This is a list of famous Jewish American entertainers. For other famous Jewish Americans, see List of Jewish Americans.
Comedians
- Bud Abbott, half of Abbott & Costello (Jewish mother)
- Woody Allen, comedian, director, actor
- Morey Amsterdam, comedian, actor
- Gregg Asch, comedian, humanitarian
- Dave Attell, comedian
- Ike Barenholtz, comedian, cast member of 'MADtv'
- Roseanne Barr, comedian
- Jack Benny, entertainer
- Milton Berle, entertainer, actor
- Shelley Berman, comedian
- Sandra Bernhard, comedian
- Lewis Black, comedian
- Victor Borge, comedian, pianist
- Fanny Brice, entertainer
- Albert Brooks, comedian, actor
- Mel Brooks, comedian
- Lenny Bruce, comedian
- George Burns, entertainer, actor
- Red Buttons, comedian, actor
- Eddie Cantor, entertainer, actor
- Sid Caesar, actor, writer
- Andrew Dice Clay, comedian
- Myron Cohen, comedian
- David Cross, comedian, actor
- Billy Crystal,comedian, actor
- Rodney Dangerfield, comedian
- Larry David, comedian
- Larry Fine, the Three Stooges
- Al Franken, comedian, activist
- Elon Gold, comedian, actor
- Judy Gold, comedienne
- Gilbert Gottfried, comedian, actor
- Shecky Greene, comedian
- Charles Grodin, comedian, actor
- Buddy Hackett, comedian
- Moe, Shemp & Curly Howard, the Three Stooges
- George Jessel, comedian
- Al Jolson, comedian
- Mickey Katz, comedian
- Andy Kaufman, comedian, actor
- Danny Kaye, entertainer, actor
- Alan King, comedian
- Robert Klein, comedian
- Tom Lehrer, satirist, musician
- Oscar Levant, comedian
- Jerry Lewis, comedian, actor
- Richard Lewis, comedian
- Marc Maron, comedian, radio host
- The Marx Brothers, (Chico, Harpo, Groucho, Gummo), comedians
- Jackie Mason, comedian
- Anne Meara, comedienne, actress
- Lorne Michaels, creator of Saturday Night Live
- Freddie Prinze, comedian, actor (Jewish father)
- Gilda Radner, comic actress
- Carl Reiner, comedian, actor
- Paul Reiser, comedian, actor
- Don Rickles, comedian, actor
- Joan Rivers, comedienne
- Rita Rudner, comedian
- Adam Sandler, comedian, actor
- Robert Schimmel, comedian
- Jerry Seinfeld, comedian, actor
- Al Shean, comedian, actor
- Allan Sherman, satirist, musician
- Pauly Shore, comedian
- Steve Bernard Cohen, comedian
- Sarah Silverman, comic
- Jason Sklar and Randy Sklar, comedians, hosts of Cheap Seats
- Jon Stewart, comic, TV host
- Ben Stiller, actor, comedian
- Barbra Streisand, comedian
- Rich Vos, Comic
- Henny Youngman, comedian
Dance
Persons listed with a double asteriks (**) are winners of the Tony Award for Best Choreography.
- Paula Abdul, dancer, choreographer, singer
- Michael Bennett, choreographer (Jewish mother) **
- Josephine Earp, wife of Wyatt Earp
- Eliot Feld, dancer and choreographer
- Ron Field, choreographer **
- Michael Kidd, choreographer **
- Lincoln Kirstein, dance impressario
- Bella Lewitzky, dancer, choreograher, & teacher
- Arthur Murray, dance instructor
- Jerome Robbins, choreographer **
- Anna Sokolow, dancer & choreographer
Film directors
- Jack Abramoff, Former president of Regency Entertainment Group, producing such movies as Red Scorpion
- Jim Abrahams, parody director
- J.J. Abrams, writer and director
- Woody Allen, Oscar-winning director, actor, screenwriter and musician
- Jack Arnold, director
- Darren Aronofsky, director
- George Axelrod, director, producer and screenwriter
- Ralph Bakshi, Israeli-born animation film director
- Bob Balaban, director and producer
- Andrew Bergman, director
- Curtis Bernhardt, German-born director and producer
- Peter Bogdanovich, director (Jewish mother)
- James L. Brooks, Oscar-winning director, producer
- Mel Brooks, director, actor and producer (also see Comedians, qv)
- Richard Brooks, director
- William Castle, director
- Ethan & Joel Coen, directors, screenwriters & producers
- Rob Cohen, director, producer
- Ricardo Cortez, director and actor; brother of Stanley Cortez
- George Cukor, Oscar-winning director
- Michael Curtiz, Oscar-winning director
- Paul Czinner, Hungarian-born director
- Jules Dassin, director
- Andrew Davis, director
- Cecil B. DeMille, director (Jewish mother, raised Episcopalian)
- Maya Deren, director
- Henri Diamant-Berger, French-born director, producer and screenwriter
- William Dieterle, director
- Stanley Donen, director, choreographer
- Richard Elfman, director
- Nora Ephron, director
- Richard Fleischer, director; son of animator Max Fleischer
- Carl Foreman, director, producer and screenwriter
- Milos Forman, Oscar-winning director (Jewish father)
- John Frankenheimer, director (Jewish father)
- William Friedkin, Oscar-winning director
- Samuel Fuller, director
- Charles Guggenheim, Oscar-winning documentary director
- Todd Haynes, director (Jewish mother)
- Amy Heckerling, director
- Peter Hyams, director
- Spike Jonze, director
- Phil Karlson, director (Jewish father)
- Garson Kanin, director, screenwriter and playwright
- Lawrence Kasdan, director
- Jeffrey Katzenberg, producer and director
- Philip Kaufman, director, screenwriter
- Irvin Kershner, director
- Zalman King, director
- Harmony Korine, director, screenwriter (Jewish father)
- Henry Koster, director
- Stanley Kramer, director
- Stanley Kubrick, director
- John Landis, director
- Fritz Lang, Austrian-born director (Jewish mother, raised Catholic)
- Norman Lear, director, producer and screenwriter
- Mimi Leder, director
- Mervyn LeRoy, director and producer
- Richard Lester, director
- Barry Levinson, Oscar-winning director
- Jerry Lewis, director, comic actor and producer
- Joseph H. Lewis, director
- Anatole Litvak, Russian-born director
- Siegmund Lubin, director
- Ernst Lubitsch, director
- Sidney Lumet, director
- Joseph L. Mankiewicz, Oscar-winning director
- Tom Mankiewicz, director and screenwriter; son of Joseph L. Mankiewicz
- Daniel Mann, director
- Michael Mann, director
- Stuart Margolin, director and actor
- Elaine May, director, actress and screenwriter
- Paul Mazursky, director, producer and screenwriter
- Albert & David Maysles, documentary filmmakers
- Nancy Meyers, director, screenwriter
- Lewis Milestone, Oscar-winning director
- Bennett Miller, Oscar-nominated director ("Capote")
- Paul Newman, director, actor and producer (Jewish father)
- Mike Nichols, Oscar-winning director
- Leonard Nimoy, actor and director
- Marcel Ophüls, director; son of director Max Ophüls
- Richard Oswald, German-born director and producer
- Frank Oz, director (Jewish father)
- Alan J. Pakula, Oscar-winning director, producer
- Norman Panama, director, producer and screenwriter
- Arthur Penn, director
- Leo Penn, director
- Abraham Polonsky, director
- Sydney Pollack, Oscar-winning director, actor, producer
- Otto Preminger, director
- Sam Raimi, director
- Harold Ramis, director
- Brett Ratner, director
- Carl Reiner, director and actor; father of Rob Reiner
- Rob Reiner, director, actor
- Martin Ritt, director
- Jay Roach, director
- Jerome Robbins, Oscar-winning director, choreographer
- Herbert Ross, director
- Robert Rossen, director, screenwriter
- Joe Roth, director, producer and executive
- David O. Russell, director, screenwriter (Jewish father)
- Joel Schumacher, director
- Susan Seidelman, director
- Adam Shankman, director, choreographer
- George Sidney, director
- Don Siegel, director
- Frank Silvera, founder of Theatre of Being (Jewish father)
- Bryan Singer, director
- Robert Siodmak, German-born director
- Todd Solondz, director
- Barry Sonnenfeld, director
- Steven Spielberg, Oscar-winning director, producer
- Josef von Sternberg, Austrian-born director (M; Metropolis)
- Oliver Stone, Oscar-winning director (Jewish father)
- Paul Strand, documentary director
- Barbra Streisand, director, actress and singer
- Joseph Strick, director, producer and screenwriter
- Erich von Stroheim, director, actor
- James Toback, director, screenwriter and producer
- Edgar G. Ulmer, director
- Paul & Chris Weitz, directors
- Billy Wilder, Austrian-born Oscar-winning director, screenwriter and producer
- Irwin Winkler, director
- Frederick Wiseman, documentary director
- William Wyler, Oscar-winning director
- Boaz Yakin, director
- Fred Zinnemann, Austrian-born Oscar-winning director
- David Zucker & Jerry Zucker, parody directors, producers
- Edward Zwick, director, producer
- Terry Zwigoff, director
Magicians
- David Blaine, stunt performer (Jewish single mother)
- David Copperfield, illusionist
- Harry Houdini, escape artist
- Max Maven, mentalist
- Ricky Jay, card tricks
- Shari Lewis, ventriloquist
(Raymond) Teller , half of Penn and Teller (Jewish father)
Models and beauties
- Hannah Aronshtein, American performer
- Barbi Benton, American model, actress
- Jeremy Bloom, model, Olympic skier
- Caprice Bourret, American model
- Brooke Burke [1] "Brooke Burke (whose mother is Jewish), will spiel about how hip it is to be Jewish..."
- Cindy Margolis, American model
- Bess Myerson, Miss America 1945
- Simon Rex, American model, actor, MTV VJ
- Lindsey Vuolo, American model
- Nikki Schieler Ziering, American model and actress
Producers and creators (film and television)
- Irwin Allen, producer & director
- Judd Apatow, screenwriter
- Samuel Z. Arkoff, film producer
- George Axelrod, screenwriter
- David Benioff, screenwriter
- Steven Bochco, creator of LA Law, Murder One
- Jerry Bruckheimer, producer
- James
Burrows, director
Will and Grace ,Laverne & Shirley , created Cheers - Paddy Chayefsky, screenwriter
- Bruce Cohen, Oscar-winning producer
- Norman Corwin, radio writer, producer
- David Crane, screenwriter, producer, co-creator of Friends
- Robert Evans, producer, studio executive, produced The Godfather
- Lowell
Ganz, writer, producer on The
Odd Couple, Happy
Days,
Laverne & Shirley , screenwriter for Parenthood, City Slickers, A League of Their Own - William Goetz, producer
- Leonard Goldberg, producer
- Akiva Goldsman, Oscar-winning screenwriter, producer
- Carl Gottlieb, screenwriter
- Ben Hecht, screenwriter
- Don Hewitt, executive producer of 60 minutes
- Mitchell Hurwitz, executive producer and creator of Arrested Development
- Lawrence Kasdan, screenwriter and director
- Jeffrey Katzenberg, producer
- Marta Kauffman, producer, screenwriter, co-creator of Friends
- Charlie Kaufman, screenwriter
- David Kohan, executive producer of Will & Grace, Good Morning Miami, Twins, Four Kings, screenwriter of The Wonder Years
- Jenji Kohan, screenwriter, creator of Weeds
- Ernest Lehman, screenwriter
- Bill Maher, creator and host of "Real Time" (Jewish mother, raised Catholic; agnostic)
- Max Mutchnick, executive producer of Will & Grace, Good Morning Miami, Twins, Four Kings, screenwriter of The Wonder Years
- Marc Platt, producer
- Sydney Pollack, Oscar-winning director
- Nikki Reed [2] "“You know, they’re both Jewish,” says the director of Nikki, who portrays Evie, and co-star Evan Rachel Wood, who plays Tracy... What Nikki didn’t do was have a Bat Mitzvah, although her brother had his religious rite of passage. “She grew up in an atmosphere where her father showed a lot of interest in being Jewish. She grew up knowing about Jewish folk dances." [3] "Nikki is Jewish on her dad’s side and Cherokee-Italian on her mother’s." [4]
- Carl Reiner, comedian, creator of The Dick Van Dyke Show
- Joe Roth, film producer, director
- Leon Schlesinger, producer
- Josh Schwartz, screenwriter, creator of The OC
- Sherwood Schwartz, creator of Gilligan's Island, Brady Bunch
- David Selznick, producer
- Rod Serling, creator of The Twilight Zone
- Amy Sherman-Palladino, writer for Gilmore Girls, Over the Top, Veronica’s Closet, Love and Marriage, Roseanne, director for and creator of Gilmore Girls
- Joel Silver, producer and co-inventor of Ultimate Frisbee
- Aaron Sorkin, creator of West Wing
- Aaron Spelling, producer, Starsky & Hutch, Charlie's Angels, Beverly Hills, 90210, Vega$, Family, Dynasty, Melrose Place, Charmed, 7th Heaven, Summerland
- Darren Star, creator of Beverly Hills 90210, Melrose Place, Sex and the City
- Matt Stone, creator of South Park (Jewish mother)
- Irving Thalberg, Oscar-winning producer
Professional Wrestlers
- Bill Goldberg, wrestler, WWE, WCW
- Paul Heyman, wrestler, manager, ECW, WWF/WWE, WCW
- Barry Horowitz, wrestler, WWF, WCW
- Scott Levy, wrestler, ECW, WCW, WWE, TNA
- Dallas Page, wrestler, WCW, WWF
- Dean Simon, wrestler, ECW, WCW, WWF
TV and radio presenters
- Dan Abrams, MSNBC anchor
- Marv Albert, sportscaster
- Mel Allen, radio sportscaster
- Chuck Barris, presenter of Dating Game, Gong Show
- Wolf Blitzer, CNN reporter
- Kitty Carlisle, panelist on To Tell the Truth, arts advocate
- Connie Chung, news anchor (converted)
- Liz Claman, host of CNBC Morning Call
- Howard Cosell, sportscaster
- Katie Couric, presenter of The Today Show (Jewish mother)
- Jim Cramer, tv reporter
- Don Francisco, presenter of Sabado Gigante
- Joe Frank, radio personality
- Allen Funt, presenter of Candid Camera
- Ira Glass, presenter of This American Life
- Amy Goodman, presenter of Democracy Now
- Daryn Kagan, host of CNN Live Today
- Larry King, CNN reporter, host of Larry King Live
- Ted Koppel, presenter of Nightline
- Ricki Lake, presenter of Ricki
- Dave Lieberman, presenter of Good Deal with Dave Lieberman
- Bill Maher, ex-presenter of Politically Incorrect (Jewish mother, raised Catholic, agnostic)
- Al Michaels, sportscaster
- Bill Nye, presenter of Bill Nye, the Science Guy
- Maury Povich, talk-show host
- Geraldo Rivera, news reporter (Jewish mother)
- Michael Savage, KNEW radio host
- Laura Schlessinger, radio talk-show host of Dr. Laura
- Daniel Schorr, tv reporter
- Elliot Segal, host of popular radio show, Elliot in the Morning
- Dinah Shore, television host, singer
- Richard Simmons, fitness guru, host of Lighten Up with Richard Simmons
- Dave Spector, personality and commentator
- Herb Stempel, quiz show contestant
- Bill Stern, radio sportscaster
- Howard Stern, radio shock jock
- Jon Stewart, comedian, presenter of The Daily Show
- Mike Wallace, correspondent for 60 Minutes
- Barbara Walters, presenter of Today Show, 20/20
Theater
Persons listed with a double asteriks (**) are producers who have won the Tony Award for Best Musical and/or the Tony Award for Best Play. Those listed with a triple asteriks (***) have won the Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical and/or Play. Those listed with a quadruple asteriks (****) have won the Tony Award for Best Actor or Best Actress in a Musical or Play.
- Jacob Pavlovitch Adler, actor
- Bud Abbott, actor (Jewish mother)
- Stella Adler, acting teacher & actress
- Woody Allen, actor
- Herb Alpert, producer *
- Morey Amsterdam, actor
- Boris Aronson, set designer, costume designer and lighting designer
- George Axelrod, producer & director
- Shoshana Bean, actress
- Julian Beck & Judith Malina, founders of Living Theatre
- David Belasco, producer & director
- Michael Bennett, director & producer (Jewish mother) **
- Jack Benny, actor
- Milton Berle, producer & actor
- Shelley Berman, actress
- Sarah Bernhardt, legendary French thespian (Jewish mother)
- Theodore Bikel, actor
- Rudolf Bing, opera impresario
- Victor Borge, actor & writer
- Fanny Brice, actress
- Mel Brooks, producer **
- Abe Burrows, director ***
- Red Buttons, actor
- George Burns, actor
- Sid Caesar, actor
- Eddie Cantor, actor & producer
- Kitty Carlisle, actress
- Joseph Chaikin & Peter Feldman, founders of Open Theatre
- Paddy Chayefsky, director
- Heinrich Conried, theatre owner/operator & producer
- Norman Corwin, director
- Billy Crystal, actor & writer
- Rodney Dangerfield, actor
- Clive Davis, producer
- Sammy Davis, Jr., actor (convert)
- Robert Evans, actor
- Cy Feuer, producer, director & theatre owner/operator **
- Ron Field, director ***
- Larry Fine, actor
- David Geffen, producer **
- Leonard Goldberg, producer
- Gilbert Gottfried, actor
- Charles Grodin, producer, director & actor
- Buddy Hackett, actor & producer
- Arthur Hammerstein, producer & director (uncle of Oscar Hammerstein II)
- Oscar Hammerstein I, producer & theater director/operator (grandfather of Oscar Hammerstein II)
- Oscar Hammerstein II, producer & director
- Ben Hecht, director
- Anna Held, stage performer
- Curly Howard, actor
- Moe Howard, actor
- Shemp Howard, actor
- Sidney Howard, producer & director
- George Jessel, producer and actor
- Al Jolson, performer & producer
- Mickey Katz, actor & director
- Andy Kaufman, actor
- George S. Kaufman, producer, director, and theater owner/operator
- Danny Kaye, actor
- Larry Kert, actor & singer
- Michael Kidd, director & producer
- Alan King, actor & producer
- Robert Klein, actor
- Richard Kline, actor
- Lisa Kron, actress
- Judy Kuhn, actress & singer
- Bert Lahr, actor ****
- James Lapine, director & librettist
- Norman Lear, producer
- Ernest Lehman, producer
- Sam Levene, director & actor
- Jerry Lewis, actor
- Judith Light, actress
- Lucille Lortel, Off-Broadway producer, Lucille Lortel Theatre named after her
- Craig Lucas, actor
- Joshua Malina, actor
- Ross Martin, actor
- The Marx Brothers, (Chico, Harpo, Groucho, Gummo), actors
- Jackie Mason, actor
- Sanford Meisner, founder of Neighbourhood Playhouse
- Ed Metzger, actor and writer
- Idina Menzel, actress, singer & songwriter
- David Merrick, producer & director **
- Lorne Michaels, producer & director
- Arthur Miller, playwright
- Mitch Miller, producer
- Minskoff family, producers & theater owners
- Isaac Mizrahi, costume designer
- Howard Morris, actor
- Zero Mostel, actor ****
- Alla Nazimova, actress
- Nederlander family, producers & theater owners **
- Bebe Neuwirth, actress ****
- Mike Nichols, producer & director **, ***
- Joseph Papp a.k.a Joe Papp, founded the non-profit NYC Public Theater **
- Adam Pascal, actor
- Mandy Patinkin, actor & singer ****
- Jan Peerce, actor
- Marc Platt, producer
- Sydney Pollack, actor
- Harold Prince, director **, ***
- Gilda Radner, actress
- Tony Randall, actor, founder of National Actors Theatre
- Carl Reiner, director & actor
- Rob Reiner, actor
- Max Reinhardt, director
- Elmer Rice, director & producer
- Joan Rivers, actress & writer
- Jerome Robbins, producer & director ***
- Edward G. Robinson, actor & playwright
- Billy Rose, director, producer, & theater operator
- Rita Rudner, actress
- Morrie Ryskind, director
- Rebecca Schull, actress
- Maurice Schwartz, producer, director and actor
- Jerry Seinfeld, actor & writer
- Wallace Shawn, actor
- Al Shean, actor
- Shubert family, producers & theater owners **
- Leigh Silverman, director
- Anna Sokolow, director
- Ben Stiller, actor
- Jerry Stiller, actor
- Lee Strasberg & Harold Clurman, co-founders of Group Theatre
- Barbra Streisand, actress
- Julie Taymor, director ***
- Bessie Thomashefsky, actress
- Boris Thomashefsky, actor
- Sophie Tucker, actress
- Mike Wallace, actor
- Barbara Walters, actress
- Lesley Ann Warren, actress
- Steven Weber, actor
- Bob Weinstein, producer
- Harvey Weinstein, producer
- Barry Weissler, producer
- Fran Weissler, producer
- Louis Wolheim, actor
- Ed Wynn, producer, director, actor, and librettist
- Henny Youngman, actor
- Harris Yulin, actor
- Florenz Ziegfeld, director and producer
- Efrem Zimbalist Jr., actor and producer
- David Zippel, director
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