Famous People from North Carolina

Lucius Benjamin Appling (1907 - 1991) Was an American shortstop in Major League Baseball who played his entire career for the Chicago White Sox (1930-1950). He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1964. Born in High Point, NC (1190)

William Blount (1749 - 1800) First North Carolina signatory of the United States Constitution; played a major role in the creation of the State of Tennessee (Windsor. Born in Windsor, Bertie County, NC (1083)

Clyde Randall Boone (1942 - ) Is a former actor who co-starred in two of the three 90-minute westerns telecast during the 1960s on the national television networks, NBC's The Virginian and CBS's Cimarron Strip. He also guest starred three times on the third 90-minute western, Wagon Train, at the time on ABC. Born in Fayetteville, NC (1095)

Caleb Bradham (1867 - 1934) Pharmacist from New Bern, North Carolina, created the first Pepsi-Cola for dyspepsia, or indigestion. In 1902 Bradham began bottling the soft drink in the back room of his drugstore. Born in Chinquapin, NC (420)

Braxton Bragg (1817 - 1876) Was a career United States Army officer, and then a General in the Confederate States Army, and a principal commander in the Western Theater of the American Civil War. Born in Warrenton, NC (1084)

David Brinkley (1920 - 2003) Was an American newscaster for NBC and ABC in a career spanning from 1943 to 1997. Born in Wilmington, NC (1124)

Levi Coffin (1798 - 1877) Was an American Quaker, abolitionist, and businessman. Coffin was deeply involved in the Underground Railroad in Indiana and Ohio and his home is often called "Grand Central Station of the Underground Railroad". He was nicknamed "President of the Underground Railroad" because of the thousands of slaves that are reported to have passed through his care while escaping their masters. Born in Guilford County, NC (1085)

John Coltrane (1926 - 1967) Tenor and soprano saxophonist, bandleader, and composer; Known for his jazz music. Born in Hamlet, NC (415)

Howard Cosell (1918 - 1995) Born Howard William Cohen was an American sports journalist. Born in Winston-Salem, NC (1125)

Josephus Daniels (1862 - 1948) Was a newspaper editor and publisher from North Carolina who was appointed by United States President Woodrow Wilson to serve as Secretary of the Navy during World War I. He was also a close friend and supporter of President Franklin Roosevelt and served as his Ambassador to Mexico. Born in Washington, NC (1086)

Chris Daughtry (1979 - ) Is an American musician and the guitarist, songwriter, and vocalist for the band Daughtry. He was the fourth-place finalist on the fifth season of American Idol, eliminated from the competition on May 10, 2006. Born in Roanoke Rapids, NC (1120)

Elizabeth Hanford Dole (1936 - ) Secretary of Transportation (1983 - 87) and Labor (1989 - 90) and president of the American Red Cross (1990 - ). Born in Salisbury, Rowan County, NC (416)

Jennifer Ehle (1969 - ) Is a two-time Tony Award-winning British-American actress of stage and screen. She is probably best known for her starring role as Elizabeth Bennet in the 1995 mini-series Pride and Prejudice. Born in Winston-Salem, NC (1097)

Samuel James Ervin Jr. (1896 - 1985) Was a Democratic United States Senator from North Carolina from 1954 until 1974. Born in Morganton, NC (1087)

Ava Gardner (1922 - 1990) Became a Hollywood star and acted in more than 20 films by the age of 28. Born in Brogden, NC (426)

Dr.Richard Jordan Gatling (1818 - 1903) Was an American inventor best known for his invention of the Gatling gun, the first successful machine gun. Born in Hertford County, NC (1088)

Kathryn Grayson (1922 - 2010) Was an American actress and operatic soprano singer. Born in Winston-Salem, NC (1098)

Pamela Suzette Grier (1949 - ) Is an American actress. She is one of a few African American actresses to have received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress. She is one of a few African American actresses to have received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress. Is an American actress, perhaps best known for playing supporting roles both in independent and mainstream films and television. Born in Winston-Salem, NC (1099)

Rhoda Griffis (1965 - ) Is an American actress, perhaps best known for playing supporting roles both in independent and mainstream films and television. Born in Raleigh, NC (1100)

Andy Griffith (1926 - ) Actor made famous in television shows such as The Andy Griffith Show and Matlock. Born in Mount Airy, NC (417)

George Cooper Grizzard, Jr. (1928 - 2007) Was an American actor of film and stage. He appeared in more than 40 films, dozens of television programs and a number of Broadway plays. Born in Roanoke Rapids, NC (1101)

Julianna Guill (1987 - ) Is an American actress. Born in Winston-Salem, NC (1102)

Michael Carlisle Hall (1971 - ) Is an American actor whose television roles include David Fisher on the HBO drama series Six Feet Under and Dexter Morgan on the Showtime series Dexter. Born in Raleigh, NC (1103)

Edgar Latimer Hinton, Jr. (1919 - 1958) Was an American actor known particularly for guest-starring roles on television westerns. Born in Wilmington, NC (1104)

Andrew Johnson (1808 - 1875) Started his career as a tailor's apprentice in Raleigh, North Carolina and rose to lead in the reuniting of the nation as the seventeenth President of the United States. Born in Raleigh, NC (425)

Charles Kuralt (1934 - 1997) Was an award-winning American journalist. Born in Wilmington, NC (1126)

Joseph Lane (1801 - 1881) Was an American general during the Mexican-American War and a United States Senator from Oregon. Born in Buncombe County, NC (1089)

Sharon Elizabeth Lawrence (1961 - ) Is an American television actress. Born in Charlotte, NC (1106)

Herman Lay (1909 - 1982) An American businessman who became the owner of the Frito-Lay Company. Born in Charlotte, NC (421)

Beth Leavel (1955 - ) Is an American Tony Award winning, stage and screen actress. Born in Raleigh, NC (1107)

Barbara Loden (1932 - 1980) Was an American film and stage actress and film director. Born in Marion, NC (1109)

Dolley Payne Todd Madison (1768 - 1849) Was the spouse of the fourth President of the United States, James Madison, and was First Lady of the United States from 1809 to 1817. She also occasionally acted as First Lady during the administration of Thomas Jefferson, fulfilling the ceremonial functions more usually associated with the President's wife, since Jefferson was a widower. Born in Guilford County, NC (1090)

Daniel Little McFadden (1937 - ) Is an econometrician who won (jointly with James Heckman) the 2000 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences; McFadden's share of the prize was "for his development of theory and methods for analyzing discrete choice". Born in Raleigh, NC (1091)

Eddie Mills (1972 - ) Is an American actor. Eddie did a number of movies including Heartwood (1998) and Sabrina Goes to Rome (1998), probably most notable for playing Vandy in the TV drama Wasteland. Born in Kannapolis, NC (1110)

Ronnie Lee Milsap (1944 - ) Is a Grammy Award-winning American country music singer and musician. He was one of country's most popular and influential artists in the 1970s and 1980s. He became country music's first blind superstar. Born in Robbinsville, NC (1121)

Julianne Moore (1960 - ) Is an American actress. Born in Fayetteville, NC (1111)

Edward Roscoe Murrow (1908 - 1965) Was an American broadcast journalist. He first came to prominence with a series of radio news broadcasts during World War II, which were followed by millions of listeners in the United States and Canada. Born in Guilford County, NC (1127)

John Newton (1965 - ) Is an American actor. Born in Chapel Hill, NC (1112)

Lee Michael Norris (1981 - ) Is an American actor, best known for his roles as Stuart Minkus on Boy Meets World and Marvin "Mouth" McFadden on One Tree Hill. Born in Greenville, NC (1113)

Walter Hines Page (1855 - 1918) Was an American journalist, publisher, and diplomat. He was the United States ambassador to the United Kingdom during World War I. Born in Cary, NC (1092)

Kellie Dawn Pickler (1986 - ) Is an American country music artist and television personality. She gained fame as a contestant on the fifth season of the Fox reality show American Idol, eventually finishing in sixth place. Born in Albemarle, NC (1122)

James K. Polk (1795 - 1849) Eleventh President of the United States; He served from 1845-1849 and was the last strong pre-Civil War president. Born in Mecklenburg County, NC (427)

William Sydney Porter (1862 - 1910) Writer who used the pen name O. Henry; He has written over 400 short stories that are known for their wit and twist endings. Born in Greensboro, NC (423)

Chyler Leigh Potts (1982 - ) Is an American actress, perhaps best known for her portrayal of Dr. Lexie Grey on the television show Grey's Anatomy. Born in Charlotte, NC (1108)

Emily Mallory Procter (1968 - ) Is an American actress best known for her leading role as Calleigh Duquesne in CSI: Miami and her recurring role as Ainsley Hayes in The West Wing. Born in Raleigh, NC (1114)

Hiram R. Revels (1827 - 1901) Clergyman, first African American to sit in the U.S. Senate (1870 - 1871). Born in Fayetteville, Cumberland County, NC (311)

Soupy Sales (1926 - 2009) Was an American comedian, actor, radio-TV personality and host, and jazz aficionado.[ Born in Franklinton, NC (1115)

Nick Searcy (1959 - ) Is an American actor. Born in Cullowhee, NC (1116)

F. Darwin Solomon (1937 - 1998) Was an American actor known professionally as Darwin Joston (sometimes credited as Darwin Jostin during the early years of his career). Born in Winston-Salem, NC (1105)

Richard Dobbs Spaight (1758 - 1802) Was the eighth Governor of the American State of North Carolina from 1792 to 1795. Born in New Bern, NC (1093)

Randy Travis (1959 - ) Is an American country singer. Born in Marshville, NC (1123)

Robert Franklin Williams (1925 - 1996) Was a civil rights leader, author, and the president of the Monroe, North Carolina NAACP chapter in the 1950s and early 1960s. At a time when racial tension was high and official abuses were rampant, Williams was a key figure in promoting both integration and armed black self-defense in the United States. Born in Monroe, NC (1094)

Mary Elizabeth Winstead (1984 - ) Is an American actress. Born in Rocky Mount, NC (1117)

Evan Rachel Wood (1987 - ) Is an American actress and singer. Born in Raleigh, NC (1118)