Famous People Born in North Carolina a to z

Tori Amos is a singer/songwriter known for her influence on the 1990s alternative music scene and her piano-driven songs.

Charlotte Hawkins Brown was a teacher and founder of the Palmer Memorial Institute, a trailblazing Southern prep school for African-American students.

Levi Coffin was an American abolitionist who assisted thousands of runaway slaves on their flight to freedom.

John Coltrane was an American jazz saxophonist, bandleader and composer, and is an iconic figure of 20th century jazz.

Howard Cosell was a sports broadcaster who had a distinctive and influential on-air personality.

William Dodd was an American historian and diplomat who wrote about the antebellum South and the Civil War.

Controversial musician Fred Durst came to fame in the mid-1990s as the front man for the "nu metal" band Limp Bizkit.

Dale Earnhardt was a champion stock car driver with NASCAR who won seven championships. He died in the final lap of the Daytona 500 in 2001

Roberta Flack is a Grammy-winning singer and pianist known for hits like “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” and “Feel Like Makin’ Love.”

Zach Galifianakis is a comedic actor who struck Hollywood gold after appearing in the 2009 blockbuster The Hangover.

Actress Ava Gardner was a sultry beauty famous for playing femme fatale roles, and for her marriages to Frank Sinatra, Artie Shaw and Mickey Rooney.

Billy Graham was an evangelist at revival meetings, and on radio and television for over 40 years. He preached to more individuals than anyone else in history.

Pam Grier is best known for acting in many "blaxploitation" films in the 1970s.

Andy Griffith is an actor and singer best known for his 1960s starring role in The Andy Griffith Show. He later returned to TV in the drama Matlock.

Michael C. Hall is an award-winning stage and television actor known for his starring roles on the series Six Feet Under and Dexter.

Republican, Jesse Helms was a United States Senator from North Carolina who served for five terms (1973-2003). He was known for his right-wing politics and opposition to civil rights legislation.

Guitarist Michael was the lead guitarist for Widespread Panic, a jam band that recorded seven studio albums over a nearly 11-year career, including songs like "Ain't Life Grand" and "Blue Indian."

Andrew Johnson was the successor to Abraham Lincoln and was the first president of the United States to be impeached.

Star Jones is a lawyer and television personality best known for co-hosting ABC's The View from 1997 until 2006.

Charles Kuralt was a multiple Emmy and Peabody Award-winning broadcast journalist who produced the well-loved "On The Road" segments for the CBS Evening News.

Sugar Ray Leonard was a champion Olympic and professional welterweight boxer. He retired from the sport in 1997 and was inducted into the Boxing Hall of Fame.

Little Eva was a singer best known for the overnight stardom brought to her through her #1 smash "The Loco-Motion."

By the 1960s, gangster and drug kingpin Frank Lucas had constructed an international drug ring that spanned from New York to South East Asia.

Dolley Madison is best known as the wife of United States President James Madison, who served from 1809 to 1817.

Clyde McPhatter was a popular rhythm-and-blues singer in the 1950s. One of the most dramatic vocalists of his generation, his style anticipated soul music.

Ronnie Milsap is a multiple Grammy Award-winning country music singer and pianist. A blind performer, Milsap's songs were frequent cross-over hits during the 1970s and 1980s.

Thelonious Monk is one of the greatest jazz musicians of all time and one of first creators of modern jazz.

Actress Julianne Moore first became known for her role in the soap opera As The World Turns. Her films include The Fugitive, The Hours and Boogie Nights.

American radio and television news broadcaster Edward R. Murrow gave eyewitness reports of WWII for CBS and helped develop journalism for mass media.

American boxer Floyd Patterson was the first to hold the world heavyweight championship twice. He won a gold medal in the 1952 Olympic Games.

Richard Petty is a champion NASCAR driver who was nicknamed "The King" for his record setting Daytona 500 and NASCAR championship wins.

Singer Kellie Pickler appeared on American Idol in 2006 and has since released several hit country albums, including Small Town Girl and 100 Proof.

James Polk was the 11th president of the United States, known for his territorial expansion of the nation chiefly through the Mexican-American War.

William Sydney Porter was a prolific short story writer whose work appeared under the name O. Henry.

Hiram Revels is best known as the first African American to serve in the United States Senate.

Max Roach was a jazz drummer and pioneer of the bebop style.

Charlie Rose is an American journalist who hosts the PBS interview show Charlie Rose. He has also held prominent broadcast roles at NBC and CBS.

Comedian and pie-throwing television personality Soupy Sales was the popular host of such shows as Lunch with Soupy Sales and the Soupy Sales Show.

Earl Scruggs is a bluegrass musician who pioneered the Scruggs Style, a method of banjo playing.

American country singer Randy Travis opened the door to young artists who sought to return to the traditional sound of country music. His 1986 album, Storms of Life, landed at No. 1 on the U.S. albums chart.

David Walker was an African American abolitionist whose pamphlet was one of the most radical documents of the antislavery movement.

Doc Watson was a blind American guitarist/singer and folk music pioneer whose unprecedented flat-picking style and interpretations of traditional American songs influenced generations of musicians.

Hoyt Wilhelm was a Major League Baseball relief pitcher known for his knuckleball and who set a pitching record.

Thomas Wolfe was a major American novelist of the early 20th century, notable for his first book, 1929's Look Homeward, Angel.