# Who are some famous people from your state? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 21, 2026, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-some-famous-people-from-your-state/1028651 "2026-03-21T13:29:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2026, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-some-famous-people-from-your-state/1028651/1 "2026-03-21T13:29:35Z")
Every year Mrs. H’s friend, a third grade teacher, has the kids research a famous Missourian, and every year the same handful of names comes up: Walt Disney, Omar Bradley, Edwin Hubble, etc. I, however, was born and raised in Illinois. So when I did this assignment in my own head, I went to people from, you know, Illinois. I used a rather loose definition of “from Illinois,” as Mrs. B—– uses a rather loose definition of “from Missouri” (Walt Disney wasn’t born here and only actually lived here for about 15 years, for example). Anyway, here’s my list: Abraham Lincoln (though not born here) Ronald Reagan (born here but is known mostly as being “from” California) Jane Addams Michelle (Robinson) Obama Richard Pryor Vachel Lindsay Carl Sandburg Edgar Lee Masters Bill Murray Frank Lloyd Wright Al Capone …and many others. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2026, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-some-famous-people-from-your-state/1028651/2 "2026-03-21T14:10:01Z")
**New Jersey:** Jon Stewart, Frank Sinatra, Bruce Springsteen, Jon Bon Jovi, Jack Nicholson, Derek Jeter, Danny DeVito, Kevin Smith, Bruce Willis, Shaq, Whitney Houston, Meryl Streep, Lou Costello, Bud Abbot, Jerry Lewis, Joe Pesci, Thomas Edison, Queen Latifah, James Gandolfini, Michael B. Jordan, Anne Hathaway, Paul Rudd, George R.R. Martin, Jason Alexander, Samuel Alito, John Travolta, Kirsten Dunst, Bill Parcells, Calista Flockhart, Kelly Ripa, Mike Trout, Dionne Warwick, Frankie Valli, Buzz Aldrin graduated from Montclair High School, Martha Stewart, Nathan Lane, Joe “Joey Pants” Pantoliano, Susan Sarandon, David Copperfield, Dick Vitale, Janeane Garofalo, Steve Forbes, Judy Blume, Count Basie, Zach Braff (JD from Scrubs), Joe Dante film director, Gremlins, Tommy DeVito (of the Four Seasons), Peter Dinklage, Michael Douglas, Janet Evanovich (Novelist), Vera Farmiga, Joe Flacco, Connie Francis, Al Leiter, Todd Frazier, Kerri Green of the Goonies, Marvelous Marvin Hagler, Ed Harris, Franco Harris NFL, etc. Of course Einstein called Princeton, NJ his home for the 2nd half of his life. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2026, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-some-famous-people-from-your-state/1028651/3 "2026-03-21T14:24:40Z")
A (very) tiny sample of famous Californians: Mel Blanc Julia Child Ansel Adam’s Robert Frost Joe DiMaggio Frank Zamboni Sally Ride George Patton Bruce Lee Merle Haggard ---
**Author:** ![Lancia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lancia/32/17174_2.png) [@Lancia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lancia)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2026, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-some-famous-people-from-your-state/1028651/4 "2026-03-21T14:43:41Z")
Oregon doesn’t have very many famous natives. The ones I can think of off the top of my head: Beverly Cleary Matt Groening Terry Irwin (wife of the late Steve Irwin) Bill Bowerman (co-founder of Nike and who may or may not be famous outside of Oregon) River Phoenix Googling doesn’t help as a lot of famous people who live here, like Sam Elliott, weren’t born here. ---
**Author:** ![Misnomer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misnomer/32/14897_2.png) [@Misnomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Misnomer)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2026, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-some-famous-people-from-your-state/1028651/5 "2026-03-21T14:56:16Z")
A few famous Virginians: - George Washington - Thomas Jefferson - James Madison - James Monroe - Patrick Henry - Pocahontas - Arthur Ashe - Booker T. Washington - Dave Grohl This thread makes me wonder which state I would be “from,” myself: I was born in CA and grew up mostly in MD – with stints in Germany, NJ, TX, and England – but moved to VA at the age of 27, and have now lived here for half my life. If I got famous tomorrow, would I be from Virginia? ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2026, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-some-famous-people-from-your-state/1028651/6 "2026-03-21T14:58:29Z")
> [@Misnomer](#): > > If I got famous tomorrow, would I be from Virginia? I guess it would depend on if you were as famous as a bunch of dead presidents. Move to Wyoming and you might have a better shot. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2026, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-some-famous-people-from-your-state/1028651/7 "2026-03-21T15:05:23Z")
As I was born in NY but raised in NJ and as I’ve lived the bulk of my life here, I should count for NJ and not NY. ---
**Author:** ![bodangus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c37758/32.png) [@bodangus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bodangus)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2026, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-some-famous-people-from-your-state/1028651/8 "2026-03-21T21:36:45Z")
Michiganders: Yeah that’s what they’re called. And there are several missing from the list. Anyway: Alice Cooper Burt Reynolds Bob Seger Casey Kasem Charles Lindbergh Christie Brinkley David Spade Dax Shepard Diana Ross Francis Ford Coppola Henry Ford Iggy Pop J.K. Simmons Judy Greer Ken Jeong Kate Upton Kristen Bell Larry Page Lee Majors Lily Tomlin Madonna Magic Johnson Mitt Romney Robert Wagner Serena Williams Smokey Robinson Sonny Bono Steve Jobs Steven Seagal Stevie Wonder Ted Nugent Terry Crews Tom Sellick ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2026, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-some-famous-people-from-your-state/1028651/9 "2026-03-21T21:40:13Z")
Minnesota Bob Dylan Prince Al Franken Judy Garland Charles Schulz The Andrews Sisters The Coen Brothers F. Scott Fitzgerald Garrison Keillor Kevin McHale Jesse Ventura Alaska (my home state) Ummmmm. . . Carlos Boozer - actually born in Germany but grew up in Juneau Fred Machetanz and Sydney Laurence - both famous artists who spent many years in Alaska ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2026, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-some-famous-people-from-your-state/1028651/10 "2026-03-21T21:59:35Z")
Illinois undoubtedly has a much bigger list, so I’ll share a list from where I grew up: Wisconsin. - Harry Houdini - Don Ameche - Golda Meir (raised in Milwaukee, but born in Kiev) - Gene Wilder - Laura Ingalls Wilder - Willem Dafoe - Eric and Beth Heiden (Olympic speedskaters) - Mark Ruffalo - Tony Shaloub - Orson Welles - Spencer Tracy - Chris Farley - J.J. and T.J. Watt - David and Jerry Zucker, and Jim Abahams (creators of _Airplane!_ and _The Naked Gun_) - Gary Gygax (creator of Dungeons & Dragons; born in Chicago, but moved to Lake Geneva as a child) - Frank Lloyd Wright - Bob Uecker - Bonnie Bartlett - Allen Ludden - Liberace - Les Paul - Steve Miller (who is Les Paul’s godson) - Deke Slayton (Mercury 7 astronaut) - Rocky Bleier (pro football) - Bud Grant (pro football coach) - Mike Webster (pro football, Hall of Famer, one of the first documented cases of CTE among former football players) And, infamously: - Ed Gein - Jeffrey Dahmer - Aldrich Ames (double agent spy) ---
**Author:** ![Railer13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/railer13/32/9742_2.png) [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2026, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-some-famous-people-from-your-state/1028651/11 "2026-03-21T22:06:30Z")
The most famous person ‘from’ Kansas was Dwight D. Eisenhower. Ike, however, was born in Texas. His family moved to Abilene, KS, when he was about 18 months old, so we claim him. A few notables born in Kansas: Amelia Earhart Joe Walsh Charles Koch Dennis Hopper Buster Keaton Kirstie Alley Melissa Etheridge Gordon Parks Barry Sanders ---
**Author:** ![california\_jobcase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@california\_jobcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/california_jobcase)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2026, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-some-famous-people-from-your-state/1028651/12 "2026-03-21T23:38:22Z")
Here are some Hoosiers: Axl Rose David Letterman Jane Pauley Jim Davis A bunch of Jacksons A few Gaithers Hoagy Carmichael Red Skelton Jenna Fischer Babyface John Mellencamp David Lee Roth Greg Kinnear Adam Lambert Shelly Long Steve McQueen Dean Norris Ernie Pyle Florence Henderson Cole Porter Orville Redenbacher Kurt Vonnegut Larry Bird ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2026, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-some-famous-people-from-your-state/1028651/13 "2026-03-22T01:09:05Z")
Jewel (Kilcher) ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2026, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-some-famous-people-from-your-state/1028651/14 "2026-03-22T12:37:24Z")
> [@Railer13](#): > > The most famous person ‘from’ Kansas was Dwight D. Eisenhower. Ike, however, was born in Texas. His family moved to Abilene, KS, when he was about 18 months old, so we claim him. > > A few notables born in Kansas: > > Amelia Earhart > Joe Walsh > Charles Koch > Dennis Hopper > Buster Keaton > Kirstie Alley > Melissa Etheridge > Gordon Parks > Barry Sanders Senators Bob Dole and Arlen Specter were both from Russell KS. Others that I know from road signs seen driving across Kansas on I-70 are Joe Engle (astronaut) and Walter Chrysler (Chrysler Motors). ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2026, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-some-famous-people-from-your-state/1028651/15 "2026-03-22T15:01:41Z")
> [@bodangus](#): > > Sonny Bono Wow, I had no idea he was from Detroit. mmm ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2026, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-some-famous-people-from-your-state/1028651/16 "2026-03-22T16:28:01Z")
I live in California now, but I was born and raised in North Carolina, so here are some famous North Carolinians (Just off the top of my head without looking it up): Andy Griffith Carl Kassel (NPR newscaster and scorekeeper on Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me) Ben Folds Ayesha Rascoe (Another NPR journalist) And every student who attended North Carolina public schools was taught, the three presidents from NC were Andrew Jackson, James K. Polk, and Andrew Johnson. But that’s using the very loose definition is simply having been born within the state. Woodrow Wilson was probably the president who actually spent the most time living there, and was actually a student at Davidson College just a few miles from my home. Some other people who weren’t necessarily born in NC, but spent their formative years there: Michael Jordan David Sedaris Amy Sedaris I’m sure there are more but I don’t feel like looking it up right now. ---
**Author:** ![Fretful\_Porpentine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fretful_porpentine/32/2873_2.png) [@Fretful\_Porpentine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fretful_Porpentine)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2026, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-some-famous-people-from-your-state/1028651/17 "2026-03-22T16:43:29Z")
Mississippi (off the top of my head): Elvis Presley, Oprah Winfrey, Eudora Welty, Tennessee Williams (born here, although his family moved away when he was a child), William Faulkner, Medgar Evers, James Earl Jones. As well as, of course, some less admirable folks like Jefferson Davis and Nathan Bedford Forrest. ---
**Author:** ![Patx2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/73ab20/32.png) [@Patx2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patx2)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2026, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-some-famous-people-from-your-state/1028651/18 "2026-03-22T21:55:48Z")
Some from Pennsylvania are: Tony Dorsett Dan Marino Joan Jett Tina Fey Grace Kelly Mary Cassatt Wilt Chamberlain Billie Holiday Kevin Bacon Patti LaBelle ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2026, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-some-famous-people-from-your-state/1028651/19 "2026-03-23T00:18:01Z")
> [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > A (very) tiny sample of famous Californians: > > Frank Zamboni > Sally Ride I always wanted a Zamboni ride ---
**Author:** ![Rangerdanger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/67e7ee/32.png) [@Rangerdanger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rangerdanger)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2026, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-some-famous-people-from-your-state/1028651/20 "2026-03-23T00:47:50Z")
We moved into Idaho a week ago and still learning about the place. So far, all i have learned about is a Mr. Potato Head. There are bits and pieces of him all over the place, particularly at meals. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-some-famous-people-from-your-state/1028651.md?page=2)