List of people from Raleigh, North Carolina

This is a list of people who were born in, lived in, or are closely associated with Raleigh, North Carolina.

Academia

• Carrie Lougee Broughton (1879–1957), librarian and first female State Librarian
• John Chavis (1763–1838), African-American educator and theologian; early integrationist (Raleigh's Chavis Park is named for him)
• Anna J. Cooper (1858–1964), author, educator and scholar; fourth African-American woman to earn doctoral degree (in 1924)
• Phillip Griffiths, mathematician, known for his work in the field of geometry
• John E. Ivey, Jr., educator and founder of Southern Regional Education Board; co-creator of Peace Corps
• Daniel McFadden, economist
• Michael Munger, economist, Duke University political science professor
• Mary Jane Patterson, first African-American woman to receive a Bachelor of Arts degree
• Tom Regan, philosopher and animal-rights advocate
• Vermont C. Royster (1914–1996), managing editor of Wall Street Journal, Pulitzer Prize winner, recipient of Presidential Medal of Freedom
• James E. Shepard, pharmacist, civil servant and educator; founder of what would become North Carolina Central University
• Blake R. Van Leer, university president, dean of NC State University, inventor and civil rights advocate
• James W. York, mathematical physicist; recipient of Dannie Heineman Prize for Mathematical Physics from American Physical Society

Arts

• Juliana Royster Busbee (died 1962) and Jaques Busbee (died 1947), artists and founders of Jugtown Pottery
• Ariana DeBose, actor and dancer
• Paul Friedrich, visual artist and cartoonist
• Isabelle Bowen Henderson (1899–1969), painter and floriculturist
• Herb Jackson, painter
• Renaldo Kuhler, scientific illustrator for the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences
• Rachel Nabors, gURL.com graphic designer
• Martha Nichols, choreographer and dance instructor
• Hunter Schafer, model and actress
• Mel Tomlinson, ballet and modern dancer
• Lea Ved, dancer and choreographer

Athletes

• Nazmi Albadawi, soccer player
• Loy Allen Jr., NASCAR Cup Series driver
• Chris Archer, MLB pitcher for Pittsburgh Pirates
• Hannah Aspden, youngest swimmer on Team USA to medal at either the Olympics or Paralympics in 2016
• John Baker Jr. (1935–2007), National Football League athlete and longtime Wake County sheriff
• Scott Bankhead, MLB player and pitcher for Team USA in the 1984 Olympic Games
• Darrius Barnes, soccer player
• Bates Battaglia, NHL player, played for Carolina Hurricanes 1997–2003
• Braxton Berrios, NFL wide receiver
• Rod Brind'Amour, NHL player, former Carolina Hurricanes player and current head coach
• Clark Brisson, soccer player
• Bucky Brooks, former NFL athlete
• Evan Brown, soccer player
• Willie Burden, professional Canadian football player with Calgary Stampeders of Canadian Football League
• Juston Burris, NFL safety
• Everett Case (1900–1966), NC State University men's basketball coach, member of N.C. Sports Hall of Fame and College Basketball Hall of Fame
• Isadora Cerullo, Olympic rugby player for Brazil; graduated from Enloe High School
• Bill Cowher, former professional American football coach and player
• Ike Delock, Major League Baseball player
• Randy Denton, NBA player
• James L. Dickey III (born 1996), basketball player for Hapoel Haifa of the Israeli Basketball Premier League
• Donald Evans, former NFL defensive end
• David Fox, Olympic gold medalist in swimming
• Ron Francis, NHL player (Carolina Hurricanes) 1998–2004, member of Hockey Hall of Fame
• Jeff Galloway, Olympic long-distance runner and author
• Justin Gatlin, Olympic sprinter
• Michael Gracz, professional poker player
• T. J. Graham, NFL wide receiver with New York Jets
• Brian Gutekunst, general manager of the Green Bay Packers
• Chesson Hadley, professional golfer
• Josh Hamilton, Major League Baseball player
• Hardy Boyz, Matt Hardy and Jeff Hardy, professional wrestlers
• Antwan Harris, NFL player for New England Patriots' Super Bowl team
• Leroy Harris, NFL player for Tennessee Titans
• Bret Hedican, NHL player, played for Carolina Hurricanes 2001–2008
• Gregory Helms, professional wrestler with WWE
• Anne Henning, Olympic speed skater, 1972 gold and bronze medalist
• Ryan Jeffers, MLB player
• Curt Johnson, professional soccer player
• Marion Jones, disgraced Olympic track athlete
• Craig Keith, NFL player
• Chad Larose, NHL player, played for Carolina Hurricanes 2005–2013
• Roy Lassiter, professional soccer player for D.C. United and United States men's national soccer team
• Pete Maravich (1947–1988), Hall of Fame basketball player; attended high school in Raleigh
• Bruce Matthews, former NFL player for Tennessee Titans; 14-time Pro Bowl participant, Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee
• Daniel McCullers, NFL defensive lineman
• Nate McMillan, NBA player and head coach of Atlanta Hawks
• Richard Medlin, NFL player
• Ben Youssef Meite, sprinter, 3-time African champion in 100m
• Jackie Moreland (1938–1971), pro basketball player
• Kevin "PPMD" Nanney, professional Super Smash Bros. player
• Chuck Nevitt, NBA player
• Caleb Norkus, professional soccer player
• Bob Perryman, NFL player for New England Patriots and Denver Broncos
• Brandon Phillips, second baseman for Atlanta Braves, Cincinnati Reds
• Landon Powell, MLB player (Oakland Athletics)
• Shavlik Randolph, former professional basketball player
• Greg Raymer, professional poker player
• Shawan Robinson, professional basketball player with Newcastle Eagles in the British Basketball League
• Randolph Ross, track athlete, 2020 Olympic gold medalist in the 4x400m relay
• Anthony Rush, NFL player for the Atlanta Falcons
• Paul Shuey, MLB pitcher
• Webb Simpson, PGA Tour golfer
• Isaiah Todd, NBA G-League player
• Leigh Torrence, NFL player with Washington Redskins
• P. J. Tucker (born 1985), NBA player for the New York Knicks and 2008 Israeli Basketball Premier League MVP
• Duane Underwood Jr., professional baseball pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates
• Jim Valvano (1946–1993), NC State University men's basketball coach, 1983 NCAA champion, TV commentator
• John Wall, NBA player who last played for the Los Angeles Clippers
• Pat Watkins, MLB outfielder
• Carson Wentz, quarterback for NFL's Indianapolis Colts
• Chris Wilcox, NBA athlete
• Kristi Yamaguchi, Olympic figure skater, married to Bret Hedican
• Danny Young, NBA player
• Kay Yow (1942–2009), NC State University women's basketball coach, member of Women's Basketball Hall of Fame

Business

• Louis Bacon, hedge fund manager
• Jim Baen (1943–2006), science fiction writer; founded his own publishing house, Baen Books, in 1983
• Cliff Bleszinski, lead designer of the popular Xbox 360 game Gears of War and co-founder of Boss Key Productions
• Anderson Boyd, filmmaker
• Needham B. Broughton, printer, temperance activist, and state senator
• E. Lee Hennessee, pioneer hedge fund manager
• Richard Jenrette, chairman of U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and international philanthropist, awarded French Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur (National Order of the Legion of Honor) in 1996
• Jesse Lowe, first mayor of Omaha, Nebraska; an important real estate agent in the early city, Lowe is credited with naming the city after the Omaha Tribe
• Anand Lal Shimpi, employee of Apple Inc. and former CEO of AnandTech

Entertainment

• Tyler Barnhardt, actor
• Priscilla Block, singer
• David J. Burke, screenwriter, film and television director
• Godfrey Cheshire, film writer, director and critic, former chairman of New York Film Critics Circle Awards
• Grady Cooper, director, producer, and Emmy-nominated film editor
• Ariana DeBose, actor and dancer, West Side Story, Hamilton
• Aubrey Dollar, actress
• Caroline Dollar, actress
• Rhoda Griffis, actress
• Michael C. Hall, actor, Dexter, Six Feet Under
• Lauren Kennedy, Broadway actress and singer
• Sharon Lawrence, actress, NYPD Blue
• Beth Leavel, Tony award-winning Broadway actress
• LA Lloyd, nationally syndicated radio host
• Brandi Love, pornography actress
• Robert Duncan McNeill, actor, movie and TV director
• Daniella Monet, actress, singer and dancer
• Karin Muller, writer, filmmaker and photographer for National Geographic Society and National Public Radio
• Emily Procter, actress, '
• Peyton Reed, film director, Ant-Man, The Break-Up, Bring It On
• Hunter Schafer, model, actress, activist, Euphoria
• Amy Sedaris, actress, writer and satirist
• Liz Vassey, actress, '
• Reginald VelJohnson, actor, Family Matters
• Evan Rachel Wood, actress, Westworld
• Ira David Wood III, actor and local theatre director

Military

• David W. Bagley (1883–1960), admiral in the United States Navy during World War II
• Worth Bagley (1874–1898), United States Navy officer during the Spanish–American War
• Josephus Daniels (1862–1948), newspaper editor and publisher, United States Secretary of the Navy during World War I
• George A. Fisher Jr. (born 1942), former United States Army officer
• Vernon V. Haywood (1920–2003), former U.S. Army Air Force officer, combat fighter pilot/jet pilot, and commanding officer of Tuskegee Airmen's 302nd Fighter Squadron
• Oscar F. Peatross (1916–1993), major general in the United States Marine Corps and recipient of the Navy Cross
• Leonidas Polk (1806–1864), lieutenant general in the Confederate States Army, killed at the Battle of Marietta, Georgia
• Millie Dunn Veasey (1918–2018), served in the Women's Auxiliary Army Corps (WAAC) and later NAACP president of Wake County chapter

Musicians

• Ryan Adams, singer-songwriter
• Clay Aiken, singer/actor
• Jeb Bishop, jazz musician
• Dan Briggs, bassist for metal band Between the Buried and Me
• Andrew Cadima, composer
• Jason Michael Carroll, country musician
• Caitlin Cary, alternative country singer
• Travis Cherry, Grammy-nominated music producer
• Cordae, hip-hop artist
• John Custer, record producer
• Steve Dobrogosz, pianist and composer
• Robbie Fulks, alt-country singer
• Rufus Harley (1936–2006), jazz musician
• D. Kern Holoman, musicologist and conductor
• Randy Jones (born 1952), original Village People cowboy, singer/actor
• Jon Lindsay, recording artist, producer, activist
• Little Brother, rap group
• Tift Merritt, singer-songwriter
• Pee Wee Moore, jazz musician
• Mic Murphy, frontman for funk/soul group The System, moved to New York before career took off
• NGHTMRE, real name Tyler Marenyi, DJ and trap producer
• Anne-Claire Niver, singer-songwriter
• Petey Pablo, hip-hop artist
• Raleigh Rajan, composer, songwriter whose album made in collaboration with Durham Symphony and Academy-nominated singer Bombay Jayashri became an Amazon top-10 international best seller
• Kate Rhudy, folk-pop and country singer-songwriter and musician
• Blake Richardson, drummer for metal band Between the Buried and Me
• Tommy Giles Rogers, Jr., lead vocalist for heavy metal band Between the Buried and Me
• Toosii, rapper and singer
• Paul Waggoner, guitarist for metal band Between the Buried and Me
• Dustie Waring, guitarist for metal band Between the Buried and Me
• Woody Weatherman, musician

Bands and music groups

• Alesana, post-hardcore band
• American Aquarium, alternative country band
• Between the Buried and Me, progressive metal band
• Bowerbirds, freak folk band
• Chatham County Line, bluegrass band
• The Connells, 1980s indie rock band
• Corrosion of Conformity, heavy metal band
• Daylight Dies, doom metal band
• Glass Moon, 1980s progressive rock band
• The Rosebuds, indie rock band
• Selah Jubilee Singers, 1930s–40s gospel quartet
• Troop 41, hip-hop ensemble
• Whiskeytown, 1990s alternative country band

Politics and law

• William H. Bobbitt (1900–1992), former chief justice of North Carolina Supreme Court
• Alice Willson Broughton (1889–1980), former First Lady of North Carolina
• J. Melville Broughton (1888–1949), former governor of North Carolina
• Bill Campbell, two-term mayor of Atlanta
• Ralph Campbell, three-term state auditor and first African-American to hold statewide elected office in North Carolina
• Paul Coble, 36th mayor of Raleigh (2006–2014)
• Cate Edwards, attorney
• Stormie Forte, lawyer, politician, radio host, and first African-American woman and first openly LGBTQ woman to serve on the Raleigh City Council
• Jim Fulghum (1944–2014), physician and state legislator
• James H. Harris (1832–1891), African-American politician, former slave, co-founder of North Carolina Republican Party
• Winder R. Harris (1888–1973), Democratic United States Congressman
• John Haywood, statesman and the longest-serving North Carolina State Treasurer (40 years)
• William Henry Haywood, Jr. (1801–1852), early Democratic U.S. senator
• Jesse Helms (1921–2008), five-term Republican U.S. senator
• George Holding, Republican United States congressman
• Andrew Johnson (1808–1875), 17th president of the United States
• Calvin Jones (1775–1846), mayor of Raleigh, adjutant general of North Carolina, and founder of Wake Forest College
• Brad Knott, U.S. representative for North Carolina
• Joanna Saleeby Knott, golfer and businesswoman
• Joseph Thomas Knott, assistant U.S. attorney and member of the UNC Board of Governors
• I. Beverly Lake, former chief justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court
• Clarence Lightner (1921–2002), mayor (1973–1975); Raleigh's first popularly elected African-American mayor and first of any major Southern city
• Greg Murphy, physician and politician
• Frank Page (1824–1899), founder of Cary, North Carolina; lived and died in Raleigh
• Deborah Ross, U.S. representative for North Carolina
• Fred Smith, politician
• Avery C. Upchurch (1928–1994), city's longest-serving mayor of the 20th century
• Charles D. Walton (born 1948), first African American to serve in the Rhode Island Senate
• George Smedes York, 33rd mayor of Raleigh (1979–1983)
• James H. Young, African-American politician; founder and editor of Raleigh Gazette, North Carolina's first black-owned newspaper

Writers

• Edward A. Batchelor, sportswriter
• Andrew Britton (1981–2008), novelist
• Jonathan W. Daniels (1902–1981), author, editor; White House Press Secretary under presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt and Harry S. Truman
• Thomas Dixon, Jr. (1864–1946), novelist, playwright, minister and statesman
• Elliot Engel, writer, dramatist, lecturer, and academic
• Charles Frazier, novelist, author of Cold Mountain
• Kaye Gibbons, writer
• Mary Robinette Kowal, author
• Eleanor Frances Lattimore, children's writer and illustrator
• Dorianne Laux, poet
• Armistead Maupin, writer
• Mary Lambeth Moore, novelist and podcaster
• Frances Gray Patton (1906–2000), writer, first woman to enroll at University of North Carolina
• Lawson A. Scruggs, early African-American physician in North Carolina and noted publisher of biographies on African-American women
• David Sedaris, author, humorist and satirist
• Lee Smith, writer
• Jan Cox Speas, author and novelist
• Julia Montgomery Street (1898–1993), children's author and playwright

Other

• Jennifer Berry, Miss America 2006 from Oklahoma
• Bob Caudle, longtime WRAL news personality and host of Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling, later headed the Raleigh constituent office of U.S. Senator Jesse Helms
• John Anthony Copeland, Jr. (1834–1859), freed slave, abolitionist and political activist
• James A. Forbes, evangelist preacher, radio host
• William Clyde Gibson, serial killer on death row in Indiana
• T. Adelaide Goodno, president, North Carolina Woman's Christian Temperance Union
• Jacob Johnson, father of U.S. president Andrew Johnson
• Cornelia Alice Norris, socialite and genealogist
• Ray Price, motorcyclist
• Olivia Raney, church organist
• Jacob Tobia, LGBTQ activist
• John P. Turner, African-American physician, surgeon, hospital administrator, and educator
• Max Yergan, African-American activist, first black college faculty member hired in state of New York

References