From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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.
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
Mixed media
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
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
Peggy Fleming
Shawn Green
Patrick Tillman
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
Dancers
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
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
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
Fleetwood Mac , rock band
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
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
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
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 .
Landmarks Economy Government Education
Colleges and universities Primary and secondary school districts Private primary and secondary schools Other schools
Other