List of people from Oregon

This is a list of some famous people strongly associated with the state of Oregon:

A

• Brock Adams (1927–2004), U.S. Representative and Senator from Washington
• Robert H. Adleman (1919–1995), novelist, historian and restaurateur
• Danny Ainge (1959–), former National Basketball Association and Major League Baseball player
• Erik Ainge (1986–), New York Jets quarterback, and Nephew of Danny Ainge
• Goli Ameri (1956–), U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs
• David Anders (1981–), actor, most notably from Heroes and Alias
• Larry Andersen (1962–), former Major League Baseball pitcher
• Bruce Anderson (1944–), former National Football League linebacker
• Derek Anderson (1983–), National Football League quarterback
• Scott Anderson (1962–), former Major League Baseball pitcher
• James E. Atwater (1946–), scientist, 2006 Wright Brothers medalist
• Montgomery Atwater (1904–1976), author, skier, avalanche control expert
• Thomas J. Autzen (1888–1958), namesake of University of Oregon's stadium, contributing engineer to plywood manufacturing technologies

B

• Charlie Babb (baseball) (1873–1954), former Major League Baseball shortstop
• Wally Backman (1959–), former Major League Baseball second baseman, inducted into the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame in 2002
• Preston Bailey (2000–), child actor
• Carl Barks (1901–2001), comic book writer and artist
• Rex T. Barber (1917–2001), a World War II fighter pilot, best known for shooting down Isoroku Yamamoto
• Jeffrey Barry (1969–) former Major League Baseball outfielder
• Scott Beach (1931–1996), actor
• James Beard (1903–1985), chef and food journalist
• Josh Bidwell (1976–), punter for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
• Kevin Boss (1984–), tight end for the New York Giants
• Grayson Boucher (1984–), basketball player known as "The Professor" on the AND1 Streetball Mix Tape Tour
• Bill Bowerman (1911–1999), track coach at University of Oregon, Nike co-founder
• Matt Braunger (1974–), actor/stand-up comedian, MADtv
• Scott Brosius (1966–), former Major League Baseball third baseman for the Oakland A's and the New York Yankees
• Brian Bruney (1982–), Major League Baseball relief pitcher for the Chicago White Sox
• Edgar Buchanan (1903–1979), actor, Petticoat Junction, Judge Roy Bean, Cade's County
• Jamie Burke (1971–), Major League Baseball catcher for the Washington Nationals
• Ty Burrell (1967–), actor, Modern Family, Out of Practice, Back to You
• Brian Burres (1981–), Major League Baseball pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates

C

• Raymond Carver (1938–1988), author
• Jeff Charleston (1983–), National Football League defensive end for the New Orleans Saints
• Beverly Cleary (1916–), author
• Chief Joseph (1840–1904), was the chief of the Wal-lam-wat-kain (Wallowa) band of Nez Perce Native Americans
• Kellen Clemens (1983–), National Football League quarterback for the New York Jets
• Chad Cota (1971–), former National Football League player and current co-owner of InfoStructure
• Pinto Colvig (1892–1976) actor, voice actor, best known as the voice of Disney's Goofy and portraying the original Bozo the Clown
• Robert O. Cornthwaite (1917–2006), character actor, Picket Fences
• Trevor Crowe (1983–), Major League Baseball outfielder for the Cleveland Indians
• Ann Curry (1956–), television journalist

D

• George Dantzig (1914–2005), mathematical scientist
• David DeCoteau (1962–), film director and producer
• Richard Diebenkorn (1922–1993), artist
• Sho Dozono (1944–), businessman and was a candidate for the 2008 Portland mayoral race

E

• Robert Eakin (1848–1917), Oregon Supreme Court chief justice
• Randall Edwards (1961–), Oregon State Treasurer
• Chandler Egan (1884–1936), golf course designer
• Mike Ekstrom (1983–), Major League Baseball pitcher for the Tampa Bay Rays
• Sam Elliott (1944–), actor
• Jacoby Ellsbury (1983–), Major League Baseball outfielder for the Boston Red Sox
• Harris Ellsworth (1899–1986), member of U.S. Congress from Oregon
• Douglas Engelbart (1925–), inventor and early computer pioneer
• Marie Equi (1872–1952), physician and anarchist
• Neil Everett (1962–), ESPN sportscaster
• Tom Everett (1948–), actor, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Transformers, xXx
• Chris Eyre (1968–), film director and producer

F

• Tami Farrell (1984–), Miss Teen USA 2003
• Mark Few (1962–), head men's basketball coach at Gonzaga University
• Todd Field (1964–), screenwriter, film director, actor, played David Cassilli on Once and Again
• David Fincher (1962–), film director
• George Buck Flower (1937–2004), actor
• Sally Flynn (1946–), singer, featured performer from The Lawrence Welk Show
• Dick Fosbury (1947–), invented the "Fosbury Flop"
• Harriet Frank, Jr. (1917–), screenwriter
• Alex Frost (1987–), actor, from Elephant and Drillbit Taylor

G

• Maggie Gallagher, (1960–), social conservative writer and commentator
• Gary Loudermilk (1952–), radio personality, member of Howard Stern's Wack Pack, where he is known as "Gary the Retard".
• Alfred Carlton Gilbert (1884–1961), inventor, athlete, toy-maker and businessman, best known as the inventor of the Erector Set
• Neil Goldschmidt (1940–), influential and controversial Governor, Mayor of Portland, lobbyist
• Alex Green (1988–), National Football League running back for the Green Bay Packers
• Kevin Gregg (1978–), relief pitcher for the Baltimore Orioles
• Matt Groening (1954–), the creator of The Simpsons
• Jeremy Guthrie (1979–), Major League Baseball pitcher for the Baltimore Orioles

H

• Page Hamilton (1960–), musician
• Tonya Harding (1970–), ice skater, boxer
• Katie Harman (1980–), Miss America 2002
• Mark Hatfield (1922–2011), Oregon legislator, secretary of state, governor and U.S. senator
• Margaux Hemingway (1955–1996), fashion model, actress and granddaughter of American writer Ernest Hemingway
• Bobby Henderson, Pastafarian & prophet of the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster
• Howard Hesseman (1940–) actor, best known for his role as disc jockey John "Dr. Johnny Fever" Caravella on the television sitcom WKRP in Cincinnati
• D.K. Holm (1953–), movie reviewer, Internet columnist, radio broadcaster, and author.
• Herbert Hoover (1874–1964), (moved to Oregon at the age of ten), the thirty-first President of the United States (1929–1933)

I

• Terri Irwin (1964–), co-star (with husband Steve) of The Crocodile Hunter

J

• June Jones (1953–), head football coach for Southern Methodist University

K

• Mat Kearney (1978–), musician
• Scott Kelly, musician Neurosis
• Ken Kesey (1935–2001), author
• Kip Kinkel (1982–), school shooter
• Justin Kirk (1969–), actor, Weeds, Jack & Jill
• John Kitzhaber (1947–), Oregon Governor, 1995–2003, 2011–present
• Phil Knight (1938–), founder of Nike
• Jon Krakauer (1954–), author and mountaineer

L

• Winona LaDuke (1959–), Native American activist
• Alicia Lagano (1979–), actress, All About Us
• Frances Moore Lappé, (1944–), author and activist
• Lars Larson (1959–), radio talk show host
• Ursula K. Le Guin (1929–), author
• Leonard Levy (1923–2006), Pulitzer Prize winner
• Rian Lindell (1977–), NFL placekicker for the Buffalo Bills
• Courtney Love (1964–), Musician (born in San Francisco; lived in Oregon until age 15, then on and off until her early 20s)
• Kevin Love (1987–), NBA Basketball Player (Minnesota Timberwolves)
• Jed Lowrie (1984–), infielder for the Boston Red Sox
• Michael Lowry (1968–), actor, All My Children, One Life to Live

M

• Ranald MacDonald (1824–1894), first man to teach the English language in Japan
• Holly Madison (1979–), former girlfriend of Playboy founder Hugh Hefner, model, television personality
• Larry Mahan (1943–), six time World All-Around Rodeo Champion cowboy
• Donald Malarkey (1921–), World War II soldier, portrayed in the Band of Brothers television miniseries
• Bridget Marquardt (1973–), former girlfriend of Playboy founder Hugh Hefner, model, actress, television personality
• Erin Matthews (1973–), actress, voice actress
• Tom McCall (1913–1983), influential Governor
• Charles McNary (1874-1944), U.S. senator, and 1940 republican U.S. vice presidential nominee
• Pat McQuistan (1983–), offensive tackle for the Dallas Cowboys
• Charis Michelsen (1974–), actress and former model
• Quintin Mikell (1980–), safety for the Philadelphia Eagles
• Bob Mionske (1962–), attorney and former Olympic and professional bicycle racer
• Geoffrey Moore (1946–), high technology consultant and author
• Joel Moore (1977–), actor, Avatar, DodgeBall
• Macy Morse (1921–), peace activist
• Dale Murphy (1956–), former Major League Baseball player
• Brent Musburger (1939–), CBS/ABC/ESPN sportscaster

N

• Legedu Naanee (1983–), National Football League wide receiver for the San Diego Chargers

P

• Bob Packwood (1932–), former United States Senate and Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee
• Chuck Palahniuk (1961–), writer
• Mark Parent (1961–) former Major League Baseball catcher
• Linus Pauling (1901–1994), chemist and activist; only person to win two Nobel Prizes outright
• Bill Pearl, world champion bodybuilder
• Alfred Peet (1920–2007), founder, Peet's Coffee & Tea
• Jack Pennick (1895–1964), actor
• Tom Peterson (1930–) home appliance retailer and television pitchman
• Kim M. Peyton-McDonald (1957–1986), gold medalist from 1976 Summer Olympics; Oregon Sports Hall of Fame inductee
• Julianne Phillips (1960–) (née Smith), actress
• River Phoenix (1970–1993), actor
• Mitch Pileggi (1952–), actor, best known for playing FBI assistant director Walter Skinner on the longrunning popular series The X-Files
• Elias Porter (1914–1987), psychologist
• Jane Powell (1929–), actress
• Steve Prefontaine (1951–1975), track athlete
• Bobby Preston (1992–), actor

R

• Troy Polamalu Winston Oregon NFL safety for the Pittsburgh Steelers
• Ahmad Rashād (1949–), former National Football League player and sportscaster
• Johnnie Ray (1927–1990), singer, songwriter
• Susan Raye (1944–), country singer
• John Reed (1887–1920), journalist and Bolshevik activist, author Ten Days that Shook the World
• Holiday Reinhorn (1967–), fiction writer. Married to actor Rainn Wilson.
• Harold Reynolds (1960–), former Major League Baseball player, MLB Network studio analyst
• Kim Rhodes (1969–), actress and singer of The Suite Life of Zack & Cody fame
• Mike Rich (1959–), screenwriter (Finding Forester) and Portland radio commentator
• Mike Riley (1953–), football player for Alabama Crimson Tide and coach for Oregon State University
• Lisa Rinna (1963–), actress, Billie Reed on Days of our Lives and Taylor McBride on Melrose Place
• Aaron Rowand (1977–), center fielder and catcher for the San Francisco Giants
• Ad Rutschman (1931–), football/baseball coach at Linfield College

S

• Mendel Sachs (1927–), theoretical physicist
• Rebecca Schaeffer (1967–1989), actress
• Sonny Sixkiller, former Washington Huskies quarterback, actor
• Elliott Smith (1969–2003), Musician
• Esperanza Spalding (1984–), Grammy-winning jazz musician
• Erik Spoelstra (1970–), head coach for the Miami Heat
• David Ogden Stiers (1942–), actor
• Eric A. Stillwell (1962–), screenwriter and producer
• Robert W. Straub (1920–2002), Governor of Oregon
• Sally Struthers (1948–), actress
• Drew Struzan (1947–), artist

T

• Jack Tafari (1946–), housing rights activist
• Maria Thayer (1975–), actress, Hitch, Strangers with Candy
• Tommy Thayer (1960–), musician, lead guitarist of Kiss
• Kevin Towers (1961–), general manager for the Arizona Diamondbacks
• Corin Tucker (1972–), musician, guitarist with Sleater-Kinney

U

• Ime Udoka (1977–), small forward for the Sacramento Kings
• Sara Jean Underwood (1984–), Playboy Playmate of the Year 2007, model, actress

V

• Laura Veirs (1973-) folk singer-songwriter
• Will Vinton (1948–) a director and producer, known for his commercial creations, The California Raisins, the Domino's Noid, and the M&M's characters

W

• Lindsay Wagner (1949–), actress, best known for her role as Jaime Sommers in the 1970s TV series The Bionic Woman
• Don Wakamatsu (1963–), bench coach for the Toronto Blue Jays
• Neale Donald Walsch (1943–), author of the Conversations with God series
• Craig Wasson (1954–), actor, Body Double, A Nightmare on Elm Street 3, Four Friends
• Bob Welch, author and columnist
• Dave Wiegand, scrabble player - winner of the 2005 and 2009 National Scrabble championship
• Carl Wieman (1951–), physicist, and winner of 2001 Nobel Prize in Physics laureate
• Craig L. Williams (1961–), Emperor XVI Craig Hollywood of the Imperial Court of New York
• Edy Williams (1942–), film and television actress
• Mitch Williams (1964–), former Major League Baseball relief pitcher, current studio analyst for the MLB Network
• Time Winters (1956–), film and television actor
• Anthony Wynn (1962–), author

Z

• John Zerzan (1943–) anthropologist and anarchist writer

See also

• List of people from Portland, Oregon
• List of people from Hillsboro, Oregon
• Lists of Oregon-related topics