List of Pontic Greeks

→This is a list of Pontic Greeks (Greek: Πόντιοι, Pontioi ), i.e. Greeks from the region of Pontus, in modern northern Turkey.

Ancient

• Diogenes (412/404 BC – 323 BC), also known as Diogenes the Cynic, was a Greek philosopher and one of the founders of Cynic philosophy
• Diphilus (342–291 BC), of Sinope, a poet of the new Attic comedy and contemporary of Menander
• Mithridates VI Eupator (132–63 BC), the most important king of the Kingdom of Pontus
• Laodice, Mithridates VI's sister and first wife
• Diophantus, son of Asclepiodorus, of Sinope, was a general in the service of Mithridates VI of Pontus
• Cleopatra of Pontus (born 110 BC), the Pontic wife of Tigranes the Great and daughter of Mithridates VI of Pontus
• Arcathius, a prince from the Kingdom of Pontus
• Machares, a Pontian prince and son of King Mithridates VI of Pontus and Queen Laodice
• Pharnaces II of Pontus, a prince, then King of Pontus and the Bosporan until his death
• Athenais Philostorgos II, princess from Kingdom of Pontus, was a Roman Client Queen of Cappadocia
• Stratonice of Pontus, a Greek woman from the Kingdom of Pontus, a mistress and fourth wife of King Mithridates VI of Pontus
• Xiphares, a Pontian Greek prince, son of King Mithridates VI of Pontus and Stratonice of Pontus

Roman

• Pythodorida of Pontus (30 BC or 29 BC – 38)
• Polemon I of Pontus (1st century BC, died 8 BC)
• Polemon II of Pontus (12 BC/11 BC–74)
• Strabo (63/64 BC–24 AD), a Greek historian, geographer and philosopher
• Saint Gregory of Neocaesarea, a Christian bishop of the 3rd century
• Saint Eugenios of Trebizond, martyred under Diocletian (284–305) and a cult devoted to him developed in Trebizond
• Anicetus (1st century), pirate, leader of unsuccessful anti-Roman uprising in Pontus in 69

Byzantine

Rulers of the Trebizond Empire

• Alexios I Komnenos (1056–1118/1048), Byzantine emperor from 1081 to 1118, and the founder of the Komnenian dynasty
• Andronikos I of Trebizond, Emperor of Trebizond from 1222 to 1235
• Ioannis I Megas Komnenos, Emperor of Trebizond from 1235 to 1238
• Manuel I Megas Komnenos, Emperor of Trebizond from 1238 to 1263
• Andronikos II Megas Komnenos, Emperor of Trebizond from 1263 to 1266
• Georgios Megas Komnenos, Emperor of Trebizond from 1266 to 1280
• Ioannis II Megas Komnenos, Emperor of Trebizond from 1280 to 1297
• Theodora Megale Komnene, Empress of Trebizond from 1284 to 1285
• Alexios II of Trebizond (1282 – 1330), Emperor of Trebizond from 1297 to 1330
• David Megas Komnenos (c. 1408 – 1 November 1463) Last Emperor of Trebizond from 1459 to 1461

Clerics

• Ecumenical Patriarch John VIII, patriarch of Constantinople from 1064 to 1075. (also saint)

Scholars

• Gregory Choniades (died 1302), astronomer
• Michael Panaretos (1320–c. 1390), historian, protosebastos and protonotarios in the service of Alexios III Megas Komnenos
• George of Trebizond (1395–1472 or 1473), a philosopher and scholar, one of the pioneers of the Renaissance
• George Amiroutzes (1400–1470), a Renaissance scholar and philosopher, a servant of Sultan Mehmed II
• Basilios Bessarion (1403–1472), a Catholic Cardinal Bishop and the titular Latin Patriarch of Constantinople, one of Greek scholars who contributed to the great revival of letters in the 15th century

Early Modern

• Sevastos Kyminitis (1630–1703), scholar who founded the Phrontisterion of Trapezous
• Constantine Mourouzis (died 1783), was a Phanariote Prince of Moldavia, and member of the Mourousis family
• Alexander Ypsilantis (1792–1828), leader of the Filiki Eteria, Greek military commander and national hero
• Demetrios Ypsilantis (1793–1832), second son of Constantine Ypsilantis, one of the early leaders of the Greek Revolution, general under John Capodistria
• Euklidis Kourtidis (1885–1937), Greek revolutionary leader of Pontos (a.k.a. Kapetan Euklidis)
• Nikos Kapetanidis (1889-1922), journalist and activist executed during the Amasya trials
• Anastasios Papadopoulos (1896-1922), Greek revolutionary leader of Pontos (a.k.a. Koja Anastas)
• Venetia Kotta (1897-1945), archaeologist and historian

Contemporary

Actors

• Pamphylia Tanailidi (1891–1937)
• Periklis Hristoforidis (1907–1983)
• Panos Papadopulos (1920-2001)
• Nikos Xanthopoulos (b. 1934)
• Martha Karagianni (b. 1939)
• Vasilis N. Triantafillidis (b. 1940) (a.k.a. Harry Klyn)
• Nikos Sergianopoulos (1952–2008)
• Ieroklis Michailidis (b. 1960)
• Denis Podalydès (b. 1963)
• Fanis Mouratidis (b. 1970)
• Victoria Haralabidou (b. 1971)
• Giorgos Kapoutzidis (b. 1972)
• Alex Dimitriades (b. 1973)
• Mary Akrivopoulou (b. 1975)

Artists

• Joannis Avramidis (b. 1922), sculptor

• Arkhip Kuindzhi (1842–1910), Russian landscape painter
• Sergey Merkurov (1881–1952), prominent Soviet sculptor-monumentalist of Greek-Armenian ancestry
• Nonda (1922-2005), leading Greek artist of the School of Paris

Athletes

Basketball

• Michalis Romanidis (b. 1966)
• Vasilis Lipiridis (b. 1967)
• Jake Tsakalidis (b. 1979)
• Dimitris Diamantidis (b. 1980)
• Lazaros Papadopoulos (b. 1980)
• Loukas Mavrokefalidis (b. 1984)
• Kostas Vasileiadis (b. 1984)

Football

• Georgios Amanatidis (b. 1970)
• Ioannis Amanatidis (b. 1981)
• Antonis Antoniadis (b. 1945)
• Christos Archontidis (coach also)
• Stefanos Athanasiadis (b. 1988)
• Elias Atmatsidis (b. 1969)
• Giorgios Georgiadis (b. 1987)
• Aristidis Kamaras (b. 1939) (mother)
• Kiriakos Karataidis (b. 1965)
• Yevhen Khacheridi (b. 1987) Ukrainian-Greek footballer for Dynamo Kyiv
• Savvas Kofidis (b. 1961) (coach also)
• Stan Lazaridis (b. 1972) former football player who represented his homeland Australia
• Yuri Lodygin (b. 1990) Russian-Greek goalkeeper for Zenit Saint Petersburg
• Takis Loukanidis (b. 1937)
• Dimitris Mavrogenidis (b. 1976)
• Kostas Nestoridis (b. 1930)
• Demis Nikolaidis (b. 1973)
• Antonios Nikopolidis (b. 1971)
• Andreas Niniadis (b. 1971) (assistant coach also)
• Dimitrios Papadopoulos (b. 1981)
• Mimis Papaioannou (b. 1942)
• Evstaphiy Pechlevanidis (b. 1960)
• Ilias Poursanidis (b. 1972)
• Ilias Rossidis (b. 1928)
• Dimitris Salpingidis (b. 1981)
• Giourkas Seitaridis (b. 1981)
• Ieroklis Stoltidis (b. 1975)
• Efstathios Tavlaridis (b. 1980)
• Ioannis Topalidis (b. 1962) (coach also)
• Vasilis Torosidis (b. 1985)
• Panagiotis Tsalouchidis (b. 1963)
• Zisis Vryzas (b. 1973) (mother)

Martial Arts

• Charalambos Cholidis (b. 1956), former wrestler
• Anton Christoforidis (b. 1918), former NBA world light heavyweight champion
• Michael Katsidis (b. 1980), Australian professional boxer, former WBO interim lightweight champion
• Stan Longinidis (b. 1965), retired professional Australian Heavyweight kickboxer and 8 time Kickboxing World Champion
• Andreas Michailidis, (b. 1988), Greek mixed martial artist
• Elisavet Mystakidou (b. 1977), taekwondo practitioner and Olympic medalist
• Alexandros Nikolaidis (1979-2022), taekwondo athlete and Olympic medalist
• Panagiotis Poikilidis (b. 1965), wrestler
• Mike Zambidis (b. 1980), professional kickboxer, a 13 time World Champion, and current W.K.B.F. super-welterweight kickboxing world champion

Track & Field

• Anastasia Kelesidou (b. 1972), discus thrower
• Voula Patoulidou (b. 1965), competed in the 100 metres, 100 metres hurdles and in the long jump events
• Ekaterini Stefanidi (b. 1990), pole vaulter
• Georgios Theodoridis (b. 1972), sprinter specializing in the 60 metres and 100 metres
• Athanasia Tsoumeleka (b. 1982) (mother), race walker

Water Sports

• Andreas Kilingaridis (1976–2013), sprint canoer
• Aikaterini Nikolaidou (b. 1992), rower
• Nikolaos Siranidis (b. 1976), diver

Weightlifting

• Ilya Ilyin (b. 1988) (Pontian maternal grandfather, Iakovos Fountoukidis)
• Valerios Leonidis (b. 1966)
• Kakhi Kakhiashvili (b. 1969) (grandmother)

Various Sports

• Eleni Daniilidou (b. 1982), tennis player
• Ioannis Melissanidis (b. 1977), artistic gymnast
• Ioannis Tamouridis (b. 1980), cyclist
• Elena Vesnina (b. 1986), tennis player (Greek Pontian grandfather)

Business

• Konstantinos Theofylaktos, was a banker and mayor of Trabzon from 1916 to 1918
• Filaret Galchev (b. 1963), Russian businessman, chairman of Eurocement group (real name Filaretos Kaltsidis)
• Mike Lazaridis (b. 1961), founder and co-CEO of Research In Motion (RIM), which created and manufactures the BlackBerry wireless handheld device
• Dimitris Melissanidis (b. 1946), founder of Aegean Marine Petroleum, president of AEK Athens F.C. from 1992 to 1995
• Ivan Savvidi (b. 1959), Deputy to the State Duma of the Russian Federation, Chairman of PAOK FC and FC SKA Rostov-on-Don, Businessman and president of the Federation of Greek Communities of Russia

Journalists

• Vicky Hadjivassiliou (mother)
• Nikos Kapetanidis Pontic Greek journalist and newspaper publisher
• Mary Kostakidis (b. 1954), former weeknight SBS World News Australia presenter
• Alexandra Pascalidou (b. 1970), journalist, television hostess and author
• Pantelis Savvidis (b. 1954)
• Tatiana Stefanidou (b. 1970)
• Makis Triantafyllopoulos (grandmother)
• Popi Tsapanidou
• George Valavanis

Military

• Achilles Sakis (Tsakeredes), United States Air Force - Retired, Flight test engineer & U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School graduate and instructor, later with Google X Project Wing
• James G. Stavridis, Retired United States Navy admiral & 12th Dean of the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University
• Vladimir Triandafillov (1894–1931), Soviet military commander and theoretician (real surname Triantafyllidis)

Models

• Olympia Hopsonidou, Miss Star Hellas 2006

Music

• Aristotelis Koundouroff (1896–1969), composer of the Modern Era
• Iovan Tsaous (1893–1942), musician, and composer of rebetiko songs (real name Yiannis Eitziridis or Etseiridis)
• Odysseas Dimitriadis (1908–2005), classical music conductor
• Stelios Kazantzidis (1931–2001), Greek singer of Greek popular music, or Laïkó, he collaborated with many of Greece's composers (father)
• Chrysanthos (1934–2005), singer and songwriter (his surname is Theodoridis)
• Marinella (b. 1938) one of the most popular Greek singers whose career has spanned several decades (her surname is Papadopoulou)
• Pavlos Sidiropoulos (1948–1990), rock singer, guitarist, songwriter and the "father" of the Greek Rock (father)
• Diamanda Galas (b. 1955), US avant-garde composer, vocalist, pianist, performance artist and painter (Pontian ancestry on her father's side)
• Lefteris Hapsiadis (b. 1953) lyricist, poet and writer of novels
• Vasilis Karras (b. 1953), Greek folk singer (real surname Kesoglidis)
• Kelly Kelekidou Greek singer
• Lefteris Pantazis (b. 1955), Greek folk singer (real surname Pagozidis)
• Pantelis Pantelidis (1983-2016), Greek singer, Youtuber, songwriter and lyricist
• Lefteris Papadopoulos, lyricist, poet and journalist
• Antonis Remos (b. 1970), Greek laïko singer (real surname Paschalidis)
• Natassa Theodoridou (b. 1970), Greek singer
• Matthaios Tsahouridis (b. 1978), plays a range of stringed musical instruments including pontic kemenche, Ph.D. in musicology
• Despina Vandi (b. 1969), Greek singer
• Birol Topaloğlu (b. 1965), Pontic songwriter and singer
• Paola Foka, Greek singer (partial)

Politics

• Adonis Georgiadis (b. 1972), Greek politician, historian, publisher, and author
• Leonidas Iasonidis (1884–1959), political activist, congressman of Greek parliament and minister
• Ioannis Passalidis (1886–1968), a prominent member of the Greek Left and founder of the United Democratic Left party
• Dimitrios Partsalidis (1903/1905–1980), communist politician
• Nikos Papadopoulos (b. 1939) Greek-born Swedish Social Democrat politician
• Gavriil Kharitonovich Popov (b. 1936), former mayor of Moscow (real name Gavriil Papadopoulos)
• Savvas Tsitouridis (b. 1954), politician and member of the New Democracy and former Minister for Employment and Social Protection
• Markos Vafiadis (1906–1992), leading cadre of the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) during the Greek Civil War

Science/academia

• George Gurdjieff (1866? – 1949), a mystic and spiritual teacher (real name Georgios Georgiades)
• Viktor Sarianidi (b. 1929), well-known Soviet archaeologist
• Fyodor Yurchikhin (b. 1959), cosmonaut and spacecraft's mechanical engineer (mother)
• John Ioannidis (b. 1965), American scientist, professor, and author

Writers

• Aris Alexandrou (1922–1978), a novelist, poet and translator (father)
• Christos Chomenidis (b. 1966)
• Thea Halo (b. 1941) (mother), author of Not Even My Name, a memoir of her mother's experiences during the Greek genocide
  • Sano Halo (1909-2014), survivor of the Greek genocide and nicknamed Grandmother of the Pontic Greeks
• Theodor Kallifatides (b. 1938) (father)
• Dimitris Psathas (1907–1979), journalist and satirical writer (mother)
• Nikolay Sherbina (b. 1821), Russian poet of 19th century (maternal grandparent)
• Stephanos Papadopoulos (b.1976) Greek American Poet (father)
• Nikos Grigoriadis (1931-2012), poet and educator.

Various

• A. I. Bezzerides (1908–2007), Greek-Armenian novelist and screenwriter, best known for writing Noir and Action motion pictures, especially several of Warners' "social conscience" films of the 1940s (father)
• Anastasios Papadopoulos (1896–1922), guerilla fighter and leading figure of Pontus
• Yanis Kanidis (1930–2004), Greek-Russian physical education teacher & hero who died to save the lives of his students during the Beslan school hostage crisis
• Filon Ktenidis (1889–1963), playwright, accountant, journalist, doctor and the founder of Panagia Soumela in Kastania, Vermiou in Greece