This is a list of
notable Buddhists or Buddhist practitioners who live or lived in the United States. This list includes both formal teachers of Buddhism, and people notable in other areas who are publicly Buddhist or who have espoused
Buddhism in America.
Seth Evans is a scholar and educator who specializes in the
Abhidhamma Pitaka (abhidhammapiṭaka) and the
Visuddhimagga. He is known for his work in the phenomenological aspects of Buddhist psychology. Evans also plays bass for the punk-rock band The Out of Sorts.[3]
Taitetsu Unno was a scholar, lecturer, and author on the subject of
Pure Land Buddhism. His work as a translator has been responsible for making many important Buddhist texts available to the English-speaking world and he is considered one of the leading authorities in the United States on Shin Buddhism, a branch of Pure Land Buddhism.[4]
Harrison Ford (1942– ), American actor. His films have grossed more than $5.4 billion in North America and more than $9.3 billion worldwide, making him the seventh-highest-grossing actor in North America.[20]
Pattrick Duffy (1949– ), American actor and director widely known for his role on the CBS primetime soap opera
Dallas, where he played
Bobby Ewing, the youngest son of
Miss Ellie, and the nicest brother of
J.R. Ewing from 1978 to 1985 and from 1986 to 1991. The actor was brought closer to the teachings of
Buddhism by his late wife, the ballet dancer Carlyn Rosser (1939–2017). He has now been practicing religion for almost 50 years and describes it as an "Essential part" of his life.[38][39] (
Soka Gakkai International)
Peter Coyote (1941– ), American actor and author[40] (Zen, ordained priest)
Richard Gere, American actor. He began in films in the 1970s, playing a supporting role in Looking for Mr. Goodbar (1977) and a starring role in Days of Heaven (1978).[41] (
Tibetan Buddhism)
Walter Ho (1923 – March 27, 2020), known in Chinese as Hua Da[45] (when he was in China) and Hsia Hua-ta[46] (when he was in Taiwan), was an American
Peking opera actor.
Koo Stark (1956– ), American photographer and actress, known for her relationship with Prince Andrew. She is a patron of the Julia Margaret Cameron Trust, museum of the Victorian pioneer photographer.[56]
Uma Thurman (April 29, 1970– ), American actress, writer, producer, and model. She has acted in a variety of films, from romantic comedies and dramas to science fiction and action films.She was brought up a Buddhist by her dad. In fact, her father was the first westerner to be ordained as a Tibetan Buddhist monk. Uma's name is derived from the Tibetan name ‘Dbuma Chenpo’ (the ‘db’ is silent) – meaning, ‘the great middle way’.[47][70]
Paul Reps (September 15, 1895 – July 12, 1990), American artist, poet, and author. He is best known for his unorthodox haiku-inspired poetry that was published from 1939 onwards. He is considered one of America's first haiku poets.[72]
Elaine Hamilton-O'Neal (October 13, 1920 – March 15, 2010), professionally known as Elaine Hamilton, was an internationally known American abstract painter and muralist born near
Catonsville, Maryland.[73]
Priscilla Chan (February 24, 1985– ), American philanthropist and a former pediatrician. She and her husband,
Mark Zuckerberg, a co-founder and CEO of
Meta Platforms, established the
Chan Zuckerberg Initiative in December 2015, with a pledge to transfer 99 percent of their Facebook shares, then valued at $45 billion.[76]
Steve Wynn, American real estate developer and art collector. He was known for his involvement in the luxury
casino and
hotel industry, prior to being forced to step down.[79][80]
Alan Ball, American writer, director and producer.[81]
Abel Ferrara, American filmmaker, known for the provocative and often controversial content in his movies and his use and redefinition of
neo-noir imagery.
George Lucas (May 14, 1944– ), American film director, producer, screenwriter, and entrepreneur.[82][83]
Richard Martini (12 March 1955– ), American film director, producer, screenwriter and freelance journalist.[84]
Shan Serafin (November 18, 1982– ), American film director, screenwriter, and novelist. In both film and literature he is known for his work in the thriller and action genres. For stage, the majority of his productions fall under drama.[85]
Jane Hirshfield (February 24, 1953-[94]) is an American poet, essayist, and translator, known as 'one of American poetry's central spokespersons for the biosphere' and recognized as 'among the modern masters,' 'writing some of the most important poetry in the world today.'[95]
John Giorno, American poet and performance artist. He founded the not-for-profit production company Giorno Poetry Systems and organized a number of early multimedia poetry experiments and events.
John S. Hall (September 2, 1960– ), American poet, author, singer and lawyer perhaps best known for his work with
King Missile, an
avant-garde band that he co-founded in 1986 and has since led in various incarnations.[96]
David Ige, American politician. He was the 8th Governor of Hawaii. A Democrat, he served in the Hawaii State Senate from 2003 to 2014 and the
Hawaii House of Representatives from 1985 to 2003. In the 2014 gubernatorial election, he defeated incumbent Governor
Neil Abercrombie in the
Democratic primary, and won the general election over Republican nominee
Duke Aiona. Ige was reelected in 2018.[100]
Mazie Hirono,
U.S. Senator (2013–),
U.S. Congresswoman (2007–2013) and Democrat from Hawaii; first elected female Senator from Hawaii, first Asian-American woman elected to the Senate, first
U.S. Senator born in Japan and the nation's first Buddhist Senator.[103]
James H. Austin, American neurologist and author. He is the author of the book Zen and the Brain. It establishes links between the neurophysiology of the human brain and the practice of meditation, and won the Scientific and Medical Network Book Prize for 1998. He has written five sequels: Zen-Brain Reflections (2006), Selfless Insight (2009), Meditating Selflessly (2011), Zen-Brain Horizons (2014) and Living Zen Remindfully (2016).[111]
James J. Hughes (born May 27, 1961) is an American sociologist and bioethicist. He is the executive director of the Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies.[112]
Mark Epstein (1953– ), American author and psychotherapist who integrates
Shakyamuni Buddha's teachings with
Sigmund Freud's approaches to trauma. He often writes about the interface of Buddhism and psychotherapy.[113][114][115]
Adam Yauch, better known under the stage name MCA, was an American rapper, bass player, filmmaker and a founding member of the hip hop group
Beastie Boys.[117]
Alanis Morissette (1974– ), Canadian-American singer, songwriter, and actress. Known for her emotive mezzo-soprano voice and confessional songwriting, Morissette began her career in Canada in the early 1990s with two mildly successful dance-pop albums.[118]
Aliana Lohan (December 22, 1993– ), American singer, actress, fashion model and television personality.Ali Lohan is a Buddhist by religion. She converted to
Buddhism after being raised in
Catholicism.[119][120][121][122][123]
Anthony Newman (May 12, 1941– ), American classical musician. While mostly known as an organist, Newman is also a harpsichordist (including the pedal harpsichord), pianist, composer, conductor, writer, and teacher.
Chi Cheng (July 15, 1970 – April 13, 2013), American musician and poet, best known as the bassist and backing vocalist for the American
alternative metal band
Deftones.[127]
Combat Jack (July 8, 1964 – December 20, 2017), known professionally as Combat Jack, was a Haitian-American hip hop music attorney, executive, journalist, editor and podcaster.[133]
Eric Erlandson (1963– ), American musician, guitarist, and writer, primarily known as founding member, songwriter and lead guitarist of alternative rock band Hole from 1989 to 2002.Erlandson has practiced Buddhism since 1992.[136]
June Millington (April 14, 1948– ), Filipino American guitarist, songwriter, producer, educator, and actress.[141]
Katy Perry, American singer-songwriter, and television judge. She is known for her influence on the pop sound and style of the 2010s. Pursuing a career in gospel music at 16, Perry released her commercially unsuccessful debut album, Katy Hudson (2001), under Red Hill Records.[142][143]
Paul Masvidal, American musician, best known as the guitarist, singer and a founding member of
Cynic.[144]
Phoebe Snow, American roots music singer-songwriter and guitarist, known for her hit 1974 and 1975 songs "
Poetry Man" and "Harpo's Blues", and her credited guest vocals backing
Paul Simon on "
Gone at Last".[146]
Peter Rowan (1942– ), American bluegrass musician and composer. Rowan plays guitar and mandolin, yodels and sings.[147]
Laurie Anderson (1947– ), American avant-garde artist, composer, musician, and film director whose work spans performance art, pop music, and multimedia projects. Initially trained in violin and sculpting, Anderson pursued a variety of performance art projects in New York City during the 1970s, focusing particularly on language, technology, and visual imagery. She became more widely known outside the art world when her single "
O Superman" reached number two on the UK singles chart in 1981. She also starred in and directed the 1986 concert film Home of the Brave.[148][149]
Li Na, Chinese-American folk singer that gained particular popularity in the late 1980s and the 1990s China.
Stacey Q, American pop singer-songwriter, dancer and actress. Her best-known single, John Mitchell's "
Two of Hearts", released in 1986, reached number one in Canada, number three on the US
Billboard Hot 100 and the top ten in five other countries.[153]
Aidan Delgado, American attorney, author, and war veteran. His 2007 book The Sutras of Abu Ghraib detailed his experiences during his deployment in Iraq.[159][160]
George Lennon (25 May 1900 – 20 February 1991), American-Irish Republican Army leader during the Irish War of Independence and the
Irish Civil War.[161]
John David Provoo (August 6, 1917 – August 28, 2001), United States Army staff sergeant.[162]
Shiro Kashiwa (October 24, 1912 – March 13, 1998), first Attorney General of Hawaii to be appointed after it became a state in 1959.[163]
Phil Jackson, American former professional basketball player, coach, and executive. A
power forward, Jackson played 12 seasons in the NBA, winning
NBA championships with the
New York Knicks in 1970 and 1973.[177] Jackson was the head coach of the
Chicago Bulls from 1989 to 1998, leading them to six NBA championships. He then coached the
Los Angeles Lakers from 1999 to 2004 and again from 2005 to 2011; the team won five league titles under his leadership. Jackson's 11
NBA titles as a coach surpassed the previous record of nine set by
Red Auerbach.[178]
Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu (1949–), known for his translations of almost 1,000 Sutta in all and providing the majority of the sutta translations in a website known as "
Access to Insight"
^Damante, Susan (2012). Gaudioso, Zan; Martin, Greg (eds.). The Buddha Next Door: Ordinary People, Extraordinary Stories. Santa Monica, California: Middleway Press. pp. 199–203.
ISBN978-1-938-25204-4.
^"Roshi Philip Kapleau". windhorsezen.org. Windhorse Zen Community. Archived from
the original on July 15, 2010. Retrieved September 4, 2010. During Philip Kapleau's book tour in 1965 Dorris Carlson, wife of Chester Carlson, the inventor of xerography, invited him to visit her small meditation group in Rochester, New York. In June 1966, with the support of the Carlsons, he founded the Rochester Zen Center.
^"Carlson, Chester Photographs". River Campus Libraries Department of Rare Books, Special Collections and Preservation. University of Rochester. Box 2. Chester Carlson in front of Zen Center, 1968– contributed heavily to the beliefs of Zen Buddhism. (1 photo)
^"Rochester-area's Buddhists value meditative life". Democrat and Chronicle. Rochester, New York. August 28, 2008. In the days before the center, Fernandez was part of a small group of Buddhists who met and meditated at the home of Doris and Chester Carlson, the inventor of xerography. Few Rochesterians knew anything of Buddhism at the time, Fernandez says. 'I'd hear people refer to the center as the Zen medication center.' ¶ Carlson's fortune helped start the center, but he was not impressed with his wealth.
^"Buddhist Masters and Their Organisations: Philip Kapleau Roshi". Buddha Dharma Education Association. During Philip Kapleau's book tour in 1965 Dorris Carlson invited him to visit her small meditation group and in June 1966, with the support of the Carlsons, he founded the Rochester Zen Center.
^"About Ralph Chapin". Rochester Zen Center. Archived from
the original on 2011-07-19. Retrieved 2010-09-05. Ralph obtained galleys of the book and was instrumental in introducing the book as well as Roshi Kapleau to Dorris and Chester Carlson, whose Rochester meditation group later formed the nucleus of the Rochester Zen Center.
^"Roshi, Philip Kapleau #2". Zen Community of Oregon. Archived from
the original on 2008-10-26. Retrieved 2010-09-05. Two of the earliest readers of Three Pillars were Ralph Chapin of Chapin Manufacturing in Batavia, New York, and Dorris Carlson of Rochester, New York, the wife of Chester Carlson, the inventor of xerography, the technology that became the foundation for the Xerox Corporation. During Philip Kapleau's book tour in 1965, Dorris Carlson invited him to visit her small meditation group and in June 1966, with the support of the Carlsons, he founded the Rochester Zen center.
^"Alanis Morissette". InsideNoVA. September 16, 2021. Archived from
the original on December 26, 2021. Retrieved December 26, 2021. 'Ironic' singer Alanis Morissette has been practicing Buddhism many years.
^The United States Court of Claims: a history / pt. 1. The judges, 1855–1976 / by
Marion T. Bennett / pt. 2. Origin, development, jurisdiction, 1855–1978 / W. Cowen, P. Nichols, M.T. Bennett. Washington, D.C.: Committee on the Bicentennial of Independence and the Constitution of the Judicial Conference of the United States. 1976. pp. 204–206 of pt. 1.
^O'Hearn, Frank.
"Ex-Howell star Ivanchukov enjoys starting in NASL', Asbury Park Press, April 23, 1980. Accessed February 3, 2022, via
Newspapers.com. "An injury and a North American Soccer League rule which requires three North American players on the field at all times gave former Howell High School soccer star Sandje Ivanchukov his first NASL starting berth Sunday."