Numerous Turkish Americans have made notable contributions to
American society, particularly in the fields of education, medicine, music, the arts, science,business and Sports.
Academia Within academia,
Feza Gürsey was a professor of physics at
Yale University and won the prestigious
Oppenheimer Prize and
Wigner Medal. Another influential Turkish American was
Muzafer Sherif who was one of the founders of
social psychology which helped develop
social judgment theory and
realistic conflict theory. Two prominent Turkish-American economists include
Daron Acemoğlu at
MIT, who writes on democracy and national development, and
Dani Rodrik at
Harvard Kennedy School, an expert on globalization.
Seyla Benhabib is a Turkish-born political theorist, and professor at
Yale, who writes on citizenship, identity, and ethics.
Fikri Alican was a scientist and physician with various contributions to medical science.
Hasan Özbekhan was a systems scientist and co founder and first director of The
Club of Rome.
Muzaffer Atac was a physicist who was one of the founding scientists of
Fermilab and performed important work with visible light photon counters and other detectors for particle physics.
Oktay Sinanoğlu was a physical chemist and molecular biophysicist who made contributions to the theory of electron correlation in molecules, the statistical mechanics of clathrate hydrates, quantum chemistry, and the theory of solvation.
Ahmed Cemal Eringen was a Turkish engineering scientist. He was a professor at
Princeton University and the founder of the Society of Engineering. The
Eringen Medal is named in his honor.
Behram Kurşunoğlu was a physicist.
Turhan Nejat Veziroğlu, founder of
International Association for Hydrogen Energy Şevket Pamuk, economics and he was the president of
European Historical Economics Society Serkan Piantino, co-founder of
Meta AI Kemal Karpat, historian
Aysegul Timur, academic administrator who serves as the 5th president of
Florida Gulf Coast University Furkan Öztürk, physicist
Aydogan Ozcan, professor of engineering.
Kamil Uğurbil, widely regarded as one of the founding architects of
functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and the pioneer of ultrahigh-field (UHF) human MRI.
American Civil War Marie Tepe, known as "French Mary," was a French-born
vivandière who fought for the
Union army during the
American Civil War. Tepe served with the 27th and 114th Pennsylvania Infantry Regiments. Her father was Turkish and her mother was French.
Ivan Turchin, from
Turchaninov family was a Union Army brigadier general in the American Civil War.
Arts One of the earliest Turkish American artists was
Ben Ali Haggin who was a
portrait painter and
stage designer. He began exhibiting his paintings formally in 1903. and whose work the New York Times called "the most recognizable public art installations in the country."
Refik Anadol is a new media artist and designer.
LeRoy Neiman artist known for his brilliantly colored, expressionist paintings and screenprints of athletes, musicians, and sporting events.
Mehemed Fehmy Agha was a Russian-born Turkish designer, art director, and pioneer of modern American publishing. In the performing arts,
Adam Darius was a dancer,
mime artist, writer and choreographer.
Altina Schinasi inventor of
Cat eye glasses.
Kalef Alaton was an interior designer
Business One of the earliest notable entrepreneurs of Turkish origin in the United States is
James Ben Ali Haggin, who was the grandson of the Ottoman Turkish migrant
Ibrahim Ben Ali. Haggin was an attorney, rancher,
investor,
art collector, and a major owner and breeder in the sport of
Thoroughbred horse racing. Haggin made a fortune in the aftermath of the
California Gold Rush and was a multi-millionaire by 1880.) is the founder and CEO of San Diego-based biotech firm
Samumed. The company "raised $438 million in August 2018 to further its work developing drugs to reverse aging, claiming a valuation of $12.4 billion".) is the founder and CEO of
Comodo Group, an
Internet security company he founded in the United Kingdom in 1998 and relocated to the US in 2004. Alongside her husband,
Fatih Ozmen (also worth $1.2B in 2020), they are the co-owners of
Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) which is a privately held aerospace and national security contractor specializing in aircraft modification and integration, space components and systems, and related technology products for cybersecurity and eHealth. SNC is best known for providing the US military with souped-up planes, loaded with cameras, sensors, navigation gear and comms systems.
Hamdi Ulukaya is a Turkish billionaire businessman and activist. Ulukaya is the owner, founder, chairman, and chief executive officer of
Chobani, the #1-selling strained yogurt brand in the US. According to Forbes, his net worth as of June 2019 is $2 billion. On 26 April 2016, Ulukaya announced to his employees that he would be giving them 10% of the shares in Chobani.
Joe Ucuzoglu is a businessman and Global CEO of
Deloitte Ahmet Mücahid Ören is an
entrepreneur and the current chairman and CEO of
İhlas Holding,
Muhtar Kent is the former
chairman of the board and
chief executive officer of
The Coca-Cola Company.
Hikmet Ersek is the former CEO of
Western Union.
John Olcay was a Turkish-American financier
Aydin Senkut venture capitalist
Cinema and television Americans with Middle Eastern origins (including Turks, Arabs, Persians etc.) are underrepresented in American TV and cinema and often stereotyped. Consequently, several actors and actresses have
Anglicized or changed their names from Turkish to English names. Nonetheless, there is an increasing number of Turkish American contributions in cinema and television.
Film One of the earliest actors with Turkish roots in American cinema was
Turhan Bey (Turkish father) who was active in Hollywood from 1941 to 1953. He was dubbed "The Turkish Delight" by his fans, whilst
Hedda Hopper called him a "Turkish Valentino." In animated cinema,
Kaan Kalyon was the co-writer of
Disney's
Pocahontas (1995) and
Hercules (1997), and the story artist in
Treasure Planet (2002). In addition, Kalyon has worked with
Sony and
Columbia Pictures as the story artist for ''
Surf's Up (2007) and Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (2009) and was the head of story for Hotel Transylvania'' (2012). He has also worked on several animated television series' including
Widget (1990),
Tiny Toon Adventures (1991–92) and ''
Bebe's Kids''.
Shevaun Mizrahi is a documentary filmmaker who received a Jury Special Mention Award at the
Locarno Film Festival 2017 for her documentary film
Distant Constellation among many other awards including the Best Picture Prize at the
Jeonju International Film Festival 2018 and the
FIPRESCI Critics Prize at the Viennale (Vienna International Film Festival) 2018. Furthermore, the actor and filmmaker
Onur Tukel is a notable figure in the
New York City independent film community. His films often deal with issues of gender and relationships.
Larry Namer is best known as the founder of E! Entertainment TV
Television shows Several Americans with Turkish roots have also starred in American television; for example,
D'Arcy Carden (Turkish father) is an actress and comedian best known for starring in
The Good Place (2016–2020) and
Barry (2018–2023);
David Chokachi (
Turkish Iraqi father) is best known for his roles in
Witchblade,
Baywatch, and
Beyond The Break;
Tarik Ergin is known for playing the part of
Lieutenant Junior Grade Ayala in
Star Trek: Voyager;
Eren Ozker was one of the original performers during the first season of
Jim Henson's popular television series
The Muppet Show;
Hal Ozsan (
Turkish Cypriot origin) is known for his roles in ''
Dawson's Creek and recurring roles in Jessica Jones, The Blacklist, Graceland, Impastor, 90210, and Kyle XY; and Tiffani Thiessen (maternally of Greek, Turkish and Welsh origin) is best known for her role as Kelly Kapowski on Saved by the Bell (1989–93) and as Valerie Malone on Beverly Hills, 90210'' (1994–98). In television animation,
Jason Davis (Turkish father) was best known for his role as the voice of Mikey Blumberg from the animated television series
Recess. Meanwhile, the nutrition author,
Daphne Oz, was a co-host on the
American Broadcasting Company (ABC) daytime
talk show The Chew (2011–17). Her father, Dr.
Mehmet Oz, is regarded as one of the most accomplished
cardiothoracic surgeons. He has made frequent appearances on
The Oprah Winfrey Show. In the fall of 2009, Winfrey's
Harpo Productions and Sony Pictures launched a daily talk show featuring Oz, called
The Dr. Oz Show. "The Dr. Oz Show" has been an enormous success with an average of about 3.5 million viewers. He was also a prime mover in starting the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. In a music career marked by numerous lifetime achievement awards, he was inducted into the hall in 1987. In 1956, Ahmet Ertegun's older brother,
Nesuhi Ertegun, joined Atlantic Records as vice-president of the company, attracting many of the most inventive
jazz musicians of the era. By 1963, arranger, composer and record producer
Arif Mardin joined the Ertegun brothers at Atlantic Records. Mardin was the winner of 12
Grammys, including two for best producer, non-classical (in 1976 and 2003). He retired from Atlantic Records in May 2001 and began a new corporate relationship as senior vice president and co-general manager of the EMI label
Manhattan Records. Mardin was considered one of the most successful and significant behind-the-scenes figures in popular music in the last half-century. His son,
Joe Mardin is also a record producer and arranger. he also produced two songs on the
Alicia Keys album
Girl on Fire which won the 2014
Grammy Award for Best R&B Album; the violinist and conductor
Selim Giray is an associate professor of Violin, Viola and Chamber Music at
Pittsburg State University; the composer
Kamran Ince was awarded the
Rome Prize, a
Guggenheim Fellowship and the
Lili Boulanger Memorial Prize; the composer
Mehmet Ali Sanlıkol was nominated for a Grammy in 2014; and the composer
Pinar Toprak has won two
International Film Music Critics Association Awards for
The Lightkeepers (2009) and
The Wind Gods (2013). Several notable Turkish American musicians have established their careers outside the United States; for example, the fusion jazz drummer
Atilla Engin was active in
Denmark; the singer, guitarist and songwriter
Deniz Tek was a founding member of the
Australian rock group
Radio Birdman; and the singer
Özlem Tekin has released most of her songs in
Turkey.
Rosalyn Tureck was a Turkish American pianist and harpsichordist and was among the founders of the
Music Academy of the West.
Politics In the United States, Turkish Americans remain relatively underrepresented politically. Typically, Turkish Americans have voted
Republican due to the party's support for
Turkey regarding various foreign policy issues, such as the
Cyprus conflict. Turkish American lobbying groups have donated money to politicians of both parties over the years who they felt best represented Turkish American interests, such as helping
Texas Republican and former Turkey Caucus co-chair
Pete Sessions return to the
U.S. House in 2021 after suffering a defeat in 2018, or helping
California Democrat Farrah Khan win an election to mayor of
Irvine, California, in 2020. In 2019, Tayfun Selen became the first Turkish American mayor, having been elected mayor of
Chatham Township,
New Jersey. In 2021, three Turkish American women were selected for positions within the
Biden administration, including Didem Nişancı (chief of staff at the
Department of the Treasury); Özge Güzelsu (deputy general counsel at the
Department of Defense); and
Naz Durakoğlu (assistant secretary for the
Bureau of Legislative Affairs at the Department of Foreign Affairs). That same year,
Mehmet Oz announced his bid for the
2022 United States Senate election in
Pennsylvania as a Republican, making references to his Turkish ancestry in his campaign announcement. There are also notable Turkish Americans in politics outside the United States. For example, American-born
Selin Sayek Böke is a member of the
Republican People's Party (CHP) and has served as a
Member of Parliament for
İzmir's second electoral district since 2015.
Merve Kavakçı, who holds dual citizenship, was elected as a
Virtue Party deputy for
Istanbul in 1999. She is now serving as the Turkish ambassador to
Malaysia. On September 6, 2024, Turkish-American human rights activist
Ayşenur Ezgi Eygi was shot in the head by an
Israel Defense Forces (IDF) sniper during a protest against illegal
Israeli settlements in
Beita,
Nablus, in the
West Bank.
Constantine Menges was an American scholar, author, professor, and Latin American specialist for the
White House's
US National Security Council and the
Central Intelligence Agency.
Steve Cohen (politician) American attorney and politician.
Kasım Gülek was a prominent Turkish statesman.
Sports In December 1970
Ahmet Ertegun and
Nesuhi Ertegun founded the
New York Cosmos American professional soccer club which was based in
New York City and its suburbs. The team competed in the
North American Soccer League (NASL) until 1984 and was the strongest franchise in that league, both competitively and financially. The team were champions of the North American Soccer League in
1972,
1977,
1978,
1980, and
1982. In particular, the signing of
Pelé by the Cosmos transformed soccer across the United States, lending credibility not only to the Cosmos, but also to the NASL and soccer in general. On January 16, 2013, Ersal Ozdemir founded
Indy Eleven which is an American professional soccer team based in
Indianapolis,
Indiana. The team came second place in the
2016 North American Soccer League season and third place in the
2019 USL Championship season.
Tunch Ilkin (born Tunç Ali İlkin; September 23, 1957 – September 4, 2021) was a Turkish-born player of American football and sports broadcaster. A two-time Pro Bowl selection as an offensive tackle with the Pittsburgh Steelers, he was the first Turk to play in the National Football League (NFL).[2][3] He was voted to the Pittsburgh Steelers All-Time Team. After his playing career, he was a television and radio analyst for the Steelers from 1998 to 2020.
Lou Novikoff professional baseball player.
Jim Loscutoff professional basketball player.
Shirley Babashoff Olympic swimming champion.
Lisa Marie Varon professional wrestler, fitness competitor and bodybuilder.
Yusuf İsmail professional wrestler.
Alperen Şengün professional basketball player.
Madame Bey and Sidki Bey was an American boxing trainers. they ran a boxing camp for world champion boxers.
Sadettin Saran 34th president of
Fenerbahçe Sports Club.
Turkic Americans •
Azerbaijani Americans •
Kazakh Americans •
Tatar Americans •
Uzbek Americans •
Uyghur Americans ==See also==