List of Australian Americans
Lists of Americans |
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This is a list of notable Australian Americans, including both original immigrants who obtained American citizenship and their American descendants.
Business
Name | Born – died | Notable for | Connection with Australia | Connection with the United States |
---|---|---|---|---|
Elisabeth Murdoch | 1968– | Businesswoman | born in Australia with a dual citizenship | father is Australian-born Rupert Murdoch |
Ken Ham | 1951– | Founder of the Young Earth Creationist organization Answers in Genesis | born in Australia | resides in the U.S. |
Rupert Murdoch | 1931– | CEO of News Corporation | born in Australia | became naturalized U.S. citizen in 1985 |
Jacques Nasser | 1947– | former CEO of Ford Motors | born in Lebanon but raised in Australia | resides in the U.S. |
Matthew Pritzker | 1982– | investor and businessman | Australian mother | born in the U.S.; American father |
Public service
Name | Born – died | Notable for | Connection with Australia | Connection with the United States |
---|---|---|---|---|
Richard W. Fisher | 1949– | Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas President | Australian-American father | U.S. citizen at birth |
John Henderson | 1925–2010 | blind activist | born in Australia | emigrated to the U.S. with parents as a child |
Martin Indyk | 1951– | former U.S. Ambassador to Israel | British born, Australian raised | U.S. diplomat |
James Wolfensohn | 1933–2020 | former President of the World Bank | born in Australia | naturalized as U.S. citizen in 1980 |
Politics
Name | Born – died | Notable for | Connection with Australia | Connection with America |
---|---|---|---|---|
Mick Bates | 1970– | Member of the West Virginia House of Delegates 2014- | born in Australia | naturalized U.S. citizen |
Harry Bridges | 1901–1990 | International Longshore and Warehouse Union leader | born in Australia | became naturalized U.S. citizen in 1945 |
Jeff Merkley | 1956– | Senator from Oregon | Australian paternal grandmother | born in the U.S. |
Jon Ossoff | 1987– | Senator from Georgia | Australian mother | born in the U.S. |
Gavin Buckley | 1963– | Mayor of Annapolis, Maryland | born in Australia | became naturalized U.S. citizen in 2009 |
Authors
Name | Born – died | Notable for | Connection with Australia | Connection with America |
---|---|---|---|---|
Geraldine Brooks | 1955– | author | born in Australia | father was American; became naturalized U.S. citizen in 2002 |
Prudence Farrow | 1948– | author | Australian father | U.S. born; Irish-American mother |
Jill Ker Conway | 1934–2018 | author & academic | born in Australia | worked in the U.S. |
Sumner Locke Elliott | 1917–1991 | author of Careful, He Might Hear You | born in Australia | moved to the U.S. in 1948 and became naturalized U.S. citizen in 1955 |
Scientists
Name | Born – died | Notable for | Connection with Australia | Connection with America |
---|---|---|---|---|
Bruce Bolt | 1930–2015 | seismologist | born and raised in Australia | naturalized American citizen |
Philip K. Chapman | 1935–2021 | astronaut | born in Australia | emigrated to the U.S. |
Terence James Elkins | 1936– | physicist, 1st ascent of Mount Elkins, 1979 Harold Brown Award recipient | born in Australia | emigrated to the U.S. in 1963; naturalized U.S. citizen in 1971 |
Paul D. Scully-Power | 1944– | oceanographer and astronaut | born in Australia | naturalized U.S. citizen in 1982 |
Andy Thomas | 1951– | astronaut | born in Australia | naturalized U.S. citizen in 1986 |
Elizabeth Blackburn | 1948– | winner of the 2009 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine | born in Australia | naturalized U.S. citizen |
Artists
Name | Born – died | Notable for | Connection with Australia | Connection with America |
---|---|---|---|---|
Pat Oliphant | 1935– | New York Times cartoonist | born in Australia | emigrated to U.S. in 1964 |
Sport
Name | Born – died | Notable for | Connection with Australia | Connection with America |
---|---|---|---|---|
Carsten Ball | 1987– | retired tennis player | Australian father | American-born and resides in the U.S. |
Darren Bennett | 1965– | Australian rules football and American football | born in Australia, played AFL | played NFL |
Jonah Bolden | 1996– | basketball | born in Melbourne | father is American |
Taj Burrow | 1978– | surfing | born in Australia | parents are U.S. citizens |
James Cruikshanks | 1971– | professional wrestling | born in Australia | moved to U.S. as a child |
Taylor Dent | 1981– | tennis | father is Australian Phil Dent | mother is American Betty Ann Grubb Stuart and born in the U.S. |
Leigh Diffey | 1971– | auto racing commentator | born in Australia | became an American citizen in 2011 |
Colin Edwards | 1974– | motorcycle racing | Australian father | born in the U.S. |
Dante Exum | 1995– | basketball | born in Melbourne | American parents |
Luke Hume | 1988– | rugby | born in Australia | Dual citizen to the U.S. and Australia |
Kyrie Irving | 1992– | basketball | born in Melbourne | American parents and Dual Citizen to the U.S. and Australia |
Nia Jax | 1984– | professional wrestler | born in Sydney | grew up in Hawaii |
Jay Johnstone | 1945–2020 | baseball | Australian mother | born in the U.S. |
Robert Machado | 1973– | surfing | born in Sydney | grew up in and lives in California |
David Niu | 1966– | rugby | born in Australia | naturalized U.S. citizen |
Ben Simmons | 1996– | basketball | born in Melbourne, mother is Australian | father is American Dave Simmons[1] |
James Spithill | 1979– | sailing | born in Sydney | married to an American and skippered Oracle Team USA yacht to two victories |
Music
Name | Born – died | Notable for | Connection with Australia | Connection with America |
---|---|---|---|---|
Peter Allen | 1944–1992 | singer-songwriter, musician, and entertainer | born in Tenterfield, New South Wales | lived in the U.S. |
Iggy Azalea | 1990– | rapper | born in Sydney | moved to the U.S. at age 16 |
Nellie Breen | 1897–1986 | dancer and comedian | Australian mother | born in U.S.; American father |
Aaron Brown | 1980– | violinist and composer | raised in Australia | naturalized U.S. citizen |
Brody Dalle | 1979– | singer-songwriter and guitarist | born in Melbourne | lives in the U.S since 1998 |
Sam Farrar | 1978– | member of the pop rock band Maroon 5 | Australian parents | born and raised in Los Angeles |
Flea | 1962– | bassist for Red Hot Chili Peppers | born in Melbourne | lived in the U.S. since age 5 |
Gracie Folds | 1999– | singer-songwriter | mother is Australian; born in Adelaide | lives in the U.S.; father is American Ben Folds |
Ashton Irwin | 1994– | drummer for 5 Seconds of Summer | born in Sydney | father is American; dual citizen to the U.S. and Australia |
MC Lars | 1982– | rapper | father is Australian | born in the U.S. |
Chloe Rose Lattanzi | 1986– | singer, actress | mother was Australian Olivia Newton-John (born in England) | born in the U.S. |
Helen Reddy | 1941–2020 | actress, singer | born in Australia | naturalized U.S. citizen |
Cody Simpson | 1997– | pop singer | born in Gold Coast, Queensland | moved to the U.S. in 2010 |
Rebecca St. James | 1977– | Christian pop rock singer-songwriter | born in Sydney | family moved to the U.S. at age 14; married Cubbie Fink in 2011 |
Rick Springfield | 1949– | singer and actor | born in Sydney | lives in the U.S. |
Mark Stoermer | 1977– | bassist for The Killers | father is Australian | born in the U.S. |
Irwin Thomas | 1971– | singer-songwriter and guitarist | mother was an Australian-born folk singer and dancer; she returned to Australia in 1980, with her son.[2] | born in 1971 in Manhattan, New York City.[3] |
Joseph Twist | 1982– | composer in genres including ancient vocal music, opera, contemporary orchestral music, jazz, musical theatre and cabaret | born in Brisbane; doctorate and master's degrees from University of Queensland, Australian Film, Television and Radio School, and New York University | lives in the U.S. |
Keith Urban | 1967– | country musician | born in New Zealand | naturalized U.S. citizen, married to American-born Australian actress Nicole Kidman, resident of Nashville, Tennessee[4] |
Betty Who | 1991- | musician, singer-songwriter | born in Australia | naturalized U.S. citizen |
Kate Ceberano | 1966- | singer-actress | born in Australia | father born in America Tino Ceberano |
Deni Hines | 1970- | singer-actress | born in Australia | mother born in America Marcia Hines |
John Butler | 1975- | musician, founder John Butler Trio | father is Australian | born in the U.S..; American mother |
Actors/actresses
Name | Born – died | Notable for | Connection with Australia | Connection with America |
---|---|---|---|---|
Simon Baker | 1969– | actor | born in Launceston, Tasmania | moved to the U.S. in the 1990s; has been a dual U.S. and Australian citizen since 2010 |
Jacinda Barrett | 1972– | actress | born in Brisbane | moved to the U.S. in the 1990s; married to U.S. citizen Gabriel Macht and became naturalized U.S. citizen in 2009 |
Billy Bevan | 1887–1957 | actor | born in Orange | |
Cate Blanchett | 1969– | actress | born in Melbourne | American father; dual U.S. and Australian citizen |
Charles Coleman | 1885–1951 | character actor | born in Sydney | |
Bonar Colleano | 1924–1958 | actor | Australian parents | born and lived in the U.S. until he was 12 |
Aisha Dee | 1993– | actress, and singer | born in Australia; Australian mother | father is African American |
Mia Farrow | 1945– | actress | father was Australian | born in the U.S. with dual citizenship |
Errol Flynn | 1909–1959 | actor | born in Hobart | became naturalized U.S. citizen in 1942 |
Leila George | 1992– | actress | born in Sydney; mother is Australian Greta Scacchi | father is American Vincent D'Onofrio; dual U.S. and Australian citizen |
Melissa George | 1976– | actress | born in Australia | moved to U.S. in the 1990s; became naturalized U.S. citizen in 2008[5] |
Mel Gibson | 1956– | actor | paternal grandmother was Australian Eva Mylott | born in the U.S. |
Daniel Goddard | 1971– | actor | born in Sydney | became naturalized U.S. citizen in 2020 |
Robert Greig | 1879–1958 | actor | born in Melbourne | |
Nicholas Hammond | 1950– | actor and director | moved to Australia in the mid-1980s | born in the U.S. |
Penne Hackforth-Jones | 1949–2013 | actress | Australian maternal grandparents | born in the U.S. |
Tim Kazurinsky | 1950– | actor and screenwriter | Australian mother | born in the U.S.; American father |
Nicole Kidman | 1967– | actress | both parents are Australians; raised in Australia | born in the U.S. with dual citizenship |
Laurette Luez | 1928–1999 | actress | Australian mother | American father; born in the U.S. |
Alanna Masterson | 1988– | actress | father is Lebanese Australian Joe Reaiche | born in the U.S.; American mother |
Jordan Masterson | 1986– | actor | father is Lebanese Australian Joe Reaiche | born in the U.S.; American mother |
Julian McMahon | 1968– | actor | born in Australia | naturalized U.S. citizen |
Poppy Montgomery | 1972– | Without a Trace actor | born in Australia | lives and works in the U.S.; dual U.S. and Australian citizen |
Meg Mundy | 1915–2016 | actress | Australian mother | naturalized U.S. citizen |
Sean Murray | 1977– | actor | born in America to an American father and Australian mother; spent some of his childhood in Australia | U.S. citizen |
Keir O'Donnell | 1978– | actor | born in Sydney | moved to the U.S. in the 1980s |
Nathan Parsons | 1988– | actor | born in Australia | naturalized U.S. citizen |
Liesel Pritzker Simmons | 1984– | actress | Australian mother | born in the U.S.; American father |
Emilie de Ravin | 1981– | actress | born in Australia | became naturalized U.S. citizen in 2018 |
Ann Richards | 1917–2006 | actress | born in Australia | moved to the U.S. in 1942; father was a U.S. citizen |
Margot Robbie | 1990– | actress, known for her role as playing Harley Quinn in the DC movie Suicide Squad | born in Australia | moved to and lives in the U.S |
Tristan Rogers | 1946– | General Hospital actor | born in Australia | naturalized U.S. citizen |
Portia de Rossi | 1973– | Ally McBeal actress and wife of Ellen DeGeneres | born in Australia | naturalized U.S. citizen |
Jesse Spencer | 1979– | actor | born in Melbourne, Australia | naturalized U.S. citizen[6] |
Tammin Sursok | 1983– | Home and Away, The Young and the Restless, and Pretty Little Liars actress | born in South Africa, raised in Australia | naturalized U.S. citizen |
Kristen Stewart | 1990– | actress | mother is Australian | born in the U.S. |
Sharni Vinson | 1983– | actress | born in Australia | lives and works in the U.S.; dual U.S. and Australian citizen |
Angela White | 1985– | pornographic actress | born in Sydney | moved to the U.S. in the 2010s |
Alex Winter | 1965– | actor, film director, and screenwriter | Australian father | American mother; dual U.S. and U.K. citizen |
Breanna Yde | 2003– | actress | Australian-born American Actress | born in Sydney, New South Wales |
Jane Badler | 1953– | actress singer | moved to Australia in the mid-80 or 90s | born in the U.S. |
Shannon Kenny | 1968– | actress | born in Australia | moved to the U.S. in the 1990s; married to U.S. citizen Néstor Carbonell |
Claire Holt | 1988– | actress | born in Brisbane | naturalized U.S.citizen |
Makenzie Vega | 1994– | actress | moved to Australia in 2016 | born in the U.S. |
Brooke Harman | 1985– | actress | Australian mother | born in the U.S.; American father |
Ben Lawson | 1980– | actor | born in Brisbane | became naturalized U.S. citizen in 2023 |
Other
Name | Born – died | Notable for | Connection with Australia | Connection with America |
---|---|---|---|---|
Betsy Bloomingdale | 1922–2016 | socialite, philanthropist | parents are Australian | born in the U.S. |
Valda Cooper | 1915–2008 | journalist, one of the first female reporters for the Associated Press | born in Melbourne, Australia | immigrated to the U.S. as an infant |
Savannah Guthrie | 1971– | television journalist, co-anchor of The Today Show | born in Melbourne, Australia | immigrated to the U.S. as an infant |
Bindi Irwin | 1998– | child television/film personality | father was Australian Steve Irwin | mother Terri Irwin is from Oregon, dual U.S. and Australian citizen |
Robert Irwin | 2003– | child television/film personality | father was Australian Steve Irwin | mother Terri Irwin is from Oregon, dual U.S. and Australian citizen |
Elizabeth Jagger | 1984– | model and actress, daughter of Mick Jagger | paternal grandmother was Australian | mother is Jerry Hall; born in the U.S. |
Georgia May Jagger | 1992– | model and actress, daughter of Mick Jagger | paternal grandmother was Australian | mother is Jerry Hall; born in the U.S. |
Laura James | 1990– | fashion model, America's Next Top Model winner | mother is Australian | father is Dynasty actor John James; born in the U.S. |
Thelma Keane | 1926–2008 | negotiated copyrights for The Family Circus, inspiration for the comic's "Mommy" character | born and raised in Queensland | immigrated to the U.S. with her husband, Bil Keane |
Brianna Keilar | 1980– | television journalist for CNN | born in Australia | grew up in Orange County, California |
Soledad O'Brien | 1966– | television journalist | father is Australian | born in the U.S. |
Anne Osborn Krueger | 1934– | economist | Australian father | born in the U.S. |
Katie Patrick | 1980– | environmental spokesperson, entrepreneur | born in Australia | lives in the U.S. |
Terry Tao | 1975– | mathematician, 2006 Fields medalist | born in Australia | won a Fulbright Scholarship in 1992; attained Ph.D. at Princeton in 1996; married an American |
Felicia Taylor | 1964–2023 | television journalist | father was Australian Rod Taylor | born in the U.S. |
Marsha Waggoner | 1940– | champion poker player | born in Australia | lived in the U.S. since 1977 |
Christopher Wilder | 1945–1984 | serial killer | born in Australia | emigrated to the U.S. in 1969; father is a U.S. citizen |
Peta Murgatroyd | 1986– | professional dancer | born in Australia | naturalized U.S. citizen |
References
- ^ Silva De, Chris. "The uncomfortable truth about Australia's relationship with its most famous athlete". wwos.nine.com.au. Retrieved 8 September 2020.
- ^ "Item details for: B44, V1980/48695, Title: Whittridge, Renalda". National Archives of Australia. 31 May 2000. Retrieved 20 May 2016.
- ^ "Irwin Thomas aka Jack Jones | Australian Music Database". www.australianmusicdatabase.com. Retrieved 24 October 2021.
- ^ "Nicole Kidman invites fans inside her lavish living room at Nashville home". 5 April 2020.
- ^ Idato, Michael (16 March 2009). "Entering a grey area". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 16 March 2009.
- ^ White, Jessica (25 April 2023). "Inside the Impressive Life and Career of Chicago Fire's Jesse Spencer". NBC. Retrieved 15 September 2023.