# List of people from Bakersfield, California

This is a list of notable people from Bakersfield, California. In order to be included, subjects need to have an article and clear connection to the city.

## Notable people
### Arts
#### Designers

* Marc Davis - animator and one of Disney's Nine Old Men, born in Bakersfield
* Poy Gum Lee - architect, died in Bakersfield

#### Visual artists

* Greg Colson - visual artist
* Tyrus Wong - calligrapher, artist, animator, married in 1937 in Bakersfield

### Business, entrepreneurs

* Ric Drasin - designer of Gold's Gym and World Gym logos, retired professional wrestler, actor, author

### Crime

* Vincent Brothers - convicted murderer; shot and stabbed five members of his family to death
* Rodolfo Cadena - Rudy "Cheyenne" Cadena, one of the founders of the Mexican Mafia, basis of character played by Edward James Olmos in the film American Me

### Entertainment
#### Film, television, actors, models

* Ana Lily Amirpour - filmmaker, director, writer
* Noah Beery - actor
* Robert Beltran - actor
* Justin Berry - former teenage webcam pornographer and public speaker
* Kelli Garner - actress
* Frank Gifford - television sportscaster, college and professional football player
* Justin Gordon - actor, producer, artist
* Fay Helm - actress
* Brian Hooks - actor, Soul Plane, Three Strike
* Nathan Jung - actor, martial artist, stunt coordinator
* Dalene Kurtis - model, former Playboy Playmate of the Year
* Joanne Linville - actress
* Guy Madison - actor
* Roger Mathey - theatrical director, actor, playwright, producer
* Derek Mears - actor and stuntman
* Michelle St. John - actress, singer, director, producer
* Sigrid Valdis - actress
* Anjelika Washington - actress, Stargirl, Tall Girl

#### Musicians

* David Benoit - jazz pianist
* Jo Ann Castle - pianist, The Lawrence Welk Show
* Brandon Cruz - punk musician and former child actor
* Merle Haggard - singer, Country Music Hall of Fame inductee
* Michael Lockwood - guitarist and music producer
* Kareem Lopez - musician
* Mary Osborne - jazz guitarist
* Buck Owens - singer, musician Country Music Hall of Fame inductee
* Gregory Porter - singer
* Gloria Roe - composer, pianist and singer
* Sheléa - singer-songwriter
* Lawrence Tibbett - baritone of the New York Metropolitan Opera
* Grant Whitson - drummer for Arlington

##### Bands

* Adema - rock band (Dave DeRoo, Kris Kohls, Mark Chavez, Mike Ransom)
* Burning Image - deathrock band (Moe Adame, Tony Bonanno, Paul Burch, Anthony Leyva)
* The Def Dames - female rap duo, hip hop musicians
* Korn - Grammy Award-winning metal band
** Reginald "Fieldy" Arvizu
** Jonathan Davis
** James "Munky" Shaffer
** David Silveria
** Brian "Head" Welch

### Government, law, politics

* Leonard L. Alvarado - Medal of Honor recipient, Specialist 4th Class, United States Army - Republic of Vietnam 1969
* General Edward Fitzgerald Beale - Superintendent of Indian Affairs for California and Nevada (1850s), Surveyor General of California and Nevada (1860s), U.S. Ambassador to Austria-Hungary (1870s), founder of Tejon Ranch
* Vince Fong - politician in California State Assembly
* Harvey Hall - mayor of Bakersfield (2001–2016)
* Kevin McCarthy - California congressman, House Republican Leader, 55th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives
* Erik Paulsen - Minnesota congressman
* Walter W. Stiern - California Democratic state senator
* Earl Warren - Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court, former governor of California

### Science, medicine, academia

* Hans Einstein - world's foremost authority on Valley Fever
* Carver Mead - pioneer in the field of VLSI design, inventor of the concept of neuromorphic computing

### Sports
#### Olympics

* Kamren Larsen - Pan American Games gold medalist BMX racing at 2023 Pan American Games
* Jake Varner - Olympic gold medalist wrestler at 2012 London Games
* Gabe Woodward - Olympic bronze medalist 4x100 relay at 2004 Athens Games

#### Baseball

* Larry Barnes - California Angels first baseman
* Corbin Burnes - Baltimore Orioles pitcher
* Johnny Callison - Philadelphia Phillies right fielder
* Phil Dumatrait - Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher, first-round draft pick
* Jack Hiatt - catcher
* Leon Lee - Nippon Professional Baseball player and manager
* Colby Lewis - Texas Rangers pitcher, first-round draft pick
* William "Buckshot" May - Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher
* Brent Morel - Chicago White Sox third baseman
* Kurt Miller - pitcher for Florida Marlins and Chicago Cubs
* Steve Ontiveros - infielder for San Francisco Giants and Chicago Cubs
* Dave Rader - catcher
* Rick Sawyer - pitcher for the New York Yankees and San Diego Padres
* Todd Walker - second baseman
* Bruce Walton - pitcher for Montreal Expos, pitching coach for Toronto Blue Jays
* Allan Winans - pitcher
* Jake Woods - Seattle Mariners pitcher

#### Basketball

* Nikki Blue - New York Liberty guard (WNBA)
* Fred Boyd - NBA player
* Chris Childs - ABA/NBA guard (1989–2003; New Jersey Nets, New York Knicks, Toronto Raptors)
* J. R. Sakuragi (formerly J.R. Henderson) - player for Memphis Grizzlies
* Lonnie Shelton - Seattle SuperSonics all-star
* Robert Swift - Tokyo Apache (Japan) center
* Tyrone Wallace - Los Angeles Clippers guard

#### Football

* Mike Ariey - offensive tackle for Green Bay Packers
* Jon Baker - NFL and CFL player
* Krys Barnes - linebacker for Arizona Cardinals
* Theo Bell - wide receiver for Pittsburgh Steelers, earned Super Bowl rings in 1979 and 1980
* Steve Boadway - NFL player
* Jeff Buckey - starting offensive lineman for Miami Dolphins
* Vern Burke - tight end for San Francisco 49ers, New Orleans Saints, and Atlanta Falcons
* David Carr - quarterback, first overall selection in 2002 NFL draft (Houston Texans), won Super Bowl with New York Giants
* Derek Carr - quarterback for New Orleans Saints, Mountain West Conference Player of the Year for Fresno State
* Frank Gifford - Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee, broadcaster
* Cory Hall - safety for Cincinnati Bengals, Atlanta Falcons, and Washington Redskins
* Joe Hawley - center for Tampa Bay Buccaneers
* A.J. Jefferson - free safety for Arizona Cardinals
* Cody Kessler - quarterback for Cleveland Browns and USC Trojans
* Rodney Leisle - defensive tackle for New Orleans Saints, member of 2009 Super Bowl-winning team
* Jordan Love - quarterback for the Green Bay Packers
* Bob McCaffrey - center for USC Trojans and Green Bay Packers
* Brent McClanahan - running back for Minnesota Vikings
* Ray Mansfield - center for Pittsburgh Steelers
* Brock Marion - Dallas Cowboys Super Bowl champion and Pro Bowl player
* Jerry Marion - wide receiver for Pittsburgh Steelers, father of Brock
* Ryan Mathews - running back for Philadelphia Eagles and former Fresno State All-American
* Aaron Merz - offensive lineman for University of California and Buffalo Bills
* Stephen Neal - lineman for New England Patriots, Super Bowl champion, NCAA wrestling champion, world gold medalist, Olympian
* Mark Nichols - wide receiver for Detroit Lions
* Jared Norris - NFL player
* Larry Parker - wide receiver for USC Trojans and Kansas City Chiefs
* Joey Porter - All-Pro and Pro Bowl outside linebacker, member of Pittsburgh Steelers Super Bowl champion team in 2006
* Rocky Rasley - guard for Detroit Lions
* D. J. Reed - free safety for New York Jets
* Randy Rich - defensive back for Detroit Lions, Denver Broncos, and Cleveland Browns
* Greg Robinson - defensive coordinator for Denver Broncos, University of Michigan
* Ken Ruettgers - offensive tackle for Green Bay Packers
* Colton Schmidt - punter for Buffalo Bills
* Rashaan Shehee - running back for Kansas City Chiefs
* L. J. Shelton - offensive tackle for Arizona Cardinals
* Jeff Siemon - Pro Bowl linebacker for Minnesota Vikings, inducted to College Football Hall of Fame in 2006
* Kevin Smith - tight end for UCLA, Oakland Raiders, and Green Bay Packers
* Jeremy Staat - defensive lineman for Pittsburgh Steelers, United States Marine
* Jason Stewart - defensive tackle for Indianapolis Colts in 1994
* Michael Stewart - safety for Miami Dolphins
* John Tarver - running back for New England Patriots in 1970s
* Leonard Williams - defensive lineman for Seattle Seahawks
* Dick Witcher - wide receiver for San Francisco 49ers
* Louis Wright - All-Pro defensive back for Denver Broncos, member of 1970s NFL all-decade team
* Rodney Wright - wide receiver for Fresno State and Buffalo Bills

#### Motorsports

* Kevin Harvick - NASCAR driver, 2007 Daytona 500 winner and 2014 Sprint Cup Series champion
* Casey Mears - NASCAR driver
* Rick Mears - 4-time Indianapolis 500 winner
* Roger Mears - Baja 1000 winner
* Blaine Perkins - NASCAR driver
* Ryan Reed - NASCAR driver
* Bruce Sarver - NHRA champion
* George Snider - 22-time competitor, Indianapolis 500

#### Boxing

* Ruben Castillo - WBO and NABO lightweight champion, WBC featherweight and super featherweight contender
* Michael Dallas, Jr. - Golden Gloves silver medalist, light welterweight contender
* Jack Johnson - first African-American heavyweight champion, member of World Boxing Hall of Fame
* Jerry Quarry - national Golden Gloves champion, heavyweight professional boxer, fought Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier
* Mike Quarry - light-heavyweight professional boxer

#### Track & field

* Lonnie Spurrier - middle-distance runner, Olympian (1956), set world's record in the half-mile run in 1955

#### Soccer

* Quincy Amarikwa - forward
* Esteban Arias - defender
* Cami Privett - former NWSL soccer player for the Houston Dash

### Writers, poets, journalists

* Mary Hunter Austin (1868-1934) - writer of prose, married in Bakersfield
* Frank Bidart - poet
* James Chapman - novelist and publisher
* Robert Duncan - poet (lived in Bakersfield 1927–32)
* Georgie Starbuck Galbraith - writer of light verse
* Gerald Haslam - author
* Amber Hollibaugh - writer, filmmaker, activist and organizer
* Lawrence Kimble - Hollywood screenwriter