This is a list of notable Polish Americans, including both original immigrants who obtained citizenship and their American descendants.
Academics Norman Finkelstein, political scientist specialising in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict; of Polish Jewish ancestry Leon M. Goldstein (died 1999), President of Kingsborough Community College, and acting Chancellor of the City University of New York Joseph S. Murphy (1933–1998), President of Queens College, President of Bennington College, and Chancellor of the City University of New York Joseph Opala (born 1950), scholar of African American history
Arts and entertainment Actors and personalities – TV, radio and film
Nick Adams (1931–1968), film actor; mother was of Polish descent Grant Aleksander (born 1960), film and daytime actor, Guiding Light Pico Alexander (born 1991), actor; parents are Polish immigrants Stanley Andrews (1891–1969), TV/radio actor Anna Anka (born 1971), actress, model, and author David Arquette (born 1971), actor, director, producer; mother (née Nowak) was of Polish Jewish and Russian Jewish descent Patricia Arquette (born 1968), actress, director, producer; mother (née Nowak) was of Polish Jewish and Russian Jewish descent Rosanna Arquette (born 1959), actress, director, producer; mother (née Nowak) was of Polish Jewish and Russian Jewish descent Jacob Artist (born 1992), actor, singer, and dancer; mother is of Polish descent Joe Augustyn (born 1952), screenwriter, movie producer Jake T. Austin (born 1994), actor; father is of part Polish descent Pat Benatar (born 1953), singer and composer Carroll Baker (born 1931), film actress and author; father of Polish ancestrymentioned she was Polish in her autobiography, Baby Doll: An Autobiography, Christine Baranski (born 1952), actress Kristen Bell (born 1980), film/television actress (Veronica Mars), mother is of Polish descentMentioned she was Polish on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, 3/14/05 Maria Bello (born 1967), actress (A History of Violence, Thank You for Smoking, The Cooler); mother is of Polish descent Brian Benben (born 1956), television actor; father was of Polish descent Jack Benny (1894–1974), comedian, vaudevillian, and actor for radio, television, and film; of Polish Jewish descent Carlos Bernard (né Carlos Bernard Papierski; born 1962), actor (24)Chicago Daily Southtown article by Dan Pearson (2/16/2006) mentions Carols is part Polish (father from Poland) and part Spanish (mother from Spain) Craig Bierko (born 1964), actor and singer; father has Polish ancestry Rebecca Black (born 1997), singer, father of partial Polish descent Marc Blucas (born 1972), actor; paternal grandfather of Polish descent Alex Borstein (born 1971), actress, voice actress, writer, and comedian; of Polish Jewish descent Lisa Boyle (born 1968), actress and model; of part Polish descent Andrew Bryniarski (born 1969), actor and bodybuilder; father of Polish descent Carolina Bartczak (born 1985), actress; born in Germany, both parents are Polish Adrien Brody (born 1973), actor; father has Polish ancestry Kylie Bunbury (born 1989), actress, mother (née Novak) was of Polish descent Amanda Bynes (born 1986), actress and comedian; paternal grandmother was of Polish descent Liz Cackowski (born 1975), comedy writer and actress; of part Polish descent Nicolas Cage (born 1964), actor; maternal grandmother was of Polish descent (surname Siputa) Bobby Campo (born 1983), actor; paternal grandmother of Polish descent Steve Carell (born 1962), actor; mother of Polish descent Jessica Cauffiel (born 1976), actress and singer; paternal grandmother of Polish ancestry Jennifer Connelly (born 1970), Academy Award-winning actress; her mother was of Russian Jewish and Polish Jewish descent Robert Conrad (1935–2020; né Conrad Robert Falk), film and television actor; Polish on father (Leonard Falkowski)'s side D.J. Cotrona (born 1980), actor; mother of half Polish descent Elżbieta Czyżewska (1938–2010), Polish-born award-winning theater, film and TV actress Larry David (born 1947), comedian, writer, actor, director, and television producer; mother was of Polish descent. Jenna Dewan-Tatum (born 1980), actress, model, and dancer; paternal grandmother of Polish descent Janice Dickinson (born 1955), model/reality television star; mother was of Polish descent James Charles Dickinson (born 1999), YouTuber, model, make-up artist, Internet personality; father is of Polish descent Dagmara Dominczyk (born 1976), Polish-born American actress; sister of Marika Dominczyk Marika Dominczyk (born 1980), Polish-born American actress; sister of Dagmara Dominczyk David Duchovny (born 1960), actor; paternal grandmother of Polish Jewish ancestry John Duda (born 1977), actor; father of Polish descent Anne Dudek (born 1975), television actress (Mad Men, House M.D.) Alexis Dziena (born 1984), film and television actress (When in Rome), of part Polish descent George Dzundza (born 1945), actor, of part Polish descent Zac Efron (born 1987), actor, paternal grandfather was the son of Polish Jewish parents Jesse Eisenberg (born 1983), actor, of Polish Jewish and Ukrainian Jewish descent Linda Emond (born 1959), actress; paternal grandmother was of Polish descent Briana Evigan (born 1986), actress; of part Polish descent Peter Falk (1927–2011), actor; of Polish Jewish descent Jason David Frank (1973–2022), actor and mixed martial artist; mother of half-Polish descent Johnny Galecki (born 1975), actor; father of Polish descent Arlene Golonka (1936–2021), actress Hedwig Gorski (born 1949), poet and author; father of Polish descent Katerina Graham (born 1989), actress (Vampire Diaries), mother of Polish and Russian Jewish descent Gilda Gray (1901–1959), actress and dancer Ari Graynor (born 1983), actress; father of Polish descent Alice Greczyn (born 1986), actress Kim Greist (born 1958), actress; Polish maternal grandmother Zach Grenier (born 1954), actor; mother of Polish descent Sasha Grey (born 1988), actress; maternal great-grandfather of Polish descent Khrystyne Haje (born 1968), actress Chelsea Handler (born 1975), actress and comedian; maternal great-grandmother of Polish origin Elisabeth Hasselbeck (born 1977), co-host of The View and contestant on Survivor[stated she was Polish on The View: "Hey, be careful what you say about Poland. I'm Polish."] Izabella Scorupco (born 1970), actress Marilu Henner (born 1952), television actress (Taxi) and health book author; father was of Polish descent John Hodiak (1914–1955), film actor Bonnie Hunt (born 1961), Golden Globe and Emmy Award-nominated actress, comedian, writer, director, television producer, and daytime television host, maternal grandparents were Polish Ryan Hurst (born 1976), actor; mother of Polish descent Scarlett Johansson (born 1984), actress (Lost in Translation); mother is of Polish descent Jake Johnson (born 1978), actor; maternal grandmother, Lucille/Lucy Kopacz, was of Polish descent Angelina Jolie (born 1975), Academy Award-winning film actress; mother was approximately 1 quarter Polish Jenny Jones (born 1946), talk show host who hosted The Jenny Jones Show from 1991 to 2002 Jane Kaczmarek (born 1955), Emmy-nominated actress Malcolm in the Middle and Raising the Bar Nina Kaczorowski (born 1975), actress, stunt woman, model and dancer Brittney Karbowski (born 1986), voice actress John Karlen (1933–2020), Emmy Award-winning stage, film, and television actor (Dark Shadows, Cagney & Lacey) Vincent Kartheiser (born 1979), actor; maternal great-grandmother was Polish, from Błonie Harvey Keitel (born 1939), Academy Award-nominated actor, of Polish Jewish and Romanian Jewish descent Ted Knight (1923–1986), Emmy Award-winning film and television actor (The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Too Close for Comfort) Victoria Konefal (born 1996), TV actor (Days of Our Lives) Kristof Konrad (born 1962), TV and film actor (Red Sparrow, House of Cards) Camille Kostek (born 1992), actress and model Mitchell Kowal (1915–1971), film actor Linda Kozlowski (born 1958), film actress (Crocodile Dundee)(TV Guide, 1987) Jane Krakowski (born 1968), film, stage and television actress (Ally McBeal, 30 Rock); winner of the 2003 Tony Award; of three quarters Polish descent John Krasinski (born 1979), TV and film actor (The Office); of half Polish and half Irish descent Cheslie Kryst (1991–2022), Miss USA 2019, father is of Polish descent Lisa Kudrow (born 1963), actress, of Polish Jewish and Belarusian Jewish descent Shia LaBeouf (born 1986), actor, voice actor, and comedian, mother is of Polish Jewish and Russian Jewish descent Lisa Lampanelli (born 1961), comedian and actress; maternal grandfather, Stanley Velgot, of Polish descent Carole Landis (1919–1948), film actress; mother was of Polish descent and father of Norwegian descentGilpatrick, Kristin, Famous Wisconsin Film Stars, 2002, p.55 () Joe Lando (born 1961), TV and film actor (Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman) Matt Lanter (born 1983), actor and model; of part Polish descent Téa Leoni (born 1966), film and TV actress; paternal grandmother was of Polish descent Logan Lerman (born 1992), actor; his maternal grandfather was a Polish Jewish immigrant, and the rest of Logan's ancestry is Russian Jewish, Lithuanian Jewish, and other Polish Jewish Justin Long (born 1978), film and television actor; his mother, former Broadway actress Wendy Lesniak, is of half Polish descent Josh Lucas (born 1971), actor Chloé Lukasiak (born 2001), actress and dancer; of partial Polish descent Eric Mabius (born 1971), TV and film actor (Ugly Betty, The Crow), mother is of Polish descent Richard "Mach" Machowicz, host of Discovery Channel's Future Weapons, former Navy SEAL Rose Marie (1923–2017), TV and film actress (The Dick Van Dyke Show); mother of Polish heritage and father of Italian descent Ross Martin (1920–1981), Polish Jewish immigrant, TV and film actor (The Wild Wild West) Ignacyo Matynia (born 1992), actor; born in Poland and moved to the United States as a child Joseph Mazzello (born 1983), actor; maternal grandfather of Polish descent Jenny McCarthy (born 1972), actress and comedian; mother of part Polish descent Piotr Michael (born 1988), actor, comedian and voice actor; parents of Polish ancestry Izabella Miko (born 1981), Polish-American actress and dancer Patrycja Mikula (born 1983), also known as Patricia Mikula, model and Playboy Cybergirl Wentworth Miller (born 1972), actor, model, screenwriter, and producer; maternal great-grandmother, Florence Busczniewicz, of Polish descent Christopher Mintz-Plasse (born 1989), actor; paternal grandmother, Joan Stolarczyk, was of Polish descent Helena Modjeska (1840–1909), Polish-born actress who specialized in Shakespearean rolesProfile of Helena Modjeska Cameron Monaghan (born 1993), actor and model; mother of part Polish descent Kyle Mooney (born 1984), actor and comedian; maternal great-grandfather of Polish descent Zero Mostel (1915–1977), actor of stage and screen, of Polish Jewish descent Pola Negri (1897–1987), Polish film actress who achieved notoriety as a femme fatale in silent films between the 1910s and 1930s Paul Newman (1925–2008), actor; of Polish Jewish/Hungarian Jewish (paternal) and Slovak Catholic (maternal) descent. Mario Nugara, ballet artist, director, instructor, born Pittsburgh, PA, of Italian and Polish descent, mother is Polish Charlie O'Connell (born 1975), reality and TV actor (The Bachelor) Jerry O'Connell (born 1974), TV and film actor; maternal grandfather was of Polish descent Jodi Lyn O'Keefe (born 1978), actress and model; of part Polish descent Jerry Orbach (1935–2004), Tony Award-winning stage, film, musical theatre and television actor and singer; mother was of Polish-Lithuanian Roman Catholic background; father was a German Jewish immigrant Frank Oz (born 1944), British-born American film director, actor and puppeteer, father was a Polish Jew