List of people from Nebraska

State flag of Nebraska

Location of Nebraska in the U.S. map

The following are notable people who were born in, raised in, or have lived for a significant period of time in the U.S. state of Nebraska.

This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by adding missing items with reliable sources.

Native Americans

• Joba Chamberlain, pitcher for Detroit Tigers; Ho-Chunk
• Crazy Horse (1838–1877), great warrior of the Oglala Lakota Sioux pre-statehood
• Angel De Cora Dietz Hinook-Mahiwi-Kalinaka (Fleecy Cloud Floating in Place), painter, illustrator, American Indian advocate
• Chief Waukon Decorah
• He Dog
• Hononegah, Ho-Chunk
• Francis La Flesche Zhogaxe (1857–1932), first Native American anthropologist, author; Omaha people
• Susan La Flesche Picotte, born on Omaha Reservation 1865; first Native American woman to earn a medical degree
• Susette LaFlesche Tibbles, "Bright Eyes", born in Bellvue, 1854; writer (published in New York Tribune, Omaha World-Herald); trial translator and media source for the plight of the Ponca people and Standing Bear during the Trial of Standing Bear, May 1879; Omaha/Ponca
• Little Hawk
• Mountain Wolf Woman, Ho-Chunk
• Red Bird
• Red Cloud (1822–1909), chief of the Oglala Sioux
• Mitchell Red Cloud, Jr.
• Chief Standing Bear (1829?–1908), civil rights leader and at the fore of the petition to stay on traditional homelands post-removal as documented in The Trial of Standing Bear; in this trial the state was led to recognize that Native Americans are human beings
• John Trudell, civil rights activist, community activist, speaker, poet, performer, musician, actor; Santee
• Yellow Thunder
• Kim Winona (1930–1978), actress
• Raymond Yellow Thunder, ranch hand killed in a notable hate crime in 1972 in Gordon; Oglala Lakota
• James Young Deer

Public office

• Frank Aloysius Barrett (1892–1962), Congressman, Wyoming, 1943–1950; Governor of Wyoming, 1951–1953; Senator of Wyoming, 1953–1959
• Herbert Brownell Jr. (1904–1996), United States Attorney General in President Eisenhower's cabinet, 1952–1957
• William Jennings Bryan (1860–1925), United States Secretary of State; U.S. Representative; Democratic Party nominee for President in 1896, 1900, and 1908; prosecuting attorney in Scopes Trial
• Hugh A. Butler (1878–1954), U.S. Senator
• James Vincenzo Capone (1892–1952), federal Prohibition agent; oldest brother of gangster Al Capone; changed name to Richard James Hart
• Ernie Chambers (born 1937 in Omaha), Nebraska State Senator; Nebraska State Legislature; civil rights activist
• Dick Cheney (born 1941), former U.S. Secretary of Defense under George HW Bush, and 46th Vice President of the United States under George W Bush
• George E. Cryer (1875–1961), 32nd Mayor of Los Angeles, 1921–1929
• Glenn Cunningham (1912–2003), U.S. Representative and mayor of Omaha
• Carl Curtis (1905–2000), U.S. Representative and U.S. Senator
• Samuel Gordon Daily (1823–1866), U.S. Representative for three terms
• Robert Vernon Denney (1916–1981), U.S. Representative and United States district court judge
• Jane English (born 1940), Republican member of the Arkansas State Senate
• J. James Exon (1921–2005), Governor of Nebraska and U.S. Senator
• Gerald Ford (1913–2006), 38th President of the United States (born in Omaha, raised in Michigan)
• Dwight Griswold (1893–1954), Governor of Nebraska and U.S. Senator
• Chuck Hagel (born 1946), U.S. Senator and 24th U.S. Secretary of Defense
• Robert Dinsmore Harrison (1897–1977), U.S. Representative
• Edgar Howard (1858–1951), private secretary to William Jennings Bryan; Lieutenant Governor of Nebraska; U.S. Representative
• Bob Kerrey (born 1943), Governor of Nebraska and U.S. Senator
• Julius Sterling Morton (1832–1902), United States Secretary of Agriculture; founder of Arbor Day
• Kay A. Orr (born 1939), first Republican woman governor (Nebraska) in United States history (1987–1991)
• Pete Peterson (born 1935), U.S. Representative for Florida, U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam
• Peter George Peterson (born 1926), U.S. Secretary of Commerce under Richard Nixon; Chair of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York; Chair of the Council on Foreign Relations
• Donald Pike (1925–2008), Los Angeles County Superior Court Commissioner
• Leo Ryan (1925–1978), U.S. Representative (Democrat–California; born in Lincoln)
• Ted Sorensen (1928–2010), speechwriter and special counsel to President John F. Kennedy
• Charles Thone (born 1924), Governor of Nebraska and U.S. Representative
• Kenneth S. Wherry (1892–1951), U.S. Senator

Military and war

• Buffalo Bill Cody (1845–1917), iconic western figure; lived in Nebraska (born in Iowa Territory) while working as a scout for the 5th Cavalry; on July 17, 1876, at War Bonnet Creek, while dressed in his Wild West stage clothing, he killed and scalped Chief Yellow Hair (Cheyenne), claiming it a revenge for Custer; took up residence in Scout's Rest Ranch in 1886
• Alfred Gruenther (1899–1983), youngest four-star general in United States history; Supreme Allied Commander Europe
• Galen B. Jackman (born 1951), United States Army major general (retired); Nancy Reagan's escort throughout the death and state funeral of Ronald Reagan; first commanding general of the Joint Force Headquarters National Capital Region
• Bob Kerrey (born 1943), United States Navy, LT(JG); commanded a Navy SEAL team in Vietnam; Medal of Honor recipient
• Francis P. Matthews (1887–1952), 49th United States Secretary of the Navy during the administration of President Harry Truman
• Butler B. Miltonberger (1897–1977), commanded the 134th Infantry Regiment, 35th Division during World War II
• Jarvis Offutt (1894–1918), World War I aviator, namesake of Offutt Air Force Base
• John J. Pershing (1860–1948), General of the Armies, led the American Expeditionary Forces in World War I
• Forrest S. Petersen (1922–1990), Navy and NASA test pilot, head of Naval Air Systems Command
• James G. Roudebush (born c. 1949), United States Air Force lieutenant general and doctor of medicine, current Surgeon General of the United States Air Force
• Albert Coady Wedemeyer (1897–1989), military planner and strategist

Entertainment

Film and theater

A–M

• Wesley Addy (1913–1996), actor, Network, The Verdict
• Adele Astaire (1897–1981), dancer and entertainer
• Fred Astaire (1899–1987), dancer and actor, The Band Wagon, Funny Face, The Towering Inferno, That's Entertainment!
• Pamela Austin (born 1941), actress, Kissin' Cousins
• Ray Baker (born 1948), actor, Silverado, Total Recall
• John Beasley (born 1943), actor, Everwood
• Michael Biehn (born 1956), actor, The Terminator, Tombstone
• Moon Bloodgood (born 1975), actress, Terminator Salvation, Falling Skies
• Ward Bond (1903–1960), actor, The Searchers, The Quiet Man, Rio Bravo
• Marlon Brando (1924–2004), Academy Award-winning actor, The Godfather, On the Waterfront, Last Tango in Paris, Apocalypse Now
• Justin Bruening (born 1979), actor, All My Children, Knight Rider
• Montgomery Clift (1920–1966), 4-time Oscar-nominated actor, From Here to Eternity, The Misfits, Red River, Judgement at Nuremberg
• Abbie Cobb, actress, Suburgatory
• James Coburn (1928–2002), Academy Award-winning actor, Our Man Flint, The Magnificent Seven, The Great Escape, Affliction
• James M. Connor (born 1960), actor
• Lucas Cruikshank (born 1993), actor
• Sandy Dennis (1937–1992), Academy Award-winning actress, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Sweet November, The Out-of-Towners
• David Doyle (1929–1997), actor, Charlie's Angels
• Mary Doyle (1931–1995), actress
• Christopher B. Duncan (born 1964), actor, The Jamie Foxx Show, The District, Aliens in America
• Leslie Easterbrook (born 1949), actress, Police Academy films
• Ruth Etting (1896–1978), singer and actress
• Jim Fitzpatrick (born 1959), actor, All My Children
• Henry Fonda (1905–1982), Academy Award-winning actor, Mister Roberts, 12 Angry Men, The Grapes of Wrath, On Golden Pond
• Hoot Gibson (1892–1962), actor and rodeo cowboy
• Randy J. Goodwin (born 1967), actor and director, The Vampire Diaries, Girlfriends, Grey's Anatomy
• Ashley Graham (born October 30, 1987), model
• Coleen Gray (born 1922), actress, Kiss of Death, Red River
• Bryan Greenberg (born 1978), actor, musician, One Tree Hill, October Road, How to Make It in America
• Leland Hayward (1902–1971), Hollywood and Broadway agent and producer
• Jean Heather (1921–1995), actress, Double Indemnity
• Marg Helgenberger (born 1958), actress, CSI
• Brad William Henke (born 1971), actor, October Road, Nikki, Lost
• Hallee Hirsh (born 1987), actress, Flight 29 Down, JAG, ER
• Virginia Huston (1925–1981), actress, Out of the Past
• David Janssen (1931–1980), actor, The Fugitive
• Jay Karnes (born 1963), actor, Det. "Dutch" Wagenbach on The Shield
• Jaime King (born 1979), actress
• Emily Kinney (born 1985), actress, singer, The Walking Dead
• Swoosie Kurtz (born 1944), actress, Sisters, Mike & Molly
• Bill Lee, overdub singer whose voice was used instead of Christopher Plummer's in the film version of The Sound of Music
• Harold Lloyd (1893–1971), silent film actor and comedian
• Pierce Lyden (1908–1998), actor
• Gordon MacRae (1921–1986), actor and singer, Oklahoma!, Carousel
• Irish McCalla (1928–2002), actress
• Holt McCallany (born 1964), actor, Lights Out, Freedom, CSI: Miami
• Dorothy McGuire (1916–2001), Oscar-nominated actress, Gentleman's Agreement, Friendly Persuasion, Old Yeller

N–Z

• Fred Niblo (1874–1948), actor, director, and producer
• Nick Nolte (born 1941), Oscar-nominated actor and producer, 48 Hrs., The Prince of Tides, Cape Fear
• Alexander Payne (born 1961), Oscar-nominated director and screenwriter, Nebraska, The Descendants, Sideways
• Lenka Peterson (born 1925), actress
• Scott Porter (born 1979), actor, Friday Night Lights, The Good Wife
• Anne Ramsey (1929–1988), Oscar-nominated actress
• Thurl Ravenscroft (1914–2005), voice actor and singer
• Julie Sommars (born 1942), actress, Matlock
• Rebecca Staab (born 1961), actress, former beauty queen, Live Shot
• Hilary Swank (born 1974), two-time Academy Award-winning actress, Boys Don't Cry, Million Dollar Baby
• Inga Swenson (born 1932), actress, Benson, Advise and Consent
• Robert Taylor (1911–1969), actor, Ivanhoe, Quo Vadis, Camille
• Janine Turner (born 1962), actress, Northern Exposure
• John Trudell (born 1946), actor, subject of documentary
• Gabrielle Union (born 1973), actress, Bring It On, Bad Boys II
• Lucky Vanous (born 1961), model, actor, Pacific Palisades
• Charles Weidman (1901–1975), dancer and choreographer
• Irene Worth (1916–2002), Tony Award-winning actress, Nicholas and Alexandra, Lost in Yonkers, Deathtrap
• David Yost (born 1969), actor and producer, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers
• Darryl F. Zanuck (1902–1979), Hollywood studio mogul, producer and director

Comedians and humorists

• James Adomian (born 1980), actor, stand-up comedian
• Johnny Carson (1925–2005), comedian
• Adam DeVine, actor, comedian, writer, Workaholics
• Godfrey (born 1969), comedian, actor
• Larry the Cable Guy (born 1963), comedian
• Angela V. Shelton, actress, comedian
• Skip Stephenson (1940–1992), comedian, actor
• Roger Welsch (born 1936), author, humorist, and folklorist

Television and radio

• Dick Cavett (born 1936), television talk show host
• Vivi Janiss (1911–1988), theatre, film, and television actress
• Floyd Kalber (1924–2004), television journalist and anchorman
• Lindsey Shaw (born 1989), child actor for Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide, born in Lincoln
• Kim Winona (1930–1978), actress who portrayed Morning Star on CBS's Brave Eagle (1955–1956)
• Paula Zahn (born 1956), television journalist

Music

• Kianna Alarid (born 1978), lead singer for band Tilly and the Wall
• Roni Benise, flamenco guitarist
• Dave Beste (born 1978), Bassist for band Rival Sons
• Chip Davis (born 1947), singer-songwriter, founder of Mannheim Steamroller, and president and CEO of American Gramaphone
• Ruth Etting (1896–1976), singer and actress
• Rick Evans, member of rock duo Zager and Evans, made famous by song "In the Year 2525" in 1969
• Todd Fink (born 1974), member of the band The Faint
• Jack Gilinsky (born 1996), musician, rap artist, 1 out of 2 in the rap duo Jack & Jack with best friend since kindergarten, Jack Johnson, their song, "Like That" went viral currently with over 24 million views on YouTube.
• Howard Hanson (1896–1981), composer and conductor
• Wynonie "Mr. Blues" Harris (1915–1969), rhythm and blues singer
• Neal Hefti (born 1922), jazz trumpeter and composer
• Amy Heidemann, member of the band Karmin, graduated from Seward High School in Seward, Nebraska
• Nick Hexum, member of band 311
• Neely Jenkins (born 1974), member of band Tilly and the Wall
• Tim Kasher (born 1976), singer
• Matty Lewis (born 1975), singer, guitarist
• Randy Meisner (born 1946), singer-songwriter, bassist former member of the Eagles and Poco
• Conor Oberst (born 1980), singer-songwriter with Bright Eyes
• Bryan Olesen (born 1973), singer, guitarist of VOTA, former member of Newsboys
• Jamie Pressnall (born 1976), member of band Tilly and the Wall
• Paul Revere (born 1938), born in Harvard, Clay County; musician, teen idol, founder Paul Revere and the Raiders
• Ann Ronell (1906 or 1908–1993), jazz composer and lyricist
• Josh Rouse (born 1972), singer-songwriter
• Jason Shaw (born 1975), fiddle player
• Elliott Smith (1969–2003), singer-songwriter
• Ryland Steen (born 1980), Reel Big Fish drummer
• Matthew Sweet (born 1964), rock musician
• John Trudell (born 1946), poet, performer, musician, leader AKA Graffiti Band
• James Valentine (born 1978), Maroon 5 guitarist
• Paul Williams (born 1940), singer-songwriter
• Roger Williams (born 1925), pianist
• Denny Zager, member of rock duo Zager and Evans, made famous by song "In the Year 2525" in 1969

Art, literature, and journalism

• Bess Streeter Aldrich (1881–1954), author of 200 short stories and 13 novels including Miss Bishop
• Hartley Burr Alexander (1873–1939), writer, educator, scholar, philosopher, poet, and iconographer
• Kurt Andersen (born 1954), co-founder of Spy Magazine
• Gutzon Borglum (1867–1941), painter, sculptor, designer and engineer of the presidential busts on Mount Rushmore
• Solon Borglum (1869–1922), sculptor, younger brother of Gutzon Borglum
• Jennine Capó Crucet (born 1981), novelist, short story writer, essayist, professor, and cultural critic
• Willa Cather (1873–1947), author
• Raymond Chandler (1888–1959), detective fiction author, The Big Sleep, grew up in Plattsmouth, Nebraska
• Earle D. Chesney (1900–1966), cartoonist
• Ana Marie Cox (born 1972), founder and editor of the political blog Wonkette
• Loren Eiseley (1907–1977), anthropologist, science writer, ecologist, and poet, born in Lincoln
• Angel De Cora Dietz Hinook-Mahiwi-Kalinaka (Fleecy Cloud Floating in Place), painter, illustrator, American Indian advocate, Carlisle Boarding School teacher (1871–1919); Ho-Chunk
• John Philip Falter (1910–1982), artist known for many Saturday Evening Post covers
• Ernest K. Gann (1910–1991), pioneer airline pilot, aviation writer, author of The High and the Mighty
• Roxane Gay (born 1974), feminist writer, professor, editor and commentator
• Terry Goodkind (born 1948), best-selling fantasy author
• Robert Henri (1865–1929), painter
• M. Miriam Herrera, poet
• Clifton Hillegass (1918–2001), publisher and founder of CliffsNotes
• L. Ron Hubbard (1911–1986), science fiction author and founder of Scientology
• Lew Hunter (born 1935), screenwriter
• Weldon Kees (1914–1955), poet, novelist, and short story writer
• Ted Kooser (born 1939), former Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress; former Poet Laureate of the United States; Pulitzer Prize winner
• Stephen R. Lawhead (born 1950), best-selling author of fantasy and historical fiction
• Francis La Flesche Zhogaxe (1857–1932), author
• Susette LaFlesche Tibbles, "Bright Eyes"; born in Bellevue, 1854; writer; Omaha/Ponca
• Christopher Lasch (1932–1994), historian, moralist, and social critic
• Jefferson Machamer (1900–1960), illustrator
• DeBarra Mayo (born 1953), writer and author
• Wright Morris (1910–1998), novelist, photographer, and essayist
• John Neihardt (1881–1973), poet, dubbed the "Poet Laureate of Nebraska and the Plains" by the Nebraska State Legislature in 1921
• Tillie Olsen (1912–2007), author
• Rose O'Neill (1874–1944), illustrator, writer, and creator of the Kewpie doll
• Jean Potts (1910–1999), mystery writer
• Daniel Quinn (born 1935), author of the philosophical novel Ishmael and its sequels
• Edward Ruscha (born 1937), artist
• Brandon Sanderson (born 1975), best-selling science fiction and fantasy author
• Mari Sandoz (1896–1966), novelist, biographer, lecturer, and teacher; author of Old Jules, Cheyenne Autumn, Slogum House
• Joel Sartore, National Geographic photographer
• Nicholas Sparks (born 1965), author
• Anna Louise Strong (1885–1970), journalist and author
• John Trudell (born 1946), author

Business

• Howard F. Ahmanson Sr. (1906–1968), financier and philanthropist
• Walter Behlen (1905–1994), founder of the Behlen Manufacturing Company in Columbus, Nebraska
• Warren Buffett (born 1930), "Oracle of Omaha", investor; Forbes' 2008 Richest Man in the World
• Richard N. Cabela (born 1936), entrepreneur, founder of Cabela's sporting goods store
• Paul Endacott, Basketball Hall of Fame inductee (University of Kansas), president of Phillips Petroleum Company
• Joyce Hall (1891–1982), founder of Hallmark Cards
• Andrew Higgins (1886–1952), industrialist and shipbuilder; owner and founder of Higgins Industries; manufacturer of "Higgins boats"
• Peter Kiewit (1900–1979), contractor, investor, and philanthropist
• C. Edward McVaney (born 1940), founder of JD Edwards
• William Norris (1911–2006), pioneering CEO of Control Data Corporation
• Edwin Perkins (1889–1961), inventor of Kool-Aid; philanthropist
• Frank Phillips (1873–1950), co-founder of Phillips Petroleum
• Michael J. Saylor (born 1965), founder and CEO of MicroStrategy
• Walter Scott Jr. (born 1931), civil engineer and philanthropist
• Carl A. Swanson (1879–1949), founder of Swanson
• Evan Williams (born 1972), creator of Blogger; CEO of Twitter

Science and medicine

• Clayton Anderson (born 1959), NASA astronaut assigned to International Space Station Expedition 15
• Nancy Coover Andreasen, neuroscientist and neuropsychiatrist
• Henry Beachell (1906–2006), developer of hybrid rice
• George Wells Beadle (1903–1989), geneticist, 1958 Nobel Prize winner
• Charles Edwin Bessey (1845–1915), botanist, responsible for planting of the Nebraska National Forest
• Leon Douglass (1869–1940), inventor; co–founder of the Victor Talking Machine Company
• John R. Dunning (1907–1975), physicist, played an instrumental role in the development of the atomic bomb
• Harold "Doc" Edgerton (1903–1990), professor at MIT, pioneer in stroboscopic photography
• Rollins A. Emerson (1873–1947), geneticist, pioneer in researching the genetics of maize
• Val Fitch (1923–2015), nuclear physicist, 1980 Nobel Prize winner
• Jay Wright Forrester (born 1918), pioneer of computer engineering
• Daniel Freeman (1826–1908), homesteader, physician and American Civil War veteran, first person to file for a claim under the Homestead Act of 1862
• Edmund Jaeger (1887–1983), biologist
• Jay Keasling (born 1964), synthetic biology pioneer
• Francis La Flesche (1857–1932), first Native American anthropologist; author
• Susan La Flesche Picotte (1865–1915), first person to receive federal aid for education; first American Indian woman to become a "western medicine" physician in the United States
• Max Mathews (1926–2011), wrote first computer music program
• Victor Mills (1897–1997), chemical engineer, inventor of the modern disposable diaper
• Donald Othmer (1904–1995), chemical engineer
• Ivan Sutherland (born 1938), inventor of the Sketchpad

Athletics

A–M

Max Baer

Wade Boggs

• Grover Cleveland Alexander (1887–1950), Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher
• Houston Alexander (born 1972), mixed martial artist
• Barry Alvarez (born 1946), Wisconsin Badgers football coach and athletic director
• Heather Armbrust (born 1977), IFBB professional bodybuilder
• Max Baer (1909–1959), former heavyweight boxing champion
• George Baird (1907–2004), 1928 Olympic gold medalist in track and field
• Brad Beckman (1964–1989), professional football player, 1988–1989
• Wade Boggs (born 1958), professional baseball player, 1982–1999; 5x American League batting champion
• Craig Bohl (born 1958), college football coach
• Steve Borden "Sting" (born 1959), professional wrestler for CWA, UWF, NWA, WCW, WWA, TNA, and WWE
• Bob Boozer (1937–2012), NBA All-Star (1968) and Olympian (Rome, 1960)
• Dan Carpenter (born 1985), placekicker for the Buffalo Bills
• Bob Cerv (1926–2017), professional baseball player, 1951–1962
• Joba Chamberlain (born 1985), professional baseball pitcher for the Detroit Tigers
• Jeromey Clary (born 1983), offensive tackle for the San Diego Chargers
• Sam Crawford (1880–1968), Baseball Hall of Fame, 2x Home run champion (1901, 1908), and 3x AL RBI champion (1910, 1914, 1915)
• Gene Cronin (born 1933), lineman for 1957 NFL champion Detroit Lions
• Brian Deegan (born 1975), motocross racer
• Bob Devaney (1915–1997), football coach for the University of Nebraska Cornhuskers
• Ted "The Million Dollar Man" DiBiase (born 1954), professional wrestler
• Jake Diekman (born 1987), relief pitcher for the Arizona Diamondbacks
• Brian Duensing (born 1983), relief pitcher for the Minnesota Twins
• David Erb (born 1923), jockey, winner of 1956 Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes
• Chad Fleischer (born 1972), Alpine skier who competed in the 1994 and 1998 Winter Olympics
• Rulon Gardner (born 1971), Olympic gold medalist in Greco-Roman wrestling
• Bob Gibson (born 1935), Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals
• Johnny Goodman (1909–1970), last amateur golfer to win U.S. Open
• Alex Gordon (born 1984), left fielder for the Kansas City Royals
• Ahman Green (born 1977), football player for the Seattle Seahawks, Green Bay Packers, and Houston Texans
• Ron Hansen (born 1938), professional baseball player for six MLB teams
• Mel Harder (1909–2002), pitcher and manager for the Cleveland Indians
• Alex Henery (born 1987), placekicker for the Philadelphia Eagles
• Opal Hill (1892–1981), golfer and LPGA co-founder
• Russ Hochstein (born 1977), guard for the Denver Broncos
• Jeremy Horn (born 1975), mixed martial arts fighter in the Ultimate Fighting Championship
• Chris Kelsay (born 1979), outside linebacker for the Buffalo Bills
• Monte Kiffin (born 1940), football coach
• Bill Kinnamon (1919–2011), MLB umpire
• Sam Koch (born 1982), punter for Baltimore Ravens
• Manny Lawson (born 1984), outside linebacker for the Buffalo Bills
• Frank Leahy (1908–1973), football player, coach, and College Football Hall of Famer
• Sean McDermott (born 1974), Head Coach for the Buffalo Bills
• Zach Miller (born 1984), tight end for the Jacksonville Jaguars
• Clarence Mitchell (1891–1963), professional baseball pitcher
• Darrell Mudra (born 1929), college football coach

N–Z

George Stone

• Gregg Olson (born 1966), MLB pitcher, 1989 Rookie of the Year
• Jed Ortmeyer (born 1978), professional hockey player for the Minnesota Wild
• Tom Osborne (born 1937), former football coach for the University of Nebraska Cornhuskers
• Zach Potter (born 1986), tight end for the Jacksonville Jaguars
• Ron Prince (born 1969), assistant offensive line coach for the Indianapolis Colts
• James Raschke (born 1940), professional wrestler
• Andy Roddick (born 1982), tennis star
• Gale Sayers (born 1943), Football Hall of Fame running back for the Chicago Bears
• Scott Shanle (born 1979), outside linebacker for the New Orleans Saints
• Billy Southworth (1893–1969), manager of two World Series champion St. Louis Cardinals teams
• George Stone (1876–1945), Major League Baseball left fielder; 1906 American League batting champion
• Curtis Tomasevicz (born 1980), 2006 U.S. Olympic bobsledder and former Nebraska Cornhuskers football player
• Jack Van Berg (1936–2017), Hall of Fame thoroughbred trainer
• "Gorgeous George" Wagner (1915–1963), professional wrestler
• Dan Warthen (born 1952), former MLB pitcher and current pitching coach for the New York Mets
• Danny Woodhead (born 1983), running back for the San Diego Chargers, attended Chadron State College
• Jerry Zimmerman (1934–1998), MLB catcher for the Minnesota Twins
• Greg Zuerlein (born 1987), placekicker for the St. Louis Rams

Fictional

• "Penny", from The Big Bang Theory TV series, played by actress Kaley Cuoco
• "Brock Samson", an OSI agent born in Omaha, on the Adult Swim show The Venture Bros.
• "Warren Schmidt", an insurance agent from Omaha in the film About Schmidt, played by Jack Nicholson
• "Ryan Bingham", the Omaha-based principal character from the film Up in the Air, played by George Clooney
• "Tracy Flick" (Reese Witherspoon) and "Jim McAllister" (Matthew Broderick), student and teacher in Omaha suburb from Election
• "Clara Allen", who owns a ranch near Ogallala, in the miniseries Lonesome Dove, played by Anjelica Huston
• "Emma Greenway", a woman living in Kearney and hospitalized in Lincoln from the film Terms of Endearment, played by Debra Winger
• "Whitey Marsh" (Mickey Rooney) and other characters in the Omaha-set 1938 film Boys Town, based on a true story
• Members of the Strategic Air Command based in Omaha in the 1964 film Fail-Safe

Other

• David Phelps Abbott (1863–1934), magician and author
• Edith Abbott (1876–1957), economist, social worker, educator, and author
• Grace Abbott (1878–1939), social worker and child welfare reformer
• Lucas Cruikshank, maker of internet videos
• Frank W. Cyr (1900–1995), educator, author, and "Father of the Yellow School Bus"
• K. G. William Dahl (1883–1917), Lutheran minister and founder of the Bethphage Inner Mission in Axtell
• Clayton Danks (1879–1970), inspiration of the cowboy on the Wyoming trademark, Bucking Horse and Rider, with the gelding horse Steamboat; born in O'Neill in Holt County, Nebraska
• William Eugene Galbraith (1926–2012), businessman and National Commander of The American Legion (1967–68)
• Merle Elwin Hansen (1919–2009), farmer and conservationist
• Carmelita Hinton (1890–1983), progressive educator
• John L. Loos (1918–2011), historian of the Lewis and Clark Expedition
• Malcolm X (1925–1965), civil rights leader
• Roscoe Pound (1870–1964), botanist, lawyer, and law professor and theorist
• Teresa Scanlan (born 1993), Miss America 2011
• Charles Starkweather (1938–1959), spree killer who murdered 11 victims
• Brandon Teena (1972–1993), a transman whose murder was the basis of the movie Boys Don't Cry
• Virginia Lamp Thomas (born 1957), consultant for The Heritage Foundation; wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas
• Robert B. Wilson (born 1937), economist

See also

• Lists of Americans
• Who's Who in Nebraska

External links

• "700 Famous Nebraskans"