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HomePop CultureCelebrities10 More Famous People You Didn’t Know Were Croatian

10 More Famous People You Didn’t Know Were Croatian

These 10 additional personalities demonstrate the remarkable reach of Croatian heritage across continents and industries.

Whether through first-generation immigrants or descendants carrying the heritage through multiple generations, these individuals represent the enduring spirit of Croatian ambition, creativity, and excellence that has spread far beyond the beautiful shores of the Adriatic Sea.

1. Stipe Miocic

The renowned UFC heavyweight champion, has deep Croatian roots. Born in the United States to Croatian immigrant parents, he proudly embraces his heritage, often speaking about it and even sporting Croatian tattoos. His late father was from Rtina near Zadar, and his mother is from Cetingrad near Karlovac.

May 31, 2014; Sao Paulo, SP, BRAZIL; Stipe Miocic during the TUF Brazil 3 Finale at Ibirapuera Gymnasium. Mandatory Credit: Jason Silva-USA TODAY Sports

2. Zlatan Ibrahimović

Zlatan Ibrahimović

Zlatan Ibrahimović is a Swedish former footballing superstar who played as a striker. Ibrahimović is known for his acrobatic strikes and volleys, technique, ball control, and physical dominance. Ibrahimović was born in Malmö, Sweden, on 3 October 1981. He was born to a Muslim Bosniak father, Šefik Ibrahimović, who emigrated to Sweden in 1977, and a Catholic Croat mother, Jurka Gravić, who also emigrated to Sweden where the couple first met. Ibrahimović identifies with his mother’s faith and considers himself a devout Catholic Christian.

3.Tony Robbins

Tony Robbins

Tony Robbins is an American author, coach and motivational speaker. He is known for his seminars, and self-help books including the books Unlimited Power and Awaken the Giant Within.

Robbins was born Anthony J. Mahavoric in North Hollywood, California, on February 29, 1960. He is of Croatian descent from both sides of his family. His mother remarried several times, including a marriage with Jim Robbins, a former semi-professional baseball player who legally adopted Anthony when he was 1.

4.Bill Belichick

Bill Belichick is an American football coach who is the head coach for the North Carolina Tar Heels. Widely regarded as one of the greatest head coaches of all time, he holds numerous coaching records, including the record of most Super Bowl wins (six) as a head coach, all with the New England Patriots. He is of Croatian ancestry; his paternal grandparents, Marija Barković and Ivan Biličić, emigrated from Draganić in 1897 and settled in Monessen, Pennsylvania, having changed their names to Mary and John Belichick at the suggestion of immigration officers

5. John Kasich

John Kasich

John Kasich is an American politician and author who was the 69th governor of Ohio from 2011 to 2019, a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1983 to 2001, and a Republican candidate for the presidential nomination in 2000 and 2016. Kasich’s father was of Czech descent, while his mother was of Croatian descent. Both parents were children of immigrants and were practicing Roman Catholics. He has described himself as “a Croatian and a Czech”.

6. Robert Herjavec

Robert Herjavec

Robert Herjavec is a Croatian-Canadian businessman, investor, and television personality. Herjavec founded BRAK Systems, a Canadian integrator of Internet security software, and sold it to AT&T Canada (now Allstream Inc.) in 2000 for $30.2 million. In 2003, he founded The Herjavec Group, now one of the largest information technology and computer security companies in Canada, with over $200 million in annual revenue. Herjavec was born in 1962 in Varaždin, and spent his early childhood in Zbjeg.

7. Mike Grgich

Mike Grgich

Mike Grgich was a Croatian-American winemaker in California. He was the winemaker behind the 1973 Chateau Montelena Chardonnay that bested several white Burgundy wines in the wine tasting event that became known as the Judgement of Paris. Grgich was born into a winemaking family in the town of Desne on Croatia’s coastal region of Dalmatia. He attended the University of Zagreb Faculty of Agriculture, where he studied viticulture and enology.

8. Anthony Maglica

Anthony Maglica

Anthony Maglica is the owner and founder of Mag Instrument Inc, the company that manufactures the Maglite flashlight which was designed by Maglica. Although born in New York City, Maglica grew up on the island of Zlarin, which is off the coast of Croatia.

9. Gabriel Boric

Gabriel Boric

The current President of Chile, has Croatian heritage. His father’s family, the Boric family, immigrated from Croatia, specifically from the island of Ugljan, to Chile in the late 19th century. His great-grandfather, Juan Boric (Ive Borić Barešić), and his brother Simón (Šime) were among the first Croats to settle in the Magallanes region of Chile around 1885.

10. Michael Bublé

Michael Bublé

The Canadian singer and songwriter has sold over 75 million records worldwide, and won numerous awards, including five Grammy Awards and fifteen Juno Awards. Michael Bublé has Croatian heritage through his paternal grandfather, Mihovil Buble, who was originally from Trogir, near Split, on the Dalmatian coast. The Buble name can be traced back to Croatian records in the 14th century. While Bublé was born in Canada, his Croatian roots are significant to his family history and personal identity.

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