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Famous Oklahomans

Oklahoma has been home to a number of trailblazers. Our citizens have contributed to every field of work and left an indelible mark on our country and our world. Below is a partial list of individuals who were born, raised or became famous in Oklahoma.

* Notes individuals from or with connections to the Fourth District of Oklahoma

Native Americans

Quanah Parker - Quahadi Comanche Indians' final chief *
Geronimo - Chiricahua Apache leader and famous fighter *
Te Ata Fisher - Chickasaw story teller and performer *
Wilma Mankiller - first primary female chief of the Cherokee Nation
Maria Tallchief - world renowned ballerina

Arts/Communication

William Boyd - actor
Chuck Norris - actor and martial artist *
Gene Autry - actor and musician
Dale Robertson - actor
Joan Crawford - Academy Award winning actress *
Ron Howard - actor, producer, and director *
Brad Pitt - actor
Bill Hader - comedian
Dan Rowan - television host
Tony Randall - Emmy Award winning actor
Rue McClanahan - Emmy Award winning actress *
Will Rogers - cowboy, comedian, and actor
Paul Harvey - radio commentator
Walter Cronkite - television journalist
Mary Hart - television personality
James Garner - actor *
Ben Johnson - Academy Award winning actor
Ralph Ellison - writer
Bill Wallace - writer *
John Hope Franklin - historian and writer
Olivia Munn - actress
James Marsdan - actor
Cleavon Little - actor*

Political/Military Figures

Jeane Kirkpatrick - U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations *
Carl Albert - Served as Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives *
Joseph J. Clark - U.S. Navy Admiral, first Native American to graduate from the Naval Academy
Daniel Patrick Moynihan - U.S. Senator, Ambassador to India, Ambassador to the United Nations
General Tommy Franks - Commander of U.S. Forces in Iraq/Afghanistan *
Admiral William Crowe - former Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff and U.S. Ambassador to the United Kingdom *
Bo Gritz - Green Beret officer during Vietnam War
J.C. Watts - former OU quarterback, former Oklahoma Congressman *
General James D. Thurman - U.S Army General, former Commander of the United Nations Command, 18th Commanding General of United States V Corps
Don Nickles - Former U.S. Senate Majority Whip

Athletics

Jim Thorpe - gold medal Olympian, pro football and MLB player, Sac & Fox Indian *
Johnny Bench - Cincinnati Reds player, member Baseball Hall of Fame
Henry Iba - basketball coach, Basketball Hall of Fame
Bart Conner - gold medal Olympian in gymnastics *
Lee Roy Selman - OU player, Football Hall of Fame inductee
Warren Spahn - baseball player, Baseball Hall of Fame
Joe Carter - MLB player
Joe Don Looney - Cameron and OU player, NFL *
Darrell Porter - MLB player
Gil Morgan - pro golfer
Sam Bradford - quarterback for OU Sooners *
Jason White - former quarterback for OU Sooners *
Steve Largent - Seattle Seahawks, Pro Football Hall of Fame, and politician
Barry Sanders - OSU Cowboys Heisman Trophy winner, Football Hall of Fame
Shannon Miller - gold medal Olympian in gymnastics
Steve Owens - OU Sooners football player and 1969 Heisman Trophy winner *
Bob Kalsu - OU Sooners player, Buffalo Bills *
Billy Sims - running back, Detroit Lions, Heisman Trophy winner
Spencer Tillman - running back OU, sportscaster *
Brian Bosworth - OU Sooners player, NFL *
Bobby Murcer - pro basketball player, sportscaster
Darrell Royal - coach at University of Texas
Troy Aikman - quarterback, Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee
Barry Switzer - football coach, OU Sooners and Dallas Cowboys *
Bud Wilkinson - OU Sooners football coach, College Football Hall of Fame *
Mickey Mantle - New York Yankees, Baseball Hall of Fame

Music

Garth Brooks - country music artist
Blake Shelton - Ada native, country music artist / television host *
Toby Keith - Moore native, country musician *
Carrie Underwood - country singer and American Idol winner
Reba McEntire - country singer
The Flaming Lips - rock band
The All-American Rejects - rock band
Hoyt Axton - country singer *
Bob Wills - country singer
B.J. Thomas - singer
Woody Guthrie - folk singer
Vince Gill - country singer *
Lee Hazlewood - singer
Jimmy Webb - music composer
Hanson - pop-singer group
Sandi Patty - Christian music artist
Patti Page - singer
Kings of Leon - rock band

Aviation/Aeronautics

Clarence L. Tinker - commander of the U.S. Army Air Corps in the Pacific during World War II
Wiley Post - first pilot to take a solo flight around the world *
John Herrington - astronaut, Chickasaw Indian *
Owen Garriott - astronaut
Shannon Lucid - astronaut
William Pogue - astronaut
Thomas Stafford - astronaut
Gordon Cooper - astronaut

Miss America

Lauren Nelson - 2007 Miss America *
Jennifer Berry - 2006 Miss America
Shawntel Smith - 1996 Miss America
Susan Powell - 1981 Miss America
Jane Anne Jayroe - 1967 Miss America
Norma Smallwood - 1926 Miss America and the first Miss America of Native American Heritage