List of people from Chicago

Municipal Flag of the City of Chicago

The following list includes notable people who were born or have lived in Chicago, Illinois or from the surrounding suburbs.

Politicians and government

• John Ashcroft, Attorney General
• Rod Blagojevich, former congressman, governor of Illinois
• James Bowler, alderman, congressman
• Harris Burgoyne, mayor of Green Bay, Wisconsin
• Jane Byrne, mayor of Chicago
• Anton Cermak, Chicago
• Enoch Chase, Wisconsin State Senator
• Wesley Clark, NATO's Supreme Allied Commander, four-star general, presidential candidate (2004)
• Hillary Rodham Clinton, first lady, senator from N.Y., Secretary of State
• "Bathhouse" John Coughlin, alderman
• Richard J. Daley, mayor of Chicago
• Richard M. Daley, mayor of Chicago
• William M. Daley, White House Chief of Staff, Secretary of Commerce
• Paul Douglas, alderman, senator, University of Chicago economist
• Stephen A. Douglas, senator, presidential candidate, noted for debating Abraham Lincoln
• Rahm Emanuel, current mayor of Chicago, White House Chief of Staff, congressman
• Edward F. Dunne, governor of Illinois
• Bernhard Gettelman, Wisconsin State Senator
• Luis V. Gutiérrez, first Latino to be elected to Congress from the Midwest
• John M. Harlan, Supreme Court justice
• Carter Harrison, Jr., mayor of Chicago
• Carter Harrison, Sr., mayor of Chicago
• Jesse Jackson, minister, civil rights activist, presidential candidate
• Janet Jagan, Prime Minister and President of Guyana
• Peter Karađorđević, hereditary Prince of Yugoslavia
• Joe Kernan, 48th governor of Indiana
• Boris Lushniak, Assistant Surgeon General of the United States
• Lisa Madigan, current Attorney General of Illinois
• Michael Madigan, current Speaker of Illinois House of Representatives
• Joseph Medill, newspaper editor, mayor of Chicago
• John Gould Moyer, 31st governor of American Samoa
• Barack Obama, former United States Senator and 44th President of the United States
• William Butler Ogden, entrepreneur and first mayor of Chicago
• Deval Patrick, governor of the Massachusetts
• John Podesta, White House Chief of Staff for President Bill Clinton (1998–2001)
• Roman Pucinski, congressman, alderman
• Charles H. Ramsey, former Chicago Police deputy superintendent, now Philadelphia Police Commissioner
• Louis C. Romell, Wisconsin State Assemblyman
• Donald Rumsfeld, congressman, secretary of Defense
• Robert C. Strong, U.S. diplomat
• William Hale Thompson, last Republican mayor of Chicago
• Amos G. Throop, city treasurer, temperance advocate
• Elihu B. Washburne, secretary of state, minister to France
• Harold Washington, first and only black mayor of Chicago
• John Wentworth, congressman, mayor of Chicago

Historical figures

Edmund Dick Taylor

Marshall Field

George Pullman

• Louis Joliet, French explorer
• Jean Baptiste Point du Sable, early Chicago settler
• John Kinzie, early Chicago settler
• Edmund Dick Taylor, "Father of the Greenback", Banker, Senator, Railroad Executive, and entrepreneur
• Marshall Field, entrepreneur
• Philo Carpenter, first Chicago pharmacist
• Potter Palmer, entrepreneur
• Bertha Palmer, socialite, philanthropist
• George Pullman, entrepreneur, inventor
• Gurdon Saltonstall Hubbard, early Chicago developer
• Leonard Baldy Police officer, Chicago's first helicopter traffic reporter
• Bob Bernard, entrepreneur
• W. Clement Stone, entrepreneur. Founder of what is known today as AON Corporation
• John Chancellor, journalist
• Bernard J. Cigrand, father of Flag Day in the United States
• Betty Ford, former First Lady
• Ada Sawyer Garrett, 19th Century socialite
• Mordecai Ham, 20th Century evangelist
• Helge Alexander Haugan, banking executive
• H. G. Haugan, railroad executive
• Max Henius, co-founder of American Brewing Academy
• John Anderson (Publisher), founder and publisher Skandinaven
• Matthew Laflin, early Chicago gunpowder manufacturer and philanthropist
• Charles Magnus Lindgren, Shipping Executive
• John R. Lindgren, Banking Executive
• Horatio G. Loomis, one of the organizers of the Chicago Board of Trade
• Philip Maxwell, early Chicago physician
• Jacques Marquette, missionary
• McCormick family, prominent in business and philanthropy
• Eliot Ness, federal agent (Roseland)
• William S. Paley, CBS executive
• Captain George Streeter, riverboat captain and squatter
• Charles Yerkes, entrepreneur

Athletes, coaches, and related figures

Baseball

• Ernie Banks, MLB Hall of Famer, known as "Mr. Cub"
• Steve Bartman, infamous Cubs fan
• Lou Boudreau, MLB Hall of Famer
• Doe Boyland, MLB player
• Cesar Carrillo, MLB player
• Charles Comiskey, MLB player and team owner, namesake of Comiskey Park
• Josephine D'Angelo, All-American Girls Professional Baseball League player
• Andre Dawson, MLB Hall of famer
• Philomena Gianfrancisco, All-American Girls Professional Baseball League player
• Curtis Granderson, center fielder for the Yankees
• Ozzie Guillén, manager of White Sox
• Arlene Kotil, All-American Girls Professional Baseball League player
• Irene Kotowicz, All-American Girls Professional Baseball League player
• Herman Long, baseball player and manager
• Alex McCarthy, MLB player
• Mark Mulder, MLB American League All-Star left handed pitcher, 2003 and 2004
• Kirby Puckett, MLB Hall of famer
• Ryne Sandberg, MLB Hall of Famer
• Ron Santo, third baseman for the Cubs, WGN broadcaster
• Gloria Schweigerdt, All-American Girls Professional Baseball League player
• Billy Sianis, creator of the Cubs Curse and founder of the Billy Goat Tavern
• Sammy Sosa, right fielder for the White Sox and Cubs
• Billy Williams, MLB Hall of Famer

Basketball

• Shannon Brown, NBA guard for the Los Angeles Lakers
• Quinn Buckner, NCAA, NBA and Olympic basketball player
• Will Bynum, NBA player
• Jerry Colangelo, owner of the Phoenix Suns and Diamondbacks
• Eddy Curry, NBA player
• Gene Dyker, NBA player
• Michael Finley, NBA player
• Kevin Garnett, NBA player
• Tim Hardaway, NBA player
• Johnny Kerr, NBA Hall of Famer
• Mike "Coach K" Krzyzewski, college basketball coach
• Al Lopez, NBA Hall of Famer
• Corey Maggette, NBA player
• Shawn Marion, NBA player
• Ray Meyer, men's basketball coach at DePaul
• George Mikan, NBA Hall of Famer
• Candace Parker, WNBA All-Star for Los Angeles Sparks
• Jack Phelan, NBA player
• Cappie Pondexter, WNBA All-Star for the Phoenix Mercury
• Quentin Richardson, NBA player
• Doc Rivers, NBA coach and player.
• Derrick Rose, player for the Chicago Bulls 2011 NBA MVP
• Isiah Thomas, NBA Hall of Famer
• Dwyane Wade, NBA guard for Miami Heat
• Antoine Walker, NBA player

Boxing

• Jesús Chávez, world boxing champion
• Tony Zale, boxing champion

Football

• Flozell Adams, NFL player
• Norm Amundsen, NFL guard
• Ed Bell, NFL guard and tackle
• Dick Butkus, Hall of Fame linebacker for the Bears
• Bill Callahan, college and NFL coach
• Larry Canada, NFL running back
• Joe Carey, NFL guard and tackle
• Steve Collier, NFL offensive tackle
• Larry Coutre, NFL halfback
• Mike Ditka, coach and player for the Bears, TV analyst
• Dick Evans, NFL player
• Fred Evans, defensive tackle for the Minnesota Vikings and Miami Dolphins
• Tom Finnin, NFL defensive tackle
• Tim Foley, Pro Bowl defensive back for the Miami Dolphins
• Ray Frankowski, NFL guard
• Red Grange, halfback for the Bears
• George Halas, coach of the Bears
• Napoleon Harris NFL linebacker
• Pierre Thomas, NFL running back
• Larry Lauer, NFL center
• Marv Levy, coach of Buffalo Bills
• John McGarry, NFL guard
• Jim McMahon, quarterback for the 1985 Super Bowl champion Bears
• Donovan McNabb, NFL quarterback
• Rashard Mendenhall, NFL halfback
• John Meyer, NFL coach
• Ray Nitschke, NFL Hall of Famer
• Walter Payton, running back for the 1985 Super Bowl champion Bears
• David Petway, NFL defensive back
• Jim Psaltis, NFL defensive back
• Knute Rockne, football coach at Notre Dame
• Gale Sayers, NFL Hall of Famer
• George Schmidt, NFL defensive end
• Mike Singletary, Hall of Fame linebacker for the Bears
• Mike Shanahan, veteran NFL head coach and native of suburban Oak Park
• Joe Skibinski, NFL guard
• John Spilis, NFL wide receiver
• Amos Alonzo Stagg, football coach
• Michael Turner, running back for the Atlanta Falcons
• Chuck Ulrich, defensive tackle for the Chicago Cardinals
• Ken Wendt, NFL guard
• Chuck Winfrey, NFL linebacker
• Chet Winters, NFL running back
• Harry Wunsch, NFL guard
• Joe Young, professional football player

Golf

• Mrs. Lee Mida, the winner of the 1930 Women's Western Open

Gymnastics

• Bart Conner, Olympic gymnastic gold medalist (1984)

Hockey

• Chris Chelios, NHL player
• Bobby Hull, NHL Hall of Famer
• Stan Mikita, NHL Hall of Famer

Ice Skating

• Shani Davis, Olympic speed-skater
• Dorothy Hamill, figure skater

Martial Arts

• Rene Capo, Olympic judo gold medalist
• James "Chico" Hernandez, professional Sombo wrestler

NASCAR

• Bobby Dotter, NASCAR driver turned owner
• Mike Joy, NASCAR announcer on FOX

Rowing and Yachting

• Robert Halperin, Olympic and Pan American Games yachting medalist, college and professional football player, one of Chicago's most-decorated World War II heroes, and Chairman of Commercial Light Co.
• Donald Spero, rower

Soccer

• Marcelo Balboa, soccer defender, captain of the U.S. national team

Sports commentators

• Jack Brickhouse, TV and radio broadcaster
• Harry Caray, TV and radio broadcaster
• Stuart Scott, ESPN analyst
• Mike Wilbon, ESPN sports analyst, journalist

Tennis

• Laura Granville, professional tennis player
• Andrea Jaeger, professional tennis player

Track and field

• Hal Higdon, distance runner, running writer

Volleyball

• Russ Rose, Hall of Fame women's volleyball coach at Penn State

Wrestling

• D'Lo Brown, professional wrestler
• Colt Cabana, professional wrestler
• Maria Kanellis, former WWE Diva
• CM Punk, professional wrestler
• Justin Roberts, ring announcer for the WWE

Musicians

Patti Smith

• The White Tie Affair, pop-rock band
• William Susman, composer
• Tim McIlrath, lead singer and guitarist for Rise Against
• Joe Principe, bassist for Rise Against
• Zach Blair, guitarist for Rise Against
• Warren Zevon, singer
• Plain White T's, rock band
• Emilie Autumn, Violindustrial singer, violinist, poet, and author.
• Nils Lofgren, former backing member for Neil Young and current member of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band.
• Emma Abbott, (1850–1891), born in Chicago, noted soprano
• Patricia Barber, jazz singer, songwriter, pianist
• Andy Hurley, drummer for Fall Out Boy (born in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin)
• Patrick Stump, lead singer and guitarist for Fall Out Boy (Glenview)
• Joe Trohman, guitarist for Fall Out Boy (born in Hollywood, Florida) (Wilmette)
• Pete Wentz, bassist and lyricist for Fall Out Boy (Wilmette)
• Anastacia, singer
• Avant, singer
• William Beckett, lead singer of The Academy Is...
• Rachel Barton Pine, violinist
• Andrew Bird, singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist
• Bob Bryar drummer of My Chemical Romance
• Paul Butterfield, blues musician
• Marty Casey, frontman of the rock band Lovehammers
• Peter Cetera, former singer and bassist of Chicago
• Cashis, rapper
• Jimmy Chamberlin, The Smashing Pumpkins drummer
• Gene Chandler, singer
• Chicago, rock band
• Steve Coleman, saxophonist
• Nat King Cole, singer (born in Montgomery, Alabama) (Bronzeville)
• Steve Cole, jazz saxophonist
• Sam Cooke, singer (born in Clarksdale, Mississippi)
• Common, rapper
• Billy Corgan, singer and The Smashing Pumpkins frontman (Glendale Heights)
• James Cotton, blues musician
• Keke Palmer, singer actress
• Mishon Ratliff, singer actor
• Da Brat, rapper
• Jack DeJohnette, drummer, pianist
• Dennis DeYoung, fomer singer and keyboardist of Styx
• Bo Diddley, rock & roll guitarist, singer, songwriter
• Disturbed, rock group
• Willie Dixon, blues songwriter and record producer
• Do or Die or D.O.D., rappers
• Florence Kirsch Du Brul, classical pianist
• Phil Everly, singer
• Lupe Fiasco, rapper (Harvey)
• Harvey Fuqua, singer, songwriter, producer
• Benny Goodman, bandleader (Maxwell Street)
• Steve Goodman, singer
• Gene Greene, singer
• Buddy Guy, blues guitarist (born in Lettsworth, Louisiana)
• Jim Hager, singer
• Jon Hager, singer
• Eddie Harris, saxophonist
• Herbie Hancock, musician
• Lil Hardin Armstrong, musician, (pianist)
• Loleatta Holloway, singer
• Howlin' Wolf, musician (born in West Point, Mississippi)
• James Iha, former Smashing Pumpkins guitarist
• Jeremih, singer
• Donell Jones, singer and composer
• Syleena Johnson, singer (Harvey)
• Benn Jordan, electronic musician
• Terry Kath, former singer and guitarist of Chicago
• Brendan Kelly, bassist and vocalist of punk band The Lawrence Arms
• R. Kelly, singer (Roseland)
• Chaka Khan, singer
• Scott "Kid Cudi" Mescudi, rapper (born in Cleveland, Ohio)
• William Kimball, founder of Kimball Piano Company
• Gene Krupa, drummer, bandleader
• No I.D., hip hop and R&B record producer
• Robert Lamm, singer and keyboardist of Chicago, born in Brooklyn, New York, October 13, 1944; raised in Chicago
• Ramsey Lewis, jazz pianist, composer
• Ray Manzarek, keyboardist of The Doors
• Richard Marx, singer, songwriter
• Curtis Mayfield, songwriter, guitarist
• Tom Morello, guitarist
• Muddy Waters, blues musician
• Wayne Nelson, lead singer of Little River Band
• Jim O'Rourke, experimental musician
• Chuck Panozzo, bassist of Styx
• John Panozzo, former drummer of Styx
• Walter Parazaider, woodwind player of Chicago
• Tom Paxton, folk singer, songwriter, born in Chicago, October 31, 1937
• James Petrillo, musicians' union head
• Liz Phair, singer
• Lou Rawls, singer
• Minnie Riperton, singer
• Rhymefest, rapper
• Todd Sucherman, drummer of Styx
• Danny Seraphine, former drummer of Chicago
• Matt Skiba, lead singer of Alkaline Trio
• Patti Smith, singer, songwriter and poet
• Horatio Spafford, composer
• Mavis Staples, singer
• Shawnna, rapper
• Larenz Tate, actor
• Hound Dog Taylor, guitarist
• Koko Taylor, singer
• Kim Thayil, guitarist of Soundgarden (born in Seattle, Washington) (Park Forest, Illinois)
• Giorgio Tozzi, basso
• Jeff Tweedy, singer, songwriter
• Lennie Tristano, pianist
• Twista, rapper
• Eddie Vedder, lead singer for the band Pearl Jam (Evanston)
• Jon Walker, former bassist for Panic at the Disco
• Dinah Washington, singer (born in Tuscaloosa, Alabama)
• DeAndre Way, rapper
• Paul Wertico, jazz drummer
• Kanye West, rapper, producer (born in Atlanta, Georgia) (Oak Lawn)
• Wesley Willis, singer
• D'arcy Wretzky, former Smashing Pumpkins bassist
• James Young, guitarist for Styx
• Yung Berg, rapper
• Zim Zum, guitarist, songwriter for The Pop Culture Suicides
• Rise Against, punk-rock group
• Kill Hannah, rock group
• Cheap Trick, rock group

Entertainment figures

Bill Murray

• Gillian Anderson, actress
• Dominic Armato, voice actor
• Reiko Aylesworth, actress
• Barney Balaban, mogul, head of Paramount Pictures
• Bob Balaban, actor, director, producer
• Adam Baldwin, actor
• Ryan Bank, media producer
• Ike Barinholtz, actor, comedian
• Ralph Bellamy, actor
• James Belushi, actor, comedian (Wheaton)
• John Belushi, actor, comedian (Wheaton)
• Jack Benny, actor, comedian (Waukegan)
• Tom Berenger, actor
• Edgar Bergen, ventriloquist
• Shelley Berman, comedian
• Carlos Bernard, actor
• Michael Ian Black, comedian
• Budd Boetticher, film director
• Tom Bosley, actor
• Charles Boyce, syndicated cartoonist
• Andre Braugher, actor
• Buddy Bregman, composer, arranger
• Danny Pudi, actor
• Pat Byrnes, The New Yorker cartoonist
• Colt Cabana, professional wrestler
• Monique Calhoun, model
• Steve Carell, actor, comedian (born in Concord, Massachusetts)
• Allan Carr, producer
• Sarah Wayne Callies, actress
• Dan Castellaneta, actor, comedian (Oak Park)
• Kyle Chavarria, actress
• Anna Chlumsky, actress
• Stephen Colbert, comedian
• Don Cornelius, creator and former host of Soul Train
• Cindy Crawford, model, actress (DeKalb)
• Joan Cusack, actress, comedian (Evanston)
• John Cusack, actor (Evanston)
• Clifton Davis, actor, composer, minister
• Elizabeth DeCicco, actress, model, singer, photographer
• Walt Disney, founder of The Walt Disney Company (Hermosa)
• Matt Doherty, actor
• Mike Douglas, talk show host
• Katie Doyle, castmember of MTV's Road Rules
• Tom Dreesen, actor, comedian (Harvey)
• Moosie Drier, actor, director
• Michael Clarke Duncan, actor
• Kevin Dunn, actor
• Dennis Farina, actor
• Chris Farley, actor, comedian (born in Madison, Wisconsin)
• Jon Favreau, actor, writer, director
• Tina Fey, actress, comedienne, writer (born in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania)
• Michael Flatley, dancer
• Neil Flynn, actor
• Harrison Ford, actor
• Bob Fosse, director, choreographer
• Redd Foxx, comedian (born in St. Louis, Missouri) (Bronzeville)
• Dennis Franz, actor
• Kathleen Freeman, actress
• Marla Gibbs, actress
• Ira Glass, NPR broadcaster
• Arlene Golonka, actress
• Stuart Gordon, playwright, screenwriter, film director and producer
• Michael Gray, actor of Shazam!
• Kathy Griffin, actress, comedienne (Oak Park)
• Michael Gross, actor
• Kevin Hagen, actor
• Daryl Hannah, actress
• Wood Harris, actor
• Hugh Hefner, publisher
• Marilu Henner, actress
• Charlton Heston, actor (Evanston)
• Mark Hollmann, Urinetown composer, lyricist, (born and raised in Belleville, Illinois)
• Terrence Howard, actor
• Jennifer Hudson, actress, singer (Englewood)
• John Hughes, film director/writer
• Bonnie Hunt, actress, comedian, director, producer
• Sam J. Jones, actor
• William James Jones, actor
• Philip Kaufman, film director
• Harvey Korman, actor, comedian
• Greg Kotis, Urinetown playwright
• Ron Livingston, actor
• Richard Long, actor
• Lar Lubovitch, choreographer
• Bernie Mac, actor, comedian
• Justina Machado, actress
• William H. Macy, actor, producer (born in Miami, Florida)
• Amy Madigan, actress
• John Mahoney, actor
• Karl Malden, actor
• John Malkovich, actor
• David Mamet, playwright, poet, screenwriter, director
• Michael Mann, film director, writer, producer
• Joe Mantegna, actor
• Ron Masak, actor
• Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, actress (Oak Park)
• Jenny McCarthy, actress, model (West Elsdon)
• LisaRaye McCoy, actress
• Frances McDormand, actress
• Laurie Metcalf, actress (born in Carbondale)
• Devon Michaels, pornographic actress
• Vincente Minnelli, Oscar-winning director
• Rick Moranis, actor, comedian
• Cindy Morgan, actress
• Read Morgan, actor
• Trevor Morgan,actor
• Jennifer Morrison, actress, producer
• Brian Doyle-Murray, actor
• Bill Murray, actor, comedian
• Bob Newhart, actor, comedian
• Nichelle Nichols, actress (Robbins)
• Ken Nordine, voiceover and Word Jazz recording artist
• Kim Novak, actress
• Donald O'Connor, actor, dancer
• Matt O'Leary, actor
• Keke Palmer, actress/singer (Harvey and Robbins)
• Mandy Patinkin, actor
• Melvin Van Peebles, director
• Jeannie Pepper, pornographic actress
• Jeff Perry, actor
• William L. Petersen, actor
• Wally Pfister, cinematographer
• Jeremy Piven, actor (Evanston)
• CM Punk, professional wrestler
• Harold Ramis, actor, director, comedian
• Bill Rancic, winner of The Apprentice
• Robert Reed, actor
• John C. Reilly, actor
• Lucille Ricksen, actress
• John Ridgely, actor
• Justin Roberts, current WWE Raw ring announcer
• Craig Robinson, actor, comedian
• Jennifer Runyon, actress
• Pat Sajak, game show host
• Horatio Sanz, actor, comedian
• Ryan Schreiber, Pitchfork Media founder
• Amy Sedaris, actress
• David Sedaris, radio broadcaster & author
• Sherri Shepherd, actress
• Gary Sinise, actor
• Susan St. James, actress (Rockford)
• John Stagliano, pornographic actor and director
• Todd Stashwick, actor
• Michael Stoyanov, actor
• Joe Swanberg, film director, actor
• Gloria Swanson, actress
• Mr. T, actor
• Rea Tajiri, filmmaker
• Giorgio Tozzi, singer, actor
• Vince Vaughn, actor
• Douglas Walker, film critic/comedian
• Carol Wayne, actress
• Jason Weaver, actor, singer
• George Wendt, actor
• Raquel Welch, actress
• Orson Welles, actor, director, writer, producer (born in Kenosha, Wisconsin) (Woodstock)
• Robin Williams, actor, comedian
• Steve Wilkos, talk show host
• Oprah Winfrey, talk show hostess, actress, entrepreneur, philanthropist (born in Kosciusko, Mississippi)
• Sam Witwer, lead actor on the SyFy Channel show Being Human (North American TV series) and in the video game series Star Wars: The Force Unleashed (Glenview, Cook County, Illinois)
• Robert Young, actor
• Billy Zane, actor
• Robert Zemeckis, director, producer, writer (Roseland)
• Florenz Ziegfeld Jr., empresario
• Adrian Zmed, actor
• Edward Zwick, director, producer, writer

Writers, thinkers, scientists, and cultural figures

Frank Lloyd Wright

Enrico Fermi

• Franklin Pierce Adams, columnist
• Sigvald Asbjornsen, Norwegian born American sculptor
• Myrtle Bachelder, chemist and Women's Army Corps officer, who is noted for her secret work on the Manhattan Project atomic bomb program, and for the development of techniques in the chemistry of metals.
• Jack Canfield, writer, Chicken Soup for The Soul
• Jane Addams, awarded Nobel Peace Prize
• Dankmar Adler, architect
• Mortimer Adler, writer and educational reformer
• Nelson Algren, writer
• Saul Alinsky, community organizer, writer and founder of the Industrial Areas Foundation
• K. A. Applegate, author
• Henry Moore Bates, attorney
• Saul Bellow, awarded Nobel Prize in Literature
• Emil Biorn, Norwegian-born, sculptor, painter and composer
• Allan Bloom, writer and translator
• Ray Bradbury, author
• Allan G. Brodie, orthodontics educator
• Gwendolyn Brooks, poet
• Algis Budrys, author
• Daniel Burnham, architect
• Edgar Rice Burroughs, writer
• Chris Bury, journalist
• Mother Cabrini, saint
• Jack Cafferty, journalist
• Marvin Camras, inventor
• Raymond Chandler, writer
• Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar, winner of the Nobel Prize in Physics
• Sandra Cisneros, author
• Daniel Cohen, children's writer
• Michael Crichton, writer
• James Cronin, winner of the Nobel Prize in Physics
• James Gould Cozzens, novelist
• Clarence Darrow, attorney and civil libertarian
• Zachary Taylor Davis, architect
• Donald J. DePorter, philanthropist
• John Dewey, educational reformer
• Philip K. Dick, writer
• Charles Dickinson, writer
• G. Walter Dittmar, first president of the Illinois State Dental Society
• Mike Downey, newspaper columnist
• Vladimir Drinfeld, mathematician, winner of the Fields Medal
• E. Lloyd Du Brul, dental anatomist
• Helen Flanders Dunbar an important early figure in U.S. psychosomatic medicine.
• Finley Peter Dunne, writer, humorist (Mr. Dooley)
• Stuart Dybek, author
• Roger Ebert, film critic
• Dave Eggers, writer, editor, publisher
• Mircea Eliade, Romanian-born religious scholar and philosopher
• James T. Farrell, writer
• Kenneth Fearing, poet, writer
• Edna Ferber, author, playwright
• Enrico Fermi, winner of the Nobel Prize in Physics
• Leon Forrest, writer
• Charles E. Fox, architect
• James Ingo Freed, architect
• Milton Friedman, winner of the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences
• Henry Blake Fuller, writer
• Larry Gelbart, comedy writer
• Edward Gorey, artist
• Marjorie Grene, philosopher
• Marion Mahony Griffin, architect
• Walter Burley Griffin, architect
• John Gunther, writer
• E. Gary Gygax, author
• George Ellery Hale, astronomer
• Lorraine Hansberry, playwright
• Paul P. Harris, lawyer, founder of Rotary International
• Reidar Rye Haugan, newspaper publisher and playwright
• Ben Hecht, author, journalist
• Larry Heinemann, novelist
• Ernest Hemingway, writer
• Robert Herrick, novelist
• John Augur Holabird, architect
• William Holabird, architect
• Helmut Jahn, architect
• William Le Baron Jenney, architect
• John Kass, journalist
• Leon Kass, writer and chair of The President's Council on Bioethics
• Dr. Fazlur Khan, civil engineer
• Anton LaVey, born Howard Stanton Levey, Writer of The Satanic Bible, Founder of The Church of Satan
• CJ Laity, publisher of ChicagoPoetry.com
• Ann Landers (Esther Pauline Friedman Lederer), columnist
• Adam Langer, novelist
• Leo Lerner, newspaper publisher, founder of Lerner Newspapers
• James Patterson Lyke, Franciscan friar & Roman Catholic bishop
• Catherine T. MacArthur, philanthropist
• George W. Maher, architect
• Tom Mandel, poet
• Benjamin H. Marshall, architect
• Maury Massler, dental educator
• Charles G. Maurice, dental educator
• Merrill C. Meigs, newspaper publisher
• Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, architect
• Michele Moody-Adams
• Frederick B. Moorehead, dental educator
• Charles Murphy, architect
• Susan Murphy-Milano, author, radio host, domestic violence victims' advocate
• Richard Nickel, photographer
• Charles Gilman Norris, author
• Frank Norris, novelist
• Frederick Bogue Noyes, dental educator
• Clarence Page, columnist
• Ruth Page, ballet dancer
• Sara Paretsky, novelist
• Ed Paschke, artist
• John Dos Passos, novelist and painter
• Cissy Patterson, journalist, newspaper editor
• Dwight H. Perkins, architect
• Frederik Pohl, author, futurist
• Henry Rago, poet and editor of Poetry Magazine from 1955 to 1969
• Theodore Regensteiner, inventor of the four-color litographic press
• Earl W. Renfroe, orthodontist and African-American activist
• Mike Resnick, author
• Shonda Rhimes, screenwriter, director, producer (creator and executive producer of Grey's Anatomy
• Martin Roche, architect
• John Wellborn Root, architect
• John Wellborn Root, Jr., architect
• Jonathan Rosenbaum, film critic
• Jim Roslof, fantasy artist
• Mike Royko, columnist
• Ernest Samuels, biographer, winner of the Bancroft Prize and the Pulitzer Prize for Biography or Autobiography
• Carl Sandburg, poet
• Dan Savage, columnist
• Isaac Schour, president of the International Association for Dental Research
• Sidney Sheldon, playwright, screenwriter, novelist
• William L. Shirer, journalist and historian
• Shel Silverstein, poet, songwriter, and children's writer
• Dejan Stojanović, poet, writer, essayist, philosopher, businessman, and former journalist
• Leo Strauss, political philosopher
• Svend Rasmussen Svendsen, impressionist artist
• Louis Sullivan, architect
• Alfred Szklarski, a Polish author of youth literature
• Stanisław Szukalski, artist and provocateur, friend of Ben Hecht, part of the Chicago Renaissance
• Lorado Taft, sculptor
• Maria Tallchief, ballet dancer, founder of the Chicago City Ballet
• Studs Terkel, broadcaster, author
• James Tiptree, Jr., author
• Stanley D. Tylman, dental educator, wrote Theory and Practice of Crown and Bridge Prosthesis
• Thorstein Veblen, economist and social critic
• Irving Wallace, writer
• Robert Woodrow Wilson, founder and first director of Fermilab
• Gene Wolfe, author
• Frank Lloyd Wright, architect

Criminals

• Al Capone, mobster
• John Dillinger, bank robber
• John Wayne Gacy, serial killer
• H.H. Holmes, early serial killer
• Theodore Kaczynski, the Unabomber
• Bugs Moran, mobster
• Jose Padilla, aka Abdullah al-Muhajir, alleged terrorist
• Jack Ruby, killed Lee Harvey Oswald
• Richard Speck, mass murderer
• Robert Hannsen, spy
• Larry Hoover, gangster
• Baby Face Nelson, mobster
• Jeff Fort, Nation Leader

Businesspeople

• Cynthia Bathurst
• Charles Deering
• William Deering
• Francis Dewes, German immigrant, brewer, millionaire, original owner of the historic mansion Francis J. Dewes House.
• William O. Goodman, lumber tycoon
• Peter Karter
• Ray Kroc
• Blythe McGarvie
• Abraham Lincoln Neiman