Famous People Born in Virginia a to z

Archibald Alexander was a Protestant clergyman and educator whose teachings, reviews and sermons gave him wide influence during his day.

Eugene Allen was a distinguished butler for the White House who served under eight presidents, including Harry S. Truman, John F. Kennedy and Ronald Reagan.

James Armistead was an enslaved African American, best known for his work as a spy during the American Revolution.

David Arquette is an actor known for paying quirky roles primarily in films, from Scream to Eight-Legged Freaks to Never Been Kissed.

Ellen Arthur was the wife of Chester A. Arthur, but died just before he became vice president in 1881, and before James Garfield's assassination would have made her first lady.

Arthur Ashe is the first African American to win the men's singles at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open, and the first black American to be ranked No. 1 in the world.

Nancy Astor (1879–1965) was the first woman to serve in the British Parliament, where she advocated temperance, women's rights and German appeasement.

American empresario Stephen Austin, a.k.a. “the father of Texas,” created the first Anglo American colony in the Tejas region of Mexico, later to become Texas.

Civil rights activist Ella Baker worked with the NAACP, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, and the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee.

Russell Baker is a Pulitzer Prize-winning writer and columnist who authored the autobiographies Growing Up and The Good Times.

Edward Bates was a 19th century politician and lawyer who served as U.S. attorney general under President Abraham Lincoln.

Warren Beatty is an Oscar-winning director and actor known for such films as Bonnie and Clyde, Reds and Heaven Can Wait.

Chris Brown is a Grammy Award-winning R&B and dance music entertainer who has pleaded guilty to assaulting former girlfriend Rihanna.

Rhythm and blues singer Ruth Brown signed with Atlantic Records at a young age and recorded a number of hit songs throughout the 1950s.

Formerly enslaved, Blanche K. Bruce made history as the first African American to serve a full term in the U.S. Senate.

Academy Award-winning actress Sandra Bullock is known for her roles in such films as Speed, While You Were Sleeping, The Proposal, and The Blind Side.

Plaxico Burress is an American football wide receiver who has played in the NFL for the Pittsburgh Steelers, the New York Giants and the New York Jets.

A.P. Carter is best known for forming the Carter Family band, which combined traditional Appalachian sounds with a unique guitar style and African American gospel influences.

Anita Carter is best known for singing with Mother Maybelle and the Carter Sisters, a family band of early country music.

Helen Carter is best known as a performer in The Carter Family band.

Singer and guitarist Mother Maybelle Carter began performing with The Carter Family in the 1920s and influenced country and folk music for decades to come.

June Carter Cash was a Grammy-winning country singer who was married to and performed with country music star Johnny Cash.

Willa Cather was a writer of poetry and novels known for such works as O Pioneers! and My Antonia.

Anthony Clark is an American actor and comedian known for playing Greg Warner on the CBS series Yes, Dear.

William Clark was half of the famous exploration team Lewis and Clark, who explored and mapped the unknown lands west of the Mississippi River.

Henry Clay was an American statesman. He promoted several major governmental compromises to balance the rights of free and slave states.

Patsy Cline was a celebrated country singer best known for her crossover hits, including "Crazy" and "Walking After Midnight."

Stewart Copeland is best known as the drummer for The Police. Copeland is also an accomplished producer and composer of soundtracks for movies and television.

Film actor Joseph Cotten was a member of Orson Welles Mercury Theater radio ensemble. He also appeared in the movie Citizen Kane.

Television journalist Katie Couric, formerly of the Today show, signed a deal with CBS in 2006 to become the first woman to anchor CBS Evening News alone.

In 1587, Virginia Dare was the first person born to English parents in America.

Abolitionist Martin Robison Delany was both a physician and newspaper editor, and became one of the most influential and successful anti-slavery activists of the 19th century.

Olympic gymnast Gabby Douglas is best known as the first African American to win the individual all-around event. She also won a team gold medal for the U.S. at the 2012 Summer Olympics.

Steve Earle is a Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter whose albums seamlessly blend rock, folk and country. He has also appeared on the HBO series The Wire and Treme.

Missy Elliott is a Grammy Award-winning hip-hop artist. A rapper and producer, she won the BET Award for best female hip-hop artist numerous times.

Fashion designer Perry Ellis launched a new wave of fashion that was defined by his signature baggy look. His clothes were lauded as both classic and adventurous.

Jerry Falwell is a religious leader, political activist and television evangelist. He restarted The Moral Majority Coalition in 2004.

Ella Fitzgerald, known as the "First Lady of Song" and "Lady Ella," was an American jazz and song vocalist who interpreted much of the Great American Songbook.

William Henry Harrison was the ninth president of the United States (1841) and the first to die in office.

Dorothy Height was a civil rights and women's rights activist focused primarily on improving the circumstances of and opportunities for African-American women.

Sally Hemings was an enslaved African-American woman who’s believed to have had several children with one-time U.S. president Thomas Jefferson.

Patrick Henry was a brilliant orator and a major figure of the American Revolution, perhaps best known for his words "Give me liberty or give me death!"

Statesman Samuel Houston was a key political figure in the creation of the state of Texas. He was elected the first president of the Republic of Texas in 1836.

Rachel Jackson was the wife of President Andrew Jackson and is best known for the smears about her honor during her husband's election campaign.

Martha Jefferson was married to Thomas Jefferson for 10 years and bore six of his children, but died in 1781, at age 33.

Thomas Jefferson was a draftsman of the Declaration of Independence and the third U.S. president (1801-09). He was also responsible for the Louisiana Purchase.

Richard Henry Lee was an American statesman from Virginia who made the motion for independence from Great Britain at the Second Continental Congress.

Robert E. Lee was the leading Confederate General during the U.S. Civil War and has been venerated as a heroic figure in the South.

Henry Lee Lucas was a murderer best known for allegedly killing hundreds of people in the 1960s and '70s, though only three (including his mother) were confirmed.

Shirley MacLaine is one of Hollywood's legendary leading ladies, known for a vast span of films that include The Apartment, Sweet Charity and Terms of Endearment.

The fourth U.S. president, James Madison believed in a robust yet balanced federal government and is known as the "Father of the Constitution."

A former ABA star and three-time NBA Most Valuable Player, Hall of Fame center Moses Malone was the first basketball player to skip college and go pro.

John Marshall became the fourth chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court in 1801. He is largely responsible for establishing the Supreme Court's role in federal government.

Jesse L. Martin is a singer and a TV, film and stage performer known for his roles in Rent and Law & Order.

The fifth president of the United States, James Monroe is known for his "Monroe Doctrine," disallowing further European colonization in the Americas.

Actor Dermot Mulroney enjoyed a breakout role in Young Guns before proving a capable romantic lead alongside Julia Roberts in My Best Friend's Wedding.

With a handful of hits to his credit, singer Wayne Newton has spent more than five decades as one of Las Vegas's most popular entertainers.

Sean Parker is an entrepreneur who co-founded the music file-sharing service Napster and was the founding president of Facebook.

Pearl Bailey was a Tony Award-winning singer and actress known for her roles in works like Carmen Jones, House of Flowers, Hello, Dolly! and Porgy and Bess.

Actress Mackenzie Phillips, daughter of rock musician John Phillips, starred in the CBS sitcom One Day at a Time and the Disney Channel's So Weird.

Pocahontas, later known as Rebecca Rolfe, was a Native American who assisted English colonists during their first years in Virginia.

Lewis Powell was an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1972 to 1987.

Pat Robertson is a television evangelist best known for founding the Christian Coalition, an influential conservative political organization.

Bill "Bojangles" Robinson was an iconic African-American tap dancer and actor best known for his Broadway performances and film roles.

Rick Santorum became known across the country after his election to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1990.

Liberal political commentator Ed Schultz is the host of a radio talk show called The Ed Schultz Show and the MSNBC television program The Ed Show.

Dred Scott was a slave and social activist who served several masters before suing for his freedom. His case made it to the Supreme Court (Dred Scott v. Sandford) prior to the American Civil War.

American actor George C. Scott starred in films and on Broadway during his 40-year career. In 1970, he won an Oscar for his portrayal of George S. Patton.

Sam Snead was an American pro golfer who won a record 82 PGA tournaments.

Trey Songz is a Grammy Award-nominated singer-songwriter known for hits like "Can't Help but Wait."

Jeb Stuart was a General and cavalry leader for the Confederate Army during the American Civil War. He worked closely with General Robert E. Lee.

Novelist William Styron won a Pulitzer Prize for The Confessions of Nat Turner and wrote Sophie’s Choice, the basis of an Academy Award-winning film.

Jason Sudeikis is an American actor best known for his work as a cast member of Saturday Night Live.

Comedian Wanda Sykes became famous for her intelligent, sometimes political, stand-up comedy and television appearances on shows including The New Adventures of Old Christine.

American football player Lawrence Taylor was a member of the New York Giants and is considered one of the best linebackers in the history of the game.

Zachary Taylor was an American military war hero best known as the 12th president of the United States.

Timbaland is a rapper and music producer known for smash hits like "Cry Me a River," "4 Minutes," "The Way I Are" and "Give It to Me."

Nat Turner was the leader of a violent slave rebellion in Southampton County, Virginia, in 1831.

John Tyler was the 10th president of the United States.

Star Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick's promising career has been tainted by illegal activities including involvement in an illegal dog-fighting ring.

Maggie Lena Walker was grand secretary of the Independent Order of St. Luke, an organization dedicated to the social and financial advancement of African Americans.

Educator Booker T. Washington was one of the foremost African-American leaders of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, founding the Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Institute, now known as Tuskegee University.

George Washington was a leader of the Continental Army in the American Revolution, and was the first to become U.S. president.

As the original U.S. first lady, Martha Washington set many of the standards and customs that came to be observed by future president's wives.