Illinois Biographies and Famous People

Famous People from Illinois

Illinois Biographies, Famous People from Illinois

Alexander McGillivray

Jane Addams (1860 - 1935) Earned a Nobel Peace Prize for her efforts in helping the inner city poor; born in Cedarville.

Black Hawk (1767 - 1838) Sauk leader who led the Indians in the black Hawk War; born near Rock Island.

Gwendolyn Brooks (1917 - 2000) The first African-American woman to win a Pulitzer Price; grew up in Chicago.

Hillary Rodham Clinton (1947 - ) Lawyer, politician, First Lady to President Bill Clinton, First Lady elected to the United States Senate; born in Chicago.

Miles Davis (1926 - 1991) Trumpeter, Composer, Bandleader, and Artist; born in Alton.

John Deere (1804 - 1886) Invented the first successful steel plow; born in Vermont lived in Grand Detour.

Walt Disney (1901 - 1966) Creator of Mickey Mouse and founder of the DisneylandŽ and Walt Disney WorldŽ Theme Parks; born in Chicago.

George Ferris (1859 - 1896) Inventor of the Ferris wheel; born in Galesburg.

Marshall Field (1834-1906) Established the Marshall Field & Company store that became the largest retail business in the world at that time; lived in Chicago.

Harrison Ford (1942 - ) Actor made famous in Star Wars and as Indiana Jones in Raiders of the Lost Ark and its sequels; born in Chicago.

Ernest Hemingway (1899 - 1961) Nobel Prize winning author; born in Oak Park.

Abraham Lincoln (1809 - 1865) The 16^th President of the United States; moved from Kentucky to New Salem at the age of 21.

Marlee Matlin (1965 - ) The youngest recipient (21) to win an Oscar for an acting role; born in Morton Grove.

Bill Murray (1950 - ) Actor made famous in Saturday Night Live and movies such as Ghostbusters and Groundhog Day; born in Evanston.

Ronald Wilson Reagan (1911 - ) The 40^th President of the United States; born in Tampico.

Carl Sandburg (1878 - 1967) Pulitzer Prize winning author of Abraham Lincoln; The War Years; born in Galesburg.

Shel Silvertstein (1932 - 1999 ) Author of childrens books such as Where the Sidewalk Ends and The Giving Tree; from Chicago.

Robin Williams (1952 - ) Actor made famous in the television show Mork and Mindy and movies such as Patch Adams and Toys; born in Chicago.

More Famous People of Illinois

Franklin Pierce Adams author, Chicago

Gillian Anderson actress, Chicago

Mary Astor actress, Quincy

Arnold O. Beckman inventor, Cullom

Jack Benny comedian, Chicago

Harry A. Blackmun jurist, Nashville

William E. Borah public official, Fairfield

Ray Bradbury author, Waukegan

William Jennings Bryan orator, politician, Salem

Edgar Rice Burroughs author, Chicago

Marvin Camras inventor, Chicago

Jennie Garth actress, Urbana

Gower Champion choreographer, Geneva

John Chancellor TV commentator, Chicago

Raymond Chandler writer, Chicago

Jimmy Connors tennis champion, East St. Louis

James Gould Cozzens author, Chicago

Cindy Crawford model, DeKalb

Richard J. Daley mayor, Chicago

John Dos Passos author, Chicago

James T. Farrell author, Chicago

Betty Friedan feminist, Peoria

Benny Goodman musician, Chicago

John Gunther author, Chicago

George E. Hale astronomer, Chicago

Dorothy Hamill ice skater, Chicago

John M. Harlan jurist, Chicago

Charlton Heston actor, Evanston

Wild Bill Hickok scout, Troy Grove

William Holden actor, O'Fallon

Rock Hudson actor, Winnetka

Burl Ives singer, Hunt City

James Jones author, Robinson

Quincy Jones composer, Chicago

Walter Kerr drama critic, Evanston

Archibald MacLeish poet, Glencoe

David Mamet playwright, Chicago

Homer Z. Martin inventor, Chicago

Stanley Mazor inventor, Chicago

Robert A. Millikan physicist, Morrison

Sherrill Milnes baritone, Downers Grove

John G. Neihardt poet, Sharpsburg

Bob Newhart actor, comedian, Chicago

Frank Norris author, Chicago

William S. Paley broadcasting executive, Chicago

Drew Pearson columnist, Evanston

Richard Pryor comedian, actor, Peoria

Lewis Hastings Sarett inventor, Champaign

Sam Shepard playwright, Fort Sheridan

William L. Shirer author, historian, Chicago

McLean Stevenson actor, Bloomington

Preston Sturges director, Chicago

Clyde W. Tombaugh astronomer, Streator

Gloria Swanson actress, Chicago

Carl Van Doren writer, educator, Hope

Melvin Van Peebles playwright, Chicago

Irving Wallace author, Chicago

Alfred Wallenstein conductor, Chicago

Raquel Welch actress, Chicago

Florenz Ziegfield theatrical producer, Chicago

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