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

This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by adding missing items with reliable sources.

Actors

Jessica Alba

Scarlett Johansson

Viggo Mortensen

• Jessica Alba, actress, mother is of part Danish descent
• Amy Adams, actress with small amount of Danish ancestry.
• 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]
• 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]
• Sarah Paulson, actress, her paternal great-grandfather was the son of Danish parents (the origin of her surname). ^[15]
• 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 ^[16]
• Amandla Stenberg, actress, Danish father ^[17]
• 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 ^[18]
• 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 ^[19]
• Solon Borglum, sculptor of the American West ^[20]
• 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" ^[21]

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 ^[22]
• Colonel Thomas Hoyer Monstery, fencing and boxing master ^[23]
• 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

Jacob Riis

• Jack Anderson, journalist
• Chris Hansen, television journalist
• Sophus Frederik Neble, Danish born editor of Den Danske Pioneer ^[24]
• Jacob Riis, Danish born journalist

Music

Dinah Jane

• Peter Blegvad, musician
• Victor Borge, musician and comedian
• Julian Casablancas, The Strokes vocalist
• Mose Christensen, symphony conductor ^[25]
• Alf Clausen, film and television composer
• King Diamond, King Diamond lead vocalist
• Lars Frederiksen, Rancid vocalist and guitarist ^[26]
• Dinah Jane, member of Fifth Harmony
• Taylor Hanson, musician
• Zac Hanson, musician
• Otto Harbach, lyricist
• Gunnar Johansen, pianist and composer
• Morten Lauridsen, composer
• Anita Lerche, singer-songwriter and 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
• Thomas Søndergård, Music director of the Minnesota Orchestra ^[27]
• Tinashe, singer
• Mads Tolling, violist and composer
• Mike Tramp, singer-songwriter
• Lars Ulrich, Metallica drummer
• Eddie Vedder, Pearl Jam singer-songwriter

Politics and law

Lloyd Bentsen

• Lloyd Bentsen, former Democratic senator from Texas, Treasury Secretary, and vice presidential nominee ^[28]
• Marius Dueholm, Danish born American farmer and politician
• Hans Peter Mareus Neilsen Gammel, author of The Laws of Texas 1822–1897 ^[29]
• 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 ^[30]
• 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 ^[31]
• Ted Sorensen, speechwriter and president advisor ^[32]

Religious personalities

• Anton Marius Andersen, founding President of Trinity Seminary at Dana College ^[33]
• Kristian Anker, first president of the combined Trinity Seminary and Dana College ^[34]
• Gottlieb Bender Christiansen, founding President of the United Evangelical Lutheran Church ^[35]
• Claus Lauritz Clausen, first President of the Conference of the Norwegian-Danish Evangelical Lutheran Church of America ^[36]
• Theodore Marcus Hansen, President of Dana College and Trinity Seminary
• Kristian Ostergaard, Lutheran pastor, educator and author ^[37]
• Peter Sørensen Vig, President and Professor of Theology at Trinity Seminary at Dana College ^[38]
• Russell M. Nelson, heart surgeon; President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ^[39]
• D. Todd Christofferson, member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ^[40]
• Neil L. Andersen, member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ^[41]
• Ronald A. Rasband, member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ^[42]

Science

• Jens Clausen, evolutionary biologist
• Erik Erikson, psychologist
• Philo Farnsworth, inventor and television pioneer ^[43]
• 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 ^[44]
• 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
• Peter Norvig, computer scientist
• Jørgen Slots, American professor and researcher, immigrant from Denmark
• Holger Thiele, astronomer ^[45]

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
• William East

References

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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
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13. SweetHeartVideo Archived 2011-11-17 at the Wayback Machine . Retrieved November 23, 2011.
14. "BuddyTV Profile: William Petersen." Accessed July 18, 2007.
15. "Sarah Paulson - Biography". IMDb. Retrieved March 27, 2025.
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18. "1". Archived from the original on October 12, 2011. Retrieved August 8, 2010.
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21. "The San Diego Museum of Art Artists Guild - Olaf Wieghorst, Dean of Western Art". www.sdmaag.org. Retrieved March 27, 2021.
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30. Hartley, Allegra. "Ten Facts About Rep. Steny Hoyer of Maryland." U.S. News & World Report, November 13, 2006. Accessed July 18, 2007.
31. "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.
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45. Astrophysics Data System (ADS)