This is a list of notable Portuguese Americans, including both original immigrants who obtained American citizenship and their American descendants.

Art and architecture João de Brito (born 1958), painter, sculptor, artist. Nathan Oliveira (December 19, 1928 – November 13, 2010), American painter, printmaker, and sculptor, born in Oakland, California to Portuguese parents. William Pereira (1909–1985), architect, Cape Canaveral, UC Irvine, CBS Television City & Transamerica Pyramid in San Francisco. Mel Ramos (July 24, 1935 – October 14, 2018), U.S. figurative painter, whose work incorporates elements of realist and abstract art. Edgar Mosa (born 1986), jeweler and artist. Pedro Joseph de Lemos (1882–1954), was an American painter, printmaker, architect, illustrator, writer, lecturer, museum director and art educator in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Business Buddy DeSylva (1895–1950), American songwriter, movie producer & co-founder of Capitol Records. Izzy Gomez, Portuguese immigrant, chef and restaurateur in the North Beach neighborhood of San Francisco, California. In 1943, he was recognized by LIFE Magazine as one of San Francisco's most colorful characters. Teresa Heinz Kerry (born 1938), philanthropist, heiress of H.J. Heinz Company, widow of Henry John Heinz III, and wife of John Kerry. (Mozambican-born Portuguese) Helder Antunes (born 1963), is a Portuguese-American executive, computer scientist, and former racecar driver. A Cisco Systems executive for over twenty years, as well as founder and first Chairman of the OpenFog Consortium, Antunes currently serves as chief executive officer of Crowdkeep. Carlos M. Cardoso, is an American businessman. He is the Principal of CMPC Advisors and the former Non-Executive Chairman of Garrett Advancing Motion. Cardoso was the chairman, president and chief executive officer of the Kennametal, a metalworking and tool production company headquartered in Latrobe, Pennsylvania. Ronald Oliveira, is an American businessman, the former CEO of Revolut USA, and the former President of Avidbank. Ernest Morgado (1917–2002), was a businessman and community leader known for creating huli-huli chicken. He served as a chief petty officer in naval intelligence during World War II.

Culinary Emeril Lagasse is a Portuguese-American celebrity chef, restaurateur, television personality, and cookbook author. David Leite is the Portuguese-American publisher of the two-time James Beard Award-winning website Leite's Culinaria. He has written for The New York Times, Martha Stewart Living, Bon Appétit, Saveur, Food & Wine, Gourmet, Food Arts, Men's Health, The Los Angeles Times Magazine, Chicago Sun Times, The Washington Post, and other publications in the United States and abroad. George Mendes is the Portuguese-American executive chef of Aldea, a Michelin starred restaurant in New York City. Chris Santos is a New York City chef and the former executive chef and owner of The Stanton Social on New York's Lower East Side. Jason Santos is a Boston-based restaurateur, cookbook author, runner-up on Hell's Kitchen season 7 and has appeared on Bar Rescue seasons 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9. Kevin Sousa (chef) is a professional private chef and consultant. He was previously the executive chef and co-owner of Superior Motors, an American restaurant which opened in July 2017 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He was previously the chef/co-owner of Salt of the Earth, Union Pig & Chicken and Station Street Food.

Film and television

Krista Allen (born 1972), model (maternal grandfather of Portuguese descent). Bruno de Almeida (born 1965), filmmaker (both parents are Portuguese). Joaquim de Almeida (born 1957), actor (24). Marliece Andrada, (born August 22, 1972), Playboys Playmate of the Month for March 1998; She joined the cast of Baywatch in the 1997 season. Mary Astor (1906–1987), Academy Award winning actress (starred in The Maltese Falcon w/ Humphrey Bogart), maternal grandfather was of Portuguese descent Camilla Belle (born 1986), actress (her mother is Brazilian-Portuguese) Sada (formerly Sara) Bettencourt, featured in the reality series The Real L Word (Portuguese-born parents) Rowan Blanchard (born 2001), actress. (Portuguese mother) Brooke Burke (born 1971), model/TV show host: "Wild On..." (Portuguese grandfather). Auliʻi Cravalho (born 2000), actress and singer, Moana. Richard E. Cunha (1922–2005), was an American cinematographer and film director. Cunha's father was Albert "Sonny" Cunha, an American songwriter. During World War II, Cunha served as an aerial photographer for the military, and then was transferred to Hal Roach Studios in Los Angeles, where he made military training films, newsreels and documentaries. Dorothy DeBorba (1925–2008), 1930s child actor, Our Gang, Little Rascals series. (Portuguese Azorean ancestry). Frank Delima (born 1949), comedian. Joe DeRita (1909–1993), "Curly Joe" of the Three Stooges. Louise Fazenda (1895–1962), silent comedy films actress Shiloh Fernandez, American actor of Portuguese and Russian descent. Ana Carolina da Fonseca (born October 25, 1978), American film and television actress, television personality and model. She was born in São Paulo, Brazil, to Portuguese parents; she moved to the United States at age 12. Lyndsy Marie Fonseca (born 1987), American actress; of 3/4 Portuguese ancestry Hal De Forrest (born 1862, Portugal – died February 16, 1938, New York City), Portuguese-born American early silent film actor. Dave Franco (born 1985), actor. James Franco (born 1978), actor, director, screenwriter, and film producer; paternal grandfather was of Portuguese descent Tom Franco (born 1980), actor. Khalid Gonçalves (born 1971), actor/musician. Both parents were from Portugal. Natalie Gregory, 1980s child actress, Alice in Wonderland and Oliver & Company Jasmine Guy (born March 10, 1962), American actress, singer and dancer. She is best known for her starring role as Whitley Gilbert in the television sitcom A Different World and Roxy in Dead Like Me. Colin Hanks (born 1977), actor. Tom Hanks (born 1956), 2-time Academy Award-winning American actor, voice-over artist and movie producer, two of his mother's grandparents were Azorean, and two of his father's grandparents were Azorean, making him half Portuguese on both sides. Emeril Lagasse (born 1959), chef and host of LIVE! Cooking with Emeril. Kevin Lima – American film director who has directed a number of Disney films Vanessa Marcil (born 1969), actress known for her roles in the long-running soap opera General Hospital, Gina on Beverly Hills, 90210, mother is of partial Portuguese descent. Mandell Maughan, best known for her role as Maggie on CBS' Me, Myself & I (Both parents are Portuguese) Danica McKellar (born 1975), American actress best known for her role as Winnie Cooper in the television show The Wonder Years. Tamara Mello (born 1976), actress, she appeared in the TV series Popular as Lily Jesse Metcalfe (born 1978), actor, 22 appearances on Desperate Housewives (mother is of Portuguese and Italian descent) Carmen Miranda (1909–1955), actress and singer. Shanna Moakler (born 1975), model, actress. Wife of Blink 182 drummer Travis Barker. Wendy Moniz (born 1971), best known for her role as Dinah Marler Thorpe Jessup on the daytime soap opera Guiding Light. Edgar Morais (born 1989), actor Vasco Nunes (1974–2016), born in Lisboa, Director of Photography, Producer and director, Produced two Grand Jury Prizes at Sundance Film Festival, has several films in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art in NYC, and many cinema, TV and music projects completed. Nestor Paiva (1905–1966), 1930s–60s actor who appeared on Get Smart, The Beverly Hillbillies, and The Addams Family. Harold Peary (1908–1985), American actor, comedian and singer. Kevin Pereira (born 1982), co-host of G4's Attack of the Show! Frank Perry (1930–1995), film director, uncle of singer Katy Perry Jada Pinkett-Smith, American actress of African-American, West Indian, Creole, and Portuguese -Jewish ancestry. Pedro Mendonça Pinto (born 1975 in Lisbon, Portugal), Portuguese American journalist who is currently a sports anchor for CNN International based in London, England. Amy Poehler (born 1971), actress and comedian (Irish, English, German, and Portuguese descent) J. G. Quintel (born 1982), Emmy Award-winning Animator and writer; Creator of Regular Show. Father is Azorean Portuguese. Keanu Reeves (born 1964), best known for his role as Neo in the action film trilogy The Matrix. (English, Portuguese, Irish, Chinese and Native Hawaiian descent) Daniela Ruah (born 1983), best known for her role Kensi Blye in the CBS series NCIS: Los Angeles (Portuguese Jewish, Ashkenazi Jewish, and 1/16th Spanish) Al Santos (born 1976), New York actor/model. (Portuguese & Irish ancestry) Tom Silva, general contractor on the PBS show This Old House. Alicia Sixtos, actress John Soares, director, actor, editor, and fight choreographer known for Sockbaby and The Danger Element. (Portuguese-born grandparents). Joe Souza, actor. His grandmother is from Lisbon, Portugal. Tammie Souza, meteorologist Katie Stevens (born 1992), actress of Portuguese descent on her mother's side."'Katie' excitement mounts with creation of fan T-shirts and spirit bracelets" Jonathan Taylor Thomas (born 1981), actor and former teen idol. (Portuguese-American maternal grandfather) Dilshad Vadsaria (born 1985), actress. Karen Valentine (born May 25, 1947; Sebastopol, California), American actress of Italian and Portuguese extraction. She is best known for her role as the idealistic schoolteacher "Alice Johnson" in the television series Room 222. Meredith Vieira (born 1953), host of NBC's Today and the syndicated game show Who Wants To Be A Millionaire. Joe Alves (born 1936), is an American film production designer, perhaps best known for his work on Close Encounters of the Third Kind and the first three films of the Jaws franchise. He directed the third installment Jaws 3-D. Tom Silva (born 1946 or 1947), is an American construction contractor and television personality notable for his long-running participation in the PBS shows This Old House and Ask This Old House.

Literature Millicent Borges Accardi, Portuguese-American poet. She has received literary fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), the California Arts Council, Barbara Deming Foundation, Fulbright (Scholar), CantoMundo, Yaddo, Creative Capacity, Fundação Luso-Americana. Accardi has served as Poet Laureate of Topanga Canyon in Souther California. Allison Adelle Hedge Coke, Portuguese-American poet and writer (Enos family). She is a Distinguished Professor of Creative Writing at the University of California Riverside and has received several literary fellowships including the Library of Congress (Witter Bynner), Fulbright (Scholar), California Arts Council (Legacy Artist), Fundação Luso-Americana, Mellon (Dean's Professorship), Daniel and Maggie Inouye Distinguished Chair in Democratic Ideals, Paul and Clarice Reynolds Distinguished Chair. Larry Correia, Portuguese-American fantasy novelist, known for his Monster Hunter and Grimnoir Chronicles series. Nancy Vieira Couto, well established Portuguese-American poet, born in 1942. She lives in Ithaca, New York. John Dos Passos (1896–1970), major Portuguese-American novelist, journalist, playwright and artist. Charles Reis Felix (1923–2017), writer. Frank X. Gaspar (born 1946), poet and novelist. Ferrol A. Sams Distinguished Chair, Writer in Residence at Mercer University and teaches in the MFA Writing Program at Pacific University, Oregon. Brian Haberlin, writer and comic book artist. Co-creator of the Witchblade franchise and former editor in chief for Spawn, of Portuguese (Madeira, Portugal) and Native Hawaiian heritage on his mother's side of the family and of Azorean Portuguese on his grandfather's Haberlin side of the family.