Lists of Italian Americans

This is a list of notable Italian Americans.

Anarchists

 * Luigi Galleani (1861–1931)
 * Arturo Giovannitti (1884–1959) - union leader and poet
 * Nicola Sacco (1891–1927) - defendant in Sacco and Vanzetti case
 * Bartolomeo Vanzetti (1888–1927) - defendant in Sacco and Vanzetti case
 * Carlo Tresca (1879–1943)

Architects

 * Vito Acconci
 * Pietro Belluschi
 * Giorgio Cavaglieri
 * Mario J. Ciampi
 * Neil Denari
 * Romaldo Giurgola
 * Michael Manfredi
 * Rosaria Piomelli
 * George Ranalli
 * Mario Salvadori
 * Lawrence Scarpa
 * Ricardo Scofidio
 * Paolo Soleri
 * Robert Venturi
 * Peter Marino

Comic artists, cartoonists, illustrators

 * Brian Azzarello - comic book writer
 * Joseph Barbera (1911–2006) - animator, cartoon artist, storyboard artist, director, producer, and co-founder, together with William Hanna, of Hanna-Barbera
 * Timothy D. Bellavia (born 1971) - children's illustrator, author and founder of the We Are All The Same Inside - Sage doll-making workshop
 * Ivan Brunetti (born 1967) - cartoonist and comics author
 * Joe Pesci - Italian American actor and musician
 * John Buscema (1927–2002) - comic-book artist and one of the mainstays of Marvel Comics during its 1960s and 1970s ascendancy into an industry leader and its subsequent expansion to a major pop culture conglomerate
 * Greg Capullo (born 1962) - comic book artist
 * Anthony Flamini (born 1978) - comic book writer
 * Frank Frazetta (1928–2010) - one of the world's most influential fantasy and science fiction artists
 * Dick Giordano (1932–2010) - comic book artist and editor
 * Frank Giacoia (1925–1989) - comic book artist
 * Carmine Infantino (1925–2013) - comic book artist and editor who was a major force in the Silver Age of Comic Books
 * Walter Lantz (1900–1994) - cartoonist and animator, founded the Walter Lantz Studio, created Woody Woodpecker
 * Bob Montana (1920–1975) - comic strip artist who created the characters that launched Archie comics
 * Joe Orlando (1927–1998) - illustrator, writer, editor and cartoonist
 * Jimmy Palmiotti - writer and artist of various comics, games and film
 * Leo Politi (1908–1996) - artist and author who wrote and illustrated some 20 children's books
 * Don Rico (1912–1985) - comic book writer-artist, paperback novelist, screenwriter and wood engraver; co-created the Marvel Comics character Black Widow with Stan Lee
 * John Romita Jr. (born 1956) - comic artist best known for his extensive work for Marvel Comics from the 1970s to the 2010s
 * John Romita, Sr. (born 1930) - comic book artist known for his work on Marvel Comics' The Amazing Spider-Man
 * Don Rosa (born 1951) - comic book artist for Disney comics
 * Eric Stefani (born 1967) - pop musician, former Simpsons animator, and Grammy-nominated composer and writer
 * Jim Valentino (born 1952) - writer, penciler and editor of comic books
 * Gerard Way (born 1977) - comic book writer; frontman of the American rock band My Chemical Romance

Digital artists and illustrators

 * Ashley Biden (born 1981) - founder of the fashion company Livelihood, daughter of Joe and Jill Biden
 * Louise Fili (born 1951) - graphic designer, 2014 American Institute of Graphic Arts Medalist
 * Fred Marcellino (1939–2001) - illustrator

Painters

 * John Balossi (1931–2007) - painter and sculptor
 * Edward E. Boccia (1921-2012) - painter, teacher and poet
 * Alfred D. Crimi (1900–1994) - muralist and painter
 * Ettore (Ted) DeGrazia (1909–1982) - painter, best known for American Southwest subjects
 * Robert De Niro, Sr. (1922–1993) - abstract expressionist, father of actor Robert De Niro, Jr.
 * Sheila Giolitti (born 1957) - painter and art dealer
 * Robert Longo
 * Nicola Monachesi (1795–1851) painter believed to have painted the earliest frescos in America
 * Carla Carli Mazzucato (born 1935) - modern expressionist painter
 * Tony Sisti (1901–1983) - painter and boxer
 * Frank Stella (born 1936) - painter and printmaker
 * Joseph Stella (1877–1946) - futurist painter known for his depictions of industrial America

Photographers

 * Lynsey Addario (born 1973) - photojournalist known for her coverage of women in war-torn countries
 * Severo Antonelli (1907–1995) - legendary figure in Philadelphia Italian American history and the subject of one of the largest ever one-man shows at the Smithsonian Institution
 * Franco A. "Frank" Barsotti (1937–2012) - photographer and professor emeritus from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago
 * Justin Guariglia (born 1974) - photographer and contributing editor to National Geographic Traveler, and a regular contributor to Smithsonian Magazine
 * Isa Leshko (born 1971) - artist/photographer and author of Allowed to Grow Old: Portraits of Elderly Animals from Farm Sanctuaries published by the University of Chicago Press in 2019
 * Luis Marden (1913–2003) - photographer, explorer, writer, filmmaker, diver, navigator, and linguist who worked for National Geographic magazine
 * Nick Saglimbeni - 3D photographer
 * Francesco Scavullo (1921–2004) - fashion photographer known for his work on the covers of Cosmopolitan magazine and his celebrity portraits
 * Mario Sorrenti (born 1971) - fashion photographer

Sculptors

 * Vincent Cavallaro
 * Mario Dal Fabbro
 * Jasper D'Ambrosi
 * John DeAndrea
 * Joe De Santis
 * Arturo Di Modica
 * Mark Di Suvero
 * Virginio Ferrari
 * Thomas Gaetano LoMedico
 * Costantino Nivola
 * Corrado Parducci
 * Piccirilli Brothers
 * Italo Scanga - neo-Dadaist

Business

 * Paul Busti (1749–1824) - Holland Land Company Agent General (C.O.O.)
 * Amadeo Giannini (1870–1949) - Bank of America president
 * Orra E. Monnette (1873–1936) - Bank of America, Los Angeles founder

Criminals

 * Salvatore Briguglio - former mobster, one of the prime suspects in the disappearance of Jimmy Hoffa
 * Al Capone, "Scarface" - famous mobster
 * Michael Franzese - former mobster
 * Santino William Legan - perpetrator of the Gilroy Garlic festival shooting

Food

 * Mario Batali- chef
 * Joe Bastianich - chef and television personality
 * Lidia Bastianich - chef and television personality
 * Hector Boyardee - famous for his Chef Boyardee brand of food products
 * Caesar Cardini - creator of the Caesar salad
 * Michael Chiarello - celebrity chef specializing in Italian-influenced California cuisine
 * Tom Colicchio - chef, restaurateur, political activist, and head judge on Bravo's Emmy Award winning Top Chef
 * Giada De Laurentiis - host of the Food Network program Everyday Italian
 * Dom DeLuise - actor and celebrity chef who wrote several cookbooks and videos on his family's Italian-influenced cuisine
 * Guy Fieri - chef and host of the Food Network program "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives"
 * Gina Keatley - chef and television personality; influenced charities in New York City
 * Sirio Maccioni - restaurateur and author
 * Rosanna Pansino - chef and youtuber personality
 * Rachael Ray - Food Network chef and Emmy-winning television personality
 * Nick Stellino - chef and television personality
 * Carlo Vaccarezza - restaurateur
 * Buddy Valastro - baker, reality television personality, and businessman

Inventors

 * Anthony Adducci (1937–2006) - pioneer of the medical device industry in Minnesota; best known for founding Guidant Corp. precursor Cardiac Pacemakers, inc., now part of Boston Scientific, the company that manufactured the world's first lithium battery-powered artificial pacemaker
 * Giuseppe Mario Bellanca - designer of the first monoplane in the United States with an enclosed cabin
 * Enea Bossi
 * Lorenzo Del Riccio - inventor of fotofinish camera
 * Daniel DiLorenzo - medical device entrepreneur and physician-scientist. He is the inventor of several technologies for the treatment of neurological disease
 * Federico Faggin (born 1941) - physicist, engineer, inventor and entrepreneur; best known for designing the first commercial microprocessor, the Intel 4004
 * Gerard J. Foschini
 * The Jacuzzi family - developed the deep well water pump that led to the famous whirlpool bath
 * Antonio Meucci (1808–1889) - credited by the Congress of the United States with the invention of the telephone
 * Antonio Pasin (1897–1990) - inventor of the Radio Flyer stamped steel toy wagoni
 * Sam Porcello (1935–2012) - food scientist who worked at Nabisco on the modern Oreo cookie in particular, was the inventor of the white Oreo cookie creme-filling. His work earned him the nickname, "Mr. Oreo."
 * Lorenzo Ponza - inventor of the modern baseball pitching machine
 * Francis Rogallo - engineer at NASA, designed the Rogallo wing, which found its greatest success in hang gliders and kites
 * Andrea Rossi (born 1950) - entrepreneur who claims to have invented the cold fusion device E-Cat
 * Andrew Toti
 * Andrew Viterbi (born 1935) - engineer, billionaire, cofounder of Qualcomm, inventor of the Viterbi algorithm
 * Frank Zamboni - inventor of the modern ice resurfacer

Judges

 * Samuel Alito - Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States (2006–present)
 * Antonin Scalia (1936–2016) - Former Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States
 * William Nardini - Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit (2019–present)
 * Frank Caprio - Chief Judge of the Municipal Court of Providence (1985–2023)

Lawyers

 * Bill Bufalino - American attorney who represented the International Brotherhood of Teamsters from 1947 until 1971.

Law enforcement figures

 * Joseph Arpaio (born 1932 in Springfield, Massachusetts) - law enforcement officer, most notably as the Sheriff of Maricopa County, Arizona; the child of immigrants from Lacedonia
 * Michael D'Andrea - officer of the Central Intelligence Agency, appointed to head the Agency's Iran Mission Center
 * Pete DeFazio
 * Cate Edwards - daughter of former United States Senator John Edwards and Elizabeth Edwards
 * Gil Garcetti (born 1941) - Los Angeles County's 40th district attorney
 * Joseph D. Pistone - undercover FBI agent who went undercover as Donnie Brasco and infiltrated the Bonanno crime family
 * Louis Freeh (born 1950 in Jersey City, New Jersey) - Director of the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) 1993–2001
 * Rudolph Giuliani - early career was a US attorney in S.D.N.Y., prosecuting high-profile cases, including Cosa Nostra cases
 * Dan Mitrione - Italian-born American police officer and U. S. government advisor in Latin America
 * Frank Rizzo
 * Frank Serpico
 * Joe Petrosino - NYCPD lieutenant in charge of the Italian Squad, an elite corps of Italian-American detectives formed to fight the Mafia
 * Charles Joseph Bonaparte - member of Theodore Roosevelt's Cabinet and founder of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

Journalism (print and multimedia)

 * Melissa Anelli - resident of Staten Island, journalist at Staten Island Advance and webmaster of The Leaky Cauldron
 * Charly Arnolt - sports journalist (ESPN, OutKick, WWE)
 * Carlo Barsotti - emigrated from Italy to New York City in 1872. In 1879, he founded the Il Progresso Italo-Americano newspaper in New York City
 * Maria Bartiromo - financial journalist and television host
 * Joe Benigno - WFAN sports radio personality
 * David Brancaccio - journalist
 * Harry Caray (1914–1998) - born Harry Christopher Carabina, sports broadcaster, did play-by-play for the St. Louis Cardinals, Chicago White Sox, and most famously the Chicago Cubs; Cubs win! Cubs win!
 * Tucker Carlson - television host and conservative political commentator
 * Matt Casamassina - video game journalist working for IGN
 * Danny Casolaro - freelance journalist
 * Igor Cassini - journalist
 * Chris Cimino - co-host of Today in New York on WNBC, the NBC affiliate in New York City
 * Kellyanne Conway - president and CEO of The Polling Company Inc./Woman Trend, and has been a political commentator on CNN, Fox News, and Fox Business
 * Anthony Cumia - "Anthony" of the Opie and Anthony show
 * Rick Francona - NBC military analyst
 * Michael Gargiulo - co-host of Today in New York on WNBC, the NBC affiliate in New York City
 * John Iadarola - progressive political commentator for The Young Turks
 * Megyn Kelly - Fox News Channel political commentator and former corporate defense attorney
 * Charlotte Laws - author, columnist, political commentator, former politician, animal rights advocate, anti-revenge porn activist (known as the "Erin Brockovich of revenge porn")
 * Anthony Fantano - music critic and founder of The Needle Drop, a music related video blog
 * Al Giordano - political commentator, and former anti-nuclear and environmental activist
 * Steve Lopez - journalist; a columnist for the Los Angeles Times since 2001; the son of Spanish and Italian immigrants
 * Rob Marciano - journalist and meteorologist
 * Ann Nocenti - journalist, writer and editor, known for her work on comic books and magazines
 * Alexandra Pelosi - journalist, documentary filmmaker, and writer; daughter of Nancy Pelosi and Paul Pelosi
 * Dana Perino - political commentator and author who served as the 26th White House Press Secretary, serving under President George W. Bush
 * Generoso Pope Jr. (1927–1988) - founder of the National Enquirer
 * Tony Rizzo - sports anchor with WJW-TV, the Fox affiliate in Cleveland
 * Allison Rosati - WMAQ-TV nightly anchor, maternal Italian ancestry
 * Rick Santelli (born 1956) - editor for the CNBC Business News network
 * Peter Santenello (born 1977) - videomaker, traveler, and entrepreneur who produces videos about travel and human stories
 * Lauren Scala - co-host of Today in New York on WNBC, the NBC affiliate in New York City
 * Elaine Sciolino - Paris bureau chief of The New York Times
 * Karley Sciortino - writer, television host, and producer
 * Carla Sinclair - editor-in-chief at Craft magazine for O'Reilly Media

Military

 * Sgt. John Basilone - USMC, Medal of Honor recipient of World War II
 * Major John Belli - Quartermaster General of the U.S. Army 1792–1794
 * Corporal Anthony Casamento - USMC, Medal of Honor recipient of World War II
 * Christopher G. Cavoli - commander of United States European Command and Supreme Allied Commander Europe
 * Lieutenant General Peter W. Chiarelli
 * Lieutenant General Joseph P. DiSalvo - Military Deputy Commander of United States Southern Command
 * General Curtis Scaparrotti, Commander of United States European Command
 * Col. Luigi Palma di Cesnola - Civil War Union Cavalry officer, and Medal of Honor recipient
 * Lt Col Rick Francona - U S Air Force officer
 * Major Don Gentile (Dominic Salvatore Gentile) (1920–1951) - US Air Force officer
 * Bancroft Gherardi	- rear admiral of the US Navy, who served during the Mexican–American War and the American Civil War. The first Italian-American admiral in the US Navy.
 * Edmund P. Giambastiani - Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
 * Giovanni Martini - trumpeter; only member of Custer's army to leave the site of the Battle of the Little Big Horn alive
 * General Raymond T. Odierno - incumbent Chief of Staff of the United States Army
 * Peter Pace - USMC, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
 * Antonio Pierro - lived to be one of the oldest surviving veterans of World War I
 * Joseph L. Romano
 * Vito Trause - World War II prisoner of war
 * Walter Schirra - naval officer and aviator, aeronautical engineer, test pilot, and one of the original seven astronauts chosen for Project Mercury
 * Maj. Gen. Francis D. Vavala - Adjutant General, Delaware Army National Guard
 * Humbert Roque Versace - United States Army officer and POW in Vietnam
 * Gen. Anthony Zinni - USMC, former Commander in Chief of U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM)

Founding Fathers of the United States

 * Caesar Rodney - signer of the Declaration of Independence, and President of Delaware was 1/64th Italian
 * William Paca - often listed as an Italian American, but based on erroneous speculation about the Paca surname

Members of Congress

 * Mark Amodei - American lawyer and politician serving as the U.S. representative for Nevada's 2nd congressional district (2011–present)
 * John Barrasso - American physician and politician serving as the senior United States senator from Wyoming (2007–present)
 * David Cicilline - American lawyer and politician serving as the U.S. representative for Rhode Island's 1st congressional district (2011–present)
 * Catherine Cortez Masto - American lawyer and politician serving as the senior United States senator from Nevada (2017–present)
 * Ted Cruz - United States senator for Texas is of mixed Cuban, Irish and Italian ancestry (2013–present)
 * Emilio Q. Daddario - American Democratic politician from Connecticut. He served as a member of the 86th through 91st United States Congress. (1959–1971)
 * John Ensign - Congressman and United States Senator from Nevada (1995–2011)
 * James Joseph Lanzetta - American engineer and lawyer member of the United States House of Representatives from New York (1933–1935) and 1937–1939)
 * Kevin McCarthy - American businessman and former Speaker of the United States House of Representatives in the United States House of Representatives (2007–present)
 * Joe Manchin - American politician serving as the senior United States senator from West Virginia (2010–present)
 * Nancy Pelosi - Speaker of the United States House of Representatives (2007–2011, 2019–2023)
 * Steve Scalise - United States House of Representatives minority whip and representative for Louisiana's 1st congressional district (2008–present)
 * Tom Suozzi - Member of the United States House of Representatives from New York's 3rd congressional district (2017–present)

Minister

 * Leon Panetta - U.S. Secretary of Defense 2011–2013
 * Mike Pompeo - U.S. Secretary of State 2018–2021

Diplomats

 * Peter F. Secchia - U.S. Ambassador to Italy, 1989–1993
 * John J. Maresca - U.S. Ambassador, United States Delegation to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, 1992–1994
 * Richard F. Celeste - U.S. Ambassador to India, 1997–2001
 * Thomas M. Foglietta - U.S. Ambassador to Italy, 1997–2001
 * Paul Cellucci - U.S. Ambassador to Canada, 2001–2005
 * Paul A. Trivelli - U.S. Ambassador to Nicaragua, 2005–2008
 * Joseph A. Mussomeli - U.S. Ambassador to the Philippines; Ambassador to Cambodia, 2005–2008;
 * Ronald P. Spogli - U.S. Ambassador to Italy and first U.S. Ambassador to San Marino, 2005–2009
 * Peter Cianchette - U.S. Ambassador to Costa Rica, 2008–2009
 * Luigi R. Einaudi - acting Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS)
 * Francis J. Ricciardone, Jr. - U.S. Ambassador to the Philippines and Republic of Palau, 2002–2005; Ambassador to Egypt, 2005–2008; and Deputy Ambassador to Afghanistan, 2009–2010
 * Linda S. Taglialatela - U.S. Ambassador to Barbados, the Eastern Caribbean and the OECS since 2016
 * Claire A. Pierangelo - U.S. Ambassador to Madagascar and Comoros since 2022

Governors and former governors

 * John Baldacci - former governor of Maine (2003–2011)
 * Donald Carcieri - former governor of Rhode Island (2003–2011)
 * Dick Celeste - former governor of Ohio (1983–1991)
 * Argeo Paul Cellucci - former governor of Massachusetts (1997–2001)
 * Chris Christie - former governor of New Jersey (2010–2018)
 * Andrew Cuomo - former governor of New York (2011–2021)
 * Mario Cuomo - former governor of New York (1983–1994)
 * Ron DeSantis - governor of Florida
 * Edward D. DiPrete - former governor of Rhode Island (1985–1991)
 * Michael DiSalle - former governor of Ohio (1959–1963)
 * James Florio - former governor of New Jersey (1990–1994)
 * Foster Furcolo - former governor of Massachusetts (1957–1961)
 * Ella T. Grasso - former governor of Connecticut (1975–1980); first woman to be elected governor without following a husband
 * Andrew H. Longino - former governor of Mississippi (1900–1904)
 * Janet Napolitano - former governor of Arizona (2003–2009)
 * William Paca - signer of the American Declaration of Independence, member of the Continental Congress, governor of Maryland, Federal District Judge
 * John Orlando Pastore - former governor of Rhode Island (1945–1950)
 * George Pataki - former governor of New York (1995–2006)
 * Gina Raimondo - former governor of Rhode Island (2015–2021)
 * Albert Rosellini - former governor of Washington State (1957–1965)
 * Al Smith - former governor of New York (1919–1921; 1923–1929)
 * John A. Volpe - former governor of Massachusetts (1961–1963; 1965–1969)

Mayors and former mayors

 * Hugh Addonizio (1914–1981) - Mayor of Newark, New Jersey, 1962–1970
 * Joseph Alioto (1916–1998) - Mayor of San Francisco, 1968–1976
 * Thomas L. J. D'Alesandro, Jr. (1903–1987) - Mayor of Baltimore, Maryland, 1947–1959; prior to being mayor, he was a representative from Maryland's 3rd congressional district (1939–47); father of U.S. Representative Nancy Pelosi
 * Luigi Boria (born 1958) - Mayor of Doral, Florida, 2012–2016
 * Richard Caliguiri (1931–1988) - Mayor of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 1978–1988
 * Anthony Celebrezze (1910–1998) - Mayor of Cleveland, Ohio, 1953–1962
 * Vincent Cianci, Jr (1941–2016) - Mayor of Providence, Rhode Island, 1975–1984 and 1991–2002
 * David Cicilline (born 1961) - Mayor of Providence, Rhode Island, 2003–2011; Jewish mother
 * Bill de Blasio (born 1961) - Mayor of New York City, 2014–2022
 * John DeStefano, Jr. (born 1955) - Mayor of New Haven, Connecticut, 1994–2014
 * Frank Fasi (1920–2010) - Mayor of Honolulu, Hawaii, 1969–1981 and 1984–1994
 * Eric Garcetti (born 1971) - Mayor of Los Angeles, California, 2013–2022
 * Philip Giordano (born 1963) - Mayor of Waterbury, Connecticut, 1995–2001 when was arrested for municipal corruption and convicted of sex offender.
 * Rudolph Giuliani (born 1944) - Mayor of New York City, 1994–2001
 * Dick A. Greco (born 1933) - Mayor of Tampa, Florida, 1967–1974 and 1995–2003
 * Pam Iorio (born 1959) - Mayor of Tampa, Florida, 2003–2011
 * Vincent R. Impellitteri (1900–1987) - Mayor of New York City, 1950–1953
 * Fiorello La Guardia (1882–1947) - Mayor of New York City, 1934–1945; both parents Italian-born; father lapsed Catholic; mother Jewish
 * Mitch Landrieu (born 1960) - Mayor of New Orleans, 2010–2018
 * Anthony M. Masiello (born 1947) - Mayor of Buffalo, New York, 1994–2005
 * Thomas Menino (1942–2014) - Mayor of Boston, Massachusetts, 1993–2014
 * Robert Maestri (1899–1974) - Mayor of New Orleans, Louisiana, 1936–1946
 * George Moscone (1929–1978) - Mayor of San Francisco, 1976–1978
 * Joseph R. Paolino Jr. (born 1955) - 33rd Mayor of Providence, Rhode Island
 * Frank Rizzo (1920–1991) - Mayor of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1972–1980
 * Angelo Rossi (1878–1948) - Mayor of San Francisco, 1931–1944
 * Victor Schiro (1904–1992) - Mayor of New Orleans, Louisiana, 1961–1970
 * Frank A. Sedita (1907–1975) - Mayor of Buffalo, New York, 1958–1961, 1966–1973
 * Reed Gusciora (born 1960) - Mayor of Trenton, New Jersey, since 2018

Other

 * Alessandra Biaggi (born 1986) - New York State Senator
 * Jill Biden (born 1951) - American educator and the current first lady of the United States, wife of President Joe Biden. She was previously the second lady of the United States from 2009 to 2017.
 * Paul D'Ortona (1903–1992) - Democratic politician from Philadelphia who served as President of Philadelphia's City Council.
 * Andrew Giuliani (born 1986) - Special Assistant to the President and associate director of the Office of Public Liaison for President Donald Trump
 * Jim Messina (born 1969) - political adviser, White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations under President Barack Obama 2009–2011
 * Mike Pellicciotti (born 1978) - Washington State Treasurer
 * Joe Tacopina (born 1966) - lawyer who has represented Alex Rodriguez, Michael Jackson, Kimberly Guilfoyle, Meek Mill, and most notably Donald Trump.

Prelates

 * Msgr. Geno Baroni (1930–1984) - Catholic Coordinator for the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom
 * Raggio dell'Raggio (born 1963) - New York Italian parish president of Our Lady of Knee Clubbing Most Holy Divine Red Sauce Catholic Church
 * Francis X. DiLorenzo (1942–2017) - twelfth bishop of the Diocese of Richmond in Virginia
 * John Clement Favalora - Archbishop of the Catholic Archdiocese of Miami
 * Fr. Stan Fortuna - Roman Catholic priest
 * James Groppi - Roman Catholic priest and noted civil rights activist
 * Francis Mugavero - first Italian-American Bishop of Brooklyn, 1968–1990
 * Anthony M. Pilla - bishop of the Cleveland Catholic Diocese, 1979–2006
 * Joseph Rosati - first Bishop of the Diocese of Saint Louis
 * Robert Sirico

Cardinals

 * Joseph Louis Bernardin (1928–1996) - Archbishop of Cincinnati, Archbishop of Chicago
 * Anthony Joseph Bevilacqua (1923–2012) - served as Bishop of Pittsburgh and Archbishop of Philadelphia
 * Daniel Nicholas DiNardo (born 1949) - Archbishop of Galveston-Houston
 * Justin Francis Rigali (born 1935) - Archbishop of Philadelphia
 * Abdo Mitwally (born 1989) - American Italian for Management Industry

Scientists

 * Aristides Agramonte - bacteriologist
 * Janis Amatuzio (born 1950) - forensic pathologist
 * John T. Cacioppo - neuroscientist
 * Eugenio Calabi (1923–2023) - Italian-born American mathematician specializing in differential geometry, partial differential equations and their applications
 * Mario Capecchi (born 1941) - Nobel Prize 2007 winner for medicine
 * Nicholas R. Cozzarelli
 * Charles DeLisi
 * Renato Dulbecco - Nobel Prize 1975 winner for medicine
 * Federico Faggin - widely known for designing the first commercial microprocessor
 * Robert Fano (1917–2016) - computer scientist
 * Ugo Fano (1912–2001) - physicist
 * Anthony Fauci - immunologist contributing to research in the areas of AIDS and other immunodeficiencies
 * Enrico Fermi (1901–1954) - physicist; Nobel Prize 1938
 * Robert Gallo - virologist
 * Albert Ghiorso - nuclear scientist who helped discover several chemical elements on the periodic table
 * Riccardo Giacconi (1931–2018) - astrophysicist; Nobel Prize 2002
 * Edward J. Giorgianni - imaging scientist
 * Louis Ignarro - Nobel Prize 1998 winner for medicine
 * Robert Lanza
 * Paul J. Lioy - exposure science
 * Mariangela Lisanti - theoretical physicist
 * Salvador Luria - microbiologist; Nobel Prize 1969 for medicine
 * Mike Massimino - astronaut
 * Fulvio Melia - physicist, astrophysicist, and author
 * Antonio Meucci - telephone inventor
 * Franco Modigliani - economist; Nobel Prize 1985
 * Rita Levi-Montalcini - neurobiologist; Nobel Prize 2009
 * Lisa Marie Nowak - born Lisa Marie Caputo; astronaut
 * William Daniel Phillips - physicist; shared the Nobel Prize in Physics, in 1997, with Steven Chu and Claude Cohen-Tannoudji
 * Sam Potolicchio - psychologist specializing in government
 * Bruno Rossi (1905–1993) - major contributions to particle physics and the study of cosmic rays
 * Gian-Carlo Rota
 * Jack Sarfatti
 * Piero Scaruffi (born 1955) - cognitive scientist
 * Walter Schirra - astronaut
 * Emilio Segrè - Nobel Prize 1959-winning physicist and academic
 * Luigi Luca Cavalli-Sforza (1922–2018) - geneticist
 * Giuliana Tesoro (1921–2002) - organic chemist
 * Michael Viscardi - mathematician
 * Andrew Viterbi
 * Philip Zimbardo

Academics

 * Mario Capecchi - University of Utah
 * John D. Caputo
 * James Carafano
 * Frank A. Cipriani
 * Thomas A. DeFanti
 * John J. DeGioia - President of Georgetown University
 * Frank J. Fabozzi
 * Eugene Fama - University of Chicago professor of finance and winner of the 2013 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics
 * A. Bartlett Giamatti (1938–1989) - President of Yale University, later Major League Baseball commissioner; Italian father
 * Robert Gallucci - Dean of the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University
 * Lino Graglia - University of Texas in Austin
 * Paul J. Lioy - University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School
 * Robert Magliola - academic specialist in hermeneutics, philosophy, and religious studies
 * Mariana Mazzucato
 * Silvio Micali - professor of computer science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, distinguished for his work on cryptography
 * Fulvio Melia - professor of physics and astronomy at the University of Arizona in Tucson
 * Franco Modigliani - MIT economics professor and winner of the 1985 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics
 * L. Jay Oliva - former President of New York University (NYU) and author of many books on European and Russian history
 * Camille Paglia - professor of humanities at the University of the Arts
 * Michael Parenti - political scientist, Marxist activist
 * P. M. Pasinetti - professor of comparative literature and Italian at UCLA
 * Walter Piston - professor of music at Harvard University 1926–1960; Pulitzer Prize winner 1948 and 1961

Writers

 * Kim Addonizio - poet and novelist
 * Maria Arena Bell - novelist, television and freelance writer
 * Paul Attanasio - screenwriter
 * Ken Auletta - writer/journalist and media critic for The New Yorker
 * David Baldacci (born 1960) - best-selling novelist; a distant cousin of John Baldacci, former governor of Maine
 * Andrew Berardini - art critic and fiction writer
 * Greg Berlanti - television writer and producer
 * Giannina Braschi - poet and novelist
 * Leo Buscaglia (1924–1998) - author and motivational speaker
 * Christopher Castellani - novelist
 * Nick Cafardo (1956–2019) - sportswriter
 * Duane Capizzi - screenwriter
 * Lorenzo Carcaterra - novelist and screenwriter
 * Christopher Carosa (born 1960) - author, journalist, and investment adviser
 * John Ciardi - poet and etymologist
 * Diablo Cody - screenwriter, producer, author, journalist, memoirist, stripper and exotic dancer
 * Bob Colacello - writer
 * Angelo F. Coniglio - civil engineer, genealogist and author
 * Gregory Corso - poet
 * Wendy Corsi Staub - novelist
 * John Corvino - philosopher
 * Lorenzo Da Ponte - poet, writer, librettist
 * William L. DeAndrea - mystery writer
 * Keith R. A. DeCandido
 * Frank De Felitta - author
 * Don DeLillo (born 1936) - author
 * Guy Anthony De Marco - author
 * Tomie dePaola - author
 * Louise DeSalvo - writer, editor, professor, and lecturer
 * Pietro Di Donato - writer
 * Janine di Giovanni - author, journalist and war correspondent
 * John Fante - novelist and screenwriter
 * Lawrence Ferlinghetti - poet, essayist and painter
 * David Franzoni - screenwriter of Gladiator and King Arthur
 * John Fusco - novelist (Paradise Salvage) and screenwriter of Young Guns, Hidalgo, Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron
 * Paul Gallico - Italian father
 * Daniela Gioseffi (born 1941) - poet, novelist, literary critic, essayist, performer, social justice activist
 * Arturo Giovannitti - poet, political activist
 * Barbara Grizzuti Harrison (1934–2002) - writer
 * Evan Hunter - aka Ed MacBain, born Salvatore Lombino
 * Philip Lamantia
 * Teresa de Lauretis
 * Luis Marden - born Annibale Luis Paragallo, writer for National Geographic
 * Fulvio Melia - author of several popular science books, including The Black Hole at the Center of Our Galaxy
 * Charles Messina - writer/director of the play Mercury: The Afterlife and Times of a Rock God, the film Merging, and co-author the book My Father, My Don
 * Henry Samuel Morais - writer, rabbi
 * Diana Ossana - Academy Award-winning screenwriter
 * Camille Paglia - post-feminist literary and cultural critic
 * Christopher Paolini
 * Michael Parenti
 * P.M. Pasinetti - novelist, playwright, journalist, professor
 * Mario Pei
 * Tom Perrotta - novelist and screenwriter best known for the novels Election (1998) and Little Children (2004)
 * Nicholas Pileggi (born 1933) - writer, producer and screenwriter. He wrote the non-fiction book Wiseguy and co-wrote the screenplay for Goodfellas
 * Joseph D. Pistone
 * Diane di Prima - poet of the Beat generation
 * Mario Puzo (1920–1999) - writer/screenwriter and best-selling author of The Godfather
 * Marco Rafalà - first-generation descendant of immigrants from Melilli, Sicily. He is the author of the novel, How Fires End, a work of historical fiction set in World War II Sicily and 1980s America.
 * Terry Rossio - screenwriter
 * Shane Salerno - screenwriter
 * R.A. Salvatore (born 1959) - born Robert Anthony Salvatore, science fiction and fantasy author, best known for his Forgotten Realms and Star Wars novels
 * Leslie Scalapino - poet
 * Piero Scaruffi - poet, historian, scientist
 * Dom (Domenico) Serafini - TV trade magazine editor
 * Michelangelo Signorile - journalist, columnist, talk radio host and gay activist
 * Michael Smerconish - radio host and television presenter, newspaper columnist, author, and lawyer
 * Gay Talese
 * Adriana Trigiani
 * Jessica Valenti - blogger and feminist writer
 * Mark Valenti - screenwriter
 * Tom Verducci - sportswriter
 * Luisa Weiss - food writer
 * Rebecca Zanetti - bestselling author of paranormal romance, contemporary romance, and romantic suspense

Italian Americans who were first in their field of achievement

 * Giuseppe Mario Bellanca - designer of the first monoplane in the United States with an enclosed cabin
 * Frank Borzage - first person to win the Academy Award for Directing, for Seventh Heaven (1927)
 * Enea Bossi - designer of the first stainless steel aircraft and designer of the disputed first fully human-powered plane
 * Anthony Celebrezze (1910–1998) - first non-native to be appointed to the U.S. Cabinet
 * Geraldine Ferraro (1935–2011) - first woman in U.S. history to be nominated for the vice presidency of the United States from a major political party
 * Ella T. Grasso (1919–1981) - born Ella Rose Tambussi Grasso, first woman to be elected governor of a U.S. state without succeeding her husband
 * Giuseppina Morlacchi (1846–1886) - ballerina and dancer, introduced the can-can to the American stage
 * Nancy Pelosi - first woman in U.S. history to hold the office of Speaker of the United States House of Representatives
 * Frank Posillico - Dry January inventor
 * Dennis Tito - world's first space tourist
 * Joe Valachi (1904–1971) - first member of the Mafia to testify to the Senate about organized crime

Italian Americans not otherwise categorized

 * Emile Ardolino - dancer and choreographer
 * Donald P. Bellisario - director, former civil uniform service
 * Elizabeth Anne Bisceglia - American murderer; father was of Italian ancestry
 * Marella Agnelli - furniture designer
 * Luigi Antonini - labor leader
 * Noah D'castellano - Italian American actor-model and businessperson
 * Chris Avellone - video game designer
 * Frances Xavier Cabrini - Catholic religious sister, first U.S. citizen to be canonized a saint by the Catholic Church
 * Alyssa Campanella - fashion blogger, model, and beauty pageant titleholder
 * Oleg Cassini - Russian-Italian-American fashion designer
 * Andrew Cunanan - mass murderer; mother is of Italian background
 * Charli D'Amelio - TikTok personality
 * Dixie D'Amelio - TikTok personality
 * Emily DiDonato - model of Italian, Irish, and Native American ancestry
 * Ralph DiGia - pacifist and social justice activist
 * Tabitha D'umo - choreographer and creative director
 * Angelo Dundee - trainer of several boxing champions
 * Elizabeth Edwards - born Anania, wife of John Edwards, former U.S. Senator from North Carolina
 * Anthony Fantano - music critic and internet personality of Sicilian descent
 * Vincenzo Ferdinandi - fashion stylist
 * Vanessa Hessler - model and actress
 * Ernest Ingenito - mass shooter
 * Olivia Jade - social media celebrity and YouTuber
 * Stacy London - stylist and fashion consultant
 * Jay Manuel - make-up artist
 * Sabato Morais - rabbi leader of Mikveh Israel Synagogue, pioneer of Italian Jewish Studies in America, and founder of the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York City
 * Bruno Pauletto - physiologist, shot putter, businessman, coach, author
 * Bucky Pizzarelli - jazz guitarist. He was the father of guitarist John Pizzarelli and double bassist Martin Pizzarelli.
 * Mike Pompeo - politician, former Central Intelligence Agency director and 70th United States Secretary of State
 * Charles Ponzi (1882–1949) - one of the greatest swindlers in American history; inventor of the Ponzi scheme
 * Carrie Prejean - model, author, former Miss California USA 2009 and Miss USA 2009 first runner-up
 * Angela Carlozzi Rossi - executive secretary of the Italian Welfare League
 * Peter Santenello - videomaker, traveler, and entrepreneur who produces videos about travel and human stories
 * John Scarne - born Orlando Carmelo Scarnecchia, gambling expert and sleight-of-hand card performer
 * Mary Schiavo - former Inspector General of the United States Department of Transportation
 * Michael Schiavo - ex-husband of Terri Schiavo, the woman whose comatose state and subsequent court case garnered much media attention
 * Christian Siriano - fashion designer from New York
 * Milton Sirotta - at age nine coined the term googol
 * Michael Smerconish - CNN journalist
 * Carmela Teoli - 14-year-old mill worker whose Congressional testimony helped end the 1912 Lawrence textile strike
 * Jack Valenti - of Sicilian heritage, president of the Motion Picture Association of America from 1966 to 2007
 * Elettra Rossellini Wiedemann - fashion model, and socialite