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List of people from San Jose, California
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This is a list of notable people from San Jose, California. It includes people who were born/raised in, lived in, or spent portions of their lives in San Jose, or for whom San Jose is a significant part of their identity, as well as music groups founded in San Jose. This list is in alphabetical order by surname.
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Actors and entertainment industry
- Akhil Akkineni, Indian-American actor who predominantly works in the Telugu film Industry of India[1]
- Elisa Marina Alvarado, Chicana director, actress, educator, recipient of Cornerstone of the Arts award, born in San Jose[2]
- Frank Bacon, actor, playwright and father of Lloyd Bacon, raised in San Jose and lived there for 17 years[3]
- Lloyd Bacon, Hollywood director, son of actor Frank Bacon, born in San Jose[4]
- Adrienne Barbeau, actress, attended Del Mar High School class of 1963[5]
- Calum Best, British television personality, son of footballer George Best, born in San Jose[6]
- Brett Dalton, actor, born in San Jose[7]
- Rosanna DeSoto, actress, born in San Jose
- Dustin Diamond, child actor, known as Screech from Saved By The Bell, born in San Jose[8]
- Ricco Fajardo, voice actor in Danganronpa 3: The End of Hope's Peak High School and various anime, TV actor, born in San Jose
- Renée Elise Goldsberry, actress, known for originating the role of Angelica Schuyler in the Broadway musical Hamilton, born in San Jose[9][10]
- Michael Gough, voice actor, born in San Jose
- Farley Granger, actor, best known for Strangers on a Train, born in San Jose[11]
- Nick Groff, paranormal investigator and television personality, born in San Jose[12]
- Krazy George Henderson, cheerleader, inventor of "The Wave", sports entertainment[13]
- Josh Holloway, actor, Lost, born in San Jose[14]
- Fran Jeffries, singer and actress, born in Palo Alto[15]
- Anjelah Johnson, comedian, born in San Jose[16]
- Jeannie Mai, TV personality, talk show host, fashion expert, makeup artist, born in San Jose[17]
- Peverell Marley, Oscar-nominated, Golden Globe-winning cinematographer, born in San Jose[18]
- Charles Martinet, actor and voice actor, best known for providing the voice of Nintendo's Mario, born in San Jose[19]
- Candi Milo, voice actress, born in San Jose[20]
- Linda Park, actress, originally from Seoul, South Korea and raised in San Jose[21]
- Miguel Perez, actor, born in San Jose
- Ernie Reyes Jr., actor and martial artist, born in San Jose[22]
- Diane Rodriguez, theatre director, actor, writer, born in San Jose[23]
- Gabriela Sepúlveda, singer and actress, Jenni Rivera: Mariposa De Barrio, born in San Jose[24]
- Kurtwood Smith, actor, That '70s Show
- Smothers Brothers, musical comedy duo and actors
- Dave Tatsuno, Japanese-American internment camp resident who made amateur film Topaz, about camp life[25]
- Kathy Uyen, actress and producer for Vietnamese cinema, born in San Jose[26]
- Luis Valdez, playwright and director[27]
- Kung Fu Vampire, musician, also on the Discovery Channel's Oddities, born in San Jose[28]
- Kate Walsh, actress, born in San Jose[29]
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Artists
Comics and zines
- Brent Anderson, comic artist with DC Comics, born in San Jose[30]
- Jan Eliot, comic artist of Stone Soup, born in San Jose[31]
- Julia Kaye, comic artist of Up and Out, illustrator, raised in San Jose[32]
- Jhonen Vasquez, creator of alternative comics for Slave Labor Graphics and Invader ZIM, born in San Jose[33]
Mixed media
- Susan O'Malley, public art, museum curation, and author, raised in San Jose[34]
Painters
- Lucy Bacon, impressionist painter, lived in San Jose 1898–1909, taught at the Washburn Preparatory School[35]
- James Caprell, fine artist, born in San Jose[36]
- Ernest de Saisset, portrait artist[37]
- Chris Johanson, fine artist, part of the Mission School art movement, born in San Jose[38]
- Suzanne Scheuer, painter known for her New Deal-era murals, born in San Jose[39]
- Herman Volz, fine artist, worked with the Federal Art Project, lived in San Jose 1960–1990, died in San Jose[40]
Photographers
- Bill Owens, photographer and photojournalist documenting suburbia, born in San Jose[41]
Sculptors
- Ruthadell Anderson, sculptor, fiber artist, textile artist; born in San Jose and attended San Jose State University[42]
- Therese May, fine art quilting, lived in San Jose[43]
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Athletes
- Yorgo Alexandrou, Olympic bobsledder for Armenia (two-man bobsleigh, 2002 Salt Lake City), born and raised in San Jose[44]
- Damián Alguera, soccer player
- Mike Avery, soccer player, coach, and athletic director[45]
- Chidobe Awuzie, NFL player, born in San Jose[46]
- Scott Baker, Major League Baseball player, born in San Jose[47]
- Isaias Bardales Jr., soccer player[48]
- Amir Bashti, soccer player[49]
- Bayley, WWE wrestler[50]
- Steven Beitashour, soccer player[51]
- Isaác Brizuela, soccer player[52]
- Brent Burns, pro hockey player San Jose Sharks, lives in San Jose[53]
- Steve Caballero, professional skateboarder, born in San Jose[54]
- Angelo Caloiaro (born 1989), American-Italian basketball player in the Israeli Basketball Premier League[55]
- Ken Caminiti, pro baseball player (San Jose State), 1996 NL MVP[56]
- Rich Campbell, NFL player, played high school football in San Jose[57]
- Mark Canha, baseball player, born in San Jose[58]
- John Carlos, Olympic silver medalist, 200m (1968 Mexico City); track and field athlete; pro football player[59]
- Andre Carter, pro football player[60]
- Brandi Chastain, soccer player, World Cup champion, born in San Jose[61]
- Amy Chow, Olympic gold medalist in gymnastics (1996), born in San Jose[62]
- Kay Cockerill, professional golfer, born in San Jose[63]
- Jerry Coleman, decorated combat pilot, MLB player and manager, Ford Frick Award-winning sportscaster, born in San Jose[64]
- Sam Delaplane (born 1995), professional baseball pitcher[65]
- Polina Edmunds, Olympic figure skater[66]
- Herman Edwards, NFL player, coach, TV commentator[67]
- Jon Fitch, UFC fighter[68][69]
- Peggy Fleming, 1968 Winter Olympics figure skating gold medalist, born in San Jose[70]
- CJ Fodrey, soccer player[71]
- Rudy Galindo, national champion figure skater, born in San Jose[72]
- Jeff Garcia, pro football quarterback (San Jose State)[73]
- Jeremy Giambi, baseball player, born in San Jose[74]
- Naomi Girma, soccer player for the United States[75][76]
- Aaron Gordon, player for the Denver Nuggets and brother of Drew Gordon, born in San Jose[77]
- Drew Gordon, player for the Philadelphia 76ers and brother of Aaron Gordon, born in San Jose[78]
- Shawn Green, MLB 2-time All-Star outfielder[79]
- Kyle Harrison (born 2001), baseball pitcher for the San Francisco Giants[80]
- Dany Heatley, pro hockey player, San Jose Sharks[81]
- Mike Holmgren, NFL coach and executive[82]
- Cass Jackson, former college football head coach, one of the first African-American head football coaches at a predominantly white college (Oberlin College)[83]
- John Johnson, NBA basketball, First Team All American at the University of Iowa, lived and died in San Jose[84]
- Brent Jones, football player, Santa Clara University, San Francisco 49ers, three-time Super Bowl champion, born in San Jose[85]
- James Jones, pro football player (San Jose State), Green Bay Packers, Oakland Raiders, born in San Jose[86]
- Carney Lansford, pro baseball player, Oakland A's, 1989 World Series champion, 1981 A.L. batting champion, born in San Jose[87]
- Cung Le, Vietnamese mixed martial arts fighter, three-time Sanshou bronze medalist[88]
- Joe Leonard, automobile and motorcycle champion[89]
- Beau Leroux, soccer player[90]
- Roger Maltbie, professional PGA golfer and NBC Sports On Air golf analyst[91]
- Patrick Marleau, pro hockey player, San Jose Sharks[92]
- Jake McGee, baseball player[93]
- Kyle McLaren, pro hockey player San Jose Sharks[94]
- Tommy Medica, baseball player, born in San Jose[95]
- Marty Mornhinweg, NFL player and coach[96][97]
- Evgeni Nabokov, pro hockey player, San Jose Sharks[98][99][100]
- James Nunnally (born 1990), professional basketball player for Maccabi Tel Aviv of the Israeli Basketball Premier League and the Euroleague, and formerly in the NBA, born in San Jose[101][102]
- Brian Oldfield, athlete, world and American record holder in shot put[103]
- Jesús Padilla, soccer player for Chivas de Guadalajara, born in San Jose[104][105]
- Jim Plunkett, quarterback, Stanford University, 1970 Heisman Trophy winner, Oakland Raiders, two-time Super Bowl champion (SB XV MVP), born in San Jose[106][107]
- John Powell, two-time Olympic bronze medalist (1976 Munich, 1984 L.A.), discus throw[108][109]
- Dave Righetti, baseball player; 1981 A.L. Rookie of the Year (N.Y. Yankees); pitched no-hitter on July 4, 1983; San Francisco Giants pitching coach, born in San Jose[110][111]
- Ricco Rodriguez, mixed martial artist, UFC and ADCC champion, born in San Jose[112]
- Frank Shamrock, MMA fighter[113]
- Tommie Smith, Olympic gold medalist - 200m, (1968 Mexico City), track and field athlete (San Jose State), pro football player[114][115]
- Dave Stieb, pro baseball pitcher[116][117]
- Carl Sullivan, football player, born in San Jose[118][119]
- Mike Swain, Olympic gold medalist, four-time Olympian, San Jose State judo coach[120][121]
- Mike Swick, UFC fighter[122][123]
- Debi Thomas, Olympic figure skater, grew up in San Jose[124][125]
- Josh Thomson, mixed martial artist and model, born in San Jose[126][127]
- Joe Thornton, pro hockey player, San Jose Sharks[128][129]
- Pat Tillman, pro football player and decorated Army Ranger, born in San Jose[130][131]
- Loren Toews, pro football player[132][133]
- Yosh Uchida, businessman, educator, contributor to San Jose State judo team, born in San Jose[134][135]
- Cain Velasquez, MMA fighter[136][137]
- Dick Vermeil, college and pro football head coach, Super Bowl champion (St. Louis Rams, 1999)[138][139]
- Aly Wagner, retired soccer player[140][141]
- Bill Walsh, college and pro football head coach, three-time Super Bowl champion (San Francisco 49ers)[142]
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Business leaders and entrepreneurs
- Gurbaksh Chahal, entrepreneur[143][144]
- Andy Dinh, entrepreneur and professional gamer, born in San Jose[145]
- Amadeo Peter Giannini, founder of Bank of America, born in San Jose[146][147]
- Peter Ueberroth, sports and business executive, San Jose State University alumnus[148][149]
- Steve Wozniak, co-founder of Apple Inc., born in San Jose[150][151]
- Jerry Yang, co-founder of Yahoo![152][153]
Chefs
- Angela Dimayuga, internationally known chef born and raised in San Jose[154][155][156]
Dancers
- Mythili Kumar, South Indian traditional dancer of Bharatanatyam, resides in San Jose, founder of Abhinaya Dance School of San Jose[157][158][159]
- Yuriko Kikuchi (née Amemiya), worked with the Martha Graham Dance Company, born in San Jose[160][161]
Designers
- Mai Kitazawa Arbegast, landscape architect, born in San Jose[162]
- Kate Bartholomew (1868-1951), created the "Jazz Cap"[163]
- Scott Campbell, video game concept artist for LucasArts then Double Fine Productions, art director, comic artist and illustration, born and raised in San Jose[164][165]
- Theodore Lenzen, Prussian-born architect, active in San Jose[166][167]
- Joe Murray, animator, born in San Jose[168][169]
- Emily Williams, pioneering female architect in the 20th century, attended California State Normal School (later known as SJSU)[170][171]
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Educators
- Peter William Cassey, African-American 19th-century school founder, deacon, minister, educator, abolitionist, and political activist[172][173]
- Henry Suzzallo, educator; president of the University of Washington[174][175]
Musicians and bands
- Anohni, frontwoman of Antony and the Johnsons[176][177]
- Antwon, rapper, lives in San Jose[178]
- Ashe, singer, born in San Jose[179][180]
- Bassnectar, DJ and electronic music producer[181][182]
- Louie Bellson, professional drummer[183][184]
- Tommy Castro, blues, rock[185][186]
- Charizma, rapper, born in San Jose[187][188]
- Count Five, garage rock band, formed in San Jose[189][190]
- John "Sean" Byrne, musician with Count Five, lived in San Jose[191][192]
- Irene Dalis, opera singer, founder of Opera San Jose, born in San Jose[193][194]
- Jimmy DeGrasso, heavy metal drummer[195]
- DJ Shadow, born Joshua Davis, instrumental hip-hop DJ, born in San Jose[196][197]
- The Doobie Brothers, rock band[198][199]
- Tom Johnston, lived in San Jose with the Doobie Brothers[200][201]
- Duster, indie rock band[202][203]
- Fleetwood Mac, rock band[204][205]
- Lindsey Buckingham, musician with Fleetwood Mac[206][207]
- Stevie Nicks, singer and musician with Fleetwood Mac[208][206]
- Jeff Foskett, guitarist and singer, best known for work with The Beach Boys[209][210]
- Getter, DJ, electronic music producer and rapper[211][212][213]
- Heavy Heavy Low Low, metal band formed in San Jose[214][215]
- The Holdup, reggae and hip hop band formed in San Jose[216][217]
- Greg Kihn, rock musician and radio DJ[218][219]
- Kung Fu Vampire, rapper from San Jose[220][221]
- Los Tigres del Norte, Mexican band formed in San Jose[222][223]
- Laura Mam, musician and music industry entrepreneur[224][225]
- Bryan Mantia, drummer for Primus and Guns N' Roses, born in San Jose
- Kamtin Mohager, lead musician for The Chain Gang of 1974[226]
- No Use for a Name, band
- Matt Riddle, bassist of No Use for a Name, born in San Jose
- Tony Sly, lead singer and guitarist of No Use for a Name, born in San Jose
- Peanut Butter Wolf, disc jockey and producer from San Jose[227][228]
- Nikki Sixx, bassist for Mötley Crüe, born in San Jose[229]
- Sleep, doom metal band formed in San Jose[230][231]
- Smash Mouth, pop-rock band formed in San Jose[232][233]
- Snow Tha Product, rapper, born in San Jose[234][235]
- Skip Spence, co-founder of Moby Grape[236]
- Stone Temple Pilots, band[237][238]
- Eric Kretz, drummer for Stone Temple Pilots, Talk Show, and Spiralarms, born in San Jose
- Scott Weiland, vocalist for Stone Temple Pilots, Velvet Revolver, Camp Freddy, The Wondergirls, Art of Anarchy, and The Magnificent Bastards, born in San Jose[239][240]
- Sunami, hardcore punk band[241][242]
- Syndicate of Sound, garage rock band formed in San Jose[243][244]
- Traxamillion, rapper[245][246]
- Xiu Xiu (band), avant-garde band formed in San Jose[247][248]
- Yvette Young, singer/songwriter, guitarist/front-woman of Covet[249][250]
- Kim Yubin, member of South Korean girl group Wonder Girls[251]
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Politicians, civil servants, and activists
- Ben Nighthorse Campbell, U.S. senator from Colorado, SJSU graduate[252][253]
- César Chávez, labor leader and civil rights activist[254][255]
- C. C. Cottrell, California State Assembly member 1933–1939
- Nathan Damigo, founder of Identity Evropa, an American neo-Nazi and white supremacist organization,[citation needed] grew up in San Jose[256]
- Don Edwards, U.S. representative from California 1963–1995, born in San Jose[257][258]
- Thomas Fallon, soldier, mayor of San Jose[259][260]
- Ron Gonzales, mayor of Sunnyvale and San Jose[261][262]
- Dale Ho (born 1977), U.S. district judge of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York
- Mike Honda, U.S. representative[263][264]
- Sherman Otis Houghton, mayor of San Jose, U.S. representative[265][266]
- Sam Liccardo, U.S. representative, former mayor of San Jose and San Jose city councilor[267]
- Zoe Lofgren, U.S. representative[268]
- Norman Mineta, mayor of San Jose, United States Secretary of Transportation, United States Secretary of Commerce, born in San Jose[269][270]
- Michael A. Rice, biologist and Rhode Island politician, born in San Jose
- Iola Williams, politician and civil rights activist, first African-American to serve on San Jose City Council (1979–1991), vice mayor of San Jose for two terms[271][272]
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Scientists
- Paul André Albert, scientist and pioneering metallurgist with IBM, and founder of ACI Alloys[273]
- Edgar F. Codd, computer scientist[274][275]
- Dian Fossey, primatologist, SJSU graduate[276]
- Dudley R. Herschbach, winner of the 1986 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, born in San Jose
- Michio Kaku, physicist, born in San Jose[277][278][279]
Writers
- Reza Aslan, Iranian-American author, religious studies scholar, producer, and television host; attended Del Mar High School (class of 1990)[280][281]
- Raymond Carver, short story writer and poet[282][283]
- Carolyn Cassady, author of the Beat Generation, lived in San Jose[284]
- Neal Cassady, author of the Beat Generation, Merry Pranksters member, inspiration for character Dean Moriarty in Jack Kerouac's novel On The Road, lived in San Jose[284]
- Iris Chang, historian and journalist, lived in San Jose
- Howard Dully, author, My Lobotomy[285][286]
- Kate Elliott, novelist
- Khaled Hosseini, best-selling novelist, author of The Kite Runner, lived in San Jose[287][288]
- Wayne Koestenbaum, artist, poet, and cultural critic[289][290]
- William Lewis Manly, pioneer, hero, banker, and author of Death Valley in '49
- Viet Thanh Nguyen, author of The Sympathizer, winner of the 2016 Pulitzer Prize in Fiction; attended Bellarmine College Preparatory[291][292][293]
- James Wesley Rawles, novelist[294][295]
- Al Ruffo, mayor of San Jose[296][297]
- Kay Ryan, poet, former Poet Laureate of the United States, born in San Jose[298][299]
- Amy Tan, best-selling novelist, author of The Joy Luck Club
- Louis Theroux, English documentary filmmaker, journalist and broadcaster[300][301]
- Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston, author of the memoir Farewell to Manzanar, attended high school and college in San Jose
- Tad Williams, author of the Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn series[302][303]
Journalists
- Francis B. Murdoch, founder and publisher of the San Jose Weekly Telegraph (1853–1860) and the San Jose Weekly Patriot (1863–1875)[304]
- Vicky Nguyen, NBC News anchor[305][306]
Other
- Susan Atkins, convicted murderer, Manson Family member[307][308]
- Joey Chestnut, competitive eater[309][310]
- Jason Dahl, captain of United Airlines Flight 93 on September 11, 2001, born in San Jose[311][312]
- Bob Fernandez, veteran, one of the last known survivors of the attack on Pearl Harbor.[313]
- David Marius Guardino, psychic
- Henry Morris Naglee, U.S. Civil War general and served in the Mexican–American War[314][315]
- Matt Stonie, competitive eater, born in San Jose[316][317]
- Rick Warren, Baptist evangelical Christian pastor and author[318][319]
- Sarah Winchester, heiress to the Winchester Rifle Company, occultist, architect to the Winchester Mystery House, lived in San Jose[320][321]
See also
References
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