Famous Immigrant Birthdays in October

CitizenPath recognizes October birthdays for famous, accomplished and notable immigrant Americans. Thank an immigrant for making the USA great. History has proven that immigrants help spur creativity, invention and new job growth. Immigration reform will help the best and brightest doctors, engineers, entertainers and entrepreneurs stay in the United States. Our list features foreign-born persons who became permanent residents or citizens of the United States.

Chen-ning Franklin Yang, Chinese American immigrant
Photo credit: Alanmak

Chen-Ning Franklin Yang (born October 1, 1922), also known as Yang Zhenning, is a Chinese American physicist who works on statistical mechanics and particle physics. He and Tsung-dao Lee received the Nobel Prize in physics in 1957.

Jon Secada, Cuban American immigrant, one of many famous immigrant birthdays in October
Photo credit: Tato Gomez

Jon Secada (born October 4, 1961) is a Cuban American singer and songwriter who fuses funk, soul, pop and Latin percussion. Secada is a two-time Grammy Award winner and one of the top-selling Latin music artists .

Yo-yo Ma, Chinese American immigrant of French descent
Photo credit: Ralph Daily

Yo-Yo Ma (born October 7, 1955) is a French-born Chinese American cellist who has gained worldwide notoriety performing as a soloist with countless major orchestras. His 90+ albums have received 18 Grammy Awards.

Carlos Noriega, Peruvian American immigrant, one of many notable immigrant birthdays in October
Photo credit: NASA

Carlos Ismael Noriega (born October 8, 1959) is a Peruvian American who conducted numerous missions as a NASA astronaut. Noriega is also a retired U.S. Marine Corps Lieutenant Colonel and currently works for NASA.

Rocky Aoki, Japanese American immigrant, one of several famous immigrant birthdays in October
 

Hiroaki Aoki (October 9, 1938 – July 10, 2008), best known as Rocky Aoki, was a Japanese American amateur wrestler and restaurateur who founded the popular Japanese cuisine.

John Lennon, English American immigrant, one of several famous immigrant birthdays in October
Photo credit: Joost Evers / Anefo

John Winston Ono Lennon (October 9, 1940 – December 8, 1980) was an English American musician, singer and songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as a founding member of the Beatles. The rock group is the most commercially successful band in the history of popular music.

Guillermo del Toro, Mexican American immigrant
Photo credit: Guillem Medina

Guillermo del Toro Gómez (born October 9, 1964) is a Mexican American film director, screenwriter, producer, and novelist. He is best known for Hellboy, Pan's Labyrinth, and The Shape of Water, winning two Academy Awards for the latter.

Peter Thiel, German American immigrant
Photo credit: Heisenberg Media

Peter Thiel (born October 11, 1967) is a German American entrepreneur and venture capitalist. He is a co-founder Palantir Technologies and Founders Fund. He is best known as a co-founder of PayPal with partner Elon Musk.

Bishop Oscar Azarcon Solis (born October 13, 1953) is a Filipino American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church and the current Bishop of Salt Lake City. Solis is the first Filipino American to be consecrated a bishop.

William Penn, English honorary US citizen
 

William Penn (October 14, 1644 – July 30, 1718) was an English entrepreneur and founder of the Province of Pennsylvania. He was an early champion of democracy and urged for a colonial union in what was to become the United States of America. He was granted honorary U.S. citizenship in 1981.

Nathan Cummings, Canadian American immigrant
Photo credit: Virtual Museum

Nathan Cummings (October 14, 1896 - February 19, 1985) was a Canadian American businessman and philanthropist. He was the founder of Consolidated Foods, which later became known by one of its product lines, Sara Lee Corporation.

Sol Shank, Russian American immigrant
 

Sol Shenk (October 15, 1911 - August 30, 1994) was a Russian American entrepreneur who founded the Big Lots chain of stores. He is also famous for purchasing the Dorlean car company out bankruptcy.

Angela Lansbury, English American immigrant
Photo credit: Eva Rinaldi

Angela Brigid Lansbury (born October 16, 1925) is a English American actress and singer who has appeared in theatre, television, and films over seven decades. She starred in countless Hollywood films but is perhaps best known for her long-running role on the television series called Murder, She Wrote.

Martina Navratilova, Czech American immigrant
Photo credit: Robbie Saurus

Martina Navratilova (born October 18, 1956) is a former Czech American professional tennis player who compiled a career record of 1,442-219 and 17 career titles and has been called the greatest player of all time.

Young Kim, South Korean American immigrant
Photo credit: U.S. Congress

Young Kim (born October 18, 1962) is a South Korean American politician who serves as the U.S. Representative for California's 39th congressional district.

Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar, Indian American immigrant, one of many notable immigrant birthdays in October
 

Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar (October 19, 1910 – August 21, 1995) was an Indian American astrophysicist who was co-awarded the 1983 Nobel Prize for Physics for his mathematical theory of black holes.

Deepak Chopra, Indian American immigrant
Photo credit: Mitchell Aidelbaum

Deepak Chopra (born October 22, 1947) is an Indian American doctor, author and alternative medicine expert. He has written more than 50 books that have developed a broad holistic/New Age following around the world.

Carlos Mencia (born October 22, 1967) is a Honduran American comedian, writer, and actor best known as the host of the Comedy Central show, Mind of Mencia.

Robinson Cano, Dominican American immigrant
Photo credit: Keith Allison

Robinson José Canó Mercedes (born October 22, 1982) is a Dominican American professional baseball player in Major League Baseball. The eight-time All-Star and five-time Silver Slugger also won a World Series with the New York Yankees in 2009.

Ang Lee, Chinese American immigrant
Photo credit: SMPTE

Ang Lee (born October 23, 1954) is an Oscar Award-winning Chinese American film director, screenwriter and producer, best known for his film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.

Ryan Reynolds, Canadian American immigrant, one of many notable immigrant birthdays in October
Photo credit: Dick Thomas Johnson

Ryan Reynolds (born October 23, 1976) is a Canadian American actor, comedian, film producer and entrepreneur. Reynolds is best known for his acting roles in numerous films such as the Deadpool series.

Drake, Canadian American immigrant
Photo credit: The Come Up Show

Aubrey Drake Graham (born October 24, 1986), known simply as "Drake," is a Canadian American recording artist, rapper, songwriter, and actor. Drake initially gained notoriety for his role on the TV series Degrassi. He has since established himself as a rapper with 4 Grammy Awards and 27 Billboard Music Awards.

Larry Itliong, Filipino American immigrant
 

Larry Dulay Itliong (October 25, 1913 – February 8, 1977), also known as “Seven Fingers,” was a Filipino American labor organizer. He rose to national prominence during the Delano grape strike and has been described as “one of the fathers of the West Coast labor movement.”

Midori Gotō, Japanese American immigrant
 

Midori Gotō (born October 25, 1971) is a Japanese American violinist who debuted in the New York Philharmonic at the age of 11. In 2007, she was appointed as a UN Messenger of Peace.

Shiing Shen Chern, Chinese American immigrant
Photo credit: Konrad Jacobs

Shiing-Shen Chern (October 26, 1911 – December 3, 2004) was a Chinese American mathematician who was was regarded as one of the leaders in differential geometry of the twentieth century.

Hamdi Ulukaya, Turkish American immigrant, one of many notable immigrant birthdays in October
Photo credit: Chobani

Hamdi Ulukaya (October 26, 1972) is a Turkish American entrepreneur and philanthropist who founded Chobani. Ulukaya pledged to donate $2 million to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and gives generously to many other charitable causes.

Cristeta Comerford, Filipino American immigrant
 

Cristeta Comerford (born October 27, 1962) is a Filipino American chef who has served as the White House Executive chef. She's the first person of Asian decent to hold this esteemed role.

Indra Nooyi, Indian American immigrant, one of many accomplished immigrant birthdays in October
Photo credit: Jeff Bedford

Indra Krishnamurthy Nooyi (born October 28, 1955) is an Indian American business executive and former chairperson and chief executive officer of PepsiCo. Forbes considers her one of the world’s most powerful women.

Dennis Apuan, Filipino American immigrant
Photo credit: Colorado House Democrats

Dennis Apuan (October 30, 1964 - May 23, 2020) was a Filipino American state legislator in the U.S. state of Colorado. He was also an activist, non-profit leader, and community organizer.

Narinder Singh Kapany, Indian American immigrant
 

Narinder Singh Kapany (born October 31, 1926) is an Indian American physicist, entrepreneur and academic known for his pioneering work in fiber optics. He has been called the "Father of Fiber Optics."

Would you like to add more famous immigrant birthdays in October? Share them with us on Twitter. Include the person’s name and birthday.

Throughout our nation's history, immigrant contributions have been astonishing. CitizenPath stands behind immigrants and their families. Every day, we’re working to make the path a little easier. Our online immigration services help individuals navigate the immigration system. It’s our honor to serve this role.

LEARN MORE