List of people from Omaha, Nebraska

This is a list of people from Omaha, Nebraska, in the United States.

A

• Hazel Abel — politician
• Titus Adams — professional football player
• Wesley Addy — actor
• Steve Alaimo — musician, record producer
• Houston Alexander — professional MMA fighter, radio host, rapper
• Kurt Andersen — author
• Craig Anton — actor, comedian
• Adele Astaire — dancer, entertainer
• Fred Astaire — dancer, actor
• Guerin Austin — Miss Nebraska USA 2004
• Pamela Austin — actress

B

• Elaine Badgley Arnoux (née Helen Elaine Harper) — portraitist, painter, and sculptor
• Max Baer — boxer
• Byron Bailey — professional American and Canadian football player
• Letitia Baldrige — etiquette expert, Kennedy White House aide
• Rex Barney — Major League Baseball pitcher for Brooklyn Dodgers
• John Beasley — actor
• Tom Becka — radio host
• Jackson Berkey — composer, pianist, instructor
• Wade Boggs — baseball player, Hall of Famer
• Alec Bohm — Major League Baseball third baseman for Philadelphia Phillies
• Bob Boozer — National Basketball Association player and Olympic gold medalist
• Gutzon Borglum — painter, sculptor of Mount Rushmore
• James E. Boyd — mayor of Omaha, 1881–1883 and 1885–1887; seventh governor of the state of Nebraska
• L. Brent Bozell, Jr. — conservative activist and Catholic writer
• Marlon Brando — actor
• Wade Brorby — United States federal appellate judge
• Mildred D. Brown — founder of the Omaha Star
• Chris Brunt — soccer player
• Brandin Bryant — football player
• Warren Buffett — billionaire investor and philanthropist
• Mellona Moulton Butterfield — china painter, teacher

C

• Lance Cade — professional wrestler
• Lloyd Cardwell — played professional football for the Detroit Lions; coached at UNO
• Buddy Carlyle — professional baseball pitcher
• Ernie Chambers — Nebraska state senator
• Jason Christiansen — baseball pitcher
• Ozzie Cisneros — soccer player
• Joseph P. Cleland — U.S. Army major general
• Montgomery Clift — actor
• Abbie Cobb — actress
• James M. Connor — actor
• Barney Cotton — college football coach
• Terence Crawford — 5 division boxing world champion and 3 division undisputed world champion
• Edward Creighton — founder of Creighton University
• George P. Cronk — Los Angeles City Council member, 1945–52
• George Crook — US Army general
• Eric Crouch — football player, Heisman Trophy winner
• Blase J. Cupich — archbishop of the Archdiocese of Chicago

D

• Nicholas D'Agosto — television and film actor
• Alfonza W. Davis — Tuskegee Airman
• Chip Davis — musician, founder of Mannheim Steamroller
• Dick Davis — NFL player
• Brian Deegan — FMX rider
• Tom Dennison — political boss of Omaha, 1890s–1933
• Destiny — live-streamer and political commentator
• Adam Devine — actor
• Ted DiBiase — former professional wrestler and Christian minister
• Mike Donehey — lead singer of Christian rock band Tenth Avenue North
• Richard Dooling — novelist, screenwriter
• David Doyle — actor
• Jeff Draheim — film editor
• DrLupo — streamer and YouTuber
• Charles W. "Chuck" Durham — civil engineer, philanthropist, chairman emeritus of HDR, Inc

E

• Jake Ellenberger — professional MMA fighter in the UFC
• Marti Epstein — avante-garde composer
• Experience Estabrook — attorney general of Wisconsin
• G. Estabrook — opera composer; daughter of Experience Estabrook

F

• The Faint — post-punk band
• Mike Flood — U.S. representative for Nebraska
• Henry Fonda — actor
• Peter Fonda — actor
• Gerald Ford — 38th president of the United States
• Sally Fox — member of Vermont General Assembly; lawyer

G

• Jorge Garcia — actor
• Annunciata Garrotto — soprano
• Roxane Gay — writer and professor
• Bob Gibson — Baseball Hall of Fame
• Terry Goodkind — author
• Ahman Green — professional football player
• Bennett Greenspan — founder of Family Tree DNA
• Jake Guentzel — professional ice hockey player

H

• Breece Hall — NFL running back
• Tim Halperin — singer-songwriter
• Raphael Hamilton — Jesuit and professor of history at Marquette University
• Ron Hansen — author, screenwriter
• Wynonie Harris — rhythm & blues singer
• Harry Haywood — African-American Communist leader
• Jean Heather — actress
• Stuart Heintzelman — U.S. Army major general
• Gregory M. Herek — social psychologist and professor
• Nick Hexum — singer/guitarist of Omaha's 311
• Hallee Hirsh — actress
• Chris Holbert — Colorado politician
• Sarah Hollins — beauty queen and TV personality
• Dave Hoppen — NBA player
• Jeremy Horn — mixed martial arts fighter
• John Howell — NFL player
• Cathy Hughes — businesswoman; founder and president of Radio One

I

• Doug Ingle — keyboardist for Iron Butterfly

J

• Joseph R. Jelinek — U.S. Army brigadier general, deputy director of Army National Guard
• Nikko Jenkins — convicted spree killer
• Steve Jennum — mixed martial artist
• Ryan Jensen — mixed martial arts fighter
• Marc Johnson — jazz bass player
• Thomas Berger Johnson — artist, post-impressionist painter, metal sculptor and draftsman
• Simon Joyner — singer, songwriter

K

• Timothy J. Kadavy — U.S. Army major general, adjutant general of Nebraska National Guard
• Jay Karnes — actor
• Tim Kasher — singer-songwriter, Cursive and The Good Life
• Alex Kava — author
• Kenton Keith — professional football player
• Charlotte Kemp — Playboy Playmate (Miss December 1982)
• Mina Kimes — investigative journalist, ESPN magazine senior writer
• Charles Henry King — pioneer businessman
• Jaime King — actress, model
• Arlene Klasky — animator
• Chris Klein — actor
• Ed Koterba — journalist
• Jeff Koterba — editorial cartoonist, musician, author
• Jason Kreis — soccer player, coach of Real Salt Lake
• Saul Kripke — philosopher
• Swoosie Kurtz — actress

L

• Frank Purdy Lahm — U.S. Army brigadier general
• Christopher Lasch — historian, social critic
• Oudious Lee — football player
• Matty Lewis — musician, Zebrahead
• Samuel Little — serial killer
• Myra Cohn Livingston — children's poet
• Preston Love — jazz player
• Henry T. Lynch — cancer researcher and professor at Creighton University

M

• Ike Mahoney — NFL player
• Timothy Mahoney — lead guitarist of 311
• Erin McCarthy — professional ten-pin bowler, 2022 U.S. Women's Open champion
• Timothy McCoy — murder victim killed by John Wayne Gacy in 1972
• Sean McDermott — NFL head coach of Buffalo Bills
• Ed McGivern — shooter
• Dorothy McGuire — actress
• Duncan McGuire — soccer player and 2024 Olympian
• Jake Meyers — Major League Baseball outfielder and World Series champion with Houston Astros
• Andy Milder — actor
• Jay Milder — artist
• Buddy Miles — musician
• Anthony Michael Milone — Roman Catholic bishop
• Henry Monsky — attorney and communal leader
• Rowena Moore — civic and labor activist
• Carol Morris — Miss Iowa USA 1956, Miss USA 1956, Miss Universe 1956
• Gerald T. Mullin — Minnesota state legislator, lawyer, and businessman
• Frances Miller Mumaugh — painter
• Charlie Munger (1924–2023) — billionaire investor
• Fred Murree (1861–1950) — professional roller skater

N

• John Najjar — auto engineer, designed Ford Mustang
• Jim Newman — television producer
• Nick Nolte — actor

O

• Conor Oberst — singer-songwriter, Bright Eyes and Desaparecidos
• Tillie Olsen — author
• Jed Ortmeyer — professional ice hockey player
• Sono Osato — dancer and actress

P

• John W. Patterson — African-American baseball outfielder in the Negro leagues
• Justin Patton, NBA basketball player and player for Hapoel Eilat of the Israeli Basketball Premier League, first-round selection in the 2017 NBA draft
• Niles Paul — NFL receiver for the Washington Redskins
• Alexander Payne — Oscar-winning screenwriter and director
• Neal Pionk — NHL player
• Mark Pope — NBA player
• Andrew Jackson Poppleton — politician
• Scott Porter — actor
• Nathan Post — 7th and 10th governor of American Samoa
• Ron Prince — college football coach

Q

• Daniel Quinn — author

R

• Conor Riley — professional football coach
• Anne Ramsey — actress
• Andrew Rannells — actor
• James Raschke — professional wrestler known as Baron Von Raschke
• Origen D. Richardson — fourth lieutenant governor of Michigan
• Mark Richt — college football coach
• J. Joseph Ricketts — billionaire
• Matthew Ricketts — first African-American graduate from UNMC; first African-American state legislator
• Pete Ricketts — U.S. senator; former governor of Nebraska
• Thomas S. Ricketts — owner of baseball's Chicago Cubs
• Trevor Roach — football player
• Andy Roddick — professional tennis player
• Johnny Rodgers — football player, 1972 Heisman Trophy winner
• Joe Rogers — Colorado lieutenant governor
• Rainbow Rowell — author
• Darin Ruf (born 1986) — major league baseball player
• Amber Ruffin — comedian and writer
• Colden Ruggles — U.S. Army brigadier general
• Edward Ruscha — artist and photographer
• John Rutherford — U.S. representative for Florida and sheriff of Jacksonville

S

• Penny Sackett — astronomer and Chief Scientist of Australia
• Hunter Sallis — professional basketball player for the San Diego Clippers
• Symone Sanders — Democratic strategist, spokesperson for Bernie Sanders's 2016 presidential campaign
• Gale Sayers — professional football player, Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee
• Walter Scott, Jr. — billionaire
• Chad Sexton — drummer of 311
• Josephine Platner Shear — archaeologist and numismatist
• Leisa Sheridan — Playboy Playmate (Miss July 1993)
• JoJo Siwa — singer, dancer, actress, YouTuber and media personality
• Elliott Smith — singer/songwriter
• Q. Smith — musical theater actress
• Nicholas Sparks — author
• Skip Stephenson — actor and comedian from TV series Real People
• Sting — professional wrestler, real name Steve Borden
• Todd Storz — entrepreneur who introduced Top-40 radio format
• Jean Stothert — mayor of Omaha
• Mike Sullivan — 29th governor of Wyoming
• Sarah Rose Summers — Miss Nebraska USA 2018 and Miss USA 2018
• Carl A. Swanson — founder of Swanson
• Inga Swenson — actress

T

• Jerry Tagge — NFL player for the Green Bay Packers
• Khyri Thomas (born 1996) — basketball player for Maccabi Tel Aviv of the Israeli Basketball Premier League and the EuroLeague
• JT Thor — NBA player for the Charlotte Hornets and their G League affiliate the Greensboro Swarm
• Donald E. Thorin — cinematographer
• Thomas Tibbles — late 19th-century journalist and Native American rights activist
• Chris Tormey — college football coach
• Mark Traynowicz — football player
• John Trudell — poet, Native American activist, actor
• Stanley M. Truhlsen — professor and philanthropist
• Steve Turre — jazz trombonist

U

• Gabrielle Union — actress

W

• Luigi Waites — jazz drummer and vibraphonist
• Eleazer Wakeley — jurist and politician
• Chris Ware — graphic novelist
• Dan Warthen (born 1952) — major league baseball pitcher and coach
• Fee Waybill — singer/songwriter, real name John Waldo Waybill
• John Lee Webster — lawyer
• Geneice Wilcher — beauty pageant winner
• Paul Williams — singer-songwriter, actor
• Roger Williams — pianist
• Aaron Wills — bassist of 311
• Julie Wilson — singer and actress
• Bob Wiltfong — Daily Show correspondent; TED Talk presenter
• Andre Woolridge — professional basketball player
• Xavier Watts - NFL Player, Notre Dame Standout, Omaha Burke

Y

• Whitney Young — civil rights activist

X

• Malcolm X — human rights activist

Z

• Paula Zahn — news personality

See also

• List of lists about Omaha, Nebraska
• List of people from North Omaha, Nebraska
• Founding figures of Omaha, Nebraska

References