list of greeks

Famous Greeks or Greek-speaking/writing people: In alphabetical order.

Actors

John Aniston (1937-), TV actor & father of Jennifer
Olympia Dukakis (1931-), film actress
Melina Kanakaredes (1967-), TV actress (Providence, )
Melina Mercouri (1920-1994), film actress & political activist
Irene Papas, film actress
Katina Paxinou (1900-1973), film & theatre actress
Telly Savalas (1924-1994), TV actor ("Kojak")
Thanasis Vengos, film actor
Nia Vardalos (1962-), film actress and screenwriter (My Big Fat Greek Wedding)
Aliki Vougiouklaki (1934?-1996), film actress
Billy Zane (1966-), film actor
John Stamos, Actor (Full House)
George Mitsikostas, mime comedian.

Athletes

Pyrros Dimas (1971-), Three-time Weightlifting Olympic champion
Panagiotis Fasoulas, Basketball player
Nikos Galis, Basketball player
Panagiotis Giannakis, Basketball player, captain of Greek European Championship winning team
Fani Halkia (1979-), Olympic champion in women's 400 m hurdles
Konstantinos Kenteris (1973-), Olympic, World and European Champion Sprinter
Spiros Louis (1873-1940), First modern Olympic Marathon winner
Pete Sampras (1971-), tennis player
Trish Stratus (Patricia Stratigias) WWE wrestler
Theodoros Zagorakis (1971-), Football player, captain of Greek European Championship winning team

Choreographers

Dimitris Papaioannou,the artistic director of the 2004 Olympics opening and closing ceremonies

Clerics

Michael Cerularius, (c. 1000-1059), Patriarch of Constantinople
John Chrysostom, (347-407), Christian Bishop & Famous Orator
Saint Photios, (820-891), Patriarch of Constantinople & Writer
Pope Evaristus, (c. 98-105), fourth Pope
Pope Stephen I, (254-257)
Pope Agatho, (678-681)
Pope John VI, (701-705)
Pope John VII, (705-709)

See also:

Entrepreneurs

Aristotle Onassis, (1906-1975), shipping magnate'
Basil Zaharoff, (1849-1936), arms trader and financier
Stavros Niarchos, (1908-1996), shipping magnate
John Latsis, (1910-2003), shipping magnate
Stelios Haji-Ioannou , (born in 1967) ,entrepreneur (Born to Cypriot parents )
George Livanos, (1926-1997), shipping magnate
Georgios Tsaoussis. (1929-1985), engineer, businessman

Explorers

Ancient Period

Colaeus of Samos, (628 B.C.)
Pytheas of Massilia.

Modern Period

Constantine Phaulkon.,(17th C AD)

Fashion Designers

Sophia Kokosalaki,clothes
Ilias Lalaounis,jewelery

Filmmakers

Elia Kazan, (1909-2003), Greek-born US film director
Spyros P. Skouras, president of 20th Century Fox
Kostas Gavras, director
Theo Angelopoulos, director
John Cassavetes,director

Military and Political Leaders

Ancient Period

Alcibiades, (450BC-404BC), Athenian General & Statesman
Alexander the Great, (356BC -323BC), King of Macedonia
Aristides, (530BC-468BC), Athenian Statesman
Cimon, Athenian Leader & Statesman
Demosthenes, (384BC-322BC), Politician & Famous Orator
Leonidas, Spartan King
Lycurgus, semi-legendary Spartan lawgiver
Miltiades, Athenian Statesman & General
Pericles, (495BC-429 BC), Athenian Leader & Statesman
Philip II of Macedon,(382BC -336BC), King of Macedonia
Pyrrhus of Epirus, (318 BC - 272 BC)King of Epirus
Solon, (638BC-558BC), Athenian Law-maker
Themistocles, Athenian Statesman & Admiral

Medieval Period

Julian the Apostate, (331 - 363), Byzantine Emperor and Hellenist
Alexius I Comnenus, (1048 – 1118), Byzantine Emperor
Constantine XI, (1405-1453), Last Byzantine Emperor

Modern Period

Greece

John Capodistria, (1776-1831), first President of the free and unified Greek state, last President of the first Greek republic.
Constantine Kanaris, (1793 or 1795 - 1877), freedom fighter, politician and later Prime Minister
Pavlos Melas, (1870-1904), hero of Greek Struggle for Macedonia.
Eleftherios Venizelos, (1864-1936), Prime Minister, and most significant politician of modern Greece.
Pavlos Kountouriotis, (1855-1935), Admiral, respected war hero and later President of Greece
Ioannis Metaxas, (1871-1941), dictator of Greece before and during the first part of her participation in World War II
Konstantinos Karamanlis, (1907-1998), President of Greece and four time Prime Minister
Andreas Papandreou, (1919-1996), Economist, Politician and two time Prime Minister

Spain

Queen Sofa, (b. 1938), wife of Spain's King Juan Carlos

United Kingdom

Prince Philip, (b. 1921), Duke of Edinburgh and husband of UK's Queen Elizabeth II

United States

Spiro Agnew, (1918-1996), Governor of Maryland and Vice President
Michael Dukakis, (b. 1933), Governor of Massachusetts and Democratic nominee for President
Paul Sarbanes (b. 1933), Democratic Senator from Maryland
John Negroponte (b. 1939), Ambassador to Iraq
Olympia Snowe (b. 1947), Republican Senator from Maine
George Stephanopoulos, (b. 1961), Bill Clinton's Senior Advisor on Policy and Strategy
George J. Tenet (b. 1953), former CIA Director
Paul Tsongas (1941-1997), Democratic Senator from Massachusetts and candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination 1992

Other

Eleni Bakopanos, (b. 1954), Canadian politician
Nick Bolkus, (b. 1950), Australian politician
Marie Bountrogianni, (b. 1956), Canadian politician

Musicians

Medieval Period

Ioannis Koukouzelis c. 1280 - c.1360, Byzantine secular music composer
Master Lambadarios (CHRYSAFIS,
Franghiskos Leontaritis Born 1518, composer

Modern Period

(1923-1977), Operatic soprano

Painters

Ancient Period

Polygnotus
Apelles
Aetion, (4th century BC)

Medieval Period

El Greco, (1541-1614), born Domenicos Theotokopoulos

Modern Period

Nikiforos Lytras,19c
Nikolaos Gyzis,19c
Constantinos Volanakis,19c
Yannis Tsarouhis,20c
Yannis Moralis,20c
Nikos Hatzikiriakos-Ghikas,20c
Konstantinos Andreou, 20c Awarded with the Lgion d'honneur

Philosophers

Ancient Period

Anaximander, (609 BC/610 BC-c. 547 BC), philosopher
Anaximenes of Miletus, philosopher
Aristotle, (384 BC-322 BC), Ancient writer and philosopher
Athenagoras of Athens, (c. 133-190), early Christian apologist
Democritus, (born 460 BC), philosopher
Diogenes, (114-129), patriarch of Constantinople
Empedocles, (490 BC-430 BC), philosopher
Epictetus, (AD 55-circa 135), philosopher
Epicurus, (341 BC-270 BC), philosopher
Epimenides
Hypatia of Alexandria, (died 415), euclidean geometry
Leucippus, philosopher
Parmenides, philosopher
Plato, (c. 427 BC-c. 347 BC), Ancient philosopher
Plethon,(c.1355-1452AD), Philosopher & scholar, one of the principal influences of Renaissance.
Protagoras, Sophist and first major Humanist
Pythagoras, (582 BC-496 BC), euclidean geometry
Socrates, (470 BC-399 BC), Ancient philosopher
Thales of Miletus, (circa BC624-BC547), euclidean geometry
Zeno of Citium, (333 BC-264 BC), philosopher
Zeno of Elea, (circa 495 BC-circa 430 BC), philosopher

Modern period

Cornelius Castoriadis, (1922-1997), philosopher of the social imagination, co-founder of the legendary group and journal Socialisme ou Barbarie

Sculptors

Agasias, sculptor
Pheidias
Praxiteles, sculptor

Scientists

Ancient Period

Archimedes (circa 287 BC-212 BC), Mathematician, Natural philosopher
Eratosthenes (276 BC-194 BC), Mathematician, Geographer & Astronomer
Euclides (circa 365 BC-275 BC), Mathematician (Euclidean geometry)
Eudoxus of Cnidus (circa 408 BC-circa 347 BC), Astronomer, Mathematician
Heron of Alexandria (10AC-70AC) Engineer
Hippocrates (c. 460 BC-377 BC), Ancient physician
Pythagoras (582 BC-496 BC), Philosopher, Mathematician
Galen (131 BC-201 BC), Physician & Anatomist

Modern Period

Phaedon Avouris (1933- ), Nanotechnology
Constantinos Karatheodori (1873-1950), Mathematician
Nicholas Negroponte, Computer Scientist
Christos Papadimitriou, Computer Scientist
Georgios Papanikolaou (1883-1962), Inventor of the Pap smear
Demetri Terzopoulos, Computer Scientist
Panos Zavos, Geneticist

Writers

Ancient Period

Aeschylus, (525-456 BC), dramatist.
Aesop, (c. 620-560 BC), writer of Fables
Antimachus, (c. 400 BC), poet
Aristophanes, (c. 446-385 BC), Ancient playwright
Dio Chrysostom, (c. 40-120 AD), Orator and first Century historian of the romans
Euripides, (c. 480-406 BC), playwright
Herodotus, (c. 485-420 BC), Historian
Hesiod, (born c. 700 BC), poet
Homer, (unknown), poet
Pindar, (522-443 BC), lyric poet
Plutarch, (c. 46-120 AD), author
Polybius, (c. 203-120 BC), author
Sappho, (born c. 620 BC), poet
Simonides of Amorgos, (7th century BC), iambic poet
Simonides of Ceos (c. 556-469 BC), lyric poet
Sophocles, (496-406 BC), Athenian dramatist
Thucydides, (c. 460-400 BC), Historian & Athenian General
Xenophon, (431-c. 360 BC), an Athenian knight and an associate of Socrates

Modern Period

Constantine P. Cavafy, (1863-1933), poet
Bob Costas, (b. 1952), American author of books on baseball; better known as a sportscaster
Savitri Devi, (1905-1982), Graeco-Indian author of books on Esoteric Hitlerism
Odysseas Elytis, (1911-1996), Nobel Prize Winner
Arianna Huffington, (1950- ), American author, journalist & political activist
Kostas Karyotakis, (1896-1928), poet
Nikos Kavvadias, (1910-1975), poet
Nikos Kazantzakis, (1883-1957), writer
Emmanuel Roidis, writer
David Sedaris, (b.1956), American essayist (Greek father)
Giorgos Seferis, (1900-1971), Nobel Prize Winner
Dionysios Solomos, (1798-1857), poet & writer of the National Greek anthem
Vassilis Vassilikos, (1933- ), author of about 120 books, including Z made into a movie by Kostas Gavras

Other

Lela Carayannis, WW II Resistance fighter
Makarios III, Orthodox archbishop
Patriarch Athenagoras, the Patriarch of Constantinople
Maria Callas,soprano. (born to Greek parents in New York City)
Polyvios Kossivas, a.k.a. "the Greek angel", bystander who became famous in the Athens 2004 Olympic Games for helping the Brazilian runner Vanderlei de Lima when he was attacked by a crazed former priest.
Moisis Michail Bourlas, member of the WW II resistance
Manolis Glezos, WW II veteran, grassroots democracy activist and politician
Eleni Konsolaki, archaeologist who researched Methana and the Troezen area in 1990.
Constantine Muroulis ,greek-american singer on american idol season 4 http://www.idolonfox.com/contestants/constantine_maroulis/