List of Welsh Americans
This is a list of notable Welsh Americans , 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 Welsh American or must have references showing they are Welsh American and are notable.
List
Fine art
Earl W. Bascom (1906–1995), western artist, sculptor, and inventor; "cowboy of cowboy artists"; "father of modern rodeo"[ 1]
Entertainment
Jessica Alba (born 1981), movie actress, distant Welsh ancestry
Alexis Arquette (1969–2016), movie actress, distant Welsh ancestry
David Arquette (born 1971), movie actor and TV director, distant Welsh ancestry
Patricia Arquette (born 1968), movie and TV actress, distant Welsh ancestry
Rosanna Arquette (born 1959), movie actress, distant Welsh ancestry
Michael Aston (born 1964), born in Cornelly, musician
Andrea Bowen (born 1990), actor
Erika Christensen (born 1982), actress, distant Welsh ancestry
Kelly Clarkson (born 1982), singer, distant Welsh ancestry[ 2]
Daniel Craig (born 1969), actor
Miley Cyrus (born 1992), singer and actress
Bette Davis (1908–1989), two-time Academy Award-winning actress of stage, screen and television; distant Welsh ancestry[ 3]
Billy De Wolfe (1907–1974), actor, mother was Welsh
Thomas Dekker (born 1987), actor, mother is Welsh
Michael Douglas (born 1944), actor, distant Welsh ancestry
Leslie Easterbrook (born 1949), actress, distant Welsh ancestry
Bill Evans (1929–1980), jazz pianist / composer[ 4]
Chris Evans (born 1981), actor, Welsh paternal great-great grandfather
Sara Evans (born 1971), country music singer
Alice Eve (born 1982), actress
Glenn Ford (1916–2006), film actor[ 5]
G-Eazy , (born 1989), rapper
Carson Grant (born 1950), actor[ 6]
D. W. Griffith (1875–1948), early film director [ 7]
Teri Hatcher (born 1964), actress and writer, distant Welsh ancestry
Sitara Hewitt (born 1981), actress
Bob Hope (1903–2003), actor/comedian, mother was Welsh[ 8]
Anthony Hopkins (born 1937), born in Port Talbot, Glamorgan; Academy Award-winning film/stage actor[ 9]
John Houseman (1902–1988), film producer
Anjelica Huston (born 1951), actress, distant Welsh ancestry
John Goodman (born 1952), actor & voice actor, distant Welsh ancestry
John Huston (1906–1987), film director, screenwriter and actor, distant Welsh ancestry
Quincy Jones (1933–2024), record producer, conductor, arranger, film composer, television producer, and trumpeter, Welsh paternal grandfather[ 10]
Rashida Jones (born 1976), actress, Welsh paternal great-grandfather[ 10]
Tommy Lee Jones (born 1946), actor, Welsh father[ 11]
Jon Langford (born 1957), musician and artist
Tommy Lee (born 1963), drummer for hard rock /heavy metal band Mötley Crüe
Zachary Levi (born 1980), actor, distant Welsh ancestry
Ted Levine (born 1957), actor, mother was part Welsh[ 12]
Blake Lewis (born 1981), American Idol contestant and singer [ 13]
Juliette Lewis (born 1973), actress and singer[ 14]
Harold Lloyd (1893–1971), actor[ 15]
Myrna Loy (1905–1993), actress[ 16]
Marco Marenghi , animator, born in Rhondda
Kelly McGillis (born 1957), actress, distant Welsh ancestry
Ray Milland (1905–1986), actor[ 17]
Wayne Newton (born 1942), distant Welsh ancestry
Leslie Nielsen (1926–2010), actor, Welsh mother
Ninja (Tyler Blevins) (born 1991), Twitch streamer, distant Welsh ancestry
The Osmonds , including Donny Osmond (born 1957), half of the brother-sister singing act Donny & Marie ; of part Welsh descent, traced their ancestry back to Merthyr Tydfil [ 18]
Karyn Parsons (born 1966), actress, Fresh Prince of Bel Air , Welsh descent on father's side
Michelle Pfeiffer (born 1958), actress, distant Welsh ancestry[ 19]
Brian Pillman (1962–1997), professional wrestler, mother was Welsh[ 20]
Chris Pine (born 1980), actor, distant Welsh ancestry
Kim Richards (born 1964), actress, distant Welsh ancestry
Kyle Richards (born 1969), actress, distant Welsh ancestry[ 21]
Monica Richards (born 1965), author and musician
Catherine Zeta-Jones (born 1969), born in Swansea, Glamorgan; actress
Katherine Jenkins (born 1980), born in Neath, Glamorgan; singer
Jason Robards (1922–2000), actor, distant Welsh ancestry
Eric Roberts (born 1956), actor, distant Welsh ancestry
Julia Roberts (born 1967), actress, distant Welsh ancestry[ 22]
Coco Rocha (born 1988), Canadian model of Welsh, Irish, and Russian descent
Gena Rowlands (1930–2024), actress, father was of Welsh descent
Susan Sarandon (born 1946), Oscar-winning actress, distant Welsh ancestry
Brooke Shields (born 1965), actress and model, distant Welsh ancestry
Esperanza Spalding (born 1984), singer/songwriter, distant Welsh ancestry[ 23]
Tiffani Thiessen (born 1974), actress, distant Welsh ancestry[ 24]
Henry Thomas (born 1971), actor, distant Welsh ancestry
Lynda Thomas (born 1981), musician, singer-songwriter
Scott Walker (1943–2019), singer, distant Welsh ancestry
Tuc Watkins (born 1966), actor
Betty White (1922–2021), actress, distant Welsh ancestry[ 25]
Michelle Williams (born 1980), actress, distant Welsh ancestry
Robin Williams (1951–2014), actor, distant Welsh ancestry[ 26]
Chris Williams (actor) , African-American, English and Welsh descent
Vanessa Williams (born 1963), African-American, English and Welch descent
Cassandra Wilson (born 1955), née Cassandra Fowlkes, jazz vocalist; distant Welsh ancestry through her father
Patrick Wilson (born 1973), actor, distant Welsh ancestry[ 27]
Literature
Sinclair Lewis
Ben Bradlee (1921–2014), author, Executive Editor of the Washington Post
Ben Bradlee, Jr . (born 1948), author, journalist, newspaper editor at the Boston Globe
Quinn Bradlee , (born 1982), author
William Dean Howells , realist novelist, literary critic, and playwright, nicknamed "The Dean of American Letters"[ 28]
Grover Jones (1893–1940), playwright, screenwriter
Sinclair Lewis (1885–1951), novelist/playwright[ 29]
Jack London (1876–1916), author[ 30]
Edgar Lee Masters (1868–1950), poet/biographer/dramatist[ 31]
Hillary Monahan , author
Lorin Morgan-Richards (born 1975), author and illustrator[ 32]
Ogden Nash (1902–1971), poet, humorist
Sally Quinn (born 1941), author, first anchorwoman in America
Politics
John Adams (1735–1826), President of the United States , Vice President of the United States [ 33]
John Quincy Adams (1767–1848), President of the United States , Secretary of State [ 33]
John Henry Bowen (1780–1822), U.S. Representative from Tennessee
Martha Hughes Cannon (1857–1932), physician, Utah women's rights advocate and suffragist, first female state senator elected in the United States, member of the Utah Senate from the 6th district (1897–1901)
Bill Cassidy (born 1957), United States Senator from Louisiana [ 34]
Dick Cheney (born 1941), Vice President of the United States (2001–2009)
Cassius Marcellus Clay (1810–1903), abolitionist
Hillary Clinton (born 1947), Secretary of State, U.S. Senator from New York , former First Lady [ 35]
James S. Conway (1796–1855), Governor of Arkansas (1836–1840)[ 36]
Calvin Coolidge (1872–1933), President of the United States , Vice President of the United States [ 35]
John J. Crittenden (1787–1863), Governor of Kentucky
James J. Davis (1873–1947), Secretary of Labor and U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania[ 37]
Jefferson Davis (1808–1889), President of the Confederate States (1862–1865)[ 35]
Alvin Evans (1845–1906), U.S. Representative from Pennsylvania; United States Senator from Iowa
John Floyd (1783–1837), Governor of Virginia
John B. Floyd (1806–1863), Governor of Virginia
William Floyd (1734–1821), United States Declaration of Independence signatory[ 38]
James Garfield (1831–1881), President of the United States[ 33]
Nicholas Gilman (1755–1814), United States Senator from New Hampshire
Button Gwinnett (1735–1777), United States Declaration of Independence signatory[ 39]
Benjamin Harrison (1833–1901), President of the United States[ 35]
William Henry Harrison (1773–1841), President of the United States[ 33]
Charles Evans Hughes (1862–1948), Chief Justice of the United States , Governor of New York [ 40]
Andrew Humphreys (1821–1904), U.S. Representative from Indiana
Andrew A. Humphreys (1810–1883), United States Army officer and Union General in the American Civil War
E. Howard Hunt (1918–2007), CIA Intelligence Officer; a key figure in organizing and participating in the Watergate burglaries
Arthur James (1883–1973), Governor of Pennsylvania
Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826), President of the United States; Vice President of the United States[ 33]
Robert E. Lee (1807–1870), Confederate general[ 41]
Francis Lewis (1713–1802), United States Declaration of Independence signatory[ 38]
Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), President of the United States[ 33]
James Madison (1751–1836), President of the United States[ 35]
John Marshall (1755–1835), statesman, Chief Justice of the United States[ 29]
George Mathews (1739–1812), Governor of Georgia
Henry M. Mathews (1834–1884), Governor of West Virginia
John G. McCullough (1835–1915), Governor of Vermont
James Monroe (1758–1831), President of the United States[ 33]
James Morgan (1756–1822), United States Congressman from New Jersey
Lewis Morris (1726–1798), United States Declaration of Independence signatory[ 38]
Robert Morris (1734–1806), United States Declaration of Independence signatory[ 29]
Patty Murray (born 1950), United States Senator from Washington
Richard Nixon (1913–1994), President of the United States; Vice President of the United States[ 33]
Barack Obama (born 1961), President of the United States[ 42]
P.B.S. Pinchback (1837–1921), Governor of Louisiana
Hugh H. Price (1859–1904), U.S. Representative from Wisconsin
Rodman M. Price (1816–1894), Governor of New Jersey
John H. Pugh (1827–1905), U.S. Representative from New Jersey
Thomas Rees (1925–2003), U.S. Congressman, parents/grandparents from Wales
Ann Romney (born 1949), wife of American businessman and politician Mitt Romney
Theodore Roosevelt (1858–1919), President of the United States; Vice President of the United States[ 33]
Isaac Shelby (1750–1826), Governor of Kentucky[ 43]
Daniel Webster (1782–1852), United States Senator and Secretary of State[ 44]
Thomas Wynne (1627–1691), physician to William Penn ; speaker of the first Pennsylvania Provincial Assembly[ 45]
Industry and business
Howard Hughes
J. P. Morgan
Thomas Henry Blythe (1822–1883), born in Wales, immigrated to San Francisco, best known for using the Colorado River to irrigate large areas of the California and Mexican deserts
Jasper Newton "Jack" Daniel (1849–1911), Tennessee -born founder of Jack Daniel's whiskey
Bob Evans (1918–2007), founder of Bob Evans Restaurants
William Fargo (1818–1881), pioneer expressman
Howard Hughes (1905–1976), pioneering aviator , engineer , industrialist , and film producer
Willard F. Jones (1890–1967), naval architect , Gulf Oil executive
Reese J. Llewellyn (1862–1936), born in Brynamman , Wales, immigrated to San Francisco, later settling in Los Angeles, co-founder and president of Llewellyn Iron Works
J. P. Morgan (1837–1913), banker
Junius Spencer Morgan (1813–1890), banker
Jonathan I. Schwartz (born 1965), president and chief executive officer of CareZone
Howard Stringer (born 1942), businessman and chief executive officer of Sony Corporation[ 46]
Lloyd Tevis (1824–1899), banker
David Thomas (1794–1882), prominent ironmaster and philanthropist during the Industrial Revolution in Pennsylvania [ 47]
Other
Daniel Boone
Meriwether Lewis
Frank Lloyd Wright
Mervyn S. Bennion (1887–1941), Congressional Medal of Honor recipient killed during the Attack on Pearl Harbor ; grandfather was a Welsh immigrant
James Bowie (1796–1836), pioneer and Texas revolutionary[ 48]
Daniel Boone (1734–1820), American pioneer[ 49]
Mary Katherine Campbell (1905–1990), Miss America titleholder 1922 and 1923, first runner-up 1924 [ 50]
Jeffrey Lionel Dahmer , serial killer; father has Welsh ancestry
Hiram Wesley Evans (1881–1966), Imperial Wizard of the "second" Ku Klux Klan , 1922–1939
Lewis Evans (1700–1756), colonial surveyor and geographer[ 51]
Cowboy Morgan Evans (1903–1969), Texas rancher ; 1928 World Series Rodeo Bulldogging champion; competition bull rider ; oil production roughneck ; drilling foreman; oilman
Oliver Evans (1755–1819), inventor[ 29] [ 52]
Murray Humphreys (1899–1965), Chicago mobster, chief political and labor racketeer in the Chicago Outfit during Prohibition[ 53]
Frank James (1843–1915), cowboy/outlaw
Jesse James (1847–1882), cowboy/outlaw
George Jones (1811–1891), New-York Daily Times co-founder[ 29]
John L. Lewis (1880–1969), organized labor union leader[ 29]
Meriwether Lewis (1774–1809), explorer[ 49] [ 54]
Chelsea Manning (born 1987), mother was Welsh
Nate Marquardt (born 1979), MMA fighter, partially Welsh on his mother's side
Daniel Morgan (1736–1802), Brigadier General in the American Revolution in the Continental Army; served in the United States House of Representatives, representing Virginia
Michael Phelps (born 1985), Olympian swimmer, distant Welsh ancestry[ 55]
William Farrand Prosser (1834–1911), Union Colonel in the American Civil War; served in the United States House of Representatives, representing Tennessee
Herbert M. Sauro (born 1960), scientist (UW, Seattle), born in Dyfed
Henry Morton Stanley (1841–1904), journalist/explorer
George Henry Thomas (1816–1870), Union General during the American Civil War[ 56]
Joe Watts (born 1942), gangster and associate of the Gambino crime family ; partially Welsh on his father's side
Frank Lloyd Wright (1867–1959), one of the most prominent and influential architects of the first half of the 20th century[ 29] [ 57]
Elihu Yale (1649–1721), first benefactor of Yale University [ 29] [ 58]
References
^ 150 Famous Welsh Americans, W. Arvon Roberts, 2008
^ "Kelly Clarkson Biography" . Fox News . 1 August 2007.
^ "Bette Davis , just one of the many famous Welsh actors... Bette Davis has Welsh connections from her father Harlow Davies whose family hail from Wales. She even visited Wales when in Britain acting to trace her family roots".
^ Mandel, Howard (2017-01-15). "All About Jazz" . All About Jazz. Retrieved 2017-05-04 .
^ The Dragon Entertains ~100 Welsh Stars~ ; mentioned as one of "100 Welsh Stars"
^ "Bio" (PDF) . carsongrant.net. Retrieved 2021-06-22 .
^ "WalesOnline: News, sport, weather and events from across Wales" . icwales.icnetwork.co.uk .
^ "Welsh Affairs Office, Cardiff" , Embassy of the Unite.d States, London, UK Archived 2006-07-20 at the Wayback Machine "Welsh Americans have helped settle the American frontier, build our cities, and defend our liberty... to the sharp wit of Bob Hope"
^ [1] "classically trained and highly regarded Welsh actor Anthony Hopkins". Gewertz, Ken (February 15, 2001), "Anthony Hopkins hams it up for Hasty" , Harvard University Gazette . Archived 2006-09-04 at the Wayback Machine "Later, at a brief press conference, Hopkins, who was born in Wales, was asked why he recently became an American citizen. 'I've lived here some years. I feel at home in America. I suppose it was a pretty bold decision, but America has been very generous to me. There was a bit of an outburst in the British press. I was branded as some sort of turncoat, but so be it.' "
^ a b [2] "Mr Jones... discovered his father was half Welsh around 15 years ago...." [3] "It's a very special occasion for me because... [it has been] discovered that my father was half-Welsh."
^ "Ancestry site set to trigger visitor boom" . WalesOnline . March 31, 2013. Retrieved March 27, 2023 .
^ Kelly, Dan (28 February 1991). "Ted Levine is not a bad guy. | Miscellany" . Chicago Reader. Retrieved 2017-05-04 .
^ blakelewisfans.org Archived 2007-03-20 at the Wayback Machine : "I was wondering, what is your heritage? Blake: Welsh, German, and Irish. I'm a mutt."
^ [4] [permanent dead link ] "She often refers to her Welsh ancestry."
^ "Paternal great-grandparents were from Wales" . Archived from the original on 2012-07-24.
^ [5] Archived 2007-09-27 at the Wayback Machine included in the book "100 Great Welsh Women " [6] "Although she is of Scotch and Welsh descent, she has been accused of being Egyptian, Chinese, Eurasian and other nationalities."
^ [7] Archived 2007-12-25 at the Wayback Machine "Welsh-born U.S. actor."
^ "South East Wales - BBC News" . BBC News .
^ "Michelle Pfeiffer" . IMDb .
^ Wilken, Dennis (1984). Cincinnati Magazine .
^ "Drama in the City | The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills Blog" . Bravotv.com. 2010-11-11. Retrieved 2017-05-04 .
^ Smolenyak, Megan (27 February 2011). "Julia Roberts Isn't a Roberts" . Huffington Post .
^ "In Conversation with Esperanza Spalding – Jazz.com | Jazz Music – Jazz Artists – Jazz News" . Archived from the original on 2011-09-18. Retrieved 2008-06-13 .
^ "On Air with Ryan Seacrest - News & More from the Live Radio Show" . Ryanseacrest.com. Retrieved 2017-05-04 .
^ Smolenyak, Megan (16 June 2010). "Betty White: White-Hot in Cleveland or Not" . Huffington Post .
^ "Robin Williams talks about rehab and alcoholism" . Monsters and Critics . Archived from the original on 2012-10-12. Retrieved 2012-11-13 .
^ "The Hill Family History" . genealogy.kathihill.com .
^ William Dean Howells (1917) [First published 1916]. "I" . Years of My Youth . Harper & Brothers. Retrieved January 23, 2024 . On my father's side my people were wholly Welsh, except his English grandmother
^ a b c d e f g h [8] Archived 2006-08-21 at the Wayback Machine mentioned as several people who were "Welsh" or "Welsh American"
^ [9] "The illegitimate son of an astrologer and a Welsh farm girl"
^ "22. Indignation Jones. Masters, Edgar Lee. 1916. Spoon River Anthology" . Bartleby.com. Retrieved 2017-05-04 .
^ [10] "The Welsh in America"
^ a b c d e f g h i Williamson, David (October 27, 2017). "The American Presidents with family links to Wales" . walesonline.co.uk . Cardiff , Wales, UK: Media Wales. Retrieved May 23, 2020 .
^ "bill cassidy" . 2016-04-17. Archived from the original on 2016-04-17. Retrieved 2024-03-15 .
^ a b c d e "The Welsh in America" . nawf.wales . Penarth , Wales, UK: North America Wales Foundation. 2016. Archived from the original on May 21, 2020. Retrieved May 23, 2020 .
^ Biographical and Historical Memoirs of Western Arkansas . Illustrated. Chicago and Nashville: The Southern Publishing Company. 1891. pp. 108– 109. LCCN rc01001245 . OCLC 1041626718 . OL 23338025M – via Internet Archive .{{cite book }}
: CS1 maint: others (link )
^ [11] "James J. Davis, a Welsh-born puddler who served as US Secretary of Labor from 1921–1930"
^ a b c [12] Archived 2006-06-26 at the Wayback Machine "Of the four New York signatories, three were Welsh; Lewis Morris, Francis Lewis and William Floyd."
^ "AmericanHeritage.com / WHO'S GOT BUTTON'S BONES?" . Archived from the original on 2007-03-11. Retrieved 2006-07-04 .
^ mentioned as one of several "Welsh Americans" at [13] , "James A. Henretta | Charles Evans Hughes and the Strange Death of Liberal America | Law and History Review, 24.1 | the History Cooperative" . Archived from the original on 2012-03-09. Retrieved 2013-11-24 . "The only child of a pious American Baptist mother and an immigrant Welsh minister"
^ [14] "Robert E. Lee... also were Welsh Americans..."
^ Plante, Bill (July 30, 2012). "Surprising link found in Obama's family tree" . cbsnews.com . Retrieved May 24, 2020 .
^ [15] "General Isaac Shelby (born in 1750), a Maryland-born Welsh American"
^ "Welsh Americans - History, Significant immigration waves, Settlement patterns, Settlement patterns" . www.everyculture.com .
^ [16] Wynne Family history
^ [17] "Welsh-born Howard Stringer"
^ "Archived copy" . Archived from the original on 2004-12-28. Retrieved 2005-01-04 .{{cite web }}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link )
^ Robin Turner (2016-01-20). "The Welsh roots of America's Wild West gunslingers revealed" . Wales Online. Retrieved 2017-05-04 .
^ a b [18] "Meriwether Lewis himself was Welsh American, as was frontiersman Daniel Boone" [19] Archived 2006-06-15 at the Wayback Machine "Daniel Boone’s mother, Sarah Morgan, was a member of a Welsh family that came to Pennsylvania in 1683 and later settled in Gwynedd"
^ [^ "New Beauty Queen Ideal". New York Times. 1922-09-10. "The Ideal Beauty Queen"]
^ "GENUKI: National Library of Wales journals" . Archived from the original on December 30, 2008.
^ [20] "A Welsh-American invented the first automobile"
^ [21] "No Gangster More Bold: Murray Humphreys, the Welsh Political Genius Who Corrupted America"
^ [22] "His great grandfather, Robert Lewis, a Welsh officer in the British Army... The Meriwether family was also Welsh, well connected, and land-rich with sizable holdings near Charlottesville. Lucy's father was a respected friend of Thomas Jefferson."
^ "michael phelps" . Freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com. Archived from the original on 2012-08-08. Retrieved 2017-05-04 .
^ Broadwater, Robert P (2009). General George H. Thomas: a biography of the Union's "Rock of Chickamauga" . McFarland. p. 5. ISBN 978-0-7864-3856-3 . Retrieved 27 April 2011 .
^ [23] "Frank Lloyd Wright was of Welsh ethnic heritage"
^ [24] "Elihu Yale - The Great Welsh American"