List of people from San Jose, California

This is a list of notable people from San Jose, California. It includes people who were born/raised in, lived in, or spent portions of their lives in San Jose, or for whom San Jose is a significant part of their identity, as well as music groups founded in San Jose. This list is in alphabetical order by surname.

Actors and entertainment industry

Akhil Akkineni, Indian-American actor who predominantly works in the Telugu film Industry of India
Elisa Marina Alvarado, Chicana director, actress, educator, recipient of Cornerstone of the Arts award, born in San Jose
Frank Bacon, actor, playwright and father of Lloyd Bacon, raised in San Jose and lived there for 17 years
Lloyd Bacon, Hollywood director, son of actor Frank Bacon, born in San Jose
Adrienne Barbeau, actress, attended Del Mar High School class of 1963
Calum Best, British television personality, son of footballer George Best, born in San Jose
Brett Dalton, actor, born in San Jose
Rosanna DeSoto, actress, born in San Jose
Dustin Diamond, child actor, known as Screech from Saved By The Bell, born in San Jose
Ricco Fajardo, voice actor in Danganronpa 3: The End of Hope's Peak High School and various anime, TV actor, born in San Jose
Phillip Garcia, actor, born in San Jose
Renée Elise Goldsberry, actress, known for originating the role of Angelica Schuyler in the Broadway musical Hamilton, born in San Jose
Michael Gough, voice actor, born in San Jose
Farley Granger, actor, best known for Strangers on a Train, born in San Jose
Nick Groff, paranormal investigator and television personality, born in San Jose
Krazy George Henderson, cheerleader, inventor of "The Wave", sports entertainment
Josh Holloway, actor, Lost, born in San Jose
Fran Jeffries, singer and actress, born in Palo Alto
Anjelah Johnson, comedian, born in San Jose
Jeannie Mai, TV personality, talk show host, fashion expert, makeup artist, born in San Jose
Peverell Marley, Oscar-nominated, Golden Globe-winning cinematographer, born in San Jose
Charles Martinet, actor and voice actor, best known for providing the voice of Nintendo's Mario, born in San Jose
Candi Milo, voice actress, born in San Jose
Linda Park, actress, originally from Seoul, South Korea and raised in San Jose
Miguel Perez, actor, born in San Jose
Ernie Reyes Jr., actor and martial artist, born in San Jose
Diane Rodriguez, theatre director, actor, writer, born in San Jose
Gabriela Sepúlveda, singer and actress, Jenni Rivera: Mariposa De Barrio, born in San Jose
Kurtwood Smith, actor, That '70s Show
Smothers Brothers, musical comedy duo and actors
Dave Tatsuno, Japanese-American internment camp resident who made amateur film Topaz, about camp life
Kathy Uyen, actress and producer for Vietnamese cinema, born in San Jose
Luis Valdez, playwright and director
Kung Fu Vampire, musician, also on the Discovery Channel's Oddities, born in San Jose
Kate Walsh, actress, born in San Jose

Artists

Comics and zines

Brent Anderson, comic artist with DC Comics, born in San Jose
Jan Eliot, comic artist of Stone Soup, born in San Jose
Julia Kaye, comic artist of Up and Out, illustrator, raised in San Jose
Jhonen Vasquez, creator of alternative comics for Slave Labor Graphics and Invader ZIM, born in San Jose

Mixed media

Susan O'Malley, public art, museum curation, and author, raised in San Jose

Painters

Lucy Bacon, impressionist painter, lived in San Jose 1898–1909, taught at the Washburn Preparatory School
James Caprell, fine artist, born in San Jose
Ernest de Saisset, portrait artist
Chris Johanson, fine artist, part of the Mission School art movement, born in San Jose
Suzanne Scheuer, painter known for her New Deal-era murals, born in San Jose
Herman Volz, fine artist, worked with the Federal Art Project, lived in San Jose 1960–1990, died in San Jose

Photographers

Bill Owens, photographer and photojournalist documenting suburbia, born in San Jose

Sculptors

Ruthadell Anderson, sculptor, fiber artist, textile artist; born in San Jose and attended San Jose State University
Therese May, fine art quilting, lived in San Jose

Athletes

thumb|180px|[[Peggy Fleming]]

thumb|270x270px|[[Naomi Girma]]

Yorgo Alexandrou, Olympic bobsledder for Armenia (two-man bobsleigh, 2002 Salt Lake City), born and raised in San Jose
Damián Alguera, soccer player
Mike Avery, soccer player, coach, and athletic director
Chidobe Awuzie, NFL player, born in San Jose
Scott Baker, Major League Baseball player, born in San Jose
Isaias Bardales Jr., soccer player
Amir Bashti, soccer player
Bayley, WWE wrestler
Steven Beitashour, soccer player
Isaác Brizuela, soccer player
Steve Caballero, professional skateboarder, born in San Jose
Angelo Caloiaro (born 1989), American-Italian basketball player in the Israeli Basketball Premier League
Ken Caminiti, pro baseball player (San Jose State), 1996 NL MVP
Rich Campbell, NFL player, played high school football in San Jose
Mark Canha, baseball player, born in San Jose
John Carlos, Olympic silver medalist, 200m (1968 Mexico City); track and field athlete; pro football player
Andre Carter, pro football player
Brandi Chastain, soccer player, World Cup champion, born in San Jose
Amy Chow, Olympic gold medalist in gymnastics (1996), born in San Jose
Kay Cockerill, professional golfer, born in San Jose
Jerry Coleman, decorated combat pilot, MLB player and manager, Ford Frick Award-winning sportscaster, born in San Jose
Sam Delaplane (born 1995), professional baseball pitcher
Adisa De Rosario, soccer player
Polina Edmunds, Olympic figure skater

thumb|180px|[[Shawn Green]]

Herman Edwards, NFL player, coach, TV commentator
Jon Fitch, UFC fighter
Peggy Fleming, 1968 Winter Olympics figure skating gold medalist, born in San Jose
CJ Fodrey, soccer player
Rudy Galindo, national champion figure skater, born in San Jose
Jeff Garcia, pro football quarterback (San Jose State)
Jeremy Giambi, baseball player, born in San Jose
Naomi Girma, soccer player for the United States
Aaron Gordon, player for the Denver Nuggets and brother of Drew Gordon, born in San Jose
Drew Gordon, player for the Philadelphia 76ers and brother of Aaron Gordon, born in San Jose
Shawn Green, MLB 2-time All-Star outfielder
Kyle Harrison (born 2001), baseball pitcher for the San Francisco Giants
Dany Heatley, pro hockey player, San Jose Sharks

thumb|180px|[[Patrick Tillman]]

Mike Holmgren, NFL coach and executive
Cass Jackson, former college football head coach, one of the first African-American head football coaches at a predominantly white college (Oberlin College)
John Johnson, NBA basketball, First Team All American at the University of Iowa, lived and died in San Jose
Brent Jones, football player, Santa Clara University, San Francisco 49ers, three-time Super Bowl champion, born in San Jose
James Jones, pro football player (San Jose State), Green Bay Packers, Oakland Raiders, born in San Jose
Carney Lansford, pro baseball player, Oakland A's, 1989 World Series champion, 1981 A.L. batting champion, born in San Jose
Cung Le, Vietnamese mixed martial arts fighter, three-time Sanshou bronze medalist
Joe Leonard, automobile and motorcycle champion
Beau Leroux, soccer player
Roger Maltbie, professional PGA golfer and NBC Sports On Air golf analyst
Patrick Marleau, pro hockey player, San Jose Sharks
Jake McGee, baseball player
Kyle McLaren, pro hockey player San Jose Sharks
Tommy Medica, baseball player, born in San Jose
Marty Mornhinweg, NFL player and coach
Evgeni Nabokov, pro hockey player, San Jose Sharks
James Nunnally (born 1990), professional basketball player for Maccabi Tel Aviv of the Israeli Basketball Premier League and the Euroleague, and formerly in the NBA, born in San Jose
Brian Oldfield, athlete, world and American record holder in shot put
Jesús Padilla, soccer player for Chivas de Guadalajara, born in San Jose
Jim Plunkett, quarterback, Stanford University, 1970 Heisman Trophy winner, Oakland Raiders, two-time Super Bowl champion (SB XV MVP), born in San Jose
John Powell, two-time Olympic bronze medalist (1976 Munich, 1984 L.A.), discus throw
Dave Righetti, baseball player; 1981 A.L. Rookie of the Year (N.Y. Yankees); pitched no-hitter on July 4, 1983; San Francisco Giants pitching coach, born in San Jose
Ricco Rodriguez, mixed martial artist, UFC and ADCC champion, born in San Jose
Frank Shamrock, MMA fighter
Tommie Smith, Olympic gold medalist - 200m (1968 Mexico City), track and field athlete (San Jose State), pro football player
Dave Stieb, pro baseball pitcher
Carl Sullivan, football player, born in San Jose
Mike Swain, Olympic gold medalist, four-time Olympian, San Jose State judo coach
Mike Swick, UFC fighter
Debi Thomas, Olympic figure skater, grew up in San Jose
Josh Thomson, mixed martial artist and model, born in San Jose
Joe Thornton, pro hockey player, San Jose Sharks
Pat Tillman, pro football player and decorated Army Ranger, born in San Jose
Loren Toews, pro football player
Yosh Uchida, businessman, educator, contributor to San Jose State judo team, born in San Jose
Cain Velasquez, MMA fighter
Dick Vermeil, college and pro football head coach, Super Bowl champion (St. Louis Rams, 1999)
Aly Wagner, retired soccer player
Bill Walsh, college and pro football head coach, three-time Super Bowl champion (San Francisco 49ers)

Business leaders and entrepreneurs

Gurbaksh Chahal, entrepreneur
Andy Dinh, entrepreneur and professional gamer, born in San Jose
Amadeo Peter Giannini, founder of Bank of America, born in San Jose
Peter Ueberroth, sports and business executive, San Jose State University alumnus
Steve Wozniak, co-founder of Apple Inc., born in San Jose
Jerry Yang, co-founder of Yahoo!

Chefs

Angela Dimayuga, internationally known chef born and raised in San Jose

Dancers

Mythili Kumar, South Indian traditional dancer of Bharatanatyam, resides in San Jose, founder of Abhinaya Dance School of San Jose
Yuriko Kikuchi (née Amemiya), worked with the Martha Graham Dance Company, born in San Jose

Designers

Mai Kitazawa Arbegast, landscape architect, born in San Jose
Kate Bartholomew (1868–1951), created the "Jazz Cap"
Scott Campbell, video game concept artist for LucasArts then Double Fine Productions, art director, comic artist and illustration, born and raised in San Jose
Theodore Lenzen, Prussian-born architect, active in San Jose
Joe Murray, animator, born in San Jose
Emily Williams, pioneering female architect in the 20th century, attended California State Normal School (later known as SJSU)

Educators

Peter William Cassey, African-American 19th-century school founder, deacon, minister, educator, abolitionist, and political activist
Henry Suzzallo, educator; president of the University of Washington

Musicians and bands

Anohni, frontwoman of Antony and the Johnsons
Antwon, rapper, lives in San Jose
Ashe, singer, born in San Jose
Bassnectar, DJ and electronic music producer
Louie Bellson, professional drummer
Tommy Castro, blues, rock
Charizma, rapper, born in San Jose
Count Five, garage rock band, formed in San Jose
John "Sean" Byrne, musician with Count Five, lived in San Jose
Irene Dalis, opera singer, founder of Opera San Jose, born in San Jose
Jimmy DeGrasso, heavy metal drummer
DJ Shadow, born Joshua Davis, instrumental hip-hop DJ, born in San Jose
The Doobie Brothers, rock band
Tom Johnston, lived in San Jose with the Doobie Brothers
Duster, indie rock band
Kawaii Rapper, Bandlab rapper born in San Jose
Fleetwood Mac, rock band
Lindsey Buckingham, musician with Fleetwood Mac
Stevie Nicks, singer and musician with Fleetwood Mac
Getter, DJ, electronic music producer and rapper
Heavy Heavy Low Low, metal band formed in San Jose
The Holdup, reggae and hip hop band formed in San Jose
Greg Kihn, rock musician and radio DJ
Kung Fu Vampire, rapper from San Jose
Los Tigres del Norte, Mexican band formed in San Jose
Laura Mam, musician and music industry entrepreneur
Bryan Mantia, drummer for Primus and Guns N' Roses, born in San Jose
Kamtin Mohager, lead musician for The Chain Gang of 1974
No Use for a Name, band
Matt Riddle, bassist of No Use for a Name, born in San Jose
Tony Sly, lead singer and guitarist of No Use for a Name, born in San Jose
Peanut Butter Wolf, disc jockey and producer from San Jose
Nikki Sixx, bassist for Mötley Crüe, born in San Jose
Sleep, doom metal band formed in San Jose
Smash Mouth, pop-rock band formed in San Jose
Snow Tha Product, rapper, born in San Jose
Skip Spence, co-founder of Moby Grape
Stone Temple Pilots, band
Eric Kretz, drummer for Stone Temple Pilots, Talk Show, and Spiralarms, born in San Jose
Scott Weiland, vocalist for Stone Temple Pilots, Velvet Revolver, Camp Freddy, The Wondergirls, Art of Anarchy, and The Magnificent Bastards, born in San Jose
Sunami, hardcore punk band
Syndicate of Sound, garage rock band formed in San Jose
Traxamillion, rapper
Xiu Xiu (band), avant-garde band formed in San Jose
Yvette Young, singer/songwriter, guitarist/front-woman of Covet
Kim Yubin, member of South Korean girl group Wonder Girls

Politicians, civil servants, and activists

Ben Nighthorse Campbell, U.S. senator from Colorado, SJSU graduate
César Chávez, labor leader and civil rights activist
C. C. Cottrell, California State Assembly member 1933–1939
Nathan Damigo, founder of Identity Evropa, an American neo-Nazi and white supremacist organization, grew up in San Jose
Don Edwards, U.S. representative from California 1963–1995, born in San Jose
Thomas Fallon, soldier, mayor of San Jose
Ron Gonzales, mayor of Sunnyvale and San Jose
Dale Ho (born 1977), U.S. district judge of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York
Mike Honda, U.S. representative
Sherman Otis Houghton, mayor of San Jose, U.S. representative
Sam Liccardo, U.S. representative, former mayor of San Jose and San Jose city councilor
Zoe Lofgren, U.S. representative
Norman Mineta, mayor of San Jose, United States Secretary of Transportation, United States Secretary of Commerce, born in San Jose
Michael A. Rice, biologist and Rhode Island politician, born in San Jose
Iola Williams, politician and civil rights activist, first African-American to serve on San Jose City Council (1979–1991), vice mayor of San Jose for two terms

Scientists

Paul André Albert, scientist and pioneering metallurgist with IBM, and founder of ACI Alloys
Edgar F. Codd, computer scientist
Dian Fossey, primatologist, SJSU graduate
Dudley R. Herschbach, winner of the 1986 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, born in San Jose
Michio Kaku, physicist, born in San Jose

Writers

Reza Aslan, Iranian-American author, religious studies scholar, producer, and television host; attended Del Mar High School (class of 1990)
Raymond Carver, short story writer and poet
Carolyn Cassady, author of the Beat Generation, lived in San Jose
Neal Cassady, author of the Beat Generation, Merry Pranksters member, inspiration for character Dean Moriarty in Jack Kerouac's novel On The Road, lived in San Jose
Kate Elliott, novelist
Khaled Hosseini, best-selling novelist, author of The Kite Runner, lived in San Jose
Wayne Koestenbaum, artist, poet, and cultural critic
William Lewis Manly, pioneer, hero, banker, and author of Death Valley in '49
Viet Thanh Nguyen, author of The Sympathizer, winner of the 2016 Pulitzer Prize in Fiction; attended Bellarmine College Preparatory
James Wesley Rawles, novelist
Al Ruffo, mayor of San Jose
Kay Ryan, poet, former Poet Laureate of the United States, born in San Jose
Amy Tan, best-selling novelist, author of The Joy Luck Club
Louis Theroux, English documentary filmmaker, journalist and broadcaster
Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston, author of the memoir Farewell to Manzanar, attended high school and college in San Jose
Tad Williams, author of the Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn series

Journalists

Francis B. Murdoch, founder and publisher of the San Jose Weekly Telegraph (1853–1860) and the San Jose Weekly Patriot (1863–1875)
Vicky Nguyen, NBC News anchor

Other

Susan Atkins, convicted murderer, Manson Family member
Joey Chestnut, competitive eater
Jason Dahl, captain of United Airlines Flight 93 on September 11, 2001, born in San Jose
Bob Fernandez, veteran, one of the last known survivors of the attack on Pearl Harbor.
David Marius Guardino, psychic
Henry Morris Naglee, U.S. Civil War general and served in the Mexican–American War
Matt Stonie, competitive eater, born in San Jose
Rick Warren, Baptist evangelical Christian pastor and author
Sarah Winchester, heiress to the Winchester Rifle Company, occultist, architect to the Winchester Mystery House, lived in San Jose