List of notable people from Oklahoma

The following are people who were either born/raised or have lived for a significant period of time in Oklahoma.
Native Americans
Bill Anoatubby (born 1945), Governor of the Chickasaw Nation
Black Kettle (1801/07-1868), Cheyenne Chief killed near Cheyenne, Oklahoma, in Roger Mills County
Geronimo (1829-1909), Native American leader of the Chiricahua Apache
Wilma Mankiller (born 1945), first woman Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation
Quanah Parker (c. late 1840s - 1911), last Comanche chief
Harvey Pratt (born 1941), Native American forensic artist
Will Rogers (1879-1935), humorist Actor
Clarence L. Tinker (1887-1942), member of the Osage tribe, U.S. Army Air Corps general and first American general to die in World War II
Fred Waite (1853-1895), Native American of the Chickasaw tribe, cowboy, member of Billy the Kid's gang and politician
Stand Watie (1806-1871), Brigadier General in the Confederate Army, Cherokee chief
Political/Military Figures
Carl Albert (1908-2000), Speaker of the House from 1971 to 1977, first in line for presidency after Vice President Spiro Agnew resigned during President Nixon's tenure.
Dewey F. Bartlett, Oklahoma Governor and U.S. Senator
Dan Boren (born 1973), represents Oklahoma's 2nd Congressional district in the U.S. House
David Boren (born 1941), former Governor of Oklahoma, U.S. Senator and University of Oklahoma president
Joseph J. Clark (1893-1971), Admiral U.S. Navy and first Native American to graduate from the United States Naval Academy
William J. Crowe (1925-2007), Admiral U.S. Navy and former Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff
Drew Edmondson (born 1946), state Attorney General
General Tommy Franks (born 1927), Commander of US Central Command, US Invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq
Bo Gritz (born 1939), most decorated Green Beret officer during the Vietnam War
Jeane Kirkpatrick (born 1926), U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations
Perle Mesta (1889-1975), political hostess, U.S. Ambassador to Luxembourg
Daniel Patrick Moynihan (1927-2003), U.S. Senator, ambassador to India, Ambassador to the United Nations, President of the United Nations Security Council
Donald Lee "Don" Nickles (born 1948) American political leader, U.S. Senator from Oklahoma 1981-2005
George Nigh (born 1927), two-time Governor of Oklahoma
Gene Stipe, (born 1926), longest-serving member of the Oklahoma State Senate
J.C. Watts, U.S. Congressman and OU quarterback
Entertainment
Humorists/Comedians
Will Rogers (1879-1935), humorist
Daniel Hale Rowan (1922-1987), comedian and co-host of Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In
Film/Theatre
Suzy Amis (born 1962), actress
Gene Autry (1907-1998), actor, musician
William Boyd (1895-1972), actor (Hopalong Cassidy)
Gary Busey (born 1944), actor
Lon Chaney Jr (1906-1973), actor
Greg Coolidge (born 1972) writer, director, producer, actor
Joan Crawford (1906-1977), Academy Award winning actress
Blake Edwards (born 1922), director, writer, producer
Kay Francis (1905-1968), actress
James Garner (born 1928), actor
Van Heflin (1908-1971), Academy Award winning actor
Clint Howard (born 1959), actor (and Ron's brother)
Ron Howard (born 1954), director, producer, actor
Ben Johnson (1918-1996), Academy Award winning actor
Jennifer Jones (1919-2009), actress
Rue McClanahan (born 1934), actress
Vera Miles (born 1929), actress
Megan Mullally, actress
Clarence Nash (1904-1985), voice of Donald Duck
Chuck Norris (born 1940), actor, martial artist
Cindy Pickett (born 1947), actress
Brad Pitt (born 1963), actor
Mary Kay Place (born 1947), actress
Tony Randall (1920-2004), actor
Dale Robertson (born 1920), actor
Gailard Sartain (born 1946), actor, artist, comedian
Maria Tallchief (born 1925), ballerina
Paula Trickey (born 1966), actress (Pacific Blue)
Jeanne Tripplehorn (born 1963), actress
Alfre Woodard (born 1952), actress
Larry Clark (born 1943), filmmaker ("Kids", "Ken Park"), photographer
James Marsden (born 1973), actor
Ted Shackelford (born 1946), actor (Knot's Landing)
Music
The All-American Rejects
The Arnold's, Southern Gospel trio based in Tulsa
Aqueduct (born 1992), indie pop band
Hoyt Axton (1938-1999), country music singer/songwriter, wrote "I've Never Been to Spain" (but I've been to Oklahoma).
Chet Baker (1929-1988) - jazz trumpeter who helped popularize the 1950s cool jazz style
Norma Jean (b. Norma Jean Beasler January 30, 1938) is an American country music singer
Earl Bostic (1913-1965), R&B and jazz musician
Garth Brooks (born 1962), country music singer/songwriter
Don Byas (1912-1972) jazz tenor saxophonist and one of the leading saxophonists of the swing and bebop eras
J. J. Cale (born 1938), country rock (see Tulsa sound)
Jerry Cantrell, musician, lead guitarist/vocalist, Alice in Chains
The Chainsaw Kittens, alternative rock band
Charlie Christian (1916-1942), jazz guitarist, member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, considered the father of jazz guitar
Roy Clark (born 1933), country musician
Eddie Cochrane, rockabilly musician
Color Me Badd, R&B vocal group
Ronnie Dunn (born 1953), half of the country music duo Brooks and Dunn
Gail Farrell (born 1947), singer/songwriter, featured performer from The Lawrence Welk Show
The Flaming Lips, indie rock band featuring Wayne Coyne, Steven Drozd and Michael Ivins
The Gap Band (born 1967), R&B, funk and soul group
David Gates (born 1939), singer/songwriter associated with the band Bread
Vince Gill (born 1957), country musician
Earl Grant (1933-1970), easy listening pianist
Woody Guthrie (1912-1967), folk singer
Hanson (born 1992), pop band
Glen Hardin (born 1939), musician, piano player
Roy Harris (1898-1979), classical composer
Richard Hart (born 1955), Jazz guitarist, composer/arranger, published artist
Lee Hazlewood (born 1929), singer/songwriter, record producer
Michael Hedges (December 31,1953 - December 2, 1997) acoustic guitarist born in Enid, Oklahoma
Hinder, rock band
Wanda Jackson (born 1938), rockabilly singer
Toby Keith (born 1961), country musician
Merle Kilgore (1934-2005), singer/songwriter, manager
Mel McDaniel (born 1942), country music singer/songwriter
Reba McEntire (born 1955), country singer
Roger Miller, singer/songwriter
Leona Mitchell (born 1948), famed African American soprano, member Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame
The Nixons, 90's hard rock band
Patti Page (born 1927), traditional pop music and country music singer
Sandi Patty (born 1957), Contemporary Christian music singer
Tom Paxton (1937-), singer, singer-songwriter
Pillar (born 2001), christian rock band
Restless Heart band members Paul Gregg and Greg Jennings
Sam Rivers (born 1923) jazz tenor saxophonist with Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie,Herbie Hancock, and Quincy Jones
Joe Don Rooney (born 1975), country music singer, one-third of the group Rascal Flatts
Leon Russell (born 1942), singer, songwriter, pianist and guitarist
Neal Schon (born 1954), lead rock guitarist of Journey
Blake Shelton (born 1976), country musician
Starlight Mints, indie pop band
B. J. Thomas (born 1942) singer/songwriter
Carrie Underwood (born 1983), American Idol winner 2005
Maci Wainwright (born 1990), country music singer-songwriter
Jimmy Webb (born 1946), popular music composer
Claude Williams (musician) (1908-2004), jazz musician with the Count Basie band
Mason Williams (born 1938), composer (Classical Gas), recording artist, comedy writer (Smothers Brothers)
Bob Wills (1905-1975), country music singer/songwriter, leader of the band The Texas Playboys
Sheb Wooley (1921-2003), actor and singer (Purple People Eater)
Television/Radio
Kristin Chenoweth (born 1968), actress and singer
Walter Cronkite (born 1916), television journalist
Douglas Edwards (1917-1990), radio and television journalist
Kayne Gillaspie, TV personality and fashion designer
Paul Harvey (born 1918), radio broadcaster and commentator
Mary Hart, (born 1950), TV personality, co-host "Entertainment Tonight"
Glenn Hauser (born 1945), radio broadcaster
Rex Linn (born 1956), actor (CSI: Miami)
Phil McGraw (born 1950), television psychologist
Bill Moyers, journalist/national anchor
Bob Murphy (1924-2004), sports play-by-play announcer (best known as announcer for New York Mets)
Justin Nimmo, (born September 5, 1974), actor (Power Rangers in Space)
Dan Rowan, co-host, "Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In"
Ted Shackelford (born 1946), actor (Knot's Landing)
Miss America
Jennifer Berry (born 1983), Miss America 2006
Jane Anne Jayroe (born 1946), Miss America 1967
Lauren Nelson (born 1987), Miss America 2007
Susan Powell (born 1959), Miss America 1981
Norma Smallwood (1909-1966), Miss America 1926, first Miss America of Native American Heritage (Cherokee)
Shawntel Smith (born 1971), Miss America 1996
Business
Clay Bennett, Chairman of Dorchester Capital, Professional Basketball LLC
Edward K. Gaylord (1873-1974), Founder of the Daily Oklahoman
Edward L. Gaylord (1919-2003), late Editor of the Daily Oklahoman, founder of TNN & CMT, owner of Grand Ole Opry
Sylvan Goldman (1898-1984), Businessman and inventor of the shopping cart
Waite Phillips (1883-1964), oil industry businessman
T. Boone Pickens, Jr. (1928-2019), oil industry businessman
Sam Walton (1918-1992), founder of Wal-Mart
Tom L. Ward, oil industry businessman
Art and Literature
Roger Eric Davis, (1962-2013), Artist of Oil Paintings
Charles Bell (painter), (1935-1995), photorealist painter
William Bernhardt (born 1960), novelist
John Berryman (1914-1972), poet
Jim Thompson (born 1906), novelist
Ralph Ellison (1914-1994), writer and scholar
Chester Gould (1900-1985), creator of the Dick Tracy comic strip
Tony Hillerman (born 1925), journalist, historian, professor, and novelist
Josh Shipp (born 1981), author and motivational speaker
S.E. Hinton (born 1948), author and novelist
Bill Moyers (born 1934), journalist and public commentator
Jeff Rowland, cartoonist, author of WIGU
Bill Wallace, author
Jason Nelson (born 1970), pioneering net artist and digital poet
Athletics
Troy Aikman, quarterback, OU, UCLA and Dallas Cowboys champion, Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee
Johnny Bench (born 1947), MLB catcher Cincinnati Reds, member Baseball Hall of Fame
Brian Bosworth (born 1965), Oklahoma Sooners football and NFL player
Josh Brown (born 1979), kicker Seattle Seahawks
Mikey Burnett UFC fighter
Joe Carter, Major League Baseball player, right fielder
Larry Coker (born 1948), former football coach at University of Miami
Bart Conner, Olympic gold medal gymnast
Edward C. Gallagher, champion OSU sprinter and football player, winningest wrestling coach in NCAA history, Olympic wrestling coach, National Wrestling Hall of Fame charter member
Bill Goldberg, professional wrestler
Kelly Gregg, Oklahoma Sooners football and National Football League player
Charlie Haas, WWE professional wrestler
Mat Hoffman, World Champion BMX biker
Matt Holliday, Outfielder for the Colorado Rockies.
Henry Iba, OSU basketball coach, NCAA and Olympic champion coach Basketball Hall of Famer
Bob Kalsu (1945-1970), Oklahoma Sooners football and Buffalo Bills player, only active professional football player killed in the Vietnam War
Steve Largent, Seattle Seahawks Pro Football Hall of Famer and politician
Abe Lemons, Oklahoma City University, Pan American University, and Texas Longhorns basketball coach
Mickey Mantle (1931-1995), New York Yankees Baseball Hall of Famer
Pepper Martin (1904-1965), St. Louis Cardinals baseball player
"Jumping Jack" McCracken (1911-1958), Basketball Hall of Famer
Shannon Miller, Olympic gold medal gymnast
Ryan Minor, Oklahoma Sooners baseball & basketball player
Dr. Gil Morgan (born 1959), professional golfer
Tommy Morrison, Former World Heavyweight Champion boxer
Bobby Murcer (1946-2008) Professional baseball player and sportscaster
Lance Norick (born 1968), NASCAR driver.
Steve Owens, Oklahoma Sooners football player and 1969 Heisman Trophy winner
Brad Penny, Florida Marlins and Los Angeles Dodgers MLB pitcher
Beth Phoenix, professional wrestler
Darrell Porter (1952-2002), MLB baseball player for the St. Louis Cardinals
Mark Price (born 1964) basketball player; Enid H.S., Georgia Tech, and Indiana Pacers
Bryant Reeves attended Gans high school in eastern Oklahoma, attended OSU, and retired from the Vancouver Grizzlies in the NBA.
Allie Reynolds (1917-1994), Baseball Hall of Famer
Crystal Robinson, New York Liberty WNBA basketball player
Bullet Rogan (1893-1967), Baseball Hall of Famer
Matt Roney (born 1980), MLB baseball player, relief pitcher
Jim Ross, WWE announcer
Darrell Royal (born 1924), football coach at University of Texas
Barry Sanders, Oklahoma State Cowboys Heisman Trophy winner, Football Hall of Famer
Lee Roy Selmon, Oklahoma Sooners football player and Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee
Jeremy Shockey (born 1980), professional football player
Billy Sims (born 1955), running back Oklahoma Sooners football and Detroit Lions, Heisman Trophy winner
John Smith (born 1965), Olympic gold medalist and wrestling coach
Warren Spahn (1921-2003), Baseball Hall of Famer
Willie Stargell (1940-2001), Baseball Hall of Famer with the Pittsburgh Pirates, known for his ability to hit home runs completely out of stadiums.
Eddie Sutton, Arkansas Razorbacks and Oklahoma State Cowboys basketball coach
Barry Switzer (born 1937), football coach, Oklahoma Sooners and Dallas Cowboys
Jim Thorpe (1887-1953), Olympic gold medalist, played professional football and Major League Baseball
Spencer Tillman, All-American running back for the Oklahoma Sooners and CBS TV football analyst
Wayman Tisdale (born 1964), professional basketball player and jazz bass guitarist
Bob Tway (born 1959), professional golfer and PGA Championship winner in 1986
Lloyd "Little Poison" Waner (1906-1982), Baseball Hall of Famer
Paul "Big Poison" Waner (1903-1965), Baseball Hall of Famer
J.C. Watts, Oklahoma Sooners football quarterback and later U.S. Congressman
Jason White, Oklahoma Sooners football quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner
Bud Wilkinson (1916-1994), famed Oklahoma Sooners football coach, member of the College Football Hall of Fame
Matt Wiman (Born 1983), UFC fighter
Science/Medicine
Richard E. Berendzen (born 1938), astronomer, author, and professor
James Herndon (born 1952), media psychologist
Karl Guthe Jansky (1905-1950), physicist and radio engineer
Aviation/Aeronautics
Thomas and Paul Braniff, airline entrepreneurs, founders of Braniff International Airways
Gordon Cooper (1907-2006)
Owen K. Garriott (born 1930), astronaut
John Herrington (born 1958), astronaut
James Jabara (1923-1966) world's first jet ace, and Korean War triple ace with 15 kills
Shannon Lucid (born 1943), astronaut
William R. Pogue (born 1930), astronaut
Wiley Post (1898-1935), first pilot to fly solo around the world, (born in Texas but grew up in Oklahoma)
Thomas Stafford (born 1930), astronaut
Clarence L. Tinker (1887-1942), U.S. Army Air Corps general and supreme commander of the U.S. Army Air Corps in the Pacific during World War II
Religious Figures
Oral Roberts (1918-2009), evangelist
Bill Majors (born 1960), missionary
Yahweh ben Yahweh born and legally named Hulon Mitchell Jr. (October 27, 1935 - May 7, 2007), was the leader of the religious group Nation of Yahweh
Infamous Oklahomans
Belle Starr (1848-1889), Queen of the outlaws, a female Jesse James
Pretty Boy Floyd (1904-1934), Depression era gangster
Cameron Willingham (1968-2004), convicted arsonist, whose case spawned a controversy over use of forensic evidence in capital trials
Other
Bill G. Chapman (1928-2007), advocate for the blind, author
Tom Colbert (born 1949), first African-American Oklahoma Supreme Court Justice
Stephen Jones (July 1, 1940 -), attorney best known as Timothy McVeigh's lead defense lawyer during his trial for the Oklahoma City bombing
Joe Redington (1917-1999), "Father of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race"
Bass Reeves (1838-1910), first African-American U.S. Marshal and one of the chief law enforcement agents during the first years of Oklahoma's statehood.
Steven W. Taylor (born 1949), Oklahoma Supreme Court Justice, presided over Oklahoma City bombing suspect Terry Nichols's state murder trial
Cornel West (born 1953), scholar
References