# List of people from Rockford, Illinois

The following list includes notable people who were born or have lived in Rockford, Illinois. For a similar list organized alphabetically by last name, see the category page People from Rockford, Illinois.

## Academics, science, and engineering

* James Henry Breasted, scholar, first American teacher of Egyptology
* Griffith Buck, rose breeder
* Richard Bulliet, scholar of the Middle East
* Robert Clodius, educator, acting President of the University of Wisconsin–Madison
* James A. Davis, chair of sociology department, Harvard University, and professor, University of Chicago
* Arnold Krammer, historian, resided in Rockford from 1970 to 1974 while on the faculty of Rockford College; at Texas A&M University from 1974 to retirement in 2015
* James Lindgren, law professor and sociologist, Northwestern University
* John Henry Manny, inventor, founder of Manny Reaper Works
* Fred Merkel, broadcast engineer for Premiere Networks and iHeartMedia
* Anna Peck Sill (1816-1889), educator
* Adaline Emerson Thompson, benefactor and educational leader
* Gordon Tullock, economist and one of the founders of public choice
* Janice E. Voss, astronaut and engineer; lived in Rockford
* Daniel Hale Williams, surgeon, first doctor to successfully complete open heart surgery; founder of the first integrated American hospital, Provident Hospital of Cook County

## Business

* Virgil Abloh (1980–2021), fashion designer and businessman
* Robert Greenblatt, Fox, Showtime and NBC producer and executive, and former Chairman of WarnerMedia Entertainment.
* Albert Henry Loeb (1868–1924), attorney and business executive, Sears
* Pehr August Peterson (1846–1927), business executive, Sundstrand Corporation
* John Sall, co-founder of SAS Institute
* Albert Spalding (1850–1915), co-founder of Spalding; pitcher with Rockford Forest Citys; manager of Chicago White Stockings; executive of National League of Baseball Clubs; inductee in National Baseball Hall of Fame

## Entertainment and media
### Acting

* Ginger Lynn Allen, porn actress
* Jodi Benson, voice actress, Ariel in The Little Mermaid
* Barbara Hale, actress, Perry Mason
* Kathryn Layng, actress, Doogie Howser, M.D.
* Natasha Leggero, comedian, actress
* Joseph Mantello, actor, director, Wicked, Take Me Out, Assassins
* Andra Martin, actress, Up Periscope, The Thing That Couldn't Die
* Marin Mazzie, Tony Award nominated actress and singer known for, Kiss Me, Kate (1999-2001), and her other work in musical theater.
* Aidan Quinn, actor, Desperately Seeking Susan, Elementary, Legends of the Fall
* Anthony Tyler Quinn, actor, Boy Meets World
* Betty Jane Rhodes, actress, singer, Sweater Girl, The Fleet's In
* Susan Saint James, actress, Kate & Allie, McMillan & Wife
* Linda Wallem, actress, writer, producer, Nurse Jackie
* Stephen Wallem, singer, actor, Nurse Jackie

### Animation

* Bill Kopp, animator

### Cinematography

* Declan Quinn, cinematographer, Leaving Las Vegas, Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love, U2's "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For"
* Jay Bauman, founding member of Red Letter Media

### Directing

* Bing Liu, director, Minding the Gap

### Music

* Emily Bear, pianist, composer
* Bun E. Carlos, drummer, Cheap Trick
* Chuckey Charles, film composer and music producer
* Kurt Elling, jazz vocalist, composer, lyricist
* Katherine Tanner Fisk, contralto concert singer
* Swan Hennessy, classical composer
* Joie De Vivre (band), emo band
* Sarah Kelly, singer, songwriter
* Matthew McDonough, drummer for Mudvayne
* Lou Musa, guitarist, The Verve Pipe
* Ann Nesby, singer, producer, part of the urban Gospel group Sounds Of Blackness
* Rick Nielsen, lead guitarist for Cheap Trick
* Tom Petersson, bass guitarist for Cheap Trick
* Marty Ross, musician, songwriter and performer
* Jake Runestad, composer and conductor
* Nellie Strong Stevenson, pianist, music educator, clubwoman
* Shawn Wade, bass guitarist for 12 Stones
* Ryley Walker, guitarist
* Michelle Williams, singer and member of the R&B group Destiny's Child
* Robin Zander, vocalist and rhythm guitarist for Cheap Trick

### Photography

* Alvin C. Jacobs Jr., documentary photographer and image activist

### Special effects

* Shaun Smith, visual effects

### Television

* Paris Bennett, contestant on Season 5 of American Idol
* Kelly Killoren Bensimon model, former cast member of Real Housewives of New York City
* Heather Nauert, news anchor on Fox News; born in Rockford

### Writing

* Robert Lee Maupin Beck, writer, producer, Pimp: The Story of My Life
* Stewart Brand, writer, editor, publisher and environmentalist: The Whole Earth Catalog, The WELL, Long Now Foundation, and, Whole Earth Discipline: An Ecopragmatist Manifesto.
* Thomas Fleming, writer, editor, Chronicles: A Magazine of American Culture
* John Ortberg, author, pastor
* Will Pfeifer, comic book writer
* Shawn Ryan, television producer, screenwriter (The Shield)
* Barbara Santucci, artist, poet, author
* Erica Spindler, author
* Leopold Tyrmand, novelist, editor, dissident; originally from Poland
* Kimberla Lawson Roby, New York Times bestselling author
* Cora Stuart Wheeler (1852–1897), poet, author

## Politics and law

* John B. Anderson, US Representative, US presidential candidate
* John Baumgarten, Illinois House of Representatives
* Debra Bowen, Secretary of State of California, 2007–2015
* William Brown, Illinois House of Representatives
* John T. Buckbee, US Representative
* Robert R. Canfield, Illinois state legislator and lawyer
* James E. Cartwright, US Marine Corps general; Vice Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff
* Ho Chung, Patent attorney
* Mary Lou Cowlishaw, Illinois House of Representatives
* Barbara Giolitto, Illinois House of Representatives
* Edolo J. Giorgi, Illinois House of Representatives
* Rodney Grams, Republican United States Senator, news anchor, WIFR 23 Rockford
* Joyce Holmberg, educator and Illinois state senator
* Alta M. Hulett, attorney, first woman admitted to the state of Illinois Bar
* Betty Ann Keegan, Illinois State Senator
* Julia Lathrop, social and political activist, subject of biography My Friend, Julia Lathrop (1935) by Jane Addams
* Emma Octavia Lundberg, Swedish-American child welfare advocate.
* Donald A. Manzullo, United States Representative
* Lynn Morley Martin, United States Representative, United States Secretary of Labor
* Stanley Mosk, Justice, Supreme Court of California
* David Campbell Mulford, United States Ambassador to India; Vice-Chairman International, Credit Suisse
* Paula J. Raschke-Lind, Illinois state politician
* Bertil T. Rosander, Illinois state legislator and businessman
* Benjamin R. Sheldon, Chief Justice of the Illinois Supreme Court
* Eric Sorensen, meteorologist and politician
* Steve Stadelman, Illinois state senator
* Fred E. Sterling, Illinois politician
* Thomas E. Ticen, Minnesota state legislator and lawyer

## Sports
### Baseball

* Ross Barnes (1850–1915), second baseman, shortstop, Boston Red Stockings
* Aldine Calacurcio, All-American Girls Professional Baseball League player, Rockford Peaches, born in Rockford
* Hal Carlson, pitcher for Chicago Cubs
* Jean Cione, All-American Girls Professional Baseball League player, Rockford Peaches, born in Rockford
* Orville Jorgens, pitcher, Philadelphia Phillies
* Margaret Jurgensmeier, All-American Girls Professional Baseball League player, Rockford Peaches, born in Rockford
* Gene Lamont, catcher, coach, manager, Detroit Tigers, Pittsburgh Pirates, Chicago White Sox
* Berith Melin, All-American Girls Professional Baseball League player, Rockford Peaches, born in Rockford
* Rodney Myers, pitcher, Chicago Cubs, San Diego Padres, Los Angeles Dodgers
* Hattie Peterson, All-American Girls Professional Baseball League player, Rockford Peaches, born in Winnebago, Illinois
* Ken Rudolph, catcher, Chicago Cubs, St. Louis Cardinals, San Francisco Giants, Baltimore Orioles
* Jake Smolinski, outfielder, Texas Rangers; born in Rockford
* Harry Sullivan, pitcher, St. Louis Cardinals
* Ed Swartwood, player, umpire, Pittsburgh Pirates
* Charles Swindells, catcher, St. Louis Cardinals
* Daniel E. Tipple, pitcher, New York Yankees; born in Rockford

### Basketball

* Lorenzo Brown (born 1990), basketball player in the Israeli Basketball Premier League, formerly in the NBA
* Bill Erickson, player for Illinois in 1949 Final Four
* John E. Erickson, coach, University of Wisconsin, and GM of Milwaukee Bucks
* Ernie Kent, coach, Washington State University and University of Oregon
* JP Tokoto (born 1993), basketball player for Hapoel Tel Aviv of the Israeli Basketball Premier League
* Fred VanVleet, point guard with Houston Rockets, NBA Champion (2019), and 2017-2018 Sixth Man of the Year finalist, NBA All-Star (2021-22)

### Billiards

* Dallas West, pool player; inducted into the Billiard Congress of America Hall of Fame (1996)

### Boxing

* Kenneth Gould, boxer, 1988 United States Olympics welterweight bronze medalist
* Sammy Mandell, boxer, World Boxing Association lightweight champion

### Diving

* Ronald Merriott, Olympic diver; 1984 bronze medalist

### Football

* John Blake, nose guard, coach, University of Oklahoma, Dallas Cowboys
* Merwin Hodel, fullback, New York Giants
* Jerry Latin, halfback, St Louis Cardinals
* Dean Lowry, defensive end, Green Bay Packers
* Ira Matthews, halfback, Oakland Raiders
* Walt McGaw, guard, Green Bay Packers
* Carlos Polk, linebacker, Dallas Cowboys
* Ken Roskie, fullback, Green Bay Packers, Detroit Lions
* Brock Spack, head coach, Illinois State University
* Jerry Stalcup, linebacker, Los Angeles Rams
* James Robinson, halfback, Jacksonville Jaguars

### Golf

* Dave Barclay, golfer, 1947 national collegiate champion
* Jeff Mitchell, pro golfer

### Ice skating

* Alexe Gilles, champion figure skater
* Janet Lynn Nowicki, ice skater, 5-time national champion, 1972 Olympic bronze medalist
* Piper Gilles, Olympic figure skater

### Mixed martial arts

* Corey Anderson, mixed martial artist (Bellator Fighting Championship)
* Daniel Roberts, mixed martial artist

### Motor racing

* Chad Knaus, crew chief, Jimmie Johnson, seven-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion

### Mountaineering

* Ed Viesturs, high-altitude mountaineer

### Soccer

* Steve Cherundolo, defender for the US Men's National Team and Hannover 96 in Germany's Bundesliga
* Peri Marosevic, forward for the Toronto FC
* Bryan Namoff, defender and midfielder for D.C. United
* Brad Ring, midfielder for the San Jose Earthquakes (2008-2013), midfielder for the Indy Eleven (2013-2018)
* R. T. Moore, defender for the Tampa Bay Mutiny (1998-1999)
* Tim Trilk, goalkeeper for the Indy Eleven (2022-present)

### Wrestling

* Stephanie Bellars, wrestling manager; married to Paul Caiafa of the Misfits