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.
YouTube Encyclopedic
-
1/5Views:48 695 5464 095 16529 505 1631 5553 204
-
Blake Shelton - Some Beach (Official Music Video)
-
Ellen Degeneres is Officially CANCELLED After This Happened...
-
Lounge Covers Popular Songs - Cool Music 2021
-
Can You Love A Playa By Justo - San Jose Rap 408
-
#SingItFwd - The Zolas (feat St James Music Academy) - Snow
Transcription
Actors and entertainment industry
- Elisa Marina Alvarado, Chicana director, actress, educator, born in San Jose
- Frank Bacon, actor, playwright and father of Lloyd Bacon, raised in San Jose and lived there for 17 years[1]
- Lloyd Bacon, Hollywood director, son of actor Frank Bacon, born in San Jose[2]
- Adrienne Barbeau, actress, attended Del Mar High School class of 1963[3]
- Calum Best, British television personality, son of footballer George Best, born in San Jose
- Brett Dalton, actor, born in San Jose[4]
- Vernon Dent, comedy actor in numerous Three Stooges shorts, born in San Jose
- Rosanna DeSoto, actress, born in San Jose
- Dustin Diamond, child actor, known as Screech from Saved By The Bell, born in San Jose[5]
- 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
- Michael Gough, voice actor, born in San Jose
- Farley Granger, actor, best known for Strangers on a Train, born in San Jose
- Nick Groff, paranormal investigator and television personality, born in San Jose
- Krazy George Henderson, cheerleader, inventor of "The Wave", sports entertainment
- Josh Holloway, actor, Lost, born in San Jose
- Gabriela Sepúlveda, singer and actress, Jenni Rivera: Mariposa De Barrio, born in San Jose
- Fran Jeffries, singer and actress, born in Palo Alto
- Anjelah Johnson, comedian, born in San Jose
- Neil Kaplan, voice actor, attended elementary through high school in San Jose
- Jeannie Mai, TV personality, talk show host, fashion expert, makeup artist, born in San Jose
- Peverell Marley, Oscar-nominated, Golden Globe-winning cinematographer, born in San Jose
- Charles Martinet, actor and voice actor, best known for providing the voice of Nintendo's Mario, born in San Jose
- Candi Milo, voice actress, born in San Jose
- Linda Park, actress, originally from Seoul, South Korea and raised in San Jose
- Miguel Perez, actor, born in San Jose
- Kurtwood Smith, actor, That '70s Show
- Smothers Brothers, musical comedy duo and actors
- Ernie Reyes Jr., actor and martial artist, born in San Jose
- Diane Rodriguez, theatre director, actor, writer, born in San Jose
- Dave Tatsuno, Japanese-American internment camp resident who made amateur film Topaz, about camp life
- Kathy Uyen, actress and producer for Vietnamese cinema, born in San Jose
- Kate Walsh, actress, born in San Jose
- Luis Valdez, playwright and director
- Kung Fu Vampire, musician, also on the Discovery Channel's "Oddities", born in San Jose[6]
- Akhil Akkineni, Indian-American actor who predominantly works in Telugu film Industry of India.[7]
Artists
Comics and zines
- Brent Anderson, comic artist with DC Comics, born in San Jose[8]
- Jan Eliot, comic artist of Stone Soup, born in San Jose
- Julia Kaye, comic artist of Up and Out, illustrator, raised in San Jose[9]
- Jhonen Vasquez, creator of alternative comics for Slave Labor Graphics and Invader ZIM, born in San Jose[10]
Mixed media
- Susan O'Malley (artist), public art, museum curation, and author, raised in San Jose.[11]
Painters
- Lucy Bacon, Impressionist painter lived in San Jose from 1898 until 1909, taught at the Washburn Preparatory School.[12]
- James Caprell, fine artist, born in San Jose[13]
- Ernest de Saisset, portrait artist.[14]
- Chris Johanson, fine artist part of the Mission School art movement, born in San Jose[15]
- Bill Koeb, illustrator and painter, also comics, known for his illustrative work for Clive Barker's Hellraiser series
- Suzanne Scheuer, painter known for her New Deal-era murals, born in San Jose
- Herman Volz, fine artist that worked with the Federal Art Project, lived in San Jose from 1960 to 1990, died in San Jose[16]
Photographers
- Bill Owens, photographer and photojournalist documenting suburbia, born in San Jose[17]
- Alfred T. Palmer, photographer of Americana during World War II, born in San Jose
Sculptors
- Ruthadell Anderson, sculptor, fiber artist, textile artist; born in San Jose and attended San Jose State University.[18]
- Therese May, fine art quilting, lived in San Jose
Athletes
- Yorgo Alexandrou, Olympic bobsledder for Armenia (two-man bobsleigh, 2002 Salt Lake City), born and raised in San Jose[19]
- Chidobe Awuzie NFL player, born in San Jose
- Scott Baker, Major League Baseball player, born in San Jose[20]
- Bayley, WWE wrestler
- Isaac Brizuela, footballer, born in San Jose
- Brent Burns, pro hockey player San Jose Sharks, lives in San Jose
- Steve Caballero, professional skateboarder, born in San Jose
- Mark Canha, baseball player, born in San Jose
- Ken Caminiti, pro baseball player (San Jose State), 1996 NL MVP
- Rich Campbell, NFL player, played high school football in San Jose
- John Carlos, Olympic silver medalist, 200m (1968 Mexico City); track and field athlete; pro football player
- Andre Carter, pro football player
- Henry Cejudo, 2012 Olympic gold medalist in freestyle wrestling, MMA fighter, born in San Jose
- Brandi Chastain, soccer player, World Cup champion, born in San Jose
- Amy Chow, Olympic gold medalist in gymnastics (1996), born in San Jose
- Kay Cockerill, professional golfer, born in San Jose
- Jerry Coleman, decorated combat pilot, MLB player and manager, Ford Frick Award-winning sportscaster, born in San Jose
- Angelo Caloiaro (born 1989), American-Italian basketball player in the Israeli Basketball Premier League
- Sam Delaplane (born 1995), professional baseball pitcher
- Michelle Do, Olympic table tennis player
- Polina Edmunds, Olympic figure skater
- Herman Edwards, NFL player, coach, TV commentator
- Jon Fitch, UFC fighter
- Peggy Fleming, 1968 Winter Olympics figure skating gold medalist, born in San Jose
- Rudy Galindo, national champion figure skater, born in San Jose
- Jeff Garcia, pro football quarterback (San Jose State)
- Jeremy Giambi, baseball player, born in San Jose
- Naomi Girma, soccer player for the United States[21]
- Dan Gladden, baseball player, two-time World Series champion (1987, 1991 with Minnesota Twins), born in San Jose
- Aaron Gordon, player for the Denver Nuggets and brother of Drew Gordon, born in San Jose
- Drew Gordon, player for the Philadelphia 76ers and brother of Aaron Gordon, born in San Jose
- Shawn Green, MLB 2-time All-Star outfielder
- Kyle Harrison (born 2001), baseball pitcher for the San Francisco Giants
- Dany Heatley, pro hockey player, San Jose Sharks
- Mike Holmgren, NFL coach and executive
- Cass Jackson, former college football head coach, one of the first African-American head football coaches at a predominantly white college (Oberlin College).
- John Johnson, NBA basketball, First Team All American at the University of Iowa, lived and died in San Jose[citation needed]
- Brent Jones, football player, Santa Clara University, San Francisco 49ers, three-time Super Bowl champion, born in San Jose
- James Jones, pro football player (San Jose State), Green Bay Packers, Oakland Raiders, born in San Jose
- Carney Lansford, pro baseball player, Oakland A's, 1989 World Series champion, 1981 A.L. batting champion, born in San Jose
- Joe Leonard, automobile and motorcycle champion
- Cung Le, Vietnamese mixed martial arts fighter, three-time Sanshou bronze medalist
- Roger Maltbie, professional PGA golfer and NBC Sports On Air golf analyst
- Patrick Marleau, pro hockey player, San Jose Sharks
- Jake McGee, baseball player
- Kyle McLaren, pro hockey player San Jose Sharks
- Tommy Medica, baseball player, born in San Jose
- Marty Mornhinweg, NFL player and coach
- Evgeni Nabokov, pro hockey player, San Jose Sharks
- 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
- Brian Oldfield, athlete, world and American record holder in shot put
- Jesús Padilla, soccer player for Chivas de Guadalajara, born in San Jose
- Jim Plunkett, quarterback, Stanford University, 1970 Heisman Trophy winner, Oakland Raiders, two-time Super Bowl champion (SB XV MVP), born in San Jose
- John Powell, two-time Olympic bronze medalist (1976 Munich, 1984 L.A.), discus throw
- 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
- Ricco Rodriguez, mixed martial artist, UFC and ADCC champion, born in San Jose
- Frank Shamrock, MMA fighter
- Tommie Smith, Olympic gold medalist - 200m, (1968 Mexico City), track and field athlete (San Jose State), pro football player
- Dave Stieb, pro baseball pitcher
- Carl Sullivan, football player, born in San Jose
- Mike Swain, Olympic gold medalist, four-time Olympian, San Jose State judo coach
- Mike Swick, UFC fighter
- Josh Thomson, mixed martial artist and model, born in San Jose
- Joe Thornton, pro hockey player, San Jose Sharks
- Pat Tillman, pro football player and decorated Army Ranger, born in San Jose
- Debi Thomas, Olympic figure skater, grew up in San Jose
- Loren Toews, pro football player
- Yosh Uchida, businessman, educator, contributor to San Jose State judo team, born in San Jose
- Cain Velasquez, MMA fighter
- Dick Vermeil, college and pro football head coach, Super Bowl champion (St. Louis Rams, 1999)
- Aly Wagner, retired soccer player
- Bill Walsh, college and pro football head coach, three-time Super Bowl champion (San Francisco 49ers)
Business leaders and entrepreneurs
- Gurbaksh Chahal, entrepreneur
- Andy Dinh, entrepreneur and professional gamer, born in San Jose
- Amadeo Peter Giannini, founder of Bank of America, born in San Jose
- Steve Jobs, co-founder and former CEO of Apple Inc., lived in San Jose
- Donald Snyder, investment banker, born in San Jose
- Peter Ueberroth, sports and business executive, San Jose State University alumnus
- Ken Williams, MLB executive, general manager for 2005 World Series champion Chicago White Sox
- Steve Wozniak, co-founder of Apple Inc., born in San Jose
- Jerry Yang, co-founder of Yahoo!
Chefs
- Angela Dimayuga, internationally known chef born and raised in San Jose[22]
Dancers
- Mythili Kumar, South Indian traditional dancer of Bharatanatyam, resides in San Jose, founder of Abhinaya Dance School of San Jose[23]
- Yuriko Kikuchi (née Amemiya), worked with the Martha Graham Dance Company, born in San Jose
Designers
- Mai Kitazawa Arbegast, landscape architect, born in San Jose[24]
- Scott Campbell, video game concept artist for LucasArts then Double Fine Productions, art director, comic artist and illustration, born and raised in San Jose
- Theodore Lenzen, Prussian-born architect, active in San Jose
- Joe Murray, animator, born in San Jose
- Emily Williams, pioneering female architect in the 20th century, attended California State Normal School (later known as SJSU)
Educators
- Peter William Cassey, African-American 19th-century school founder, deacon, minister, educator, abolitionist, and political activist[25][26]
- Henry Suzzallo, educator; President of the University of Washington
Musicians and bands
- Antwon, rapper, lives in San Jose[27]
- Ashe (singer), singer, born in San Jose
- Bassnectar, DJ and electronic music producer
- Louie Bellson, professional drummer
- Tommy Castro, blues, rock
- Charizma, rapper, born in San Jose
- Count five, garage rock band, formed in San Jose
- John "Sean" Byrne, musician with Count five, lived in San Jose
- Irene Dalis, opera singer, founder of Opera San Jose, born in San Jose
- Jimmy DeGrasso, heavy metal drummer
- DJ Shadow, born Joshua Davis, instrumental hip-hop DJ, born in San Jose
- Duster (band), indie rock band
- The Doobie Brothers, rock band
- Tom Johnston, lived in San Jose with the Doobie Brothers
- Fleetwood Mac, rock band
- Lindsey Buckingham, musician with Fleetwood Mac
- Stevie Nicks, singer and musician with Fleetwood Mac
- Jeff Foskett, guitarist and singer, best known for work with The Beach Boys
- Getter, DJ, electronic music producer and rapper[28]
- Heavy Heavy Low Low, metal band formed in San Jose
- Antony Hegarty, frontwoman of Antony and the Johnsons
- The Holdup, reggae and hip hop band formed in San Jose
- Greg Kihn, rock musician and radio DJ
- Kung Fu Vampire, rapper from San Jose
- Los Tigres del Norte, Mexican band formed in San Jose
- Laura Mam - musician and music industry entrepreneur
- Bryan Mantia, drummer for Primus and Guns N' Roses, born in San Jose
- Kamtin Mohager, lead musician for The Chain Gang of 1974[29]
- 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
- Plavka, international singing star, born in San Jose
- Nikki Sixx, bassist for Mötley Crüe, born in San Jose
- Sleep, doom metal band formed in San Jose
- Smash Mouth, pop-rock band formed in San Jose
- Snow Tha Product, rapper, born in San Jose
- Skip Spence, co-founder of Moby Grape
- Stone Temple Pilots, band
- 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
- Randy Stonehill, singer/songwriter, born in San Jose
- Syndicate of Sound, garage rock band formed in San Jose
- Traxamillion, rapper
- Xiu Xiu (band), avant-garde band formed in San Jose
- Yvette Young, singer/songwriter, guitarist/front-woman of Covet
- Kim Yubin, member of South Korean girl group Wonder Girls
- Quinn Godfrey, member of grunge rock band Heatmiser
Politicians, civil servants and activists
- César Chávez, American labor leader and civil rights activist
- C. C. Cottrell, 1933 to 1939 California State Assembly member
- Nathan Damigo, founder of Identity Evropa an American neo-Nazi and white supremacist organization[citation needed], grew up in San Jose.[30]
- Don Edwards, U.S. Representative from California 1963–1995, born in San Jose
- Thomas Fallon, soldier, Mayor of San Jose
- Ron Gonzales, Mayor of Sunnyvale, Mayor of San Jose
- Mike Honda, U.S. Representative
- Sherman Otis Houghton, Mayor of San Jose, U.S. Representative
- Norman Mineta, Mayor of San Jose, United States Secretary of Transportation, United States Secretary of Commerce, born in San Jose
- James F. Reed, organizer of the Donner Party, businessman and soldier
- 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[31][32]
Scientists
- Edgar F. Codd, computer scientist
- Dian Fossey, primatologist, SJSU graduate
- Dudley R. Herschbach, winner of the 1986 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, born in San Jose
- Michio Kaku, physicist, born in San Jose
Writers
- Reza Aslan, Iranian-American author, religious studies scholar, producer, and television host; attended Del Mar High School (class of 1990)
- Tad Williams, author of the Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn series.
- Raymond Carver, American short story writer and poet
- Carolyn Cassady, author of the Beat Generation, lived in San Jose[33]
- 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[33]
- Howard Dully, author, My Lobotomy
- Kate Elliott, novelist
- Khaled Hosseini, best-selling novelist, author of The Kite Runner, lived in San Jose
- Wayne Koestenbaum, artist, poet, and cultural critic
- 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[34]
- James Wesley Rawles, novelist
- Al Ruffo, Mayor of San Jose
- Kay Ryan, poet, former Poet Laureate of the United States, born in San Jose
- Amy Tan, best-selling novelist, author of The Joy Luck Club
- Louis Theroux, English documentary filmmaker, journalist and broadcaster
- Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston, author of the memoirs Farewell to Manzanar, attended high school and college in San Jose
Journalists
- Francis B. Murdoch, founder and publisher of the San Jose Weekly Telegraph (1853–1860) and the San Jose Weekly Patriot (1863–1875)[35]
- Vicky Nguyen, NBC News anchor
Other
- Isai Alvarado, professional video game player, Super Smash Bros. player[36]
- Susan Atkins, convicted murderer, Manson Family member
- Joey Chestnut, competitive eater
- Jason Dahl, captain of United Airlines Flight 93 on September 11, 2001, born in San Jose
- David Marius Guardino, psychic
- Henry Morris Naglee, U.S. Civil War general and served in the Mexican–American War
- Matt Stonie, competitive eater, born in San Jose
- Raika, hot dog smile
- Rick Warren, Baptist evangelical Christian pastor and author
- Sarah Winchester, heiress to the Winchester Rifle Company, occultist, architect to the Winchester Mystery House, lived in San Jose
See also
- List of people from Oakland, California
- List of people from Palo Alto
- List of people from San Francisco, California
- List of people from Santa Cruz, California
References
- ^ "Frank Bacon". SamuelFrench.com. Samuel French, Inc. Retrieved 2017-07-19.
- ^ Lloyd Bacon Dies; Film Director, 65. The New York Times, November 16, 1955, P. 35
- ^ Singh, Gary (2008-03-20). "San Jose's Favorite Daughter". San Jose Inside. Retrieved 2017-07-19.
- ^ "Brett Dalton". TVGuide.com. Retrieved 2017-07-19.
- ^ "Dustin Diamond back in jail". The Mercury News. 2016-05-26. Retrieved 2017-07-20.
- ^ Wheeler, Garrett (2008-10-29). "Creature of The Night, San Jose's Kung Fu Vampire steps into the light with 'Dead Sexy'". MetroActive. Retrieved 2019-06-11.
- ^ "Akhil Akkineni". Times of India. Retrieved 1 June 2020.
- ^ "It's a life with superheroes for comic book artist Brent Anderson - News | The Star Online". www.thestar.com.my. Retrieved 2017-09-07.
- ^ "Transgender artist creates amazing online comic strip about her transition". Gay Star News. 2016-12-21. Retrieved 2017-09-07.
- ^ "Jhonen Vasquez". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved 2017-07-20.
- ^ "Susan Bruce O'Malley, 1976 to 2015 | Potrero View". Potrero View. 2015-04-05. Retrieved 2018-03-09.
- ^ San Jose City Directory Including Santa Clara County ... F.M. Husted. 1902.
- ^ "James Caprell Biography". artnet.com. Retrieved 2017-09-07.
- ^ "de Saisset Family History". The de Saisset Museum at Santa Clara University. Retrieved 2021-08-16.
- ^ "Chris Johanson". SFMOMA. Retrieved 2017-09-07.
- ^ "Herman Volz". FAMSF Explore the Art. 2015-05-08. Retrieved 2017-09-07.
- ^ "Bill Owens Biography". artnet. Retrieved 2017-07-20.
- ^ Haar, Francis (1977). "Ruthadell Anderson". Artists of Hawaii. University of Hawaii Press. pp. 3–7. doi:10.1515/9780824887346-005. ISBN 978-0-8248-8734-6.
- ^ "Armenian bobsledders are from ... California?". ESPN.com. 2002-01-16. Retrieved 2018-04-12.
- ^ "Scott Baker Stats". Baseball Almanac. Retrieved November 26, 2012.
- ^ "Naomi Girma rises from Stanford to NWSL stardom to World Cup hopeful".
- ^ "Angela Dimayuga, Young Guns 2015". Eater.com. 2015. Retrieved 2017-07-19.
- ^ "San Jose South Indian Dancer and Teacher Honored for Lifetime Service". KQED Arts. Retrieved 2017-09-07.
- ^ "Mai K. Arbegast." Contra Costa Times. 15 Apr. 2012: n. pag. Legacy.com. Accessed 27 Feb 2015.[1]
- ^ Lapp, Rudolph M. (1977-01-01). Blacks in Gold Rush California. Yale University Press. p. 166. ISBN 978-0-300-06545-9.
- ^ Rivera, Alicia (January 30, 2007). "Peter William Casey". BlackPast.
- ^ "Antwon: In Dark Denim Album Review". Pitchfork. Condé Nast. 2013-03-06. Retrieved 2017-07-20.
- ^ "Getter". Dub On Arrival. 2012-01-03. Retrieved 2017-07-19.
- ^ "SXSW Music Picks: Chain Gang of 1974 buzzes into Texas". The Mercury News. 2014-03-06. Retrieved 2017-08-01.
- ^ Terrazas, Alexis; Morris, Atticus (2016-12-15). "Alternate Reality: Growing acceptance of white nationalism in Trump's America". El Tecolote News. Retrieved 2019-03-21.
- ^ "Iola Williams, first African-American councilwoman in San Jose, dies". San Jose Spotlight. 2019-04-07. Archived from the original on 2020-01-19. Retrieved 2020-01-19.
- ^ Prodis Sulek, Julia (2019-04-07). "Iola Williams, San Jose's first black City Council member, remembered as trailblazer". The Mercury News. Archived from the original on 2019-04-08. Retrieved 2020-01-19.
- ^ a b "Muse Carolyn Cassady beckoned the Beats to S.F." SFGate. Retrieved 2017-07-20.
- ^ Arreola, Cristina. "Who Is Viet Thanh Nguyen? The Pulitzer Prize Winner Is An Author & Professor". Retrieved 2017-12-11.
- ^ History of Santa Clara County, California. Alley, Bowen & Company. 1881. p. 721.
- ^ "Isai Alvarado". LinkedIn. Retrieved September 16, 2015.
This page was last edited on 30 March 2024, at 12:45