List of people from Lafayette, Louisiana
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This is a list of individuals who are or were natives of, or notable as residents of, or in association with the city of Lafayette, Louisiana, United States.
Notable residents
Natives
Some of the notable people born in Lafayette:
- Felecia Angelle, anime voice-over actress
- Fernest Arceneaux, zydeco musician
- Nnamdi Asomugha, NFL defensive back[1]
- Paul Bako, catcher in Major League Baseball for the Cincinnati Reds
- Marc Breaux, choreographer of movies such as Mary Poppins, The Sound of Music, and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
- Jefferson Caffery (deceased), former U.S. ambassador
- Mark Carrier, former NFL wide receiver[2]
- Daniel Cormier, Olympic wrestler and MMA fighter
- Cupid, R&B singer; known for writing the "Cupid Shuffle"
- Lauren Daigle, Grammy-nominated singer
- Walter Davis, triple jump athlete
- Michael Doucet, Cajun musician
- Kevin Faulk, NFL running back
- Ron Guidry, MLB pitcher
- Danneel Harris, television actress, One Tree Hill
- Hunter Hayes, country musician
- Jimmy Hayes, former member of the United States House of Representatives from the since disbanded 7th congressional district
- Lionel Hebert, professional golfer
- Alan Jouban, MMA fighter
- Angela Kinsey, television actress, The Office
- Jerry Luke LeBlanc, former state representative; current vice president of administration and finance at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette
- Lash Leroux, professional wrestler, illustrator for Pro Wrestling Illustrated and other wrestling magazines
- Mikie Mahtook, MLB outfielder and first round draft pick; currently plays for the Detroit Tigers
- Gil Meche, MLB pitcher, Kansas City Royals
- R.J. Mitte, actor with cerebral palsy, supporting actor in Breaking Bad
- Alfred Mouton, Civil War general
- Dustin Poirier, MMA fighter
- Beth Rickey, political activist who opposed David Duke
- Richard Keith, born Keith Thibodeaux, known for playing "Little Ricky" on I Love Lucy
- Joe Walker, zydeco musician
- Brett Weaver, anime voiceover actor; mostly known for his work with ADV Films
- Gus Weill, political consultant, television host, novelist, playwright, poet, born in Lafayette in 1933
- Domanick Williams, NFL running back
- Jessica Zajicek, former PA of Kathy Griffin; starring in Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List
Residents
Other notable current and/or former residents of Lafayette:
- Jennifer Abshire (born 1977), professional bodybuilder
- C. C. Adcock, musician, producer
- Royd Anderson, filmmaker
- Robert Angers (1919–1988), journalist, founded Acadiana Profile magazine, 1968
- Kevyn Aucoin (deceased), professional makeup artist
- Ray Authement (born 1928), president of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, 1974–2008
- Jamie Baldridge (born 1975), visual artist, writer
- Carl W. Bauer (1933–2013), member of both houses of the Louisiana State Legislature; lobbyist for the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, 1990–2010
- Henri Willis Bendel, fashion designer and entrepreneur
- Captain Steven L. Bennett, posthumous Vietnam War Medal of Honor recipient
- Stuart Bishop (born ca. 1975), member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from Lafayette
- Kathleen Blanco, former Louisiana governor
- Roy Bourgeois, priest and founder of human rights group SOA Watch
- Marc Broussard, musician
- James Lee Burke, mystery novelist, Pulitzer Prize nominee
- Kody Chamberlain, comic book writer and artist
- Jermall Charlo, boxer, IBF Junior Middleweight Champion
- Jermell Charlo, boxer, WBC Super Middleweight Champion
- Hollis Conway, Olympic medalist
- Albert H. Crews, astronaut
- Charles B. DeBellevue, highest-scoring American flying ace during the Vietnam War
- Jefferson J. DeBlanc, World War II flying ace and Medal of Honor recipient
- Jake Delhomme, NFL quarterback
- Henry C. Dethloff, American historian, resided in Lafayette 1962–1968
- Gil Dozier (deceased), Louisiana Commissioner of Agriculture and Forestry; convicted felon; retired in Lafayette[3]
- David Egan (deceased), musician
- Ernest Gaines, fiction author, Pulitzer Prize nominee
- Deirdre Gogarty, world champion boxer
- Hedwig Gorski, poet and writer
- Moon Griffon, radio talk show host, relocated to Lafayette from Monroe in 2014
- Amy Guidry, surrealist painter
- Leigh Hennessy, world champion gymnast and movie/TV stuntwoman
- Clay Higgins, member of the U.S. House of Representatives for Louisiana's 3rd congressional district, former reserve deputy marshal of Lafayette known as the "Cajun John Wayne"
- Sammy Kershaw, country & western musician
- Bennett Landreneau, U.S. Army major general
- Ali Landry, former Miss USA, model and actress
- Terry Landry, state representative for Lafayette, Iberia, and St. Martin parishes since 2012; former superintendent of the Louisiana State Police
- Ben Earl Looney (deceased), painter, originally from Webster Parish
- John L. Loos (deceased), American historian; Louisiana State University professor; spent last years in Lafayette, where he died in 2011[4]
- Hall Lyons (deceased), oilman and politician
- Eugene J. Martin (deceased), visual artist originally from Washington D.C.
- Alex McCool, manager of NASA Space Shuttle Projects Office
- Elizabeth McNulty, Miss Louisiana 2007
- Mildred Methvin, former U.S. Magistrate Judge, interim judge of the Louisiana 27th Judicial District Court in St. Landry Parish, 2014[5]
- Brian Mitchell, former NFL running back, special teams returner
- Elemore Morgan, Jr. (deceased), professor and visual artist
- George B. Mowad (deceased), physician and politician
- Paul Prudhomme, chef
- Robert Rauschenberg (deceased), artist, National Medal of Arts winner
- Zachary Richard, musician
- George Rodrigue, artist, The Blue Dog
- Chanda Rubin, USTA tennis player
- Clifford Schoeffler, U.S. Air Force general
- J. Minos Simon, attorney, author, sportsman
- Richard Simmons, exercise guru
- Brandon Stokley, NFL wide receiver
- Daniel Sunjata, film, television, and Tony Award-nominated stage actor
- Sam H. Theriot, Louisiana state representative from Vermilion Parish from 1979 to 1996, subsequently relocated to Lafayette
- Hugh Thompson, Jr., hero of My Lai, helicopter pilot
- John Kennedy Toole (deceased), author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel A Confederacy of Dunces
- A. Hays Town, architect
- Javon Walker, NFL wide receiver
- Tyler James Williams,actor
Notable local politicians
- Ernie Alexander (1933–2012), state representative and former member of the Lafayette City-Parish Council
- Odon Bacqué (born 1944), represented Lafayette in the District 43 seat in the Louisiana House of Representatives from 1988 to 1992, a No Party legislator
- Allen Bares (1936–2008), represented Lafayette Parish in both houses of the Louisiana State Legislature from 1972–1992
- J. Rayburn Bertrand (1918–2005), mayor of Lafayette from 1960–1972
- Gerald Boudreaux, state senator for Lafayette, St. Landry, and St. Martin parishes; director of Lafayette city parks and recreation department
- Kenneth Francis "Kenny" Bowen (1926–2002), mayor of Lafayette from 1972–1980; 1992–1996
- Isaac A. Broussard (deceased), Lafayette Parish sheriff (1888–1904), one of two longest-tenured sheriffs
- Page Cortez, District 43 state representative since 2008
- Charles deGravelles (1913–2008), former Louisiana State Republican Party chairman
- Virginia deGravelles (born 1915), former Louisiana Republican national committeewoman
- John Malcolm Duhé, Jr. (born 1933), retired U.S. district and appellate court judge
- Joey Durel (born 1953), mayor-president of Lafayette consolidated government since 2004
- Ron Gomez (born 1934), former member of the Louisiana House of Representatives; journalist
- Richard T. Haik (born 1950), United States District Judge for the Western District of Louisiana, based in Lafayette since 1991
- J. Lomax Jordan, lawyer, former state senator
- William Dudley "Dud" Lastrapes, Jr. (b. 1929), first Republican mayor of Lafayette since Reconstruction, served 1980–1992
- Bernard LeBas of Ville Platte; has represented Evangeline and St. Landry parishes in the Louisiana House of Representatives since 2008; former resident of Lafayette and Youngsville[6][7]
- Patrick LeBlanc (1954–2008), businessman, architect, Republican politician
- Louis J. Michot, businessman, former state education superintendent and state representative
- Michael J. Michot, businessman and state senator from Lafayette
- Roderick Miller (deceased), first Republican member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from Lafayette since Reconstruction
- Ashton J. Mouton (1916–1988), youngest mayor in Lafayette history, served 1948–1956
- Vincent Pierre (born 1964), state representative for Lafayette Parish since 2012
- Joel Robideaux (born 1962), Speaker Pro Tempore of the Louisiana House of Representative; first Independent to hold the position; later Republican convert; term-limited in 2015
- David Thibodaux (deceased), UL Lafayette English faculty; Lafayette Parish School Board member; four-time Republican congressional candidate
- Michael F. "Mike" Thompson (born 1942), state representative, 1972–1988; home builder
- Donald Trahan (born 1950), member of the Louisiana House of Representatives 2004–2008 for Lafayette and Vermilion parishes[8]
See also
References
- ^ "Nnamdi Asomugha, DB for the Oakland Raiders at NFL.com". nfl.com. Retrieved 30 May 2011.
- ^ "Mark Carrier, WR at NFL.com". nfl.com. Retrieved 30 May 2011.
- ^ "Gilbert Dozier, 79". mylife.com. Retrieved June 10, 2013.
- ^ "John L. Loos". Baton Rouge Morning Advocate, October 1, 2011. Retrieved 18 August 2016.
{{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|1=(help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ "Press Release: Retirement of Judge Mildred Methvin" (PDF). satoriadr.com. July 28, 2009. Retrieved October 11, 2014.
- ^ "H. Bernard LeBas". house.louisiana.gov. Retrieved May 7, 2015.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Harvey Bernard LeBas". intelius.com. Retrieved May 7, 2015.
- ^ "Donald Trahan's Biography". Project Vote Smart. Retrieved May 20, 2015.
