List of Danish Americans

This is a list of notable Danish Americans, including both original immigrants who obtained American citizenship and their American-born descendants.

To be included in this list, the person must have a Wikipedia article showing they are Danish American or must have references showing they are Danish American and are notable.

List

Actors

Jessica Alba, actress, mother is of part Danish descent
Bridgette Andersen, actress^[1]
Robert Anderson, actor, make-up artist and director
Gwili Andre, actress, immigrant from Denmark
Earl W. Bascom, actor, maternal grandfather was from Denmark
Rowan Blanchard, American actress^[2]
Alexis Bledel, actress, paternal grandfather of Danish descent^[3]
Michael Bowen, actor, son of actress Sonia Sorel (née Henius), who is the daughter of Danish-American biochemist Max Henius
Keith Carradine, actor, Danish maternal great-grandfather Max Henius, Danish maternal great-grandmother the sister of historian Johan Ludvig Heiberg
Robert Carradine, actor, brother of actor Keith Carradine
Erika Christensen, actress, father is of part Danish descent^[4]
Hayden Christensen, actor, father is part Danish
Tove Christensen, producer and actor, father is part Danish
Ellen Corby, actress, maiden name was Hansen^[5]
Jamie Lee Curtis, actress, maternal grandmother was born to Danish immigrants
Kelly Curtis, actress, sister of actress Jamie Lee Curtis
Karl Dane, comedian and actor
Eliza Dushku, actress, mother is of mostly Danish descent^[6]
Buddy Ebsen, actor, father was of Danish ancestry^[7]
Ann Forrest, actress, immigrant from Denmark
Lilie Hayward, actress and screenwriter, sister of Danish American actress Seena Owen
Florence Henderson, actress, daughter of Danish American mother
Jean Hersholt, actor, immigrant from Denmark
Maren Jensen, actress and model, father was of Danish ancestry
Scarlett Johansson, actress, father is an immigrant from Denmark^[8]
Ashley Johnson, actress and voice actress
Janet Leigh, actress, mother (Helen Westergaard), was born to Danish immigrants
Deanna Lund, actress
Michael Madsen, actor, father was of Danish ancestry^[9]
Virginia Madsen, actress, father was of Danish ancestry^[10]
John Melendez, entertainer^[11]
Kristine Miller, actress
Viggo Mortensen, actor, father is from Denmark^[12]
Brigitte Nielsen, Danish-born actress
Leslie Nielsen, Danish father
Connie Nielsen, actress
Nica Noelle, pornographic film actress/director (father)^[13]
Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, fashion designers and former actresses (father is of partial Danish and partial Norwegian descent)
Merlin Olsen, actor
Susan Olsen, actress
William Orlamond, actor, immigrant from Denmark
Heather O'Rourke (1975–1988), child actress, mother is of Danish descent
Seena Owen, actress, parents were immigrants from Denmark
William Petersen, actor, paternal grandfather was of Danish ancestry^[14]
Anders Randolf, actor, immigrant from Denmark
AnnaSophia Robb, actress, one or two of her great-grandmothers were Danes
Bodil Rosing (1877–1941), Danish-born actress who had roles in both silent and talkie Hollywood films
Peter Sarsgaard, actor, paternal great-great-grandparents were born in Denmark
Gale Sondergaard, actress^[15]
Amandla Stenberg, actress, Danish father ^[16]
Sven-Ole Thorsen, actor and stuntman, immigrant from Denmark
Uma Thurman, actress, mother is of partial Danish descent
Vanessa Trump, actress and former model, mother of Danish origin
Betty White, actress, Danish paternal grandfather
Elijah Wood, American actor, maternal great-grandmother was of Danish ancestry^[17]
Moon Zappa, actress, mother is of partial Danish ancestry

Architects

Jens Jensen, landscape architect

Artists

Earl W. Bascom, painter and sculptor of the American and Canadian West, "Cowboy of Cowboy Artists", "Dean of Canadian Cowboy Artists"
Gutzon Borglum, sculptor of Mount Rushmore^[18]
Solon Borglum, sculptor of the American West^[19]
C. C. A. Christensen, painter
Floyd Gottfredson, cartoonist, creator of The Phantom Blob and Eega Beeva in the Mickey Mouse universe
Christian Gullager, painter
Antonio Jacobsen, maritime painter
George Jensen, painter
Eric Larson, animator
Ib Penick, paper engineer
Ferdinand Richardt, landscape painter
Olaf Wieghorst, painter, "Dean of Western Art"^[20]

Athletics

Chris "Birdman" Andersen, NBA player, father was a Danish immigrant
Morten Andersen, NFL kicker
Thomas William Asmussen, Major League Baseball catcher
Earl W. Bascom, rodeo pioneer, rodeo champion, rodeo hall of fame inductee, "Father of Modern Rodeo"
Julia Boserup, tennis player, Danish parents
Jay DeMerit, professional soccer player
Niko Hansen, professional soccer player
Jim Jensen, football player
Vern Mikkelsen, basketball player^[21]
Colonel Thomas Hoyer Monstery, fencing and boxing master^[22]
Battling Nelson, professional boxing world lightweight champion 1905–1906, 1908–1910
Josef Newgarden, IndyCar driver, Indianapolis 500 winner
Greg Olsen, football player
Merlin Olsen, football player for Los Angeles Rams, Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee, older brother to Orrin and Phil
Orrin Olsen, football player for Kansas City Chiefs
Phil Olsen, football player for L.A. Rams, Denver Broncos and the Buffalo Bills
Anton Peterlin, soccer player
Henrik Rummel, Danish-born olympic rower
Reed Sorenson, NASCAR driver
Noah Syndergaard, current MLB pitcher for the New York Mets
Alan Voskuil, basketball player for the Danish national team
Kid Williams, professional boxing world bantamweight champion 1914–1917

Journalism

Jack Anderson, journalist
Chris Hansen, television journalist
Sophus Frederik Neble, Danish born editor of Den Danske Pioneer^[23]
Jacob Riis, Danish born journalist

Music

Peter Blegvad, musician
Victor Borge, musician and comedian
Julian Casablancas, The Strokes vocalist
Mose Christensen, symphony conductor^[24]
Alf Clausen, film and television composer
King Diamond, King Diamond lead vocalist
Lars Frederiksen, Rancid vocalist and guitarist^[25]
Dinah Jane, member of Fifth Harmony
Taylor Hanson, musician
Zac Hanson, musician
Otto Harbach, lyricist
Gunnar Johansen, pianist and composer
Morten Lauridsen, composer
Lauritz Melchior, opera singer
M. P. Møller, pipe organ builder
Rick Nielsen, Cheap Trick guitarist
Oh Land (Nanna Øland), singer-songwriter
Iggy Pop, singer-songwriter
Matthew Santos, rock and folk singer-songwriter, musician and painter, mother Danish-born
Tinashe, singer
Mike Tramp, singer-songwriter
Lars Ulrich, Metallica drummer
Eddie Vedder, Pearl Jam singer-songwriter

Politics and law

Lloyd Bentsen, former Democratic senator from Texas, Treasury Secretary, and vice presidential nominee^[26]
Marius Dueholm, Danish born American farmer and politician
Hans Peter Mareus Neilsen Gammel, author of The Laws of Texas 1822–1897^[27]
Newt Gingrich, former Republican Congressman from Georgia from 1979 to 1999, and Speaker of the House from 1995 to 1999.
Leo Hoegh, Decorated U.S. Army officer, lawyer, and politician who served as the 33rd Governor of Iowa from 1955 to 1957
Steny Hoyer, House Minority Whip and former House Majority Leader^[28]
Roger Jepsen, former Republican senator from Iowa
Jo Jorgensen, Libertarian vice presidential candidate of 1996, and presidential candidate of 2020.
Chris Madsen, United States Marshals Service
Janet Reno, Attorney General^[29]
Ted Sorensen, speechwriter and president advisor^[30]
Lis Wiehl, Fox News legal analyst and author^{[citation needed]}

Religious personalities

Anton Marius Andersen, founding President of Trinity Seminary at Dana College^[31]
Kristian Anker, first president of the combined Trinity Seminary and Dana College^[32]
Gottlieb Bender Christiansen, founding President of the United Evangelical Lutheran Church^[33]
Claus Lauritz Clausen, first President of the Conference of the Norwegian-Danish Evangelical Lutheran Church of America^[34]
Theodore Marcus Hansen, President of Dana College and Trinity Seminary
Kristian Ostergaard, Lutheran pastor, educator and author^[35]
Peter Sørensen Vig, President and Professor of Theology at Trinity Seminary at Dana College^[36]
Russell M. Nelson, heart surgeon; President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints^[37]
D. Todd Christofferson, member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints^[38]
Neil L. Andersen, member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints^[39]
Ronald A. Rasband, member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints^[40]

Science

Jens Clausen, evolutionary biologist
Erik Erikson, psychologist
Philo Farnsworth, inventor and television pioneer^[41]
Niels Ebbesen Hansen, Head of the Horticultural Department at South Dakota State University
William Webster Hansen, physicist and one of the founders of microwave electronics technology
Max Henius, biochemist and founder of the Rebild National Park in Denmark^[42]
Theo Holm, botanist
Christine Korsgaard, philosopher
Otto Larsen, sociologist known for academic work in mass hysteria and public positions on obscenity and pornography
Dale T. Mortensen, economist
Jørgen Slots, American professor and researcher, immigrant from Denmark
Holger Thiele, astronomer^[43]

Writers

Poul Anderson, science fiction author
Erik Christian Haugaard, author of children's books
Axel Madsen, writer
Ib Melchior, Danish born film director, science fiction author and screenwriter
Joel Skousen, American author
Mark Skousen, American economist and author
Royal Skousen, American professor
W. Cleon Skousen, American author
Brad Torgersen, science fiction author
Sophus Keith Winther, professor and novelist

Other

Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon, biological father Ted Jorgensen, son of Danish immigrants
Alma de Bretteville Spreckels, philanthropist
John Wayne Gacy (1942–1994), serial killer
Robert Hansen (1939–2014), serial killer known as the "Butcher Baker".
Peter L. Jensen, engineer, inventor and entrepreneur and co-creator of the first moving-coil loudspeaker
Johnson Outboards was founded by the Johnson brothers. Their father, Soren, was born in Denmark.
Semon Knudsen, executive with Ford Motor Company and General Motors
William S. Knudsen, Lieutenant general and executive with Ford Motor Company and General Motors
Christian Mortensen, Danish-born supercentenarian, was longest-lived man on record at the time of his death
Arthur Nielsen, American market analyst of Danish descent who founded the ACNielsen company and Nielsen Media Research, best known for the Nielsen ratings
George Nissen, inventor of the trampoline, was the son of Danish immigrants
Charles E. Sorensen, production engineer and executive with Ford Motor Company
Claus von Bülow, Danish-born socialite accused of killing his wife Sunny

References

^ "IMDb: Bridgette Andersen." Accessed July 18, 2007.
^ "Rowan Blanchard - Biography - IMDb". IMDb. Retrieved 2016-08-08.
^ "Alexis Bledel interview." Accessed July 18, 2007. Archived March 7, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
^ "Erika Christensen interview." Public Servant Lifestyle, June 10, 2006. Accessed July 18, 2007. Archived September 29, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
^ "Racine, Wisconsin Claims to Fame." Accessed July 18, 2007. Archived May 3, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
^ "The Complete Buffy Guide: Faith's Bio/Erika's Bio." Accessed July 18, 2007.
^ Boehme, R. "Buddy Ebsen Biography." Buddy Ebsen Tribute Page, August 2006. Accessed July 18, 2007.
^ Hiller, Jordan. "Interview with Scarlett Johansson." Accessed July 18, 2007. Archived October 4, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
^ IMDb.com: Michael Madsen. Accessed July 18, 2007.
^ Murray, Rebecca. "Virginia Madsen Interview." Accessed July 18, 2007.
^ "John Melendez." ThoughtWorthy. Accessed July 18, 2007. Archived September 27, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
^ Høi, Poul. "Viggo From Hollywood." August 27, 2001. Accessed July 18, 2007.
^ SweetHeartVideo Archived 2011-11-17 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved November 23, 2011.
^ "BuddyTV Profile: William Petersen." Accessed July 18, 2007.
^ ""The Climax." Ladies of Horror. Accessed July 18, 2007". Archived from the original on September 29, 2007. Retrieved July 18, 2007.
^ "Three Great Things: Amandla Stenberg".
^ "1". Archived from the original on 2011-10-12. Retrieved 2010-08-08.
^ "The link from Mount Rushmore to Denmark." Accessed July 18, 2007. Archived May 8, 2006, at archive.today
^ "Solon Hannibal Borglum: Sioux Indian Buffalo Dance." Accessed July 18, 2007. Archived July 9, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
^ "The San Diego Museum of Art Artists Guild - Olaf Wieghorst, Dean of Western Art". www.sdmaag.org. Retrieved 2021-03-27.
^ "Biography recalls Mikkelsen's days with the Minneapolis Lakers." Minnesota Public Radio, October 12, 2006. Accessed July 18, 2007.
^ "Monstery, Thomas Hoyer." Beadle and Adams Dime Novel Digitization Project. Accessed July 18, 2007. Archived September 1, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
^ "The Danish-Language Press in America" (Marion Marzolf. Norwegian-American Historical Association. Volume 28: Page 274) Archived 2010-06-10 at the Wayback Machine
^ Giffin, Glenn. "The Christensen Brothers: An American Dance Epic." Dance Magazine, March 2000. Accessed July 18, 2007. Archived September 29, 2004, at the Wayback Machine
^ ""Lars Frederiksen - Biography." Rancid Online. Accessed July 18, 2007". Archived from the original on September 28, 2007. Retrieved July 18, 2007.
^ "Multicultural America: Danish Americans." Accessed July 18, 2007.
^ "H.P.N. Gammel : Texas bookman" (by Dorothy Gammel Bohlender, Frances Tarlton McCallum)
^ Hartley, Allegra. "Ten Facts About Rep. Steny Hoyer of Maryland." U.S. News & World Report, November 13, 2006. Accessed July 18, 2007.
^ "Remarks of the Honorable Janet Reno Attorney General of the United States at Ceremonies Marking the Swearing in of Members of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Council." December 8, 1998. Accessed July 18, 2007.
^ "Kennedy and the Promise of the Sixties." Accessed July 18, 2007.
^ A. M. Andersen, Pioneer Pastor, First President (Dana College Review
^ "Kristian Christian Cyclopedia. The Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod". Archived from the original on 2009-08-21. Retrieved 2009-08-28.
^ Christian Cyclopedia. The Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod Archived 2009-09-01 at the Wayback Machine
^ Biography of Rev. Claus L. Clausen. (Pike, Kathy McAlister. edited by K. L. Kittleson. Mitchell County, Iowa 2004)
^ Kristian Ostergaard's A Merchant's House (by John Mark Nielsen. University of Nebraska - Lincoln)
^ Peter Sorenson Vig, 1854-1929. Nebraska State Historical Society^[usurped]
^ "Elder Nelson remembers ancestors at Ephraim Scandinavian Days | KSL.com". www.ksl.com. Retrieved 2016-03-18.
^ "RootsWeb's WorldConnect Project: LDS Historical". wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com. Retrieved 2016-03-18.
^ "How much do you know about Elder Ronald A. Rasband? | Deseret News". DeseretNews.com. Retrieved 2016-03-18.
^ "Find Our Cousins". ChurchofJesusChrist.org. Retrieved 2016-03-18.
^ Everson, George (1949). The story of television, the life of Philo T. Farnsworth. W.W. Norton. p. 15. His maternal grandfather, Jacob Bastian, was a member of the Mormon colony from Denmark.
^ Rebild National Park Society, Inc
^ Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

[1] "IMDb: Bridgette Andersen." Accessed July 18, 2007.

[2] "Rowan Blanchard - Biography - IMDb". IMDb. Retrieved 2016-08-08.

[3] "Alexis Bledel interview." Accessed July 18, 2007. Archived March 7, 2009, at the Wayback Machine

[4] "Erika Christensen interview." Public Servant Lifestyle, June 10, 2006. Accessed July 18, 2007. Archived September 29, 2007, at the Wayback Machine

[5] "Racine, Wisconsin Claims to Fame." Accessed July 18, 2007. Archived May 3, 2006, at the Wayback Machine

[6] "The Complete Buffy Guide: Faith's Bio/Erika's Bio." Accessed July 18, 2007.

[7] Boehme, R. "Buddy Ebsen Biography." Buddy Ebsen Tribute Page, August 2006. Accessed July 18, 2007.

[8] Hiller, Jordan. "Interview with Scarlett Johansson." Accessed July 18, 2007. Archived October 4, 2006, at the Wayback Machine

[9] IMDb.com: Michael Madsen. Accessed July 18, 2007.

[10] Murray, Rebecca. "Virginia Madsen Interview." Accessed July 18, 2007.

[11] "John Melendez." ThoughtWorthy. Accessed July 18, 2007. Archived September 27, 2007, at the Wayback Machine

[12] Høi, Poul. "Viggo From Hollywood." August 27, 2001. Accessed July 18, 2007.

[sweetheartblog-13] SweetHeartVideo Archived 2011-11-17 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved November 23, 2011.

[14] "BuddyTV Profile: William Petersen." Accessed July 18, 2007.

[15] ""The Climax." Ladies of Horror. Accessed July 18, 2007". Archived from the original on September 29, 2007. Retrieved July 18, 2007.

[16] "Three Great Things: Amandla Stenberg".

[17] "1". Archived from the original on 2011-10-12. Retrieved 2010-08-08.

[18] "The link from Mount Rushmore to Denmark." Accessed July 18, 2007. Archived May 8, 2006, at archive.today

[19] "Solon Hannibal Borglum: Sioux Indian Buffalo Dance." Accessed July 18, 2007. Archived July 9, 2007, at the Wayback Machine

[20] "The San Diego Museum of Art Artists Guild - Olaf Wieghorst, Dean of Western Art". www.sdmaag.org. Retrieved 2021-03-27.

[21] "Biography recalls Mikkelsen's days with the Minneapolis Lakers." Minnesota Public Radio, October 12, 2006. Accessed July 18, 2007.

[22] "Monstery, Thomas Hoyer." Beadle and Adams Dime Novel Digitization Project. Accessed July 18, 2007. Archived September 1, 2006, at the Wayback Machine

[23] "The Danish-Language Press in America" (Marion Marzolf. Norwegian-American Historical Association. Volume 28: Page 274) Archived 2010-06-10 at the Wayback Machine

[24] Giffin, Glenn. "The Christensen Brothers: An American Dance Epic." Dance Magazine, March 2000. Accessed July 18, 2007. Archived September 29, 2004, at the Wayback Machine

[25] ""Lars Frederiksen - Biography." Rancid Online. Accessed July 18, 2007". Archived from the original on September 28, 2007. Retrieved July 18, 2007.

[26] "Multicultural America: Danish Americans." Accessed July 18, 2007.

[27] "H.P.N. Gammel : Texas bookman" (by Dorothy Gammel Bohlender, Frances Tarlton McCallum)

[28] Hartley, Allegra. "Ten Facts About Rep. Steny Hoyer of Maryland." U.S. News & World Report, November 13, 2006. Accessed July 18, 2007.

[29] "Remarks of the Honorable Janet Reno Attorney General of the United States at Ceremonies Marking the Swearing in of Members of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Council." December 8, 1998. Accessed July 18, 2007.

[30] "Kennedy and the Promise of the Sixties." Accessed July 18, 2007.

[31] A. M. Andersen, Pioneer Pastor, First President (Dana College Review

[32] "Kristian Christian Cyclopedia. The Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod". Archived from the original on 2009-08-21. Retrieved 2009-08-28.

[33] Christian Cyclopedia. The Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod Archived 2009-09-01 at the Wayback Machine

[34] Biography of Rev. Claus L. Clausen. (Pike, Kathy McAlister. edited by K. L. Kittleson. Mitchell County, Iowa 2004)

[35] Kristian Ostergaard's A Merchant's House (by John Mark Nielsen. University of Nebraska - Lincoln)

[36] Peter Sorenson Vig, 1854-1929. Nebraska State Historical Society^[usurped]

[37] "Elder Nelson remembers ancestors at Ephraim Scandinavian Days | KSL.com". www.ksl.com. Retrieved 2016-03-18.

[38] "RootsWeb's WorldConnect Project: LDS Historical". wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com. Retrieved 2016-03-18.

[39] "How much do you know about Elder Ronald A. Rasband? | Deseret News". DeseretNews.com. Retrieved 2016-03-18.

[40] "Find Our Cousins". ChurchofJesusChrist.org. Retrieved 2016-03-18.

[41] Everson, George (1949). The story of television, the life of Philo T. Farnsworth. W.W. Norton. p. 15. His maternal grandfather, Jacob Bastian, was a member of the Mormon colony from Denmark.

[42] Rebild National Park Society, Inc

[43] Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

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List of Danish Americans

List

Actors

Architects

Artists

Athletics

Journalism

Music

Politics and law

Religious personalities

Science

Writers

Other

References

Hans-Peter Briegel

Helge Hagerman

Sepah hutan

Jwauijeong

Negara berkembang

Великие географические открытия

Special administrative regions of China

2003 Serbian presidential election

Organisasi Kerja Sama Shanghai

Ebola vaccine

Первородный грех

Scotts Bluff National Monument

Dmitri Skopintsev

Budcat Creations

Nathanael Pringsheim

Falcon 1

148th Fighter Wing

Fannin County, Texas

Hans Raj Khanna

South Wharf