List of people from Tulsa, Oklahoma
This is a list of well-known persons who were either born in, or lived in, Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Arts
[edit]- Joe Brainard, (1942 - 1994) painter
- Charles Bell (1935–1995), artist
- Ted Berrigan, (1934 - 1983) poet
- Shan Goshorn, (1957–2018), artist
- James Pepper Henry, artist and Gilcrease Museum director (2015–2017)
- Roman Jasinski, (1907- 1991) ballet dancer and teacher
- Ron Padgett, (b. 1942) poet
Business
[edit]- Frank Abagnale (born 1948),[1] fraud expert, former con man, subject of Catch Me If You Can
- Cyrus Avery (1870–1963), businessman and "father of Route 66"
- Bill Bartmann (c. 1949–2016),[2] businessman, named as "One of the Top 100 Entrepreneurs of the Last 100 Years"[3]
- W. Tate Brady (1870–1925), businessman, owner of the Brady Hotel
- James A. Chapman (1881–1966), oilman and philanthropist
- Robert Galbreath Jr. (1863–1955), oilman who moved to Tulsa after he drilled the first oil well in Glenn Pool Field
- J. Paul Getty (1892–1976), oilman founder of Getty Oil Company, who made his first million in Tulsa between 1914 and 1916[4]
- Thomas Gilcrease (1890–1962),[5] oilman, founder of Gilcrease Museum
- J. M. Hall (1851–1935), pioneer merchant in Tulsa, organized First Presbyterian Church
- George Kaiser (born 1942),[6] chairman of BOK Financial Corporation
- Henry Kravis (born 1944),[7] co-founder of Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co.
- James H. McBirney (1870–1944), co-founder and president National Bank of Commerce in Tulsa[8]
- Sam P. McBirney (1877–1936), football coach and co-founder National Bank of Commerce in Tulsa[8]
- Robert M. McFarlin (1866–1942), oilman and philanthropist
- Waite Phillips (1883–1964), oilman and philanthropist
- Harry Ford Sinclair (1876–1956), founder of Sinclair Oil, co-founder of Exchange National Bank (later part of National Bank of Tulsa and Bank of Oklahoma; convicted of jury tampering during Teapot Dome scandal trial
- Carolyn Mary Skelly (1905–1996), eccentric daughter of William Grove Skelly; oil heiress; dubbed the most robbed woman in the U.S. by the Boston Globe; socialite; hosted fundraisers for President George H.W. Bush, and Texas Governor John Connally[9][10]
- William G. Skelly (1877–1957), founder of Skelly Oil Company, Spartan Aircraft Company and Spartan School of Aeronautics, philanthropist
- William K. Warren Sr. (1897–1990), founder of Warren Petroleum Corporation; philanthropist
- John Smith Zink (1928–2005), engineer, owner of John Zink Industries, automobile racer
Music
[edit]- Admiral Twin (Mark Carr, Jarrod Gollihare, John Russell, Brad Becker), rock band
- The Agony Scene, metalcore band
- Elvin Bishop (born 1942), blues and rock music singer-songwriter, guitarist and bandleader
- Garth Brooks (born 1962),[11] country music singer
- Broncho, punk rock band with Ryan Lindsey, Johnathon Ford of Roadside Monument, and Nathan Price
- Anita Bryant (born 1940), singer
- J. J. Cale (1938–2013),[12] songwriter and musician, an originator of The Tulsa Sound
- Capital Lights, pop rock band
- Rodney Carrington (born 1968)[13] country music singer and comedian
- Jeff Carson (1963–2022), country musician
- Chuck Cissel (born 1948),[14] singer and dancer
- Annie Clark (St. Vincent) (born 1982)
- Roy Clark (1933–2018), country musician
- David Cook (born 1982), 2008 American Idol winner
- Denny Cordell (1943–1995), record producer, signed Tom Petty as part of Mudcrutch
- Ester Dean (born 1986), singer-songwriter
- Joe Diffie (1958–2020),[15] country musician
- Phil Driscoll (born 1947), trumpet player and singer, Christian and jazz musician
- Ronnie Dunn (born 1953)[16] (Brooks and Dunn)
- Annie Ellicott (born 1984), jazz, swing singer[17][18]
- Scott Ellison (born 1954), electric blues guitarist, singer and songwriter[19]
- Ester Drang, indie band
- Rocky Frisco (1937–2015), pianist for J.J. Cale; 2008 inductee into Oklahoma Blues Hall of Fame
- The Gap Band, Charlie, Ronnie and Robert Wilson, R&B, funk, and soul band
- David Gates (born 1940),[20] pop rock musician (Bread)
- Hanson, Isaac, Taylor and Zac Hanson, Pop rock band
- Gus Hardin (1945–1996),[21] female country musician
- Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey, jazz band
- William Johns (born 1936), opera singer[22]
- Jim Keltner (born 1942), drummer for the Traveling Wilburys
- Tosca Kramer (1903–1976), violinist, violist, and music educator
- Fredell Lack (1922–2017), violinist
- Hardie Avenue, Christian alternative rock band[23]
- Lega-C (born 1976), rapper
- Leon McAuliffe (1917–1988), steel guitarist Bob Wills And His Texas Playboys
- Little Joe McLerran (born 1983), singer, guitarist, recording artist and winner of 2009 International Blues Challenge
- John Moreland (born 1985), singer-songwriter
- Jamie Oldaker (1951–2020), drummer, Eric Clapton, Bob Seger
- Patti Page (1927–2013), singer
- PDA, rapper
- Pillar, band
- Johnny Polygon (born 1984), rapper
- Carl Radle (1942–1980), musician, bassist for Derek and the Dominos
- Ben Rector (born 1986), singer-songwriter
- Steve Ripley (1950–2019), engineer, producer, singer-songwriter and guitarist for The Tractors and Bob Dylan
- Leon Russell (1942–2016),[24] singer-songwriter, pianist, guitarist, an originator of The Tulsa Sound and founder of The Church Studio
- SafetySuit, pop rock band
- Jacob Sartorius (born 2002), born in Tulsa but adopted and moved to upstate Virginia shortly after his birth
- Natalie Sims (born 1984), musician, songwriter and music executive
- Andy Skib (born 1985), guitarist, keyboardist in David Cook's band
- Clyde Stacy (1936–2013), rockabilly musician
- Ryan Tedder (born 1979), producer, songwriter, lead singer of OneRepublic
- David Teegarden, rock drummer with Teegarden & Van Winkle and with Bob Seger
- Flash Terry (1934–2004), blues musician[25]
- Neal Tiemann (born 1982), lead guitarist in David Cook's band
- Wayman Tisdale (1964–2009), jazz musician and former professional basketball player
- Dwight Twilley (1951–2023), power pop, rock musician
- Jared Tyler (born 1978), singer-songwriter and producer
- Unwed Sailor, instrumental indie rock
- David T. Walker (born 1941), session guitarist, famous for his work with Jackson 5, Bobby Womack, Levert and Stevie Wonder among others
- Johnnie Lee Wills (1912–1984), western music band leader, brother of Bob Wills
- Charlie Wilson (born 1953), R&B singer and lead singer of The Gap Band
- Bob Wootton (1942–2017), lead guitarist for the Tennessee Three
- Tuck Andress, guitarist
- Kristin Chenoweth (born 1968), actress, singer and author
- Dara Tucker (born 1958), singer-songwriter and documentary filmmaker
- AleXa, K-pop Idol
Politics
[edit]- Tom Adelson, member of the Oklahoma State Senate
- Alicia Andrews, chair of the Oklahoma Democratic Party
- Bob Ballinger (born 1974), member of the Arkansas House of Representatives, reared in Tulsa
- Dewey F. Bartlett (1919–1979), former governor of the state of Oklahoma and U.S. Senator
- Dewey F. Bartlett Jr. (born 1947), former mayor of Tulsa (2009–2016)
- G. T. Bynum (born 1977), Mayor of Tulsa (2016–present)
- Jim R. Caldwell, retired Church of Christ minister and former member of the Arkansas State Senate
- David Duke (born 1950), former grand wizard of the Ku Klux Klan and former member of the Louisiana House of Representatives
- David Hall (1930–2016), former governor of the state of Oklahoma
- Linda Hughes O'Leary (born 1950), former member of the Cherokee Nation Tribal Council (2003–2007)
- James Inhofe (1934–2024), U.S. Senator
- James R. Jones (born 1939), former member of the U.S. House of Representatives, chairman of the American Stock Exchange
- Frank Keating (born 1944), former governor of the state of Oklahoma
- John Albert Knebel (born 1936), Secretary of Agriculture in the Carter Administration
- Sheila Kuehl (born 1941), former actress, now California state senator
- Joseph A. LaFortune, oilman and mayor
- Steve Largent (born 1954), former member of the U.S. House of Representatives
- Willian F. Martin (born 1950), United States Deputy Secretary of Energy
- Jim McConn (1928–1997), former mayor of Houston, Texas, 1979–1981
- Daniel Patrick Moynihan (1927–2003), former Democratic U.S. senator representing New York was born in Tulsa.[26]
- George E. Nowotny (born 1932), retired Tulsa businessman and former member of the Arkansas House of Representatives from Fort Smith
- John Sullivan (born 1965), member of the U.S. House of Representatives
- Kathy Taylor (born 1955), Mayor of Tulsa (2006–2009)
- John Volz (1935–2011), attorney for the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana, died in Tulsa in 2011
- R. James Woolsey Jr. (born 1941), former director, Central Intelligence Agency
- Terry Young (born 1948), former mayor of the City of Tulsa
- Mildred Grosberg Bellin (1908–2008), Jewish cookbook author
- William Bernhardt (born 1960), mystery/suspense fiction author
- Daniel J. Boorstin (1914–2004), historian and writer; former Librarian of Congress
- Cleora Butler (1901–1985), chef, caterer and cookbook writer
- Dorothy Carnegie (1912–1998), author
- P.C. Cast (born 1960), author
- John Hope Franklin (1915–2009), African American historian; namesake of John Hope Franklin Reconciliation Park in Tulsa
- Martin Gardner (1914–2010), author of works on philosophy, mathematics and literature
- Sterling Gates (born 1981), comic book writer (Supergirl, Action Comics)
- Joy Harjo (born 1951), poet, musician, and author. First Native American Poet Laureate, and first Poet Laureate from Oklahoma.
- S.E. Hinton (born 1948), author (The Outsiders, That Was Then, This Is Now, Tex)
- Mercedes Lackey (born 1950), science-fiction author
- R.A. Lafferty (1914–2002), science-fiction author
- Billie Letts (1938–2014), author, Where the Heart Is
- Tracy Letts (born 1965), Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright and actor (August: Osage County)
- Joe McGuff (1926–2006), journalist and newspaper editor
- Russell Myers (born 1938), cartoonist, Broom-Hilda comic strip
- Denver Nicks, journalist
- Dan Piraro (born 1958), cartoonist of the Bizarro comic strip
- Nancy Speir, children's book illustrator
- Grace Steele Woodward (1899–1987), writer and historian
- William P. Steven (1908–1991), journalist and newspaper editor
- Clifton Taulbert, author, Once Upon a Time When We Were Colored
- Will Thomas (born 1958), mystery fiction author
- Mildred Ladner Thompson (1918–2013), reporter for The Wall Street Journal and Tulsa World[27]
- Michael Wallis (born 1945), author, Route 66, Pretty Boy Floyd, Mankiller, Billy the Kid Voice Of Sheriff in The Cars Series
- K. D. Wentworth (1951–2012), science-fiction author
- Cornel West (born 1953), theologian, author
Radio
[edit]- Paul Harvey (1918–2009), radio personality
- Roy D. Mercer, fictional radio character
Screen and stage
[edit]- Pamela Bach (born 1962), actress; ex-wife of David Hasselhoff
- Marshall Bell (born 1942), actor
- William Boyd (1895–1972), aka Hopalong Cassidy, western actor (born in Hendrysburg, Belmont County, Ohio)
- Max Burnett (born 1969), TV writer, screenwriter and director
- Gary Busey (born 1944), actor
- Cindy Chupack (born 1965), screenwriter for Sex and the City
- Larry Clark (born 1943), film director and photographer
- Iron Eyes Cody (1904–1999), actor
- Jay Dee (born 1979), comedian
- Larry Drake (1949–2016), actor
- Blake Edwards (1922–2010), film director
- Sue England (1928–2018), actress
- Bill Hader (born 1978), actor, writer and comedian
- Sterlin Harjo (born 1979), filmmaker[28]
- Josh Henderson (born 1981), actor
- John Ingle (1928–2012), actor
- Eva Jinek (born 1978), news anchor
- Jennifer Jones (1919–2009), actress
- Heather Langenkamp (born 1964), actress
- Tommy Morrison (1969–2013), boxer and actor
- Jerry Nelson (1934–2012), actor, puppeteer
- Tim Blake Nelson (born 1964), actor and director
- Mary Kay Place (born 1947), actress
- Tony Randall (1920–2004), actor
- Julián Rebolledo, actor and voice talent
- Jack Roberts, actor
- Gailard Sartain (born 1946), actor
- Mary Stuart (1926–2002), actress
- Wes Studi (born 1947), actor
- Paula Trickey (born 1966), actress
- Jeanne Tripplehorn (born 1963), actress
- Stacy Valentine, porn star
- Amber Valletta (born 1974), actress and supermodel
- Susan Watson (born 1938), Broadway actress
- Alfre Woodard (born 1952), actress
- Judy Woodruff (born 1946), television journalist
- Don Woods (1928–2012), meteorologist
Sports
[edit]
- Sam P. McBirney (1877–1936), coach of Tulsa Golden Hurricane football (1914–1916)
- Janice O'Hara (1918–2001), All-American Girls Professional Baseball League player
- Marques Haynes (1926–2015), Harlem Globetrotters player, Basketball Hall of Famer[29]
- John Smith Zink (1928–2005), automobile racing
- Ray Murphy, Jr. (1946–2010), collegiate wrestler and 1989 Handicapped Person of the Year
- Wayman Tisdale (1964–2009), professional basketball player and musician
- Jeff Krosnoff (1964–1996), Championship Auto Racing Teams driver
- Tommy Morrison (1969–2013), boxer, heavyweight contender and actor, Rocky V
- Tommy Hanson (1986–2015), baseball pitcher[30]
- Nolan Richardson (born 1941), basketball coach for University of Tulsa and University of Arkansas, coach and general manager WNBA's Tulsa Shock
- Henry Schichtle (born 1941), football player
- Bobby Cox (born 1941), player, manager and Baseball Hall of Famer
- Jim King (born 1941), NBA player and Tulsa Golden Hurricane men's basketball coach
- Reece Morrison (born 1945), NFL player
- Tubby Smith (born 1951), basketball coach
- Reuben Gant (born 1952), football player for Buffalo Bills
- Steve Largent (born 1954), Seattle Seahawks wide receiver, Pro Football Hall of Famer, also politician
- Bill Blankenship (born 1956), football coach, head coach at University of Tulsa
- Dale Cook (born 1956), kickboxer and actor
- James "Quick" Tillis (born 1957), boxer, heavyweight contender and actor
- Randy Heckenkemper (born 1958), golf course designer
- Charlie O'Brien (born 1960), professional baseball catcher
- Kenny Monday (born 1960), Olympic gold medalist and World Champion in freestyle wrestling
- Kevin Lilly(born 1963), NFL player
- Anthony Bowie (born 1963), basketball player
- Todd Graham (born 1964), head coach of Tulsa Golden Hurricane football team (2007–2010)
- John Starks (born 1965), basketball player
- Bill Goldberg (born 1966), professional NFL football player and undefeated wrestler
- Darryl Wren (born 1967), gridiron football player
- Richard Dumas (born 1969), professional basketball player for the Phoenix Suns
- Lee Mayberry (born 1970), professional basketball player for the Milwaukee Bucks
- Joe-Max Moore (born 1971), soccer forward, U.S. Soccer Hall of Fame 2013
- Matt Gogel (born 1971), professional golfer
- Kevin Lockett (born 1974), NFL player
- Chris Dade (born 1974), basketball player
- Mikey Burnett (born 1974), mixed martial artist
- R. W. McQuarters (born 1976), professional football cornerback
- David Heath (born 1976), mixed martial artist
- Justin Fuente (born 1976), head football coach, Virginia Tech
- Brent Albright (born 1978), professional wrestler
- Gerald Harris (born 1979), mixed martial artist
- Koyie Hill (born 1979), Major League Baseball catcher
- Iciss Tillis (born 1981), professional basketball player for WNBA's Washington Mystics
- Ebi Ere (born 1981), basketball player for Melbourne Tigers
- Matt Grice (born 1981), mixed martial arts fighter
- Peter Ramondetta (born 1982), professional skateboarder
- Matt Wiman (born 1983), mixed martial arts fighter
- Kelenna Azubuike (born 1983), professional basketball player
- Robert Meachem (born 1984), New Orleans Saints wide receiver
- Randy Blake (born 1986), kickboxer
- Zach Loyd (born 1987), soccer player
- Felix Jones (born 1987), Dallas Cowboys Running back
- Dallas Keuchel (born 1988), pitcher for the Chicago White Sox
- Chris Harris Jr. (born 1989), NFL, Cornerback
- Michael Bowie (born 1991), former Seattle Seahawks offensive tackle
- Tyler Lockett (born 1992), NFL player
- Dylan Bundy (born 1992), baseball pitcher for the Minnesota Twins
- Zach Jackson (born 1994), Major League Baseball, pitcher for the Oakland Athletics
- Thomas Hatch (born 1994), pitcher for the Toronto Blue Jays
- Jordan Brailford (born 1995), defensive end for the Atlanta Falcons
- Josh Jacobs (born 1996), NFL, Running back
- Justice Hill (born 1997), NFL, Running back
- Kenny Bednarek (born 1998), American sprinter, olimpic and world championship silver medalist
- Terrance Ferguson (born 1998), basketball player for the Philadelphia 76ers
- Patrick Callan (born 1999), competitive swimmer[31]
- Ricky Stromberg (born 2000), American football player
- Daxton Hill (born 2000), NFL, Safety
Religion
[edit]- Finis Alonzo Crutchfield, Jr., (1916–1986), United Methodist Church bishop, minister of Boston Avenue United Methodist Church, died in Tulsa[32]
- Paul Vernon Galloway (1904–1990), Minister of Boston Avenue United Methodist Church, later Methodist bishop
- Charles William Kerr (1875–1951), first permanent Protestant minister in Tulsa
- Carlton Pearson (1953–2023), evangelist
- Oral Roberts (1918–2009), pioneer televangelist, founder of Oral Roberts University, affiliated with United Methodist church
- Mother Grace Tucker (1919–2012), Evangelical Christian pastor and philanthropist
- John B. Wolf (1925–2017), minister of All Souls Unitarian Universalist Church
Other
[edit]- William French Anderson, geneticist, born in Tulsa in 1936
- Bobby Baldwin, professional poker player (1978 world champion) and casino executive; born in Tulsa
- Deborah Barnes, judge of the Oklahoma Appellate Court (1987–present); daughter in law of the late Justice Don Barnes
- Don Barnes (judge) (1924–2011), born in Tulsa, Justice of the Oklahoma State Supreme Court (1972–1985)
- Jennifer Berry (born 1983),[33] Miss America 2006
- Butler, Phillip N. (born 1938), the eighth longest-held US prisoner of war in North Vietnam, president of Veterans for Peace
- Roscoe Cartwright (1919–1974), first black Field Artilleryman promoted to Brigadier General.
- Ponyboy Curtis, main character in S. E. Hinton's novel The Outsiders
- Mike Doonesbury, main character in Garry Trudeau's comic strip Doonesbury
- Stephen Z. Fadem, doctor and scientist
- Viola Fletcher, survivor of the Tulsa race massacre
- John Duncan Forsyth (1887–1963), architect[34]
- W. R. Holway (1893–1981), engineer, designer of Spavinaw water project
- Robert Lawton Jones (1925–2018), architect noted for his contributions to modern architecture
- Olivia Jordan (born 1988), Miss World America 2013, Miss Oklahoma USA 2015, Miss USA 2015
- Joseph R. Koberling, Jr. (1900–1990), architect
- Charles Page (1860–1926), philanthropist and founder of Sand Springs
- Leon B. Senter (1889–1965), architect
- William Angie Smith (1894–1974), Methodist Bishop of Oklahoma
- Mother Grace Tucker (1919–2012), pastor and philanthropist
- Gordon Todd Skinner, drug dealer and convicted kidnapper[35]
- Robert and Michael Bever, American brothers who were convicted of murdering their parents and 3 siblings.[36]
References
[edit]- ^ "Abagnale & Associates (based in Tulsa)". Abagnale & Associates. Archived from the original on May 15, 2007. Retrieved May 20, 2007.
- ^ "The Richest Man You've Never Heard Of". Inc.com. Retrieved September 16, 2007.
- ^ "About Bill Bartmann". Archived from the original on September 10, 2007. Retrieved September 16, 2007.
- ^ Whitman, Alden (June 6, 1976). "J. Paul Getty dead at 83; amassed billions from oil". The New York Times. Retrieved September 6, 2008.
- ^ "Gilcrease Museum History". Archived from the original on December 16, 2007. Retrieved September 16, 2007.
- ^ "Forbes's The World's Richest People". Forbes. Retrieved September 16, 2007.
- ^ "Academy of Achievement Biography". Archived from the original on February 13, 1997. Retrieved September 16, 2007.
- ^ a b [1]
- ^ "Danny Cowley: Portsmouth appoint former Huddersfield Town and Lincoln City boss". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Archived from the original on September 25, 2015.
- ^ "Archives". Los Angeles Times. August 18, 1986.
- ^ "Life and Times of Garth Brooks". Planetgarth.com. Retrieved September 17, 2007.
- ^ "JJ Cale Biography on Yahoo! Music". Music.yahoo.com. Retrieved September 17, 2007.
- ^ "Rodney Carrington :: Rodney ::: KING OF THE MOUNTAINS". Archived from the original on December 18, 2007. Retrieved April 20, 2008.
- ^ "Chuck Cissel Biography". Soultracks.com. May 5, 2007. Retrieved September 17, 2007.
- ^ "Joe Diffie Biography". Starpulse.com. Retrieved September 17, 2007.
- ^ "Brooks & Dunn Bio". Tv.com. Retrieved September 17, 2007.
- ^ Karen Shade, "Finding Annie", Tulsa World, August 13, 2009 (pay site).
- ^ Gary Hizer, "Big New Voice", Urban Tulsa Weekly, May 9, 2007.
- ^ "Scott Ellison Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic. Retrieved August 28, 2022.
- ^ David Gates Retrieved 24 November 2022
- ^ Singer Gus Hardin Killed in Accident. TulsaWorld.com (February 18, 1996). Retrieved 26 November 2022
- ^ Forbes, Elizabeth (2001). "Johns, William". Grove Music Online. Retrieved 26 October 2015 (subscription required for full access).
- ^ "Hardie Avenue Artist Profile - Biography And Discography". New Release Today. Retrieved January 29, 2024.
- ^ Leon Russell Retrieved 21 November 2022
- ^ Flash Terry Retrieved 26 November 2022
- ^ Barone, Michael; Ujifusa, Grant (1987). The Almanac of American Politics 1988. National Journal. p. 794.
- ^ Stanley, Tim. "Mildred Ladner Thompson 1918–2013: Former Tulsa World columnist witnessed history". Tulsa World. Retrieved July 16, 2013.
- ^ "Sterlin Harjo | Granfalloon". Archived from the original on May 28, 2014. Retrieved May 26, 2014.
- ^ "Globetrotting tales," Tulsa World, June 25, 2008. (Haynes grew up in Sand Springs.)
- ^ "Tommy Hanson Stats". Baseball Almanac. Retrieved December 3, 2012.
- ^ "Team USA: Patrick Callan". TeamUSA.org. Retrieved July 24, 2021.
- ^ "A Faithful Secret". tribunedigital-chicagotribune.
- ^ "KRMG Event Guide for 2006 Miss America". Archived from the original on November 13, 2006. Retrieved September 17, 2007.
- ^ Jim Gabbert, "5 Buildings by John Duncan Forsyth", Preservation Oklahoma News, July 2006, p.5.
- ^ "Subterranean Psychonaut | This Land Press - Made by You and Me". thislandpress.com. Retrieved January 18, 2024.
- ^ Smith, Alexander (July 23, 2015). "Five Found Dead in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma; Two Teen Relatives Detained". NBC News.
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