List of people from Asheville, North Carolina

This is a list of notable persons who were born in and/or have lived in the American city of Asheville, North Carolina.

Architecture

• Douglas Ellington (1886–1960), architect
• Rafael Guastavino (1842–1908), builder and engineer; buried at the Basilica of St. Lawrence, Asheville
• Doan Ogden (1908–1989), nationally noted landscape architect during the 20th century
• Richard Sharpe Smith (1853–1924), supervising architect of Biltmore Estate

Art

• Murphy Anderson (1926–2015), comics artist
• James Barnhill (born 1955), artist and sculptor
• Andrea Clark (1945–2025), photographer
• Evan Dahm (born 1987), webcomic creator
• James Daugherty (1889–1974), modernist painter, muralist, children's book author and illustrator
• Spencer Herr (born 1974), artist
• Hope Larson (born 1982), Eisner Award-winning illustrator, cartoonist, and author of graphic novels Salamander Dream and Chiggers
• Greg London (born 1966), musician Las Vegas headliner
• George Masa (1881–1933), professional large-format photographer
• Kenneth Noland (1924–2010), abstract painter, one of the best-known American Color Field painters
• Isaiah Rice (1917–1980), documentary photographer
• Stone Roberts (born 1951), painter
• Donald Sultan (born 1951), painter, sculptor, and printmaker
• George Washington Vanderbilt II (1862–1914), art collector, founder of the Biltmore Estate

Business

• George Henry Vanderbilt Cecil, owner and chairman of Biltmore Farms
• William Amherst Vanderbilt Cecil, operator of the Biltmore Estate through his company, The Biltmore Company
• John Fleer, chef, cookbook author, and restaurateur
• Edwin Wiley Grove (1850–1927), patent medicine inventor, builder and owner of the Grove Park Inn
• Howard Kester (1904–1977), author and organizer of the Southern Tenant Farmers Union
• Howard W. Mattson, executive vice president of the Institute of Food Technologists and director of corporate public relations for Monsanto Company
• George Willis Pack, lumberman, philanthropist, and railroad president
• Irving Jacob Reuter, general manager and president of Oldsmobile
• Fred L. Seely, built the Grove Park Inn with his father-in-law Edwin Wiley Grove
• Ashleigh Shanti, chef
• David Webb (1925–1975), jeweler and founder of the David Webb company
• George Francis Willis, founder of International Proprietaries, Inc., who made a fortune selling a patent medicine called Tanlac

Education

• Elizabeth Barnes, professor of philosophy at the Corcoran Department of Philosophy, University of Virginia
• Rebel A. Cole, professor of finance in the College of Business at Florida Atlantic University
• Jane Sherron De Hart (born 1936), feminist historian and women's studies academic
• Sarah Ann Douglas, professor of computer and information science and a member of the Computational Science Institute at the University of Oregon
• Edythe J. Gaines (1922–2006), educator and school superintendent
• Matthew Hughey, professor of sociology at the University of Connecticut
• R. P. Hunnicutt, one of the founders of the U.S. Army Ordnance Museum at Aberdeen Proving Ground and historian
• Kenneth Lieberthal, professor and political scientist known as an expert on China's elite politics
• Edward Hart Lipscombe, professor at Shaw University
• Robert Allen Phillips, professor in Business Ethics and Professor of Strategic Management and Public Policy at the Schulich School of Business; York University
• Emily Wheelock Reed, director of the Alabama Public Library Service Division during the civil rights movement
• John Andrew Rice, founder and first rector of Black Mountain College
• Debbie Ricker (born 1965), reproductive biologist and interim president of Hood College
• Richard M. Weaver, scholar who taught English at the University of Chicago
• Luigi Zande, stonemason, educator, and builder who contributed to the settlement school movement of the early 20th century

Entertainment

• Harry Anderson (1952–2018), actor, starred in NBC's Night Court
• Clint Basinger (born 1986), YouTuber
• Ira Bernstein, dancer and teacher
• Mark Boswell (born 1960), film director
• Joe Bowman (1925–2009), bootmaker and marksman of American West entertainment; grew up in Asheville but left for Houston, Texas, in 1937
• Chris Chalk, television, film, and theater actor, born in Asheville and graduated from Asheville High School
• Jim David, stand-up comedian and playwright, both in Asheville
• Jim Eason (born 1935), radio talk show host
• Jennifer Ehle, actress
• Maria Fletcher (born 1942), Miss America 1962
• Eileen Fulton (born 1933), actress, starred on the CBS soap As the World Turns, 1960–2010; born in Asheville
• Joel Goffin (born 1981), film composer, music producer
• Perla Haney-Jardine (born 1997), actress
• Dorothy Hart (1922–2004), screen actress, known mostly for supporting roles
• William S. Hart (1864–1946), cowboy actor in early Hollywood; resided in Asheville around 1900 and coached shows at the Asheville Opera House
• Shirley Hemphill (1947–1999), stand-up comedian and actress, best known for What's Happening!!, 1976–79
• Alina María Hernández, better known in the entertainment world as "Cachita", Cuban transgender television actress
• Charlton Heston (1923–2008), Oscar-winning actor, managed the Asheville Community Theatre with his wife Lydia in 1947
• Sam Irvin, film and television director, producer, and screenwriter
• Taras Kulakov (born 1987), YouTuber
• Daliah Lavi (1942–2017), German singer who lived the last 27 years of her life in Asheville
• Barbara Loden, actress and director of film and theater
• Stephen Andrew Lynch, early motion picture industry pioneer
• Andie MacDowell (born 1958), actress, lived for several years in Biltmore Forest, a suburb of Asheville
• Sierra McCormick (born 1997), actress
• Caelynn Miller-Keyes, television personality, model, and beauty pageant titleholder
• Caleb Pressley (born 1992), blogger, podcaster, and interviewer for the sports and pop culture blog Barstool Sports
• Margaret Qualley, actress
• Marjorie Rambeau (1889–1970), Hollywood actress; was married to Francis A. Gudger, a resident of Asheville; resided in Asheville in the winter from 1932 to the mid-1940s
• Adam Reed (born 1970), voice actor, animator, screenwriter, television producer and television director
• Chase Rice, country music singer, songwriter, and contestant on '
• Eric Rosen, theater director and playwright
• Paul Schneider (born 1976), actor
• Angela Shelton (born 1972), actress and producer
• Drew Starkey (born 1993), actor, Outer Banks
• Threadbanger, YouTube DIY duo consisting of Corinne Leigh and Rob Czar, who reside and own an art gallery in Asheville
• Duncan Trussell (born 1974), actor and comedian
• Bellamy Young (born 1970), actress, co-star of television series Scandal; born and raised in Asheville
• Collier Young, film and television writer and producer

Government

• Lewis M. Branscomb, head of the National Bureau of Standards
• Moe Davis, director of the Air Force Judiciary
• Julius Patton, superintendent of the Dahlonega Mint
• Reuben B. Robertson Jr., United States Deputy Secretary of Defense
• William J. Trent, part of U.S. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt's Black Cabinet, serving as adviser on Negro Affairs

Law

• Fred H. Caplan, former justice of the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia
• Judy Clarke, criminal defense attorney
• Harry Martin, associate justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court

Literature and journalism

• Edward Johnston Alexander, author known by the pen name Katie Gallagher
• Sarah Addison Allen, New York Times bestselling author
• Alfred Horatio Belo, founder of The Dallas Morning News
• Ruth and Latrobe Carroll (1899–1999; 1894–1996), children's authors and illustrators
• Nancy Sales Cash, novelist
• Andrea Long Chu, writer and critic
• C. A. Conrad (born 1966), poet and author
• Olive Tilford Dargan (1869–1968), proletarian novelist of the 1930s under the pen name Fielding Burke
• Gavin Geoffrey Dillard, poet, author, and songwriter
• Pamela Duncan, novelist
• Wilma Dykeman (1920–2006), author
• John Ehle (1925–2018), author
• Zelda Fitzgerald (1900–1948), writer and wife of F. Scott Fitzgerald; died in a fire with eight other women at Highland Hospital, an Asheville mental institution in the Montford district
• Charles Frazier (born 1950), author
• Gail Godwin (born 1937), novelist, spent her early years in Asheville
• Ward Greene, writer, editor, journalist, playwright, and comic strip writer
• O. Henry (1862–1910), pen name of author William Sydney Porter; lived for a while in Asheville and is buried in Riverside Cemetery
• Denise Kiernan, journalist, producer and author
• Horatio Sheafe Krans, writer and editor
• Michael McFee, poet
• Berniece Baker Miracle (1919–2014), writer and half-sister of Marilyn Monroe
• William Dudley Pelley, fascist activist, journalist, writer and occultist
• Stephanie Perkins, novelist
• Marisha Pessl, novelist
• Terry Roberts, novelist and writer
• Jonathan Williams (1908–1929), poet and publisher
• Michael G. Williams, novelist
• Allan Wolf, poet and young adult author
• Thomas Wolfe (1900–1938), author, born and raised in Asheville, buried in Riverside Cemetery

Medicine and science

• Dorothy Hansine Andersen, physician; first person to identify cystic fibrosis; inducted into National Women's Hall of Fame in 2002 for scientific work
• Elizabeth Blackwell (1821–1910), the first recognized woman doctor in the United States
• Lena Northern Buckner, pioneer in social work at the Oteen Veterans Administration Hospital
• Betty Collette, veterinary pathologist
• John E. Exner, psychologist
• William Glenn, cardiac surgeon who co-created an early version of an artificial heart
• Madelon Battle Hancock, nurse during World War I and the "most decorated woman of World War One"
• J. Larry Jameson, interim president of University of Pennsylvania
• Howard W. Mattson

Military

• Donald V. Bennett (1915–2005), former commanding general of the US Army Pacific Command
• Kathleen M. Gainey (born 1956), retired US Army lieutenant general
• Hugh B. Hester (1895–1983), retired Army general who opposed the Vietnam War and the Cold War
• Dorothy Swain Lewis, aviator who trained Navy pilots and flew with the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) program during World War II
• Homer I. Lewis, major general in the United States Air Force who served as commander of the United States Air Force Reserve Command
• Robert Morgan (1918–2004), pilot of the Memphis Belle, the famed World War II B-17 bomber
• Kiffin Rockwell (1892–1916), aviator; pilot in the Lafayette Escadrille; first American to shoot down an enemy aircraft
• John E. Sloan (1887–1972), US Army major general, commanded 88th Infantry Division in World War II
• Francis Bowditch Wilby, major general in the United States Army who served as the 39th Superintendent of the United States Military Academy
• Zachary Taylor Wood (1860–1915), assistant commissioner of North-West Mounted Police and commissioner of Yukon Territory
• Robert Nicholas Young, lieutenant general in the United States Army

Musicians

• Eric Bachmann, musician and producer
• Noah Bendix-Balgley, classical violinist
• Lisa Bevill (born 1961), contemporary Christian musician
• Greg Cartwright (born 1970), rock musician; relocated to Asheville
• Luke Combs (born 1990), country music singer-songwriter, graduated from A.C. Reynolds High School
• Indigo De Souza (born 1997), musician
• Jermaine Dupri (born 1972), rapper
• Backwards Sam Firk (1943–2007), country blues singer, fingerstyle guitarist, songwriter, and record collector
• Roberta Flack (1937–2025), Grammy Award-winning singer, born in Asheville
• Sallie Ford, of Sallie Ford and the Sound Outside, singer
• Rayna Gellert (born 1975), fiddler, acoustic guitarist, singer, and songwriter specializing in old-time music
• River Guerguerian, multi-percussionist and composer
• Ash Gutierrez (born 2005), musician, rapper
• Talib Rasul Hakim (1940–1988), composer
• Warren Haynes (born 1960), guitarist, member of The Allman Brothers Band, spent formative years in Asheville
• Steven Heller, composer and producer
• Malcolm Holcombe (1955–2024), singer-songwriter
• David Holt (born 1946), folk musician, lives near Asheville
• Don Howland, underground musician
• Caleb Johnson (born 1991), American Idol Season 13 winner
• Billy Jonas, singer-songwriter, percussionist, and multi-instrumentalist
• Gary Jules (born 1969), singer-songwriter, known for their rendition of "Mad World" for the film Donnie Darko
• Christine Kane, folk singer-songwriter and acoustic guitarist
• Bascom Lamar Lunsford (1882–1973), folklorist, musician, folk festival founder
• Mary Lattimore (born 1980), harpist
• MJ Lenderman (born 1999), singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist
• Valorie Miller, singer-songwriter
• Bill Monroe (1911–1996), musician, known as "the father of bluegrass"; lived in Asheville; had a show on a local radio station in 1939
• Robert Moog (1934–2005), pioneer of electronic music, inventor of the Moog synthesizer
• Cameron Moore (born 1994), singer-songwriter
• Rex Nelon (1932–2000), gospel singer
• Frances Nero (1943–2014), soul and jazz singer
• Angel Olsen (born 1987), musician
• Squire Parsons (born 1948), singer and songwriter
• Rainey Qualley (born 1989), singer under the name Rainsford
• Tyler Ramsey, singer-songwriter
• Chase Rice (born 1985) country music singer, songwriter, and contestant on ',
• Jimmie Rodgers, singer, known as "the father of country music"; lived in Asheville; had a show on a local radio station in 1927
• Chris Rodrigues (born 1989), contemporary Christian music singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist
• Jonathan Scales (born 1984), steel pannist and composer
• Chris Sharp (born 1973), singer-songwriter
• Nina Simone (1933–2003), jazz singer, attended Allen Home School for Girls in Asheville
• Arthur Lee "Red" Smiley (1925–1972), bluegrass and country musician
• Root Boy Slim, aka Foster Mackenzie III (1945–1993), blues musician
• Moses Sumney (born 1992), singer-songwriter
• Bryan Sutton, flatpicking acoustic guitar player
• John Widman, luthier who makes high-end, hand-built guitars
• David Wilcox (born 1958), folk musician and singer-songwriter
• Kat Williams, blues singer

Politics

• Terry Bellamy, mayor of Asheville
• Cecil Bothwell, Asheville City Council
• Charles Robin Britt, United States House of Representatives
• William Jennings Bryan (1860–1925), United States Secretary of State and U.S. House of Representatives
• Alice A. W. Cadwallader (1832–1910), philanthropist and temperance activist
• Madison Cawthorn (born 1995), U.S. House of Representatives
• Mark B. Childress (born 1959), former United States ambassador to Tanzania and former deputy chief of staff for Planning in the administration of President Obama
• R. L. Clark, North Carolina Senate
• James M. Clarke, United States House of Representatives
• Lillian Exum Clement, first woman elected to the North Carolina General Assembly
• Marie Colton (1922–2018), first female speaker pro tempore of the North Carolina House of Representatives
• H. K. Edgerton (1948–2026), neoconfederate activist and president of the Asheville, North Carolina chapter of the NAACP
• Joe Felmet, civil rights activist
• Susan C. Fisher, North Carolina House of Representatives
• D. Bruce Goforth, North Carolina House of Representatives
• V. Lamar Gudger, United States House of Representatives
• Bill Hendon (1944–2018), author, POW/MIA activist, and two-term U.S. congressman from North Carolina
• Patricia Hollingsworth Holshouser (1939–2006), First Lady of North Carolina
• Herbert Hyde, North Carolina Senate and North Carolina House of Representatives
• Bill Jackson, Georgia State Senate and Georgia House of Representatives
• Horace R. Kornegay, U.S. House of Representatives
• Helen Morris Lewis, suffragist, first woman in North Carolina to seek elected office
• Esther Manheimer, mayor of Asheville
• Julie Mayfield, North Carolina Senate
• Floyd McKissick, lawyer and civil rights activist who led the Congress of Racial Equality for a time and founded Soul City, North Carolina
• Dan K. Moore (1906–1986), 66th governor of North Carolina 1965–1969
• Martin Nesbitt, North Carolina Senate
• Mary Cordell Nesbitt (1911–1979), served in the North Carolina House of Representatives
• Leonard Outerbridge, lieutenant governor of Newfoundland
• Richmond Pearson, U.S. House of Representatives
• William Dudley Pelley (1890–1965), leader of the "Silver Shirt" fascist movement in the 1930s and 1940s
• Loula Roberts Platt (1863–1934), suffragist and first woman to run for a seat in the North Carolina Senate
• Lindsey Prather, North Carolina House of Representatives
• J. E. Rankin (1845–1928), mayor of Asheville and chair of the Buncombe County Commissioners for 26 years
• James W. Reid (1917–1972), served as the mayor of Raleigh, North Carolina
• Robert R. Reynolds (1884–1963), U.S. senator of isolationist sympathies in World War II
• Michael Robinson (1924–2006), American Reform rabbi and civil rights activist
• Jim Roddey, chief executive of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania
• Caleb Rudow, North Carolina House of Representatives
• Thomas A. Rymer, Maryland House of Delegates and judge of the Calvert County Circuit Court
• Wilma M. Sherrill, North Carolina General Assembly
• George A. Shuford, U.S. House of Representatives and North Carolina House of Representatives
• Charles Manly Stedman, U.S. House of Representatives and lieutenant governor of North Carolina
• John Shorter Stevens, North Carolina House of Representatives
• Brian Turner, North Carolina House of Representatives

• Joseph Tydings (1928–2018), lawyer and politician
• Terry Van Duyn, North Carolina Senate
• Robert Brank Vance, U.S. House of Representatives
• Zebulon Vance, governor of North Carolina and United States senator
• Lewis B. Whitworth, Florida House of Representatives and Miami-Dade County circuit court judge
• William Winkenwerder Jr. (born 1954), assistant secretary of Defense for Health Affairs (2001–2007)

Religion

• Kevin S. Brown, bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Delaware
• Franklin Graham, Christian evangelist and missionary
• George Way Harley, Methodist medical missionary
• Lewis Pease, Methodist clergyman
• Michael Robinson, reform rabbi, civil rights activist, and human rights activist known for his association with Martin Luther King Jr.
• G. Porter Taylor, Episcopal bishop of Western North Carolina

Sports

Baseball

• Jack Alexander, minor league baseball player and college football coach
• Tom Bradley, professional baseball player and coach
• Bob Chakales, professional baseball player
• Dave Cheadle, professional baseball player
• Harry Courtney, professional baseball and football player
• Braxton Davidson, professional baseball players
• Darren Holmes (born 1966), MLB player for eight teams
• Mel Ingram, professional baseball player
• Hughie Jennings (1869–1928), Major League Baseball player and manager, 1891–1925
• Johnny Lanning, professional baseball players
• Cameron Maybin (born 1987), Major League Baseball player with Los Angeles Angels; born and raised in Asheville
• Larry McCall, professional baseball player
• Joel McKeithan, professional baseball coach
• Dorothy Montgomery (1924–2009), All-American Girls Professional Baseball League player
• Chris Narveson (born 1981), MLB pitcher
• Buck Redfern, professional baseball player
• Mike Roberts, professional baseball player and college baseball coach
• Sammy Stewart, professional baseball player
• Don Thompson (1923–2009), Major League Baseball player for the Brooklyn Dodgers
• Joe West (born 1952), MLB umpire for record-breaking 40 seasons
• Pete Whisenant, professional baseball player

Basketball

• Brad Daugherty (born 1965), retired NBA basketball player, 5-time All-Star, ESPN NASCAR analyst
• Harry Hartsell, head football and basketball coach at North Carolina State University
• Loyd King (born 1949), professional basketball player
• Henry Logan, college basketball player who won the gold medal in the 1967 Pan American Games
• Rhonda Mapp (born 1969), WNBA player
• Rashad McCants (born 1984), NBA basketball player for Minnesota Timberwolves and Sacramento Kings; former Erwin High School basketball player
• Rashanda McCants (born 1986), WNBA player
• Christian Moody, college and professional basketball player
• Buzz Peterson (born 1963), former director of player personnel for NBA's Charlotte Bobcats; former men's head basketball coach at UNC Wilmington, University of Tennessee, Appalachian State University, University of Tulsa, and Coastal Carolina University; born and raised in Asheville
• Roy Williams (born 1950), University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill basketball coach, raised in Asheville

Football

• LeRoy Abernethy, college football player
• Jack Alexander, college football coach and minor league baseball player
• John Avery (born 1976), football player in NFL, XFL, and CFL; attended Asheville High School
• Kent Briggs, college football coach
• Crezdon Butler (born 1987), NFL cornerback for Pittsburgh Steelers; born and raised in Asheville; led Asheville High School to 2006 state championship
• Joey Clinkscales, professional football player and executive
• Harry Courtney, professional football and baseball player
• Jonathan Crompton, professional football player
• Rico Dowdle (born 1998), NFL running back
• Claude "Hoot" Gibson, professional football player
• Harry Hartsell, head football and basketball coach at North Carolina State University
• Dan Hill, college football player and All-American
• Martese Jackson, professional gridiron football player
• Ralph James, college football coach
• Ben Johnson, professional football coach
• Charlie "Choo Choo" Justice (1924–2003), professional football player
• Eku Leota, professional football player
• Leonard Little (born 1974), NFL football player with St. Louis Rams; born and raised in Asheville
• Eddie McGill, professional football player
• Harold Olson, professional football player
• Jeoffrey Pagan, professional football player
• Ray Roberts (born 1969), retired NFL player
• James Rosecrans, professional football player
• Jonathan Rush (born 1989), college football player
• Bill Russo, college football coach
• Red Sanders, college football coach
• George Stephens, college football player
• Brett Swain (born 1986), NFL player for Green Bay Packers
• Aydan White, college football player
• Johnny White, professional football player

Racing

• Jack Ingram, retired NASCAR driver
• Stephen Leicht (born 1987), NASCAR driver
• Robert Pressley (born 1959), retired NASCAR driver, born in Asheville
• Ronnie Silver (born 1951), NASCAR driver
• Roy Trantham, stock car racing driver

Soccer

• Hunter Gilstrap, professional soccer player
• Nate Torbett (born 1994), professional soccer player for Coomera Colts SC and coach

Swimming

• Mary Montgomery, swimmer
• Stephen Rerych (born 1946), Olympic gold medalist in swimming

Professional wrestling

• Karl Anderson, professional wrestler; signed to WWE
• Adam "Edge" Copeland (born 1973), professional wrestler, author, relocated to Asheville
• Eddie Golden (born 1973), professional wrestler, resides in Asheville
• Evan Golden (born 2000), professional wrestler, born and raised in Asheville
• Beth Phoenix (born 1980), real name Elizabeth Copeland; retired professional wrestler, four-time women's champion, and commentator; relocated to Asheville
• K. C. Thunder, professional wrestler, promoter and trainer
• Cash Wheeler (born 1987), real name Daniel Wheeler; professional wrestler for All Elite Wrestling; born and raised in Asheville, where he currently resides

Other

• Stacey Bentley, competitive bodybuilder
• Joe Bowman, marksman
• Matt Carpenter, ultramarathoner as a trail runner and in high altitude marathons
• Cameron Cogburn, cyclist
• Jennifer Pharr Davis (born 1982), long-distance hiker; unofficial record holder of fastest through-hike of Appalachian Trail
• Lawson Duncan (born 1964), former Grand Prix tennis tour player
• Kelly Grieve, member of the United States women's national softball team she won 2011 World Cup of Softball
• Willow Koerber, mountain biker
• Rachel Kuehn, amateur golfer
• Frank Messer, sportscaster, known for his eighteen seasons announcing New York Yankees baseball games

Other

• Cornelia Stuyvesant Vanderbilt, heiress of the Biltmore Estate

See also

• List of people from North Carolina

References