List of Estonian Americans
Encyclopedia
This is a list of notable Estonian-American
s, including both original immigrants who obtained American citizenship and their American descendants.
To be included in this list, the person must have a Wikipedia article showing they are Estonian American or must have references showing they are Estonian American and are notable.
Estonian-American
The Estonian Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who are of Estonian ancestry, mainly descendants of people who left Estonia before and especially during World War II...
s, including both original immigrants who obtained American citizenship and their American descendants.
To be included in this list, the person must have a Wikipedia article showing they are Estonian American or must have references showing they are Estonian American and are notable.
Arts and Literature
- Alar Kivilo – member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and SciencesAcademy of Motion Picture Arts and SciencesThe Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is a professional honorary organization dedicated to the advancement of the arts and sciences of motion pictures...
, cinematographer - Kristjan JärviKristjan JärviKristjan Järvi is an Estonian-American conductor. Järvi is the younger son of Neeme Järvi, and the brother of conductor Paavo Järvi and flutist Maarika Järvi....
– symphony conductor - Neeme JärviNeeme JärviNeeme Järvi is an Estonian-born conductor.-Early life:Järvi studied music first in Tallinn, and later in Leningrad at the Leningrad Conservatory under Yevgeny Mravinsky, and Nikolai Rabinovich, among others...
– symphony conductorConductingConducting is the art of directing a musical performance by way of visible gestures. The primary duties of the conductor are to unify performers, set the tempo, execute clear preparations and beats, and to listen critically and shape the sound of the ensemble...
. Moved to the US in 1981 - Paavo JärviPaavo JärviPaavo Järvi is an Estonian-American conductor, and current Music Director of the Orchestre de Paris.Järvi was born in Tallinn, Estonia, to conductor Neeme Järvi and Liilia Järvi. His siblings, Kristjan Järvi and Maarika Järvi, are also musicians...
– current Music Director of the Cincinnati Symphony OrchestraCincinnati Symphony OrchestraAs the fifth oldest orchestra in the United States, the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra has a legacy of fine music making as reflected in its performances in historic Music Hall, recordings, and international tours... - Tõnu KalamTõnu KalamTõnu Kalam is an American orchestral pianist and conductor. He is best known as the music director of the UNC Symphony Orchestra at The University of North Carolina. He is also the current music director of the Longview Symphony Orchestra.-Early years:...
- pianist and symphony conductor - Mark KostabiMark KostabiKalev Mark Kostabi is an American artist and composer.-Early life:Mark Kostabi was born in Los Angeles on November 27, 1960 to Estonian immigrants Kaljo and Rita Kostabi. He was raised in Whittier, California and studied drawing and painting at California State University, Fullerton...
– artist - Paul KostabiPaul KostabiPaul Indrek Kostabi is an American artist, musician, music producer and audio engineer. He is the brother of artist Mark Kostabi....
– artist, music producer - Louis KahnLouis KahnLouis Isadore Kahn was an American architect, based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. After working in various capacities for several firms in Philadelphia, he founded his own atelier in 1935...
– architect, designer of the Salk Institute, Kimbell Art MuseumKimbell Art MuseumThe Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth, Texas, hosts a small but excellent art collection as well as traveling art exhibitions, educational programs and an extensive research library. Its initial artwork came from the private collection of Kay and Velma Kimbell, who also provided funds for a new...
, and others - Bill RebaneBill Rebane"Ito" Rebane is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, and author. He is best known for low budget horror movies such as Twist Craze] and The Giant Spider Invasion....
– film director - Helen Tobias-DuesbergHelen Tobias-DuesbergHelen Tobias-Duesberg was an Estonian-American composer.Helen Tobias was born in New York City on June 11, 1919. Tobias was the youngest daughter of Estonian composer, Rudolf Tobias. She studied music composition at the Tallinn Conservatoire, which is now known as the Estonian Academy of Music...
– composer - Priit VesilindPriit VesilindPriit Juho Vesilind is an Estonian-born American senior writer and photojournalist of National Geographic magazine and an author of nonfiction....
– author, photojournalist
Science
- August KomendantAugust KomendantAugust E. Komendant was a structural engineer and a pioneer in the field of reinforced concrete, which can be used to build stronger and more graceful structures than normal concrete. He was born in Estonia and earned a doctorate in engineering in Germany. After World War II he immigrated to...
– Professor of Architecture at University of PennsylvaniaUniversity of PennsylvaniaThe University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
(1959–74), Structural Engineer for Louis KahnLouis KahnLouis Isadore Kahn was an American architect, based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. After working in various capacities for several firms in Philadelphia, he founded his own atelier in 1935... - Toivo U. Raun, Ph.D – HistorianHistorianA historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
the author of Estonia and the Estonians - Mare Taagepera Ph.D – Senior Lecturer Emeritus, Chemistry School of Physical Sciences, University of California, IrvineUniversity of California, IrvineThe University of California, Irvine , founded in 1965, is one of the ten campuses of the University of California, located in Irvine, California, USA...
, University of TartuUniversity of TartuThe University of Tartu is a classical university in the city of Tartu, Estonia. University of Tartu is the national university of Estonia; it is the biggest and highest-ranked university in Estonia...
EstoniaEstoniaEstonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...
. Honorary Member of the Estonian Chemical Society - Rein TaageperaRein TaageperaRein Taagepera is an Estonian political scientist and politician.- Education :Born in Tartu, Estonia, Taagepera fled from occupied Estonia in 1944. Taagepera graduated from high school in Marrakech, Morocco and then studied physics in Canada and the United States. He received a Ph.D. from the...
Ph.D – Research Professor, Political sciencePolitical sciencePolitical Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
, University of California, IrvineUniversity of California, IrvineThe University of California, Irvine , founded in 1965, is one of the ten campuses of the University of California, located in Irvine, California, USA...
; Professor Emeritus, University of TartuUniversity of TartuThe University of Tartu is a classical university in the city of Tartu, Estonia. University of Tartu is the national university of Estonia; it is the biggest and highest-ranked university in Estonia...
, Estonia - Alar ToomreAlar ToomreAlar Toomre is an Estonian-born astronomer and mathematician who immigrated to the United States in 1949. He is a professor of applied mathematics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology...
, Jüri Toomre – astronomers and mathematicians - Lauri VaskaLauri VaskaLauri Vaska is an Estonian-born chemist who has made noteworthy contributions to organometallic chemistry....
– chemist
Entertainment
- Erika EleniakErika EleniakErika Eleniak is an American Playboy Playmate and actress, perhaps best known for her role in Baywatch as Shauni McClain. She also starred in the films Under Siege and The Beverly Hillbillies.-Early life:...
– Playboy Playmate and actress - Greg GinnGreg GinnGregory Regis Ginn is a guitarist, songwriter, and singer. He is best known for being the leader of and primary songwriter for the hardcore punk band Black Flag, which he founded and led from 1976 to 1986....
– guitarist of Black FlagBlack Flag (band)Black Flag was an American punk rock band formed in 1976 in Hermosa Beach, California. The band was established by Greg Ginn, the guitarist, primary songwriter and sole continuous member through multiple personnel changes in the band... - Mena SuvariMena SuvariMena Alexandra Suvari is an American actress, fashion designer, and model. Shortly after beginning her career as a model, she appeared in guest roles on 1990's television shows such as Boy Meets World and High Incident...
– actress - Miliza KorjusMiliza KorjusMiliza Elizabeth Korjus was an Estonian coloratura soprano opera singer, who later appeared in Hollywood films.-Early life:...
– singer, actress - Johann UrbJohann UrbJohann Urb is an Estonian-American actor and former model.-Biography:Johann was born in Tallinn as a son of a musician Tarmo Urb. At the age of ten Johann moved to live in Finland with his mother and her new Finnish husband. Mostly they stayed in Tampere. When Johann turned 17, he moved to the ...
– actor and former model
Politics
- Aleksander EinselnAleksander EinselnAleksander Einseln is a former commander of the Estonian Defence Forces. He held that position from 4 May 1993 to 4 December 1995.-Biography:...
– former Commander-in-chiefCommander-in-ChiefA commander-in-chief is the commander of a nation's military forces or significant element of those forces. In the latter case, the force element may be defined as those forces within a particular region or those forces which are associated by function. As a practical term it refers to the military...
of the Estonian army (dual U.S. and Estonian citizenship) - Michael Josselson – the secretary general for the Congress for Cultural Freedom
- Jaan LaamanJaan LaamanJaan Karl Laaman grew up in Roxbury, Massachusetts and Buffalo, New York. His family emigrated to the US from Estonia when he was a child. He has a son...
– leftist activist, prisoner - Samuel H. ShapiroSamuel H. ShapiroSamuel Harvey Shapiro was the 34th Governor of Illinois, serving from 1968 to 1969. He was a member of the Democratic Party....
– governorGovernor of IllinoisThe Governor of Illinois is the chief executive of the State of Illinois and the various agencies and departments over which the officer has jurisdiction, as prescribed in the state constitution. It is a directly elected position, votes being cast by popular suffrage of residents of the state....
of IllinoisIllinoisIllinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
. - Edmund S. ValtmanEdmund S. ValtmanEdmund S. Valtman was an Estonian-American editorial cartoonist and winner of the 1962 Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Cartooning....
– political cartoonist