List of Russian Americans
This is a list of notable Russian Americans, including both original immigrants who obtained American citizenship and their American descendants.
''To be included in this list, the person must have a Wikipedia article showing they are Russian American or must have references showing they are Russian American and are notable.''
Arts
Performance
- Paul Abrahamian, reality television personality, of Russian and Armenian descent
- Odessa Adlon, actress, has Russian Jewish ancestry through her mother
- Dianna Agron, actress, father of Russian Jewish ancestry
- Monique Alexander, pornographic actress, actress and model
- Woody Allen, actor, writer, director, and musician, his mother was of Russian Jewish ancestry.
- Alan Arkin, actor, director, producer, and screenwriter, grandparents were Russian Jewish, Ukrainian Jewish and German Jewish immigrants
- René Auberjonois, Tony Award-winning character actor, best known for his early 1980s role as Clayton Endicott III on the television show Benson and his role as Odo on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
- Olga Baclanova, Russian-born actress
- Eric Balfour, actor, portraying Milo Pressman in 24, of Russian Jewish descent
- Sasha Barrese, actress of Irish, Dutch, American Indian, and Russian descent
- Anna Baryshnikov, actress, daughter of Mikhail Baryshnikov
- Mikhail Baryshnikov, dancer and actor
- Shura Baryshnikov, dancer, choreographer, actress
- Michael Bay, film director and producer, grandfather was a Russian Jewish immigrant
- Irving Berlin, composer and songwriter, Russian Jewish immigrant
- Emma Berman, actress, of Russian Jewish descent
- Jack Black, actor, comedian, musician, mother of Russian Jewish descent
- Michael Bolton, singer, all of his grandparents were Jewish immigrants from Russia
- Jon Bon Jovi, singer-songwriter, mother of partial Russian descent
- Alexey Brodovitch, the pioneer of graphic design, created a prototype of the modern glossy magazine about fashion
- Agnes Bruckner, actress, mother has Russian background
- Yul Brynner, Russian-born actor and Academy Award winner
- Cheryl Burke, professional dancer known for starring on the television series Dancing with the Stars, father of Russian Jewish descent
- Semyon Bychkov, conductor
- Amanda Bynes, actress, mother of Russian Jewish descent
- Dove Cameron, actress, has partial Russian descent
- Eddie Cantor, actor and dancer, parents were Russian Jewish immigrants
- Timothée Chalamet, actor, mother of Russian Jewish descent
- Michael Chekhov, Russian-born actor and dancer
- Lily Collins, actress, maternal grandfather of Russian Jewish descent
- Jennifer Connelly, actress, mother of Russian Jewish and Polish Jewish descent
- David Copperfield, illusionist and stage magician, paternal grandparents were Russian Jewish immigrants
- Lydia Cornell, actress, father of Russian descent
- Eric Dane, actor, of partial Russian-Jewish descent
- Gavin DeGraw, musician, mother of Russian Jewish descent
- Alexis Denisof, actor, father of mostly Russian ancestry
- Kat Dennings, actress, grandparents were Russian Jewish immigrants
- Leonardo DiCaprio, actor, Academy Award winner, maternal grandmother was Russian
- Jim Downey, comedy writer
- Michael Dudikoff, actor, father was an immigrant from Russia
- Aaron Eckhart, actor, father of Volga German descent
- Ansel Elgort, actor, father of Russian-Jewish descent
- Val Emmich, singer-songwriter and actor of Italian, Russian, and German ancestry
- Evidence, real name Michael Perretta, American hip hop musician, Russian mother
- Peter Falk, actor, born to a Polish Jewish father and a Russian Jewish mother
- Tina Fey, actress and comedian, father of part-Russian descent
- Larry Fine, actor, comedian, musician and member of the Three Stooges, parents were Russian Jewish immigrants
- Carrie Fisher, actress, father of Russian Jewish descent
- Michel Fokine, dancer and choreographer
- Olga Fonda, actress and model
- Harrison Ford, actor, mother of Russian Jewish descent
- Dave Franco, actor, mother of Russian Jewish descent
- James Franco, actor, mother of Russian Jewish descent
- Crispin Freeman, voice actor, father of Russian Jewish descent
- Cassidy Freeman, actress and musician, sister of voice actor Crispin Freeman, father of Russian Jewish descent
- Isabelle Fuhrman, actress
- Drew Fuller, actor of Russian, Scottish and English heritage
- Edward Furlong, actor, the star of such film as Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Pet Sematary Two and American History X, father of Russian origin
- George Gaynes, actor and singer of Dutch, Russian and Finnish descent
- Galen Gering, actor of Russian Jewish and Basque Spanish descent
- George Gershwin, composer and pianist, author of Rhapsody in Blue, Russian Jewish and Ukrainian Jewish ancestry
- Alexander Godunov, dancer and choreographer
- Katerina Graham, actress, singer, record producer, dancer, and model, mother of Russian Jewish ancestry
- Seth Green, actor, part Russian Jewish ancestry
- Jake Gyllenhaal, mother Naomi Foner Gyllenhaal of Russian Jewish descent
- Maggie Gyllenhaal, mother Naomi Foner Gyllenhaal of Russian Jewish descent
- Kyle Gallner actor whose paternal grandparents were both from Russian Jewish immigrant families.
- Armie Hammer, actor, father of part Russian Jewish/Russian descent
- Juliana Harkavy, actress, has Russian ancestors
- Ben Harper, singer-songwriter, Jewish mother of Russian and Lithuanian ancestry
- Barbara Hershey, actress, father of Russian Jewish and Hungarian Jewish descent
- Damian Hurley, actor
- Fedor Jeftichew, freak show attraction nicknamed "Jojo the dog-faced man" and a star of the Barnum Circus
- Kidada Jones, actress, model, and fashion designer, daughter of actress Peggy Lipton and musician Quincy Jones; mother of Russian Jewish descent
- Rashida Jones, actress, model, and musician, daughter of actress Peggy Lipton, mother of Russian Jewish descent
- Milla Jovovich, actress and model, born in Kyiv to a Russian mother and a Serbian father
- Stacy Kamano, actress of German, Russian, Polish and Japanese descent
- Lila Kedrova, Russian-born French-American actress, won Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress
- Olga Kern, Russian-born classical pianist, won the 11th Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, direct family ties to both Rachmaninov and Tchaikovsky
- Justin Kirk, stage and film actor, mother of Russian Jewish descent
- Charles Klapow, choreographer and dance instructor, Emmy Award winner, father of Russian origin
- Christopher Knight, actor
- Walter Koenig, actor and screenwriter, parents were Russian Jewish immigrants
- Theodore Kosloff, dancer and choreographer
- Lenny Kravitz, singer, father of Russian Jewish descent
- Zoë Kravitz, actress, singer and model daughter of Lenny Kravitz, both parents of half Russian Jewish descent
- Mila Kunis, actress, Russian Jewish immigrant
- Feodor Lark, Russian-born television actor
- Jennifer Jason Leigh, actress, father of Russian Jewish descent
- Logan Lerman, actor, of Russian Jewish, Polish Jewish, and Lithuanian Jewish descent
- Margarita Levieva, actress and professional gymnast, Russian Jewish immigrant
- Peggy Lipton, actress, of Russian Jewish ancestry
- Radmila Lolly, singer, songwriter and fashion designer
- Karina Lombard, actress and singer of Lakota Sioux, Russian, Italian and Swiss descent
- Annet Mahendru, actress, mother of Russian descent
- James Maslow, actor and singer of Scots-Irish, English, and Russian Jewish descent
- Marlee Matlin, Academy Award-winning actress of Russian Jewish descent
- Mikey Madison, Academy Award-winning actress of three quarters Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry.
- Walter Matthau, actor and comedian, parents were Russian Jewish immigrants
- Blake Michael, actor of Russian Jewish descent
- Wentworth Miller, actor, mother of partial Russian descent
- Eugene Mirman, actor, Russian Jewish immigrant
- Taylor Momsen, actress, musician and model, fronts the rock band The Pretty Reckless
- Mandy Moore, actress, singer, of Russian Jewish descent
- Vic Morrow, actor, parents were Russian Jewish immigrants
- Sarah Natochenny, voice actress
- Alla Nazimova, theater and film actress, Russian Jewish immigrant
- Alexander Nevsky, actor, producer, writer, bodybuilder, immigrant from Russia
- Nancy Novotny, voice actress, radio personality
- Pat O'Brien, guitarist, half Russian
- Wyatt Oleff, actor of Russian Jewish ancestry. His surname, originally spelled Olefsky, comes from his Russian Jewish heritage.
- Larisa Oleynik, actress, father of Russian descent
- Piotr Pakhomkin, guitarist, half Russian
- Mandy Patinkin, actor and singer, of Russian Jewish descent
- Sean Penn, two-time Academy Award winning actor, paternal grandparents were Russian Jewish and Lithuanian Jewish immigrants
- Lee Philips, parents were Russian Jewish immigrants
- Joaquin Phoenix, actor, mother has Russian Jewish and Hungarian Jewish ancestry
- River Phoenix, actor, mother has Russian Jewish and Hungarian Jewish ancestry
- Bronson Pinchot, actor, best known for Perfect Strangers; father, born Henry Poncharavsky, is of Russian ancestry
- Alexander Polinsky, actor, father is of Russian Jewish descent
- Natalie Portman, Israeli-born actress, of Russian Jewish, Polish Jewish, Romanian Jewish, and Austrian Jewish ancestry
- Mike Portnoy, musician, founding member of American heavy metal band Dream Theater
- Ryan Potter, actor, mother of Russian Jewish descent
- Princess Superstar, musician, father of Russian Jewish descent
- Sergei Rachmaninoff, Russian-born composer who immigrated to the US in 1918 and lived there until his death in 1943; acquired U.S. citizenship in 1943
- Sam Raimi, Jewish American film, producer, actor and writer, whose parents came from Russia and Hungary
- Ted Raimi, actor and brother of Sam Raimi, star of Xena: Warrior Princess
- Raven, drag queen and reality-television star
- Joan Rivers, comedian, parents were Russian Jewish immigrants
- Sasha Roiz, Russian Jewish immigrant
- Natalya Rudakova, actress
- Paul Rudd, American actor of Russian Jewish ancestry
- Olesya Rulin, Russian-born actress and singer
- Melanie Safka-Schekeryk, folk singer, father of Russian and Ukrainian ancestry
- Steven Seagal, actor, father of Russian Jewish descent
- Jack Shaindlin, composer, musical director of the March of Time newsreel series, Crimean Jewish immigrant
- Peter Shukoff, YouTuber, co-founded ERB, of Russian descent
- Jenny Slate, actress, comedian and author, of Russian Jewish origin
- Sasha Alex Sloan, singer-songwriter, father of Russian descent
- Regina Spektor, singer-songwriter and pianist, Russian Jewish immigrant
- Leonard Stone, father was a Russian Jewish immigrant
- Igor Stravinsky, composer and pianist
- Michael Strong, parents were Russian Jewish immigrants
- Tara Strong, Canadian-born actor whose family is of Russian Jewish descent
- Gene Stupnitsky, screenwriter, Ukrainian Jewish immigrant
- Svoy, Russian-born songwriter/producer for Universal Music Group
- Max Terr, Russian-born pianist, arranger, bandleader and film composer
- Tonearm, performance musician
- Michelle Trachtenberg, television and film actress, mother is a Russian Jewish immigrant
- Sofia Vassilieva, actress, parents were Russian immigrants
- Sasha Velour, drag queen and winner of RuPaul's Drag Race Season 9
- Gene Wilder, actor, parents were Russian Jewish and Polish Jewish immigrants
- Lana Wood, actress, parents were Russian immigrants
- Natalie Wood, Academy Award-nominated actress, won a Golden Globe, parents were Russian immigrants
- Anton Yelchin, actor, Russian Jewish immigrant
- Elena Zoubareva, Russian-born opera singer
Visual arts
- Miya Ando, artist
- Alan Arkin, actor, director, producer, and screenwriter, grandparents were Russian Jewish, Ukrainian Jewish and German Jewish immigrants
- Andrey Avinoff, artist and painter
- Irwin Chanin, architect and builder, parents were Ukrainian Jewish and Polish Jewish immigrants.
- Dimitri Devyatkin, filmmaker and video artist
- Misha Frid, Russian-born sculptor, artist, graphic designer and filmmaker, parents were Belarusian Jewish and Lithuanian Jewish immigrants
- Alexander Golitzen, TV and theater art director
- Ilya Kabakov, sculptor, painter, installation artist
- Alexander Kaletski, artist and playwright
- Fyodor Kamensky, sculptor
- Louis Lozowick, painter and printmaker, Ukrainian Jewish immigrant
- Ernst Neizvestny, sculptor, painter, graphic artist, and art philosopher, Russian Jewish immigrant
- Elizabeth Shoumatoff, Russian-born portrait painter
- Genndy Tartakovsky, animator, parents were Russian Jewish immigrants
- Israel Tsvaygenbaum, painter, Russian Jewish immigrant
Literature
- Isaac Asimov, science fiction writer, Russian Jewish immigrant
- Saul Bellow, Canadian writer of Russian Jewish descent
- Reginald Bretnor, science fiction and fantasy writer, father was a Russian Jewish immigrant
- Joseph Brodsky, Nobel Prize in Literature 1987, Russian Jewish immigrant
- Michael Dorfman, writer, Ukrainian Jewish immigrant
- Sergei Dovlatov, Russian-born short story writer and novelist of Jewish and Armenian descent.
- Alexander Genis, writer and journalist, Russian Jewish immigrant
- Daniel Genis, writer and journalist, parents are Russian Jewish and ethnic Russian immigrants
- Jacob Gordin, playwright, Russian Jewish immigrant
- Michelle Izmaylov, science fiction and fantasy writer
- Vladimir Nabokov, Russian-born writer
- Chuck Palahniuk, novelist and freelance journalist of French and Ukrainian descent, most known for the award-winning novel Fight Club
- Ayn Rand, born as Alisa Zinovyevna Rosenbaum, writer, philosopher, novelist, Russian Jewish immigrant
- Michael Rostovtzeff, Russian-born writer
- Alex Shoumatoff, magazine journalist and author
- Maxim D. Shrayer, bilingual author, literary scholar and translator, Russian Jewish immigrant
- David Shrayer-Petrov, author, medical scientist, and former refusenik, Russian Jewish immigrant
- Gary Shteyngart, writer, Russian Jewish immigrant
Science
- Alexei A. Abrikosov, theoretical physicist
- Boris Altshuler, contributed to the theory of universal conduction fluctuations
- Andrey Avinoff, museology, lepidoptery, entomology
- Alexander Beilinson, mathematician known for contributions to representation theory, algebraic geometry and mathematical physics
- Viktor Belenko, aerospace engineer, former Soviet Air Force pilot
- Alexander Bolonkin, cybernetician
- Lera Boroditsky, cognitive scientist
- Theodosius Dobzhansky, biologist
- Alexei L. Efros, physicist, received the Oliver E. Buckley Condensed Matter Prize
- Alexander Esenin-Volpin, mathematician
- Alex Eskin, mathematician
- Sergey Fomin, mathematician
- Edward Frenkel, mathematician
- Lex Fridman, computer scientist
- Victor Galitski, physicist, theorist in the areas of condensed matter physics and quantum physics
- George Gamow, astrophysicist, developer of Lemaître's Big Bang theory, theoretical explanation of alpha decay via quantum tunneling
- Dmitri Z. Garbuzov, physicist, was one of the pioneers and inventors of room temperature continuous-wave-operating diode lasers and high-power diode lasers
- Moses Gomberg, founder of radical chemistry
- Lev Gor'kov, pioneering work in the field of superconductivity
- Vladimir Nikolayevich Ipatieff, chemist, important contributions are in the field of petroleum chemistry and catalysts
- Anton Kapustin, theoretical physicist
- Morris S. Kharasch, chemistry
- Mikhail Khovanov, mathematician
- Sergei Khrushchev, professor and son of former Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev
- Olga Kocharovskaya, known for her contributions to quantum optics and gamma ray modulation
- Simon Kuznets, economist, statistician, demographer, and economic historian, the winner of 1971 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences
- Anatoly Larkin, physicist, discovered collective pinning of magnetic flux in superconductors, predicted paraconductivity, made essential contributions to the theory of weak localization, as well as developed the concept of the Ehrenfest time and its effect on phenomena of quantum chaos
- Andrei Linde, developed a theory of cosmological phase transitions, one of the main authors of the inflationary universe theory, as well as the theory of eternal inflation and inflationary multiverse
- Alexander Nikolayevich Lodygin, electrical engineer and inventor, one of inventors of the incandescent light bulb
- Mikhail Lukin, theoretical and experimental physicist
- Grigory Margulis, mathematician known for his introduction of methods from ergodic theory into diophantine approximation
- Abraham Maslow, psychologist
- Alexander A. Maximow, in the fields of medicine, histology, embryology and hematology
- Alexander Migdal, physicist, known for quantum chromodynamics and conformal field theory
- Guenakh Mitselmakher, physicist who contributed to the discovery of GW150914 using his developed conductor
- Andrei Okounkov, winner of the Fields Medal
- Ivan Ostromislensky, chemistry, pharmacy
- Alexey Pajitnov, software engineer and video game designer, inventor of Tetris
- Vladimir Pentkovski, researcher who led the team that developed the architecture for the Pentium III processor
- Boris Podolsky, physicist known for EPR paradox
- Alexander M. Polyakov, known for contributions to quantum field theory and vacuum angle in QCD
- Gennady Potapenko, radio astronomer
- Nikolay Prokof'ev, physicist, known for his works on theory of supersolids includes the theory of superfluidity of crystalline defects
- Tatiana Proskouriakoff, Russian-American Mayanist
- Ivan Raimi, Doctor of Medicine, osteopathic
- Anatol Rapoport, American mathematical psychologist
- Vladimir Rojansky, physicist
- Alexander L. Rosenberg, mathematician
- James Alexander Shohat, mathematician
- David Shrayer-Petrov, medical scientist, microbiologist, immunologist, biophage specialist
- Alexander Shulgin, pharmacologist, chemist and drug developer
- Yakov Sinai, mathematician known for his work on dynamical systems; recipient of Nemmers Prize, Wolf Prize in Mathematics and Abel Prize
- Mark Stockman, physicist
- Otto Struve, astronomer
- Boris Svistunov, physicist, co-inventor of the widely used Worm Monte-Carlo algorithm
- Jacob Tamarkin, mathematician and vice-president of American Mathematical Society in 1942-43
- Leon Theremin, physicist, inventor of the Theremin
- Peter Turchin, biologist and the father of cliodynamics
- Petr Ufimtsev, Russian-American mathematician and physicist
- J. V. Uspensky, mathematician
- Arkady Vainshtein, theoretical physicist
- Vladimir Vapnik, developed the theory of the support vector machine also known as the "fundamental theory of learning" an important part of computational learning theory
- Leonid Vaseršteĭn, mathematician known for providing a proof of Quillen–Suslin theorem
- Lev Vekker, psychologist
- Vladimir Voevodsky, the winner of the Fields Medal
- Alexander Vyssotsky, astronomer
- Paul Wiegmann, physicist, pioneering contributions to the field of quantum integrable systems, including the exact solution of Kondo model
- Vladimir Yurkevich, naval architect
- Boris Zeldovich, physicist
- Efim Zelmanov, winner of the Fields Medal, professor at the University of California, San Diego
- George Zweig, proposed the existence of quarks at CERN, independently of Murray Gell-Mann
- Vladimir Kosma Zworykin, one of the inventors of television
Sports
- Benjamin Agosto, ice dancer
- Doc Alexander, NFL football player and coach
- Lyle Alzado, NFL All Pro defensive tackle
- Amanda Anisimova, tennis player
- Al Axelrod, Olympic fencer, bronze medalist
- Deborah Babashoff, competition swimmer
- Jack Babashoff, Olympic swimmer, silver medalist
- Shirley Babashoff, Olympic swimmer, gold/silver medalist
- Bo Belinsky, baseball player
- Mohini Bhardwaj, gymnast
- Fred Biletnikoff, football wide receiver and coach
- Sue Bird, professional women's basketball player
- Alex Bogomolov, Jr., professional tennis player
- Nathan Bor, boxer
- Alex Bregman, baseball player
- Daniel Bukantz, four-time Olympic fencer
- Maxim Dlugy, grandmaster of chess
- Brandon Dubinsky, hockey player
- Rod Dyachenko, footballer
- Curtis Enis, football player
- Benny Friedman, NFL Hall of Fame football player
- Alex Galchenyuk, hockey player
- Nastasya Generalova, rhythmic gymnast, Russian mother
- Bill Goldberg, professional NFL football player and undefeated wrestler
- Charles Goldenberg, All-Pro NFL player
- Alexander Goldin, chess grandmaster
- Jon Robert Holden, basketball player for Russian national team
- Rusev, WWE professional wrestler, parents are Russian descent from Bulgaria
- Nat Holman, Hall of Fame basketball player
- Red Holzman, NBA Hall of Fame basketball player and coach
- Irving Jaffee, Olympic speed skater; two gold medals
- Sofia Kenin, tennis player
- Andrei Kirilenko, basketball player
- Anna Kotchneva, gymnast
- Anna Kournikova, tennis player and model
- Vladimir Kozlov, professional wrestler
- Travis Kvapil, race car driver
- Varvara Lepchenko, professional tennis player
- Nastia Liukin, gymnast
- Valeri Liukin, artistic gymnast
- Ilia Malinin, figure skater, first skater to land a quad axel
- Cade McNown, football player
- Frank Mir, mixed martial artist
- Evgeni Nabokov, San Jose Sharks' former Goalie
- Boris Nachamkin, NBA basketball player
- Patrick O'Neal, studio host and reporter
- Denis Petukhov, figure skater
- Sergei Raad, soccer player
- Jack Sack, American football player and coach
- Dmitry Salita, boxer
- Ossie Schectman, basketball player who scored the first basket in National Basketball Association history
- Andy Seminick, professional baseball player
- Maria Sharapova, tennis player
- Allie Sherman, National Football League player and head coach
- Mose Solomon, the "Rabbi of Swat," Major League Baseball player
- Kerri Strug, gymnast
- Peter Tchernyshev, ice-dancer
- Phil Weintraub, Major League Baseball first baseman and outfielder
- Ted Williams, Major League Baseball left fielder
Military
- Boris Pash, Colonel of the US Army
- Gary Tabach, retired United States Navy captain, the first Soviet-born citizen to be commissioned an officer in the Armed Forces of the United States
- John Basil Turchin, Union army general in the American Civil War
Business
- Dmitri Alperovitch
- Marc Benioff, founder of Salesforce
- Sergey Brin, co-founder of Google, Russian-Jewish immigrant
- Boris Chaikovsky, founder of Tele-King International
- Valentin Gapontsev, fiber laser technology pioneer, founder of IPG Photonics
- Alexander Poniatoff, founder of Ampex Corporation
- Abram Nicholas Pritzker, real estate investor and member of the Pritzker family
- Alexander P. de Seversky, founder of the Seversky Aircraft Corporation, founder and trustee of the New York Institute of Technology
- Igor Sikorsky, aviation pioneer in both helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft, founder of the Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation, a leading US helicopter manufacturer
- Serge Sorokko, art dealer, publisher and patron
- Michael Stroukoff, President of the Chase Aircraft Company, founder of the Stroukoff Aircraft Corporation
- André Tchelistcheff, America's most influential post-Prohibition winemaker
- Ratmir Timashev, founder and CEO of Veeam Software
Politics
- Bella Abzug, former Representative from New York
- Alec Brook-Krasny, first Soviet-born Russian speaker to become a member of the New York State Assembly
- Ben Cardin, politician of Russian Jewish descent
- William Cohen, father of Russian Jewish descent
- John M. Deutch, former Director of Central Intelligence, U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense, and Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Technology
- Russ Feingold, partial Russian Jewish descent
- Al Franken, maternal grandmother of Russian Jewish descent
- Gary Johnson, mother of partial Russian descent
- Jon Ossoff, father of partial Russian Jewish descent
- Bernie Sanders, mother of partial Russian descent
- Scott Stringer, New York City Comptroller and Borough President of Manhattan, of part Russian Jewish descent
- David Storobin, former New York State Senator
- Jim Talent, former U.S. Senator, paternal grandparents were Jewish immigrants from Russia
Economics
- Simon Kuznets, contribution to the transformation of economics into an empirical science and to the formation of quantitative economic history
- Wassily Leontief, economist, Nobel Prize 1973
- Hyman Minsky, economist, renowned for his research on financial crisis; born to a Belarussian Jewish Menshevik immigrant family
Modeling
- Angelika Kallio, model born in Riga
- Tatiana Kovylina, model born in Kazan
- Josie Maran, model of Russian descent
- Michele Merkin, model and television host, also of Swedish and Russian Jewish descent
- Anya Monzikova, model and actress born in Vologda
- Irina Pantaeva, model and actress born in Ulan-Ude
- Irina Shayk, model and actress of Russian and Tatar descent, born in Yemanzhelinsk
- Kristina Pimenova, child model and actress
- Sasha Pivovarova, model born in Moscow
- Natasha Poly, model born in Perm
- Vlada Roslyakova, model born in Omsk
- Tatiana Sorokko, model and fashion writer born in Arzamas-16
- Daria Strokous, model born in Moscow
- Eugenia Volodina, model born in Kazan
- Anne Vyalitsyna, model and actress
Other
- Svetlana Alliluyeva, daughter of Joseph Stalin
- Ksenia Karelina, ballet dancer; Russian immigrant
- David I. Arkin, teacher, painter, writer, lyricist, parents were Russian immigrants
- Benny Benson, designer of flag of Alaska
- Antuan Bronshtein, convicted murderer; Russian immigrant
- Jacob W. Davis, tailor, invention of Jeans
- Peter Demens, one of the founders of the U.S. city of Saint Petersburg, Florida
- Max Factor Sr., founder of the cosmetics giant Max Factor & Company, born in Russian Poland; Russian nobility appointed Factor the official cosmetics expert for the royal family and the Imperial Russian Grand Opera
- Betty Freeman, art philanthropist, father was a Russian immigrant
- Masha Gessen, journalist, author, translator and activist; Russian Jewish immigrant
- Alsu Kurmasheva, journalist; Russian Tatar immigrant
- Bianna Golodryga, journalist; Russian Jewish immigrant
- John A. Gotti, leader of the Gambino crime family of the Cosa Nostra; mother of Russian descent
- Oleg Kalugin, former head of KGB operations in the United States
- Taras Kulakov, YouTube personality known for life hack and gadget reviewing videos, of Ukrainian descent
- Loren Leman, former lieutenant governor of Alaska, one of his ancestors was a Russian settler who married an indigenous Alutiiq woman in Kodiak while Russia claimed and colonized Alaska centuries ago
- Doctor Mike, real name Mikhail Varshavski, Russian-born internet personality and family medicine physician, moved to the U.S. with his family at age six
- Janosh Jovan Neumann, former "K" department SEB FSB agent who was associated with "shadow finance" and defected to USA in 2008; birth name is Alexy Yurievich Artamonov
- Boris Perchatkin, the most famous participant in Nakhodka's religious emigration movement of the late 1970s and early 1980s, a human rights activist who lobbied in the United States for the adoption of the "Lautenberg's Amendment" in 1989, as a result of which about 1 million people emigrated to the United States from the countries of the former USSR
- Neil Sedaka, singer-songwriter
- Pitirim Sorokin, founded Harvard Sociology Department in 1930
- Vitaly Zdorovetskiy, Russian Jewish YouTube personality known for his adult rated pranks, was born in Murmansk
- Virsaviya Borum-Goncharova Russian born-American artist born with Pentalogy of Cantrell
- Lana Lokteff, YouTuber