A Brief History
In light of the current troubles with Islamic terrorists and our military operations in Arabic countries (Iraq, Syria, Yemen), we at History and Headlines would like to point out the contribution to American society made by just a few of the many Great Arab-Americans living here or that have made their mark on American society. As you can see, we chose to include mostly highly visible Arab-Americans that you may be familiar with. (Honorable mention to musician Frank Zappa who was mostly Italian, but had Greek and Arab heritage as well.)
Digging Deeper
20. Danny Thomas, actor, comedian.
Born in Detroit in 1912 as Amos Muzyad Yakhoob Kairous, Thomas was not only a successful actor and famous for being a nice guy, he also founded the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. He died in 1991 and was of Lebanese descent.
19. Marlo Thomas, actress.
The daughter of Danny Thomas, her most famous role was as television’s That Girl. She has also continued her father’s charitable and humanitarian work.
18. Tiffany, singer, actress.
Born Tiffany Darwish in 1971, she was a singing sensation as a teen in the 1980’s and has since also been a film actress. She is of Lebanese descent. Her photos in the April 2002 issue of Playboy made that issue one of the best selling ever.
17 and 16. George Maloof, Sr., sports team owner, businessman, and George Maloof, Jr., entrepreneur.
The son of Lebanese immigrants, Maloof, Sr. was a successful businessman and owned the Houston Rockets basketball team. He died in 1980. His son has owned the Sacramento Kings of the NBA and has a stake in the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas.
15. Shakira, singer, dancer.
Of Columbian and Lebanese descent, this nubile singer is famous for her incredible skill at belly dancing, and has a darn good voice as well. She has also been a judge/coach on television’s The Voice.
14. Ronald Fred “Rony” Seikaly, basketball player.
The 6’10” Seikaly, born in Lebanon, played in the NBA from 1988 to 1999 as a center. His career scoring average of 14.7 points per game and rebounding of 9.5 rebounds per game mark him as an excellent player. While with the Miami Heat he set many team records.
13. Doug Flutie, football player.
Of Lebanese descent, Flutie was the 1984 Heisman Trophy winner as the best college football player. He went on to star in the Canadian Football League and the National Football League. He has been a sports commentator since retiring from playing in 2006.
12. F. Murray Abraham, actor.
Of Assyrian descent from Syria, Abraham is the proud owner of a Best Actor Oscar (for Amadeus, 1984) and recently has been a mainstay on the Showtime series, Homeland.
11. Moustapha Akkad, film producer.
Of Syrian descent, Akkad is best known for his work on the original Halloween series of movies.
10. Shannon Elizabeth, actress.
This gorgeous actress is of Syrian and Lebanese descent and is famous for her roles in American Pie and Scary Movie.
9. Lisa Halaby (better known as Queen Noor), Queen of Jordan.
Of Syrian and Swedish descent, Lisa hit the jackpot by marrying King Hussein of Jordan, becoming his Queen, quite an accomplishment for an American girl.
8. Terri Hatcher, actress.
Familiar to television viewers from her roles on Lois & Clark and Desperate Housewives, Hatcher is British on her father’s side and her mother is half Syrian. She has won a Golden Globe Award and 3 Screen Actors’ Guild Awards.
7. Salma Hayek, actress.
This beauty has a Mexican mother and a Lebanese father, and has dabbled in modeling and singing as well as acting. She has also become an activist against violence against women.
6. Mario Kassar, movie producer.
If blockbusters such as the Rambo movies, Terminator 2, The Doors, Basic Instinct, Air America, and Total Recall sound familiar, you would be blown away by how many other big films Kassar has produced. He is of Lebanese and Italian descent and was born in Lebanon.
5. Kemal “Casey” Kasem, DJ and radio personality.
Although he died in 2014, you can still hear replays of his shows (American Top 40) on the radio. This versatile entertainer also was the voice of “Shaggy” in the Scooby-Doo cartoons. He also did voice work for Sesame Street and television commercials.
4. Wentworth Miller, actor, model.
This heart-throb is made up of a wonderful mélange of ethnic backgrounds, including Syrian and Lebanese on his mother’s side. He came to prominence on the television series, Prison Break.
3. George Noory, radio host.
Noory boasts millions of listeners (2.75 million unique listeners per week) to his radio show, Coast to Coast AM. He is of Lebanese-Egyptian descent. He has also done television work on paranormal type shows.
2. Tony Shalhoub, actor.
Winner of a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor as well as 2 SAG Awards and 3 Emmys, Shalhoub is best known as television’s Monk, and has appeared in blockbuster movies such as Men in Black, The Siege, and Galaxy Quest.
1. Ralph Nader, author and political activist.
Almost single handedly responsible for the tremendous improvement in automobile safety since the 1960’s due to his book,Unsafe at Any Speed, Nader has been a fierce proponent of public safety, consumer rights and the environment. He is the son of Lebanese immigrants. He has run for President of the United States 5 times, including as the Green Party nominee in 1996 and 2000. His career started as a lawyer.
Question for students (and subscribers): The order listed has no significance, and you can feel free to mention any other Arab-Americans you think should be on such a list in the comments section below this article.
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Historical Evidence
For more information, please see the following books by Arab Americans…
Queen Noor. Leap of Faith: Memoirs of an Unexpected Life. Miramax, 2003.
Thomas, M. Women in Lebanon: Living with Christianity, Islam, and Multiculturalism. Palgrave Macmillan, 2012.