List of Eastern Orthodox Christians

Attributed to Rublev

This is primarily a list of notable people who contributed to the history of Eastern Orthodox Christianity's theology or culture. However it is also for people whose Eastern Orthodox identity is an important part of their notability. As there are many nations that are predominantly Eastern Orthodox names from such nations should usually meet a stricter standard, but in the case of converts their conversion might be notable enough to make an exception.

Artists

• Angela 'Flossie' Biesiada - AAMB Toobah
• Andrei Rublev – Important in the history of Russian Iconography
• Dionisius – Headed a school of icon painting
• El Greco – From Crete, noted for Christian art
• Feofan Grek – Noted iconographer
• Boris Kustodiev Russian artist known for depictions of Russian Orthodox people and culture
• Jerzy Nowosielski – Famous Polish painter, noted for his numerous works of Byzantine influenced religious art
• Karl Matzek – Convert from Catholicism who did religious art for the faith
• Prokhor – Icon painter
• Toros Roslin – An Armenian of Oriental Orthodoxy, but some of his works are Byzantine-influenced
• Simon Ushakov – A leading religious artist linked to the reforms of Patriarch Nikon
• Roy Marten – An Indonesian Artist
• Holly Valance – Singer and model
• Valentin Alexandrovich Serov – a Russian painter, and one of the premier portrait artists of his era.

Athletes

• Dimitar Berbatov – Football player
• Haile Gebrselassie – Runner
• Kenenisa Bekele - Runner
• Oksana Baiul - Figure Skating
• Dejan Bodiroga - Basketball Player
• Anna Chakvetadze - Tennis Player
• Tirunesh Dibaba - Runner
• Abebe Bikila - runner
• Elena Dementieva - Tennis Player
• Novak Đoković - Tennis Player
• Daniel Nestor - Tennis Player
• Nadia Comăneci - Gymnast
• Vlade Divac - Basketball Player
• Pete Maravich - Basketball Player
• Meseret Defar - Runner
• Dragan Džajić - Football Player
• Aleksandar Đorđević - Basketball Player
• Jeff George - Former NFL Quarterback
• Alex Holmes - Football Player
• Ana Ivanović - Tennis Player
• Jelena Janković - Tennis Player
• Jaromír Jágr - Former NHL Hockey Player (mostly Pittsburgh Penguins). Russian Orthodox. Converted - is from Czech Republic.
• Vladimir Jugović - Football Player
• Yevgeny Kafelnikov - Tennis Player
• Andrei Kirilenko - Basketball Player
• Anna Kournikova - Tennis Player
• Svetlana Kuznetsova - Tennis Player
• Siniša Mihajlović - Football Player
• Predrag Mijatović - Football Player
• Anastasia Myskina - Tennis Player
• Ilie Năstase - Tennis Player
• Darko Pančev - Football Player
• Troy Polamalu - Football Player
• Alex Rodriguez - Baseball Player^{[citation needed]} His ex-wife is Orthodox, but I've seen no evidence he ever converted. Besides it seems unlikely that he is Orthodox any longer if he ever was. This is debated however has media suggests he recently converted to Kabbalah.
• Pete Sampras - Tennis player
• Dejan Savićević - Football player
• Dragoslav Šekularac - Football player
• Maria Sharapova - Tennis player
• Andriy Shevchenko - Football player
• Irina Slutskaya - Figure skater
• Dejan Stanković - Football player
• Predrag Stojaković - Basketball player
• Dragan Stojković - Football player
• Nemanja Vidić - Football player
• Lev Yashin - Football player
• Theodoros Zagorakis - Football player
• Sergei Gonchar - Hockey player
• Evgeni Malkin - NHL hockey player with Pittsburgh Penguins
• Gheorghe Hagi - Football player
• Cristian Chivu - Football player
• Adrian Mutu - Football player
• Gheorghe Popescu - Football player
• Evan Lysacek - Figure skater

Entrepreneurs/Industrialists

Gus S. Dolianitis, Danville, VA

Elaine Pristouris (Greek Orthodox) Vienna, VA

Entertainers

• F. Murray Abraham, former Syrian Orthodox altar boy [1]
• John Belushi, Member of the Albanian Orthodox Church in childhood; his funeral was in that faith [2]
• James Belushi, Member of the Albanian Orthodox Church, John's brother.
• Charles Bronson, former Russian Orthodox, son of a Kryashen.
• George Chakiris - Contributor to a Greek Orthodox Cathedral [3]
• Sandra Dee - (birth name: Alexandra Cymboliak Zuck). One time wife of Bobby Darin. Raised Russian Orthodox in New Jersey. Her mother was of Carpathian Russian ancestry.
• Jamie Farr - M*A*S*H* Actor (Klinger, the one who wore dresses). Raised Antiochian Orthodox in Toledo Ohio - is of Syrian/ Lebanese Ancestry.
• Tina Fey [4] - Greek-American on her mother's side and married in a Greek Orthodox wedding.
• Zach Galifianakis - Baptized at St. Barbara's Greek Orthodox Church in Durham, NC
• Tom Hanks - Converted on marrying Rita Wilson, mention by Saint Sophia Cathedral, Los Angeles. [5][6]
• Melina Kanakaredes - St. Nicholas's Greek Orthodox Church listed her as a possible speaker, credits the church as helpful to her in youth. [7][8]
• Elia Kazan - The director. Born to Greek parents who immigrated from the Ottoman Empire to the United States. [9]
• Emir Kusturica - Serbian Orthodox. Raised in a Bosnian Muslim Family. His conversion gained some media attention. [10]
• Larry Lindale - Actor (also an Historian). Russian Orthodox - converted from Presbyterian Church. Reportedly has Russian Ancestry.
• Karl Malden (Mladen Sekulovich) was said to have been Serbian Orthodox.
• Constantine Maroulis - Greek Orthodox, brother of Athan Maroulis [11][12]
• Debbie Matenopoulos [13][14]
• Christopher Orr - convert from Lutheranism (Some possibility of confusion here with Orthodox church reader Christopher Orr)
• Christopher Sarantakos "Criss Angel", American of Greek descent. Can be seen crossing himself in an Orthodox manner during his shows, however it is unknown if he is a practicing Orthodox Christian.
• Telly Savalas - Contributed to Greek Orthodox Cathedrals and his bald image began after playing Pontius Pilate [15]
• Amy Sedaris - American actress, author and comedian
• Nia Vardalos Saint Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church site
• Rita Wilson [16][17]
• Lana Wood - (birth name: Svetlana Gurdin - family name changed from Zakharenko). Russian Orthodox actress - sister of Natalie Wood.
• Natalia Nikolaevna Zakharenko - Russian Orthodox actress known as Natalie Wood.[18]

Musicians/Composers

• Maksym Berezovsky - Known for religious music [19]
• Dmytro Bortniansky - Religious music.[20]
• Bill Evans [21]
• Alexander Frey - Conductor, pianist, organist and composer, was baptized in the Greek Orthodox church, but is also a practicing Episcopalian.
• David Gahan - English lead singer for Depeche Mode, converted to Greek Orthodox Christianity to marry his current wife Jennifer.
• Constance Geanakoplos, Concert pianist
• Chris Hillman - original member of The Byrds
• Lena Katina - Member of Russian music group t.A.T.u.
• Boris Ledkovsky - Russian-American composer of Church music
• Bob Marley - was baptized by the Archbishop of the Ethiopian Orthodox Christian Church in Kingston, Jamaica, on November 4, 1980 [22] [23] Bob Marley#Religion
• George Michael - celebrity pop singer, a Greek-Cypriote.
• Dimitris Mitropoulos - Conductor, pianist and composer. Music Director of the New York Philharmonic and the Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra.
• Stevan Stojanović Mokranjac - one of the most famous Serbian composers and music educators of the nineteenth century.
• Lauryn Hill - Baptized into the Ethiopian Orthodox Church with the name "Fikerte Maryam"
• Inva Mula - Albanian Orthodox, famous opera singer.
• Arvo Pärt - known for religious music, convert from Lutheranism [24]
• Tose Proeski - Macedonian pop singer
• Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov - Possibly atheist after some point, but did Russian Orthodox church music.
• Sergei Rachmaninoff [25]
• Mstislav Rostropovich - Conductor, National Symphony, Cellist
• Thomas Simaku - Albanian Orthodox, famous composer.
• Igor Stravinsky - Left the faith from 1900 to 1926, after rejoining he did Symphony of Psalms.
• John Tavener - Converted to Orthodoxy, and much of his music is influenced by that. He is now often said to be Universalist or Perrenialist, although he himself says that he remains Orthodox.
• Julia Volkova Member of Russian music group t.A.T.u
• Stephen M. Wolownik - Church music early on
• Steven Delopoulos - Folk singer/songwriter, lead singer for Burlap to Cashmere
• Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky - a Russian composer of the Romantic era. His wide ranging output includes symphonies, operas, ballets, instrumental and chamber music and songs.

Historians

• Fr. Demetrios Constantelos - professor of history and religious studies, Richard Stockton College, Pomona, New Jersey
• Deno John Geanakopoulos - Byzantine and Italian Renaissance historian
• George Pachymeres - Byzantine chief advocate of the church
• Avraamy Palitsyn - Russian historian who died at the Solovetsky Monastery
• Jaroslav Pelikan - professor of ecclesiastical history, Yale University
• Nicephorus Callistus Xanthopoulos - Byzantine ecclesiastical historian
• John Xiphilinus - Also a monk
• Joannes Zonaras - Also a theologian
• Nikolay Yakovlevich Danilevsky

Journalists

• Ernie Anastos - New York television anchor
• Daria Albinger - ABC Radio News correspondent
• Thalia Assuras - CBS News anchor
• Steve Chiotakis - Marketplace Morning Report anchor and former host on WBHM, Birmingham, Alabama
• Alexis Christoforous - CBS News anchor / correspondent
• Chris Clark - retired news anchor, WTVF, Nashville, Tennessee
• Dimitra DeFotis - Barron's staff writer
• Rod Dreher - Dallas Morning News columnist, "Crunchy Con" blog
• Mike Emanuel - Fox News White House Correspondent
• Vicki Liviakis - San Francisco television news anchor
• Terry Mattingly - syndicated columnist
• Serge Schmemann - International Herald Tribune writer/editor
• George Stephanopoulos - ABC News chief Washington correspondent; a former altar boy, and son of a priest.

Linguists

• Nikita Yakovlevich Bichurin - Russian Orthodox Church monk and Sinologist
• Saint Innocent of Alaska - Wrote books on Tlingit and worked on an alphabet for Aleut
• Pyotr Kafarov - Student of Bichurin, also a Sinologist and ROC monk
• Mateja Matejić - Priest in the Serbian Orthodox Church
• Alexander Nedoshivin - Russian Orthodox Church priest and Esperantist
• Epifany Slavinetsky - Polyglot, Russian Orthodox Church monk, and translator
• Bullion Pritchard - Translated manuscripts for Leopold II

Modern politicians

Note: Most political figures in the Byzantine Empire, or most other Medieval Eastern European Empires, would be in least nominally Eastern Orthodox. Therefore this is limited to modern times, specifically after 1800. For United States entries Political Graveyard was used for this section, but additional sources are encouraged.

The list is not complete; the vast majority of politicians in countries such as Greece, Cyprus, Russia, Serbia and others are Eastern Orthodox.

United States / Canada

• Spencer Abraham - Former Senator (R-MI) and Energy Secretary
• Eleni Bakopanos - Former Canadian Member of Parliament (Lib-PQ)
• Melissa Bean - member of Congress (D-IL)
• Helen Delich Bentley - Former US Congresswoman (R-MD) (Serbian Orthodox) [26]
• Michael Bilirakis - member of Congress (R-FL) (Greek Orthodox) [27]
• Rod Blagojevich - Former Illinois Governor (D) (Serbian Orthodox)
• Tony Clement^{[citation needed]} - Former Ontario Minister of Health and federal MP (Cons-ON) (Greek Cypriot)
• Michael Dukakis - Former Governor and Presidential candidate (D-MA) [28]
• Nick Galifianakis - Former Congressman (D-NC)
• George Gekas - Former Congressman (R-PA)
• Ray Hnatyshyn - Governor-General of Canada (1990–1995)
• Michael Huffington - Former Congressman and Senatorial candidate (R-CA)
• Johnny Joannou - member of Virginia House of Delegates (D-79)
• Nicholas Mavroules - Former Congressman (D-MA) [29][30]
• Paul Sarbanes - US Senator (D-MD)
• Andrew S. Shandro - Alberta MLA (Lib)
• Dean Skelos - New York State Senate Majority Leader (R)
• Olympia Snowe - US Senator (R-ME); Attended St. Basil's Academy [31]
• George Tenet - Former CIA Director [32]
• Paul Tsongas - Late US Senator and Presidential candidate (D-MA) [33]
• John N. Wozniak - member of Pennsylvania Senate (D-35)

Europe / Middle East

• Michel Aflaq - Founder of Baathism
• Miron Cristea - first patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church and Prime Minister for about a year
• Constantine Karamanlis - First Prime Minister of the Third Hellenic Republic, Former President of Greece (ND)
• Boris Tadić - President of Serbia
• Kostas Karamanlis - Prime Minister of Greece (ND)
• Vojislav Koštunica - former Prime Minister of Serbia.
• Leonid Kuchma - former President of Ukraine.
• Makarios III - President of Cyprus
• Dmitry Medvedev - President of Russia
• Fan S. Noli - Albanian-Orthodox bishop and briefly prime-minister of Albania
• Tassos Papadopoulos - President of Cyprus
• Andreas Papandreou - Former Prime Minister of Greece (PASOK)
• Vladimir Putin - Prime Minister of Russian & Former President of Russia
• Fyodor Rtishchev
• Viktor Yanukovych - Prime Minister of Ukraine.
• Eleftherios Venizelos - Former Prime Minister of Greece
• Viktor Yushchenko - President of Ukraine.
• Constantin Zureiq - Early Arab nationalist leader

Scientists

• Anthemius of Tralles, an architect who designed the Hagia Sophia.
• Abram Samoilovitch Besicovitch, mathematician.
• Nikolay Bogolyubov (1909–1992), theoretical physicist and mathematician.
• Theodosius Dobzhansky – Nothing in Biology Makes Sense Except in the Light of Evolution concerns the religious reader.
• Pavel Florensky – Worked on Dielectrics and theodicy.
• Alexander Friedmann – Discovered the expanding universe solution to the Einstein field equations.
• Sergei Korolev – Designed the R-7 rocket which launched the Space Age on October 4, 1957.
• Dmitri Mendeleev – Noted chemist.
• Josif Pančić (convert)
• Ivan Pavlov – His father was a Russian Orthodox priest and Ivan Pavlov was enrolled in the seminary before reading The Origin of Species [34].
• John Philoponus – "Christian philosopher, scientist, and theologian" [35].
• Alexander Popov – Inventor of radio. Son of a priest; planned to study in the seminary.
• Michael I. Pupin – Famous physicist.
• Nikola Tesla – Serbian scientist, inventor of AC and radio. He was Serbian Orthodox as a child in least since his father was a priest.[36]

Writers/philosophers

• Nikolai Berdyaev – Russian Orthodox Christian existentialist
• Metropolitan Anthony (Bloom) of Sourozh – A bishop and writer.
• Michael Choniates – Byzantine writer and ecclesiastic
• Fyodor Dostoevsky – Many of his novels, like The Idiot and The Brothers Karamazov, have specific Russian Orthodox themes
• Jim Forest – Writer, peace activist and lay theologian
• Alexander Galich – Russian Jewish convert who wrote poems and screenplays. (Also joined the National Alliance of Russian Solidarists)
• Ivan Ilyin – Slavophile, wrote Axioms of Religious Experience
• Ivan Kireevsky – often considered the father of Russian and Slavophile philosophy.
• Konstantin Pobedonostsev
• Seraphim Rose(convert) – Monk
• Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn – Russian Orthodox novelist
• Richard Swinburne – Christian philosopher and convert to Orthodoxy late in life
• Timothy Ware – A bishop and writer.
• Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin – Russian author of the Romantic era who is considered by many to be the greatest Russian poet and the founder of modern Russian literature.
• Nikolai Vasilievich Gogol – considered the father of modern Russian realism, but at the same time, his work is very much in the genre of romanticism.

Theologians and clergy

Gregory the Wonderworker, an early bishop of Neocaesarea.

• Michael Apostolius
• Basil of Caesarea – One of the Three Holy Hierarchs and a Doctor of the Church in Catholicism
• Georges Florovsky
• Charles Sydney Gibbes – English tutor of the Romanov children.
• Michael Glycas – also a historian and poet
• Thomas Hopko
• Archbishop Iakovos – former Leader of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America
• John of Kronstadt – Archpriest
• Jeremias II – Patriarch of Constantinople
• John Chrysostom – One of the Three Holy Hierarchs and a Doctor of the Church in Catholicism
• John of Shanghai and San Francisco
• John of Tobolsk
• Konstantin of Murom
• Cyril Lucaris – Crypto-Protestant Patriarch of Constantinople
• John Anthony McGuckin – Priest and professor, originally a Latin rite Catholic, but he changed to the Romanian Orthodox tradition.
• Alexander Men
• John Meyendorff
• Metropolitan Gerasimos – Metropolitan Bishop of San Francisco
• Peter Mohyla
• Gregory Nazianzus – One of the Three Holy Hierarchs and a Doctor of the Church in Catholicism
• Nicholas of Japan
• Gregory Palamas
• Grigol Peradze – Patristics, also a historian.
• Maximus Planudes
• Justin Popović
• Sergius of Radonezh
• Alexander Schmemann
• Gennadius Scholarius
• George Scoulos – Greek Orthodox priest
• Victor Sokolov – Archpriest and Soviet dissident journalist
• Theophan the Recluse
• Patriarch Tikhon of Moscow – Martyr
• Joseph Volotsky – Theologian/saint.
• Bishop Savas of Troas – Director of the Office of Society and Culture of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America

Fools for Christ

• Basil Fool for Christ
• Nicholas Salos of Pskov
• Xenia of Saint Petersburg

Sources

On the politics section the main source is Political Graveyard: Eastern Orthodox Politicians.

For other sections Adherents.com Famous Adherents Eastern Orthodox Christians and NNDB.com were used. As these are unreliable additional searches on each individual were used for verification.^{[citation needed]}

See also

• List of Byzantine Empire-related topics
• List of children of Orthodox priests
• List of Orthodox dioceses and archdioceses
• List of current patriarchs
• OrthodoxWiki
• Portal:Eastern Christianity