From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Listing of famous people born in, or famous for their association with, Alabama.
- Hank Aaron, baseball player (Mobile)
- Ralph Abernathy, civil rights activist (Linden)
- Daniel Alarcón, novelist (Birmingham)
- Doyle Alexander, Major League Pitcher (Cordova)
- Mel Allen, legendary sportscaster - NY Yankees 1938-1963 (Birmingham)
- Bobby Allison, race car driver, (Hueytown)
- Donnie Allison, race car driver, (Hueytown)
- Davey Allison, race car driver, (Hueytown)
- Richard Arrington Jr., first black mayor of (Birmingham)
- John Badham, film director (Birmingham)
- Mary Badham, actress (Birmingham)
- Hank Ballard, singer (Bessemer)
- Tallulah Bankhead, actress (Jasper)
- Charles Barkley, basketball player (Leeds)
- Reggie Barlow, Super Bowl champion player and college coach, (Montgomery)
- Arthur D. Baylor, First Black Chief of Police in Montgomery (Montgomery)
- Paul Bearer, WWE Manager/ wrestling promoter (Mobile)
- Fred Beasley, All Pro fullback, San Francisco 49'ers, (Montgomery)
- Terry Beasley, All American Auburn University Receiver, (Montgomery)
- Sam A. Beatty, law professor, Ala Sup Ct Justice (Tuscaloosa)
- Amber Benson, actress (Birmingham)
- Bo Bice, American Idol contestant (Huntsville)
- Michael Biehn, actor (Anniston)
- Sanford Bishop, U.S. congressman (Mobile)
- Bibi Black, classical trumpeter (Huntsville)[citation needed]
- Hugo Black, senator, jurist (Harlan)
- Lucas Black, actor (Speake)
- Winton Blount, businessman (Union Springs)
- Neil Bonnett, race car driver (Hueytown)
- Bobby Bowden, Florida State University football coach (Birmingham)
- Rich Boy, rapper (Mobile)
- Frank W. Boykin, United States Congressman (Bladon Springs)
- Robert Bradley's Blackwater Surprise, (Evergreen)
- Rick Bragg, Pulitzer Prize-winning author (Possum Trot)
- Wernher von Braun engineer, physicist (Huntsville)
- David G. Bronner, CEO for Retirement Systems of Alabama (Montgomery) born Cresco, Iowa
- Janice Rogers Brown, Judge, United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit (Luverne)
- Johnny Mack Brown, actor (Dothan)
- Paul "Bear" Bryant, legendary head football coach at The University of Alabama (Tuscaloosa) born Camden, Arkansas
- Jimmy Buffett, singer/songwriter (Mobile)
- Oteil Burbridge, bassist
- Edward A. Burkhalter, Dir-Intel Comm,Admiral-US Navy, Ch-Steelcloud (Roanoke)
- Brett Butler, comedian (Montgomery)
- Pat Buttram, actor ("Smiley", Gene Autry's sidekick) (Addison)
- Larry Byrom, Steppenwolf guitarist (Huntsville)
- Mr. Bigg, rap artist (Mobile)
- Nell Carter, actress and singer (Birmingham)
- George Washington Carver, scientist and botanist (Tuskegee) born Diamond, Missouri
- Truman Capote, writer (Monroeville) born New Orleans, Louisiana
- Reg E. Cathey, actor, Square One Television, The Wire, The Corner, and Oz (Huntsville)
- Hosea Chanchez actor (Montgomery)
- Fred Child, host of American Public Media's Performance Today (Huntsville)
- Mark Childress, writer (Monroeville)
- Stewart Cink, PGA professional golfer (Huntsville)
- Nat King Cole, singer (Montgomery)
- Marva Collins, educator (Monroeville)
- Jeff Cook, country musician (Fort Payne)
- Charles J. Cooper, former Assistant US Attorney General (Birmingham)
- Jerricho Cotchery, football player, New York Jets (Birmingham)
- Courteney Cox, actress (Mountain Brook)
- Rick Crawford, Nascar Craftsman Truck Series driver (Mobile)
- Ashley Crow, actress, Heroes (Birmingham)
- Angela Davis, activist (Birmingham)
- N. Jan Davis, astronaut (Huntsville) born Cocoa Beach, Florida
- Morris Dees, founder of Southern Poverty Law Center (Montgomery)
- Sam Dees, soul music singer (Birmingham)
- Donna D'Errico, actress (Dothan)
- Diana DeGarmo, American Idol contestant (Birmingham)
- Kim Dickens, actress (Huntsville)
- Chris Dickerson, bodybuilder (born Montgomery)
- Mahala Ashley Dickerson, lawyer (born Montgomery)
- Melinda Dillon, actress (Cullman)
- Deidre Downs, 2005 Miss America (Pelham)
- Benjamin Minge Duggar, botanist; discoverer of tetracycline (Gallion)
- Luther Duncan, 4-H pioneer; educator and administrator (Auburn)
- Paul Finebaum, columnist, author, radio talk show host (Birmingham)
- Howard Finster, folk artist (Valley Head)
- Fannie Flagg, author and actress (Birmingham)
- Richmond Flowers, attorney general and activist (Dothan)
- Louise Fletcher, actress (Birmingham)
- Jim Folsom, governor (1947-1951) (Cullman)
- George Foster, baseball player (Tuscaloosa)
- Melvin Franklin, soul singer (Montgomery)
- Eric Esch, a/k/k Butterbean, boxer (Jasper)
- A.G. Gaston, African-American businessman (Birmingham)
- Betty Lou Gerson, voice actress, Cruella de Vil of One Hundred and One Dalmatians (Birmingham)
- Charles Ghigna (Father Goose), poet and children's author (Homewood)
- Kenneth A. Gibson, first black mayor of major eastern city (Newark, New Jersey, from 1970 to 1986) (Enterprise)
- Kenneth R. Giddens, long term director of Voice of America; TV/radio station founder (Pine Apple)
- Harvey Glance, track athlete (Phenix City)
- Bobby Goldsboro, singer (Dothan)
- William C. Gorgas, U. S. Army Surgeon General (Mobile)
- Mike Gottfried, former college football coach, ESPN commentator (Mobile)
- Urbie Green, jazz trombonist (Mobile)
- Kevin Greene, NFL player (Anniston)
- Steve Grissom, race car driver (Gadsden)
- Winston Groom, author of Forrest Gump (Fairhope)
- Lafayette Guild, pioneer in the research of yellow fever (Tuscaloosa)
- Sarah Haardt, writer, wife of H. L. Mencken (Montgomery)
- Jon Hand, football player (Sylacauga)
- Mia Hamm, U.S. soccer star (Selma)
- Ralph Hammond, Alabama's Poet Laureate 1992-1995 (Arab)
- Lionel Hampton, jazz musician (Birmingham)
- W. C. Handy, jazz composer (Florence)
- John M. Harbert, billionaire businessman (coal mining)(Mountain Brook)
- Marguerite Harbert, billionaire heiress (Mountain Brook)
- Emmylou Harris, singer (Birmingham)
- William R. Harvey, president of Hampton University (Brewton
- Gustav Hasford, writer, screen-writer (Russellville)
- Erskine Hawkins, jazz composer (Birmingham)
- Howell Heflin, judge-CJ Ala Sup Ct, US Senator (1978-97) (born Poulan, Georgia)
- John S. Hendricks, Founder, Chair & CEO of Discovery Networks (Huntsville)
- Richard Hendrix, professional basketball player NBA and University of Alabama basketball star (Athens)
- Scott Hendrix, author and professional historian, professor at Carroll University.[citation needed]
- Alexis Herman, former Secretary of Labor, (Mobile)
- Jake Hess, gospel quartet singer, (Haleyville)
- Taylor Hicks, American Idol winner 2006 (Hoover)
- J. Lister Hill, US Senator (1938-1969) (Montgomery
- Brent Hinds, vocalist / guitarist for Mastodon (Pelham)
- Sylvia Hitchcock, Miss USA and Miss Universe 1967 (Tuscaloosa)
- Bill Holbrook, syndicated comic strip artist (Huntsville)
- Mitch Holleman, TV star (Reba) (Auburn, Alabama)
- Lonnie Holley, artist (Birmingham)
- Polly Holliday, actress (Jasper)
- Condredge Holloway, CFL player (Huntsville)
- Hardcore Holly, WWE star, (Mobile)
- Evander Holyfield, boxer, (Atmore)
- Robert Horry, basketball player (Andalusia)
- Frank House, baseball player and legislator (Bessemer)
- Linda Howard, romance writer (Gadsden)
- Freeman A. Hrabowski III, academic, university president (Birmingham)
- Cooper Huckabee, actor (Mobile)
- William Bradford Huie, journalist, author (Hartselle)
- Alan Hunter, original MTV VeeJay (Birmingham)
- Bo Jackson, multi-sport athlete (Bessemer)
- Kate Jackson, actress (Birmingham)
- Katherine Jackson, mother of Jackson 5 (Barbour County,Alabama)
- Sonny James, country singer (Hackleburg)
- Mae C. Jemison, astronaut (Decatur)
- Frank Minis Johnson, federal judge (Haleyville)
- Lonnie Johnson, inventor (Mobile)
- Dean Jones, actor (Decatur)
- Orlando Jones, actor (Mobile)
- Walter Jones, football player
- Lee Roy Jordan, football player (Excel)
- Ralph "Shug" Jordan, football coach (Selma)
- Tom Joyner, radio personality (Tuskegee)
- Larry Langford, Mayor of Birmingham
- Adam Lazzara, lead singer of Taking Back Sunday (Sheffield)
- Harper Lee, writer (Pulitzer Prize) (Monroeville)
- Carl Lewis, track and field athlete (Birmingham)
- George Lindsey, actor (Jasper)
- Donald Logan, former chairman of Time Warner (Birmingham)
- Joe Louis, heavy weight champion boxer (Lafayette)
- Joseph Lowery, civil rights leader (Huntsville)
- Rebecca Luker, singer and actress (Helena)
- Shelby Lynne, country singer (Frankville)
- William March, writer, World War I hero (Mobile)
- Harold E. Martin, newspaperman, formerly with the Montgomery
- Hugh Martin, songwriter (Birmingham)
- James D. Martin, politician
- F. David Mathews, educator (Grove Hill)
- Willie Mays, baseball player (Birmingham)
- Robert R. McCammon, horror writer (Birmingham)
- Thomas McClary, guitarist (Tuskegee)
- Willie McCovey, baseball player (Mobile)
- Bryant H. McGill, poet (Mobile)
- Alexander McGillivray, Creek Chief (Montgomery)
- Lachlan McGillivray, Scots-Indian trader (Montgomery)
- Joe McInnes, corporate and state executive, (Wetumpka)
- Frank McIntyre, army general (Montgomery)
- James McQueen, Alabama Indian trader and Creek Indian leader (Montgomery)
- Don Mincher, baseball player (Huntsville)
- Grover Mitchell, jazz trombonist (Whatley)
- Jamario Moon, basketball player (Goodwater)
- Charles Moore, civil rights photojournalist (Hackleburg)
- Thomas Hinman Moorer, admiral, chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff (Mount Willing)
- Albert Murray, writer (Nokomis)
- Jim Nabors, actor (Sylacauga)
- Jody Nelson, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, producer, vocalist for Through the Sparks, (Birmingham)
- Larry Nelson, PGA golfer (Fort Payne)
- Ozzie Newsome, college football star at the University of Alabama, NFL player and executive (Leighton)
- Jimmy Nolen, guitarist [Roanoke]
- Rosa Parks, civil rights activist (Tuskegee)
- Gail Patrick, actress and television producer (Birmingham)
- Satchel Paige, baseball player (Mobile)
- Albert Patterson, Attorney General of Alabama (Phenix City)
- John Malcolm Patterson, Governor of Alabama (Phenix City)
- Jake Peavy, baseball player (Mobile)
- Dan Penn, singer, songwriter & record producer (Vernon)
- Walker Percy, author (Birmingham)
- Chuck Person, NBA player (Brantley)
- Wesley Person, NBA player (Brantley)
- Wilson Pickett, R&B and Soul singer (Prattville)
- Juan Pierre, baseball player, (Mobile)
- Charles Redding Pitt, US & State Attorney, politician (Decatur)
- Paula Poundstone, comedian (Huntsville)
- Tyrone Prothro, University of Alabama Football Player (The Catch) (Heflin, Alabama)
- Curly Putman, Country Songwriter (Princeton)
- Sun Ra, jazz musician (Birmingham)
- Howell Raines, former New York Times editor (Birmingham)
- Wayne Ray, author/poet (Talladega; Lineville)
- Ray Reach, jazz pianist, vocalist, arranger, composer, music producer, Director of Student Jazz Programs for the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame (Birmingham)
- Gary Redus, baseball player (Decatur)
- Condoleezza Rice, United States Secretary of State (Birmingham)
- Michael Rooker, actor (Jasper)
- Rich Boy, rapper (Mobile)
- Lionel Richie, singer (Tuskegee)
- Bob Riley, Governor of Alabama (Ashland)
- Philip Rivers, college football star at North Carolina State University, NFL star with the San Diego Chargers (Decatur)
- Wayne Rogers, actor (Birmingham)
- Frank Rose, educator, former President of the University of Alabama (Tuscaloosa)
- Marie Rudisill, aka "The Fruitcake Lady" (Monroeville), Truman Capote's aunt he grew up with
- Nick Saban, head football coach at The University of Alabama (Tuscaloosa) born Fairmont,West Virginia
- Sonia Sanchez, poet (Birmingham)
- David Satcher, surgeon general (Anniston)
- Zelda Sayre Fitzgerald, writer (Montgomery)
- Coretta Scott King, civil rights leader (Marion)
- Richard M. Scrushy, founder and former CEO of HealthSouth (Selma)
- Jay Sebring, Charles Manson murder victim (Birmingham)
- Jeff Sessions, U.S. Senator (Dothan)
- Joe Sewell, baseball player (Titus)
- Luke Sewell, baseball player (Titus)
- Rip Sewell, baseball player (Decatur)
- Glenn Shadix, actor (Bessemer)
- Tommy Shaw, rock musician (Montgomery)
- Richard C. Shelby, U.S. Senator (Birmingham)
- Fred Shuttlesworth, civil rights activist (Birmingham)
- Don Siegelman, former governor of Alabama (Mobile)
- Eugene Sledge, soldier, teacher, writer (Mobile)
- Percy Sledge, soul singer (Leighton)
- Rickey Smiley, comedian (Birmingham)
- Ella Gaunt Smith, doll manufacturer (Roanoke)
- Leighton W. Smith, Jr., admiral, US Navy (Mobile)
- Ozzie Smith, Baseball player (Mobile)
- Johnny Smith, jazz guitarist (Birmingham)
- Thomas M. Smith, district attorney (Tuscaloosa)
- Zeke Smith, football player Uniontown
- John Sparkman, US Senator (1946-1979) (Hartselle)
- Mark Spencer, President/CEO of Digium (Huntsville)
- Ken Stabler, football player (Foley)
- John Stallworth, football player (Tuscaloosa)
- Bart Starr, football player (Montgomery)
- Donald W. Stewart, US Senator (Anniston)
- Mike Stewart (novelist), author (Vredenburgh)
- Warren St. John, author, journalist (Birmingham)
- T. S. Stribling, author (Florence)
- Gail Strickland, character actress (Birmingham)
- Hut Stricklin, race car driver (Calera)
- Ruben Studdard, 2003 American Idol winner (Birmingham)
- Jimmy Lee Sudduth, artist and blues musician (Fayette)
- Pat Sullivan, football player (Birmingham)
- Don Sutton, baseball player (Clio)
- Ward Swingle, jazz arranger and composer (Mobile)
- Mark Waid, writer (Hueytown)
- Jimmy Wales of Wikipedia fame (Huntsville)
- Margaret Walker, poet, author (Birmingham)
- Ben Wallace, NBA player (White Hall)
- Daniel Wallace, writer (Birmingham)
- George Wallace, politician (Clio)
- Gerald Wallace, basketball player (Childersburg)
- Eugene Walter, writer-actor (Mobile)
- Dinah Washington, singer (Tuscaloosa)
- Ken Watters, jazz trumpeter (Huntsville)
- William Weatherford, a/k/k Red Eagle, Creek leader
- Fred Wesley, musician (Mobile)
- Joseph Wheeler, Confederate & US general (Hillsboro)
- Pat White, American Football Player for the Miami Dolphins and career leader in rushing yards by a QB in college (Daphne)
- Heather Whitestone, 1995 Miss America (Dothan)
- Barbara Wiedemann, poet and English professor (Montgomery)
- Billy Williams, baseball player (Mobile)
- Cootie Williams, jazz trumpeter (Mobile)
- Hank Williams, country musician (Georgiana)
- Paul Williams, soul singer (Birmingham)
- Kathryn Tucker Windham, storyteller and author
- E. O. Wilson, biologist and writer (Birmingham)
- Tobias Wolff, author (Birmingham)
- Tammy Wynette, country singer (Red Bay)
