List of Danish Americans

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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
Scarlett Johansson
Viggo Mortensen
  • Jessica Alba, actress, mother is of part Danish descent
  • Bridgette Andersen, actress[1]
  • Robert Anderson, actor, make-up artist and director
  • Gwili Andre, actress, immigrant from Denmark
  • Rowan Blanchard, American actress[2]
  • Alexis Bledel, actress, paternal grandfather of Danish descent[3]
  • Michael Bowen, actor, son of actress Sonia Sorel (née Henius), who is the daughter of Danish-American biochemist Max Henius
  • 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[4]
  • Hayden Christensen, actor, father is part Danish
  • Tove Christensen, producer and actor, father is part Danish
  • Ellen Corby, actress, maiden name was Hansen[5]
  • 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[6]
  • Buddy Ebsen, actor, father was of Danish ancestry[7]
  • Ann Forrest, actress, immigrant from Denmark
  • Lilie Hayward, actress and screenwriter, sister of Danish American actress Seena Owen
  • Jean Hersholt, actor, immigrant from Denmark
  • Maren Jensen, actress and model, father was of Danish ancestry
  • Scarlett Johansson, actress, father is an immigrant from Denmark[8]
  • Ashley Johnson, actress and voice actress
  • Janet Leigh, actress, mother (Helen Westergaard), was born to Danish immigrants
  • Deanna Lund, actress
  • Michael Madsen, actor, father was of Danish ancestry[9]
  • Virginia Madsen, actress, father was of Danish ancestry[10]
  • John Melendez, entertainer[11]
  • Kristine Miller, actress
  • Viggo Mortensen, actor, father is from Denmark[12]
  • Brigitte Nielsen, Danish-born actress
  • Leslie Nielsen, Danish father
  • Connie Nielsen, actress
  • Nica Noelle, pornographic film actress/director (father)[13]
  • Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, fashion designers and former actresses (father is of partial Danish and partial Norwegian descent)
  • 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[14]
  • 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[15]
  • 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[16]
  • Moon Zappa, actress, mother is of partial Danish ancestry

Architects[]

  • Jens Jensen, landscape architect

Artists[]

  • 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[17]
  • Solon Borglum, sculptor of the American West[18]
  • 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[19]"

Athletics[]

Journalism[]

Jacob Riis
  • Jack Anderson, journalist
  • Chris Hansen, television journalist
  • Sophus Frederik Neble, Danish born editor of Den Danske Pioneer[22]
  • Jacob Riis, Danish born journalist

Music[]

Dinah Jane
  • Peter Blegvad, musician
  • Victor Borge, musician and comedian
  • Julian Casablancas, The Strokes vocalist
  • Mose Christensen, symphony conductor[23]
  • Alf Clausen, film and television composer
  • King Diamond, King Diamond lead vocalist
  • Lars Frederiksen, Rancid vocalist and guitarist[24]
  • Dinah Jane, member of Fifth Harmony
  • Taylor Hanson, musician
  • Zac Hanson, musician
  • Otto Harbach, lyricist
  • Morten Lauridsen, composer
  • Lauritz Melchior, opera singer
  • M. P. Møller, pipe organ builder
  • Rick Nielsen, Cheap Trick guitarist
  • Oh Land (Nanna Øland), singer-songwriter
  • Iggy Pop, singer-songwriter
  • Matthew Santos, rock and folk singer-songwriter, musician and painter, mother Danish-born
  • Tinashe, singer
  • Mike Tramp, singer-songwriter
  • Lars Ulrich, Metallica drummer
  • Eddie Vedder, Pearl Jam singer-songwriter

Politics and law[]

Lloyd Bentsen
  • Lloyd Bentsen, former Democratic senator from Texas, Treasury Secretary, and vice presidential nominee[25]
  • Marius Dueholm, Danish born American farmer and politician
  • Hans Peter Mareus Neilsen Gammel, author of The Laws of Texas 1822-1897[26]
  • 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 Leader[27]
  • Roger Jepsen, former Republican senator from Iowa
  • Jo Jorgensen, Libertarian vice presidential candidate of 1996, and presidential candidate of 2020.
  • Chris Madsen, United States Marshals Service
  • Janet Reno, Attorney General[28]
  • Ted Sorensen, speechwriter and president advisor[29]
  • Lis Wiehl, Fox News legal analyst and author[citation needed]

Religious personalities[]

Science[]

  • Jens Clausen, evolutionary biologist
  • Erik Erikson, psychologist
  • Niels Ebbesen Hansen, Head of the Horticultural Department at South Dakota State University
  • William Webster Hansen, physicist and one of the founders of microwave electronics technology
  • Max Henius, biochemist and founder of the Rebild National Park in Denmark[40]
  • Theo Holm, botanist
  • Christine Korsgaard, philosopher
  • Otto Larsen, sociologist known for academic work in mass hysteria and public positions on obscenity and pornography
  • Dale T. Mortensen, economist
  • Holger Thiele, astronomer[41]

Writers[]

  • Poul Anderson, science fiction author
  • Erik Christian Haugaard, author of children's books
  • Axel Madsen, writer
  • Ib Melchior, Danish born film director, science fiction author and screenwriter
  • Thomas Rosenstand, Danish born author
  • Joel Skousen, American author
  • Mark Skousen, American economist and author
  • Royal Skousen, American professor
  • W. Cleon Skousen, American author
  • Brad Torgersen, science fiction author
  • Sophus Keith Winther, professor and novelist

Other[]

  • Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon, biological father Ted Jorgensen, son of Danish immigrants
  • Alma de Bretteville Spreckels, philanthropist
  • John Wayne Gacy (1942–1994), serial killer
  • Peter L. Jensen, engineer, inventor and entrepreneur and co-creator of the first moving-coil loudspeaker
  • Johnson Outboards was founded by the Johnson brothers. Their father, Soren, was born in Denmark.
  • Semon Knudsen, executive with Ford Motor Company and General Motors
  • William S. Knudsen, Lieutenant general and executive with Ford Motor Company and General Motors
  • Christian Mortensen, Danish-born supercentenarian, was longest-lived man on record at the time of his death
  • Arthur Nielsen, American market analyst of Danish descent who founded the ACNielsen company and Nielsen Media Research, best known for the Nielsen ratings
  • George Nissen, inventor of the trampoline, was the son of Danish immigrants
  • Charles E. Sorensen, production engineer and executive with Ford Motor Company
  • Claus von Bülow, Danish-born socialite accused of killing his wife Sunny
  • , CEO of Red Lobster, is the son of Danish immigrants

References[]

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  5. ^ "Racine, Wisconsin Claims to Fame." Accessed July 18, 2007. Archived May 3, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
  6. ^ "The Complete Buffy Guide: Faith's Bio/Erika's Bio." Accessed July 18, 2007.
  7. ^ Boehme, R. "Buddy Ebsen Biography." Buddy Ebsen Tribute Page, August 2006. Accessed July 18, 2007.
  8. ^ Hiller, Jordan. "Interview with Scarlett Johansson." Accessed July 18, 2007. Archived October 4, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
  9. ^ IMDb.com: Michael Madsen. Accessed July 18, 2007.
  10. ^ Murray, Rebecca. "Virginia Madsen Interview." Accessed July 18, 2007.
  11. ^ "John Melendez." ThoughtWorthy. Accessed July 18, 2007. Archived September 27, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  12. ^ Høi, Poul. "Viggo From Hollywood." August 27, 2001. Accessed July 18, 2007.
  13. ^ SweetHeartVideo Archived 2011-11-17 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved November 23, 2011.
  14. ^ "BuddyTV Profile: William Petersen." Accessed July 18, 2007.
  15. ^ ""The Climax." Ladies of Horror. Accessed July 18, 2007". Archived from the original on September 29, 2007. Retrieved July 18, 2007.
  16. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2011-10-12. Retrieved 2010-08-08.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  17. ^ "The link from Mount Rushmore to Denmark." Accessed July 18, 2007. Archived May 8, 2006, at archive.today
  18. ^ "Solon Hannibal Borglum: Sioux Indian Buffalo Dance." Accessed July 18, 2007. Archived July 9, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  19. ^ "The San Diego Museum of Art Artists Guild - Olaf Wieghorst, Dean of Western Art". www.sdmaag.org. Retrieved 2021-03-27.
  20. ^ "Biography recalls Mikkelsen's days with the Minneapolis Lakers." Minnesota Public Radio, October 12, 2006. Accessed July 18, 2007.
  21. ^ "Monstery, Thomas Hoyer." Beadle and Adams Dime Novel Digitization Project. Accessed July 18, 2007. Archived September 1, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
  22. ^ "The Danish-Language Press in America" (Marion Marzolf. Norwegian-American Historical Association. Volume 28: Page 274) Archived 2010-06-10 at the Wayback Machine
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  40. ^ Rebild National Park Society, Inc
  41. ^ Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
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