List of Chinese Americans

This is a list of notable Chinese Americans, including both original immigrants who obtained American citizenship and their American descendants.

These are people who have made significant contributions to the American culture or society politically, artistically or scientifically, or have appeared in the news numerous times.

To be included in this list, the person must have a Wikipedia article showing they are Chinese American or must have references showing they are Chinese American and are notable.

For people from Taiwan, see List of Taiwanese Americans

List

Arts

• Alan Chin - Artist
• Mel Chin - Artist
• Ping Chong - contemporary theater director
• James Wong Howe (黃宗霑) - nominated for ten Academy Awards for cinematography, won twice (1955, 1963)
• Maya Lin (林瓔) - architect (Vietnam Veterans Memorial)
• I. M. Pei (貝聿銘) - architect, designed the Louvre Pyramid
• Wayne Wang - Hollywood director won the Golden Shell
• Shen Wei - Chinese-American dancer, choreographer and visual artist and director of the company Shen Wei Dance Arts; MacArthur "genius" grant recipient
• Tyrus Wong (黃齊耀) - Artist
• Frank Wu - science-fiction artist
• Xu Bing - Artist

Business

• John S. Chen - CEO of Sybase
• Steve Chen - co-founder of YouTube
• Weili Dai - co-founder of Marvell Technology Group
• Wendi Deng - businesswoman and wife of Rupert Murdoch
• Ming Hsieh - co-founder and CEO of Cogent Systems
• Kai Huang - co-founder of Guitar Hero franchise
• Andrea Jung (鍾彬嫻) - CEO of Avon
• Norman Liu - CEO of GECAS
• Li Lu - founder and Chairman of Himalaya Capital Management
• Kim Ng (伍佩琴) - Major League Baseball executive
• Patrick Soon-Shiong - surgeon; founder of Abraxis BioScience
• Cyrus Tang - scrap metal and furniture magnate
• Donald Tang - former Vice-Chairman of Bear Stearns
• Oscar Tang - financier, philanthropist, President of the Phillips Academy Board of Trustees
• Gerald Tsai - financier, former Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Primerica
• An Wang (王安) - computer engineer and inventor; co-founder of Wang Laboratories
• Charles Wang (王嘉廉) - founder, CEO and chairman of Computer Associates
• Andrea Wong - CEO and President of Lifetime
• Ken Xie - founder of Fortinet and NetScreen
• David Yu - CEO of Betfair
• Jerry Yang - co-founder of Yahoo!

The dragon mural in L.A. Chinatown painted by Tyrus Wong and restored by Fu Ding Cheng (1984)

Entertainment

• T. V. Carpio - actress and singer
• Rosalind Chao - actress
• Fala Chen - television actress
• Joan Chen (陳冲) - actress, The Last Emperor, director
• Lynn Chen - actress, Saving Face
• Mandy Cho - former beauty queen and actress
• Steven Ho - martial artist and stunt man
• Annabel Chong - adult film actress
• China Chow - actress, model (father is Chinese-American)
• Kam Fong Chun - actor
• Michaela Conlin - actress, She is of Chinese and Irish descent
• Michelle Krusiec - actress
• Haing S. Ngor - Chinese Cambodian actor; won an Oscar for Best Supporting actor in The Killing Fields
• Kelly Hu - actress
• William Hung - actor of American Idol fame
• Ken Hom - chef, author and British television show presenter
• James Hong - actor
• Carrie Ann Inaba, dancer, actress
• Rupert Jee - owner of the Hello Deli next to the Ed Sullivan Theatre; has made numerous appearances on The Late Show with David Letterman
• Malese Jow - actress & singer on Unfabulous and Bratz
• Archie Kao - actor and model
• Ke Huy Quan - actor and stunt choreographer - played Short Round in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
• Nancy Kwan (關南施) - first Chinese-born star in Western cinema
• Dan Kwong - performance artist, writer, teacher, playwright (Be Like Water)
• Tiffany Lam - former beauty queen hailing from Hong Kong
• Ang Lee - Academy Award winning director
• Bruce Lee - martial artist, kung fu actor
• Brandon Lee - actor, son of Bruce Lee
• Shannon Lee, actress, and daughter of Bruce Lee
• Reggie Lee - actor Prison Break
• Jason Scott Lee (李截) - actor
• Ken Leung - actor (Lost, X-Men: The Last Stand)
• Justin Lin - director, Better Luck Tomorrow, The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, Fast & Furious
• Lucy Liu (劉玉玲) - actress, Charlie's Angels, Kill Bill
• John Lone (尊龍) - actor, most notable for his role as Pu Yi in The Last Emperor
• Jodi Long - actress
• Keye Luke - actor
• Byron Mann - actor, notable for playing the role of Ryu in Street Fighter (1994 film)
• Marie Matiko - actress
• Meiling Melançon - , actress
• Olivia Munn - actress, model and television personality
• Irene Ng - Chinese Malaysian actress who played the title character in Nickelodeon's The Mystery Files of Shelby Woo
• Melissa Ng - Hong Kong actress
• Janel Parrish - actress & singer
• David Ren - Film Director of Shanghai Kiss
• Robin Shou (仇雲波) - martial artist
• Harry Shum, Jr. (岑勇康) - actor, dancer, and singer in Glee
• Jennifer Tilly - actress (born in California), "Bound"
• Meg Tilly - actress
• Chuti Tiu - actress, Desire, 24, Dragnet, Beautiful, The Specials, former America's Junior Miss (first non-Caucasian winner) *
• Lauren Tom - actress, Joy Luck Club, "Julie" on Friends
• Ming Tsai (蔡明) - chef and restaurateur (Blue Ginger); host of Emmy Award winning television show East Meets West
• Kelly Vitz - actress on Sky High and Nancy Drew
• Garrett Wang (王以瞻) - actor in Star Trek: Voyager
• Ming-Na Wen - Macanese-born actress, ER, Mulan
• Anna May Wong (黃柳霜) - first female Asian-American star of the screen
• B. D. Wong (黃榮亮) - Tony Award winning actor, M Butterfly, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
• Helen Wong - model and actress
• Russell Wong (王盛德) - actor
• Victor Wong (黃自強) - Hollywood actor
• Daniel Wu (吳彥祖) - Hong Kong-based Chinese American actor
• Kevin Wu(吳凱文) - YouTube star, once #1 Most Subscribed Comedian (All Time)
• Kiko Wu - adult model and actress
• Vanness Wu - actor, singer, director, producer based in Asia
• Martin Yan - chef, host of Yan Can Cook
• Welly Yang - actor and artist
• XiXi Yang - TV host and model
• Vern Yip - interior designer and TV host
• Eugenia Yuan, actrees and daughter of Cheng Pei Pei
• Victor Sen Yung - actor, portrayed Hop Sing in Bonanza
• Nan Zhang - actress, Gossip Girl as Kati Farkas
• Kevin Cheng - TVB actor

Fashion

• Joe Allen Hong - fashion designer for Neiman Marcus
• Jen Kao - fashion designer
• Derek Lam - fashion designer
• Phillip Lim - fashion designer
• Mary Ping - fashion designer
• Peter Som - fashion designer
• Anna Sui - fashion designer
• Vivienne Tam - fashion designer
• Yeohlee Tang - fashion designer
• Alexander Wang - fashion designer
• Vera Wang - fashion designer
• Jason Wu - fashion designer
• Joe Zee - creative director of Elle and host of fashion TV series, All on the Line

Journalism

• Sewell Chan - journalist, The New York Times
• Emily Chang - journalist from CNN
• Jeff Chang - journalist, hip-hop historian
• Iris Chang - historian and journalist, "[Thread of the Silkworm]" and "[The Rape of Nanking]"
• Laura Chang - science editor, The New York Times
• Julie Chen - newsreader on The Early Show and host of Big Brother
• Anna Chen Chennault (陳香梅) - journalist, wife of Claire Chennault, of the Flying Tigers
• Ron Chew - former editor International Examiner, founding member Seattle Chapter, Asian American Journalists Association.
• Connie Chung - became the second woman to co-anchor a major network’s national news broadcast
• Ben Fong-Torres (方振豪) - journalist, Rolling Stone
• Jennifer 8. Lee - journalist, The New York Times
• Carol Lin - news anchor
• Sam Chu Lin - journalist, one of the first Asian Americans on network TV news
• Laura Ling - journalist
• Lisa Ling (凌志慧) (1973 - ) - journalist, known for her role as a co-host of ABC's The View and host of National Geographic Ultimate Explorer
• Kaity Tong - news anchor for WPIX-TV
• Sheryl WuDunn - Pulitzer Prize winning journalist and author
• John Yang - Peabody Award winning news correspondent and commentator for NBC Night News with Brian Williams, Today (NBC program), and MSNBC
• Jeff Yang - columnist for the The Wall Street Journal
• Al Young - Journalist; Boston Globe; First Asian American sportswriter in the mainland USA at a metropolitan daily; Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA) Pioneer in Journalism Honor Roll List (1925-75).
• Anthony Yuen - journalist

Literature

• Bette Bao Lord (包柏漪) - writer, novelist
• Eileen Chang - writer
• Lan Samantha Chang - writer; director of the Iowa Writer's Workshop
• Frank Chin (趙健秀) - novelist, playwright, and essayist
• Marilyn Chin - poet
• Ben Fee - writer and labor organizer
• David Henry Hwang (黃哲倫) - playwright
• Gish Jen - writer, novelist
• Ha Jin - novelist, winner of the National Book Award for "Waiting"
• Maxine Hong Kingston - novelist, The Woman Warrior
• Jean Kwok - writer, novelist
• Gus Lee (李健孫) - writer
• Yiyun Li (李翊雲) - winner of the 2006 PEN/Hemingway Award
• David Wong Louie - writer
• Adeline Yen Mah (馬嚴君玲) - author and physician
• William Marr (馬為義,非馬) - Engineer, poet, translator, and artist
• Anchee Min - author, Red Azalea
• Lisa See - writer
• Amy Tan - best-selling author, The Joy Luck Club
• Jade Snow Wong - writer
• Timothy C. Wong (黃宗泰) - sinologist, translator, and literary theorist
• Gene Luen Yang - graphic novelist, whose book American Born Chinese was the first graphic novel to be nominated for a National Book Award
• Laurence Yep (叶祥添) - two time winner of the Newbery Honor
• Judy Yung - writer
• Helen Zia (謝漢蘭) - community activist and writer

Military

• Arthur Chin (陳瑞鈿) - World War II pilot and fighter ace with Canton Provincial Air Force, National Revolutionary Army
• David S. C. Chu - United States Army Captain (retired), Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness (2001–2008), president/CEO of the Institute for Defense Analyses
• Gordon Pai'ea Chung-Hoon - United States Navy Rear Admiral (Upper Half)
• John Liu Fugh - first Chinese American officer to be promoted to the rank of Major General in the United States Army; first Chinese American to serve as Judge Advocate General of the Army
• Wah Kau Kong - United States Air Force Second Lieutenant, first Chinese American fighter pilot
• Hazel Ying Lee (李月英) - first Chinese American woman to earn a pilot's license; flew for the United States Army Air Forces during World War II as a Women Airforce Service Pilot (WASP)
• Kurt Lee – Major, US Marine Corps. First Asian American marine corps officer, Navy Cross recipient
• Coral Wong Pietsch - United States Army Reserve Brigadier General, first female Asian American general officer
• Xiong Yan - Student leader during the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 and now a chaplain in the United States Army.
• James Yee, United States Army Captain and chaplain, formerly charged with sedition
• Francis B. Wai - United States Army Captain, only Chinese American to have been awarded the Medal of Honor
• Mun Charn Wong - United States Air Force Lieutenant Colonel, friend of Wah Kau Kong

Music

• Jin Au-yeung - rapper, songwriter, actor
• Baiyu - singer, songwriter, actress, mtvU VJ
• Carmit Bachar- singer and member of The Pussycat Dolls
• Flora Chan - Hong Kong-born singer/actress
• Jaycee Chan - Hong Kong singer-songwriter, actor
• Shunza - singer
• Chi Cheng - bassist to alternative metal band, Deftones
• Kelis - singer 1/4 Chinese
• Larissa Lam - singer-songwriter-TV host
• CoCo Lee - singer
• Justin Lo - Hong Kong singer-songwriter, actor
• Zhou Long - winner of the 2011 Pulitzer Prize for Music
• Yo-Yo Ma (馬友友) - cellist
• Ne-Yo - R&B artist, 1/4 Chinese
• Richard On - guitarist-songwriter for rock band O.A.R.
• Bright Sheng - Chinese-American composer, conductor, and pianist
• Vienna Teng - singer-songwriter
• Kenneth Tse - (謝德骥) Classical Saxophonist
• Sam Tsui - YouTube singer
• Chris Wong Won ("Fresh Kid Ice", 'The Chinaman") - Chinese Trinidadian rapper, member of 2 Live Crew
• Only Won - rapper-actor-martial artist

Politics, law and government

• Norman Bay - former United States Attorney for the District of New Mexico (2000–2001); first Chinese American United States Attorney.
• Elaine Lan Chao - U.S. Secretary of Labor from 2001 to 2009
• Wilma Chan - First Asian American California State Assembly Majority Leader (2002–2004). Democrat.
• Denny Chin - judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York (1994–present), first Asian American appointed as a United States district court judge outside of the Ninth Circuit
• Margaret Chin - Member of the New York City Council representing Chinatown.
• Ming Chin - Associate Justice, Supreme Court of California.
• David S. C. Chu - Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness (2001–2008). Republican.
• Judy Chu - First Chinese-American woman to serve as U.S. Representative (2009–present). Democrat.
• Steven Chu - physicist, current United States Secretary of Energy (2009–present), winner of 1997 Nobel Prize in Physics for research in laser cooling
• Amy Chua - Professor of Law; author of Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother.
• Nancy-Ann DeParle - Director of the White House Office of Health Reform
• Charles Djou - U.S. Representative from Hawaii (2010–present). Republican.
• March Fong Eu - former Secretary of State of California (1975–1994), elected in 1974, she won reelection four times; United States Ambassador to the Federated States of Micronesia (1994–1996). Democrat.
• Hiram L. Fong - former U.S. Senator from Hawaii. Republican.
• Matthew K. Fong - California State Treasurer (1995–1999), adoptive son of March Fong Eu. Republican.
• Dolly M. Gee - Federal district judge, United States District Court for the Central District of California.
• Ed Jew - former member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. Democrat.
• Joyce Kennard - Associate Justice, Supreme Court of California.
• George H. King - Federal district judge, United States District Court for the Central District of California.
• Peter Koo - Member of the New York City Council representing Flushing, Queens.
• Harry Lee -Longtime sheriff of Jefferson Parish, Louisiana; first elected in 1979, he was re-elected six times and served 27 and a half years. Democrat.
• Susan C. Lee - Maryland State Legislator, first Asian American woman and Chinese American elected to Maryland House of Delegates of Maryland General Assembly
• Ronald Lew - Federal district judge, United States District Court for the Central District of California, first Chinese-American federal judge outside of Hawaii.
• John Liu - New York City Comptroller and former member of the New York City Council.
• Gary Locke - current United States Secretary of Commerce (2009–present); former Governor of Washington (1997–2005), first and only Chinese American to serve as a state governor. Democrat.
• Chin Lin Sou - community leader
• Chris Lu - Assistant to the President and Cabinet Secretary
• Thomas Tang - judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit; first Chinese American federal judge.
• Tina Tchen - Chief of Staff to the First Lady
• Shien Biau Woo (吳仙標) - Lieutenant Governor of Delaware (1985–1989), current president of the 80-20 Initiative. Democrat.
• Harry Wu - human rights activist
• Mae Yih - Oregon State Representative (1977–1983), Oregon State Senator (1983–2003), first Chinese American to serve in a state senate. Democrat.
• Leland Yee (余胤良) - former California State Assemblyman, current California State Senator

Science, engineering and education

• Min Chueh Chang (張明覺) - co-inventor of the first birth control pill
• Shiing-Shen Chern - one of the most remarkable mathematicians in Geometry.
• Leroy Chiao - NASA astronaut
• Thomas W. Chinn (陈参盛 [陳參盛]) -Prominent Chinese American historian. One of the founders of the Chinese American Historical Society.
• David Jung-Kuang Chiu - Former Director of Asian Studies and Dean of University Advisement, Hofstra University
• Wen Tsing Chow (周文俊) - missile guidance scientist, digital computer pioneer
• Paul C. W. Chu (朱經武) - physicist, superconductivity
• Steven Chu - 1997 Nobel Prize in Physics, U.S. Secretary of Energy (2009)
• Yuan-Cheng Fung (馮元楨) - Founder of Modern Biomechanics
• Lue Gim Gong (呂金功) - horticulturalist
• William C. Hsiao - Harvard economist
• Feng-hsiung Hsu (許峰雄) - IBM developer of Deep Blue, which beat World Chess Champion Garry Kasparov in 1997
• Him Mark Lai - Chinese American studies
• Charles Goodall Lee - first licensed Chinese American dentist in the United States, financier of Chinese American Citizens Alliance in Oakland Chinatown, spouce of Clara Elizabeth Chan Lee.
• Tsung-dao Lee (李政道) - 1957 Nobel laureate in Physics
• Choh Hao Li (李卓皓) - biochemist
• T. Y. Lin (林同炎) - civil engineer (bridgebuilder)
• Tung Hua Lin (林同驊) - Professor (UCLA), aerospace and structural engineer
• Kjell N. Lindgren - NASA astronaut
• Huping Ling - Professor of History at Truman State University, author
• Edward Lu - NASA astronaut
• Samuel C. C. Ting - 1976 Nobel laureate, Physics
• Terence Chi-Shen Tao (陶哲軒) - mathematician, Fields Medal winner, Professor (UCLA)
• Roger Y. Tsien (錢永健) - 2008 Nobel laureate, chemistry
• Daniel Chee Tsui - 1998 Nobel prize, Physics
• Taylor Wang - first ethnic Chinese scientist to go into space, 1985 on space shuttle Challenger
• Flossie Wong-Staal - virologist and AIDS researcher
• Chien-Shiung Wu (吳健雄) - female scientist with the considerable contribution to the acquisition of Nobel Prize by Tsung-dao Lee. She also worked on the Manhattan Project.
• Frank H. Wu - author, law professor, and former law school dean
• Chen Ning Yang (楊振寧) - 1957 Nobel laureate in Physics
• Shing-Tung Yau (丘成桐) - mathematician, Fields Medal winner.
• Ching W. Tang, inventor of the organic light-emitting diode(OLED) and the hetero-junction organic photovoltaic cell (OPV). Winner of the 2011 Wolf Prize in Chemistry.

Sports

• Nathan Adrian - Olympic medal winner, swimming
• Johnny Chan - professional Poker Player
• Bruce Chen - MLB pitcher
• Michael Chang (張德培) - youngest male tennis player to win a Grand Slam tournament
• Ray Chang - baseball player
• Tiffany Chin (陳婷婷) - figure skater
• Brian Ching (程拜仁) - soccer player for Houston Dynamo and the United States national team
• Amy Chow (周婉儀) - gymnast and Olympic medal winner
• Norm Chow (周友賢) - UCLA Bruins offensive coordinator
• Julie Chu - Olympic medal winner, ice hockey
• Mark Foo - professional surfer
• Christina Gao - figure skater
• Ivana Hong - gymnastics
• Karen Kwan - former figure skater, sister of Michelle Kwan
• Michelle Kwan (關穎珊) - Olympic medal winner, figure skating
• Jeremy Lin - NBA basketball player
• Corrie Lothrop - gymnastics
• Chuck Sun - professional Motocross racer
• Kevin Tan - Olympic medal winner, gymnastics
• Ed Wang- professional American football player
• Lisa Wang - rhythmic gymnastics
• Kevin Wong - professional beach volleyball player and Olympian
• Caroline Zhang- figure skater

Other

• Chang and Eng Bunker - {暹羅雙胞胎} Siamese twins, pioneer immigrants
• Vincent Chin - killed in fight, considered by Chinese-American advocacy groups to be victim of bias crime
• Raymond Kwok Chow (周國祥) - also known as "Shrimp Boy", mobster, leader of the San Francisco Chapter of Chinese Freemasons and San Francisco Chinatown.
• Clara Elizabeth Chan Lee - first Chinese American woman voter in the United States.
• Mock Duck - (世荣模拟)- New York Chinatown mobster, leader of the Hip Sing Tong.
• Betty Ong - {鄧月薇}flight attendant on American Airlines Flight 11
• Little Pete - (馮正初) - San Francisco Chinatown mobster
• Katherine Young (郑珣) - world's oldest user of the Internet
• Yung Wing (容闳) - first Chinese and Asian to obtain a degree from an American college (Yale University)