This is a list of famous people who have lived in and near Atlanta, Georgia, including both natives and residents, grouped by their respective primary fields of endeavor or notability.
[edit] Business people
[edit] Architecture
[edit] Industry
- George Adair, early Atlanta real estate developer
- Dean Alford, President and CEO of Allied Energy Services, member of the General Assembly in Georgia.
- Asa Griggs Candler, founder of The Coca-Cola Company
- Lemuel Grant, early Atlanta railroad man, landowner, engineer and businessman
- John Pemberton, chemist and inventor of Coca-Cola
- Richard Peters, early Atlanta railroad man, landowner and a founder of Atlanta
- Robert W. Woodruff, Coca-Cola executive
[edit] Retail
[edit] Early settlers
[edit] Entertainers and musicians
[edit] Country
- Lauren Alaina, country singer
- Jason Aldean, country singer
- Zac Brown, country singer
- Luke Bryan, country singer
- Billy Currington, country singer
- Alan Jackson, country singer
- The Lost Trailers, country group
- Jerry Reed, country singer
- Sugarland, country group
- Travis Tritt, country singer
- Mark Wills, country singer
- Trisha Yearwood, country singer
- Brantley Gilbert, country singer
- Corey Smith (musician), country singer
- Lady Antebellum, country group
- 112, R&B quartet
- Johntá Austin, R&B singer
- B5, R&B/hip hop group
- Blaque, R&B group
- Bobby V, R&B singer
- Sleepy Brown, R&B singer
- Cherish, R&B quartet
- Ciara, R&B singer, raised in Atlanta.
- Dear Jayne, R&B trio
- Keri Hilson, R&B singer
- India.Arie, R&B singer
- Gladys Knight & the Pips, popular music act
- Little Richard
- China Anne McClain
- Blind Willie McTell, famous for his song, "Statesboro Blues" popularized by The Allman Brothers Band and a major influence to the works of Bob Dylan
- Monica, R&B singer and actress
- Raven-Symoné, R&B singer and actress
- Otis Redding
- RichGirl, R&B quartet
- Kelly Rowland, R&B singer and actress
- SOS Band, R&B group
- The-Dream, R&B singer
- TLC, R&B trio
- Usher, singer
- Xscape, R&B Group
- The B-52s, punk/alternative band
- The Black Crowes, blues rock band
- Black Lips, flower punk band
- Butch Walker
- Cartel, punk/power pop band
- Cat Power,
- The Chariot, metal/hardcore band
- Chris Tomlin, Christian worship artist
- Collective Soul, alt rock band
- Deerhunter, rock
- Drivin N Cryin, folk/rock band featuring Kevin Kinney
- Family Force 5, crunk rock band
- Follow for Now, black rock band
- Georgia Satellites
- The Glass Ocean, indie rock band
- Group X
- Hubcap City
- Injected, alt metal band
- Magicicada, experimental
- Manchester Orchestra, indie rock band fronted by Andy Hull
- Marvelous 3, '90s alternative rock band fronted by Butch Walker
- Mastodon, metal/hardcore band
- Norma Jean, metalcore band
- The Rock*A*Teens, '90s indie band
- Sevendust, alt metal band
- Sound Tribe Sector 9, jam band
- Smoke
- Seely
- Third Day, Christian rock band
- Toenut
- Woe, Is Me Metalcore band
- Ray Charles, jazz, blues, soul, and rock-and-roll pianist, songwriter, and singer; born in Georgia, raised in Florida
- Duke Pearson, jazz pianist and composer
- Mary Lou Williams, jazz pianist, composer and arranger
[edit] Conductors
[edit] Hip Hop
- Kilo Ali, pioneer Atlanta rapper
- Andre 3000, rapper and producer
- Arrested Development, hip hop group
- Fonzworth Bentley, rapper
- B.o.B, rapper and producer
- Big Boi, rapper
- Blak Jak, rapper
- Bonecrusher, rapper
- Boyz n da Hood, rap group
- Jody Breeze, rapper
- Cee Lo Green, rapper, singer and producer
- Crime Mob, rap group
- D4L, rap group
- Dolla, rapper
- Roscoe Dash
- Dem Franchize Boyz, rap group
- DJ Drama DJ
- Fabo, rapper/part of D4L
- Goodie Mob, rap group
- Gorilla Zoe, rapper
- Gucci Mane, (From Alabama, moved to Atlanta)
- Graham Jackson, the "entertainer of presidents"[1]
- Jim Crow, rap group
- Killer Mike, rapper
- Lecrae, rapper
- Lil' Scrappy, rapper
- Ludacris, rapper (Born in Chicago, raised in Atlanta)
- Christopher Massey, Kyle Massey actors, rappers
- Mullage, rap duo
- OJ da Juiceman
- OutKast, hip hop duo
- Jennifer Paige, singer
- Pastor Troy, rapper
- Shawty Lo, rapper/part of D4L
- Shop Boyz, rap group
- Soulja Boy, rapper (born in Chicago, raised in Mississippi, resident of Atlanta)
- Bubba Sparxxx, rapper
- T.I., rapper
- Charles Davis Tillman (1861–1943), formative influence on southern gospel, author of "Life's Railway to Heaven"
- Too Short, resides in Atlanta
- Trillville, rap group
- Unk, rapper
- Kanye West, rapper (born in Atlanta raised in Chicago)
- Ying Yang Twins, hip hop duo
- Youngbloodz, rap group
- Young Dro, rapper
- Young Jeezy, rapper (From Columbia, South Carolina, moved to Atlanta )
- Yung Joc, rapper
- Zion I, California rappers born in Atlanta
- Waka Flocka Flame
[edit] Producers
- Speech, rapper/singer/producer
- Lil Jon, rapper, producer
- Keith Sweat, singer/songwriter/producer
- Dallas Austin, music executive/producer
- DJ Toomp, producer
- Mr. Collipark, hip hop producer
- Babyface, singer/producer
- Jermaine Dupri, rapper, producer
- Polow da Don, music producer
- T.I., rapper producer
- Usher, singer, producer
- Shawty Redd, producer/rapper
- Organized Noize, hip hop producers
- Matt Malpass, producer, and member of The Cinema with Leighton Antelman [2]
[edit] Film and acting
- Isabella Acres, child actress
- Matt Battaglia, actor & producer
- Monica Calhoun, actress
- C. Martin Croker, voice actor, Zorak and Moltar on Space Ghost: Coast to Coast
- David Cross, stand-up comedian/actor
- Don Curry, actor
- Wylie Draper, actor, dancer, best remembered as older Michael Jackson in The Jacksons: An American Dream
- Corri English, actress
- Dakota Fanning, actress
- Elle Fanning, actress
- Jane Fonda, actress
- Jeff Foxworthy, actor & comedian
- Jasmine Guy, actress
- Omari Hardwick, actor
- Oliver Hardy, comedian
- Joel Chandler Harris, author of the Uncle Remus tales
- Ed Helms, Actor
- Shuler Hensley, Broadway and film actor
- Jennifer Holliday, Broadway actress/singer
- Holly Hunter, actress
- DeForest Kelley, actor, Star Trek
- Elijah Kelley, actor
- RonReaco Lee, actor
- Spike Lee, film director
- Kenny Leon, former artistic director of the Alliance Theatre Company
- Chris Lowell, actor, Veronica Mars
- Christopher Massey, actor, Zoey 101
- Kyle Massey, actor, That's So Raven!
- Chloe Moretz, child actress
- Brittany Murphy, actress/singer
- Kip Pardue, actor
- Robert Patrick, actor, best remembered as the "T-1000" in Terminator 2: Judgment Day
- Ty Pennington, actor
- Tyler Perry, playwright, actor, director
- Victoria Principal, actress (Dallas)
- Julia Roberts, actress
- Ryan Seacrest, actor
- Steven Soderbergh, film director
- Raven-Symoné, actress
- Christopher Tavarez, actor
- Kenan Thompson, actor, comedian (Saturday Night Live, Fat Albert)
- Chris Tucker, film actor & comedian
- Devon Werkheiser, actor, (Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide)
[edit] Visual arts
[edit] Radio and television
- Neal Boortz, talk radio host, author with Congressman John Linder, The FairTax Book
- Robert L. Boyett, former ABC executive, television producer, producer of Broadway theater productions
- Alton Brown, Peabody Award-winning creator and host of the Food Network program Good Eats.
- Patrika Darbo, actress on Days of our Lives
- Paula Deen, cooking show host on Food Network
- Bobbie Eakes, actress on Bold and the Beautiful
- Hollis Gillespie, magazine columnist and TV commentator
- Clark Howard, talk radio host
- Deborah Norville, host of Inside Edition, former co-host of The Today Show with Bryant Gumbel prior to Katie Couric
- Erika "Nik" Pace, contestant on America's Next Top Model Cycle 5, currently modeling for Ford Models
- Bert Parks, longtime host of the Miss America Pageant and many television game shows
- Ty Pennington, television personality
- Forrest Sawyer, news anchor and journalist
- Ryan Seacrest, TV/radio personality and host of American Idol
- Alicia Leigh Willis, actress on General Hospital
[edit] Military
[edit] Politicians and activists
[edit] Statesmen
[edit] Jurists
[edit] Diplomats
[edit] Activists
- Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., Civil rights leader; Nobel Peace Laureate 1964 (he was the youngest man ever to receive this award)
- Charlotte Laws, Animal rights
- William Luther Pierce, neo-Fascist[citation needed]
- General Larry Platt, Civil rights leader, famous for his 2010 performance of Pants on the Ground during the auditions of Season 9 of American Idol.
- C. T. Vivian, Civil rights leader; a minister, author, and was a close friend and lieutenant of Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. during the American Civil Rights Movement
[edit] Atlanta mayors
[edit] Scientists and technology figures
- Anthony J. Arduengo, III, chemist, best known for his work on chemical compounds with unusual valency, especially in the field of stable carbene research.
- Edward M. Burgess, chemist best known for invention of the Burgess reagent.
- Mostafa A. El-Sayed, chemical physicist, 2007 US National Medal of Science recipient, member of the United States National Academy of Sciences
- Will Wright, computer game designer, best known for creating Simcity and The Sims
[edit] Sports figures
[edit] Olympians
- Dick Buerkle, 1976 Olympian featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated
- Lindsey Vonn, 2006, 2010 Olympic skier. (part time resident of Atlanta, also lives in Germany and Vail, Colorado; born in Minnesota)
[edit] Baseball
- Hank Aaron, Baseball Hall of Famer and the major leagues' home run leader from April 1974 to August 2007
- Ron Blomberg, MLB's first Designated Hitter
- Brett Butler, retired MLB baseball player
- Mike Ivie, MLB baseball player (1971–83), played with the San Diego Padres, San Francisco Giants, Houston Astros, and Detroit Tigers.
- Chipper Jones, baseball player
- David Justice, retired MLB baseball player
- Erskine Mayer, former MLB baseball pitcher
- Dale Murphy, retired MLB baseball player
- Phil Niekro, retired MLB baseball player
- John Smoltz, retired MLB baseball player
[edit] Basketball
[edit] Boxing
- William Andrews, NFL player, Atlanta Falcons
- Harris Barton, NFL player
- Myron Guyton, NFL player, New York Giants and New England Patriots
- John Heisman, coach and college trophy namesake
- Jamal Lewis, running back
- Cam Newton, NFL player, Carolina Panthers
- Tom Redmond, NFL defensive lineman for six seasons for the St. Louis Cardinals
- Deion Sanders, two-sport athlete (MLB and NFL)
- Jessie Small, NFL player, Philadephia Eagles and Arizona Cardinals
[edit] Hockey
[edit] Soccer
[edit] Wrestling
- Raven, professional wrestler
- Chris Benoit, professional wrestler
- Lita, professional wrestler and valet
- William Regal, professional wrestler
- Fit Finlay, professional wrestler
- Lex Luger, professional wrestler
- Buff Bagwell, professional wrestler
- Hulk Hogan
- Jimmy Rave, professional wrestler
- Demolition Ax, professional wrestler
- Abdullah the Butcher, professional wrestler
- The Great Khali, professional wrestler
- Bill Goldberg, professional wrestler and NFL player
- Jimmy Wang Yang, professional wrestler
[edit] Writers, journalists and photographers
[edit] Pulitzer Prize Winners
- Margaret Mitchell, 1937 Pulitzer Prize for the Novel Gone with the Wind
- Alice Walker, 1983 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction The Color Purple
- Alfred Uhry, 1988 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, 1989 Academy Awards for Best Picture and for Writing Adapted Screenplay and more, Driving Miss Daisy
- Ralph McGill, 1959 Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Writing editor of the Atlanta Constitution
- Daniel Boorstin, 1974 Pulitzer Prize for History The Americans: The Democratic Experience, Librarian of Congress from 1975 until 1987
- Clark Howell, 1931 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service for exposing the Atlanta graft ring
- Mike Luckovich, 1995 and 2006 Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Cartooning
- George Goodwin, 1948 Pulitzer Prize for Local Reporting of the Atlanta Journal for his story of the Telfair County vote fraud, published in 1947
- Atlanta Constitution, 1931 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service for a successful municipal graft exposure and consequent convictions.
- Arnold Hardy, 1947 Pulitzer Prize for Photography amateur photographer, Georgia Tech student, for his photo of a woman leaping from a fire in the Winecoff Hotel resulting in national fire safety standards
- Jack Nelson, 1960 Pulitzer Prize for Local Reporting, Edition Time of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution for the excellent reporting in his series of articles on mental institutions in Georgia.
- Mike Toner, 1993 Pulitzer Prize for Explanatory Journalism, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, for "When Bugs Fight Back," a series that explored the diminishing effectiveness of antibiotics and pesticides.
- Eugene Patterson, 1967 Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Writing The Atlanta Constitution, for his editorials during the year
- Doug Marlette, 1988 Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Cartooning, Atlanta Constitution and Charlotte Observer
[edit] Historians
- W. E. B. Du Bois, who taught at Atlanta University and lived in the city for 6 years, during which he wrote The Souls of Black Folk (1903), in which he identified, "The problem of the twentieth century is the problem of the color line".
- Franklin Garrett, Atlanta's official historian who wrote the massive Atlanta and Environs (1954), the best reference for the city's history
- Douglas Brinkley, born in Atlanta, is a bestselling author of such books as The Great Deluge: Hurricane Katrina and the Gulf of Mexico (2006) and The Wilderness Warrior: Theodore Roosevelt and the Crusade for America. He was also biographer of Rosa Parks and James Carter.
[edit] Journalists
- Cully Cobb (1884–1975), agricultural publisher, Progressive Farmer magazine and Ruralist Press, donor of Cobb Institute of Archaeology at Mississippi State University
- William Emerson (1923–2009), journalist who covered the civil rights era as Newsweek's first bureau chief assigned to cover the Southern United States and was later editor in chief of The Saturday Evening Post.[3]
- Henry W. Grady, editor of the Atlanta Constitution
- Lewis Grizzard, journalist and author
- Matthew O'Brien, author (Beneath the Neon and My Week at the Blue Angel) and journalist
- Celestine Sibley, journalist and author
- Frank Lebby Stanton (1857–1927), lyricist, columnist for the Atlanta Constitution, author of the words for "Just Awearyin' for You"[4]
[edit] Contemporary
- Belle K. Abbott, novelist author of Leah Mordecai
- Alex W. Bealer, blacksmith, author, and advertising executive
- Pat Conroy, contemporary Atlanta-born author of The Prince of Tides, Beach Music, and The Great Santini.
- James Dickey, poet and novelist
- Shaunti Feldhahn, author of For Women Only, For Men Only, The Veritas Conflict, and The Lights of 10th Street
- Joel Chandler Harris, author of Uncle Remus
- Hannah Salwen and Kevin Salwen, authors of The Power of Half
[edit] References
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