List of Maronites

Last updated July 16, 2025

This list of Maronites includes prominent Maronite figures who are notable in their areas of expertise.

Arts, culture, and entertainment

Actors and Hollywood

Norman Issa, Israeli actor, director in cinema, theatre, and television
Mario Kassar, Lebanese-American Hollywood producer, behind such movies as Rambo, Terminator II and Stargate
Nadine Labaki, actress and director
Kathy Najimy, actress
Elie Samaha, filmmaker
Gran Sandy, Bolivian-Argentine comedian, singer and entertainer
Dahd Sfeir, Uruguayan actress, winner of Helen Hayes Prize
Tom Shadyac, Hollywood producer and director
Tony Shalhoub, three-time Emmy Award and Golden Globe-winning American television and film actor
Danny Thomas (born Amos Muzyad Yaqoob Kairouz), actor and founder of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital

Musicians

Najwa Karam, singer
Elissa Khoury, singer
Marwan Khoury, singer
Mika, singer
Baba Saad, German rapper of Lebanese descent
Nicole Saba, singer
Gabriel Yared, Oscar-winning musician for the soundtrack of The English Patient
Nawal Al Zoghbi, singer and actress
Tiny Tim (born Herbert Khaury), American musician

Writers

Amin al-Rihani, Lebanese-American poet
Nelly Sfeir Gonzalez, Bolivian-American librarian, bibliographer, journal editor
Gibran Khalil Gibran, Lebanese-American artist and writer
Callie Khouri, American screenwriter
Michael Sallah, American Pulitzer Prize reporter
Antoine Sfeir, French journalist

Other

Joseph Abboud, American fashion designer
Youssef Howayek, sculptor
Joseph Philippe Karam, architect
Octavia Nasr, Lebanese-American CNN editor
Elie Saab, International fashion designer
Andree Sfeir-Semler, Lebanese-German art historian and gallery owner

Business

Gilbert Chagoury, Nigerian businessman and philanthropist
Carlos Ghosn, Lebanese-French-Brazilian industrialist, CEO of Nissan and Renault
Marie Henein, Canadian lawyer
George J. Maloof, Jr., American entrepreneur
Salim Sfeir, Swiss-Lebanese banker
Carlos Slim, Lebanese-Mexican, CEO of Teléfonos de México (Telmex) and many other companies in Mexico, and from 2010 to 2013, he was considered as the richest man in the world by Forbes .^[1]

Government and politics

Argentina

Juan Luis Manzur, Argentinian Minister of Health and Environment

Australia

Alexander Alam, political leader, member of the Australian Labor Party ^[2]
Marie Bashir, Governor of New South Wales, Australia
Steve Bracks, former Premier of Victoria, Australia
George Joseph, former Lord Mayor of Adelaide ^[2]
Bob Katter, Australian politician

Bolivia

Benjamin Miguel Harb, founder of Bolivian Christian Democratic Party, mayor of La Paz, senator, former Minister Secretary of the Presidency (chief of staff)
Mauricio Gonzalez Sfeir, former Secretary of Energy and Hydrocarbons
Juan Lechin, Vice President of Bolivia and national labor union leader

Brazil

Paulo Maluf, former governor of São Paulo state
Michel Temer, former president of Brazil

Canada

Patricia Arab, member of the Legislative Assembly of Nova Scotia, Canada
Mark Assad, Canadian politician
Michael Basha, former member of the Senate of Canada
Pierre de Bané, Canadian Senator
Lena Diab, Attorney General, Minister of Justice and Minister of Immigration for the Province of Nova Scotia, Canada
Eddie Francis, mayor of Windsor, Ontario
Joe Ghiz, premier of Prince Edward Island, Canada
Robert Ghiz, premier of Prince Edward Island, Canada
Mac Harb, Canadian politician
Lorraine Michael, Canadian politician
Maria Mourani, member of Canadian Parliament
Frank Zakem, mayor of Charlottetown
Paul Zed, Lebanese-Canadian politician

Chile

Alfredo Sfeir, economist at the World Bank and Green Party candidate to the presidency of Chile
Paul Sfeir, engineer, radio journalist and member of Chilean Constitutional Council

Ecuador

Abdalá Bucaram, former President of Ecuador
Alberto Dahik, former Vice President of Ecuador
Jamil Mahuad, former President of Ecuador (1998–2000)
Jaime Nebot, Ecuadorian politician
Julio Teodoro Salem, former President of Ecuador

Guatemala

Jorge Serrano Elías, former president of Guatemala

Israel

Salim Joubran, judge in the Supreme Court of Israel

Jamaica

Edward Seaga, former Prime Minister of Jamaica
Ziadie family, prominent Jamaican merchant family

Lebanon

Pierre-Georges Arlabosse, President of the French Mandate of Lebanon (4–9 April 1941)
Camille Chamoun, President of the Lebanese Republic (23 September 1952 – 22 September 1958), founder of the Ahrar Party, one of the fathers of the Lebanese Independence
Fuad Chehab, President of the Lebanese Republic (23 September 1958 – 22 September 1964)
Émile Eddé, President of the French Mandate of Lebanon (20 January 1936 – 4 April 1941) and President of the French Mandate of Lebanon (11 November 1943 – 22 November 1943)
Bashir Gemayel, Lebanese military commander, politician, and president-elect. Founder of the Lebanese Forces
Pierre Gemayel, politician, founder of Al-Kataeb party in Lebanon
Youssef Bey Karam,^[3] Lebanese Nationalist Leader
Bechara El Khoury, President of the Lebanese Republic (22 November 1943–18 September 1952)
Amine Gemayel, President of the Lebanese Republic (23 September 1982–22 September 1988)
Bachir Gemayel, President of the Lebanese Republic (23 August 1982–14 September 1982)
Charles Helou, President of the Lebanese Republic (23 September 1964–22 September 1970)
Elias Hrawi, President of the Lebanese Republic (24 November 1989–24 November 1998)
Alfred Naccache, acting President of the French Mandate of Lebanon (9 April 1941–18 March 1943)
Émile Lahoud, President of the Lebanese Republic (24 November 1998–23 November 2007)
René Moawad, President of the Lebanese Republic (5 November 1989–22 November 1989)
Etienne Saqr ("Abu Arz"), Lebanese military commander and politician, leader of Guardians of the Cedars
Elias Sarkis, President of the Lebanese Republic (23 September 1976–22 September 1982)
Bashir Shihab II, emir who ruled Lebanon in the first half of the 19th century
Youssef Salim Karam, former MP and leader from Zgharta (10 April 1910–4 February 1972)
Salim Bey Karam, MP and former minister from Zgharta

Sierra Leone

Edward J. Akar, former Sierra Leone Minister of Finance
Joe Blell, former Sierra Leone Minister of Defence
John Saad, former Sierra Leone Minister of Housing and Infrastructural Development

United States

John Abizaid, former Commander in Chief of the US Central Command
Spencer Abraham, former United States Senator and Secretary of Energy
Ray LaHood, U.S. Secretary of Transportation
George Mitchell, 17th United States Senate Majority Leader
Donna Shalala, former US Secretary of Health
Francis G. Slay, mayor of St. Louis, Missouri
George Joulwan, Supreme Allied Commander, Europe (SACEUR) from 1993 to 1997

Uruguay

Alberto Abdala, politician, painter and former Vice-President of Uruguay

Religion

Saint Charbel Charbel.jpg — Saint Charbel

Nimattullah Kassab Al-Hardini, Lebanese monk and priest, Catholic saint.
Peter Ambarach, pioneer of printing in oriental languages and Bible linguist under Pope Clement XI.
Giuseppe Luigi Assemani, Vatican orientalist.
Giuseppe Simone Assemani, titular archbishop of Tyre, librarian of the Vatican and an authority on oriental manuscripts.
Simone Assemani, professor of Oriental languages in Padua.
Stefano Evodio Assemani, titular Archbishop of Apamaea in Syria and Vatican orientalist.
Tobia Aun, archbishop, played role in 1860 Lebanon conflict.
Domnina of Syria, disciple of Saint Maron, Catholic Saint.
Abraham Ecchellensis, theologian famous for his translations of biblical texts into Arabic and Syriac.
Theodore Khoury, prominent Catholic theologian.
Marina, Lebanese female monk and "desert father", Catholic saint.
John Maron, first Maronite Patriarch in history, Catholic saint.
Maroun, Syriac Christian monk, founder of the Maronite religious movement, Catholic saint.
Mitch Pacwa, S.J., American Maronite priest and television personality on EWTN.
Rafqa Pietra Choboq Ar-Rayès, saint, canonized by Pope John Paul II.
Victor Scialac, theologian and linguist, is thought to have given his name to Shylock, the main character in Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice .
Pietro Sfair, Archbishop of the Maronite Catholic Church, Council Father at the Second Vatican Council, Rector of the Pontifical Maronite College in Rome. Key advocate for, and supporter of, canonization of Charbel Makhlouf--the first Lebanese saint of the Roman Catholic Church.
Nasrallah Boutros Sfeir, Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church and 76th Patriarch of the Maronite Catholic Church of Antioch
Gabriel Sionita, theologian famous for his role in the publication of the 1645 Parisian polyglot of the Bible.

Science

Michael Debakey, American heart surgeon
Charles Elachi, Lebanese-American Director of NASA Jet Propulsion Labs
Christa McAuliffe, secondary school teacher and first American civilian selected to be an astronaut; perished in the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster. Great-niece of historian Philip Khuri Hitti.
Peter Medawar, British 1960 Nobel Prize winner in Medicine.^[4]

Sports

George Daniel, American Commissioner of the National Lacrosse League
George Diba, Israeli footballer
Doug Flutie, American football quarterback, Heisman Trophy winner
Matt Freije, Lebanese former NBA player drafted by the Miami Heat; also played for the New Orleans Pelicans and the Atlanta Hawks from 2004-06
Tony Kanaan, Brazilian race car driver
Joe Lahoud, Lebanese-American baseball player
Miguel Layún, Lebanese-Mexican footballer
Eduard Meron, Israeli Olympic weightlifter
Rony Seikaly, Lebanese-American basketball player at Syracuse University, 1st round draft pick of the NBA's Miami Heat in 1988
Mario Zagallo (Zakhour), Brazilian national football team, player and coach

References

↑ Padgett, Tim (11 July 2007). "Carlos Slim's Embarrassment of Riches". Time . United States. Archived from the original on 13 July 2007. Retrieved 17 June 2011.
1 2 Anthony Alexander Alam - Political Leader Archived 2008-07-19 at the Wayback Machine from www.alhs.org.au
↑ Youssef Bey Karam on Ehden Family Tree website
↑ "New Scientist". Reed Business Information. 1984-04-12.

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[1] Padgett, Tim (11 July 2007). "Carlos Slim's Embarrassment of Riches". Time . United States. Archived from the original on 13 July 2007. Retrieved 17 June 2011.

[alhs.org.au-2] 1 2 Anthony Alexander Alam - Political Leader Archived 2008-07-19 at the Wayback Machine from www.alhs.org.au

[3] Youssef Bey Karam on Ehden Family Tree website

[4] "New Scientist". Reed Business Information. 1984-04-12.

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