# List of people from Wheaton, Illinois

This list includes notable people who were born or have lived in Wheaton, Illinois.

## Business

* Elbert Henry Gary (1846–1927), lawyer, county judge and founder of U.S. Steel
* Dan and Ada Rice (Daniel 1896–1975; Ada 1898–1977), businesspeople, Thoroughbred racehorse owners and breeders, and philanthropists; owners of Kentucky Derby winner Lucky Debonair

## Media and entertainment

* Shane Acker (born 1971), filmmaker and animator
* Jane Adams (born 1965), film, television, and theatre actress
* Selamawi Asgedom (born 1976), author of Of Beetles and Angels: A Boy's Remarkable Journey from a Refugee Camp to Harvard
* Bobbie Battista (born 1952), CNN anchor; attended high school in Wheaton
* Andrew Belle (born 1984), singer and songwriter
* Jim Belushi (born 1954), actor (According to Jim, K-9, Red Heat)
* John Belushi (1949–1982), actor (Saturday Night Live, The Blues Brothers, and Animal House)
* Wes Craven (1939–2015), horror film director (A Nightmare on Elm Street); alumnus of Wheaton College
* John Drury (1927–2007), Chicago television news anchor
* Dennis Dugan (born 1946), actor and director (Happy Gilmore and I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry)
* Tami Erin (born 1974), actress and model (The New Adventures of Pippi Longstocking)
* Danny Gonzalez (born 1994), YouTuber and former Viner
* A. Wilson Greene (born 1949), writer and historian
* Paul Hendrickson (born 1944), author, journalist and professor
* Clyde S. Kilby (1902–1986), author and professor at Wheaton College
* Ned Locke (1919–1992), Chicago TV and radio announcer
* Paul Maxey (1907–1963), actor who played character roles in films and television, starting in 1937
* Brian McCann (born 1965), actor, writer, and comedian
* Robert R. McCormick (1880–1955), publisher of the Chicago Tribune
* Joseph Medill (1823–1899), Mayor of Chicago; co-owner and managing editor of the Chicago Tribune
* Everett Mitchell (1898–1990), radio announcer
* Gail O'Grady (born 1963), actress (NYPD Blue, American Dreams)
* Lorraine Olivia (born 1968), November 1990 Playboy Playmate of the Month; graduated from Wheaton Central High School (1986)
* Kate Pierson (born 1948), lead singer of the B-52s, past spokesperson for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals
* Janet Pilgrim (1934–2017), model and actress
* Rick Santelli (born 1953), on-air editor for the CNBC Business News cable network
* Sonal Shah (born 1980), actress (Scrubs)
* Sandra Smith (born 1980), reporter for Fox Business Network
* Bob Woodward (born 1943), author and reporter with The Washington Post; broke the Watergate scandal, co-writer of All the President's Men

## Military

* Mark S. Inch (born 1960), retired US Army Major General and ninth Director of the Federal Bureau of Prisons (2017–2018); graduate of Wheaton College; son of Morris Inch, Wheaton Professor
* Robert James Miller (1983–2008), US Army Special Forces staff sergeant; Medal of Honor recipient; graduate of Wheaton North High School
* James Howard Monroe (1944–1967), US Army PFC; Medal of Honor recipient; graduate of Wheaton Central High School; namesake of James Howard Monroe Middle School

## Music

* Andrew Belle (born 1984), musician
* Steve Camp (born 1955), Christian singer
* Blake Judd (born 1982), musician; lead vocalist of Nachtmystium

## Politics and law

* Ralph H. Barger (1923–2002), Illinois state legislator and mayor of Wheaton
* Joe Birkett (born 1955), Illinois Appellate Court justice; former DuPage County State's Attorney
* George Peter Foster (1858–1928), U.S. congressman from Illinois, 3rd and 4th districts
* Amy Grant, member of the Illinois House of Representatives (2019–present)
* William L. Guild (1910–1993), Illinois Attorney General and jurist
* Randy Hultgren (born 1966), U.S. congressman, represented Illinois's 14th congressional district from 2011 to 2019.
* Jeanne Ives (born 1964), Illinois state legislator (2013-2018), and candidate for Governor of Illinois (2018).
* Robert Jauch (born 1945), Wisconsin state legislator
* John McCandish King (1927–2016), member of the Illinois House of Representatives; between 1951–2015, he held the record as the youngest person to serve in the Illinois General Assembly
* Prentice Marshall (1926–2004), U.S. District Judge for the Northern District of Illinois (1973–1996)
* Lewis V. Morgan (1929–2018), American judge, lawyer, and politician
* Evelyn Sanguinetti (born 1970), Lieutenant Governor of Illinois
* Samuel K. Skinner (born 1938), U.S. Secretary of Transportation and White House Chief of Staff under President George H. W. Bush

## Religion

* Jonathan Blanchard (1811–1892), pastor, educator, social reformer, and abolitionist; founder of Wheaton College
* Jim Elliot (1927–1956), evangelical Christian missionary to Ecuador who was killed while evangelizing to the Waodani people; alumnus of Wheaton College
* Billy Graham (1918–2018), Christian evangelist; alumnus of Wheaton College
* R. Kent Hughes (born 1942), author; pastor Emeritus of College Church
* Isobel Miller Kuhn (1901–1957), Canadian missionary to the Lisu people of Yunnan Province, China, and northern Thailand
* John R. Rice (1895–1980), Baptist evangelist and journalist
* Miles J. Stanford (1914–1999), Christian author
* Kenneth N. Taylor (1917–2005), translator of The Living Bible and founder of Tyndale House Publishers
* Phil Vischer (born 1966), creator of the children's show VeggieTales

## Science and design

* Edwin Hubble (1889–1953), astronomer after whom the Hubble Space Telescope is named
* Jarvis Hunt (1863–1941), architect and designer of Chicago Golf Club's clubhouse in Wheaton
* Grote Reber (1911–2002), amateur astronomer, radio engineer and pioneer of radio astronomy

## Sports
### Baseball

* Herb Adams (1928–2012), outfielder for Chicago White Sox
* Don Bollweg (1921–1996), first baseman for St. Louis Cardinals, New York Yankees, and Philadelphia/Kansas City Athletics
* Mike Joyce (born 1941), pitcher for Chicago White Sox
* Chet Lemon (born 1955), outfielder for Chicago White Sox and Detroit Tigers; World Series champion (1984)
* J. C. Martin (born 1936), catcher for New York Mets, and Chicago Cubs; World Series champion (1969)
* Dave Otto (born 1964), pitcher for Chicago Cubs, Oakland Athletics, Cleveland Indians, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Chicago White Sox; sports broadcaster
* Milt Pappas (1939–2016), pitcher for Baltimore Orioles, Cincinnati Reds, Atlanta Braves, and Chicago Cubs
* Jimmy Piersall (1929–2017), outfielder for Boston Red Sox, broadcaster for Chicago White Sox, lived and died in Wheaton
* Lee Pfund (1919–2016), pitcher for Brooklyn Dodgers
* Sy Sutcliffe (1862–1893), catcher for Baltimore Orioles and Washington Statesmen
* Ollie Voigt (1899–1970), pitcher for St Louis Browns

### Basketball

* Katie Meier (born 1967), head coach of University of Miami women's basketball team
* Randy Pfund (born 1951), former head coach of NBA's Los Angeles Lakers and General Manager of Miami Heat

### Boxing

* Mike Lee (born 1987), light heavyweight boxer

### Football

* Jon Beutjer (born 1980), former professional football quarterback in the Arena Football League and Canadian Football League
* Corey Davis (born 1995), NFL wide receiver for the New York Jets
* Titus Davis (1993–2020), former American professional football player who was a wide receiver
* Scott Dierking (born 1955), former NFL running back
* Rick Fox, football head coach, Drake University
* Kent Graham (born 1968), quarterback for eight NFL teams; 1986 National High School Quarterback of the Year at Wheaton North
* Garland Grange (1906–1981), former Chicago Bears player and younger brother of Red Grange
* Harold "Red" Grange (1903–1991), running back for the Chicago Bears and New York Yankees (NFL); known as "the Wheaton Ice Man"
* A. J. Harris (born 1984), former Canadian football running back
* Pete Ittersagen (born 1985), former NFL and CFL cornerback
* Rick Johnson (born 1961), former CFL quarterback, actor and director
* Jim Juriga (born 1964), former guard for the Denver Broncos
* Tim Lester (born 1977), head football coach at Western Michigan University, from 2017 - 2022
* Chuck Long (born 1963), College Football Hall of Fame quarterback; offensive coordinator of University of Kansas football
* Tony Moeaki (born 1987), tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills
* Todd Monken (born 1966), offensive coordinator and quarterback coach for University of Georgia
* Matt Rahn (born 1982), retired American football player and since 2020, the acting head coach of the College of DuPage Chaparrals football team
* Steve Thonn, American football coach
* Clayton Thorson (born 1995), American football quarterback who is a free agent
* Danny Vitale (born 1993), former American football fullback
* Bob Zeman (1937–2019), defensive back for the San Diego Chargers and Denver Broncos, later coach for several college and professional teams

### Golf

* Charles B. Macdonald (1855–1939), golfer; built the first 18-hole course in the US
* Kevin Streelman (born 1978), golfer on the PGA Tour
* Mark O'Meara (born 1957), golfer on the PGA Tour

### Hockey

* Alain Chevrier (born 1961), goaltender for five NHL teams
* Jacques Cloutier (born 1960), goaltender for the Buffalo Sabres, Chicago Blackhawks, and Quebec Nordiques
* Ryan Dzingel (born 1992), forward for five NHL teams
* Bobby Hull (1939–2023), forward for the Chicago Blackhawks
* Darren Pang (born 1964), goaltender for the Chicago Blackhawks; commentator for the St. Louis Blues
* Wayne Presley (born 1965), right wing for five NHL teams
* Denis Savard (born 1961), Hockey Hall of Fame centre and head coach for the Chicago Blackhawks, Montreal Canadiens, and Tampa Bay Lightning
* Trent Yawney (born 1965), defenceman for the Chicago Blackhawks, Calgary Flames, and St. Louis Blues

### Olympics

* Adam Harris (born 1987), Olympic sprinter
* Thomas Jaeschke (born 1993), two-time bronze medalist of the 2016 and 2024 Olympic Games for indoor volleyball
* Sean Rooney (born 1982), Olympic volleyball outside hitter; gold medalist
* Jim Spivey (born 1960), three-time Olympic 1500 meter and 5000 meter track and field athlete
* Nancy Swider-Peltz (born 1956), Olympic speedskater (1976, 1980, 1984, 1988); mother of Nancy Jr.
* Nancy Swider-Peltz Jr. (born 1987), Winter Olympian speed skater (2010)

### Soccer

* Charlie Fajkus (born 1957), former professional soccer midfielder

### Tennis

* Tim Gullikson (1951–1996), tennis player; coach of no. 1 ranked Pete Sampras; lived in Wheaton