Notable Armenian Americans
Armenians in the United States have attained success and prominence in diverse areas, including business, entertainment, sciences, sports and literature. Early notables include writer William Saroyan, painter Arshile Gorky, Ross Bagdasarian, Sr. (creator of Alvin and the Chipmunks) and Rouben Mamoulian, a film and theatre director also known as co-producer of the first feature film (Becky Sharp, 1935) to use the three-strip Technicolor process. Entertainment has been, perhaps, the most successful area for Armenian Americans. These include singer Cher and actor Ken Davitian. The metal band System of a Down is composed of four Armenian members.
Some notable Armenian Americans in business include Alex Manoogian (founder of Masco), the Mugar family (owner of Star Market chain of supermarkets in New England), Kevork Hovnanian, founder of Hovnanian Enterprises, Avedis Zildjian, the founder of Zildjian Company (world's largest cymbal manufacturer), Gerard Cafesjian and billionaire Kirk Kerkorian.
A large number of Armenians have also entered into the realm of politics. George Deukmejian became the Republican governor of California in 1983. Ken Khachigian was the chief speechwriter for President Ronald Reagan and is also known for Reagan's characterization of 1915 events as "genocide". Harry Tutunjian was the Republican mayor of Troy, New York from 2003 to 2012.
Famous figures in national sports include tennis player Andre Agassi, chess player Tatev Abrahamyan and Hal Haig Prieste, who won a bronze medal diving in 1920 Antwerp Games. Other notable Armenian Americans include Jack Kevorkian, the pathologist and euthanasia activist who was commonly referred to as "Dr. Death," and astronaut James P. Bagian, who became the first Armenian to travel into space. In entertainment, The Kardashian family are well known for their fathers efforts as a lawyer, and for their reality TV series.
Raffi Hovannisian, a Fresno-born 3rd generation Armenian American, was the first Foreign Minister of Armenia (1991–92) and is the founding leader of Heritage party. Another native of California, Monte Melkonian, was a prominent leader of Armenian forces during the Nagorno-Karabakh War.
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