to Button video
Ilya Prusikin
Little Big frontman from Siberia who nearly won Eurovision and invented Russian rave pop
Ilya Sorokin
Siberian-born goaltender who became one of the NHL's most electrifying netminders with the New York Islanders
Ilya Sutskever
The Soviet-born mind reshaping artificial intelligence
Irina Shayk
From the Urals to the world's runways
Irving Berlin
The immigrant who wrote America's anthem
Irving Thalberg
Son of Russian Jewish immigrants who became Hollywood's greatest producer before dying at 37
Isaac Asimov
The Russian-born prophet of the Space Age
Isaac Bashevis Singer
Born in the Russian Empire's Polish territories, won the Nobel Prize writing Yiddish stories of a vanished world
Israel Gelfand
Self-taught Ukrainian Jewish mathematician who became one of the 20th century's greatest algebraists
Ivan Provorov
Yaroslavl-born NHL defenceman and Columbus Blue Jackets cornerstone
J.B. Pritzker
Governor of Illinois whose great-grandfather emigrated from Kyiv and built the Hyatt hotel empire
J.J. Abrams
Creator of Lost and director of Star Wars: The Force Awakens — grandfather emigrated from Russia
Jack Benny
The comedian's comedian — his parents emigrated from Poland and Russia to build America's greatest comedy legacy
Jack Black
Tenacious D rocker and comedic force whose mother has Russian-Jewish roots
Jack Kirby
Son of Austrian-Russian Jewish immigrants who co-created Captain America, the Fantastic Four and the Marvel Universe
Jack Warner
Born to Russian-Empire parents in Canada, became the longest-serving Warner Brother and Hollywood royalty
Jackie Mason
Minsk-descended stand-up comedian who became Broadway's greatest Jewish comic voice
Jacob Marschak
Kyiv-born economist who founded econometrics and shaped modern economic science
Jake Gyllenhaal
Hollywood star whose mother Naomi Foner has Russian-Jewish roots from the Russian Empire
Jakob Dylan
The Wallflowers frontman and son of Bob Dylan, whose Odessa-born grandparents fuel one of music's greatest legacies
James Franco
Oscar-nominated actor and polymath whose mother has Russian-Jewish roots
Jan Koum
From Soviet Kyiv to a $19B messaging empire
Janet Yellen
US Treasury Secretary and first female Fed Chair — her father emigrated from the Russian Empire's Polish territories
Janusz Kamiński
Polish-born cinematographer who shot Schindler's List and became Spielberg's visual eye
Jared Polis
Governor of Colorado — his grandparents fled Eastern Europe and the Russian Empire to build an American family
Jascha Heifetz
Born in Vilnius, became the greatest violinist of the 20th century — possibly of all time
Jason Alexander
George Costanza on Seinfeld — his parents have Russian-Jewish roots from the Pale of Settlement
Jason Reitman
Director of Juno and Up in the Air — son of Ivan Reitman, grandson of Czech-Russian Jewish refugees
Jason Segel
How I Met Your Mother star and Muppets writer with Russian-Jewish roots on his father's side
Jeff Goldblum
Jurassic Park icon whose grandparents came from Russia and Austria-Hungary
Jeffrey Tambor
Arrested Development and Transparent star with Hungarian-Ukrainian Jewish ancestry
Jennifer Connelly
Oscar-winning actress whose mother carries Russian and Polish Jewish roots
Jennifer Jason Leigh
The Hateful Eight actress with Austrian-Russian Jewish roots through her mother's family
Jenny Slate
SNL comedian and Obvious Child star with Russian-Jewish roots on her father's side
Jerry Seinfeld
The greatest stand-up comedian of his generation — his father's family came from Ukraine and Hungary
Jerry Stiller
Father of Ben Stiller and Seinfeld's Frank Costanza — his family came from Galicia and the Russian Empire
Jerzy Neyman
Born in Bendery, Russian Empire — the statistician who invented the confidence interval and modern hypothesis testing
Jim Downey
The most influential writer in Saturday Night Live history — with Russian heritage
Joan Rivers
Brooklyn comedian with Russian-Jewish parents who became the queen of American stand-up
Joaquin Phoenix
Oscar-winning actor whose mother Arlyn Dunetz has Russian-Jewish roots from the Russian Empire
Joey Ramone
Queens-born punk icon whose mother Charlotte Mandell has Russian-Jewish roots
John Garfield
The Bronx's great Russian-Jewish actor who invented the working-class screen hero and was destroyed by McCarthy
Jon Bon Jovi
New Jersey rock legend with partial Russian ancestry on his mother's side
Jon Stewart
The Daily Show host whose family name was Leibowitz — grandparents came from Poland and Ukraine
Jonah Hill
Superbad star and Oscar-nominated actor whose family traces to Russia and Austria
Jonas Salk
Son of Lithuanian-Belarusian Jewish immigrants who developed the polio vaccine and refused to patent it
Jonathan Safran Foer
Everything Is Illuminated author whose grandparents fled Poland and Russia — he went back to find what they left behind
Joseph Brodsky
Leningrad poet expelled by the Soviets who became America's Poet Laureate and won the Nobel Prize
Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Inception and 500 Days of Summer star whose grandparents came from Russia and Romania
Joseph Schenck
Born in Rybinsk — became one of Hollywood's founding fathers and co-founded 20th Century Fox
Josh Groban
Multi-platinum tenor with Polish-Russian Jewish roots who became America's classical-pop crossover star
Judy Garland
Born Frances Gumm — her parents came from Russia and Poland, she became Hollywood's most beloved star
Juliana Margulies
ER and The Good Wife Emmy winner with Galician-Russian Jewish roots
Karina Smirnoff
Kharkiv-born ballroom champion and Dancing with the Stars professional dancer
Kat Dennings
2 Broke Girls star with Russian-Jewish immigrant grandparents
Kate Hudson
Almost Famous Oscar nominee whose grandmother Laura Steinhoff has Hungarian-Russian Jewish roots
Kenneth Arrow
Nobel-winning economist with Romanian-Russian roots who proved markets can't be perfectly rational
Kevin Kline
Oscar-winning actor whose father had Russian-Jewish roots and whose comedy is pure immigrant wit
Kirill Kaprizov
Novokuznetsk sniper who became the Minnesota Wild's all-time leading scorer
Komar & Melamid
Moscow conceptual art duo who invented Sots Art, emigrated to New York, and turned democracy into a painting
Kyra Sedgwick
Emmy-winning The Closer star whose mother has Russian and German-Jewish roots
Lana Wood
Natalie Wood's sister — born to Russian immigrant parents, played a Bond girl in Diamonds Are Forever
Larry Fine
The Three Stooges' middle Stooge — son of Russian-Jewish immigrants from Philadelphia
Larry King
Brooklyn broadcaster with Belarusian-Austrian Jewish roots who interviewed every world leader for 25 years
Lauren Bacall
The sultry voice and the Look — Hollywood icon whose parents came from Romania and Belarus
Lee J. Cobb
The original Willy Loman — Russian-Romanian Jewish actor who defined American theatrical realism
Lee Philips
American actor and director with Russian Empire Jewish roots
Lee Strasberg
Born in Ukrainian Galicia, invented Method Acting and taught Brando, Dean, Pacino, and De Niro
Lenny Bruce
Brooklyn comedian with Russian-Jewish roots who died for free speech and reinvented stand-up
Leonard Bernstein
America's maestro, born of the Pale's diaspora
Leonard Nimoy
The son of Iziaslav who became Spock
Leonid Hurwicz
Moscow-born economist who won the Nobel Prize at 90 for inventing mechanism design theory
Leonid Radvinsky
Odessa-born tech entrepreneur who owns OnlyFans and built a $2 billion content empire
Leopold Auer
Hungarian-born violin teacher who trained Heifetz, Milstein and Zimbalist — the greatest pedagogue in history
Lera Auerbach
Chelyabinsk-born composer and pianist who became one of the most performed living composers in the world
Lev Gorn
Stavropol-born actor who became a fixture of American film and television
Lewis Milestone
Born in Chisinau (Moldova), directed All Quiet on the Western Front — the greatest anti-war film ever made
Lex Fridman
Moscow-born mind mapping the AI frontier
Liev Schreiber
Ray Donovan star whose mother has Ukrainian-Polish Jewish roots — one of Hollywood's finest actors
Lisa Bonet
Cosby Show breakout star whose mother has Russian-Jewish ancestry
Lisa Edelstein
House MD's Dr. Cuddy — her Russian-Jewish grandparents shaped a family of achievers
Lisa Kudrow
Phoebe Buffay on Friends — her grandmother came from Ilya, Belarus (Russian Empire)
Little Big
St. Petersburg rave-pop collective who created gypsy punk anthems and nearly won Eurovision with UNO
Liza Minnelli
EGOT winner and Cabaret icon whose grandmother came from Russia and Poland
Logan Lerman
Percy Jackson star whose family traces Russian and Polish Jewish roots
Lou Reed
Walk on the Wild Side — his parents came from the Russian Empire's Jewish communities
Louis B. Mayer
Born in Minsk, built MGM into the most powerful studio in Hollywood history
Louis Lepke
Brooklyn gangster with Russian-Jewish roots who ran Murder Inc. — and went to the electric chair
Madeleine Albright
First female US Secretary of State — her family fled Nazi Europe, with roots in Russian-ruled Jewish communities
Maggie Gyllenhaal
Secretary actress and The Deuce star whose mother Naomi Foner has Russian-Jewish roots
Maksim Chmerkovskiy
Odessa-born ballroom champion who became Dancing with the Stars' most beloved bad boy
Maksim Pokrovskiy
Moscow rock frontman — lead singer of Nogu Svelo, Russia's most beloved quirky rock band
Man Ray
Born Emmanuel Radnitsky in Philadelphia to parents from Kyiv and Minsk — became Surrealism's greatest photographer
Mandy Moore
This Is Us star and pop singer whose maternal grandfather has Russian-Jewish roots
Mandy Patinkin
Inigo Montoya and Saul Berenson — his grandparents came from Lithuania and Russia
Marc Benioff
Salesforce founder whose grandfather Isaac came from Kyiv — built a $200 billion cloud empire
Marc Lasry
Moroccan-born distressed-debt billionaire with Eastern European Jewish heritage who co-owned the Milwaukee Bucks
Maria Ouspenskaya
Born in Tula, brought Stanislavski's Method to America and trained the golden age of Hollywood actors
Maria Sharapova
Siberian-born icon who conquered global tennis
Mark Cuban
Billionaire Dallas Mavericks owner whose grandparents came from Russia via the Chabenisky family
Mark Rothko
From Dvinsk to the sublime: Rothko's color fields
Maryna Linchuk
Minsk-born Victoria's Secret Angel who became one of the world's top supermodels
Matthew Broderick
Ferris Bueller actor whose mother has Russian-Jewish roots
Matthew Weiner
Mad Men creator with Russian-Jewish roots who gave American TV its greatest portrait of the 1960s
Max Factor
Born in Zdunska Wola (Russian Empire), invented modern makeup and built Hollywood's most famous cosmetics brand
Max Levchin
PayPal co-founder who coded his way from Kyiv to Silicon Valley
Maya Rudolph
SNL star whose father Richard Rudolph has Lithuanian-Jewish roots from the Russian Empire
Mayim Bialik
Big Bang Theory and Blossom actress with Ukrainian-Polish Jewish roots who also has a PhD in neuroscience
Mel Brooks
Brooklyn comedy genius whose mother came from Kyiv — created Blazing Saddles, Young Frankenstein and The Producers
Melvin Calvin
Son of Lithuanian-Georgian Jewish immigrants who won the Nobel Prize for mapping photosynthesis
Melvyn Douglas
Son of a Riga-born concert pianist — twice Academy Award-winning Hollywood legend
Merrick Garland
US Attorney General and almost-Supreme Court Justice — his grandparents fled the Russian Empire's pogroms
Meyer Guggenheim
Born in Lengnau, Switzerland — founded the dynasty that built the Guggenheim Museums
Meyer Lansky
Born in Grodno, became the Mob's Accountant — the financial genius behind American organised crime
Michael Bolton
How Am I Supposed to Live Without You — his family name was Bolotin, from Russian-Jewish immigrants
Michael Chabon
Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist whose family traces Lithuanian and Russian Jewish roots
Michael Chekhov
Anton Chekhov's nephew — born in St. Petersburg, trained Hollywood's greatest actors in his Method
Michael Dell
Founded Dell at 19 in his college dorm — his family name was Tal, changed from Russian-Jewish origins
Michael Douglas
Hollywood royalty, rooted in the Russian Empire
Michael Dudikoff
American Ninja star whose father emigrated from Russia — an unexpected action hero of the 1980s
Michael Kors
Fashion mogul whose mother Joan has Austrian-Russian Jewish roots — built a $10 billion luxury empire
Michael Stroukoff
Born in Yekaterinoslav — the aviation engineer who invented the assault glider and built Chase Aircraft
Michel Fokine
Born in St. Petersburg — the choreographer who reformed ballet and created The Dying Swan for Pavlova
Mickey Cohen
Born to Kyiv Jewish immigrants — became the most feared gangster in Los Angeles
Mike Nichols
Born in Berlin, father from Siberia — the only person to win Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony AND the Presidential Medal of Freedom
Mike Todd
Born to Ukrainian-Polish Jewish immigrants — the showman who made Around the World in 80 Days and married Elizabeth Taylor
Mikhail Chemiakin
Moscow-born artist who was expelled from the Soviet Union and befriended Vladimir Vysotsky in Paris
Mikhail Sergachev
Nizhnekamsk-born NHL defenceman and two-time Stanley Cup champion with the Tampa Bay Lightning
Mila Jovovich
Born in Kyiv, raised between Moscow and Los Angeles — became The Fifth Element and Resident Evil icon
Milton Berle
Mr. Television — his parents came from Russia, he put America in front of TV sets
Milton Friedman
Son of Ukrainian immigrants who won the Nobel Prize and became the most influential economist of the 20th century
Mischa Auer
Born in St. Petersburg, became Hollywood's greatest comic supporting actor of the 1930s
Moe Dalitz
Russian-Jewish bootlegger who built Las Vegas alongside Bugsy Siegel and became its most legitimate mogul
Moe Howard
The boss Stooge — born to Lithuanian-Russian Jewish parents, the driving force behind The Three Stooges
Molly Picon
The Queen of Second Avenue — her parents came from Kyiv, she became the greatest Yiddish theatre star in history
Monk Eastman
Russian-Jewish gangster who ruled New York's Lower East Side and died a decorated WWI hero
Morris "Moe" Dalitz
Russian-Jewish bootlegger who built Las Vegas and transformed from mobster to civic benefactor
Morris Michtom
Born in Russia, invented the Teddy Bear — one of the most beloved toys in history
Mstislav Rostropovich
Born in Baku — the greatest cellist in history, who played Bach as the Berlin Wall fell
Murray Bookchin
New York anarchist thinker with Russian-Jewish roots whose ideas inspired the Kurdish revolution in Syria
Nastia Liukin
Born in Moscow, became America's Olympic gymnastics all-around champion in Beijing 2008
Natalie Wood
Born to Russian immigrants from Barnaul — became one of Hollywood's greatest stars
Natasha Poly
Perm-born supermodel who became one of the world's most recognisable faces on the runway
Nathan Milstein
Born in Odessa, trained by Auer and Ysaÿe — one of the greatest violinists of the 20th century
Nathan Swartz
Born in Odessa — bought a failing Massachusetts boot company and built it into Timberland
Nehemiah Persoff
Jerusalem-born character actor with Russian-Jewish parents who became a Hollywood legend
Neil Diamond
Sweet Caroline singer whose grandparents came from Russia and Poland — 130 million records sold
Neil Sedaka
Brooklyn pop genius with Russian-Turkish Jewish roots who wrote Laughter in the Rain and Calendar Girl
Nicholas Schenck
Born in Rybinsk alongside his brother Joseph — became president of MGM's parent company Loew's Inc.
Nicole Scherzinger
Pussycat Dolls frontwoman whose Ukrainian grandfather gave her an unexpected Russian Empire connection
Nikita Kucherov
Maykop sniper who became the NHL's greatest points-per-game player and two-time Stanley Cup champion
Nina Berberova
Born in St. Petersburg — émigré novelist who was rediscovered at 80 and became a literary sensation
Noah Wyle
ER's Dr. Carter — his father Stephen Wyle has Russian-Jewish roots from the Russian Empire
Noam Chomsky
The exile's son who rewired linguistics
Norman Mailer
Son of a Lithuanian-Russian Jewish immigrant father — two-time Pulitzer Prize winner and American literature's great pugilist
Oksana Baiul
Orphaned in Dnipro, became Olympic figure skating champion at 16 — Ukraine's greatest sporting moment
Oleg Shardin
Russian-born co-founder of Miro — the collaborative whiteboard platform used by 60 million people
Oleg Cassini
Born in Paris to a Russian diplomat family — became Jackie Kennedy's official couturier
Oleg Taktarov
Born in secret Soviet nuclear city Sarov — became UFC champion and Hollywood actor
Oleg Vidov
Soviet heartthrob who defected from the USSR — became a Hollywood actor and freedom symbol
Olga Fonda
Born in Ukhta, Komi Republic — Russian actress who built a Hollywood career in action and thriller films
Oscar Zariski
Born in Kobryn, Belarus — became one of the greatest algebraic geometers in history
Otto Preminger
Born in Chernivtsi — the Hollywood director who fought censorship and made Anatomy of a Murder
Otto Struve
Born in Kharkiv into Russia's greatest astronomical dynasty — became America's foremost astronomer
P!nk (Alecia Moore)
Pop-rock superstar — her father's family has partial Eastern European Jewish roots
Pasha Kovalev
Siberian ballroom champion who became Strictly Come Dancing's most passionate professional dancer
Patricia Arquette
Oscar and Emmy winner whose mother Brenda has Polish-Russian Jewish roots
Paul Muni
Born in Lviv, became one of Hollywood's greatest actors and the conscience of 1930s cinema
Paul Reiser
Mad About You star whose family came from Russia and Romania — a quintessential New York Jewish comedian
Paul Rudd
Ant-Man and Clueless star whose parents came from Russia and Belarus — the most likeable man in Hollywood
Paul Samuelson
Son of Polish-Russian Jewish immigrants who became America's greatest economist and won the first US Nobel in Economics
Paul Simon
Folk poet shaped by immigrant longing
Paul Stanley
KISS co-founder whose father's family came from the Russian-partitioned territories of Poland
Paula Abdul
American Idol judge and pop star whose mother has Russian-Canadian Jewish roots
Pavel Bure
The Russian Rocket — Moscow-born hockey superstar who was the NHL's most electrifying scorer
Pavel Datsyuk
Sverdlovsk magician who became the NHL's greatest two-way forward and three-time Stanley Cup champion
Peggy Guggenheim
Granddaughter of Meyer Guggenheim — became the greatest patron of modernist art in history
Peter Falk
Columbo — his parents came from Russia and Poland, he became the most beloved detective on television
Peter Shukoff
Epic Rap Battles of History co-creator with Russian ancestry — YouTube's greatest comedy series
Philippe Kahn
Paris-born tech pioneer whose mother was a Russian Jewish violinist — invented the camera phone
Pitirim Sorokin
Born in Vologda, sentenced to death by Lenin, escaped to become Harvard's greatest sociologist
Rade Šerbedžija
Croatian actor who plays the definitive Hollywood Russian — Eyes Wide Shut, Batman Begins, 24
Ralph Lauren
His parents came from Pinsk, Belarus — he invented the American dream as a fashion
Rashida Jones
Parks and Recreation star whose great-grandfather came from Latvia (Russian Empire)
Red Buttons
Oscar-winning comedian whose parents came from Russia — a Borscht Belt legend
Reid Hoffman
LinkedIn founder and PayPal Mafia member with Eastern European Jewish roots
René Auberjonois
Odo from Star Trek DS9 — his grandfather was a celebrated Russian-born painter
Richard Feynman
The quantum rebel whose roots ran to Minsk
Richard Lewis
The prince of pain — his parents came from Russia and Romania, he turned neurosis into an art form
River Phoenix
Stand By Me actor whose maternal family had Russian-Jewish roots — died at 23 leaving an extraordinary legacy
Roald Hoffmann
Born in Zolochiv, Ukraine — survived the Holocaust hiding in an attic, won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry
Rob Reiner
Son of Carl Reiner — directed When Harry Met Sally and The Princess Bride, carries Russian-Jewish heritage
Robert Downey Jr
Iron Man forged from Empire-era roots
Robert Solow
Son of Brooklyn Jewish immigrants from Russia — won the Nobel Prize and defined modern growth economics
Rodney Dangerfield
He got no respect — his father left for Russia, his mother had Hungarian-Russian roots, he became comedy royalty
Roman Jakobson
Born in Moscow — the linguist who invented structuralism and transformed how we understand language
Rosalyn Yalow
Granddaughter of Ukrainian-German Jewish immigrants who won the Nobel Prize for inventing radioimmunoassay
Rosanna Arquette
Desperately Seeking Susan star — shares Polish-Russian Jewish roots with sisters Patricia and David
Rouben Mamoulian
Born in Tiflis — the Armenian-Georgian director who invented the moving camera and directed the first Technicolor film
Rudolf Abel
Born in England to Russian revolutionary parents — became the KGB's greatest illegal spy in America
Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Her mother's parents came from Odessa — the Notorious RBG became America's most beloved Supreme Court Justice
Sam Gennawey
American author and urban planner with Russian-Lebanese roots who wrote the definitive books on Walt Disney
Sam Raimi
Evil Dead creator and Spider-Man director — his family came from Russia and Hungary
Samuel Goldwyn
Born Schmuel Gelbfisz in Warsaw — co-founded Hollywood itself and produced its golden age
Samuel Zemurray
Born in Kishinev — the Banana Man who overthrew a Central American government and ran United Fruit
Sarah Jessica Parker
Sex and the City icon — her father Stephen Bar-Kahn carries Russian-Jewish heritage
Sasha Alex Sloan
Introspective American pop singer-songwriter whose first name honours Russian heritage
Sasha Farber
Moscow-born Dancing with the Stars professional and fan favourite
Sasha Luss
Born in Magadan — the Russian Far East model who starred in Anna and became an international face
Sasha Pivovarova
Moscow-born Prada muse and avant-garde supermodel who redefined the early 2000s runway
Saul Bellow
His parents came from St. Petersburg — he won the Nobel Prize and the Pulitzer and redefined the American novel
Savely Kramarov
Moscow's most beloved comic actor who defected to Hollywood and starred alongside Clint Eastwood
Scarlett Johansson
Hollywood titan with Russian Empire roots
Sean Penn
Two-time Oscar winner whose grandfather came from Merkinė, Lithuania (Russian Empire) — one of Hollywood's greatest actors
Selman Waksman
Born in Nova Pryluka, Ukraine — discovered streptomycin and won the Nobel Prize, saving millions from tuberculosis
Semyon Varlamov
Samara-born NHL goaltender and Vezina Trophy finalist with the New York Islanders
Serge Koussevitzky
Born in Vyshny Volochyok — the conductor who made the Boston Symphony Orchestra the greatest in America
Sergei Bobrovsky
Novokuznetsk-born goaltender — two-time Vezina Trophy winner and one of the NHL's greatest netminders
Sergei Dovlatov
Born in Ufa, failed to publish a single story in the USSR — then became America's most beloved Russian voice
Sergei Fedorov
Pskov-born genius who became the greatest two-way forward in NHL history and three-time Stanley Cup champion
Sergei Prokofiev
Born in Donetsk — composed Peter and the Wolf, Romeo and Juliet, and returned to Stalin's USSR to his doom
Sergei Rachmaninoff
Born near Novgorod — the composer whose Second Piano Concerto is the most romantic music ever written
Sergei Zubov
Moscow-born defenceman — one of the most offensively gifted blueliners in NHL history and two-time Stanley Cup champion
Shecky Greene
Las Vegas comedy legend whose parents came from Russia — the greatest improvisational comedian of his era
Sheldon Adelson
His father came from Lithuania and Ukraine — the casino mogul who became America's most powerful political donor
Shemp Howard
The original third Stooge — his Lithuanian-Russian Jewish parents also raised Moe and Curly
Sholem Aleichem
Born in Pereyaslav, Ukraine — the Mark Twain of Yiddish literature whose Tevye the Dairyman became Fiddler on the Roof
Sid Caesar
His parents came from Poland and Russia — the TV comedy genius who launched Mel Brooks, Neil Simon and Carl Reiner
Sidney Lumet
Son of Warsaw-born actor Baruch Lumet — directed 12 Angry Men, Dog Day Afternoon, and Network
Simon Kuznets
Born in Pinsk, Belarus — invented GDP and won the Nobel Prize for measuring economic growth
Slava Fetisov
Moscow-born captain of the Soviet hockey dynasty who defected, won the Stanley Cup, and became Russia's sports minister
Slava Rubin
Born in Minsk — co-founded Indiegogo and pioneered the global crowdfunding industry
Sofia Kenin
Moscow-born WTA star who won the Australian Open at age 21 and represented the USA
Sol Hurok
Born in Pogar, Russia — became America's greatest impresario and brought Russian culture to the world
Sonya Tayurskaya
Irkutsk-born Little Big member who became an unlikely international pop star
Sophie Tucker
Born in Tulchyn, Ukraine — the Last of the Red-Hot Mamas and one of the original American pop stars
Stan Getz
His parents came from Kyiv — the Sound became the most beautiful saxophone tone in jazz history
Stan Lee
The immigrant's son who built Marvel's universe
Stella Adler
Born in New York to Odessa-born Yiddish theatre king Jacob Adler — taught Brando, De Niro and Beatty
Stepan Pachikov
Born in Azerbaijan — pioneered handwriting recognition software and co-founded Evernote
Stephen Timoshenko
Born in Chernihiv, Ukraine — the father of engineering mechanics and the most important engineer of the 20th century
Steve Ballmer
His father's family came from Pinsk, Belarus — became Microsoft CEO and owns the LA Clippers
Steven Seagal
Action star with claimed Russian Cossack ancestry who became a Russian citizen and Putin ally
Sumner Redstone
His father came from Russia — built Viacom, CBS, and MTV into the world's largest media empire
Susanna Hoffs
The Bangles frontwoman with Russian-Jewish roots — Eternal Flame and Walk Like an Egyptian
Tad Szulc
Warsaw-born New York Times journalist who covered the Bay of Pigs and became one of America's greatest foreign correspondents
Tamara de Lempicka
Born in Warsaw — the Art Deco queen whose portraits of the jet set defined the glamour of the 1920s
Tatiana Patitz
Hamburg-born supermodel of Baltic-Russian origin — one of the original five supermodels of the 1990s
Tatiana Proskouriakoff
Born in Tomsk, Siberia — the archaeologist who cracked the Maya code and transformed ancient history
Tatyana Tolstaya
Leningrad-born writer and TV host — great-grandniece of Leo Tolstoy and Russia's sharpest satirical voice
Taylor Momsen
Gossip Girl actress turned rock frontwoman — her maternal grandmother has Russian Jewish roots
Theodore Bikel
Born in Vienna to Ukrainian Jewish parents — the original Tevye on Broadway and one of folk music's great voices
Theodore Kosloff
Born in Moscow — the Imperial Ballet dancer who became Cecil B. DeMille's choreographer and silent film star
Theodosius Dobzhansky
Born in Nemyriv, Ukraine — the geneticist who unified Darwin and Mendel and founded modern evolutionary biology
Timothée Chalamet
Hollywood's poet-prince with Russian roots
Timur Bekmambetov
Born in Kazakhstan, directed Night Watch — the biggest Russian blockbuster ever — then conquered Hollywood
Tony Curtis
Born to Hungarian-Jewish immigrants from the Russian Empire — starred in Some Like It Hot and became Hollywood royalty
Totie Fields
Her parents came from Russia — the stand-up comedian who defined self-deprecating comedy before Joan Rivers
Téa Leoni
Madam Secretary actress whose mother has Polish-Russian Jewish roots
Val Chmerkovskiy
Odessa-born ballroom champion and Dancing with the Stars fan favourite — Maksim's brother
Val Kilmer
Top Gun's Iceman and Batman — his paternal grandmother had Russian-Swedish roots
Val Lewton
Born in Yalta — the producer who invented psychological horror and made RKO's greatest films
Valentin Gapontsev
Moscow physicist who founded IPG Photonics — the world's largest fibre laser company
Valentina Shevchenko
Bishkek-born UFC flyweight queen with Soviet athletic roots — one of MMA's all-time greats
Valentina Zelyaeva
Born in Ulan-Ude, Buryatia — the supermodel from Siberia's Buddhist heartland who walked for Chanel and Prada
Valeri Bure
Pavel Bure's younger brother — NHL forward and husband of figure skater Candace Cameron
Valeri Liukin
Born in Aktobe, Kazakhstan — Soviet Olympic champion who trained his daughter Nastia to Olympic gold
Valeri Nichushkin
Chelyabinsk sniper who became a Stanley Cup champion and Conn Smythe Trophy winner with Colorado
Vic Morrow
Combat! star whose parents came from the Russian Empire — the quintessential TV tough guy
Vitaly Zdorovetskiy
Vlada Roslyakova
Born in Omsk, Siberia — became one of the world's top supermodels and a Chanel muse
Vladimir Horowitz
Born in Berdychiv, Ukraine — the greatest pianist of the 20th century, who fled Russia with Nathan Milstein in 1925
Vladimir Ipatieff
Born in Moscow — the chemist who invented high-octane aviation fuel and enabled the Allied air forces to win WWII
Vladimir Nabokov
Exiled genius who reinvented the English novel
Vladimir Tarasenko
Yaroslavl sniper who became one of the NHL's most electrifying goal-scorers with the St. Louis Blues
Vladimir Voevodsky
Born in Moscow — won the Fields Medal for work so abstract it reshaped the foundations of mathematics
Vladimir Zworykin
Born in Murom — the father of television, who invented the iconoscope and kinescope
Vladislav Namestnikov
Volgograd-born NHL forward who has played for multiple teams across a decade in the league
Wallace Shawn
The Princess Bride's Vizzini — his Russian-Jewish grandfather shaped a playwright who became Hollywood's most quotable villain
Walter Koenig
Chekov on Star Trek — his parents came from Lithuania and the Russian Empire
Walter Matthau
Born to Lithuanian-Russian Jewish parents on the Lower East Side — Oscar winner and the grumpiest genius in Hollywood
Warner Brothers
Born in Krasnosielc, Poland (Russian Empire) — the four brothers who built Hollywood's most socially conscious studio
Wassily Leontief
Born in St. Petersburg — won the Nobel Prize for input-output analysis, the model governments use to run economies
Waxey Gordon
William Fox
William Friedkin
His grandfather came from Russia — the director of The Exorcist and The French Connection
William Paley
His parents fled Russia — he built CBS into America's most powerful broadcast network
Woody Allen
Brooklyn neurosis rooted in Pale of Settlement grit
Xenia Deli
Yakov Sinai
Born in Moscow — won the Abel Prize for transforming ergodic theory and the mathematics of chaos
Yakov Smirnoff
Born in Odessa — the comedian who turned being a Soviet immigrant into America's best-loved joke
Yehudi Menuhin
His parents came from Gomel and Crimea — he became the greatest violinist of his generation and a human rights champion
Yip Harburg
Born to Russian-Jewish immigrants on the Lower East Side — wrote Somewhere Over the Rainbow and Brother Can You Spare a Dime
Zac Efron
High School Musical star whose grandfather has Russian and Polish Jewish roots
Zeppo Marx
The 'straight man' Marx Brother — his parents came from Alsace and the Russian Empire
Zero Mostel
His parents came from Brody, Galicia — the original Tevye AND the original Max Bialystock
Zoë Kravitz
Hollywood heir with roots in the Russian Empire
Steven Tyler
Aerosmith frontman, roots in Belarusian shtetl
Aleksander Solzhenitsyn
The conscience of Russia, forged in the Gulag.
Mikhail Lukin
Moscow-born Harvard physics professor — one of the world's leading quantum computing scientists
Felix Zandman
Survived the Holocaust hidden in a pit for 17 months — then built Vishay Intertechnology, one of the world's largest electronics companies
Alexander Tamas
Post-Soviet-born Silicon Valley tech investor — backed SpaceX and co-founded Vy Capital
Nikita Kahn
Russian-born philanthropist and real estate developer — partner of Oracle founder Larry Ellison
Artem Milinchuk
Post-Soviet-born founder of FarmTogether — pioneering digital farmland investment for ultra-high-net-worth individuals