# List of people from Asheville, North Carolina

This is a list of notable persons who were born in and/or have lived in the American city of Asheville, North Carolina.

## Architecture

* Douglas Ellington, architect
* Rafael Guastavino (1842–1908), builder and engineer; final resting place at the Basilica of St. Lawrence, Asheville
* Doan Ogden (1908–1989), nationally noted landscape architect during the 20th century
* Richard Sharpe Smith, supervising architect of Biltmore Estate

## Art

* Murphy Anderson, (1926–2015), comics artist
* James Barnhill, (born 1955), artist and sculptor
* Andrea Clark, photographer
* Evan Dahm, webcomic creator
* James Daugherty (1889–1974), modernist painter, muralist, children's book author and illustrator
* Greg London (born 1966), musical artist - Las Vegas headliner
* Spencer Herr (born 1974), artist
* Hope Larson (born 1982), Eisner Award-winning illustrator, cartoonist, and author of graphic novels Salamander Dream and Chiggers
* George Masa (1881–1933), professional large-format photographer
* Aspen Mays, artist
* Kenneth Noland (1924–2010), abstract painter, one of the best-known American Color Field painters
* Stone Roberts (born 1951), painter
* Isaiah Rice (1917–1980), documentary photographer
* Donald Sultan (born 1951), painter, sculptor, and printmaker
* George Washington Vanderbilt II (1862–1914), art collector, founder of the Biltmore Estate

## Business

* George Henry Vanderbilt Cecil, owner and chairman of Biltmore Farms
* William Amherst Vanderbilt Cecil, operator of the Biltmore Estate through his company, The Biltmore Company
* John Fleer, chef, cookbook author, and restaurateur
* Edwin Wiley Grove (1850–1927), patent medicine inventor, builder and owner of the Grove Park Inn
* Howard Kester (1904–1977), author and organizer of the Southern Tenant Farmers Union
* Howard W. Mattson, Executive Vice President of the Institute of Food Technologists and director of corporate public relations for Monsanto Company
* George Willis Pack, lumberman, philanthropist, and railroad president
* Irving Jacob Reuter, general manager and president of Oldsmobile
* Fred L. Seely, built the Grove Park Inn with his father-in-law Edwin Wiley Grove
* Ashleigh Shanti, chef
* David Webb (1925–1975), jeweler and founder of the David Webb company
* George Francis Willis, founder of International Proprietaries, Inc., who made a fortune selling a patent medicine called Tanlac

## Education

* Elizabeth Barnes, professor of philosophy at the Corcoran Department of Philosophy, University of Virginia
* Rebel A. Cole, professor of finance in the College of Business at Florida Atlantic University
* Jane Sherron De Hart (born 1936), feminist historian and women's studies academic
* Sarah Ann Douglas, professor of computer and information science and a member of the Computational Science Institute at the University of Oregon
* Edythe J. Gaines (1922–2006), educator and school superintendent
* Matthew Hughey, professor of sociology at the University of Connecticut
* R. P. Hunnicutt, one of the founders of the U.S. Army Ordnance Museum at Aberdeen Proving Ground and historian
* Kenneth Lieberthal, professor and political scientist known as an expert on China's elite politics
* Edward Hart Lipscombe, professor at Shaw University
* Robert Allen Phillips, professor in Business Ethics and Professor of Strategic Management and Public Policy at the Schulich School of Business; York University
* Emily Wheelock Reed, director of the Alabama Public Library Service Division during the civil rights movement
* John Andrew Rice, founder and first rector of Black Mountain College
* Debbie Ricker (born 1965), reproductive biologist and interim president of Hood College
* Richard M. Weaver, scholar who taught English at the University of Chicago
* Luigi Zande, stonemason, educator, and builder who contributed to the settlement school movement of the early 20th century

## Entertainment

* Harry Anderson (1952–2018), actor, starred in nine seasons of NBC's Night Court
* Clint Basinger (born 1986), YouTuber
* Ira Bernstein, dancer and teacher
* Mark Boswell (born 1960), film director
* Joe Bowman (1925–2009), bootmaker and marksman of American West entertainment; grew up in Asheville but left for Houston, Texas, in 1937
* Chris Chalk, television, film, and theater actor, born in Asheville and graduated from Asheville High School
* Jim David, stand-up comedian and playwright, both in Asheville
* Jim Eason (born 1935), radio talk show host
* Jennifer Ehle, actress
* Maria Fletcher (born 1942), Miss America 1962
* Eileen Fulton (born 1933), actress, starred on the CBS soap As the World Turns, 1960–2010; born in Asheville
* Joel Goffin (born 1981), film composer, music producer
* Perla Haney-Jardine (born 1997), actress
* Dorothy Hart (1922–2004), screen actress, known mostly for supporting roles
* William S. Hart (1864–1946), cowboy actor in early Hollywood; resided in Asheville around 1900 and coached shows at the Asheville Opera House
* Shirley Hemphill (1947–1999), stand-up comedian and actress, best known for What's Happening!!, 1976–79
* Alina María Hernández, better known in the entertainment world as "Cachita", Cuban transgender television actress
* Charlton Heston (1923–2008), Oscar-winning actor, managed the Asheville Community Theatre with his wife Lydia in 1947
* Sam Irvin, film and television director, producer, and screenwriter
* Taras Kulakov (born 1987), YouTuber
* Daliah Lavi, (1942–2017), German singer who lived the last 27 years of her life in Asheville
* Barbara Loden, actress and director of film and theater
* Stephen Andrew Lynch, early motion picture industry pioneer
* Andie MacDowell (born 1958), actress, lived for several years in Biltmore Forest, a suburb of Asheville
* Sierra McCormick (born 1997), actress
* Caelynn Miller-Keyes, television personality, model, and beauty pageant titleholder
* Caleb Pressley (born 1992), blogger, podcaster, and interviewer for the sports and pop culture blog Barstool Sports
* Margaret Qualley, actress
* Marjorie Rambeau (1889–1970), Hollywood actress; was married to Francis A. Gudger, a resident of Asheville; resided in Asheville in the winter from 1932 to the mid-1940s
* Adam Reed (born 1970), voice actor, animator, screenwriter, television producer and television director
* Chase Rice, country music singer, songwriter, and contestant on Survivor: Nicaragua
* Eric Rosen, theater director and playwright
* Paul Schneider (born 1976), actor
* Angela Shelton (born 1972), actress and producer
* Threadbanger YouTube DIY duo consisting of Corinne Leigh and Rob Czar, who reside and own an art gallery in Asheville
* Duncan Trussell (born 1974), actor and comedian
* Bellamy Young (born 1970), actress, co-star of television series Scandal; born and raised in Asheville
* Collier Young, film and television writer and producer

## Government

* Lewis M. Branscomb, head of the National Bureau of Standards
* Moe Davis, White House Chief of Staff and director of the Air Force Judiciary
* Julius Patton, superintendent of the Dahlonega Mint
* Reuben B. Robertson Jr., United States Deputy Secretary of Defense
* William J. Trent, part of U.S. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt's Black Cabinet, serving as Adviser on Negro Affairs

## Law

* Fred H. Caplan, justice of the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia
* Judy Clarke, criminal defense attorney
* Moe Davis, White House Chief of Staff and director of the Air Force Judiciary
* Harry Martin, associate justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court
* James A. Washington Jr., Judge of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia

## Literature and journalism

* Edward Johnston Alexander, author known by the pen name Katie Gallagher
* Sarah Addison Allen, New York Times bestselling author
* Alfred Horatio Belo, founder of The Dallas Morning News
* Ruth and Latrobe Carroll (1899–1999; 1894–1996), children's authors and illustrators
* Nancy Sales Cash, novelist
* Andrea Long Chu, writer and critic
* C. A. Conrad (born 1966), poet and author
* Olive Tilford Dargan (1869–1968), proletarian novelist of the 1930s under the pen name "Fielding Burke"
* Gavin Geoffrey Dillard, poet, author, and songwriter
* Pamela Duncan, novelist
* Wilma Dykeman (1920–2006), author
* John Ehle (1925–2018), author
* Zelda Fitzgerald (1900–1948), writer and wife of F. Scott Fitzgerald; died in a fire with eight other women at Highland Hospital, an Asheville mental institution in the Montford district
* Charles Frazier (born 1950), author
* Gail Godwin (born 1937), novelist, spent her early years in Asheville
* Ward Greene, writer, editor, journalist, playwright, and comic strip writer
* Denise Kiernan, journalist, producer and author
* Horatio Sheafe Krans, writer and editor
* Michael McFee, poet
* Berniece Baker Miracle (1919–2014), writer and half-sister of Marilyn Monroe
* O. Henry (1862–1910), pen name of author William Sydney Porter; lived for a while in Asheville and is buried in Riverside Cemetery
* William Dudley Pelley, fascist activist, journalist, writer and occultist
* Stephanie Perkins, novelist
* Marisha Pessl, novelist
* Terry Roberts, novelist and writer
* Jonathan Williams (1908–1929), poet and publisher
* Michael G. Williams, novelist
* Allan Wolf, poet and young adult author
* Thomas Wolfe (1900–1938), author, born and raised in Asheville, buried in Riverside Cemetery

## Medicine and science

* Dorothy Hansine Andersen, physician; first person to identify cystic fibrosis; inducted into National Women's Hall of Fame in 2002 for scientific work
* Elizabeth Blackwell (1821–1910), the first recognized woman doctor in the United States
* Lena Northern Buckner, pioneer in social work at the Oteen Veterans Administration Hospital
* Betty Collette, veterinary pathologist
* John E. Exner, psychologist
* William Glenn, cardiac surgeon who co-created an early version of an artificial heart
* Madelon Battle Hancock, nurse during World War I and the "most decorated woman of World War One"
* J. Larry Jameson, interim president of University of Pennsylvania
* Howard W. Mattson

## Military

* Donald V. Bennett (1915–2005), former commanding general of the US Army Pacific Command
* Kathleen M. Gainey (born 1956), retired US Army lieutenant general
* Hugh B. Hester (1895–1983), retired Army general who opposed the Vietnam War and the Cold War
* Dorothy Swain Lewis, aviator who trained Navy pilots and flew with the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) program during World War II
* Homer I. Lewis, major general in the United States Air Force who served as Commander of the United States Air Force Reserve Command
* Robert Morgan (1918–2004), pilot of the Memphis Belle, the famed World War II B-17 bomber
* Kiffin Rockwell (1892–1916), aviator; pilot in the Lafayette Escadrille; first American to shoot down an enemy aircraft
* Francis Bowditch Wilby, major general in the United States Army who served as the 39th Superintendent of the United States Military Academy
* Zachary Taylor Wood (1860–1915), Assistant Commissioner of North-West Mounted Police and Commissioner of Yukon Territory
* Robert Nicholas Young, lieutenant general in the United States Army

## Musicians

* Eric Bachmann, musician and producer
* Lisa Bevill (born 1961), contemporary Christian musician
* Greg Cartwright (born 1970), rock musician; relocated to Asheville
* Luke Combs (born 1990), country music singer-songwriter, graduated from A.C. Reynolds High School
* Indigo De Souza (born 1997), musician
* Jermaine Dupri (born 1972), rapper
* Backwards Sam Firk (1943–2007), country blues singer, fingerstyle guitarist, songwriter, and record collector
* Roberta Flack (1937–2025), Grammy Award-winning singer, born in Asheville
* Sallie Ford, of Sallie Ford and the Sound Outside, singer
* Rayna Gellert (born 1975), fiddler, acoustic guitarist, singer, and songwriter specializing in old-time music
* River Guerguerian, multi-percussionist and composer
* Talib Rasul Hakim (1940–1988), composer
* Warren Haynes (born 1960), guitarist, member of The Allman Brothers Band, spent formative years in Asheville
* Steven Heller, composer and producer
* Malcolm Holcombe (1955–2024), singer-songwriter
* David Holt (born 1946), folk musician, lives near Asheville
* Don Howland, underground musician
* Caleb Johnson (born 1991), American Idol Season 13 winner
* Billy Jonas, singer-songwriter, percussionist, and multi-instrumentalist
* Gary Jules (born 1969), singer-songwriter, known for their rendition of "Mad World" for the film Donnie Darko
* Christine Kane, folk singer-songwriter and acoustic guitarist
* Bascom Lamar Lunsford (1882–1973), folklorist, musician, folk festival founder
* Mary Lattimore (born 1980), harpist
* MJ Lenderman (born 1999), singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist
* Valorie Miller, singer-songwriter
* Bill Monroe (1911–1996), musician, known as "the father of bluegrass"; lived in Asheville; had a show on a local radio station in 1939
* Robert Moog (1934–2005), pioneer of electronic music, inventor of the Moog synthesizer
* Cameron Moore (born 1994), singer-songwriter
* Rex Nelon (1932–2000), gospel singer
* Frances Nero (1943–2014), soul and jazz singer
* Angel Olsen (born 1987), musician
* Squire Parsons (born 1948), singer and songwriter
* Rainey Qualley (born 1989), singer under the name Rainsford
* Tyler Ramsey, singer-songwriter
* Chase Rice (born 1985) country music singer, songwriter, and contestant on Survivor: Nicaragua,
* Jimmie Rodgers, singer, known as "the father of country music"; lived in Asheville; had a show on a local radio station in 1927
* Chris Rodrigues (born 1989), contemporary Christian music singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist
* Jonathan Scales (born 1984), steel pannist and composer
* Chris Sharp (born 1973), singer-songwriter
* Nina Simone (1933–2003), jazz singer, attended Allen Home School for Girls in Asheville
* Arthur Lee "Red" Smiley (1925–1972), bluegrass and country musician,
* Root Boy Slim, aka Foster Mackenzie III (1945–1993), blues musician
* Moses Sumney (born 1992), singer-songwriter
* Bryan Sutton, flatpicking acoustic guitar player
* John Widman, luthier who makes high-end, hand-built guitars
* David Wilcox (born 1958), folk musician and singer-songwriter
* Kat Williams, blues singer

## Politics

* Terry Bellamy, mayor of Asheville
* Cecil Bothwell, Asheville City Council
* Charles Robin Britt, United States House of Representatives
* William Jennings Bryan (1860–1925), United States Secretary of State and U.S. House of Representatives
* Alice A. W. Cadwallader (1832–1910), philanthropist and temperance activist
* Madison Cawthorn (born 1995), U.S. House of Representatives
* Mark B. Childress (born 1959), former United States Ambassador to Tanzania and former Deputy Chief of Staff for Planning in the administration of President Obama
* R. L. Clark, North Carolina Senate
* James M. Clarke, United States House of Representatives
* Lillian Exum Clement, first woman elected to the North Carolina General Assembly
* Marie Colton (1922–2018), first female Speaker Pro Tempore of the North Carolina House of Representatives
* H. K. Edgerton (born 1948), neoconfederate activist and President of the Asheville, North Carolina chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
* Joe Felmet, civil rights activist
* Susan C. Fisher, North Carolina House of Representatives
* D. Bruce Goforth, North Carolina House of Representatives
* V. Lamar Gudger, United States House of Representatives
* Bill Hendon (1944–2018), author, POW/MIA activist, and two-term U.S. Congressman from North Carolina
* Patricia Hollingsworth Holshouser (1939–2006), First Lady of North Carolina
* Herbert Hyde, North Carolina Senate and North Carolina House of Representatives
* Bill Jackson, Georgia State Senate and Georgia House of Representatives
* Horace R. Kornegay, U.S. House of Representatives
* Helen Morris Lewis, suffragist who was the first woman in North Carolina to seek elected office,
* Esther Manheimer, mayor of Asheville
* Julie Mayfield, North Carolina Senate
* Floyd McKissick, lawyer and civil rights activist who led the Congress of Racial Equality for a time and founded Soul City, North Carolina
* Dan K. Moore (1906–1986), 66th Governor of North Carolina 1965–1969
* Martin Nesbitt, North Carolina Senate
* Mary Cordell Nesbitt (1911–1979), served in the North Carolina House of Representatives
* Leonard Outerbridge, Lieutenant Governor of Newfoundland
* Richmond Pearson, U.S. House of Representatives
* William Dudley Pelley (1890–1965), leader of the "Silver Shirt" fascist movement in the 1930s and 1940s
* Loula Roberts Platt (1863–1934), suffragist and first woman to run for a seat in the North Carolina Senate
* Lindsey Prather, North Carolina House of Representatives
* J. E. Rankin (1845–1928), mayor of Asheville and chair of the Buncombe County Commissioners for 26 years
* James W. Reid (1917–1972), served as the Mayor of Raleigh, North Carolina
* Robert R. Reynolds (1884–1963), U.S. Senator of isolationist sympathies in World War II
* Michael Robinson (1924–2006), American Reform rabbi and civil rights activist
* Jim Roddey, chief executive of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania
* Caleb Rudow, North Carolina House of Representatives
* Thomas A. Rymer, Maryland House of Delegates and judge of the Calvert County Circuit Court
* Wilma M. Sherrill, North Carolina General Assembly
* George A. Shuford, U.S. House of Representatives and North Carolina House of Representatives
* Charles Manly Stedman, U.S. House of Representatives and Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina
* John Shorter Stevens, North Carolina House of Representatives
* Brian Turner, North Carolina House of Representatives
* Joseph Tydings (1928–2018), lawyer and politician
* Terry Van Duyn, North Carolina Senate
* Robert Brank Vance, U.S. House of Representatives
* Zebulan Vance, Governor of North Carolina and United States Senator
* Lewis B. Whitworth, Florida House of Representatives and Miami-Dade County circuit court judge
* William Winkenwerder Jr. (born 1954), Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs (2001–2007)

## Religion

* Franklin Graham, Christian evangelist and missionary
* Kevin S. Brown, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Delaware
* George Way Harley, Methodist medical missionary
* Lewis Pease, Methodist clergyman
* Michael Robinson, reform rabbi, civil rights activist, and human rights activist known for his association with Martin Luther King Jr.
* G. Porter Taylor, Episcopal Bishop of Western North Carolina

## Sports
### Baseball

* Jack Alexander, minor league baseball player and college football coach
* Tom Bradley, professional baseball player and coach
* Bob Chakales, professional baseball player
* Dave Cheadle, professional baseball player
* Harry Courtney, professional baseball and football player
* Braxton Davidson, professional baseball players
* Darren Holmes (born 1966), MLB player for eight teams
* Mel Ingram, professional baseball player
* Hughie Jennings (1869–1928), Major League Baseball player and manager, 1891–1925
* Johnny Lanning, professional baseball players
* Cameron Maybin (born 1987), Major League Baseball player with Los Angeles Angels; born and raised in Asheville
* Larry McCall, professional baseball player
* Joel McKeithan, professional baseball coach
* Dorothy Montgomery (1924–2009), All-American Girls Professional Baseball League player
* Chris Narveson (born 1981), MLB pitcher
* Buck Redfern, professional baseball player
* Mike Roberts, professional baseball player and college baseball coach
* Sammy Stewart, professional baseball player
* Don Thompson (1923–2009), Major League Baseball player for the Brooklyn Dodgers
* Joe West (born 1952), MLB umpire for record-breaking 40 seasons
* Pete Whisenant, professional baseball player

### Basketball

* Brad Daugherty (born 1965), retired NBA basketball player, 5-time All-Star, ESPN NASCAR analyst
* Harry Hartsell, head football and basketball coach at North Carolina State University
* Loyd King (born 1949), professional basketball player
* Henry Logan, college basketball player who won the gold medal in the 1967 Pan American Games
* Rhonda Mapp (born 1969), WNBA player
* Rashad McCants (born 1984), NBA basketball player for Minnesota Timberwolves and Sacramento Kings; former Erwin High School basketball player
* Rashanda McCants (born 1986), WNBA player
* Christian Moody, college and professional basketball player
* Buzz Peterson (born 1963), former director of player personnel for NBA's Charlotte Bobcats; former men's head basketball coach at UNC Wilmington, University of Tennessee, Appalachian State University, University of Tulsa, and Coastal Carolina University; born and raised in Asheville
* Roy Williams (born 1950), University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill basketball coach, raised in Asheville

### Football

* LeRoy Abernethy, college football player
* Jack Alexander, college football coach and minor league baseball player
* John Avery (born 1976), football player in NFL, XFL, and CFL; attended Asheville High School
* Kent Briggs, college football coach
* Crezdon Butler (born 1987), NFL cornerback for Pittsburgh Steelers; born and raised in Asheville; led Asheville High School to 2006 state championship
* Joey Clinkscales, professional football player and executive
* Harry Courtney, professional football and baseball player
* Jonathan Crompton, professional football player
* Rico Dowdle (born 1998), NFL running back
* Claude "Hoot" Gibson, professional football player
* Harry Hartsell, head football and basketball coach at North Carolina State University
* Dan Hill, college football player and All-American
* Martese Jackson, professional gridiron football player
* Ralph James, college football coach
* Ben Johnson, professional football coach
* Charlie "Choo Choo" Justice (1924–2003), professional football player
* Eku Leota, professional football player
* Leonard Little (born 1974), NFL football player with St. Louis Rams; born and raised in Asheville
* Eddie McGill, professional football player
* Harold Olson, professional football player
* Jeoffrey Pagan, professional football player
* Ray Roberts (born 1969), retired NFL player
* James Rosecrans, professional football player
* Jonathan Rush (born 1989), college football player
* Bill Russo, college football coach
* Red Sanders, college football coach
* George Stephens, college football player
* Brett Swain (born 1986), NFL player for Green Bay Packers
* Aydan White, college football player
* Johnny White, professional football player

### Racing

* Jack Ingram, retired NASCAR driver
* Stephen Leicht (born 1987), NASCAR driver
* Robert Pressley (born 1959), retired NASCAR driver, born in Asheville
* Ronnie Silver (born 1951), NASCAR driver
* Roy Trantham, stock car racing driver

### Soccer

* Hunter Gilstrap, professional soccer player
* Nate Torbett (born 1994), professional soccer player for Coomera Colts SC and coach

### Swimming

* Mary Montgomery, swimmer
* Stephen Rerych (born 1946), Olympic gold medalist in swimming

### Professional wrestling

* Karl Anderson, professional wrestler; signed to WWE
* Adam "Edge" Copeland (born 1973), professional wrestler, author, relocated to Asheville
* Eddie Golden (born 1973), professional wrestler, resides in Asheville
* Evan Golden (born 2000), professional wrestler, born and raised in Asheville
* Beth Phoenix (born 1980), real name Elizabeth Copeland; retired professional wrestler, four-time women's champion, and commentator; relocated to Asheville
* K. C. Thunder, professional wrestler, promoter and trainer
* Cash Wheeler (born 1987), real name Daniel Wheeler; professional wrestler for All Elite Wrestling; born and raised in Asheville, where he currently resides

### Other

* Stacey Bentley, competitive bodybuilder
* Joe Bowman, marksman
* Matt Carpenter, ultramarathoner as a trail runner and in high altitude marathons
* Cameron Cogburn, cyclist
* Jennifer Pharr Davis (born 1982), long-distance hiker; unofficial record holder of fastest through-hike of Appalachian Trail
* Lawson Duncan (born 1964), former Grand Prix tennis tour player
* Kelly Grieve, member of the United States women's national softball team she won 2011 World Cup of Softball
* Willow Koerber, mountain biker
* Rachel Kuehn, amateur golfer
* Frank Messer, sportscaster that was best known for his eighteen seasons announcing New York Yankees baseball games

## Other

* Terry Hyatt, serial killer
* Cornelia Stuyvesant Vanderbilt, heiress who inherited the Biltmore Estate