The following is a list of people from Dayton, Ohio.

Actors, entertainers, and models

• Tom Aldredge, actor
• Ralph Byrd, actor
• Nancy Cartwright, voice artist
• Damian Chapa, actor
• Max Charles, actor
• Mystro Clark, actor, comedian, and TV host
• Willis "Bing" Davis, visual artist and teacher
• Dr. Creep aka Barry Hobart, actor
• Charles Michael Davis, actor
• Mel Epstein, film producer
• Dorothy Gish, silent actress
• Luke Grimes, actor
• Dorian Harewood, actor
• Drew Hastings, comedian, actor, writer
• Allison Janney, actress
• Ken Jenkins, actor
• Toccara Jones, fashion model and TV personality
• Gordon Jump, actor
• Chad Lowe, actor
• Rob Lowe, actor
• Aaron O'Connell, actor
• Maulik Pancholy, actor, voice actor, author
• Dan Patrick (Pugh), sports anchor
• Wendy Pepper, reality TV star and fashion designer
• Keith Prentice, actor
• Ted Ross, actor
• Gary Sandy, actor
• Sherri Saum, actress
• Martin Sheen, actor
• Beth Stelling, comedian
• Andrea Thompson, actress
• De'Angelo Wilson, actor
• Jonathan Winters, comedian and actor
• Vincent M. Ward, actor
• Katt Williams, comedian and actor

Athletes

• Will Allen, NFL safety
• Michael Bennett, NFL defensive tackle
• Pauline Betz, Hall of Fame tennis player, four-time U.S. Open champion
• Howie Brown, NFL guard
• David Bruton, NFL strong safety
• Tonja Buford-Bailey, Olympic 400m hurdler
• Derek Bunch, NFL linebacker
• Keith Byars, NFL running back
• Roosevelt Chapman, basketball hall of famer and all-time leading scorer at the University of Dayton
• Roger Clemens, MLB pitcher
• Norris Cole, NBA player
• Kurt Coleman, NFL safety
• Marco Coleman, NFL defensive tackle
• Cris Collinsworth, NFL wide receiver, sports commentator
• Daequan Cook, NBA player
• Greg Cook, NFL quarterback ^[1]
• Charles Daniels, Olympic freestyle swimmer
• Megan Duffy, WNBA player
• Rob Dyrdek, skateboarder, Alien Workshop
• Claire Falknor, professional soccer player
• Doug France, NFL Player
• Nikki Fuller, professional bodybuilder
• Na'Shan Goddard, NFL offensive lineman
• Jeff Graham, NFL receiver
• Joe Greene, two-time Olympic bronze medalist long jumper
• Andy Harmon, NFL player
• Ron Harper, basketball player
• A. J. Hawk, NFL linebacker
• Victor Heflin, NFL defensive back
• Vince Heflin, NFL wide receiver
• John Henderson, NFL wide receiver
• Kirk Herbstreit, Ohio State quarterback, football analyst
• Chris Hero, pro wrestler
• Brady Hoke, Ball State University linebacker
• Todd Hollandsworth, baseball player
• Darrell Jackson, NFL wide receiver
• Will Johnson, football player
• Kerry Kittles, NBA player
• Dave Krynzel, MLB player
• Frank Lockhart, race car driver
• Ron Lyle, boxer
• Holley Mangold, Olympic weightlifter
• Nick Mangold, NFL offensive lineman
• Justin Masterson, baseball pitcher
• Don May, NBA player
• Brandon McKinney, NFL nose tackle
• Mike Mickens, NFL defensive back
• Braxton Miller, NFL wide receiver
• Mike Mohler, baseball pitcher
• Edwin C. Moses, Olympic gold medalist hurdler
• Sean Murphy, MLB Catcher
• Josh Myers, NFL center
• Mike Nugent, NFL kicker
• Ifeadi Odenigbo, NFL Defensive End
• Jim Paxson Jr., NBA player and executive
• John Paxson, basketball player, coach, manager, broadcaster
• Peerless Price, NFL wide receiver
• Robin Renegade & Charlotte Renegade pro wrestler
• Scott Rettich, racing driver
• Javon Ringer, NFL running back
• Chris Rolfe, soccer player
• Brett Salisbury, quarterback
• Joe Schilling, kickboxer
• Mike Schmidt, Hall of Fame baseball player
• Bryan Sellers, race car driver
• Donald Smith, NBA player
• Scott Stamper, NFL running back
• Joe Thomasson (born 1993), basketball player
• Al Tucker, Jr, NBA basketball player
• T. J. Turner, NFL player
• Sam Underhill, English Rugby Union player
• Salt Walther, Indy car driver
• Taylor Ward, baseball player
• Dan Wilkinson, NFL defensive tackle
• Tamika Williams, WNBA player
• Jerel Worthy, NFL defensive end
• Chris Wright, NBA forward
• Steve Yeager, MLB player
• Wes Lee, pro wrestler

Writers and cartoonists

• Natalie Clifford Barney, playwright, poet and novelist
• Erma Bombeck, columnist and author
• Richard H. Brodhead, author and president of Duke University
• Si Burick, sports editor and columnist
• Milton Caniff, cartoonist
• Ritter Collett, sports editor and columnist
• Charlotte Reeve Conover, historian
• Paul Laurence Dunbar, early African-American poet
• Cathy Guisewite, cartoonist
• Marj Heyduck, journalist, columnist, editor
• Hunter Lewis, author
• Hal McCoy, baseball writer
• Terry Oroszi, terrorism researcher and author
• Clarence Page, journalist and syndicated columnist
• Maulik Pancholy, author
• Mike Peters, opinion cartoonist
• Tim Waggoner, horror and fantasy writer
• Roz Young, columnist

Entrepreneurs

• Larry Augustin, member of the OpenSource community
• Larry Connor, founder of The Connor Group
• Edward A. Deeds, engineer, inventor, industrialist
• Philip Haas, inventor, plumbing specialties manufacturer
• George Huffman, founder of Huffy Corporation
• Paul Iams, Iams founder
• Charles Kettering, inventor of the automobile self-starter
• Carl Lindner, Jr., businessman
• Nancy Lynn, business owner, pilot, and public speaker
• John H. Patterson, founder of National Cash Register
• James Ritty, inventor of the cash register
• Wright brothers, Orville and Wilbur, inventors of the airplane

Military

• Charles G. Bickham, Medal of Honor recipient
• Llewellyn Morris Chilson, United States Army career soldier who served during World War II
• Richard E. Cole, Air Force pilot who took part in the Doolittle Raid in 1942
• Sammy L. Davis, Medal of Honor recipient
• Admiral Timothy J. Keating, Commander of the United States Pacific Command
• Joseph G. Lapointe Jr, Medal of Honor recipient
• Jack V. Mackmull ^[2]
• Joe C. Paul, Medal of Honor recipient
• Sidney Souers, first Director of the CIA
• Tony Stein, Medal of Honor recipient

Musicians

• Little Axe, blues musician
• Leroy Bonner, musician/producer, The Ohio Players
• Stevie Brock, pop singer
• Kim Deal, rock musician, member of Pixies, The Amps, and The Breeders
• Kelley Deal, rock musician, member of The Amps and The Breeders
• Rick Derringer, rock musician
• Jim Ferguson, classical/jazz guitarist, composer, author, educator, and music journalist
• Tommy James, rock musician and singer of "Mony Mony"
• Walter "Junie" Morrison, musician and producer
• Vess Ossman, 5-string banjoist
• Dottie Peoples, gospel singer
• M Ross Perkins, songwriter
• Robert Pollard, founder and singer of lo-fi rock band Guided By Voices and other aliases thereof
• Harry Reser, banjoist and leader of the Clicquot Club Eskimos
• Kim Richey, singer/songwriter
• John Scofield, jazz guitarist
• John Schmersal, guitarist/singer for Brainiac, who went on to form Enon
• Bud Shank, jazz saxophonist
• Margo Smith, country music singer, known for her yodeling
• Tyler Smith, singer ( The Word Alive)
• Billy Strayhorn
• Roger Troutman and Zapp, musicians/producers
• Johnnie Wilder Jr., founder and lead singer, and Keith Wilder, founder, Heatwave, R&B group
• Booty Wood, jazz trombonist
• Snooky Young, jazz trumpeter

Politicians

• James Middleton Cox, Congressman, Ohio governor, 1920 Democratic presidential candidate, founder of Cox Enterprises
• Richard Clay Dixon, former mayor of Dayton
• Dave Hall, former mayor of Dayton
• Tony P. Hall, former US Congressman
• Paul Leonard, former mayor of Dayton and lieutenant governor of Ohio
• James H. McGee, former mayor of Dayton
• C. J. McLin, former Ohio State Representative
• Mike Rohrkaste, Wisconsin State Assemblyman and businessman
• Mike Turner, US Congressman, former mayor of Dayton

Other

• China P. Arnold, convicted murderer serving life without parole for murdering and cooking her daughter, Paris in a microwave
• Jordan Anderson, former slave and author of "Letter from a Freedman to His Old Master"
• Charles Bassett, astronaut
• Phil Donahue, talk-show host, began his eponymous show in Dayton, where he spent over a decade
• Ronnie and Donnie Galyon (1951–2020), oldest set of conjoined twins in the world
• Steve Gibson, computer programmer
• George J. Graham, Jr., political theorist
• Ahad Israfil, gunshot victim
• Jayananda Dasa, pioneer of ISKCON in San Francisco
• Virginia Kettering (1907–2003), philanthropist
• William H. Lough (1881–1940s), economist
• W. S. McIntosh, civil rights activist
• Jessica Moore, journalist
• Robert R. Nathan, economist
• Mike Nawrocki, co-creator of VeggieTales
• Melvin Lorrel Nichols, emeritus professor of chemistry, Cornell University
• Alice E. Heckler Peters (1845-1921), social reformer
• Jane Reece, photographer
• Amy Schneider, Jeopardy! champion, and the first openly transgender contestant to qualify for the Tournament of Champions ^{[3] [4]}
• Constantine Scollen (1841-1902), renowned Irish missionary and " Whoop-Up Trail" priest among the native peoples of Canada and US.
• Howard Dwight Smith, architect of Ohio Stadium
• Dorothy Stang (1931–2005), Catholic nun of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur and Amazonian activist
• Norman Steenrod, mathematician
• Strobe Talbott, writer and diplomat

References