List of Romani people

This is a list of notable Romani people and people of Romani origin.

Politicians and activists

• László Berényi – Hungarian politician
• James Carver – member of the European Parliament
• Dávid Daróczi – (1972–2010) Government Spokesperson of the Republic of Hungary
• Juan de Dios Ramírez Heredia – ex-member of the European Parliament, founder of the Romani Union, Spain
• Damian Draghici – (born 1970) current Member of the European Parliament, former MP Romanian Parliament – senator, adviser of the Prime Minister on Roma issues
• Rajko Đurić – (born 1947) Serbian writer and academic, leader of Roma Union of Serbia
• Flórián Farkas – Hungarian politician
• James Farnell – (1825-1888) Australian politician
• Bajram Haliti – Kosovar activist
• Ian Hancock – Romani scholar and activist, born in UK, living in USA, professor at the University of Texas
• Amber L. Hollibaugh – American writer, filmmaker and activist.
• Lívia Járóka – Hungarian Member of the European Parliament
• Orbán Kolompár – Hungarian politician and activist
• Ali Krasniqi – Albanian writer and activist
• Juscelino Kubitschek – Brazilian president, his mother was of Czech and Roma descent
• Ronald Lee – (born 1934, in Montreal), Canadian Romani novelist, activist and U.N. delegate
• Mihály Lukács – (1954–2012) Hungarian politician
• Washington Luís – Brazilian president of Portuguese and Romani descent
• Alfonso Mejia-Arias – musician, writer and politician, Mexico
• Viktória Mohácsi – (born 1975) Hungarian Member of the European Parliament
• Ágnes Osztolykán – Hungarian politician
• Nicolae Păun – Romanian politician
• Soraya Post – (born 1956) Swedish politician for the Feminist Initiative party.^[1]
• Ştefan Răzvan – (?–1595) Prince of Moldavia, ruled Moldavia for four months (Romani father)
• Sani Rifati – Serbian activist
• Ernest Rogers – (1914–2004) English communist
• Romani Rose – German Sinto activist
• Rudolf Sarközi – chairman of the Austrian Romani association Kulturverein
• József Varga – Hungarian politician
• Mădălin Voicu – (born 1952) Romanian politician. His father, Ion Voicu, is Romani

Authors and writers

• Veijo Baltzar – Finnish writer^[2]
• Edward Dębicki – Polish poet
• Rajko Djuric – (born 1947) Serbian writer & activist
• Louise Doughty – British writer
• Karen Finley – American performance artist, musician and poet
• Delia Grigore – (born 1972) Romanian writer, academic and activist
• Caren Gussoff – American writer, claims Romani and mixed heritages.
• Bajram Haliti – Kosovan author
• Lafcadio Hearn – Irish writer^[3]
• Usin Kerim – Bulgarian poet
• Menyhért Lakatos (1926-2007) – Hungarian Romani writer
• Ronald Lee – Canadian writer, Romani activist and lecturer at the University of Toronto.^[4]
• Baja Saitovic Lukin – poet
• Oksana Marafioti – American writer of Armenian and Romani descent
• Matéo Maximoff – French writer
• Mehmed Merejan – Bulgarian poet
• David Morley – British poet, critic, anthologist, editor and ecologist^[5]
• Anton Pann – Romanian musicologist, composer and poet
• Muharem Serbezovski – Bosnian singer and writer
• Charlie Smith – poet
• Eleanor Smith – (1902-1945) British writer
• Ceija Stojka – (born 1933) Austrian author and painter
• Katarina Taikon – (1932-1995) Swedish children's writer
• Bronisława Wajs – (1908–1987) AKA "Papusza", Polish poet and singer
• Mikey Walsh – British author

Musicians

• Carmen Amaya – (1913–1963) Spanish flamenco dancer
• Remedios Amaya – Spanish flamenco singer
• Gitano Antón – Spanish rapper and member of La Excepción
• Ayọ – German born singer of Nigerian and Romani descent.
• Azis – (1978-) Bulgarian chalga (pop-folk) singer.
• Elek Bacsik – (1926–1993) Hungarian jazz violinist and guitarist
• Šaban Bajramović – (1936–2008) Serbian singer
• Janika Balázs – (1925–1988) was a Serbian musician
• Tonino Baliardo – Franco-Spanish guitar player; also a member of the Gipsy Kings
• Kálmán Balogh – Hungarian musician
• Radoslav Banga – of Czech group Gypsy.cz
• Vierka Berkyová – Slovak singer
• János Bihari – (1764–1827) Hungarian violinist
• Věra Bílá – (born 1954) Czech folk and pop singer
• Iva Bittová – (born 1958) Czech singer, violinist and composer
• Robi Botos – Canadian musician and composer from Hungary
• Georges Boulanger – Romanian violinist
• Sibel Can – Turkish singer
• Manolo Caracol – (1909–1973) Spanish flamenco singer
• Antonio Carbonell – Spanish singer and songwriter
• Panna Cinka – (1711–1772) Hungarian Violinist, born in Kingdom of Hungary in modern Slovakia
• Fanfare Ciocărlia – Romanian Romani band
• Connect-R – Romanian rapper, singer, record producer and actor^[6]
• Joaquín Cortés – Spanish flamenco dancer
• Georges Cziffra – (1921–1994) Hungarian composer and pianist
• Pista Dankó – (born 1858–1903) Hungarian-born bandleader and composer
• Sandro de América – (1945–2010) Argentinian singer and actor
• Camarón de la Isla – (1950–1992) Spanish flamenco singer
• Manitas de Plata – (1921–2014) French flamenco guitarist
• Angelo Debarre – French guitarist
• Drafi Deutscher – (1946–2006) German Sinto songwriter, singer and composer
• Grigoraş Dinicu – Romanian composer and violinist
• Damian Draghici – Romanian, composer and Jazz panflute player, Politician
• Sébastien El Chato – French singer and guitarist
• Diego El Cigala – Dominican flamenco guitarist
• Tracey Emin – British singer
• Christian Escoudé – French jazz guitarist
• Vicente Escudero – Spanish flamenco singer, dancer and choreographer; occasionally painter, writer and actor
• Rafael Ojeda Rojas alias Falete – Spanish singer
• Ermal Fejzullahu – Kosovan male pop singer
• Antonio Flores – (1961–1995) was a Spanish singer-songwriter and actor
• Lolita Flores – (1958) Spanish singer and actress
• Rosario Flores – (born 1963) Spanish singer and actress, Latin Grammy award winner
• Cornelis Fuhler – (1964) Dutch/Australian musician and composer
• Kendji Girac – French singer of Romani and Spanish descent
• Edyta Górniak – (born 1972) Polish singer
• César Guerra-Peixe – (1914-1993) Brazilian composer
• Nicolae Guță – Romanian manele singer
• Taraful Haiducilor – (Taraf de Haïdouks) Romanian band, formed 1989
• Kostas Hatzis – Greek musician
• Eugene Hütz – Ukrainian singer, guitarist, writer and actor
• Natalia Jiménez – (born 1981) Spanish pop singer (Portuguese mother of "Cigano" descent)
• Kal – Romani world music Band from Serbia
• Ketama – Spanish new-flamenco band
• Cher Lloyd – British international pop singer/rapper of Romani descent.
• Angel Jordanov Kapsov – (1957-2014) Bulgarian pop-folk singer
• Didem Kınalı – Turkish belly dancer and singer
• Sasha Kolpakov – (born 1943) Russian guitarist
• Mónika Juhász Miczura – Hungarian folk singer
• Fapy Lafertin – Belgian jazz guitarist
• Biréli Lagrène – (born 1966) French jazz guitarist, violinist and bassist
• Denny Laine – British musician (The Moody Blues, Wings)
• Félix Lajkó – (born 1974) Hungarian-Serbian violinist and composer (part Romani)
• Roby Lakatos – Hungarian violinist
• Albert Lee – (born 1943) London born and raised country rock guitar legend. His father is Romanichal.^[7]
• Pyotr Leshchenko – Russian (born 1858–1903)
• Joe Longthorne – (born 1955) English singer and impressionist
• Los Niños de Sara – French (Spanish origin, Iberian Kale) rumba and flamenco singers and guitar players
• Fănică Luca – (1894–1968) Romanian musician*Georges Boulanger – (1893–1958) Romanian violinist
• Gabi Luncă – (born 1938) Romanian singer (Urban Lăutarească Music)
• Aggelopoulos Manolis – (1939–1989) Greek singer and actor
• Sofi Marinova – Bulgarian singer
• Boban Marković – Serbian brass bandleader and trumpet player
• Jerry Mason – American rock singer, guitarist and songwriter
• Alfonso Mejia-Arias – (1961-) Mexican musician and activist.^[8]
• Irini Merkouri – (born 1981) Greek pop singer
• Ionică Minune – Romanian accordionist
• Carlos Montoya – (1903–1993) Spanish flamenco guitarist
• Ramón Montoya – (1889–1949) Spanish flamenco guitarist
• Ferus Mustafov – Macedonian saxophonist
• Nicolae Neacşu ("Culai") – Lăutar, was the leader of Taraf de Haïdouks
• Neshko Neshev – Bulgarian accordionist
• Mary Nótár – Hungarian musician
• Gergő Oláh – Hungarian singer
• Ginesa Ortega – Spanish flamenco singer
• Isabel Pantoja – Spanish singer
• Ivo Papazov – (born 1952) Bulgarian jazz clarinetist
• Aladár Pege – (1939–2006) Hungarian jazz musician
• Pere Pubill Calaf "Peret" – (1935-2014) Catalan Spanish singer, guitar player and composer
• Zlata Petrović – Serbian pop folk singer
• Robert Plant – (born 1948) English singer and songwriter (former vocalist of Led Zeppelin). Romanichal mother
• Valentina Ponomaryova – (born 1939) Russian singer
• Romica Puceanu – (1928–1996) Romanian singer (Urban Lăutarească Music)
• Gigi Radics – Hungarian singer
• Johnny Răducanu – (born 1931) Romanian jazz musician
• Džej Ramadanovski – born 1964 in Belgrade (former Yugoslavia), modern Serbian folk singer
• "Rayito" Antonio Rayo – Spanish Guitarist, singer and composer. Father Gitano (Iberian Kalo) and Japanese mother
• Esma Redzepova – (born 1943) Macedonian singer and songwriter
• Babik Reinhardt – French guitarist
• Django Reinhardt – (23 January 1910 – 16 May 1953) Belgian-born pioneering virtuoso jazz guitarist and composer who invented an entirely new style of jazz guitar technique (sometimes called 'hot' jazz guitar) that has since become a living musical tradition within French Manouche culture
• Nicolas Reyes (born 1958) – Franco-Spanish singer, guitar player; lead singer for the Grammy Award winning group Gipsy Kings, a band made up mostly of members of his extended family
• Reyhan – (1986–2005) Bulgarian singer
• Jimmy Rosenberg – (born 1980) Dutch swing guitarist
• Marianne Rosenberg – (born 1955) German singer and songwriter. Daughter of German Gypsy who survived Auschwitz.
• Sabicas – (1912-1990) Spanish flamenco guitarist
• Sinan Sakić – Serbian Folk singer of Romani descent
• Florin Salam – Romanian musician
• Tanja Savić – Serbian pop-folk singer
• Paulus Schafer – (born 1978) Dutch jazz guitarist
• Tchavolo Schmitt – (born 1954) French jazz guitarist
• Hüsnü Şenlendirici – Turkish musician
• Selim Sesler – (1957–2014) Turkish clarinetist
• Anjeza Shahini – Albanian
• Harri Stojka – Austrian jazz guitarist
• Wally Tax – Dutch rock singer, of The Outsiders. Son of a Dutch father and a Russian Romani mother
• Tomatito – Spanish flamenco guitarist
• Manuel Torre – (1878–1933) Spanish flamenco musician
• Mariska Veres – (1947–2006) Lead singer of the Dutch rock group Shocking Blue. Daughter of Hungarian Romani violinist Lajos Veres and Franco-Russian mother
• Ion Voicu – (1923–1997) Romanian violinist and orchestral conductor, founder of Bucharest Chamber Orchestra
• Mădălin Voicu – Romanian musician
• Sotis Volanis – Greek singer
• Ronnie Wood – British musician^[9]
• Yuri Yunakov – Turkish-Bulgarian musician
• Joe Zawinul – Austrian musician. His grandmother was a Hungarian Romani, and his grandfather was from southern Moravia

Cinema and theater

• Charlie Chaplin – British actor, filmmaker, composer^{[10] [11]}
• Lolita Flores – Spanish actress
• Elena Furiase – Spanish actress
• Hiba Abouk – Spanish actress
• Jesús Castro – Spanish actor
• Fairuza Balk – American actress
• Ştefan Bănică, Jr. – Romanian actor and musician
• Ştefan Bănică, Sr. – Romanian actor
• Eric Cantona – French actor and former footballer
• Tony Gatlif – French film director
• Jill Hennessy – Canadian actress and musician
• Marcia Nicole Barandyai known as Manoush – French-German actress. Her mother is of Manouche origin
• Helen Mirren – British actress
• Nikolai Slichenko – Russian actor
• Rosa Taikon – Swedish actress
• Tracey Ullman – British born American actress

Artists

• Micaela Flores Amaya, La Chunga, Flamenco dancer and painter
• Helios Gómez – Spanish artist, writer and poet
• Lita Cabellut – Spanish female artist
• Joe Machine – (1973) British Stuckist
• Otto Mueller – painter and printmaker, Sinti mother
• Antonio Solario – Italian artist

Athletes

• Ilie Năstase – Romanian tennis player of selfdeclared Romani descent
• Mirko Petrović – Serbian long-distance runner

Boxers

• Jakob Bamberger – German amateur boxer
• Johnny Frankham – British Boxer
• Zoltan Lunka – Germany
• Ivailo Marinov – also known as Ismail Mustafov, Ismail Huseinov or Ivailo Khristov) is a Roma Bulgarian boxer
• Michele di Rocco – Italian Light Welterweight Boxing Champion
• Billy Joe Saunders – British Boxing, represented Great Britain in the 2008 Olympics
• Serafim Todorov – was a Bulgarian/Georgian boxer at the 1996 Summer Olympics who won a silver medal.
• Johann Wilhelm Trollmann – German light-heavyweight boxer killed during the Porajmos

Football players

• Zlatan Ibrahimović – Swedish
• Pierre-Yves André – French (Retired)
• Aljoša Asanović – Croatian (Retired)
• Eugen Bari – Slovak
• Richard Carpenter – English (Retired)
• Dumitru Copil – Romanian
• Iván Amaya – Spanish (Rayo)
• Antonio Amaya – Spanish (Retired, Atletico)
• Carlos Muñoz – Spanish (Retired, Oviedo)
• Carlos Aranda – Spanish (Levante)
• Tony Vairelles – Frech (Retired)
• Freddy Eastwood – Welsh (Free Agent)
• János Farkas – Hungarian
• André-Pierre Gignac – French (Olympique Marseille)
• Dani Güiza – Spanish (Getafe)
• Rab Howell – English
• Ruzin Kerimov – Bulgarian
• Vital Lanko – Belarusian
• Mircea Lucescu – Romanian (Retired)
• Răzvan Lucescu – Romanian (Retired)
• Predrag Luka – Serbian
• José Mari – Spanish (Xerez CD)
• Petre Marin – Romanian (Retired)
• Marcos Márquez – Spanish (Retired)
• José Rodríguez Martínez – Spanish
• Gerd Mueller – German (Munich)^[12]
• Jesús Navas – Spanish (Manchester City)^[13]
• Bănel Nicoliță – Romanian (Nantes)
• Nacho Novo – Spanish (Carolina Railhawks)
• Oleksandr Noyok – Ukrainian
• Marian Ognyanov – Bulgarian
• Dejan Osmanović – Serbian (Retired)
• Christos Patsatzoglou – Greek (Iraklis Psachna)
• István Pisont – Hungarian (Retired)
• Ricardo Quaresma – Portuguese (Porto)^[14]
• José Antonio Reyes – Spanish (Sevilla)^[15][16]
• Dragoslav Šekularac – Serbian (Retired)
• Emra Tahirović – Bosnian

Various

• Florin Cioabă – (1954 –2013) Romanian Pentecostal
• Ceferino Giménez Malla – Spanish beatified Catholic catechist
• Paul Henry – New Zealand radio and television broadcaster
• Sofia Kovalevskaya – Russian mathematician of 1/4 Romani descent
• Hristo Kyuchukov – Bulgarian specialist
• Jimmy Marks – litigant in a lawsuit against the city of Spokane, Washington
• Róisín Mullins – Irish dancer and choreographer
• Kerope Patkanov – Armenian Garachi scientist
• Juliette Peirce – Wife of mathematician and philosopher Charles Sanders Peirce
• Ștefan Răzvan – Ruler of Moldovia
• Rodney "Gipsy" Smith – (1860–1947), British evangelist
• Settela Steinbach – Holocaust victim
• Petr Torak, MBE - UK police officer working with the Roma community

References

1. • Harold Lush – USA Romani Activist of AGRI & Political Candidate Years 2006 & 2014.
2. "Members of IRWA". International Romani Writers Association (IRWA). Retrieved 2009-09-17.
3. McWilliams, Vera (2007). Lafcadio Hearn. Published by READ BOOKS. pp. 476 pages. ISBN 978-1-4067-2796-8. Retrieved 15 May 2009.
4. "My Current Bio". Romano Kopachi, the Romani Tree. Retrieved 2012-01-29.
5. "David Morley blog". University of Warwick.
6. Roma rap: Meet Connect-R. Euronews. September 9, 2010
7. Watts, Derek; Eric Clapton (2008). Country boy: a biography of Albert Lee. McFarland. pp. 4–10, 14, 17. ISBN 978-0-7864-3658-3.
8. "Famous Gypsies". imninalu.net.
9. Interview: Ronnie Wood | Music | The Guardian. The Guardian. August 25, 2007.
10. https://www.theguardian.com/film/2011/feb/17/charlie-chaplin-gypsy-heritage
11. http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/experts-999-per-cent-certain-6137012
12. Müller Sinti
13. "Manchester City's Jesus Navas revealed by brother and Bury midfielder Marco – Daily Mail Online". Mail Online.
14. Famous Romani players in world football. May 27, 2013
15. British sports minister Richard Caborn wants Spain coach Luis Aragones to be punished after his latest outburst. BBC. January 02, 2005.
16. Reyes is gunning for glory The Guardian. January 31, 2004.

External links

• Romany Gypsy Notables
• Famous Gypsies
• Prominente Roma
• Goethe Institut