# List of people from Chicago

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

## Academics, science, and engineering

| Name | Birth | Death | Known for | Association |
| Dankmar Adler | Jul 3, 1844 | Apr 16, 1900 | Architect: designed the Guaranty Building, Chicago Stock Exchange Building, and Wainwright Building which is considered to be the world's first skyscraper | Lived and died in Chicago |
| Mortimer Adler | Dec 28, 1902 | Jun 28, 2001 | Philosopher, educator, and popular author | University of Chicago professor; lived in Chicago |
| Milburn Akers | May 4, 1900 | May 27, 1970 | President of Shimer College and Sun-Times editor | Born and worked in Chicago |
| Saul Alinsky | Jan 30, 1909 | Jun 12, 1972 | Community organizer and writer; considered to be the founder of modern community organizing | Born in Chicago |
| Myrtle Bachelder | Mar 13, 1908 | May 22, 1997 | Metals chemist and Women's Army Corps officer; worked on the Manhattan Project | University of Chicago professor; lived and died in Chicago |
| Cynthia Bathurst | | | Mathematician and animal welfare advocate | |
| Jacob Bolotin | Jan 3, 1888 | Apr 1, 1924 | First totally blind physician fully licensed to practice medicine | |
| Sophonisba P. Breckinridge | Apr 1, 1866 | Jul 30, 1948 | Founder, School of Social Works Administration at the University of Chicago | Lived and worked in Chicago |
| Allan G. Brodie | Oct 31, 1897 | Jan 2, 1976 | Orthodontics educator | |
| Daniel Burnham | Sep 4, 1846 | Jun 1, 1912 | Architect | |
| Marvin Camras | Jan 1, 1916 | Jun 23, 1995 | Inventor | |
| Philo Carpenter | Feb 27, 1805 | Aug 7, 1886 | First Chicago pharmacist | |
| Marva Collins | Aug 31, 1936 | Jun 24, 2015 | Educator | |
| Zachary Taylor Davis | May 26, 1872 | Dec 16, 1946 | Architect | |
| Donald J. DePorter | 1942 | 1996 | Philanthropist | |
| John Dewey | Oct 20, 1859 | Jun 1, 1952 | Philosopher, psychologist, and educational reformer; an early developer of pragmatism and one of the founders of functional psychology | University of Chicago Professor and founder of the University of Chicago Laboratory Schools |
| G. Walter Dittmar | 1872 | 1949 | First president of the Illinois State Dental Society | |
| E. Lloyd Du Brul | Apr 5, 1909 | Jul 24, 1996 | Dental anatomist | |
| Rockwell King DuMoulin | January 31, 1906 | February 11, 1983 | Architect | Professor and department chair at the Rhode Island School of Design |
| Helen Flanders Dunbar | May 14, 1902 | Aug 21, 1959 | Early figure in U.S. psychosomatic medicine | |
| Charles E. Fox | Jul 1, 1870 | Oct 31, 1926 | Architect | |
| James Ingo Freed | Jun 23, 1930 | Dec 15, 2005 | Architect | |
| Marjorie Grene | Dec 13, 1910 | Mar 16, 2009 | Philosopher | |
| Marion Mahony Griffin | Feb 14, 1871 | Aug 10, 1961 | Architect | |
| Walter Burley Griffin | Nov 24, 1876 | Feb 11, 1937 | Architect | |
| George Ellery Hale | Jun 29, 1868 | Feb 21, 1938 | Astronomer | |
| Michelle Hawkins | | | Meterorologist | Grew up in Chicago |
| Max Henius | Jun 16, 1859 | Nov 15, 1935 | Biochemist; co-founder of American Brewing Academy | |
| John Augur Holabird | May 4, 1886 | 1945 | Architect | |
| William Holabird | Sep 11, 1854 | Jul 19, 1923 | Architect | |
| Helmut Jahn | Jan 4, 1940 | May 8, 2021 | Architect | |
| William Le Baron Jenney | Sep 25, 1832 | Jun 14, 1907 | Architect | |
| Leon Kass | Feb 12, 1939 | | Writer and chair of The President's Council on Bioethics | |
| Peter Karter | 1922 | Mar 30, 2010 | Nuclear engineer and pioneer of the recycling industry | |
| Fazlur Khan | Apr 3, 1929 | Mar 27, 1982 | Civil engineer | |
| Werner Krieglstein | Oct 31, 1941 | | Philosopher, author, and actor; Fulbright Scholar; University of Chicago fellow and alum | Lived in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Chicago |
| Ed Krupp | Nov 18, 1944 | | Astronomer, archeoastronomer, director of Griffith Observatory, Los Angeles | Born in Chicago |
| T. D. A. Lingo | Dec 14, 1924 | May 13, 1993 | Folk singer, radio personality, brain researcher | Born in Chicago |
| George W. Maher | Dec 25, 1864 | Sep 12, 1926 | Architect | |
| Benjamin H. Marshall | 1874 | Jun 19, 1940 | Architect | |
| Maury Massler | 1912 | 1990 | Dental educator | |
| Charles G. Maurice | 1911 | 1997 | Dental educator | |
| Philip Maxwell | 1799 | 1859 | Early Chicago physician | |
| Ludwig Mies van der Rohe | Mar 27, 1886 | Aug 19, 1969 | Architect | |
| Michele Moody-Adams | Aug 31, 1956 | | African American philosopher and academic administrator | |
| Frederick B. Moorehead | 1875 | 1944 | Dental educator | |
| Charles Murphy | Feb 9, 1890 | May 22, 1985 | Architect | |
| Frederick Bogue Noyes | 1872 | 1961 | Dental educator | |
| Don Patinkin | January 8, 1922 | August 7, 1995 | Israeli-American economist; President of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem | |
| Ralph Pearson | Jan 12, 1919 | Oct 12, 2022 | Inorganic chemist; developed the concept of hard and soft acids and bases (HSAB theory) | Born in Chicago |
| Dwight H. Perkins | Mar 26, 1867 | Nov 2, 1941 | Architect | |
| Sister Joel Read | Dec 30, 1926 | May 25, 2017 | President of Alverno College; longest-serving college president in U.S. history | Born in Chicago |
| Kennedy J. Reed | May 24, 1944 | June 20, 2023 | Theoretical atomic physicist in the Theory Group in the Physics & Advanced Technologies Directorate at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL); a founder of the National Physical Science Consortium (NPSC) | Raised in south Chicago |
| Theodore Regensteiner | May 17, 1868 | Jul 15, 1952 | Inventor of the four-color lithographic press | |
| Earl W. Renfroe | Jan 9, 1907 | Nov 14, 2000 | Orthodontist and African-American activist | |
| Martin Roche | 1853 | 1927 | Architect | |
| John Wellborn Root | Jan 10, 1850 | Jan 15, 1891 | Architect | |
| John Wellborn Root Jr. | 1887 | 1963 | Architect | |
| Isaac Schour | 1900 | 1964 | President of the International Association for Dental Research | |
| Donald Spero | Aug 9, 1939 | | Physicist; venture capitalist; and European Rowing Championships bronze medalist and Olympic rower (1964). | |
| Leo Strauss | Sep 20, 1899 | Oct 18, 1973 | Political philosopher | |
| Louis Sullivan | Sep 3, 1856 | Apr 14, 1924 | Architect | |
| Stanley D. Tylman | 1893 | 1982 | Dental educator, wrote Theory and Practice of Crown and Bridge Prosthesis | |
| Marijuana Pepsi Vandyck | | | Education professional | Raised in Chicago |
| Thorstein Veblen | Jul 30, 1857 | Aug 3, 1929 | Economist and social critic | |
| Robert Wald | Jun 29, 1947 | | Gravitational physicist, author of the textbook General Relativity (1984), and recipient of the Einstein Prize (APS) | University of Chicago Professor |
| Frank Lloyd Wright | Jun 8, 1867 | Apr 9, 1959 | Architect | |

### Nobel laureates and Fields medalists

| Name | Birth | Death | Known for | Association |
| Jane Addams | Sep 6, 1860 | May 21, 1935 | Social worker and activist; founder of Hull House; first American woman awarded the Nobel Peace Prize (1931) | Lived and died in Chicago |
| Saul Bellow | Jun 10, 1915 | Apr 5, 2005 | Author; Nobel laureate in Literature (1976); Pulitzer Prize for Fiction (1976) | Grew up in the Humboldt Park neighborhood of Chicago |
| Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar | Oct 19, 1910 | Aug 21, 1995 | Astrophysicist; Nobel laureate in physics (1983) | University of Chicago professor; died in Chicago |
| James Cronin | Sep 29, 1931 | Aug 25, 2016 | Nuclear physicist; Nobel laureate in physics (1964) | University of Chicago professor; born in Chicago |
| Vladimir Drinfeld | Feb 4, 1954 | | Pioneering mathematician; Fields medalist (1990) | University of Chicago professor |
| Enrico Fermi | Sep 29, 1901 | Nov 28, 1954 | Experimental and theoretical physicist, co-developer of the first nuclear reactor (Chicago Pile-1); Nobel laureate in physics (1938) | University of Chicago professor; died in Chicago |
| James Franck | Aug 26, 1882 | May 21, 1964 | Chemical physicist and member of the Manhattan Project; Nobel laureate in physics (1925) | Director of the Chemistry Division of the Metallurgical Laboratory at the University of Chicago |
| Milton Friedman | Jul 31, 1912 | Nov 16, 2006 | Leader of the Chicago school of economics; Nobel laureate in economics (1976); | University of Chicago professor and graduate |
| James Heckman | Apr 14, 1944 | | Born in Chicago; member of the Chicago school of economics; Nobel laureate in economics (2000) | University of Chicago professor |
| Michael Hudson | Mar 14, 1939 | | Economics professor | |
| Leon M. Lederman | Jul 15, 1922 | Oct 3, 2018 | Experimental physicist; Nobel laureates in physics (1988); director emeritus of Fermilab; founded the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy; | Illinois Institute of Technology professor |
| Yoichiro Nambu | Jan 18, 1921 | Jul 5, 2015 | Theoretical physicist; Nobel laureate in physics (2008) | University of Chicago professor |
| Theodore Schultz | Apr 2, 1902 | Feb 26, 1998 | Chair of the Chicago school of economics; Nobel laureate in economics (1979) | University of Chicago professor |
| Herbert A. Simon | Jun 15, 1916 | Feb 9, 2001 | Political, economic, psychological and computer science polymath; Nobel laureate in economic sciences (1978) | Illinois Institute of Technology professor and University of Chicago graduate |
| George E. Smith | May 10, 1930 | | Applied physicist; co-inventor of the charge-coupled device; Nobel laureates in physics (2009) | University of Chicago graduate |
| James D. Watson | Apr 6, 1928 | | Biologist; Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (1962) Proposed the correct structure for DNA with Francis Crick while a postdoctoral fellow in the laboratory of Sir Lawrence Bragg in the Department of Physics at the University of Cambridge in 1953 | Grew up on the south side of Chicago and attended public schools; graduated from the University of Chicago with a B.S. (1947) in Zoology at age 19 |
| Frank Wilczek | May 15, 1951 | | Theoretical physicist; Nobel laureates in physics (2004) | Enrolled at the University of Chicago at 15 years old |
| Robert Woodrow Wilson | Jan 10, 1936 | | Founder and first director of Fermilab; Nobel laureate in physics (1978) | |

## Authors and writers

| Name | Birth | Death | Known for | Association |
| Franklin Pierce Adams | Nov 15, 1881 | Mar 23, 1960 | Columnist | Born in Chicago |
| Nelson Algren | Mar 28, 1909 | May 9, 1981 | Author | |
| Catherine Corley Anderson | Mar 21, 1909 | Dec 12, 2001 | Children's author | Born in Chicago |
| John Anderson | Mar 22, 1836 | Feb 24, 1910 | Founder and publisher of Skandinaven | |
| K. A. Applegate | Jul 19, 1956 | | Author | |
| Brian Augustyn | Nov 2, 1954 | Feb 1, 2022 | Comic book editor and writer | Born in Chicago |
| Dean Baker | Jul 13, 1958 | | Macroeconomist | |
| Allan Bloom | Sep 14, 1930 | Oct 7, 1992 | Writer and translator | |
| Dmitri Borgmann | Oct 22, 1927 | Dec 7, 1985 | Writer | |
| Candy Dawson Boyd | Aug 8, 1946 | | Writer and activist | |
| Ray Bradbury | Aug 22, 1920 | Jun 5, 2012 | Author | Born and raised in Chicago suburb, Waukegan |
| Gwendolyn Brooks | Jun 7, 1917 | Dec 3, 2000 | Poet | |
| Algis Budrys | Jan 9, 1931 | Jun 9, 2008 | Author | |
| Edgar Rice Burroughs | Sep 1, 1875 | Mar 19, 1950 | Author | Born in Chicago |
| Chris Bury | Dec 10, 1953 | | Journalist | |
| Jack Cafferty | Dec 14, 1942 | | Journalist | Born in Chicago |
| Jack Canfield | Aug 19, 1944 | | Author of Chicken Soup for The Soul | |
| John Chancellor | Jul 14, 1927 | Jul 12, 1996 | Journalist | |
| Raymond Chandler | Jul 23, 1888 | Mar 26, 1959 | Writer | Born in Chicago |
| Shams Charania | Apr 1, 1994 | | Sports writer | Born in Chicago |
| Sandra Cisneros | Dec 20, 1954 | | Author | Born in Chicago |
| Diablo Cody | Jun 14, 1978 | | Screenwriter | |
| Daniel Cohen | Mar 12, 1936 | May 6, 2018 | Children's writer | Born in Chicago |
| Allan Cox | Jun 3, 1937 | Aug 28, 2016 | Writer | Residing in Chicago |
| James Gould Cozzens | Aug 19, 1903 | Aug 9, 1978 | Novelist | Born in Chicago |
| Michael Crichton | Oct 23, 1942 | Nov 4, 2008 | Writer | Born in Chicago |
| Philip K. Dick | Dec 16, 1928 | Mar 2, 1982 | Writer | Born in Chicago |
| Charles Dickinson | June 4, 1951 | | Writer | |
| Mike Downey | Aug 9, 1951 | Jun 12, 2024 | Newspaper columnist | |
| Finley Peter Dunne | Jul 10, 1867 | Apr 24, 1936 | Writer, humorist (Mr. Dooley) | Born in Chicago |
| Stuart Dybek | 1942 | | Author | Born in Chicago |
| Roger Ebert | Jun 18, 1942 | Apr 4, 2013 | Film critic | Lived and died in Chicago |
| Dave Eggers | Mar 12, 1970 | | Writer, editor, publisher | |
| James T. Farrell | Feb 27, 1904 | Aug 22, 1979 | Writer | Born in Chicago |
| Kenneth Fearing | Jul 28, 1902 | Jun 26, 1961 | Poet, writer | |
| Edna Ferber | Aug 15, 1885 | Apr 16, 1968 | Author, playwright | |
| Leon Forrest | Jan 8, 1937 | Nov 6, 1997 | Writer | |
| Henry Blake Fuller | Jan 9, 1857 | Jul 28, 1929 | Writer | Born in Chicago |
| Mary Onahan Gallery | Jul 22, 1866 | Jan 12, 1941 | Writer, editor | |
| Larry Gelbart | Feb 25, 1928 | Sep 11, 2009 | Comedy writer | Born in Chicago |
| Miss Major Griffin-Gracy | Oct 25, 1946 | | Author, activist, community organizer | Born in Chicago |
| John Gunther | Aug 30, 1901 | May 29, 1970 | Writer | |
| Gary Gygax | Jul 27, 1938 | Mar 4, 2008 | Author | Born in Chicago |
| Lorraine Hansberry | May 19, 1930 | Jan 12, 1965 | Playwright | Born in Chicago |
| Chris Hansen | Sep 13, 1959 | | Journalist | Born in Chicago |
| Reidar Rye Haugan | Sep 18, 1893 | Oct 1, 1972 | Newspaper publisher and playwright | |
| Ben Hecht | Feb 28, 1894 | Apr 18, 1964 | Screenwriter, playwright, journalist, director, and producer | Lived and worked in Chicago |
| Larry Heinemann | Jan 18, 1944 | Dec 11, 2019 | Novelist | Born in Chicago |
| Ernest Hemingway | Jul 21, 1899 | Jul 2, 1961 | Novelist, short story writer, and journalist | Born and raised in Chicago suburb, Oak Park; lived and worked in Chicago |
| Robert Herrick | Apr 21, 1868 | Dec 23, 1938 | Novelist | |
| Seymour Hersh | April 8, 1937 | | Journalist | Born in Chicago |
| Aphrodite Jones | Nov 27, 1958 | | Author | Born in Chicago |
| Stacey Kade | | | Author | |
| John Kass | Jun 25, 1956 | | Journalist | Born in Chicago |
| Hoda Katebi | Jan 27, 1995 | | Fashion blogger and activist | Resides in Chicago |
| Kirke La Shelle | Sep 23, 1862 | May 16, 1905 | Newspaper reporter, editor, playwright and producer | Worked in Chicago |
| Ann Landers (aka Ruth Crowley; aka Esther Pauline Friedman Lederer) | | | Columnist | |
| Adam Langer | 1967 | | Novelist | Born in Chicago |
| Ring Lardner | Mar 6, 1885 | Sep 25, 1933 | Sports columnist, short story writer, playwright, composer, and lyricist | Worked & lived in Chicago |
| Ring Lardner Jr. | Aug 19, 1915 | Oct 31, 2000 | Journalist and screenwriter | Born in Chicago |
| Leo Lerner | 1907 | 1965 | Newspaper publisher; founder of Lerner Newspapers | Born in Chicago |
| Mike MacDonald | 1960 | | Photographer and author | |
| Tom Mandel | Sep 12, 1942 | | Poet | Born in Chicago |
| Jean Martirez | Jan 19, 1963 | | Journalist | Born in Chicago |
| Merrill C. Meigs | Nov 25, 1883 | Jan 26, 1968 | Newspaper publisher | |
| A. R. Morlan | Jan 3, 1958 | Jan 6, 2016 | Author | Born in Chicago |
| Susan Murphy-Milano | | Oct 28, 2012 | Author and radio host; advocate for victims of domestic violence | Born in Chicago |
| Charles Gilman Norris | Apr 23, 1881 | Jul 25, 1945 | Author | |
| Frank Norris | Mar 5, 1870 | Oct 25, 1902 | Novelist | Born in Chicago |
| Clarence Page | Jun 2, 1947 | | Columnist | |
| Pidgeon Pagonis | 1986 | | Intersex activist, writer, artist, and consultant | Born in Chicago |
| Sara Paretsky | Jun 8, 1947 | | Novelist | |
| Ed Paschke | Jun 22, 1939 | Nov 25, 2004 | Artist | Born and died in Chicago |
| Cissy Patterson | Nov 7, 1881 | Jul 24, 1948 | Journalist and newspaper editor | |
| Frederik Pohl | Nov 26, 1919 | Sep 2, 2013 | Author and futurist | |
| Margaret Horton Potter | May 20, 1881 | Dec 22, 1911 | Novelist | Born and died in Chicago |
| Henry Rago | 1915 | 1969 | Poet; editor of Poetry Magazine (1955–1969) | |
| Wilhelm Rapp | Jul 14, 1827 | Feb 28, 1907 | Journalist and editor | Lived and died in Chicago |
| Hermann Raster | May 6, 1827 | Jul 24, 1891 | Journalist and politician; editor of the Illinois Staats-Zeitung (1867–1891) | Lived in Chicago, buried in Graceland Cemetery |
| Mike Resnick | Mar 5, 1942 | Jan 9, 2020 | Author | |
| Dean Richards | Mar 31, 1954 | | Film critic | Born in Chicago |
| Mike Royko | Sep 19, 1932 | Apr 29, 1997 | Columnist | Born and died in Chicago |
| Ernest Samuels | May 19, 1903 | Feb 12, 1996 | Biographer; recipient of the Bancroft Prize and the Pulitzer Prize for Biography or Autobiography | Born in Chicago |
| Carl Sandburg | Jan 6, 1878 | Jul 22, 1967 | Poet; recipient of three Pulitzer Prizes | Lived in Chicago |
| Dan Savage | Oct 7, 1964 | | Columnist | Born in Chicago |
| Sandra Seaton | Jul 10, 1942 | | Playwright and librettist | |
| Sidney Sheldon | Feb 11, 1917 | Jan 30, 2007 | Playwright, screenwriter, novelist | |
| William L. Shirer | Feb 23, 1904 | Dec 28, 1993 | Journalist and historian | Born in Chicago |
| Shel Silverstein | Sep 25, 1930 | May 10, 1999 | Poet, songwriter, and children's writer | Born in Chicago |
| Gene Siskel | Jan 26, 1946 | Feb 20, 1999 | Film critic | Born in Chicago |
| Dejan Stojanović | Mar 11, 1959 | | Poet, writer, essayist, philosopher, businessman, and former journalist | |
| Alfred Szklarski | Jan 21, 1912 | Apr 9, 1992 | Author | Born in Chicago |
| Studs Terkel | May 16, 1912 | Oct 31, 2008 | Broadcaster and author | Lived and died in Chicago |
| James Tiptree Jr. | Aug 24, 1915 | May 19, 1987 | Author | Born in Chicago |
| Joseph A. Tunzi | Jul 25, 1953 | | Author, publisher, producer, researcher, archivist, historian; "one of the foremost authorities on Elvis Presley" | Born in Chicago |
| Scott Turow | Apr 12, 1949 | | Author | Born in Chicago |
| Irving Wallace | Mar 19, 1916 | Jun 29, 1990 | Author | Born in Chicago |
| Gene Wolfe | May 7, 1931 | Apr 14, 2019 | Author | |

## Business and philanthropy

| Name | Birth | Death | Known for | Association |
| Anthony Adducci | Aug 14, 1937 | Sep 19, 2006 | A pioneer of the medical device industry; founder of Cardiac Pacemakers, Inc., which manufactured the world's first lithium battery-powered artificial pacemaker | Born in Chicago |
| Bob Bernard | May 23, 1967 | Feb 2, 2007 | Entrepreneur | |
| William McCormick Blair | May 2, 1884 | Mar 29, 1982 | Financier | Born in Chicago |
| William McCormick Blair Jr. | Oct 24, 1916 | Aug 29, 2015 | U.S. Ambassador to Denmark (1961–1964) and U.S. Ambassador to the Philippines (1964–1967) | Partner in the Chicago law firm Gerlach & O'Brien |
| David Bohnett | Apr 2, 1956 | | Philanthropist and technology entrepreneur | Born in Chicago |
| John O. Butler | | | Businessman, dentist and periodontist | Born and practiced in Chicago |
| Kevin Cushing | 1956 | | Executive officer of AlphaGraphics | Born in Chicago |
| Charles Deering | Jul 31, 1852 | Feb 5, 1927 | Businessman, art collector, and philanthropist | |
| William Deering | Apr 25, 1826 | Dec 9, 1913 | Businessman and philanthropist | |
| Francis Dewes | Apr 8, 1845 | Dec 21, 1922 | German immigrant, brewer, millionaire, original owner of the historic mansion Francis J. Dewes House | |
| Dr. Fannie Emanuel | Jul 31, 1871 | Mar 31, 1934 | Founded the Emanuel Settlement House | |
| Marshall Field | Aug 18, 1834 | Jan 16, 1906 | Entrepreneur | |
| Ada Sawyer Garrett | 1856 | 1938 | 19th-century socialite and philanthropist | |
| William O. Goodman | 1848 | 1936 | Lumber tycoon | |
| Robert Halperin | Jan 26, 1908 | May 8, 1985 | Olympic and Pan American Games yachting medalist; quarterback for the Brooklyn Dodgers; decorated World War II US-Navy sailor; co-founder of Lands' End, and Chairman of Commercial Light Company | Born in Chicago |
| H. G. Haugan | Nov 7, 1840 | Jan 29, 1921 | Railroad executive | |
| Helge Alexander Haugan | Oct 26, 1847 | May 17, 1909 | Banking executive | |
| Anton C. Hesing | Jan 6, 1823 | Mar 31, 1895 | Owner of the Chicago-based Illinois Staats-Zeitung; Cook County Sheriff 1860–1862 | Lived and died in Chicago |
| Gurdon Saltonstall Hubbard | Aug 22, 1802 | Sep 14, 1886 | Early Chicago developer | |
| Ray Kroc | Oct 5, 1902 | Jan 14, 1984 | First CEO of McDonald's | |
| Matthew Laflin | Dec 16, 1803 | May 21, 1897 | Gunpowder manufacturer and philanthropist | |
| Mary Lewis Langworthy | Mar 31, 1872 | Jan 15, 1949 | President, Chicago Woman's Club | Lived in Chicago |
| Charles Magnus Lindgren | Nov 28, 1819 | Sep 1, 1879 | Shipping executive | |
| John R. Lindgren | Feb 20, 1855 | Apr 29, 1915 | Banking executive | |
| Horatio G. Loomis | | 1900 | An organizer of the Chicago Board of Trade | |
| Catherine T. MacArthur | Nov 23, 1908 | Dec 15, 1981 | Philanthropist | |
| Arthur B. McBride | Mar 20, 1888 | Nov 10, 1972 | Businessman who co-founded the Cleveland Browns football team | Born and raised in Chicago |
| Brooks McCormick | Feb 23, 1917 | Aug 15, 2006 | Chief executive officer of International Harvester; Art collector | Born in Chicago |
| Chauncey McCormick | Dec 7, 1884 | Sep 8, 1954 | Businessman and art collector | Trustee of the Art Institute of Chicago |
| Cyrus Hall McCormick, Sr. | Feb 15, 1809 | May 13, 1884 | Founder of the McCormick Harvesting Machine Company | Lived and died in Chicago |
| Cyrus Hall McCormick II | May 16, 1859 | 1936 | President of the McCormick Harvesting Machine Company (1884–1902) | Born in Chicago |
| Harold Fowler McCormick | May 2, 1872 | Oct 16, 1941 | Chairman of the board of International Harvester Company | Trustee of the University of Chicago |
| Joseph M. McCormick | May 16, 1877 | Feb 25, 1925 | United States Senator from Illinois; Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Illinois's 1st district | Born in Chicago |
| Katharine McCormick | Aug 27, 1875 | Dec 28, 1967 | Biologist, suffragist, philanthropist, and heir to a substantial part of the McCormick family fortune | Grew up in Chicago |
| L. Hamilton McCormick | May 27, 1859 | Feb 2, 1934 | Author, inventor, art collector and sculptor | Born in Chicago |
| Leander J. McCormick | Feb 8, 1819 | Feb 20, 1900 | Farmer, inventor, manufacturer, and businessman | Lived and died in Chicago |
| Robert R. McCormick | Jul 30, 1880 | Apr 1, 1955 | Owner and publisher of the Chicago Tribune newspaper | Born in Chicago |
| Robert Sanderson McCormick | Jul 26, 1849 | Apr 16, 1919 | United States ambassador to Austria-Hungary, Imperial Russia, and France | Lived in Chicago |
| Ruth Hanna McCormick | Mar 27, 1880 | Dec 31, 1944 | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Illinois's at-large district | Lived and died in Chicago |
| William Grigsby McCormick | Jun 3, 1851 | Nov 29, 1941 | Businessman; Member of the New York Stock Exchange; co-founder of the Kappa Sigma college fraternity | Born in Chicago; Chicago City Council as alderman representing the 18th ward |
| William Sanderson McCormick | Nov 2, 1815 | Sep 27, 1865 | Inventor and founder of the McCormick Harvesting Machine Company | Lived in Chicago |
| Blythe McGarvie | | | President of Leadership for International Finance, LLC | |
| Abraham Lincoln Neiman | Jul 4, 1875 | Oct 21, 1970 | Businessman and member of the Neiman Marcus family | |
| Agnes Nestor | Jun 24, 1880 | Dec 28, 1948 | Labor activist, politician, and founder of the International Glove Workers Union of America and president of Chicago Women's Union League | Lived and died in Chicago |
| William S. Paley | Sep 28, 1901 | Oct 26, 1990 | CBS executive | |
| Bertha Palmer | May 22, 1849 | May 5, 1918 | Socialite and philanthropist | |
| Potter Palmer | May 20, 1826 | May 4, 1902 | Entrepreneur | |
| George Pullman | Mar 3, 1831 | Oct 19, 1897 | Entrepreneur and inventor | |
| Wallace Rasmussen | Jul 11, 1914 | Sep 21, 2008 | Businessman and philanthropist; CEO of Beatrice Foods Co. | Lived and worked in Chicago |
| Frank C. Rathje | Aug 21, 1881 | Feb 24, 1967 | Depression-era banker, businessman, and philanthropist | |
| William Donald Scherzer | Jan 27, 1858 | Jul 20, 1893 | Inventor of the Scherzer Rolling Lift Bridge | |
| W. Clement Stone | May 4, 1902 | Sep 3, 2002 | Entrepreneur; founder of what is known today as AON Corporation | |
| Edmund Dick Taylor | Oct 18, 1804 | Dec 4, 1891 | Banker, railroad executive and entrepreneur; known as "father of the greenback" | |
| Charles H. Wacker | Aug 29, 1856 | Oct 31, 1929 | Businessman and philanthropist, director of the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition | Born and lived in Chicago |
| Ty Warner | Sep 3, 1944 | | Entrepreneur known for Beanie Babies and many other successful plush toys | Born in Chicago and grew up in suburban La Grange |
| Erick Williams | | | Chef | Born and raised in Chicago |
| Charles Yerkes | Jun 25, 1837 | Dec 29, 1905 | Entrepreneur | |

## Crime

| Name | Birth | Death | Known for | Association |
| David Barksdale | May 24, 1947 | Sep 2, 1972 | Street gang leader | Leader of Folk Nation; died in Chicago |
| Al Capone | Jan 17, 1899 | Jan 25, 1947 | Boss of the Chicago Outfit 1925–1931 | Chicago Outfit |
| Andre Crawford | 1962 | Mar 2017 | Serial killer | Born in Chicago |
| Laurie Dann | Oct 18, 1957 | May 20, 1988 | Murderer | Born in Chicago |
| John Dillinger | Jun 22, 1903 | Jul 22, 1934 | Bank robber | Died in Chicago |
| Jeff Fort | Feb 20, 1947 | | Gang leader and convicted terrorist | Grew up in Chicago |
| John Wayne Gacy | Mar 17, 1942 | May 10, 1994 | Serial killer | Born in Chicago |
| Sam Giancana | Jun 15, 1908 | Jun 19, 1975 | Boss of the Chicago Outfit | Chicago Outfit |
| Robert Hanssen | Apr 18, 1944 | Jun 5, 2023 | FBI agent; convicted spy for Russia | Born in Chicago |
| H. H. Holmes | May 16, 1861 | May 7, 1896 | Serial killer | Lived and operated in Chicago |
| Ted Kaczynski | May 22, 1942 | Jun 10, 2023 | Unabomber, mathematician and domestic terrorist | Born and briefly lived in Chicago |
| Leopold and Loeb | Nov 19, 1904 (Leopold) Jun 11, 1905 (Loeb) | Jan 28, 1936 (Loeb) Aug 29, 1971 (Leopold) | Murderers | Born in Chicago |
| Baby Face Nelson | Dec 6, 1908 | Nov 27, 1934 | Mobster | Born in Chicago |
| Jose Padilla (aka Abdullah al-Muhajir) | Oct 18, 1970 | | Alleged terrorist | Lived in Chicago |
| Jack Ruby | Mar 25, 1911 | Jan 3, 1967 | Killed Lee Harvey Oswald | Born in Chicago |
| Eva Shaver | | | Midwife convicted of manslaughter while providing illegal abortions, 1915 | Worked in Chicago |
| Ronald Gene Simmons | Jul 15, 1940 | Jun 25, 1990 | Spree killer | Born in Chicago |
| Wanda Stopa | May 5, 1900 | Apr 25, 1924 | Murderer | Lived and studied in Chicago; was its youngest and first female assistant U.S. district attorney |
| George Streeter | 1837 | Jan 22, 1921 | Riverboat captain and squatter | Lived and died in Chicago |

## Fine arts

| Name | Birth | Death | Known for | Association |
| Sigvald Asbjørnsen | Aug 20, 1867 | Sep 8, 1954 | Sculptor | |
| Emil Biorn | Jun 7, 1864 | 1935 | Sculptor, painter and composer | |
| Edward William Carlson | May 4, 1883 | Jul 26, 1932 | Artist | Born and raised in Chicago |
| Edward Gorey | Feb 22, 1925 | Apr 15, 2000 | Artist | Born in Chicago |
| Grace Jeffers | Sep 1, 1967 | | Design educator | Born in Chicago |
| June Leaf | Aug 4, 1929 | Jul 1, 2024 | Artist | Born and raised in Chicago |
| Vivian Maier | Feb 1, 1926 | Apr 21, 2009 | Photographer | |
| Edgar Miller | 1899 | Jun 1, 1993 | Designer, artist, sculptor, stained glass maker, wood carver, metal worker | Born in Idaho Falls, moved to Chicago in 1917, died in Chicago |
| Norman Parish | Aug 26, 1937 | Jul 8, 2013 | Artist and art dealer | |
| Harmonia Rosales | 1984 | | Artist | Born in Chicago |

## Frontier

| Name | Birth | Death | Known for | Association |
| Louis Jolliet | Sep 21, 1645 | 1700 | French explorer | Lived for one winter in what is now Chicago |
| John Kinzie | Dec 3, 1763 | Jan 6, 1828 | Early Chicago settler | Lived in what is now Chicago |
| Jean Baptiste Point du Sable | | Aug 28, 1818 | Early Chicago settler | Lived in what is now Chicago |

## Media

| Name | Birth | Death | Known for | Association |
| Gillian Anderson | Aug 9, 1968 | | Actress | Born in Chicago |
| Stanley Andrews | Aug 28, 1891 | Jun 23, 1969 | Actor | Born in Chicago |
| Dominic Armato | Nov 18, 1976 | | Voice actor | Born in Chicago |
| Lewis Arquette | Dec 14, 1935 | February 10, 2001 | Actor | Born in Chicago |
| Patricia Arquette | Apr 8, 1968 | | Actress | Born in Chicago |
| Reiko Aylesworth | Dec 9, 1972 | | Actress | |
| Barney Balaban | Jun 8, 1887 | Mar 7, 1971 | Head of Paramount Pictures | |
| Bob Balaban | Aug 16, 1945 | | Actor, director and producer | Born in Chicago |
| Adam Baldwin | Feb 27, 1962 | | Actor | |
| Leonard Baldy | Feb 15, 1927 | May 2, 1960 | Police officer; Chicago's first helicopter traffic reporter | |
| Ryan Bank | Apr 27, 1981 | | Media producer | |
| Ike Barinholtz | Feb 18, 1977 | | Actor and comedian | Born in Chicago |
| Ralph Bellamy | Jun 17, 1904 | Nov 29, 1991 | Actor | Born in Chicago |
| Jim Belushi | Jun 15, 1954 | | Actor, comedian | Born in Chicago |
| John Belushi | Jan 24, 1949 | Mar 5, 1982 | Actor, comedian | Born, lived and worked in Chicago |
| Chloe Bennet | Apr 18, 1992 | | Actress, singer | Born in Chicago |
| Jack Benny | Feb 14, 1894 | Dec 26, 1974 | Actor, comedian | Born in Chicago |
| Tom Berenger | May 31, 1949 | | Actor | Born in Chicago |
| Edgar Bergen | Feb 16, 1903 | Sep 30, 1978 | Ventriloquist | Born in Chicago |
| Shelley Berman | Feb 3, 1925 | Sep 1, 2017 | Comedian | Born in Chicago |
| Carlos Bernard | Oct 12, 1962 | | Actor | |
| Michael Ian Black | Aug 12, 1971 | | Comedian | Born in Chicago |
| Budd Boetticher | Jul 29, 1916 | Nov 29, 2001 | Film director | Born in Chicago |
| Tom Bosley | Oct 1, 1927 | Oct 19, 2010 | Actor | Born in Chicago |
| Charles Boyce | Sep 21, 1949 | | Syndicated cartoonist | |
| Lara Flynn Boyle | Mar 24, 1970 | | Actress | |
| Harold Bradley Jr. | Oct 13, 1929 | Apr 13, 2021 | Football player, actor, singer, artist, TV host, and painter | Born in Chicago |
| Andre Braugher | Jul 1, 1962 | Dec 11, 2023 | Actor | Born in Chicago |
| Buddy Bregman | Jul 9, 1930 | Jan 8, 2017 | Composer | |
| Pat Byrnes | | | Cartoonist for The New Yorker | |
| Colt Cabana | May 6, 1980 | | Professional wrestler | Lives in Chicago |
| John Calhoun | Apr 14, 1808 | Feb 20, 1859 | Founding publisher of the Chicago Democrat | Cook County Treasurer (1837–1841); Chicago City Councilman, 1841–1842 |
| Monique Calhoun | | | Model | |
| Sarah Wayne Callies | Jun 1, 1977 | | Actress | |
| Allan Carr | May 27, 1937 | Jun 29, 1999 | Producer | Born in Chicago |
| Charmian Carr | Dec 27, 1942 | Sep 17, 2016 | actress | Born in Chicago |
| Steve Carell | Aug 16, 1962 | | Actor, comedian, producer, writer and director | Lived and worked in Chicago |
| Dan Castellaneta | Oct 29, 1957 | | Actor and comedian | Lives in Chicago |
| John Chambers | Sep 12, 1922 | Aug 25, 2001 | Academy Award-winning make-up artist | Born in Chicago |
| Kyle Chavarria | Jan 26, 1995 | | Actress | Born in Chicago |
| Whitney Chitwood | | | Stand-up comedian | Lives in Chicago |
| Anna Chlumsky | Dec 3, 1980 | | Actress | Born in Chicago |
| Stephen Colbert | May 13, 1964 | | Comedian, TV host, actor, and writer | Lived and worked in Chicago |
| Lana Condor | May 11, 1997 | | Actress | Lived in Chicago |
| Don Cornelius | Sep 27, 1936 | Feb 1, 2012 | Creator and former host of Soul Train | Born in Chicago |
| Cindy Crawford | Feb 20, 1966 | | Model and actress | Lived in Chicago |
| Ann Cusack | May 22, 1961 | | Actress | |
| Joan Cusack | Oct 11, 1962 | | Actress and comedian | |
| John Cusack | Jun 28, 1966 | | Actor | |
| Clifton Davis | Oct 4, 1945 | | Actor, composer and minister | Born in Chicago |
| May de Sousa | Nov 6, 1884 | Aug 8, 1948 | Actress and singer | Born, raised, and died in Chicago |
| Walt Disney | Dec 5, 1901 | Dec 15, 1966 | Founder of The Walt Disney Company | Born on the second floor of the house at 2156 Tripp Avenue, in the Hermosa neighborhood of Chicago |
| Matt Doherty | Jun 22, 1978 | | Actor | |
| Jimmy Dore | July 26, 1965 | | Stand-up comedian and political commentator | Born in Chicago |
| Mike Douglas | Aug 11, 1920 | Aug 11, 2006 | Talk show host | Born in Chicago |
| Katie Doyle | | | Cast member of MTV's Road Rules | |
| Brian Doyle-Murray | Oct 31, 1945 | | Actor | Born in Chicago |
| Moosie Drier | Aug 6, 1964 | | Actor and director | Born in Chicago |
| Michael Clarke Duncan | Dec 10, 1957 | Sep 3, 2012 | Actor | Born in Chicago |
| Kevin Dunn | Aug 24, 1956 | | Actor | Born in Chicago |
| Dennis Farina | Feb 29, 1944 | Jul 22, 2013 | Actor, Chicago police officer | Born and raised in the Old Town neighborhood of Chicago |
| Mimsy Farmer | Feb 28, 1945 | | Actress and sculptor | Born in Chicago |
| Jon Favreau | Oct 19, 1966 | | Actor, writer, and director | Lived and worked in Chicago |
| Jeremy Felton | Jul 17, 1987 | | Rapper | Born in Chicago |
| Tina Fey | May 18, 1970 | | Actress, comedian, and writer | Lived and worked in Chicago |
| Karen Finley | 1956 | | Performance artist, actress, artist, and recording artist | Born in Chicago |
| Michael Flatley | Jul 16, 1958 | | Dancer | Born in Chicago |
| Neil Flynn | Nov 13, 1960 | | Actor | Born, lived and worked in Chicago; raised in Chicago suburb, Waukegan |
| Harrison Ford | Jul 13, 1942 | | Actor | Born in Chicago; raised in Chicago suburb, Des Plaines |
| Drew Fortier | Jul 14, 1987 | | Musician, filmmaker, actor, and author | Born and raised in Chicago |
| Bob Fosse | Jun 23, 1927 | Sep 23, 1987 | Director, choreographer, and dancer | Born in Chicago |
| Redd Foxx | Dec 9, 1922 | Oct 11, 1991 | Actor and comedian | Grew up in the Bronzeville neighborhood of Chicago |
| Dennis Franz | Oct 28, 1944 | | Actor | |
| Kathleen Freeman | Feb 17, 1923 | Aug 23, 2001 | Actress | Born in Chicago |
| Tavi Gevinson | April 21, 1996 | | Writer, magazine editor, actress | Born in Chicago |
| Marla Gibbs | Jun 14, 1931 | | Actress | Born in Chicago |
| Zach Gilford | Jan 14, 1982 | | Actor | |
| Ira Glass | Mar 3, 1959 | | NPR broadcaster | Lived and worked in Chicago |
| Arlene Golonka | Jan 23, 1936 | May 31, 2021 | Actress | Born in Chicago |
| Stuart Gordon | Aug 11, 1947 | Mar 24, 2020 | Playwright, screenwriter, film director and producer | |
| Chuck Goudie | Jan 17, 1956 | | Television reporter and columnist | |
| Michael Gray | Sep 2, 1951 | | Actor on Shazam! | |
| Shecky Greene | Apr 8, 1926 | Dec 31, 2023 | Comedian | Born in Chicago |
| Alexandra Grey | Jan 1, 1991 | | Actress and musician | Born in Chicago |
| Kathy Griffin | Nov 4, 1960 | | Actress and comedian | |
| Michael Gross | Jun 21, 1947 | | Actor | Born in Chicago |
| Kevin Hagen | Apr 3, 1928 | Jul 9, 2005 | Actor | Born in Chicago |
| Daryl Hannah | Dec 3, 1960 | | Actress | Born in Chicago |
| Cory Hardrict | Nov 9, 1979 | | Actor | Born in Chicago |
| Steve Harris | Dec 3, 1965 | | Actor | Born in Chicago |
| Wood Harris | Oct 17, 1969 | | Actor | Born in Chicago |
| Hugh Hefner | Apr 9, 1926 | Sep 27, 2017 | Publisher | Born, lived and worked in Chicago |
| Marilu Henner | Apr 6, 1952 | | Actress | Born in Chicago |
| Andy Herren | Nov 14, 1986 | | Reality-TV contestant; winner of Big Brother 15; show's first openly gay winner | Currently lives in Chicago |
| Mark Hollmann | Oct 14, 1963 | | Composer and lyricist (Urinetown) | |
| Terrence Howard | Mar 11, 1969 | | Actor | Born in Chicago |
| Jennifer Hudson | Sep 12, 1981 | | Actress, singer | Born in the Englewood neighborhood of Chicago |
| John Hughes | Feb 18, 1950 | Aug 6, 2009 | Film director and screenwriter | Raised in Chicago suburb, Northbrook; lived and worked in Chicago |
| Bonnie Hunt | Sep 22, 1961 | | Actress, comedian, director, producer | Born in Chicago |
| Mel Jackson | Oct 13, 1970 | | Actor | Born in Chicago |
| Sam J. Jones | Aug 12, 1954 | | Actor | Born in Chicago |
| William James Jones | | | Actor | Born in Chicago |
| Philip Kaufman | Oct 23, 1936 | | Film director | Born in Chicago |
| Rachna Khatau | Jan 29, 1981 | | Actress, writer, singer | Raised in Chicago |
| Ruth Kilbourn | 1895 | 1984 | Dancer | Resident of Chicago |
| Dorothy Kilgallen | Jul 3, 1913 | Nov 8, 1965 | Media personality, author, journalist, panelist | Born in Chicago |
| Karlie Kloss | Aug 3, 1992 | | Model | Born in Chicago |
| Harvey Korman | Feb 15, 1927 | May 29, 2008 | Actor and comedian | Born in Chicago |
| Tessa Kosta | Dec 12, 1890 | Aug 23, 1981 | Actress (musicals) | Born in Chicago |
| Greg Kotis | | | Playwright (Urinetown) | |
| Mike Lebovitz | | | Comedian | Born in Chicago |
| Charles Levin | Mar 12, 1949 | July 2019 | Actor | Born in Chicago |
| Clara Lipman | 1864 | 1952 | Stage actress and playwright | Born in Chicago |
| John Lippman | | | Television executive, acting director of Voice of America | |
| Ron Livingston | Jun 5, 1967 | | Actor | |
| Richard Long | Dec 17, 1927 | Dec 21, 1974 | Actor | Born in Chicago |
| John Loprieno | Oct 7, 1960 | | Actor | Born in Chicago |
| Dave Losso | | | Stand-up comedian | Born in Chicago |
| Lar Lubovitch | Apr 9, 1943 | | Choreographer | Born in Chicago |
| Bernie Mac | Oct 5, 1957 | Aug 9, 2008 | Actor and comedian | Born and died in Chicago |
| Justina Machado | Sep 6, 1972 | | Actress | Born in Chicago |
| William H. Macy | Mar 13, 1950 | | Actor and producer | Lived in Chicago |
| Amy Madigan | Sep 11, 1950 | | Actress | Born in Chicago |
| John Mahoney | Jun 20, 1940 | Feb 4, 2018 | Actor | Lived and worked in Chicago |
| Karl Malden | Mar 22, 1912 | Jul 1, 2009 | Actor | Born in Chicago |
| John Malkovich | Dec 9, 1953 | | Actor | Lived and worked in Chicago |
| David Mamet | Nov 30, 1947 | | Playwright, poet, screenwriter, and director | Born, lived and worked in Chicago |
| Larry Manetti | Jul 23, 1947 | | Actor | Born in Chicago |
| Harry Manfredini | Aug 25, 1943 | | Composer | Born in Chicago |
| Michael Mann | Feb 5, 1943 | | Film director, writer, and producer | Born in Chicago |
| Joe Mantegna | Nov 13, 1947 | | Actor | Born in Chicago |
| Ron Masak | Jul 1, 1936 | Oct 20, 2022 | Actor | Born in Chicago |
| Chi McBride | Sep 23, 1961 | | Actor | Born in Chicago |
| Jenny McCarthy | Nov 1, 1972 | | Actress and Playboy model | Lived in Chicago |
| LisaRaye McCoy | Sep 23, 1967 | | Actress | Born in Chicago |
| Frances McDormand | Jun 23, 1957 | | Actress | Born in Chicago |
| Laurie Metcalf | Jun 16, 1955 | | Actress | |
| Vincente Minnelli | Feb 28, 1903 | Jul 25, 1986 | Film director | Born in Chicago |
| Kel Mitchell | Aug 25, 1978 | | Actor and comedian | Born In Chicago |
| Rick Moranis | Apr 18, 1953 | | Actor and comedian | |
| Cindy Morgan | Sep 29, 1954 | Dec 30, 2023 | Actress | Born in Chicago |
| Trevor Morgan | Nov 26, 1986 | | Actor | Born in Chicago |
| Jennifer Morrison | Apr 12, 1979 | | Actress and producer | Born in Chicago |
| John Mulaney | Aug 26, 1982 | | Comedian | Born in Chicago |
| Bill Murray | Sep 21, 1950 | | Actor and comedian | Born in Chicago suburb, Evanston; raised in Wilmette; lived and worked in Chicago |
| Bob Newhart | Sep 5, 1929 | Jul 18, 2024 | Actor and comedian | |
| Nichelle Nichols | Dec 28, 1932 | Jul 30, 2022 | Actress | Lives in Chicago |
| Richard Nickel | May 31, 1928 | Apr 13, 1972 | Photographer | Born in Chicago |
| Christopher Nolan | July 30, 1970 | | Screenwriter, director and producer | Lived in Chicago |
| Ken Nordine | Apr 13, 1920 | Feb 16, 2019 | Voiceover and word jazz recording artist | |
| Kim Novak | Feb 13, 1933 | | Actress | Born in Chicago |
| Donald O'Connor | Aug 28, 1925 | Sep 27, 2003 | Actor and dancer | Born in Chicago |
| Jim O'Heir | Feb 4, 1962 | | Actor and comedian | Born and lived in Chicago |
| Matt O'Leary | Jul 6, 1987 | | Actor | Born in Chicago |
| Keke Palmer | Aug 26, 1993 | | Actress and singer | |
| Mandy Patinkin | Nov 30, 1952 | | Actor and singer | Born in Chicago |
| Jeannie Pepper | Jul 9, 1958 | | Adult film actress | Born in Chicago |
| Jeff Perry | Aug 16, 1955 | | Actor | |
| William Petersen | Feb 21, 1953 | | Actor | Born in Chicago suburb, Evanston; lived and worked in Chicago |
| Wally Pfister | Jul 8, 1961 | | Cinematographer | Born in Chicago |
| Jeremy Piven | Jul 26, 1965 | | Actor | |
| Bonnie Poe | Oct 15, 1912 | Oct 16, 1993 | Actress, voice actress | Born in Chicago |
| Danny Pudi | Mar 10, 1979 | | Actor and comedian | Born in Chicago |
| CM Punk | Oct 26, 1978 | | Professional wrestler, professional mixed martial arts commentator, actor, and retired mixed martial artist | Born & lives in Chicago |
| Harold Ramis | Nov 21, 1944 | Feb 24, 2014 | Actor, director, and comedian | Born, lived and worked in Chicago |
| Bill Rancic | May 16, 1971 | | Winner of The Apprentice | Born in Chicago |
| Robert Reed | Oct 19, 1932 | May 12, 1992 | Actor | |
| John C. Reilly | May 24, 1965 | | Actor | Born in Chicago |
| Ed Renwick | Jun 1, 1938 | Mar 6, 2020 | Political commentator on WWL-TV (CBS affiliate) in New Orleans, Louisiana | Born in Chicago |
| Shonda Rhimes | Jan 13, 1970 | | Screenwriter, director, and producer; creator and executive producer of Grey's Anatomy | Born in Chicago |
| Lucille Ricksen | Aug 22, 1910 | Mar 13, 1925 | Actress | Born in Chicago |
| John Ridgely | Sep 6, 1909 | Jan 18, 1968 | Actor | Born in Chicago |
| Justin Roberts | Dec 29, 1979 | | Professional wrestling ring announcer | Born in Chicago |
| Craig Robinson | Oct 25, 1971 | | Actor and comedian | Born in Chicago |
| Michael Rooker | Apr 6, 1955 | | Actor | Moved to Chicago at age 13 |
| Jonathan Rosenbaum | Feb 27, 1943 | | Film critic | |
| Jennifer Runyon | Apr 1, 1960 | | Actress | Born in Chicago |
| Robert Ryan | Nov 11, 1909 | Jul 11, 1973 | Actor | Born in Chicago |
| Pat Sajak | Oct 26, 1946 | | Game show host | Born in Chicago |
| Tony Sam | | | Comedian, actor, television producer | Born in Chicago |
| Horatio Sanz | Jun 4, 1969 | | Actor and comedian | Grew up in Chicago |
| Ben Savage | Sep 12, 1980 | | Actor | Born in Chicago |
| Fred Savage | Jul 9, 1976 | | Actor, director, and producer | Born in Chicago |
| Stefanie Scott | Dec 6, 1996 | | Actress and singer | Born in Chicago |
| Amy Sedaris | Mar 29, 1961 | | Actress | Lived and worked in Chicago |
| David Sedaris | Dec 26, 1956 | | Radio broadcaster and author | |
| Garry Shandling | Nov 29, 1949 | Mar 24, 2016 | Actor and comedian | Born in Chicago |
| Sherri Shepherd | Apr 22, 1967 | | Actress and comedian | Born in Chicago |
| Rondell Sheridan | Aug 15, 1958 | | Actor and comedian | Born in Chicago |
| Kiernan Shipka | Nov 10, 1999 | | Actress | Born in Chicago |
| Gary Sinise | Mar 17, 1955 | | Actor; co-founder of Steppenwolf Theatre Company | Born in Chicago suburb, Blue Island; lived and worked in Chicago |
| John Stagliano | Nov 29, 1951 | | Adult film actor and director | Born in Chicago |
| Todd Stashwick | Oct 16, 1968 | | Actor | Born in Chicago |
| Michael Stoyanov | Dec 14, 1970 | | Actor | Born in Chicago |
| Joe Swanberg | Aug 31, 1981 | | Film director and actor | Lives and works in Chicago |
| Gloria Swanson | Mar 27, 1899 | Apr 4, 1983 | Actress | Born in Chicago |
| Mr. T | May 21, 1952 | | Actor, evangelist | Born in Chicago |
| Rea Tajiri | | | Filmmaker | Born in Chicago |
| Larenz Tate | Sep 8, 1975 | | Actor | Born in Chicago |
| Giorgio Tozzi | Jan 8, 1923 | May 30, 2011 | Singer and actor | Born in Chicago |
| Sarah Truax | Feb 12, 1872 | May 2, 1958 | Broadway and Hollywood actress | Raised in Chicago |
| Melvin Van Peebles | Aug 21, 1932 | Sep 22, 2021 | Director | Born in Chicago |
| Vince Vaughn | Mar 28, 1970 | | Actor | Raised in Chicago suburbs, Buffalo Grove and Lake Forest; worked and lives in Chicago |
| Matt Walsh | Oct 13, 1964 | | Comedian, co-founder of Upright Citizens Brigade | Born, lived and worked in Chicago |
| Marsha Warfield | Mar 5, 1954 | | Actress and comedian | Born in Chicago |
| Carol Wayne | Sep 6, 1942 | Jan 13, 1985 | Actress | Born in Chicago |
| Jason Weaver | Jul 18, 1979 | | Actor and singer | Born in Chicago |
| Raquel Welch | Sep 5, 1940 | February 15, 2023 | Actress | Born in Chicago |
| Orson Welles | May 6, 1915 | Oct 10, 1985 | Actor, director, writer, and producer | Lived in Chicago |
| George Wendt | Oct 17, 1948 | | Actor | Born, lived and worked in Chicago |
| Steve Wilkos | Mar 9, 1964 | | Talk show host | Born in Chicago |
| Robin Williams | Jul 21, 1951 | Aug 11, 2014 | Actor and comedian | Born in Chicago |
| Oprah Winfrey | Jan 29, 1954 | | Talk show hostess, actress, entrepreneur, and philanthropist | Lived and worked in Chicago |
| Robert Young | Feb 22, 1907 | Jul 21, 1998 | Actor | Born in Chicago |
| Billy Zane | Feb 24, 1966 | | Actor | Born in Chicago |
| Robert Zemeckis | May 14, 1951 | | Director, producer, and writer | Born in the Roseland neighborhood of Chicago |
| Florenz Ziegfeld | Mar 21, 1867 | Jul 22, 1932 | Impresario | Born in Chicago |
| Adrian Zmed | Mar 14, 1954 | | Actor | Born in Chicago |
| Edward Zwick | Oct 8, 1952 | | Director, producer, and writer | Born in Chicago |

## Military

| Name | Birth | Death | Known for | Association |
| Robert E. Adamson | Dec 28, 1920 | Jul 30, 2004 | U.S. Navy vice admiral | Born in Chicago |
| Russell A. Berg | Jan 6, 1917 | Jan 24, 2002 | U.S. Air Force brigadier general | Born in Chicago |
| Wesley Clark | Dec 23, 1944 | | NATO's Supreme Allied Commander, four-star general, presidential candidate (2004) | Born in Chicago |
| Richard E. Kraus | Nov 24, 1925 | Oct 3, 1944 | Marine Corps private first class; posthumously received the Medal of Honor during World War II | Born in Chicago |
| Malcolm Ross O'Neill | Mar 25, 1940 | | Lieutenant general | Born in Chicago |
| Joseph Polowski | Oct 2, 1916 | Oct 17, 1983 | U.S. Army soldier during World War II; served as a translator between Soviet and American forces on Elbe Day; peace activist | Lived in Chicago |
| Fred S. Robillard | Sep 14, 1890 | Jan 31, 1971 | Marine Corps major general; in charge of Marine Motor Transportation during World War II | Born in Chicago |
| James A. Ryan | Oct 22, 1867 | Jan 14, 1956 | U.S. Army brigadier general; commanded World War I Officers' Training Centers at Fort Sheridan, later an executive with several Chicago-based businesses | Lived in Chicago |
| Scott Stearney | Oct 21, 1960 | Dec 1, 2018 | United States Navy vice admiral, commander of United States Fifth Fleet | Born in Chicago |
| Harvey Walden IV | Dec 21, 1966 | | Marine Corps drill instructor | Born in Chicago |

## Politics and law

| Name | Birth | Death | Known for | Association |
| John Peter Altgeld | Dec 30, 1847 | Mar 12, 1902 | 20th Governor of Illinois | Hometown was Chicago |
| John Ashcroft | May 9, 1942 | | U.S. Attorney General | Born in Chicago |
| Henry Moore Bates | Mar 30, 1869 | Apr 15, 1949 | Attorney | Born in Chicago |
| Rod Blagojevich | Dec 10, 1956 | | Congressman; governor of Illinois | Born in Chicago |
| James Bowler | Feb 5, 1875 | Jul 18, 1957 | Chicago alderman; U.S. Congressman | Born in Chicago |
| Frederick Van Ness Bradley | Apr 12, 1898 | May 24, 1947 | Politician from the U.S. state of Michigan | Born in Chicago |
| Lorenzo Brentano | Nov 4, 1813 | Sep 18, 1891 | Journalist and member of the U.S. House of Representatives | Lived and died in Chicago |
| Theodore Brentano | Mar 29, 1854 | Jul 2, 1940 | Attorney, judge, and the first United States Ambassador to Hungary | Lived and died in Chicago |
| Bryant B. Brooks | Feb 5, 1861 | Dec 8, 1944 | Served in Wyoming's second state legislature; two terms as Governor of Wyoming, 1905–1911 | Lived in Chicago while attending business school |
| Corinne Stubbs Brown | 1848 | 1914 | Marxist social activist | Born in Chicago |
| Ellsworth B. Buck | Jul 3, 1892 | Aug 14, 1970 | U.S. Congressman | Born in Chicago |
| Harris Burgoyne | Jun 30, 1910 | 1994 | Mayor of Green Bay, Wisconsin | Born in Chicago |
| Thomas Barbour Bryan | Dec 22, 1828 | Jan 26, 1906 | Commissioner of the District of Columbia and two-time Chicago mayoral nominee | Lived in Chicago |
| Jane Byrne | May 24, 1934 | Nov 14, 2014 | Mayor of Chicago | Born in Chicago |
| Anton Cermak | May 9, 1873 | Mar 6, 1933 | Mayor of Chicago | |
| Enoch Chase | 1809 | 1892 | State senator in Wisconsin | Lived in Chicago |
| Bernard J. Cigrand | Oct 1, 1866 | May 16, 1932 | Father of Flag Day in the United States | Lived in Chicago |
| Hillary Rodham Clinton | Oct 26, 1947 | | First lady, US senator from N.Y., United States Secretary of State | Born in Chicago, raised in suburban Park Ridge |
| John Coughlin (aka "Bathhouse" John Coughlin) | Aug 15, 1860 | Nov 11, 1938 | Chicago alderman | |
| Timothy T. Cronin | Jun 27, 1884 | Sep 20, 1955 | U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin | Born in Chicago |
| Richard J. Daley | May 15, 1902 | Dec 20, 1976 | Mayor of Chicago | Born in Chicago |
| Richard M. Daley | Apr 24, 1942 | | Mayor of Chicago | Born in Chicago |
| William M. Daley | Aug 9, 1948 | | White House Chief of Staff, Secretary of Commerce | Born in Chicago |
| Clarence Darrow | Apr 18, 1857 | Mar 13, 1938 | Attorney and civil libertarian | Lived and died in Chicago |
| Paul Douglas | Mar 26, 1892 | Sep 24, 1976 | Chicago alderman, U.S. Senator, and University of Chicago economist | |
| Stephen A. Douglas | Apr 23, 1813 | Jun 3, 1861 | U.S. Senator, presidential candidate, noted for debating Abraham Lincoln | Lived and died in Chicago |
| Edward Fitzsimmons Dunne | Oct 12, 1853 | May 24, 1937 | Governor of Illinois | |
| Rahm Emanuel | Nov 29, 1959 | | Former mayor of Chicago, White House Chief of Staff, US congressman | Lives in Chicago |
| Thomas R. Fitzgerald | Jul 10, 1941 | Nov 1, 2015 | Retired chief justice of the Illinois Supreme Court | Born in Chicago |
| Betty Ford | Apr 8, 1918 | Jul 8, 2011 | U.S. First Lady; wife of Gerald Ford | Born in Chicago |
| Nick Fuentes | August 18, 1998 | | Political commentator | Born in Chicago |
| Merrick Garland | Nov 13, 1952 | | | |
| Bernhard Gettelman | Dec 23, 1889 | Aug 30, 1965 | State senator for Wisconsin | Born in Chicago |
| John S. Gleason Jr. | Feb 11, 1915 | May 2, 1993 | 6th Administrator of Veterans Affairs (1961–65) | Born in Chicago |
| Cindy Golding | 1952 | | Iowa state representative | Born in Chicago |
| Alexander R. Grant | Nov 28, 1925 | Jul 22, 2001 | State assemblyman for Wisconsin | Born in Chicago |
| Luis Gutiérrez | Dec 10, 1953 | | First Latino to be elected to Congress from the Midwest | Born in Chicago |
| John Marshall Harlan II | May 20, 1899 | Dec 29, 1971 | Supreme Court justice | Born in Chicago |
| Paul P. Harris | Apr 19, 1868 | Jan 27, 1947 | Lawyer, founder of Rotary International | |
| Carter Harrison III | Feb 15, 1825 | Oct 28, 1893 | Mayor of Chicago | |
| Carter Harrison IV | Apr 23, 1860 | Dec 25, 1953 | Mayor of Chicago | Born in Chicago |
| Paul B. Henry | Jul 9, 1942 | Jul 31, 1993 | Professor of Political Science and U.S. Congressman | Born in Chicago |
| Washington Hesing | May 4, 1849 | Dec 17, 1897 | Postmaster of Chicago and managing editor of the Illinois Staats-Zeitung | Lived and died in Chicago |
| Janet Jagan | Oct 20, 1920 | Mar 28, 2009 | Prime Minister and President of Guyana | Born in Chicago |
| Byron L. Johnson | Oct 12, 1917 | Jan 6, 2000 | Economist and U.S. Representative from Colorado | Born in Chicago |
| Peter Karađorđević | Feb 5, 1980 | | Hereditary prince of Yugoslavia | Born in Chicago |
| Edward Joseph Kelly | Apr 17, 1933 | Apr 15, 1947 | 36th Mayor of Chicago | Born in Chicago |
| Joe Kernan | Apr 8, 1946 | Jul 29, 2020 | 48th governor of Indiana | Born in Chicago |
| John C. Kluczynski | Feb 15, 1896 | Jan 26, 1975 | U.S. Congressman | Born in Chicago, died in Chicago |
| Bill Lipinski | Dec 22, 1937 | | U.S. Congressman | Born in Chicago |
| Boris Lushniak | | | Assistant Surgeon General of the United States | Native of Chicago |
| Lisa Madigan | Jul 30, 1966 | | Attorney General of Illinois | Born in Chicago |
| Michael Madigan | Apr 19, 1942 | | 67th and 69th Speaker of Illinois House of Representatives | Born in Chicago |
| Joseph Medill | Apr 6, 1823 | Mar 16, 1899 | Newspaper editor, mayor of Chicago | |
| John Gould Moyer | Jul 12, 1893 | Jan 21, 1976 | 31st governor of American Samoa | Born in Chicago |
| Eliot Ness | Apr 19, 1903 | May 16, 1957 | Federal agent; leader of The Untouchables; born in Chicago | Born in Chicago |
| Barack Obama | Aug 4, 1961 | | US senator and 44th President of the United States | Resided in Chicago 1983–2008 |
| William B. Ogden | Jun 15, 1805 | Aug 3, 1877 | Entrepreneur and first mayor of Chicago | |
| Deval Patrick | Jul 31, 1956 | | Governor of Massachusetts | Born in Chicago |
| John Podesta | Jan 8, 1949 | | White House Chief of Staff for President Bill Clinton (1998–2001) | Born in Chicago |
| Roman Pucinski | May 13, 1919 | Sep 25, 2002 | U.S. Congressman; Chicago alderman | |
| Charles H. Ramsey | 1950 | | Chicago Police deputy superintendent; current Philadelphia Police Commissioner | Native of Chicago |
| Antonio R. Riley | Aug 22, 1963 | | State assemblyman for Wisconsin, Midwest Regional Administrator of the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development | Born in Chicago |
| Grace Rohrer | Jun 14, 1924 | Oct 12, 2011 | North Carolina politician, arts and women's rights advocate; first female state cabinet-level secretary in North Carolina | Born in Chicago |
| Louis C. Romell | Apr 7, 1899 | Feb 5, 1987 | State assemblyman for Wisconsin | Born in Chicago |
| Donald Rumsfeld | Jul 9, 1932 | Jun 29, 2021 | U.S. Congressman, secretary of Defense | |
| John Joseph Ryba | Aug 10, 1929 | Jan 9, 2021 | State assemblyman for Wisconsin | Born in Chicago |
| Robert C. Strong | Sep 29, 1915 | Dec 28, 1999 | U.S. diplomat | Born in Chicago |
| William Hale Thompson | May 14, 1869 | Mar 19, 1944 | Last Republican mayor of Chicago | Lived and died in Chicago |
| Amos G. Throop | 1811 | 1894 | City treasurer; temperance advocate | Born in Chicago |
| Jazep Varonka | Apr 4, 1891 | Jun 4, 1952 | First Chairman of the People's Secretariat (i.e. Prime Minister) of the Belarusian National Republic | Lived and died in Chicago |
| Elihu B. Washburne | Sep 23, 1816 | Oct 23, 1887 | Secretary of state, minister to France | Lived and died in Chicago |
| Harold Washington | Apr 15, 1922 | Nov 25, 1987 | First black mayor of Chicago | Born in Chicago |
| John Wentworth | Mar 5, 1815 | Oct 16, 1888 | U.S. congressman; mayor of Chicago | Lived and died in Chicago |
| Francis Parker Yockey | Sep 18, 1917 | Jun 16, 1960 | Political theorist and philosopher | Born in Chicago |

## Religion

| Name | Birth | Death | Known for | Association |
| John Ankerberg | Dec 10, 1945 | | Christian television host, author, speaker | Born In Chicago |
| Juanita Bynum | Jan 16, 1959 | | Gospel singer, author, pastor | Born In Chicago |
| Frances Xavier Cabrini (aka Mother Cabrini) | Jul 15, 1850 | Dec 22, 1917 | First citizen of the US to be canonized by the Roman Catholic Church | Lived and died in Chicago |
| Mircea Eliade | Mar 13, 1907 | Apr 22, 1986 | Religious scholar and philosopher from Romanian | Lived and died in Chicago |
| Mordecai Ham | Apr 2, 1877 | Nov 1, 1961 | 20th-century evangelist | |
| Jesse Jackson | Oct 8, 1941 | | Minister, civil rights activist, presidential candidate | |
| Anton LaVey (born Howard Stanton Levey) | Apr 11, 1930 | Oct 29, 1997 | Writer of The Satanic Bible; founder of The Church of Satan | Born in Chicago |
| James Patterson Lyke | Feb 18, 1939 | Dec 27, 1992 | Franciscan friar and Roman Catholic bishop | Born in Chicago |
| Jacques Marquette | Jun 1, 1637 | May 18, 1675 | Missionary | |
| Jeff Seidel | 1957 | | Orthodox Judaism outreach worker in Jerusalem, director of the Jewish Student Information Center | Born in Chicago |