From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Virginian jurisdictions most commonly associated with the
Hampton Roads metropolitan area
The following is a list of notable people who were born, raised, or closely associated with the
Hampton Roads metropolitan area.
Chesapeake
Hampton
Newport News
Norfolk
Adam Anderson – driver of the Taz and
Grave Digger Monster Trucks; son of Monster Truck driver
Dennis Anderson – driver of the
Grave Digger Monster Truck in the
Monster Jam series
Mason Andrews (1919–2006) – physician who delivered America's first in vitro baby; visionary leader of Norfolk's late 20th century renaissance
Anhayla (b. 1988) – singer-songwriter
Gordon Banks (b. 1955) – guitarist and music director for
Marvin Gaye
Al Barks (1936–2018) –
Negro league baseball player
Benny Blanco (b. 1988) – record producer, DJ, songwriter, and record executive
Gary "U.S." Bonds (b. 1939) – singer-songwriter
Plaxico Burress (b. 1977) – professional football
wide receiver for the
New York Jets
William Harvey Carney (1840–1908) – African-American soldier of the
American Civil War ;
Medal of Honor recipient for his part in the
54th Massachusetts Infantry 's assault on
Fort Wagner , South Carolina
Kam Chancellor (b. 1988) – professional football safety for the
Seattle Seahawks
Clarence Clemons – saxophonist for
Bruce Springsteen 's E Street Band
Alex Cosmidis – Minor League baseball player and manager and Major League scout
William Couper (1853–1942) – sculptor
Colgate Whitehead Darden, Jr. (1897–1981) –
U.S. Representative ;
Governor of Virginia ;
Chancellor of the
College of William and Mary ; third President of the
University of Virginia
Mike D'Orso (b. 1953) – author, journalist
Charles "Lefty" Driesell (1931–2024) – basketball coach at
Davidson College , the
University of Maryland, College Park ,
James Madison University , and
Georgia State University
Ryan Farish (b. 1974) – music composer, artist, publisher, and record executive of Rytone Entertainment
Florian-Ayala Fauna – artist musician
[2]
Hank Foiles – from Norfolk, Major league All-Star in 1957; played for seven teams; finished his career in 1964 with the expansion Los Angeles Angels
William Fuller (b. 1962) – professional football
defensive end for the
Houston Oilers ,
Philadelphia Eagles and
Chicago Bears
Stephen Furst (1954–2017) – television actor
Grant Gustin (b. 1990) – television actor
Henry Howell (1920–1997) –
Independent
Lieutenant Governor of Virginia
Lawrence "LoJo" Johnson (b. 1974) – Olympic pole vaulter, silver medalist in 2000
General Norman Johnson (1943-2010) –
R&B musician
Kishi Bashi (b. 1975) –
indie rock violinist; solo musician; tour member of
Of Montreal and
Regina Spektor
Naomi Long Madgett (1923–2020) – poet
Mae –
indie rock band
Thomas W. Moss, Jr. (1928–2015) –
Democratic Speaker of the
Virginia House of Delegates , 1992–2000
Wayne Newton (b. 1942) – aka "Mr. Las Vegas"; singer and songwriter
Tim Reid (b. 1944) – television actor, director, and film executive
Jodi Rell (b. 1946) –
Republican
Governor of Connecticut , 2004–2011
Joseph Jenkins Roberts (1809–1876) – first
President of Liberia
Dave Robertson (1889–1970) – from Norfolk, two-time National League home run leader; hit .500 in 1917 World Series; hit .287 over nine seasons with the Giants, Cubs and Pirates; product of Norfolk Academy; played four sports at Wake Forest and NC State; managed the minor league Norfolk Tars for several years in the 1920s
Larry Sabato (b. 1952) – political pundit and professor at the
University of Virginia
Ed Schultz (1954–2018) –
pundit and TV personality for
MSNBC
Deborah Shelton (b. 1948) – actress;
Miss USA 1970, first runner-up in
Miss Universe contest
John Wesley Shipp (b. 1956) – television actor
Bruce Smith (b. 1963) – Pro Football Hall of Fame player for the
Buffalo Bills and
Washington Redskins
Joe Smith (b. 1975) – professional basketball player for the
Philadelphia 76ers
Keely Smith (1928–2017) – nightclub singer, wife and stage partner of
Louis Prima
Margaret Sullavan (1909–1960) – actress and wife of
Leland Hayward
Chuck Swirsky –
Chicago Bulls radio play-by-play announcer, previously with
Toronto Raptors
Littleton Waller Tazewell (1774–1860) –
U.S. Representative ,
U.S. Senator and
Governor of Virginia
Antoine Thompson – cornerback with the
St. Louis Rams
Scott Travis (b. 1961) – drummer for rock band
Judas Priest
John Paul Vann (1924–1972) – U.S. soldier and civilian active in Vietnam
Marc Vann (b. 1954) – actor
Brandon Vera (b. 1977) – mixed martial artist, currently signed to
UFC
Gene Vincent (1935–1971) – rock-a-billy artist recorded the hit "
Be-Bop-a-Lula "
Ben Watson (b. 1980) – football player for the
New England Patriots
Ernie Watts (b. 1945) – composer,
jazz saxophonist, and long-time touring member of
The Rolling Stones
Joe Weatherly (1922–1964) – NASCAR driver
Pernell "Sweet Pea" Whitaker (b. 1964) –
boxer ;
1984 Olympic gold medalist, professional champion in four weight classes
Thomas Wilkins (b. 1954) – orchestra conductor, music director of the
Omaha Symphony Orchestra
Patrick Wilson (b. 1973) – actor
David Wright (b. 1982) – professional baseball player for the
New York Mets
[3]
Rob Estes (b. 1963) – actor
Portsmouth
Suffolk
Virginia Beach
Gabby Douglas
Daniel Hudson
Darryl Monroe
Mark Ruffalo
Rhea Seehorn
Pharrell Williams
Ryan Zimmerman
Corey Ashe (b. 1986) – professional soccer player for the Houston Dynamo
Wade Barrett (b. 1976) – professional soccer player for the Houston Dynamo
Felicia Barton (b. 1982) – semi-finalist on
American Idol
Kharlton Belmar (b. 1992) – professional soccer player for Portland Timbers 2
Rudy Boesch (1928–2019) – retired
Navy SEAL and contestant on
Survivor
Jamelle Bouie (b. 1987) – journalist,
New York Times columnist, and political analyst
Bill Bray (b. 1983) – MLB player
[6]
Jon Busch (b. 1976) – Hampton Roads Mariner; Major League Soccer
Curtis Bush (b. 1962) – kickboxer
Darren Caskey (b. 1974) – Hampton Roads Mariner; Tottenham Hotspur; Reading
Gabby Douglas (b. 1995) – Olympic gymnastics gold medalist
D.J. Dozier (b. 1965) – football / baseball from Virginia Beach; Penn State All-American, first-round NFL draft 14th pick by
Minnesota Vikings who was also drafted by major league baseball by the Detroit Tigers in the 18th round in 1983 (459th overall)
Jason Dubois (b. 1979) – MLB player
[7]
Genesis the Greykid – artist, creative, poet, writer
Percy Harvin (b. 1988) –
NFL player
Michael Hearst (b. 1972) – author, musician, and composer
Angela Hucles (b. 1978) – sports executive and former professional soccer player
Daniel Hudson (b. 1987) – MLB player
[8]
Jay Hoffman (b. 1951) – coached Hampton Roads Mariners; played professionally in the Canadian National Soccer League
Bubba Jenkins (b. 1988) –
NCAA wrestling national champion and
MMA fighter
[9]
Roy Lassiter (b. 1969) – Hampton Roads Mariner; Major League Soccer; USA National Team
B. J. Leiderman (b. 1956) – composer of themes for
NPR shows
Marc Leishman (b. 1983) – professional golfer
Darin Lewis (b. 1976) – Hampton Roads Mariner; MLS New York MetroStars
EJ Manuel (b. 1990) – NFL quarterback for the
Oakland Raiders
Evan Marriott – actor in
Joe Millionaire
[10]
Bob McDonnell (b. 1954) – former Governor of Virginia
[11]
[12]
[13]
Shane McFaul (b. 1986) – Hampton Roads Mariner; Republic of Ireland U21
Ryan McGinness (b. 1972) – artist
Darryl Monroe (b. 1986) – professional basketball player, 2016
Israeli Basketball Premier League MVP
Guy Morgan (b. 1960), former NBA player
Shawn Morimando (b. 1992) – MLB player
[14]
Lenda Murray (b. 1962) – IFBB professional bodybuilder
[15]
Jamia Nash (b. 1996) – singer, actress
Juice Newton (b. 1952) – singer, songwriter
Derrick Nnadi (b. 1996) – NFL defensive tackle
Pusha T (b. 1977) – rapper
[16]
Neil Ramírez (b. 1989) – MLB player
[17]
J.R. Reid (b. 1968) –
NBA player
Mark Reynolds (b. 1983) – third baseman/first baseman for the
Baltimore Orioles from Virginia Beach; drafted in 2004 by the
Arizona Diamondbacks in the 16th round (476th overall)
Pat Robertson (1930–2023) – television preacher
David Robinson (b. 1965) – 10x All-Star, NBA MVP, 2x NBA Champion, 2x Olympic gold medalist, member of
Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame , briefly grew up in Virginia Beach
[18]
Aaron Rouse (b. 1984) –
NFL player
Mark Ruffalo (b. 1967) – Oscar-nominated actor; raised in Virginia Beach
Todd Schnitt (b. 1966) – radio personality
Herbert Scott (b. 1953) –
Kellam High School ,
Virginia Union University ,
Dallas Cowboys offensive lineman in NFL for 10 seasons, 3× Pro Bowl, 2× First-team All-Pro, winner of Super Bowl XII
Rhea Seehorn (b. 1972) – actress known for role as Kim Wexler in
Better Call Saul
Julie Shiflet (b. 1972) – professional
tennis player
Scott Sizemore (b. 1985) –
MLB player
[19]
Chris Taylor (b. 1990) –
MLB player
Ian Thomas (b. 1987) – MLB player
[20]
Shamarko Thomas (b. 1991) –
Pittsburgh Steelers safety and 111th pick overall in the
2013 NFL Draft ; starred at Ocean Lakes High School in Virginia Beach
Timbaland (b. 1972) – music producer
[21]
Lil Tracy (b. 1995) – rapper, singer and songwriter
Turnover – indie rock band
Travis Wall (b. 1987) – choreographer and contestant on
So You Think You Can Dance
Matthew E. White (b. 1982) – songwriter and producer
Elizabeth Williams (b. 1993), played college basketball at
Duke University , WNBA player for
Atlanta Dream
[22]
Matt Williams (b. 1971) – MLB player
[23]
Pharrell Williams (b. 1973) – rapper, singer, record producer, composer and fashion designer
Glenn Yates Jr. (1927–2022) – architect and Virginia state legislator
Hunter Yeany (b. 2005) – racing driver
Glenn Youngkin (b. 1966) – elected governor of Virginia in 2021
[24]
Ryan Zimmerman (b. 1984) –
MLB player
[25]
Williamsburg
York County
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