# List of people from East St. Louis, Illinois

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

## Authors and academics

| Name | Birth | Death | Known for | Association |
| Walter J. Boyne | Feb 2, 1929 | Jan 9, 2020 | US Air Force colonel; author; director of the National Air and Space Museum | Grew up in East St. Louis |
| Cecile Hoover Edwards | Oct 26, 1926 | Sep 17, 2005 | Nutrition researcher, Howard University dean | Born in East St. Louis |
| Harry Edwards | Nov 22, 1942 | | Professor emeritus of Sociology at the University of California, Berkeley; former consultant to the San Francisco 49ers | Born in East St. Louis |
| Eugene B. Redmond | Dec 1, 1937 | | Academic and city poet laureate; established the Eugene B. Redmond Writers Club | Lived in East St. Louis |
| Daniel A. Vallero | Sep 5, 1953 | | Research scientist; author; adjunct professor of engineering at Duke University | Born in East St. Louis |

## Business, science and engineering

| Name | Image | Birth | Death | Known for | Association | Reference |
| Keith Brendley | | 1958 | | Expert in active protection systems, founder of Artis | Born in East St. Louis | |
| Dorothy Davis Locanthi | | Apr 19, 1913 | Sep 27, 1999 | Astronomer | Born and raised in East St. Louis | |

## Media and arts

| Name | Birth | Death | Known for | Association |
| Erin Brown (a.k.a. Misty Mundae) | Oct 16, 1979 | | Horror film actress, model, filmmaker | Born in East St. Louis |
| Comethazine | Jul 6, 1998 | | Rapper and songwriter | Born in East St. Louis |
| Miles Davis | May 26, 1926 | Sep 28, 1991 | Jazz musician, recipient of Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award | Grew up in East St. Louis |
| William Dollar | Apr 20, 1907 | Feb 28, 1986 | Ballet dancer and choreographer | Grew up in East St. Louis |
| Katherine Dunham | Jun 22, 1909 | May 21, 2006 | Dancer, choreographer, anthropologist and author | Lived in East St. Louis |
| Dorothy Gish | March 11, 1898 | June 4, 1968 | Actress | Lived in East St. Louis |
| Lillian Gish | Oct 14, 1893 | Feb 27, 1993 | Actress | Lived in East St. Louis |
| Russell Gunn | Oct 20, 1971 | | Composer, arranger, recording artist, Grammy-nominated jazz musician | Grew up in East St. Louis |
| Rose Marion | 1875 | 1947 | Newspaper feature writer | |
| Brother Joe May | Nov 9, 1912 | Jul 14, 1972 | Gospel singer | Lived in East St. Louis |
| Barbara Ann Teer | Jun 18, 1937 | Jul 21, 2008 | Writer, producer, actress and teacher; founder of the National Black Theater in Harlem (1968) | Born in East St. Louis |
| Ike Turner | Nov 5, 1931 | Dec 12, 2007 | Musician, bandleader, songwriter, talent scout, and record producer; inducted into Rock and Roll Hall of Fame | Lived in East St. Louis |
| Tina Turner | Nov 26, 1939 | May 24, 2023 | Singer and actress; inducted into Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and recipient of Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award | Lived in East St. Louis |
| Lee Wilde | Oct 9, 1922 | Sep 7, 2015 | Part of twin sister singing act The Wilde Twins | Born in East St. Louis |
| Lyn Wilde | Oct 10, 1922 | Sep 11, 2016 | Part of twin sister singing act The Wilde Twins | Born in East St. Louis |
| Steamboat Willie | 1951 | | Veteran musician of Dixieland, jazz and ragtime music; considered a New Orleans "institution" | Born in East St. Louis |
| Robert Wrigley | 1951 | | Poet | Born in East St. Louis |

### Bands

| Name | Image | Founded | Disbanded | Music | Association | Reference |
| Unladylike | | 2002 | | Hip hop duo | Formed in East St. Louis | |

## Politics

| Name | Birth | Death | Known for | Association |
| Marcia Anderson | 1957 | | First female African-American major general in US Army; bankruptcy clerk, 7th District U.S. Court of Appeals | Finished school in East St. Louis |
| John Baricevic | | | Chief Judge, 12th Judicial District of Illinois | |
| William D. Becker | Oct 23, 1876 | Aug 1, 1943 | Mayor of St. Louis 1941–43 | Born in East St. Louis |
| Jerry Costello | Sep 25, 1949 | | US congressman | Born in East St. Louis |
| Dick Durbin | Nov 21, 1944 | | Senior US senator of Illinois | Born in East St. Louis |
| Victor Gold | Sep 25, 1928 | Jun 5, 2017 | Journalist, political consultant | Born in East St. Louis; reared in New Orleans, Louisiana |
| Donald McHenry | Oct 13, 1936 | | US Ambassador to the United Nations (1979 to 1981) | Grew up in East St. Louis |
| Wyvetter H. Younge | Aug 23, 1930 | Dec 26, 2008 | Member of the Illinois House of Representatives from the 114th District (1975–2008) | |

## Sports
### Baseball

| Name | Birth | Death | Known for | Association |
| Jim Adams | 1868 | | Baseball player for the St. Louis Browns (1890) | Born in East St. Louis |
| Hank Bauer | Jul 31, 1922 | Feb 9, 2007 | Right fielder and manager for the New York Yankees, Kansas City Athletics, Baltimore Orioles, and Oakland Athletics; eight-time World Series Champion, three-time All-Star | Born in East St. Louis |
| Steve Biras | Feb 26, 1917 | Apr 21, 1965 | Second baseman for the Cleveland Indians, batted 1.000 | Born in East St. Louis |
| Ed Blake | Dec 23, 1925 | Apr 15, 2009 | Pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds and Kansas City Athletics | Graduated high school in East St. Louis |
| Jim Bruske | Oct 7, 1964 | | Pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres, New York Yankees, and Milwaukee Brewers | Born in East St. Louis |
| Homer Bush | Nov 12, 1972 | | Second baseman for the New York Yankees, Toronto Blue Jays and Florida Marlins; World Series champion | Born in East St. Louis |
| Billy Colgan | | | Catcher for the Pittsburgh Alleghenys | Born in East St. Louis |
| Terry Hanson | Jun 16, 1947 | | Sports executive for the Atlanta Braves, PGA Tour, and NBA TV | Born in East St. Louis |
| Ernie Hickman | 1856 | Nov 19, 1891 | Pitcher for the Kansas City Cowboys | Born and died in East St. Louis |
| Sam Jethroe | Jan 20, 1918 | Jun 18, 2001 | Center fielder for the Boston Braves and Pittsburgh Pirates; awarded NL Rookie of the Year (1950) | Born in East St. Louis |
| Jerry Kane | Jul 21, 1866 | Oct 27, 1948 | Pitcher for the St. Louis Browns | Born in East St. Louis |
| Scott Little | Jan 19, 1963 | | Outfielder for the Pittsburgh Pirates | Born in East St. Louis |
| Frank Millard | Jul 4, 1865 | Jul 4, 1892 | Second baseman for the St. Louis Browns | Born in East St. Louis |
| Salty Parker | Jul 8, 1912 | Jul 27, 1992 | Infielder for the Detroit Tigers | Born in East St. Louis |
| Hank Schmulbach | Jan 17, 1925 | May 3, 2001 | Pinch runner for the St. Louis Browns | Born in East St. Louis |
| Fleury Sullivan | 1862 | Feb 8, 1897 | Pitcher for the Pittsburgh Alleghenys (1884) | Born in East St. Louis |
| Bill Walker | Oct 7, 1903 | Jun 14, 1966 | Pitcher for the New York Giants and St. Louis Cardinals | Born in East St. Louis |
| Joe Wallis | Jan 9, 1952 | | Outfielder for the Chicago Cubs and Oakland Athletics | Born in East St. Louis |
| John Ward | 1862 | Aug 2, 1899 | Pitcher for the Providence Grays | Born in East St. Louis |
| Johnny Wyrostek | Jul 12, 1919 | Dec 12, 1986 | Center fielder for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Philadelphia Phillies, and Cincinnati Reds; two time All-Star (1950, 1951) | |

### Basketball

| Name | Birth | Known for | Association |
| LaPhonso Ellis | May 5, 1970 | Power forward for the Denver Nuggets, Atlanta Hawks, Minnesota Timberwolves, and Miami Heat | Born in East St. Louis |
| Cuonzo Martin | Sep 23, 1971 | Played for the Vancouver Grizzlies and Milwaukee Bucks; head coach of University of Missouri, Tennessee men's basketball teams | Born in East St. Louis |
| Darius Miles | Oct 9, 1981 | Small and power forward for the Los Angeles Clippers, Cleveland Cavaliers, Portland Trail Blazers, and Memphis Grizzlies | Attended East St. Louis Senior High School |

### Football

| Name | Birth | Death | Known for | Association |
| Bryan Cox | Feb 17, 1968 | | Linebacker for five National Football League teams; Super Bowl champion (XXXVI); major philanthropist for East St. Louis High School | Attended East St. Louis High School |
| Kerry Glenn | Jan 3, 1962 | | Cornerback for the New York Jets and Miami Dolphins | Born in East St. Louis, Illinois |
| James Harris | May 13, 1968 | | Defensive end for the Seattle Seahawks, Minnesota Vikings, St. Louis Rams, and Oakland Raiders | Born in East St. Louis, Illinois |
| Terry Hawthorne | Jan 1, 1990 | | Cornerback for the Pittsburgh Steelers | Born in East St. Louis, Illinois |
| Dana Howard | Feb 27, 1972 | | Linebacker for the Dallas Cowboys, St. Louis Rams, and Chicago Bears | Born in East St. Louis, Illinois |
| Shelby Jordan | Jan 23, 1952 | | Offensive tackle for the New England Patriots, and the LA Raiders; Super Bowl champion (XVII) | Attended East St. Louis High School |
| Mike Magac | May 25, 1938 | Aug 25, 2003 | Guard for the San Francisco 49ers and Pittsburgh Steelers | Born in East St. Louis, Illinois |
| Montez Murphy | Jan 6, 1982 | | Free agent for the Kansas City Chiefs | Attended East St. Louis High School |
| Damien Nash | Apr 14, 1982 | | Running back for the Tennessee Titans and the Denver Broncos | Attended East St. Louis High School |
| Eric C. Wright | Apr 18, 1959 | | All-Pro cornerback for the San Francisco 49ers; four-time Super Bowl champion (XVI, XIX, XXIII, XXIV) | Born in East St. Louis, Illinois |

### Tennis

| Name | Image | Birth | Death | Known for | Association | Reference |
| Jimmy Connors | | September 2, 1952 | | Player with most match wins | Grew up in East St. Louis | |

### Track and field

| Name | Birth | Known for | Association |
| Dawn Harper | May 13, 1984 | Olympic gold medalist in 100 meter hurdles at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games | Born in East St. Louis |
| Al Joyner | Jan 19, 1960 | Track Olympic gold medalist in triple jump at the 1984 Summer Olympics; brother of Jackie Joyner-Kersee | Born in East St. Louis |
| Jackie Joyner-Kersee | Mar 3, 1962 | Ranked among all-time greatest athletes in women's heptathlon and long jump; winner of six Olympic medals and four world championships | Born in East St. Louis |