List of Lebanese people
This is a list of prominent Lebanese people
Historical figures
Lebanese politicians
See also: Politics of Lebanon
- Fouad Seniora - Prime Minister
- Nabih Berri - Parliament Speaker
- Sayed Hassan Nasrallah - Leader Of Hezbollah
- Samir Geagea - leader of the Lebanese Forces party
- Bachir Gemayel - President-elect (1982), founder of Lebanese Forces
- Camille Chamoun - President (1952-8), founder of National Liberal Party
- Dany Chamoun - leader of National Liberal Party
- Fouad Chehab - President (1958-64), general
- Emile Edde - President (1936-41,1943), founder of National Bloc
- Raymond Eddé - statesman
- Suleiman Frangieh - President (1970-6)
- Michel Aoun - military Prime Minister, general
- Amine Gemayel - President (1982-8)
- Pierre Gemayel - founder of Kataeb Party
- Saad Haddad - founder of the South Lebanon army
- Rafiq Hariri - Prime Minister, businessman
- Charles Helou - President (1964-70)
- Elie Hobeika - militia commander, politician
- Selim al-Hoss - Prime Minister
- Elias Hrawi - President (1989-1998)
- Hussein Husseini - Parliament Speaker (1984-1992) ended Lebanese Civil War
- Kamal Jumblatt - founder of Progressive Socialist Party
- Walid Jumblatt - leader of Progressive Socialist Party
- Omar Karami - Prime Minister
- Rashid Karami - Prime Minister
- Bechara El Khoury - President (1943-52)
- Emile Lahoud - President (1998-)
- René Moawad - President (1989)
- Nayla Moawad - Legislator (1991-)
- Saeb Salam - Prime Minister
- Étienne Saqr - founder of Guardians of the Cedars
- Elias Sarkis - President (1976-82)
Foreign politicians
- Spencer Abraham - U.S Senator from Michigan (1995-2001), US Secretary of Energy (2001-2005)
- Anthony Alexander Alam - political leader, member of the Australian Labor Party
- John Baldacci - U.S. Representative from Maine (1995-2003), Governor of Maine (2003- )
- Marie Bashir - Governor of New South Wales, Australia (2001-)
- Steve Bracks - Premier of Victoria, Australia (1999-)
- Abdalá Bucaram - President of Ecuador (1996-1997)
- Assid Corban - former Mayor of Henderson Borough and of Waitakere City, New Zealand.
- Najeeb Halaby, U.S. government official and father of Jordan's Queen Noor
- Bob Katter - right-wing Australian politician
- Assad Kotaite - ICAO Council President (1976-)
- Ray LaHood - U.S. Representative from Illinois (1995- ), grandson of Lebanese immigrants
- George J. Mitchell - Former U.S. Senator from Maine(1980-1995) & peace activist (Lebanese mother)
- Jamil Mahuad - President of Ecuador (1998-2000)
- Paulo Maluf - mayor & governor of São Paulo
- Maria Mourani - Bloc Québécois Member of Parliament Canada.
- Jeanine Pirro - District Attorney, Westchester County, New York(1993-), Candidate for New York state Attorney General.
- Edward Seaga - Prime Minister of Jamaica (1980-1989)
- Donna Shalala - US Secretary of Health (1993-2001)
- John E. Sununu- U.S. Senator from New Hampshire (2003- )
- John H. Sununu - White House Chief of Staff (1989-1991)
- Julio César Turbay Ayala - President of Colombia (1978-1982)
Activists
- Bahia Hariri - politician & UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador.
- Giorgio-Guy Tarraf - (1988 - ) UNESCO Youth Ambassador for the Culture of Peace.
- Candy Lightner - founder of Mothers Against Drunk Driving.
- Charles Malik - (1906 - 1987) - diplomat, philosopher, co-drafter of Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
- Ralph Nader - consumer rights activist & US presidential candidate.
- Manal Yamout - Lebanese born American student activist and aid to Caifornia Govenor Arnold Schwarzenegger, soon to be profiled on Fine Living Televisiion's my Fabulous Summer Job!
- James Zogby - founder of Arab-American Institute, brother of John Zogby, son of Lebanese immigrants.
Military
- Michel Sulaiman - General of the military of Lebanon
- Hisham Jaber - Former Commander of Beirut
- John Abizaid - US general, CENTCOM Commander
- James Jabara - US fighter pilot, world's first jet-vs-jet ace and 2nd-highest ace of the Korean War
- George Joulwan - US general, SACEUR
Cultural figures
Film, TV, and radio
- Salma Hayek, Mexican actress (Lebanese father and Mexican mother)
- Keanu Reeves, Lebanese-born (English, Irish, Chinese, Hawaiian and Portuguese background)
- Diane Rehm - host and executive producer of "The Diane Rehm Show"
- Fouad Said - cinematographer (Inventor of the Cinemobile)
- James Stacy - actor (Laramie)
- Khrystyne Haje, actress
- John Dolmayan, System of a Down drummer (Lebanese-born, Armenian ethnicity)
- Arsinée Khanjian, actress (Lebanese-born, Armenian ethnicity)
- Tom Shadyac, director
- Serj Tankian, System of a Down vocalist, political activist (Lebanese-born, Armenian ethnicity)
- Tony Shalhoub, Monk actor and producer
- Nadia Behette, Miss New York 2003 (Lebanese mother, Syrian father)
- Jamie Farr, Corporal Klinger on the hit comedy series M*A*S*H.
- Mahmoud Baghdadi, fought Muhammed Ali and got crippled.
- Danny Thomas, actor and comedian.
- Marlo Thomas, actress, daughter of Danny Thomas
Musicians
- Haifa Wehbe
- Nancy Ajram, singer
- Al Bowlly, singer (Lebanese mother)
- Dick Dale, surf guitarist (Lebanese father, Polish mother)
- Elissa, famous pop singer
- Fairouz, iconic singer
- Sammy Hagar, former lead vocalist for the rock band Van Halen
- Nabil Hawa Electronic Musician, Born in Lebanon.
- Herbert Khaury (Tiny Tim), singer, ukulele player (Lebanese father)
- K-Maro, French singer (Lebanese-born)
- Massari, Lebanese R&B singer
- Zaki Nassef, musician and singer
- Rahbani brothers, (Assi and Mansour)
- Assi Rahbani, legendary composer (Fairouz's husband)
- Mansour Rahbani, legendary composer (Assi's brother)
- Elias Rahbani, legendary composer (Mansour's youngest brother)
- Ziad Rahbani, legendary composer (Assi's and Fairouz's son)
- Sabaah, legendary singer/actress
- Wadih Safi, musician and singer
- Setrak Setrakian composer and pianist (Armenian ethnicity)
- Shakira, Colombian pop singer (Lebanese father, Colombian mother of Spanish-Italian ethnicity)
- Soraya, American-Colombian-Lebanese singer/songwriter (Lebanese mother)
- Tiffany, American pop singer, first teen singer to have her first two singles both hit number one (Lebanese/Syrian father, Irish/Cherokee mother)
- Gabriel Yared, composer
- Mathieu Chedid, famous French singer
- Younes, Eclectic soundtracks composer, winner RFI world music
Athletes
- Bill George - NFL Hall of Famer
- Doug Flutie - NFL player
- Brian Habib - former NFL player
- Fuad Rubeiz - former NFL player
- Jeff George - former NFL player
- Abe Gibran - former NFL player and coach
- Rich Kotite - former NFL coach
- Joe Lahoud - former MLB player
- John Jaha - former MLB player
- Jim Baxis - former MLB player
- Fred Maalouf - former NFL player
- Hazem El-Masri- NRL player
- Rony Seikaly - former NBA star
- Steve Kerr - former NBA Star (Lebanese-born)
- Zuhair Mansour - Weightlifting's Grandmaster of the World (1990)
- Bobby Rahal - Winner of the Indianapolis 500
- Victor Taweel - former lightweight boxing champion
- Pete Sarron - former featherweight boxing champion
- Maloof Brothers - Owners of the Sacramento Kings (NBA)
- George Maloof - former owner of the Houston Rockets (NBA)
- Joe Robbie - former owner of the Miami Dolphins (NFL)
- Kerbawy family - former owners of the Detroit Lions (NFL)
- Fred Saigh - former owner of the St. Louis Cardinals (MLB)
- Frank Skaff - former manager of the Detroit Tigers (MLB)
- Victor Taweel - former lightweight boxing champion
- Pete Sarron - former featherweight boxing champion
- Eddie Elias - Founder of the Bowling Association of America
- Elias Ghanem - Head of the Las Vegas Boxing Association
- Elie Yahchouchi- former head basketball committe of the Sagesse club(3 times Asian Champion)
Writers & Journalists
- Ahmad Reda - linguist, wrote Matn al-lugha dictionary
- Rabih Alameddine - painter, novelist
- William Peter Blatty - writer, "The Exorcist"
- Andree Chedid - poet
- Neal Conan - radio journalist (lebanese-born)
- Khalil Gibran - poet, "The Prophet"
- Elias Khoury - novelist
- Philip Khuri Hitti
- Samir Kassir - assassinated journalist of An-Nahar newspaper and writer
- Amin Maalouf - writer, Prix Goncourt (1993)
- Ann-Marie MacDonald - writer (Lebanese mother)
- David Malouf - famous Australian homosexual author (Lebanese father, English-Sephardic Jewish mother of Portuguese descent)
- Gebran Tueni - assassinated editor and publisher of An-Nahar newspaper
- Ghassan Tueni - father of Gebran Tueni and editor in chief of An-Nahar newspaper
- Nadia Tueni - poet
- George Zahar - publisher & editor (Lebanese father)
- Issa Makhlouf - poet
Artists
- Joseph Abboud - fashion designer
- Reem Acra - fashion designer
- Sam Maloof - woodworker
- Joseph Matar - Artist painter and poet
- Zuhair Mrad - fashion designer
- Elie Saab - fashion designer
- Tarek Yamout - nail and yarn art
- Paul Zgheib - Photographer
Practical figures
Scientists
- Hassan Kamel Al-Sabbah - electrical engineer
- Michael Atiyah - mathematician, Fields Medal (1966), Abel Prize (2004) (Lebanese father)
- Elias J. Corey - chemist, Nobel Prize in Chemistry (1990)
- Charles Elachi - director of Jet Propulsion Laboratory, NASA
- Peter Medawar - immunologist, Nobel Prize in Medicine (1960) (Lebanese father)
Entrepreneurs
- Robert Abboud - ex-chairman of First Chicago, brother of Joseph Abboud
- Assid Corban - winemaker, founder of Corbans
- Carlos Ghosn - CEO of Nissan and Renault
- Joseph Maroun Haggar - founder of Haggar Clothing Company
- Sam Hammam - owner of Cardiff City F.C.
- Rafik Hariri - ex-prime minister
- Nicolas Hayek - the 'father of Swatch'
- Carlos Slim Helu - Latin America's richest man and 3rd richest in the world
- Mario Kassar - co-founder of Carolco Pictures (Lebanese father, Italian mother)
- Jacques Nasser - ex-CEO of Ford Motors
- Paul Orfalea - founder of Kinko's
- Edmond Safra - founder of Republic Bank of New York and Banco Safra in Brazil (Jewish Lebanese)
- Elie Samaha - chairman/CEO of Franchise Pictures
- Oussama Ziade - founder of Ptech
- Al-Waleed bin Talal - Lebanese mother, Grandson of Prime Minister Riad El Solh
Other
- Christa McAuliffe - American high school teacher and astronaut on the Challenger Disaster
- Rony Seikaly, American, NBA basketball player
- John Zogby, American political pollster, brother of James Zogby, son of Lebanese immigrants
- Richard Hibey, American attorney in Washington, DC, brother of Jim Hibey, son of Anthony "Ezhiyah" Hibey
- Jim Hibey, American attorney in Washington, DC
- Patrick Joseph "PJ" Hasham, a fictional character in the long running Australian drama series Blue Heelers was of Lebanese descent.