This is a list of notable Danish Americans, including both original immigrants who obtained American citizenship and their American-born descendants.
To be included in this list, the person must have a Wikipedia article showing they are Danish American or must have references showing they are Danish American and are notable.
List
Actors
Jessica Alba, actress, mother is of part Danish descent Amy Adams, actress with small amount of Danish ancestry. Bridgette Andersen, actress"IMDb: Bridgette Andersen." Accessed July 18, 2007. Robert Anderson, actor, make-up artist and director Gwili Andre, actress, immigrant from Denmark Earl W. Bascom, actor, maternal grandfather was from Denmark Rowan Blanchard, American actress Alexis Bledel, actress, paternal grandfather of Danish descent"Alexis Bledel interview." Accessed July 18, 2007. Michael Bowen, actor, son of actress Sonia Sorel (née Henius), who is the daughter of Danish-American biochemist Max Henius Richard Carlson, actor Keith Carradine, actor, Danish maternal great-grandfather Max Henius, Danish maternal great-grandmother the sister of historian Johan Ludvig Heiberg Robert Carradine, actor, brother of actor Keith Carradine Erika Christensen, actress, father is of part Danish descent"Erika Christensen interview." Public Servant Lifestyle, June 10, 2006. Accessed July 18, 2007. Ellen Corby, actress, maiden name was Hansen"Racine, Wisconsin Claims to Fame." Accessed July 18, 2007. Jamie Lee Curtis, actress, maternal grandmother was born to Danish immigrants Kelly Curtis, actress, sister of actress Jamie Lee Curtis Karl Dane, comedian and actor Eliza Dushku, actress, mother is of mostly Danish descent"The Complete Buffy Guide: Faith's Bio/Erika's Bio." Accessed July 18, 2007. Buddy Ebsen, actor, father was of Danish ancestryBoehme, R. "Buddy Ebsen Biography." Buddy Ebsen Tribute Page, August 2006. Accessed July 18, 2007. Ann Forrest, actress, immigrant from Denmark Lilie Hayward, actress and screenwriter, sister of Danish American actress Seena Owen Florence Henderson, actress, daughter of Danish American mother Jean Hersholt, actor, immigrant from Denmark Maren Jensen, actress and model, father was of Danish ancestry Scarlett Johansson, actress, father is an immigrant from DenmarkHiller, Jordan. "Interview with Scarlett Johansson." Accessed July 18, 2007. Ashley Johnson, actress and voice actress Tom Kenny, actor and voice actor Justin Kirk, actor, father of partial Danish descent Janet Leigh, actress, mother (Helen Westergaard), was born to Danish immigrants Deanna Lund, actress Michael Madsen, actor, father was of Danish ancestryIMDb.com: Michael Madsen. Accessed July 18, 2007. Virginia Madsen, actress, father was of Danish ancestry John Melendez, entertainer"John Melendez." ThoughtWorthy. Accessed July 18, 2007. Kristine Miller, actress Viggo Mortensen, actor, father is from DenmarkHøi, Poul. "Viggo From Hollywood." August 27, 2001. Accessed July 18, 2007. Brigitte Nielsen, Danish-born actress Leslie Nielsen, Danish father Connie Nielsen, actress Nica Noelle, pornographic film actress/director (father)SweetHeartVideo . Retrieved November 23, 2011. Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, fashion designers and former actresses (father is of partial Danish and partial Norwegian descent) Merlin Olsen, actor Susan Olsen, actress William Orlamond, actor, immigrant from Denmark Heather O'Rourke (1975–1988), child actress, mother is of Danish descent Seena Owen, actress, parents were immigrants from Denmark William Petersen, actor, paternal grandfather was of Danish ancestry"BuddyTV Profile: William Petersen." Accessed July 18, 2007. Sarah Paulson, actress, her paternal great-grandfather was the son of Danish parents (the origin of her surname). Anders Randolf, actor, immigrant from Denmark AnnaSophia Robb, actress, one or two of her great-grandmothers were Danes Bodil Rosing (1877–1941), Danish-born actress who had roles in both silent and talkie Hollywood films Peter Sarsgaard, actor, paternal great-great-grandparents were born in Denmark Gale Sondergaard, actress Amandla Stenberg, actress, Danish father Sven-Ole Thorsen, actor and stuntman, immigrant from Denmark Uma Thurman, actress, mother is of partial Danish descent Vanessa Trump, actress and former model, mother of Danish origin Betty White, actress, Danish paternal grandfather Elijah Wood, American actor, maternal great-grandmother was of Danish ancestry Moon Zappa, actress, mother is of partial Danish ancestry
Architects Jens Jensen, landscape architect
Artists John Baldessari, conceptual artist, Danish mother Earl W. Bascom, painter and sculptor of the American and Canadian West, "Cowboy of Cowboy Artists", "Dean of Canadian Cowboy Artists" Gutzon Borglum, sculptor of Mount Rushmore"The link from Mount Rushmore to Denmark." Accessed July 18, 2007. Solon Borglum, sculptor of the American West"Solon Hannibal Borglum: Sioux Indian Buffalo Dance." Accessed July 18, 2007. C. C. A. Christensen, painter Floyd Gottfredson, cartoonist, creator of The Phantom Blob and Eega Beeva in the Mickey Mouse universe Christian Gullager, painter Antonio Jacobsen, maritime painter George Jensen, painter Eric Larson, animator Ib Penick, paper engineer Ferdinand Richardt, landscape painter Olaf Wieghorst, painter, "Dean of Western Art"
Athletics Chris "Birdman" Andersen, NBA player, father was a Danish immigrant Morten Andersen, NFL kicker Thomas William Asmussen, Major League Baseball catcher Earl W. Bascom, rodeo pioneer, rodeo champion, rodeo hall of fame inductee, "Father of Modern Rodeo" Julia Boserup, tennis player, Danish parents Jay DeMerit, professional soccer player Niko Hansen, professional soccer player Jim Jensen, football player Kristoffer Lund, soccer player, Danish father Vern Mikkelsen, basketball player"Biography recalls Mikkelsen's days with the Minneapolis Lakers." Minnesota Public Radio, October 12, 2006. Accessed July 18, 2007. Colonel Thomas Hoyer Monstery, fencing and boxing master"Monstery, Thomas Hoyer." Beadle and Adams Dime Novel Digitization Project. Accessed July 18, 2007. Battling Nelson, professional boxing world lightweight champion 1905–1906, 1908–1910 Josef Newgarden, IndyCar driver, Indianapolis 500 winner Greg Olsen, football player Merlin Olsen, football player for Los Angeles Rams, Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee, older brother to Orrin and Phil Orrin Olsen, football player for Kansas City Chiefs Phil Olsen, football player for L.A. Rams, Denver Broncos and the Buffalo Bills Anton Peterlin, soccer player Henrik Rummel, Danish-born olympic rower Reed Sorenson, NASCAR driver Noah Syndergaard, current MLB pitcher for the New York Mets Alan Voskuil, basketball player for the Danish national team Kid Williams, professional boxing world bantamweight champion 1914–1917
Journalism
Jack Anderson, journalist Chris Hansen, television journalist Sophus Frederik Neble, Danish born editor of Den Danske Pioneer"The Danish-Language Press in America" (Marion Marzolf. Norwegian-American Historical Association. Volume 28: Page 274) Jacob Riis, Danish born journalist
Music
Phil Anselmo, musician Peter Blegvad, musician Peter Breinholt, musician Victor Borge, musician and comedian Julian Casablancas, The Strokes vocalist Mose Christensen, symphony conductor Alf Clausen, film and television composer King Diamond, King Diamond lead vocalist Lars Frederiksen, Rancid vocalist and guitarist Dinah Jane, member of Fifth Harmony Taylor Hanson, musician Zac Hanson, musician Otto Harbach, lyricist Gunnar Johansen, pianist and composer Morten Lauridsen, composer Anita Lerche, singer-songwriter and composer Sara Lund, drummer of Unwound Kesang Marstrand, musician, Danish mother Lauritz Melchior, opera singer M. P. Møller, pipe organ builder Rick Nielsen, Cheap Trick guitarist Iggy Pop, singer-songwriter Matthew Santos, rock and folk singer-songwriter, musician and painter, mother Danish-born Tinashe, singer Mads Tolling, violist and composer Mike Tramp, singer-songwriter Lars Ulrich, Metallica drummer Eddie Vedder, Pearl Jam singer-songwriter Zolita, singer-songwriter, mother of Danish descent Kai Ewans, Danish born american musician,maternal grandfather of Vanessa Trump and great grandfather of Kai Trump
Politics and law
Theodore F. Bagge, former Democratic member of the California State Assembly from 1875–1877 Lloyd Bentsen, former Democratic senator from Texas, Treasury Secretary, and vice presidential nominee"Multicultural America: Danish Americans." Accessed July 18, 2007. Charles Binderup, former Democratic Congressman from Nebraska from 1935–1939 Jeffrey Breinholt, Deputy Chief of Counterterrorism at the U.S. Department of Justice Marius Dueholm, Danish born American farmer and politician Hans Peter Mareus Neilsen Gammel, author of The Laws of Texas 1822–1897"H.P.N. Gammel : Texas bookman" (by Dorothy Gammel Bohlender, Frances Tarlton McCallum) Newt Gingrich, former Republican Congressman from Georgia from 1979 to 1999, and Speaker of the House from 1995 to 1999. Leo Hoegh, Decorated U.S. Army officer, lawyer, and politician who served as the 33rd Governor of Iowa from 1955 to 1957 Steny Hoyer, House Minority Whip and former House Majority LeaderHartley, Allegra. "Ten Facts About Rep. Steny Hoyer of Maryland." U.S. News & World Report, November 13, 2006. Accessed July 18, 2007. Jacob Johnson, former Republican Congressman from Utah from 1913–1915 Roger Jepsen, former Republican senator from Iowa Jo Jorgensen, Libertarian vice presidential candidate of 1996, and presidential candidate of 2020. Niels Juul, former Republican Congressman from Illinois from 1917–1921 Chris Madsen, United States Marshals Service Janet Reno, Attorney General"Remarks of the Honorable Janet Reno Attorney General of the United States at Ceremonies Marking the Swearing in of Members of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Council." December 8, 1998. Accessed July 18, 2007. Ted Sorensen, speechwriter and president advisor"Kennedy and the Promise of the Sixties." Accessed July 18, 2007. Henry Suverkrup, former independent member of the California State Assembly from 1875–1877 Charles W. Woodman, former Republican Congressman from Illinois from 1895–1897
Religious personalities Anton Marius Andersen, founding President of Trinity Seminary at Dana CollegeA. M. Andersen, Pioneer Pastor, First President (Dana College Review Kristian Anker, first president of the combined Trinity Seminary and Dana College Gottlieb Bender Christiansen, founding President of the United Evangelical Lutheran ChurchChristian Cyclopedia. The Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod Claus Lauritz Clausen, first President of the Conference of the Norwegian-Danish Evangelical Lutheran Church of AmericaBiography of Rev. Claus L. Clausen. (Pike, Kathy McAlister. edited by K. L. Kittleson. Mitchell County, Iowa 2004) Theodore Marcus Hansen, President of Dana College and Trinity Seminary Kristian Ostergaard, Lutheran pastor, educator and authorKristian Ostergaard's A Merchant's House (by John Mark Nielsen. University of Nebraska - Lincoln) Peter Sørensen Vig, President and Professor of Theology at Trinity Seminary at Dana College Russell M. Nelson, heart surgeon; President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints D. Todd Christofferson, member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Neil L. Andersen, member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Ronald A. Rasband, member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Science Jens Clausen, evolutionary biologist Erik Erikson, psychologist Philo Farnsworth, inventor and television pioneer Niels Ebbesen Hansen, Head of the Horticultural Department at South Dakota State University