Notable Hoosiers
Hoosiers have long history or statewide and national accomplishments in a variety of areas and disciplines. Here’s a list of the notable people with a connection to the Hoosier State. Some names include links to images and/or biographical essays. An asterisk indicates the person was not born in Indiana.
Activists
Albion Fellows Bacon
Jimmy Hoffa
May Wright Sewall*
Ryan White
Actors
Claude Akins
James Best*
Monte Blue
Avery Brooks
James Dean
Irene Dunne*
Chad Everett
Frances Farmer*
Vivica A. Fox
Brendan Fraser
Will Geer (biographical essay)
Ron Glass
Florence Henderson
Greg Kinnear
Shelly Long
Marjorie Main
Karl Malden*
Steve McQueen
Betsy Palmer
Meshach Taylor*
Michael Warren
Clifton Webb
Dick York
Artists
John Hardrick
Felrath Hines
Janet Scudder
Portia and Ralph Sperry
Otto Stark
Aviators and Astronauts
Joseph P. Allen
Frank Borman
Jerry Ross
Donald Williams
Wilbur Wright
Authors
Theodore Dreiser
Shirley Graham DuBois
Mari Evans*
Annie Fellows Johnston
Ross Lockridge, Jr.
Jean Shepard*
James Alexander Thom
Dan Wakefield
Jessamyn West
Business
James Allison*
Orville Redenbacher
Studebaker family*
Cartoonist
Norman Bridwell (Clifford)
Jim Davis (Garfield)
Johnny Gruelle* (Raggedy Ann)
Kin Hubbard* (Abe Martin) (biographical essay)
Dale Messick (Brenda Starr)
Bill Peet (Disney animator)
Tom Ryan (Tumbleweeds)
Comedians/Clowns
Benjamin “Scatman” Crothers
Emmett Kelly*
David Letterman
Herb Shriner*
Designers
Bill Blass
Roy Frowick (Halston)*
Norman Norell
Early Indiana Legends
John Chapman (Johnny Appleseed)*
Catharine and Levi Coffin* (biographical essay)
John and William Conner*
The Prophet*
Educators
Eliza Blaker
Alfred Kinsey*
Herman Wells
Explorers
Film/TV/Theater/Dance
David Anspaugh
Gretchen Cryer
Madelyn Pugh Davis
Howard Hawks
Angelo Pizzo
Sydney Pollack
Steve Tesich*
Twyla Tharp
Matt Williams
Inventors
James Buchanan Eads
Dr. William Scholl
Journalists
Margaret C. Anderson
Janet Flanner
Brian Lamb
Jane Pauley
William Raspberry*
Tavis Smiley*
Dr. Nancy Snyderman
Judges
S. Hugh Dillin
Sherman Minton
William E. Steckler
Medicine/Science
Percy Julian (Chemist)*
Mariah Mendenhall (Midwife)
James Mooney (Ethnology/Anthropology)
Richard Royce Schrock
Musicians
May Frances Aufderheide
Joshua Bell
Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds
Gaither Family
Crystal Gayle*
Josef Gingold*
Freddie Hubbard
Jackson Five
Janet Jackson
Michael Jackson
J.J. Johnson
John Mellencamp
Bill Monroe*
Oliver Nelson
Sandi Patty*
Axl Rose (William Bailey)
David Lee Roth
Constance LeRoy Runcie
Steve Wariner
Notorious
Belle Gunness*
Reno Brothers
Politics
Evan Bayh
Walter Q. Gresham
Harry S. New
Religion
Sports
Andretti family*
Mike Aulby
Bettenhausen family
Larry Bird
Anita DeFrantz*
Jeff Gordon*
Bob Griese
Tom Harmon
Gil Hodges
Tommy John
Don Mattingly
Tony Stewart
Marshall “Major” Taylor
John Wooden
Fuzzy Zoeller
