List of people from Kansas

State flag of Kansas

Location of Kansas on the U.S. map

The following are notable people who were either born, raised, or have lived for a significant period of time in the American state of Kansas.

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.

Academics and Nobel Prize laureates

Marvin Lee Pelton is a native Kansan and the 12th President of Emerson College.

• Milton S. Eisenhower (1899–1985), university president; Abilene
• Wendell Johnson (1906–1965), psychologist and speech pathologist, author of The Monster Study; Roxbury
• Jack S. Kilby (1923–2005), Nobel Prize winner in Physics; Great Bend
• Solon Toothaker Kimball (1909–1982), anthropologist; Manhattan
• Stanford Lehmberg (born 1931), historian; McPherson
• Norman Malcolm (1911–1990), philosopher; Selden
• Deane Waldo Malott (1898–1996), president of Cornell University; Abilene
• Abby Lillian Marlatt (1869–1943), home economics; Manhattan
• Eric K. Meyer (born 1953), journalism professor and Pulitzer Prize nominee; Marion
• M. Lee Pelton (born 1950), president of Willamette University; Wichita
• John Brooks Slaughter (born 1934), college president and first African-American director of the National Science Foundation; Topeka
• Vernon L. Smith (born 1927), Nobel Memorial Prize winner in Economics; Wichita
• Earl Wilbur Sutherland Jr. (1915–1974), 1971 Nobel Prize winner in Physiology and Medicine; Burlingame
• Donald Worster (born 1941), historian; Lawrence

Arts and literature

Artists

• Nina E. Allender (1873–1957), artist and women's suffrage cartoonist; Auburn
• Grace Bilger (1907–2000), artist; Olathe
• Grant Bond (born 1974), artist; Kansas City
• Blackbear Bosin (1921–1980), Native American artist; Wichita
• Gwendolyn Elizabeth Brooks (1917–2000), poet; Topeka
• Bruce Conner (1933–2008), artist; McPherson
• John Steuart Curry (1897–1946), artist; Winchester
• Aaron Douglas (1900–1979), artist; Topeka
• Randall Duell (1903–1992), architect and art director; Russell County
• Edgar Heap of Birds (born 1954), artist; Wichita
• Bruce Helander (born 1947), artist; Great Bend
• Elizabeth Layton (1909–1993), artist; Wellsville
• Evan Lindquist (born 1936), printmaker, Artist Laureate of Arkansas; Salina
• Barbara Morgan (1900–1992), photographer; Buffalo, Kansas
• Gordon Parks (1912–2006), photographer and film director; Fort Scott
• Birger Sandzen (1871–1954), artist, art professor at Bethany College; Lindsborg
• Gary Mark Smith (born 1956), photographer, studied at University of Kansas; Wichita
• W. Eugene Smith (1918–1978), photographer; Wichita
• Mort Walker (1923–2018), cartoonist, creator of Beetle Bailey and Hi and Lois comic strips; El Dorado

Authors

• Laura Abbot, author of Harlequin romance novels; Kansas City
• Gwendolyn Brooks (1917–2000), author, poet; Topeka
• William Burroughs (1914–1997), author; Lawrence
• Don Coldsmith (1926–2009), author of Western fiction; Iola
• Dorothy Canfield Fisher (1879–1958), author of children's books; Lawrence
• Thomas Frank (born 1965), author and editor; Mission Hills
• Jane Heap (1883–1964), author and publisher; Topeka
• Scott Heim (born 1966), author; Hutchinson
• Langston Hughes (1902–1967), author and poet; Lawrence
• William Inge (1913–1973), playwright; Independence
• Bill James (born 1949), author; Mayetta
• Bill Martin, Jr. (1916–2004), children's author; Hiawatha
• Fred Myton (1885–1955), screenwriter; Garden City
• Kathy Patrick, author, founder of Pulpwood Queens Book Club; Eureka
• Scott Phillips (born 1961), author; Wichita
• Vance Randolph (1892–1980), folklorist; Pittsburg
• Red Reeder (1902–1998), author and United States Army officer; Fort Leavenworth
• Richard Rhodes (born 1937), author and historian; Kansas City
• Lois Ruby, author of historic fiction; Lawrence
• Damon Runyon (1880–1946), author; Manhattan
• Mary Francis Shura (1923–1990), children's, romance and mystery author; Pratt
• William Stafford (1914–1993), poet and pacifist; Hutchinson
• Max Yoho (born 1934), author; Colony

Dancers

• Clark Tippet (1954–1992), ballet; Parsons

Musicians

• Chris Arpad, solo steel pannist; McPherson
• Karrin Allyson, jazz performer; Great Bend
• Dawayne Bailey, musician and songwriter (Bob Seger and Chicago); Manhattan
• Chris Burnett (born 1955), musician; Olathe
• Karla Burns (born 1955), mezzo-soprano; Wichita
• Danny Carey (born 1961), musician; Lawrence
• Richard Christy, musician, actor, comedian, drummer, writer for Howard Stern show; Fort Scott
• Gene Clark (1944–1991), singer-songwriter and founding member of the folk rock band the Byrds; Bonner Springs
• Dorothy DeLay (1917–2002), violinist, Juilliard professor; Medicine Lodge
• Joyce DiDonato (born 1969), mezzo-soprano; Prairie Village
• Phil Ehart (born 1951), drummer for the rock band "Kansas"; Coffeyville
• Melissa Etheridge (born 1961), musician; Leavenworth
• Rory Lee Feek (born ca. 1966), country music singer; Atchison
• Wendell Hall (1886–1969), musician; St. George
• Mark Hart (born 1953), musician, Crowded House, Supertramp; Fort Scott
• Nora Holt (1885 or 1890–1975), singer and co-founder of the National Association of Negro Musicians; Kansas City
• Dave Hope (born 1949), musician; Topeka
• Eva Jessye (1895–1992), choral conductor; Coffeyville
• Jennifer Knapp (born 1974), singer and songwriter; Chanute
• Katrina Leskanich (born 1960), musician; Topeka
• Kerry Livgren (born 1949), founding member of Kansas; Topeka
• Frank Luther (1905–1980), musician; Lakin
• Mitch Markovich (born 1944), drummer, marching band director, professor; Great Bend
• Martina McBride (born 1966), musician; Sharon
• Andy McKee (born 1979), musician; Topeka
• Janelle Monáe (born 1985), vocalist; Kansas City
• Moondog (1916–1999), vocalist, percussionist and composer; real name Louis Thomas Hardin; Marysville
• Jerrod Niemann (born 1979), country singer; Liberal
• Charlie Parker (1920–1955), musician; Kansas City
• Samuel Ramey (born 1942), opera, bass-baritone; Colby
• Joe Don Rooney (born 1975), guitarist and vocalist; Baxter Springs
• Mark Schultz (born 1970), musician; Colby
• Steven Stucky (born 1949), Pulitzer Prize-winner in music; Hutchinson
• Jeremy Turner, guitar player in death metal band Origin, formerly of Cannibal Corpse
• Joe Walsh (born 1947), musician; Wichita
• Bobby Watson (born 1953), musician; Bonner Springs
• James Wesley, country music singer; Mound Valley
• David Wetzel (born 1983), musician; Westwood
• J. White Did It (born 1984), record producer; Kansas City and Leavenworth
• Chely Wright (born 1970), musician; Wellsville
• XV (stage name of Donavan LaMond Johnson), emcee, producer; Wichita
• Gordon Young (1919–1998), organist and composer; McPherson

Athletics

Athletes

A–F

• Alvan Adams (born 1954), basketball; Lawrence
• John H. Adams (born 1915), jockey; Iola
• Neil Allen (born 1958), baseball pitcher, pitching coach; Kansas City
• David Arkin (born 1987), pro football player; Wichita
• Elden Auker (1910–2006), baseball pitcher; Norcatur
• Chase Austin (born 1989), NASCAR driver; Eudora
• Ron Baker (born 1993), NBA player (New York Knicks); Utica and Scott City (born in Hays)
• Thane Baker (born 1931), gold medalist at 1956 Summer Olympics, decathlon; Elkhart
• Tony Barker (born 1968), football player; Wichita
• Chris Barnes (born 1970), professional bowler; Topeka
• James Bausch (1906–1974), gold medalist 1932 Summer Olympics; Garden Plain
• Judy Bell (born 1936), member of World Golf Hall of Fame; Wichita
• Matt Besler (born 1987), professional soccer player; Overland Park
• B.H. Born (born 1932), basketball player; Medicine Lodge
• Clint Bowyer (born 1979), NASCAR driver; Emporia
• George Brett (born 1953), baseball Hall of Famer; Mission Hills
• Bryce Brown (born 1991), football player; Wichita
• Orville Brown (1908–1981), pro wrestler, NWA champion; Sharon
• Mildred Bliss Burke (1915–1989), wrestler, Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame; Coffeyville
• Enos Cabell (born 1949), baseball player; Fort Riley
• Veronica Campbell-Brown (born 1982), track and field athlete (Olympic and world champion); Great Bend
• Antoine Carr (born 1961), basketball player
• Willie Cauley-Stein (born 1993), professional basketball player Spearville
• Larry Cheney (1886–1969), baseball pitcher; Belleville
• Jack Christiansen (1928–1986), football Hall of Famer; Sublette
• Tony Clark (born 1972), baseball player; Newton
• Maliek Collins (born 1995), football player; Kansas City
• Baron Corbin (born 1984), football player, WWE wrestler; Lenexa
• Nolan Cromwell (born 1955), football player; Smith Center
• Aaron Crow (born 1986), baseball player; Topeka
• Glenn Cunningham (1909–1988), silver medalist, 1936 Olympic Games,1,500m run; Elkhart
• Johnny Damon (born 1973), baseball player; Fort Riley
• Eldon Danenhauer (born 1935), football player; Clay Center
• Darren Daulton (born 1962), baseball player; Arkansas City
• Wantha Davis (born 1918), jockey; Liberal
• Joey Devine (born 1983), baseball player; Junction City
• Lynn Dickey (born 1949), football player; Osawatomie
• Andy Dirks (born 1986), baseball player; Burrton
• Larry Drew (born 1958), basketball player and coach; Kansas City
• Mark Duckens (born 1965), football player; Wichita
• Brian Duensing (born 1983), baseball player; Marysville
• Brody Eldridge (born 1987), football player; La Cygne
• Tim Elliott (born 1986), mixed martial artist; Wichita
• Maurice Evans (born 1978), basketball player; Wichita
• Kyle Farnsworth (born 1976), baseball player; Wichita
• Galen Fiss (1931–2006), football player; Johnson City
• Adrianna Franch (born 1990), soccer player (world champion); Salina
• Scott Fulhage (born 1961), football player; Beloit

G–M

• Andrew Gachkar (born 1988), football player; Overland Park
• Tyson Gay (born 1982), track and field athlete (world champion); Great Bend
• Maurice Greene (born 1974), track and field athlete (world and Olympic champion); Kansas City
• Adrian Griffin (born 1974), basketball player and coach; Wichita
• Geneo Grissom (born 1992), football player; Hutchinson
• Andy Gruenebaum (born 1982), soccer player
• Don Gutteridge (1912–2008), baseball player and manager; Pittsburg
• Joe Hastings (born 1987), football player; Wichita
• Tanner Hawkinson (born 1990), football player; McPherson
• Mark Haynes (born 1958), football player; Kansas City
• Ben Heeney (born 1992), football player; Hutchinson
• Bobby Henrich (born 1938), baseball player; Lawrence
• Don Hill (1904–1967), football player; Hiawatha
• Shaun Hill (born 1980), football player; Parsons
• Chief Hogsett (1903–2001), baseball player; Brownell
• Lionel Hollins (born 1953), basketball player and coach; Arkansas City
• Scott Huffman (born 1964), pole vaulter; Quinter
• Damian Johnson (born 1962), football player; Great Bend
• Walter Johnson (1887–1946), baseball Hall of Famer; Humboldt
• Pete Kilduff (1893–1930), baseball player; Weir
• Fred Kipp (born 1931), baseball pitcher; Piqua
• Tonya Knight (born 1966), IFBB professional bodybuilder; Overland Park
• Laurie Koehn (born 1982), WNBA player; Moundridge
• Gene Krug (born 1955), baseball player; Garden City
• Adam LaRoche (born 1979), baseball player; Fort Scott
• Bobby Lashley (born 1976), professional wrestler for WWE; Junction City
• Shalee Lehning (born 1987), WNBA player; Sublette
• Martin Lewis (born 1975), NBA basketball player; Liberal
• Danny Manning (born 1966), NBA basketball player; Lawrence
• Harold Manning (1909–2003), Steeplechase world record holder and Olympian; Sedgwick
• Rudy May (born 1944), baseball player; Coffeyville
• Jon McGraw, professional football player; Riley
• Archie "Hap" McKain (1911–1985), baseball player; Delphos
• Peter Mehringer (1910–1987), Olympic gold medalist wrestler, pro football player; Kinsley
• Brian Moorman (born 1976), football player; Sedgwick
• Mike Morin (born 1991), baseball player; Leawood

N–Z

• Marcio Navarro (born 1978), professional kickboxer and mixed martial artist; Wichita
• Jordy Nelson (born 1985), football player; Leonardville
• Terence Newman (born 1978), football player; Salina
• Nicole Ohlde (born 1982), WNBA player; Clay Center
• Antonio Orozco (born 1987), professional boxer; Garden City
• Victor Ortiz (born 1987), professional boxer; Garden City
• Bob Orton (1929–2006), professional wrestler; Kansas City
• Bob Orton, Jr. (born 1950), professional wrestler, WWE Hall of Fame; Kansas City
• John Parrella (born 1969), professional football player; Topeka
• Hal Patterson (1932–2011), professional football player; Larned
• Jordan Phillips (born 1992), professional football player; Towanda
• Joseph Randle (born 1991), professional football player; Wichita
• Ronn Reynolds (born 1958), professional baseball player; Wichita
• Dustin Richardson (born 1984), MLB pitcher; Newton
• John Riggins (born 1949), football player, Pro Football Hall of Famer; Centralia
• Brandon Rios (born 1986), professional boxer; Garden City
• Lafayette Russell (1905–1978), football player, B-movie actor "Reb" Russell; Osawatomie
• Johnny Rutherford (born 1938), race car driver; Coffeyville
• Jim Ryun (born 1947), athlete and politician; Wichita
• Barry Sanders (born 1968), football player, NFL Hall of Famer; Wichita
• Melvin Sanders (born 1981), pro basketball player; Liberal
• Wes Santee (1932–2010), NCAA cross country champion, track and field athlete; Ashland
• Gale Sayers (born 1943), NFL Hall of Famer; Wichita
• Otto Schnellbacher (1923–2008), pro basketball and football player; Sublette
• Ryan Schraeder (born 1988), professional football player; Wichita
• Wayne Simien (born 1983), NCAA All-American, NBA basketball player; Leavenworth
• Mark Simoneau (born 1977), professional football player; Smith Center
• Marilynn Smith (born 1928), professional golfer and LPGA co-founder; Topeka
• Darren Sproles (born 1983), professional football player; Olathe
• Bubba Starling (born 1992), professional baseball player; Gardner
• Lee Stevens (born 1967), professional baseball player; Lawrence
• Jackie Stiles (born 1978), WNBA basketball player; Claflin
• Stewart "Smokey" Stover (born 1938), professional football player; McPherson
• Darrell Stuckey (born 1987), professional football player; Kansas City
• Tom Sturdivant (1930–2009), professional baseball player; Gordon
• Steve Tasker (born 1962), NFL Pro Bowl MVP in 1993; Leoti (born in Smith Center
• Luther Haden "Dummy" Taylor (1875–1958), baseball pitcher; Oskaloosa
• Doug Terry (born 1968), pro football player; Liberal
• Tommy Thompson (1916–1989), pro football player; Hutchinson
• Blake Treinen (born 1988), professional baseball player; Osage City
• Jerame Tuman (born 1976), pro football player; Liberal
• Ron Warner (born 1975), professional football player; Independence
• Earl Watson (born 1979), NBA basketball player; Kansas City
• Tom Watson (born 1949), golfer, member of World Golf Hall of Fame; Stilwell
• Mitch Webster (born 1959), MLB player; Larned
• Kendra Wecker (born 1982), WNBA player; Marysville
• Michael Wilhoite (born 1986), pro football player; Manhattan
• Jess Willard (1881–1968), world heavyweight boxing champion, St. Clere; Pottawatomie County
• Kamerion Wimbley (born 1983), professional football player; Wichita
• Lynette Woodard (born 1959), basketball Hall of Famer; Wichita
• Brad Ziegler (born 1979), baseball player; Pratt
• John Zook (born 1947), professional football player; Garden City

Coaches

• Phog Allen (1885–1974), Hall of Fame college basketball coach; Lawrence
• Jeremy Bates (born 1976), NFL offensive coordinator; Manhattan
• Jack Christiansen (1928–1986), pro and college football coach; Sublette
• Alan Cockrell (born 1962), hitting coach, New York Yankees; Kansas City
• Jory Collins (born 1978), college basketball coach; Holton
• Larry Drew (born 1958), NBA head coach; Kansas City
• Mark Fox (born 1969), college basketball coach; Garden City
• Dennis Franchione (born 1951), college football coach; Girard
• Don Gambril (born 1934), Hall of Fame swimming coach; Altamont
• Ted Gilmore (born 1967), college football coach; Wichita
• Bill Guthridge (born 1937), college basketball coach; Parsons
• Lionel Hollins (born 1953), NBA head coach; Arkansas City
• Ralph Houk (1919–2010), Major League Baseball manager; Lawrence
• Tim Jankovich (born 1959), college basketball coach; Manhattan
• Gene Keady (born 1936), Hall of Fame college basketball coach; Larned
• Gary Patterson (born 1960), college football coach; Rozel
• Jerry Kill (born 1961), college football coach; Cheney
• Lon Kruger (born 1952), college and NBA basketball coach; Silver Lake
• John McLendon (1915–1999), Hall of Fame basketball coach of college, ABL, and ABA; Hiawatha
• Ralph Miller (1919–2001), Hall of Fame college basketball coach; Chanute
• Billie Moore (born 1943), Hall of Fame college basketball coach; Westmoreland
• James Naismith (1861–1939), inventor of basketball, coach, athletic director, faculty member at University of Kansas
• Johnny Orr (born 1927), college basketball coach; Yale
• John H. Outland (1871–1947), namesake of Outland Trophy; Douglas County
• Adolph Rupp (1901–1977), Hall of Fame college basketball coach; Halstead
• Francis Schmidt (1885–1944), college football, baseball, and basketball coach; Downs
• Brian Schottenheimer (born 1973), NFL offensive coordinator; Stilwell
• Dean Smith (1931–2015), Hall of Fame college basketball coach; Emporia
• Bill Snyder (born 1939), Hall of Fame college football coach; Kansas State University
• Eddie Sutton (born 1936), college basketball coach; Bucklin
• Mark Turgeon (born 1965), college basketball coach; Topeka
• Brent Venables (born 1970), college football coach; Salina

Aviators and astronauts

• Walter Herschel Beech (1891–1950), aviator and aircraft designer; Wichita
• Clyde Vernon Cessna (1879–1954), aviator and aircraft designer; Rago
• Amelia Earhart (1897–1937), aviator; Atchison
• Joe Engle (born 1932), astronaut; Chapman
• Ronald Evans (1933–1990), astronaut; St. Francis
• Daniel Forbes (1920–1948), United States Army Air Corps pilot; Carbondale
• Steve Hawley (born 1951), astronaut; Salina
• Donald Hudson (1895–1967), World War I flying ace; Topeka
• Glenn L. Martin (1886–1955), aviation pioneer; Salina
• Lloyd Carlton Stearman (1898–1975), aviator and aircraft designer; Wellsford

Businesspeople and inventors

• Philip Anschutz (born 1939), billionaire investor; Russell
• Bion Barnett (1857–1958), co-founder of Barnett Bank; Hiawatha
• Olive Ann Beech, chairwoman of Beech Aircraft Company; Wichita (born in Waverly)
• Dan and Frank Carney (Dan born 1931, Frank born 1938), founders of Pizza Hut; Wichita
• Walter Chrysler (1875–1940), founder of Chrysler Corporation; Wamego
• William Coffin Coleman (1870–1957), founder of the Coleman Company; Wichita
• David Dillon (born 1951), former CEO of Kroger; Hutchinson
• Vic Edelbrock (1913–1962), automotive engineer; Eudora
• James Harbord (1866–1947), president and chairman of the board of RCA; Manhattan
• Hollis Dow Hedberg (1903–1988), president of Gulf Oil Company; Falun
• William Wadsworth Hodkinson (1881–1971), pioneer film marketer and distributor; Independence
• Carl Ice (born 1956), President of BNSF; Topeka
• Omar Knedlik (1915–1989), inventor of the ICEE frozen drink; Barnes
• Charles G. Koch (born 1935), CEO of Koch Industries; Wichita
• David H. Koch (1940–2019), executive and politician; Wichita
• Alan Mulally (born 1945), engineer, former president and CEO of the Ford Motor Company; Lawrence
• Matthew K. Rose (born 1959), chairman and CEO of Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corp.; Salina
• Harry F. Sinclair (1876–1956), founder of Sinclair Oil Company; Independence
• Russell Stover (1888–1954), founder of Russell Stover Candies; Alton

Film, stage and television

Actors and performers

• Brandon Adams (born 1979), actor; Topeka
• Tyrees Allen (born 1954), actor; Salina
• Kirstie Alley (born 1951), actress; Wichita
• Fatty Arbuckle (1887–1933), actor; Smith Center
• Barbara Babcock (born 1937), actress; Fort Riley
• Gerry Bamman (born 1941), actor; Independence
• Hugh Beaumont (1909–1982), actor; Lawrence
• Annette Bening (born 1958), actress; Topeka
• Madge Blake (1899–1969), actress (Batman); Kinsley
• Roscoe Born (born 1950), actor; Topeka
• Todd Bosley (born 1984), actor; Overland Park
• Steve Brodie (1919–1992), actor; El Dorado
• Louise Brooks (1906–1985), actress; Cherryvale
• Petrea Burchard (born 1955), actress; Lawrence
• Darren E. Burrows (born 1966), actor; Winfield
• Trai Byers (born 1983), actor; Kansas City
• Del Close (1934–1999), actor and comedian; Manhattan
• Brent Collins (1941–1988), actor; Plainville
• Jack Colvin (1934–2005), actor; Lyndon
• Aneta Corsaut (1933–1995), actress; Hutchinson
• Nathan Darrow (born 1976), actor; Overland Park
• Lucinda Dickey (born 1960), actress and dancer; Hutchinson
• Billy Drago (born 1945), actor; Hugoton
• Marj Dusay (born 1936), actress; Hays
• R. Lee Ermey (1944–2018), actor; Emporia
• Bridget Everett (born 1972), actress, cabaret artist, comedian; Manhattan
• Bill Farmer (born 1952), voice actor; Pratt
• Tamara Feldman (born 1980), actress; Wichita
• Scott Foley (born 1972), actor; Kansas City
• Dwight Frye (1899–1943), actor; Salina
• Alan Fudge (1944–2011), actor; Wichita
• Laurel Goodwin (born 1942), actress; Wichita
• Cary Guffey (born 1972), actor; Topeka
• Dennis Hayden (born 1952), actor; Girard
• Colton Haynes (born 1988), actor; Wichita
• Thelma Hill (1906–1938), actress; Emporia
• Dennis Hopper (1936–2010), actor; Dodge City
• Jayne Houdyshell (born 1953), actress; Topeka
• Mary Howard (1913–2009), actress; Independence
• Don Johnson (born 1959), actor; Wichita
• Neal Jones (born 1960), actor; Wichita
• Gordon Jump (1932–2003), actor; Manhattan
• Tom Kane (born 1962), voice actor; Overland Park
• Buster Keaton (1895–1966), actor and director; Piqua
• Emmett Kelly (1898–1979), circus clown; Sedan
• Laura Kirk (born 1966), actress; Lecompton
• Shirley Knight (born 1936), actress; Goessel
• Sarah Lancaster (born 1980), actress; Overland Park
• Lila Leeds (1928–1999), actress; Dodge City
• Hattie McDaniel (1895–1952), actress; Wichita
• Everett McGill (born 1945), actor; Kansas City
• Michael McMillian (born 1978), actor; Olathe
• George Murdock (born 1930), actor; Salina
• Cassandra Peterson (born 1949), actress, aka Elvira, Mistress of the Dark; Manhattan
• ZaSu Pitts (1894–1963), actress; Parsons
• Chris Porter (born 1979), comedian; Olathe
• John Quade (1938–2009), actor; Kansas City
• James Reynolds, actor; Oskaloosa
• Rob Riggle (born 1970), actor and comedian; Overland Park
• Charles "Buddy" Rogers (1904–1991), actor and jazz musician; Olathe
• Paul Rudd (born 1969), actor; Overland Park
• Sheila Ryan (1921–1975), actress; Topeka
• Kendall Schmidt (born 1990), singer, actor, and dancer; Wichita
• Kevin Schmidt (born 1988), actor; Andover
• Travis Schuldt (born 1974), actor; Topeka
• Angus Scrimm (born 1926), actor; Kansas City
• Max Showalter (1917–2000), actor; Caldwell
• Cynthia Sikes (born 1954), actress; Coffeyville
• Lois Smith (born 1930), actress; Topeka
• David Rees Snell (born 1966), actor; Wichita
• Sara Sothern (1895–1994), stage actress; Arkansas City
• Taryn Southern (born 1986), actress, YouTube personality; Wichita
• Rebecca Staab (born 1961), actress; Hays
• Michael Stevens (born 1986), educator, entertainer; Stilwell
• Milburn Stone (1904–1980), actor (Gunsmoke); Burrton
• Eric Stonestreet (born 1971), actor; Kansas City
• Jason Sudeikis (born 1975), actor; Overland Park
• Norma Terris (1904–1989), actress; Columbus
• Fay Tincher (1884–1983), actress; Topeka
• Vivian Vance (1909–1979), actress (I Love Lucy); Cherryvale
• Matt Vogel (born 1970), puppeteer; Kansas City
• Lyle Waggoner (born 1935), sculptor, actor (Wonder Woman); Kansas City
• Kari Wahlgren (born 1977), actress; Hoisington
• Dee Wallace (born 1948), actress; Kansas City
• Jason Wiles (born 1970), actor; Lenexa
• Claire Windsor (1897–1972), actress; Cawker City
• Patrice Wymore (1926–2014), actress; Miltonvale
• Jeff Yagher (born 1961), actor; Lawrence

Directors

• Michael Almereyda (born 1960), film director; Overland Park
• Steve Balderson (born 1975), film director; Wamego
• Darren Lynn Bousman (born 1979), film director; Overland Park
• Chris Buck (born 1960), film director, animator; Wichita
• Eric Darnell (born 1960), director, writer, songwriter, animator; Prairie Village
• Randall Duell (1903–1992), art director; Russell County
• Alex Graves (born 1968), television director; El Dorado
• Sherman Halsey, music video and television director; Independence
• Martin and Osa Johnson (1884–1937 and 1894–1953), film pioneer, explorer; Chanute
• Oscar Micheaux (1893–1951), film director; Great Bend
• Gordon Parks (1912–2006), film director; Fort Scott
• Richard Thorpe (1896–1991), film director; Hutchinson

Public figures

Journalists

• Frank Marshall Davis (1905–1987), journalist, poet, political and labor movement activist; Arkansas City
• Steve Doocy (born 1956), co-host of Fox News's Fox & Friends; Abilene
• Elizabeth Farnsworth (born 1943), television journalist; Topeka
• William M. Gallagher (1923–1975), Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist; Hiawatha
• Jane Grant (1892–1972), journalist who co-founded The New Yorker; Girard
• E. W. Howe (1853–1937), author and newspaper editor; Atchison
• Bill Kurtis (born 1940), television journalist; Independence
• Jim Lehrer (1934–2020), television journalist; Wichita
• Melissa McDermott (born 1960s), television news anchor for CBS's Up to the Minute; Wichita
• Clementine Paddleford (1898–1967), journalist and food critic; Riley County
• Eugene C. Pulliam (1889–1975), founder Central Newspapers, Inc.; Ulysses
• Roy A. Roberts (1887–1967), newspaper editor; Muscotah
• W. Eugene Smith (1918–1978), photojournalist; Wichita
• John Cameron Swayze (1906–1995), television journalist; Wichita
• Julius Wayland (1854–1912), newspaper editor, Appeal to Reason; Girard
• William Allen White (1868–1944), author and newspaper editor; Emporia
• Gene Wojciechowski, author, sportswriter and ESPN commentator; Salina

Politics and law

• John Anderson, Jr. (1917–2014), Kansas Governor; De Soto
• Sheila Bair (born 1954), former Chair of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), former Commissioner and Acting Chair of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission; Independence
• Earl Browder (1891–1973), General Secretary, Communist Party USA; Wichita
• Sam Brownback (born 1956), U.S. Representative, U.S. Senator, Kansas Governor; Garnett
• Arthur Capper (1865–1951), Kansas Governor and newspaper editor; Garnett
• Frank Carlson (1893–1987), U.S. Representative, U.S. Senator, and Kansas Governor; Concordia
• Georgia Neese Clark (1900–1995), first woman Treasurer of United States; Richland
• Ty Cobb (born 1950), Special Counsel to the President of the United States; Great Bend, Kansas
• Samuel J. Crawford (1835–1913), Kansas Governor; Garnett
• Charles Curtis (1860–1936), U.S. Senator and 31st Vice President of United States; Topeka
• Harry Darby (1895–1987), businessman and U.S. Senator; Kansas City
• George Docking (1904–1964), Kansas Governor; Clay Center
• Bob Dole (born 1923), U.S. Senator from Kansas (1969–1996) and 1996 Republican nominee for president; Russell
• Dwight Eisenhower (1890–1969), 34th President of the United States, Allied commander in World War II; Abilene (born in Denison, Texas)
• Joan Finney (1925–2001), Kansas Governor; Topeka
• Marlin Fitzwater (born 1942), Press Secretary for Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush; Abilene
• Robert Gates (born 1943), CIA director, U.S. Secretary of Defense; Wichita
• Robert L. Gernon (1943–2005), Kansas Supreme Court Justice; Sabetha
• Dan Glickman (born 1944), Secretary of Agriculture, President of Motion Picture Association of America; Wichita
• Bill Graves (born 1953), Kansas Governor; Salina
• Paul Ranous Greever (1891–1943), Wyoming Congressman; Lansing
• Gary Hart (born 1936), Colorado Senator; Ottawa
• Carl Hatch (1889–1963), New Mexico Senator; Kirwin
• Mike Hayden (born 1944), Kansas Governor; Colby
• Wally Hickel (1919–2010), Governor of Alaska, U.S. Secretary of Interior; Claflin
• Ural Alexis Johnson (1908–1997), diplomat and ambassador; Falun
• Tim Kaine (born 1958), Virginia Governor and Senator; 2016 Democratic nominee for Vice President; Overland Park
• Nancy Kassebaum Baker (born 1932), Kansas Senator; Topeka
• James H. "Dog" Kelley (1833–1912), frontiersman, mayor of Dodge City
• William P. Lambertson (1880–1957), U.S. Congressman; Fairview
• Alf Landon (1887–1987), Kansas Governor, 1936 presidential candidate; Topeka
• Frank H. Lee (1873–1952), Missouri U.S. Representative; De Soto
• John Martin (1839–1889), Kansas Governor, newspaperman, Civil War Colonel; Atchison
• George McGill (1879–1963), Kansas Senator; Wichita
• Jerry Moran (born 1954), U.S. Representative and Senator; Plainville
• Roger Noriega (born 1959), U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs; Wichita
• Gale Norton (born 1954), U.S. Secretary of the Interior; Wichita
• Lawton Nuss (born 1952), State Supreme Court Justice; Salina
• Kate Richards O'Hare (1877–1948), American Socialist Party activist; Ottawa County
• Leslie Osterman (born 1947), member of Kansas House of Representatives; Wichita
• Shirley Phelps-Roper (born 1957), lawyer for Westboro Baptist Church; Topeka
• Chuck Reed (born 1948), Mayor of San Jose, California; Garden City
• Roy Romer (born 1928), Colorado Governor; Garden City
• Susanna M. Salter (1860–1961), Mayor of Argonia, first woman mayor in U.S.
• Bradley Schlozman (born 1971), controversial figure in George W. Bush Administration's Dismissal of U.S. attorneys controversy; Overland Park
• K. Gary Sebelius (born 1949), U.S. magistrate judge, husband of Kathleen Sebelius; Norton
• Harold Sebring (1898–1968), Nuremberg Trial judge; Olathe
• Arlen Specter (1930–2012), Pennsylvania Senator; Russell
• Dale Swenson (born c. 1957), member of Kansas House; Wichita
• Martin E. Trapp (1877–1951), Oklahoma Governor; Robinson
• Rosalie E. Wahl (1924–2014), associate justice Minnesota Supreme Court; Caney
• William Walker (1800–1874), Provisional Governor of Nebraska Territory, Wyandot chief
• Mabel Walker Willebrandt (1889–1963), U.S. Assistant Attorney General 1921–29; Woodsdale
• Harry Hines Woodring (1890–1967), Kansas Governor and Secretary of War under Franklin Roosevelt; Elk City
• Robert M. Wright (1840–1915), member of Kansas House of Representatives; a founder of Dodge City
• Ron Wyden (born 1949), Oregon Senator; Wichita

Military and national security

• Stanley T. Adams (1922–1999), Korean War Medal of Honor recipient; De Soto
• Wilbur Bestwick (1911–1972), first Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps; Sabetha
• Kendall Carl Campbell (1917–1942), Ensign, posthumous WWII Navy Cross recipient; Garden City
• Richard Cowan (1922–1944), WWII Medal of Honor recipient; Wichita
• Rebecca L. Ediger (born 1952), agent in charge of Presidential Protective Division of U.S. Secret Service; Peabody (born in Newton)
• Harry D. Felt (1902–1992), WWII Naval aviator and Admiral; Topeka
• Arthur M. Ferguson (1877–1922), Colonel, Medal of Honor recipient, Philippine–American War; Coffey County
• Frederick N. Funston (1865–1917), Major General, Medal of Honor recipient; Iola
• John E. Gingrich (1897–1960), U.S. Navy four-star Admiral, first chief of security for Atomic Energy Commission; Dodge City
• James Harbord (1866–1947), U.S. Army, WWI Distinguished Service Cross; Bushong
• Joseph Henderson (1869–1938), Medal of Honor recipient, Philippine–American War; Fort Leavenworth
• Elizabeth P. Hoisington (1918–2007), first WAC officer promoted to Brigadier General; Newton
• Herbert Loper (1896–1989), Major General, U.S. Army; Norcatur
• Homer A. McCrerey (1919–1999), U.S. Navy meteorologist and oceanographer; Hiawatha
• Richard Myers (born 1942), General, U.S. Air Force, 15th Chairman of Joint Chiefs; Olathe
• Danny J. Petersen (1949–1970), Specialist 4, U.S. Army, posthumous Vietnam Medal of Honor recipient; Netawaka
• George S. Robb (1887–1972), U.S. Army, WWI Medal of Honor recipient; Assaria
• Bernard W. Rogers (born 1921), NATO Supreme Allied Commander, Europe; Fairview
• Donald K. Ross (born 1910), first Medal of Honor recipient in WWII, United States Navy; Beverly
• Conrad Schmidt (1830–1908), Civil War, Medal of Honor recipient; Ogden
• Duane D. Thiessen (born 1951), Major General, USMC; Goessel
• Grant F. Timmerman (1919–1944), Sergeant, USMC, posthumous Medal of Honor recipient; Americus
• William B. Trembley (1877–1952), Medal of Honor recipient, Philippine–American War; Johnson
• Lewis William Walt (1913–1989), General, USMC, initiated Combined Action Program in Vietnam; Wabaunsee County

Religious

• William Bickerton (1815–1905), founder of The Church of Jesus Christ (Bickertonite) and the Zion Valley, Kansas, colony; St. John
• Charles J. Chaput (born 1944), Archbishop, Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Denver; Concordia
• Sheri L. Dew (born 1953), influential Latter-day Saint spokeswoman; Ulysses
• Bart D. Ehrman (born 1955), New Testament scholar; Lawrence
• Jerry Johnston (born 1959), Southern Baptist Convention evangelist and pastor; Overland Park
• Emil Kapaun (1916–1951), Army chaplain Korean War, posthumous Medal of Honor recipient, Catholic martyr and sainthood candidate; Pilsen
• Ron Kenoly (born 1944), musical worship leader; Coffeyville
• Fred Phelps (1929–2014), leader of Westboro Baptist Church; Topeka
• James Reeb (1927–1965), Unitarian minister beaten to death by segregationists in Selma, Alabama, during the Civil Rights Movement; Wichita
• David Laurin Ricken (born 1954), bishop of Roman Catholic Diocese of Cheyenne; Dodge City
• Michael Jarboe Sheehan (born 1939), Archbishop of Santa Fe; Wichita
• M. Madeline Southard (1877–1967), Methodist minister and writer
• John Joseph Sullivan (1920–2001), Bishop of Grand Island, Nebraska, and Kansas City-St. Joseph; Horton
• Gerald B. Winrod (1900–1957), evangelical Christian and Nazi sympathizer; Wichita
• Gordon Winrod (born 1926), Christian Identity minister; Hesston

Scientists and programmers

• Charles Bachman (born 1924), computer scientist; Manhattan
• C. Olin Ball (1893–1982), food scientist; Abilene
• Barnum Brown (1873–1963), paleontologist; Carbondale
• John D. Carmack (born 1970), computer programmer; Shawnee Mission
• George Washington Carver (1864–1943), botanist and chemist; Minneapolis, Kansas
• James F. Crow (1916–2012), geneticist; Wichita
• Carl Owen Dunbar (1891–1979), geologist and paleontologist; Cherokee County
• David Fairchild (1869–1954), botanist and explorer; Manhattan
• Philip Fox (1878–1944), astronomer; Manhattan
• Howard K. Gloyd (1902–1978), herpetologist; De Soto
• Ebbe Hoff (1906–1985), neurologist; Rexford
• Jack Kilby (1923–2005), inventor of the integrated circuit; Great Bend
• Homer A. McCrerey (1919–1999), meteorologist and oceanographer; Hiawatha
• Ray McIntire (1918–1996), research engineer, inventor of Styrofoam; Gardner
• Karl Menninger (1893–1990), psychiatrist; Topeka
• Charles D. Michener (born 1918), entomologist; Lawrence
• Lou Montulli, a founding engineer at Netscape and responsible for many HTML and web innovations
• Ernest Fox Nichols (1869–1924), scientist; Leavenworth County
• Wallace Pratt (1885–1981), petroleum geologist; Phillipsburg
• Walter Sutton (1877–1916), geneticist and physician; Russell
• George Tiller (1941–2009), medical doctor and controversial late-term abortion provider; Wichita
• Clyde Tombaugh (1906–1997), astronomer; Burdett
• Samuel Wendell Williston (1852–1918), scientist; Manhattan
• Douglas Youvan (born 1955), biophysicist and inventor; Frontenac

Others

Notable individuals

• Danni Boatwright (born 1975), winner of Survivor: Guatemala; Tonganoxie
• Emily Gibson Braerton (1884–1966), V.P. Daughters of the American Revolution {1950–53}; Lawrence
• Erin Brockovich (born 1960), environmental activist; Lawrence
• Richard Christy (born 1974), comedian on the Howard Stern Show; Fort Scott
• Hilda Clark (1872–1932), first woman to appear in a Coca-Cola advertisement; Leavenworth
• Earl Cole (born 1971), winner of Survivor: Fiji; Kansas City
• Racquel Darrian (born 1968), pornographic film star; Hutchinson
• Elmer Dresslar, Jr. (1925–2005), voice actor and baritone voice of Jolly Green Giant commercials; St. Francis
• Alvin Dewey (1912–1987), special agent of the Kansas Bureau of Investigation; Garden City
• Ann Dunham (1942–1995), mother of Barack Obama; Wichita
• Madelyn and Stanley Dunham (born 1922 and 1918–1992), grandparents of Barack Obama; Peru
• Tara Dawn Holland (born 1972), Miss America 1997; Overland Park
• Carrie Ingalls (1870–1946), sister of Laura Ingalls Wilder; born in Little House on the Prairie near Independence
• Vicki Lynn Lasseter (born 1960), February 1981 Playboy Playmate; Iola
• Candy Loving (born 1956), January 1979 Playboy Playmate and 25th Anniversary Playmate; Oswego
• Waldo McBurney (1902–2009), formerly listed as oldest worker; Quinter
• Kelli McCarty (born 1969), Miss USA 1991, actress, pornographic films; Liberal
• Janet Murguía (born 1954), President and CEO, National Council of La Raza; Kansas City
• Dan Perkins (born 1961), cartoonist, pen name "Tom Tomorrow"; Wichita
• Jeff Probst (born 1962), television personality and host of Survivor; Wichita
• Victor Rojas, studio analyst for MLB Network; Overland Park (born in Miami)
• Satanta (1830–1878), Chief of Kiowa tribe; western Kansas
• Matt Schlapp, chairman of American Conservative Union; Wichita
• Justin E. Smith (born 1968), sheriff of Larimer County, Colorado; McPherson
• Theresa Vail (born 1990), host of Outdoor Channel's Limitless with Theresa Vail; Manhattan
• Kari Wahlgren (born 1977), video game voice actress; Hoisington
• Carrie Westcott (born 1969), September 1993 Playboy Playmate; Mission Hills
• Harold F. Williamson (1901–1989), business historian; Piper

Notable historical figures not from Kansas but who participated in a significant event in Kansas

• John Brown (1800–1859), abolitionist; Osawatomie
• Buffalo Bill Cody (1846–1917), buffalo hunter and showman; Leavenworth
• Wyatt Earp (1848–1929), lawman; Wichita and Dodge City
• Dora Hand (1844–1878), dance hall singer, Dodge City
• Wild Bill Hickok (1837–1876), lawman; Hays and Abilene
• John James Ingalls (1833–1900), politician
• Kris Kobach (1966), candidate for Governor in 2018, Kansas Secretary of State
• James H. Lane (1814–1866), abolitionist, senator and union general; Lawrence
• Bat Masterson (1853–1921), lawman; Dodge City
• Carrie Nation (1846–1911), temperance activist; Medicine Lodge

Infamous persons

• Edward J. Adams (1887–1921), bank robber and murderer; Hutchinson
• Lowell Lee Andrews (1939–1962), murderer; Wolcott
• John and Kate Bender (1872–1873), serial killers; Labette County
• Fred "Killer" Burke (1893–1940), Prohibition-era gangster; Mapleton
• Mark Essex (1949–1973), mass murderer; Emporia
• Jake and Ralph Fleagle, bank robbers and murderers; Marienthal
• Debora Green (born 1951), murderer; Prairie Village
• Eric Harris (1981–1999), perpetrator, along with Dylan Klebold, of the Columbine High School massacre; Wichita
• Richard Hickock (1931–1965), murderer; Kansas City
• Alvin "Creepy" Karpis (1907–1979), bank robber and member of the Barker Gang; Topeka
• Anna Emmaline McDoulet (1882–1978), female spy for Doolin Gang known as Cattle Annie Lawrence; Seneca
• George Newcomb (1866–1895), member of Bill Doolin's Wild Bunch; Fort Scott
• Duane Earl Pope (born 1943), bank robber and murderer; Roxbury
• Dennis Rader (born 1945), serial killer known as "BTK"; Wichita
• Scott Philip Roeder (born 1958), assassin; Merriam
• Marc Sappington (born 1978), murderer and cannibal, known as the Kansas City Vampire; Kansas City

Fictional persons

• Helen Crump (1962), girlfriend of Sheriff Andy Taylor of Mayberry on The Andy Griffith Show, from rural Kansas
• Dennis the Menace (1951), neighborhood terror, Wichita
• Matt Dillon (1949), marshal, Kansas
• Dorothy Gale (1900), farm girl who lived with her Aunt Em and Uncle Henry; transported to the Land of Oz by a tornado, with her dog Toto
• Elmer Gantry (1927), evangelist and title character in the Sinclair Lewis novel of the same name; attended college in Kansas
• Gil Hamilton (c. 2083), futuristic detective, Topeka
• Will Kane (1952), sheriff in the 1952 classic Western High Noon, from Hadleyville, Kansas
• Johnny Kaw (1955), mythical Kansas settler, Manhattan
• Clark Joseph Kent (1938), adopted child of Jonathan and Martha Kent of Smallville, known as the alter ego Superman, born on Krypton as Kal-El
• Lana Lang (1950), Superboy's teenage love interest, Smallville
• Major Astro (1960), astronaut portrayed by local character actor Tom Leahy; host of a children's television program, Wichita
• Colleen McMurphy, lead character from China Beach, from a "small town" in Kansas
• Cameron Mitchell, Lieutenant Colonel of Stargate SG-1 television series, from Auburn
• Jack B. Quick (1999), boy genius, Queerwater Creek, Kansas
• Amanda Rogers (born 2351), character on Star Trek: The Next Generation, Topeka
• Pete Ross (1961), Superboy's bestfriend, Smallville
• Mary Ann Summers, traveler on a "three-hour tour" that was lost at sea on Gilligan's Island, Winfield
• Annie Wilson (1993), aspiring actress, Wichita
• Dean Winchester (1979), demon hunter, Lawrence
• Sam Winchester (1983), demon hunter, Lawrence
• Wizard of Oz (1900), balloonist, magician, ruler of the Land of Oz (1939 movie version only)

See also

• Lists of people from Kansas