Famous People Born in Kentucky a to z

Shaun Alexander is a former running back for the Seattle Seahawks and Washington Redskins who’s one of the leading touchdown scorers in NFL history.

Muhammad Ali is considered one of the greatest athletes in boxing history, winning both the coveted Golden Gloves title and an Olympic gold medal, among several other honors.

Wendell Berry’s nature poetry, novels of America's rural past and essays on ecological responsibility grew from his experiences as a farmer.

Larry Birkhead, ex of the late Anna Nicole Smith, is raising their daughter, Dannielynn, after confirming in 2007 that he's the girl's biological dad.

Montgomery Blair was a 19th century lawyer and politician who represented Dred Scott and served as Abraham Lincoln's postmaster general.

Jim Bowie was a fighter in Texas Revolution who died during the defense of the Alamo. He became an American folk hero and the "Bowie Knife" is named after him.

Louis Brandeis was the first Jew to sit on the U.S. Supreme Court. His decisions affirmed individual liberty and privacy and opposed unchecked governmental power.

African-American jockey Isaac Burns Murphy repeatedly won the Kentucky Derby and was posthumously inducted into the National Museum of Racing's Hall of Fame.

Kit Carson was an American frontiersman, trapper, soldier and Indian agent who made an important contribution to the westward expansion of the United States.

People's sexiest man alive George Clooney is an Oscar-winning actor best known for playing Dr. Doug Ross on TV's ER and Danny Ocean in the Ocean's Eleven films.

Rosemary Clooney was a popular singer beginning in the 1950s and had a No. 1 hit with "Come On-a My House." She was aunt to actor George Clooney.

Billy Ray Cyrus is a country singer/songwriter who is perhaps now more famous for his TV and film roles than for his music.

Jefferson Davis was a 19th century U.S. senator best known as the president of the Confederate States of America during the Civil War.

Johnny Depp is an award-nominated actor known for his portrayal of odd-ball characters including Captain Jack Sparrow in the Pirates of the Caribbean.

Irene Dunne was an Academy Award-nominated actress and singer known for her roles in Showboat, Anna and the King of Siam and Love Affair.

Bob Edwards is best known as the host of the long-running public radio news program Morning Edition, a post he held for close to 25 years.

When Larry Flynt published an unflattering parody of Jerry Falwell in Hustler, Falwell waged a suit that eventually went to the U.S. Supreme Court. It ruled in Flynt's favor, citing the First Amendment's protection of freedom of speech.

Tyson Gay is a track and field athlete who specializes in sprinting. He placed fourth in the men's 100 at the 2012 Summer Olympic Games, following a hamstring injury.

Author Sue Grafton is the creator of the popular mystery novels featuring private investigator Kinsey Millhone, which began with 1982's A Is for Alibi.

D.W. Griffith was one of cinema's earliest directors and producers, known for his innovations and for directing the 1915 film Birth of a Nation.

Josh Hutcherson is an American actor best known for his role in The Hunger Games. He’s worked with luminaries such as Robin Williams, Annette Bening and Tom Hanks.

Country star Naomi Judd formed The Judds with her daughter Wynonna in the 1970s. Her other daughter, Ashley, became a film actress.

Wynonna Judd is a country music superstar, famous for her solo hits and alongside her mother, Naomi Judd.

TV personality and reality star Nick Lachey sings solo as well as with boy band 98 Degrees. He's also famous for his marriages to Jessica Simpson and Vanessa Minnillo.

Jennifer Lawrence is known for her roles in The Hunger Games and Winter’s Bone, and is heralded as one of the most promising young actresses working today.

Abraham Lincoln was the 16th president of the United States. He preserved the Union during the U.S. Civil War and brought about the emancipation of slaves.

Brian Littrell is known for making two types of music: pop hits with the Backstreet Boys and inspirational tunes as a Christian music artist.

Country singer Patty Loveless is famous for her blend of musical styles, and songs like "How Can I Help You Say Goodbye?"

Loretta Lynn is a singer-songwriter known for "Coal Miner's Daughter," among many other country songs. A film about her by the same name was a critical hit.

In late 1800s, Randall McCoy and his kin engaged in a bitter and deadly dispute with another Appalachian family in the infamous Hatfield-McCoy feud.

Garrett Morgan blazed a trail for African-American inventors with his many patents, including those for a hair-straightening product, a breathing device, and an improved sewing machine and traffic signal.

Patricia Neil was an American film and stage actress who is best known for her performances in The Day The Earth Stood Still and Breakfast at Tiffany's.

Fondly remembered as the sassy secretary in Ghostbusters (1984), actress Annie Potts also appeared in Pretty in Pink.

Singer Kevin Richardson, the eldest of the Backstreet Boys and People magazine's Sexiest Pop Star of 1999, is also known for acting on Broadway and in indie films.

American basketball player Rajon Rondo is an all-star point guard who led the Boston Celtics to the NBA championship in 2008.

John Scopes is best known as the Tennessee teacher found guilty of breaking the law for teaching evolution in his class room.

Ricky Skaggs is a legendary country and bluegrass singer and mandolin player.

Helen Thomas was the first female member of the White House press corps and the United Press International’s first female White House bureau chief.

A counterculture icon, Hunter S. Thompson was an American journalist best known for writing 1971's Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and creating "Gonzo journalism."

Mary Todd Lincoln was the wife of Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president of the United States.

Gus Van Sant, the American director known best known for the blockbuster hit Good Will Hunting, starring Matt Damon and Ben Affleck.

Comedic actor Jim Varney played his signature character Ernest P. Worrell in hundreds of commercials and five Disney films including Ernest goes to Camp (1987).

Sean Young is an American actress best known for her roles in the films Blade Runner (1982) and No Way Out (1987).