Famous People Born in Georgia a to z

Dianna Agron is an actress and dancer who is best known for her role as high school cheerleader Quinn Fabray, in the FOX musical hit, Glee.

André 3000 is an American rapper, singer-songwriter and actor known for his work as part of the hip-hop duo OutKast.

Film actress Kim Basinger won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress in L.A. Confidential. She married actor Alec Baldwin in 1993.

Economist Ben Bernanke replaced Alan Greenspan as chairman of the Federal Reserve System in 2006. Luckily, he was an expert on the Great Depression.

Alfred Blalock was a surgeon who pioneered corrective heart surgery in newborns and did groudbreaking work related to blood loss and shock.

Wayne Brady is a comedian and actor known for his work on TV's Whose Line Is It Anyhow, The Wayne Brady Show and Don't Forget the Lyrics.

Jim Brown is a record-holding, former NFL fullback who's been elected to his sport's Hall of Fame and who's also worked as a model and film actor.

Jimmy Carter was the 39th president of the United States (1977-81) and later was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002.

Rosalynn Carter is an American First Lady best known as the wife of President Jimmy Carter during his term from 1977-'81.

Cat Power is a singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist whose music fuses folk, country and blues, as heard on albums like Moon Pix and The Greatest.

Ray Charles was a pioneer of soul music, integrating R&B, gospel, pop and country to creat hits like "Unchain My Heart," "Hit the Road Jack" and "Georgia on My Mind." A blind genius, he is considered one of the greatest artists of all time.

Lucy Craft Laney was a school teacher and educator who opened a school for African-American students in the South in the late 1800s.

David Cross is a comedian and actor who has appeared on TV's Mr. Show, The Ben Stiller Show and Arrested Development.

In his screen career of more than 30 years, Jeff Daniels has starred in a wide range of films, including The Purple Rose of Cairo and Dumb & Dumber.

Ossie Davis was an American actor, writer, social activist and humanitarian. He often performed with wife Ruby Dee in plays, in film and on television.

James Dickey was a Poet Laureate and novelist best known for his 1970 book Deliverance.

Teresa Edwards is an American basketball player best known for winning five Olympic medals in women’s basketball including four gold and one bronze.

Father Divine was a prominent African-American religious leader of the 1930s who founded the Peace Mission, an important precursor of the Civil Rights Movement.

Actor Laurence Fishburne has appeared in Boyz N The Hood, What's Love Got to Do With It? (for which he received an Academy Award nomination) and The Matrix.

Henry Ossian Flipper was the first African American to graduate from the United States Military Academy at West Point. As second lieutenant with the 10th Cavalry, he was framed for embezzlement.

American comedian Jeff Foxworthy, who hails from the South, is known for spoofing "rednecks." He starred in the situation comedy The Jeff Foxworthy Show.

Jacques Futrelle was a journalist and mystery writer who created the character Professor Augustus S.F.X. Van Dusen, also known as "The Thinking Machine." He died in the Titanic disaster.

Nancy Grace is the outspoken host of HLN's top-rated show, Nancy Grace.

Cee Lo Green is a singer-songwriter who has found success as frontman of the duo Gnarls Barkley and as a solo artist, and has appeared as a judge on The Voice.

Ed Helms is an actor, comedian, singer and musician known for his work on The Daily Show, The Office and The Hangover films.

Hulk Hogan was one of the most beloved figures in the World Wrestling Federation in the 1980s, known for his flamboyance and the frenzy of his fans—Hulkamania.

Doc Holliday is a figure from the Old West, a gunman and a gambler who was part of the legendary shootout at the O.K. Corral.

American professional basketball player Dwight Howard began playing with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2012. Prior to that, he was a star with the Orlando Magic.

Holly Hunter is an American actress best known for her Oscar acclaimed roles in Broadcast News (1987), The Firm (1993) and The Piano (1993).

A massive wide receiver with explosive speed and game-breaking abilities, Calvin Johnson has developed into one of the NFL's most dominant players.

Atlanta-born rapper, producer and DJ Lil Jon is known for performing a style of hip-hop called "crunk."

Daniel J. Boorstin was a writer and historian known for his Americans trilogy and The Discoverers.

Chris Kelly is best known for making up one half of the rap duo Kris Kross, who had a No. 1 hit with their 1992 song "Jump."

Martin Luther King Jr. was a Baptist minister and social activist, who led the Civil Rights Movement in the United States from the mid-1950s until his death by assassination in 1968.

Singer Gladys Knight has given voice to multiple R&B hits (with and without her Pips), including "Midnight Train to Georgia."

Producer, director, writer and actor Spike Lee creates controversial films that explore race relations, political issues and urban crime and violence. His films include She's Gotta Have It and Do the Right Thing.

Juliette Gordon Low is the founder of the Girl Scouts of the United States of America.

Jo Marie Payton won over television audiences as Harriette Winslow, a quick-witted and long-suffering wife and mother, on the situation comedy Family Matters.

The work of Carson McCullers, author of The Heart is a Lonely Hunter and The Member of the Wedding, is must-read southern gothic fiction.

Elijah Muhammad rose from poverty to become the charismatic leader of the black nationalist group Nation of Islam, and mentor of Malcolm X and Louis Farrakhan.

Brittany Murphy was an actress who appeared in a string of critically acclaimed films, including Girl, Interrupted (1999) and 8 Mile (2002).

Jennifer Nettles is an American country music vocalist, best known as the lead singer of the popular group Sugarland.

In the 1980s, Jessye Norman’s roles in Aïda and Les Troyen made her one of the most popular and highest paid soprano opera singers worldwide.

Flannery O'Connor is considered one of the best short story authors of the 20th century. She wrote about religious themes and southern life.

Ty Pennington is a TV host, author and designer whose purview, in all its forms, is home improvement.

Janie Porter Barrett was a social worker and reformer who established a school for previously incarcerated African-American girls.

JonBenet Ramsey was a 6-year-old beauty queen who was found murdered in her parents' Boulder, Colorado, home on December 26, 1996.

Jerry Reed was an American musician and actor best known for his Grammy hit "When You're Hot, You're Hot," and for the film Smokey and the Bandit.

Little Richard is a flamboyant American singer and pianist whose hit songs in the mid 1950s were defining moments in the development of rock ‘n’ roll.

Jackie Robinson became the first African-American to play major league baseball, becoming Rookie of the Year in 1947, National League MVP in 1949 and a World Series champ in 1955.

Sugar Ray Robinson was an American professional boxer who is frequently cited as the greatest boxer in history.

Kelly Rowland is a member of the top-selling American R&B girl group Destiny's Child.

Nipsey Russell was best known for his comic rhymes and his appearances on TV game shows.

Ryan Seacrest is known for hosting the popular televised competition American Idol, the annual TV special Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve and the radio program American Top 40.

Alexander Stephens was the Confederate vice president during the American Civil War.

Clarence Thomas is the second African-American justice to serve on the Supreme Court of the United States. He was appointed in 1991 and leans conservative.

Kenan Thompson is an American actor and comedian known for his work on Saturday Night Live and various films roles. His film credits include Fat Albert, Barbershop 2 and Snakes on a Plane.

Travis Tritt is a country music performer known for his bluesy, rock-and-roll-inspired songs.

Actor and comedian Chris Tucker came to fame playing Detective James Carter in the Rush Hour film series.

Alice Walker is a Pulitzer Prize-winning, African-American novelist and poet most famous for authoring The Color Purple.

LeRoy Walker was the first black coach of an American Olympic team and the first black president of the U.S. Olympic Committee.

Kanye West is a Grammy-winning rapper and sought-after producer who is as well known for his outrageous statements as he is for his broad musical palette.

Cindy Wilson is best known as a vocalist for new wave rock band the B-52s. Her brother was fellow founding member Ricky Wilson.

Joanne Woodward is an award-winning American actress best known for her roles in The Three Faces of Eve (1957), Rachel Rachel (1968) and Summer Wishes, Winter Dreams (1973). Woodward is the widow of actor Paul Newman.