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 Akhil Akkineni, Indian-American actor who predominantly works in the Telugu film Industry of India Elisa Marina Alvarado, Chicana director, actress, educator, recipient of Cornerstone of the Arts award, born in San Jose Frank Bacon, actor, playwright and father of Lloyd Bacon, raised in San Jose and lived there for 17 years Lloyd Bacon, Hollywood director, son of actor Frank Bacon, born in San JoseLloyd Bacon Dies; Film Director, 65. The New York Times, November 16, 1955, P. 35 Adrienne Barbeau, actress, attended Del Mar High School class of 1963 Calum Best, British television personality, son of footballer George Best, born in San Jose Brett Dalton, actor, 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 Ricco Fajardo, voice actor in Danganronpa 3: The End of Hope's Peak High School and various anime, TV actor, born in San Jose Phillip Garcia, 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 Fran Jeffries, singer and actress, born in Palo Alto Anjelah Johnson, comedian, born 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 Ernie Reyes Jr., actor and martial artist, born in San Jose Diane Rodriguez, theatre director, actor, writer, born in San Jose Gabriela Sepúlveda, singer and actress, Jenni Rivera: Mariposa De Barrio, born in San Jose 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 Kathy Uyen, actress and producer for Vietnamese cinema, born in San Jose Luis Valdez, playwright and director Kung Fu Vampire, musician, also on the Discovery Channel's Oddities, born in San Jose Kate Walsh, actress, born in San Jose
Artists
Comics and zines Brent Anderson, comic artist with DC Comics, born in San Jose Jan Eliot, comic artist of Stone Soup, born in San Jose Julia Kaye, comic artist of Up and Out, illustrator, raised in San Jose Francis Ralph Rambo, illustrator, cartoonist, and historian Jhonen Vasquez, creator of alternative comics for Slave Labor Graphics and Invader ZIM, born in San Jose
Mixed media Susan O'Malley, public art, museum curation, and author, raised in San Jose
Painters Lucy Bacon, impressionist painter, lived in San Jose 1898–1909, taught at the Washburn Preparatory School James Caprell, fine artist, born in San Jose Ernest de Saisset, portrait artist Chris Johanson, fine artist, part of the Mission School art movement, born in San Jose Suzanne Scheuer, painter known for her New Deal-era murals, born in San Jose Herman Volz, fine artist, worked with the Federal Art Project, lived in San Jose 1960–1990, died in San Jose
Photographers Bill Owens, photographer and photojournalist documenting suburbia, born in San Jose
Sculptors Ruthadell Anderson, sculptor, fiber artist, textile artist; born in San Jose and attended San Jose State University 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 Damián Alguera, soccer player Mike Avery, soccer player, coach, and athletic director Chidobe Awuzie, NFL player, born in San Jose Scott Baker, Major League Baseball player, born in San Jose Isaias Bardales Jr., soccer player Amir Bashti, soccer player Bayley, WWE wrestler Steven Beitashour, soccer player Isaác Brizuela, soccer player Steve Caballero, professional skateboarder, born in San Jose Angelo Caloiaro (born 1989), American-Italian basketball player in the Israeli Basketball Premier League Ken Caminiti, pro baseball player (San Jose State), 1996 NL MVP Rich Campbell, NFL player, played high school football in San Jose Mark Canha, baseball player, born in San Jose John Carlos, Olympic silver medalist, 200m (1968 Mexico City); track and field athlete; pro football player Andre Carter, pro football player 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 Sam Delaplane (born 1995), professional baseball pitcher Adisa De Rosario, soccer 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 CJ Fodrey, soccer player 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 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 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 Cung Le, Vietnamese mixed martial arts fighter, three-time Sanshou bronze medalist Joe Leonard, automobile and motorcycle champion Beau Leroux, soccer player 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 Debi Thomas, Olympic figure skater, grew up in San Jose 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 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 Peter Ueberroth, sports and business executive, San Jose State University alumnus 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
Dancers Mythili Kumar, South Indian traditional dancer of Bharatanatyam, resides in San Jose, founder of Abhinaya Dance School of San Jose 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"Mai K. Arbegast." Contra Costa Times. 15 Apr. 2012: n. pag. Legacy.com. Accessed 27 Feb 2015. Kate Bartholomew (1868–1951), created the "Jazz Cap" 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 Henry Suzzallo, educator; president of the University of Washington
Musicians and bands Anohni, frontwoman of Antony and the Johnsons Antwon, rapper, lives in San Jose Ashe, 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 The Doobie Brothers, rock band Tom Johnston, lived in San Jose with the Doobie Brothers Duster, indie rock band Kawaii Rapper, Bandlab rapper born in San Jose 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 Heavy Heavy Low Low, metal band formed in San Jose