List of people from Spokane, Washington

This is a list of people from Spokane, Washington. The list includes individuals who were born in or lived in the city. A person who lives in or comes from Spokane, Washington, is known as a Spokanite.

Authors

• Sherman Alexie, author
• Neil W. Anderson, author of In Search of the Source
• David Eddings, author of The Belgariad and many other books
• Tim Connor, author and national award-winning journalist
• Wilbur Crane Eveland (born 1918), recruited to the army's CIP, learned Arabic, served in various functions as secret agent for the USA in the Arab East, recounted his experiences in the book Ropes of Sand: America's Failure in the Middle East. W.W. Norton, London & New York, 1980; ISBN 0-393-01336-7
• Ben Goldfarb, author of Eager (Winner of the 2019 PEN/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award)
• Jon Gosch, author of Deep Fire Rise (Spur Award Finalist for Best Western Contemporary Novel) and national award-winning journalist
• Michael Gurian, New York Times bestselling author of thirty-two books published in twenty-two languages
• Quail Hawkins, bookseller and children's author
• Bruce Holbert, author, Washington State Book Award winner
• Paul Marano, author Dark Age (2018)
• Kenn Nesbitt, Children's Poet Laureate (2013–2015)
• Jack Nisbet, author of several books on explorer David Thompson
• Shann Ray, author, American Book Award winner
• Rick Rydell, outdoor writer, worked at local radio stations KJRB, KZZU, and KKZX as a radio talk show host
• David Shannon, author of No, David! and many other children's books
• Sharma Shields, author, Washington State Book Award winner
• Wayne Spitzer, author and low-budget horror filmmaker
• Terry Trueman, Printz Award winning author of Stuck in Neutral and numerous other young adult novels
• Shawn Vestal, author, Washington State Book Award winner and recipient of the PEN/Robert W. Bingham Prize
• Jess Walter, author, recipient of the 2006 Edgar Allan Poe Award

Comedians

• Dan Cummins, comedian on Last Comic Standing
• Julia Sweeney, actor and comedian (appeared on Saturday Night Live)
• 'Tom McTigue, actor and comedian, Baywatch (series), Quantum Leap, Boyhood (movie) Pretty big deal.
• Michael Stapleton, comedian (appeared on GMU)

Convicted criminals

• Kevin Coe, convicted "South Hill rapist"
• Jack Owen Spillman, serial killer
• Rollen Stewart, kidnapper
• Karl F. Thompson Jr., police officer convicted in the murder of Otto Zehm
• Robert Lee Yates, serial killer

Film, stage and television industry

• Jordan Fry, actor most known for his role as Mike Teevee in Charlie and The Chocolate Factory
• Russell Hodgkinson, actor
• Cheyenne Jackson, singer and actor, known for United 93
• Paul Johansson, actor, appeared in One Tree Hill
• Eric Johnston, former head of the United States Chamber of Commerce, former president of the Motion Picture Association of America
• Chuck Jones, director of animated films, three-time Academy Award winner
• Neil LaBute, film director/playwright
• David Lynch, film director, known for Blue Velvet and Twin Peaks
• Darren McGavin, actor, known for starring in Kolchak: the Night Stalker and A Christmas Story
• John McIntire, actor on Wagon Train and The Virginian
• Michele Morrow, actress, appeared in Basement Jack, The Young and the Restless, and Alias
• Joanne Nail, actress, appeared in Switchblade Sisters, The Visitor, and The Gumball Rally
• Craig T. Nelson, actor, star of television series Coach and Parenthood, as well as the films The Incredibles and Poltergeist
• Seena Owen, silent-film actress
• Gale Page, actress, starred in Knute Rockne, All American with Ronald Reagan
• Susan Peters, actress
• Matt Piedmont, film director and writer
• Trevor St. John, actor; known for his role on One Life to Live (graduated from Whitworth University)
• Wayne Spitzer, low-budget horror filmmaker
• Hilary Swank, two-time Oscar-winning actress (father was stationed at Fairchild Air Force Base)
• Tongolele, film and television actor
• Sarah Truax, stage and film actress, Spokane resident from 1912 to 1927
• Michael Winslow, actor and comedian, known for Police Academy
• Jim Ignatowski, The Reverend Jim "Iggy" Ignatowski, played by Christopher Lloyd, is a fictional character in the 1970s television series Taxi.
• Sophia Anne Caruso, Broadway actress best known for playing Lydia Deetz in Beetlejuice the musical

Artists

• Harold Balazs, sculptor
• Dominic Arizona Bonuccelli, photographer/traveller
• Kenneth Callahan, painter from the Northwest School
• Brian Crane, cartoonist
• Jerry Holkins, writer for Penny Arcade
• Mike Krahulik, artist for Penny Arcade
• Tom Kundig, principal at Olson Kundig Architects
• George Nakashima, furniture maker, entrepreneur
• Clyfford Still, abstract-expressionist painter

Journalists

• Timothy Egan, journalist, winner of the National Book Award and the Washington State Book Award
• Neil Everett, journalist, ESPN SportsCenter anchor
• Julian Guthrie, journalist and author based in San Francisco
• Sue Herera, journalist, CNBC anchor
• Eric Johnson, journalist, former sports director for KREM 2; weeknight news anchor for KOMO 4
• John Richards, journalist, radio personality, producer of The Morning Show and Audioasis on 90.3 FM KEXP Seattle
• Rick Rydell, journalist, worked at local radio stations KJRB, KZZU, and KKZX as a radio talk show host

Musicians

• Jim Boyd, musician
• Cami Bradley, America's Got Talent finalist and member of The Sweeplings
• Keeley Brineman, musician and lead singer with Lord Mouse and the Kalypso Katz
• Mike Clarke, member of the band The Byrds
• Bing Crosby, singer/actor
• Bob Crosby, bandleader and vocalist
• Andra Day, singer-songwriter
• Paul D'Amour, former member of the band Tool
• Andy Gibson, singer-songwriter
• Theo Hakola
• Dan Hamilton (musician) Member of Surf band The Ventures, Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds, and The T-Bones.
• Thomas Hampson, baritone
• Dan Hoerner, lead guitarist and backup vocalist for the band Sunny Day Real Estate
• Myles Kennedy, lead singer of the band Alter Bridge
• Keyboard Cat and his handler Charlie Schmidt, performer on a viral internet meme
• Ryan Lewis, music producer; primarily with Macklemore
• George Lynch, former member of the rock band Dokken; member of Lynch Mob
• Chad Mitchell, member of the Chad Mitchell Trio
• Craig Montoya, former member of the band Everclear
• Matty Mullins, lead singer of the band Memphis May Fire
• Patrice Munsel, former Metropolitan Opera star
• Danny O'Keefe, singer-songwriter
• Eckart Preu, conductor of the Spokane Symphony Orchestra
• Jimmy Rowles, jazz pianist
• Scott Thompson, former member of the Canadian band Lillix
• Billy Tipton, jazz musician
• Kenny "Blues Boss" Wayne, boogie-woogie and blues-rock pianist
• Tyrone Wells, singer-songwriter
• Merrill Womach, undertaker, organist and gospel singer, founder of National Music Service (now Global Distribution Network, Inc.)
• Shawn Smith, singer-songwriter, member of Brad, Satchel and Pigeonhed

Politicians

Civic

• James Everett Chase, mayor of Spokane
• Jack Geraghty, mayor of Spokane; former Spokane County Commissioner
• Dennis P. Hession, mayor of Spokane
• John Powers, mayor of Spokane
• David H. Rodgers, mayor of Spokane
• Ron Sims, former member of the King County Council; former King County Executive; former member of the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development
• Jon Snyder, member of the Spokane City Council
• John Talbott, mayor of Spokane
• Mary Verner, mayor of Spokane
• James E. West, Washington State Senator and Spokane mayor

Federal

• Ryan Crocker, U.S. diplomat, former U.S. Ambassador to Iraq
• Tom Foley, U.S. Congressman, former Democratic Speaker of the United States House of Representatives
• Eric Johnston, former head of the United States Chamber of Commerce, former president of the Motion Picture Association of America
• Mike McKevitt, U.S. Congressman for Colorado's 1st District in the United States House of Representatives (1971–73)
• George Nethercutt, former Republican U.S. Congressman, judge and attorney
• Ron Sims, former Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development

State

• Andy Billig, Washington State Senator
• James Geraghty, Washington State Supreme Court Justice
• Samuel G. Havermale, early Spokane pioneer, minister and politician
• Horace E. Houghton, Washington and Wisconsin state legislator, lawyer
• James E. West, Washington State Senator and Spokane mayor
• Marcus Riccelli, Washington State Representative

Science and technology

• Michael P. Anderson, astronaut killed in the 2003 Space Shuttle Columbia disaster
• Walter Houser Brattain, awarded the 1956 Nobel Prize in Physics
• Robert Dirks, computational chemist killed in a 2015 train wreck in New York
• Dorothy M. Horstmann, virologist, made important discoveries about polio
• Wilder Graves Penfield, American-born Canadian neurosurgeon who mapped out the functional areas of the cerebral cortex and pioneered groundbreaking research into epilepsy treatment
• Irwin Rose, biologist awarded the 2004 Nobel Prize in Chemistry

Sports

Auto racing

• Chad Little, NASCAR race winner
• Tom Sneva, Indianapolis 500 winner and IndyCar Series champion

Baseball

• Jeremy Affeldt, Major League Baseball (MLB) pitcher for the San Francisco Giants
• Ed Brandt, MLB pitcher (1928–38)
• Ed Kirkpatrick, former MLB outfielder and catcher
• Andrew Kittredge pitcher Tampa Bay Rays
• Larry Koentopp, Gonzaga University three-sport all-state selection, baseball head coach and athletic director
• Tyler Olson pitcher Cleveland Indians
• Mike Redmond, former MLB player for the Florida Marlins, Minnesota Twins, and Cleveland Indians; manager for the Marlins; (Gonzaga University graduate, 1993)
• Ryne Sandberg, 2005 inductee in the Baseball Hall of Fame, former second baseman for the Chicago Cubs, former MLB manager for the Philadelphia Phillies
• Kevin Stocker, former shortstop for the Philadelphia Phillies, Tampa Bay Devil Rays and Anaheim Angels; current analyst for the Pac-12 Network
• Christine Wren, second female professional baseball umpire

Basketball

• Briann January, former Arizona State Sun Devils player; plays for the WNBA's Indiana Fever (Lewis and Clark High School graduate, 2005)
• Adam Morrison, former Gonzaga player, former 2005–2006 first-team All-American, Charlotte Bobcats and Los Angeles Lakers basketball player (Mead High School graduate, 2003)
• John Stockton, NBA Hall of Fame former point guard for the Utah Jazz
• Wayne Tinkle, player for the Montana Grizzlies (Ferris High School graduate, 1984); currently head coach for the Oregon State Beavers

Billiards

• Dorothy Wise, member of Billiard Congress of America Hall of Fame

Boxing

• Chauncy Welliver, professional boxer

Hockey

• Patrick Dwyer, Spokane native who last played for the NHL's Carolina Hurricanes
• Tyler Johnson, Spokane native currently playing for NHL's Tampa Bay Lightning
• Derek Ryan, Spokane native currently playing for NHL's Carolina Hurricanes
• Kailer Yamamoto, Spokane native currently playing for WHL's Spokane Chiefs, top prospect for the NHL's Edmonton Oilers

Extreme sports

• Jess Roskelley, youngest American (at the time) to climb Mount Everest
• Eric Uptagrafft, sport shooter

Football

• Bob Bellinger, football player
• Erik Coleman, former Washington State Cougars football player, former player for the Atlanta Falcons and Detroit Lions (Lewis and Clark High School graduate, 2000)
• Joe Danelo, former kicker for the Green Bay Packers, the New York Giants, and the Buffalo Bills (graduated from WSU and Gonzaga Prep 1971)
• Will Davis, current defensive back for the Miami Dolphins
• Steve Emtman, 1992 NFL No. 1 draft pick, former defensive lineman for the Indianapolis Colts
• Steve Gleason, NFL former special teams player for the New Orleans Saints and a graduate of WSU and Gonzaga Prep.
• Jason Hanson, former kicker with the Detroit Lions
• Max Krause, running back for the New York Giants and Washington Redskins
• Dan Lynch, first team All-American for Washington State University (Lewis & Clark High School graduate 1980)
• Steve Parker, NFL player
• Mark Rypien, former quarterback for the Washington Redskins; Most Valuable Player of 1991 Super Bowl; Shadle Park High School, Washington State University
• Bishop Sankey, current NFL running back for the Minnesota Vikings (attended Gonzaga Preparatory School)
• Cory Withrow, center for the St. Louis Rams
• John Yarno, former NFL offensive lineman (attended Gonzaga Preparatory School and Ferris High School)

Mixed martial arts

• Michael Chiesa, Ultimate Fighter winner and current UFC lightweight
• Julianna Peña, Ultimate Fighter winner and current UFC women's bantamweight
• Sam Sicilia, Ultimate Fighter alumnus and former UFC featherweight

Rowing

• Joe Rantz, 1936 Summer Olympics gold medal winner in the eights competition

Soccer

• Amy LePeilbet, professional player for Boston Breakers; vice world champion

Tennis

• Jan-Michael Gambill, professional player

Track and field

• Madonna Buder, 75-year-old Catholic nun and oldest Hawaii Ironman Triathlete competitor
• Helga Estby, walked across the United States in 1896
• Fortune Gordien, Olympic silver and bronze medalist in discus throw
• Gerry Lindgren, runner, won 11 NCAA championships at Washington State University (attended John R. Rogers High School)
• Brad Walker, American record holder and two-time world champion in the pole vault (University High School graduate)

Early Spokane notable residents

• Joe Albi, attorney and civic leader
• Kirtland Cutter, architect, known for his work in Spokane, including the Davenport Hotel
• Sonora Smart Dodd, successfully campaigned for the establishment of Father's Day
• Helga Estby, Norwegian-American resident of the Spokane area; in 1896 walked across America from Spokane to New York City
• James Geraghty, Spokane City Corporate Counsel
• Henry John Kaiser, American industrialist
• Robert Edmund Strahorn, war correspondent during the Great Sioux War; scout and publicist for the Union Pacific Railroad

Native Americans

• Chief Garry, one of the Spokane tribes' most prominent and influential leaders during the shift from indigenous to European-American control of their land

Military

• John Babcock, last Canadian veteran of World War I
• Col. David P. Jenkins, Civil War Colonel, Spokane homesteader, and philanthropist