From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A person who lives in or comes from
Seattle, Washington , is called a Seattleite . This is a list of well known people who were born, lived, or grew up in the city of Seattle.
Born in Seattle
Athletics
Business
Literature
Movies, television, and media
Ken Jennings –
Jeopardy! contestant and guest host, author, podcaster
Jon Jon Augustavo – director
John Aylward – actor (
ER ,
Mad Men ,
House of Lies ,
Gangster Squad )
David Michael Barrett – screenwriter and film producer
Craig Bartlett –
Hey Arnold! creator
Bob Bingham –
Jesus Christ Superstar actor
Josie Bissett – actress (
Melrose Place ); ex-wife of
Rob Estes
Tori Black – porn star
Dove Cameron – actress, singer
Erika Christensen – actress
Bobby Clark – actor
Brett Davern – actor, podcaster
Awkward (TV series)
Graham Elliot – chef, restaurateur
Fantasy A - actor (Fantasy A Gets a Mattress ); rapper
India Gants – model, winner of
America’s Next Top Model Cycle 23
Tom Gorai – film producer
Brian Haley – actor, comedian
Bianca Kajlich – television actress noted for role of Jennifer on
Rules of Engagement
Richard Karn – television actor, game show host
Mike Luckovich – editorial cartoonist
Dave Losso – stand-up comedian
Beau Mirchoff – actor known for television series
Awkward
Brian Stokes Mitchell – Broadway actor and baritone singer
Jeffrey Dean Morgan – actor, known for
Grey's Anatomy ,
Watchmen ,
Magic City , The Walking Dead
Mark Morris – director, choreographer, dancer
Janice Pennington –
The Price Is Right model
Megyn Price – actress known for roles on
Grounded for Life and
Rules of Engagement
Nick Robinson – actor known for portraying Ryder Scanlon on
ABC Family sitcom
Melissa & Joey
Omari Salisbury – journalist, videographer, media company owner
Derek Sheen – stand-up comedian
Jean Smart – actress, known for
Designing Women ,
Kim Possible ,
Frasier ,
24
Ryan Stiles – comedian, known for Whose Line Is It Anyway? (both
U.S. and
U.K. versions), and playing
Lewis Kiniski on
The Drew Carey Show , and Herb Melnick on
Two and a Half Men
Alison Sudol – actress, singer, songwriter
Jen Taylor – video game voice actress
Maiara Walsh – actress,
Cory in the House ,
Desperate Housewives ,
Switched at Birth
Zoe Weizenbaum – actress,
12 and Holding ,
Memoirs of a Geisha
Rainn Wilson – actor,
The Office
Music
Politics
Jenny Durkan –
Mayor of Seattle
Maria Cantwell - U.S. Senator
Steve Gunderson – politician in Montana.
[1]
Jay Inslee –
Governor of Washington
Jerry Lewis – California politician
Gary Locke –
U.S. Ambassador to China , former
U.S. Secretary of Commerce , former
Governor of Washington
Frank Murkowski –
Polish-American politician, tenth
Governor of Alaska
Lonnie Nelson – Civil rights, Indigenous peoples, labor, peace, and social justice activist
[2]
[3]
Marjorie Pitter King – first African-American woman to serve in the
Washington State Legislature
William Farrand Prosser , U.S. congressman from Tennessee, Seattle city treasurer,
Yakima mayor
[4]
Angela Rye – CNN political commentator
Peter Steinbrueck – politician
Lynn Woolsey – politician
Miscellaneous
Deceased
Ann Reinking – actress, dancer, choreographer,
All That Jazz ,
Micki + Maude ,
Annie
Paul Jacob Alexander – newspaper publisher and Seattle City Councilman
Paul Allen – co-founder of
Microsoft
Signe Toly Anderson – original lead singer of
The Jefferson Airplane
Richard Lee Armstrong – professor and
geochemist
Bob Bartlett – politician
Lawrence James Beck – sculptor
Frank T. Bell –
United States Commissioner of Fish and Fisheries (1933–1939)
Barbara Berjer – television actress
Max Brand – author (pen name of Frederick Schiller Faust)
Gerald Brashear – musician, played with
Wyatt Ruther ,
Ray Charles ,
Della Reese , Cecil Young Quartet
Chester Carlson –
physicist and inventor
Carol Channing – actress,
Hello, Dolly! ,
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes ,
Thoroughly Modern Millie
Irma Schoennauer Cole – swimmer, civil servant
Chris Cornell – musician,
Soundgarden ,
Audioslave ,
Temple of the Dog
Don Coryell – NFL coach
Marian Cummings (c. 1892–1984) – first woman in the US to gain a commercial pilot's license
Warrel Dane – musician, singer for
Sanctuary ,
Nevermore
Jennifer Dunn – politician
Frances Farmer – actress
Pete Fleming – missionary to Ecuador
Keith Godchaux – musician
Kathi Goertzen – longtime news anchor for
KOMO 4
Richard F. Gordon Jr. –
astronaut
Bonnie Guitar – singer
Ed Guthman – journalist
Ivar Haglund –
folksinger and restaurateur
Jimi Hendrix – rock guitarist and singer
Steven Hill – actor, portrayed Adam Schiff in the TV series
Law & Order
Eldon Hoke (aka El Duce) – drummer and singer of rock band
The Mentors
Art Hupy – photographer
Fred Hutchinson – baseball player and manager
Ruth Jessen – golfer
Gary Kildall – scientist, inventor and founder of
Digital Research
Ed Lee – first Asian American mayor of San Francisco
Gypsy Rose Lee – actress and
burlesque star
Mary Livingstone – comedian and wife of
Jack Benny
Kevin McCarthy – actor
Mary McCarthy – author, critic and social activist
Rob Roy McGregor (admiral) - U.S. Navy Rear Admiral and decorated submariner
Alfred M. Moen – inventor and founder of
Moen Incorporated
Margaret Murie – environmentalist
Mako Nakagawa - Japanese American advocate, educator, and activist
Harley D. Nygren – admiral and engineer, first Director of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Officer Corps
Adella M. Parker – suffragist, politician, lawyer, and high school teacher
Walt Partymiller – cartoonist
Tuulikki Pietilä –
graphic artist and professor
Guy Bates Post – stage and film actor
Hal Riney – advertising executive
Ron Santo – Hall of Fame baseball player
Bell M. Shimada –
fisheries scientist who pioneered the study of the
tuna
fishery in the tropical
Pacific Ocean
Robert Stroud – convicted felon, "Birdman of Alcatraz"
Emmett Watson – journalist
Moved to Seattle
Living
Zaid Abdul-Aziz – former
Seattle SuperSonics power forward
Dustin Ackley – former
Seattle Mariners outfielder
Sherman Alexie – author
Kimball Allen – writer, playwright, performer, gay activist, author of
Secrets of a Gay Mormon Felon and
Be Happy Be Mormon
Jeff Ament – bassist of
Pearl Jam
Brian Atwater – geologist
Anomie Belle – musician
BenDeLaCreme – actor, drag queen, 5th place and Miss Congeniality of Rupaul's Drag Race Season 6
Jeff Bezos – former CEO and founder of Amazon.com
Christopher Boffoli – photographer
Jeff Borowiak – tennis player
Bosco (drag queen) -contestant and finalist on Rupaul's Drag Race Season 14
David Brewster – publisher and journalist
Terry Brooks – author
Robert Brown – musician, lead singer of
Abney Park
Ed Brubaker – comics writer and artist
Peter Buck – musician in
R.E.M.
Charles Burns – cartoonist
Matt Cameron – drummer of
Soundgarden and
Pearl Jam
Dyan Cannon – actress
Roberto Carcelen – Olympian
Neko Case – musician
J.R. Celski – Olympic speed skater
Michael Chang – tennis player, French Open champion
Valentina Chepiga – IFBB professional bodybuilder
Dale Chihuly – glass blowing artist
Nick Collison –
Oklahoma City Thunder forward
[5]
Emily Compagno – former federal attorney,
Oakland Raiderettes cheerleader, sports reporter, and analyst; current litigator, legal analyst, and Fox News contributor
Dan Corson – artist
Kathryn Cramer – science fiction editor (lived in Seattle 1964–1985)
Cameron Crowe – writer and director
Chris DeWolfe – founder of MySpace
Jim Donald – former CEO of
Starbucks Coffee
Mark Driscoll – co-founder and preaching pastor of
Mars Hill Church
C. J. Elleby (born 2000) – basketball player in the
Israeli Basketball Premier League
Rob Estes – actor
Anna Faris – actress
Brendan Fraser – actor
Ari Glass – painter, designer and musician
Jorge Enrique González Pacheco – Cuban poet
Neile Graham – poet
Nicola Griffith – author
Dave Grohl – drummer of
Nirvana ; lead singer, guitarist of
Foo Fighters
Caren Gussoff – author
Gary Hall Jr. – 10-time Olympic medalist
[6]
Leland H. Hartwell – Nobel Prize winner
Matt Hasselbeck – quarterback,
Seattle Seahawks player
Jenni Hogan –
KIRO-TV traffic anchor
Jerry Holkins – co-creator of
Penny Arcade
David Horsey – cartoonist
Tom Hulce – actor in
National Lampoon's Animal House and
Amadeus
Jane Jensen – game designer and author
Phoenix Jones – superhero,
vigilante
Quincy Jones – musician
S. T. Joshi – literary critic and editor
Michael Kinsley – journalist
Sascha Konietzko – founder and frontman of
KMFDM
Mike Krahulik – co-creator of Penny Arcade
Jon Krakauer – author
Jayne Ann Krentz – romance novelist
Gary Larson – comic strip artist (
The Far Side )
Lusine –
IDM musician
Kyle MacLachlan – actor
Dave Matthews – musician
Taylor Mays – football player
Jim McDermott –
Congressman
Rose McGowan – actress,
Charmed ,
Jawbreaker
Joel McHale – actor, host of
The Soup on
E! and star of NBC television series
Community
Mike McCready – lead guitarist of
Pearl Jam (considered local, went to grade school – college in Seattle)
Carol Milne – Canadian American sculptor
Patrick Monahan – lead singer of the band
Train
Jinkx Monsoon – actor, drag queen, winner of Rupaul's Drag Race Season 5
Gabe Newell – CEO and founder of
Valve
Krist Novoselic – bassist of Nirvana
Bill Nye – "Science Guy", actor, comedian
Yuji Okumoto – actor,
The Karate Kid, Part II and
Real Genius ; owner of Kona Kitchen
Trey Parker – co-creator of
South Park
Susan Powter – motivational speaker, dietitian, personal trainer and author
Karen Prell – puppeteer
Jeff Probst – host of TV show
Survivor
Julia Quinn - author
John Ratzenberger – actor, played
Cliff Clavin on TV series
Cheers
Richard Read – journalist, Pulitzer Prize winner, 1999, 2001
Ron Reagan – radio talk host, son of
Ronald Reagan
Gary Ridgway – serial killer
Tom Robbins – author
Don Roff – writer and filmmaker
Ryan Rowland-Smith –
Seattle Mariners pitcher
Dan Savage –
advice columnist
Howard Schultz – chairman of
Starbucks
Ross Shafer – comedian and television host
Richard Silverstein – blogger
Tom Skerritt – actor
Alex Steffen – award-winning author and editor
Neal Stephenson – science-fiction author
Adam Stern – symphony conductor
Mack Strong – retired Seattle Seahawks fullback 1993–2007
Ichiro Suzuki – baseball player,
Seattle Mariners ,
New York Yankees , and
Miami Marlins
Robert Swift – former
Seattle SuperSonics and
Oklahoma City Thunder center
Geoff Tate – lead singer of
Queensrÿche
Lauren Tewes – actress
Jason Thornberry - writer, musician
Earnest James Ujaama – community activist and indicted associate of
al-Qaeda
Eddie Vedder – lead singer of
Pearl Jam
Guy Williams – basketball player,
Washington Bullets and
Golden State Warriors
Ann Wilson – lead singer and flute player of
Heart
Mark Wirth – "fashion notable", local character
Al Young – dragster driver
Deceased
Harry Anderson – actor
Frank Barsotti – professional photographer
Jack Bechdolt – journalist for Seattle Post Intelligencer , illustrator/artist, author of thousands of short stories
Fred Beckey –
mountaineer
Bill Boeing – aviation pioneer, industrialist
Robert Bray – actor
Edwin Frederick Brotze – cartoonist for the Seattle Daily Times
Libbie Beach Brown - president, Seattle City Federation of the
Woman's Christian Temperance Union
Francis H. Brownell – businessman, president of the
Seattle First National Bank
Octavia Butler – author
Frank Calvert – cartoonist for the Seattle Daily Times
James E. Casey –
United Parcel Service founder
Ray Charles – musician
Charlie Chong – political activist
Kurt Cobain –
Nirvana frontman, awesome
Frantz Hunt Coe – educator
Alexander DeSoto – physician and philanthropist, founder of Seattle's first hospital
James S. Ditty – photoengraver, Seattle Star
James Doohan – actor; Montgomery Scott on
Star Trek
Ford Quint Elvidge – governor of Guam
Frances Farmer – actress
Kate Fleming – audio book narrator (
voice-over actor ) and producer
George Frederick Frye – Seattle pioneer and politician
Edgar Gott – aviation pioneer, first president of
Boeing
Carl F. Gould – architect, educator
George Hager – cartoonist for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer
John "DOK" Hager – cartoonist for the Seattle Daily Times
Alex Haley – writer, author of
Roots
Anna Roosevelt Halsted – journalist, daughter of
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Victor Hanzeli – linguist, former Chair of the Department of Romance Languages and Literature at
UW
George H. Hitchings – scientist
Alan Hovhaness – composer
Edward Sturgis Ingraham – first superintendent of the
Seattle Public Schools ;
mountaineer
Ernest C. Jenner – illustrator for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Russell Johnson – actor; Professor Roy Hinkley on
Gilligan's Island
Jacob Lawrence – painter
Brandon Lee – actor
Bruce Lee – actor
Denise Levertov – poet
J. P. D. Lloyd –
Episcopal
cleric , the president of the
Seattle Public Library
Keye Luke – actor
[8]
Betty MacDonald – author
Helene Madison – three gold medals at
1932 Summer Olympics
Benjamin Brown Martin – illustrator for the Seattle Daily Times
Rick May – voice actor, theatrical performer, director, and teacher
William Charles McNulty – illustrator for Seattle Star ; teacher at
Art Students League
Asa Mercer – man behind the
Mercer Girls , a model for the TV series
Here Come the Brides
Robert Moran – shipbuilder
Marni Nixon – musician
Henry O'Malley –
United States Commissioner of Fish and Fisheries
Alexander Pantages – theatrical entrepreneur
Robert W. Patten – veteran, storyteller, inspiration for cartoon series
Lionel Pries – architect, educator
Henry Prusoff – tennis player
Jonathan Raban – author
Alfred T. Renfro – cartoonist, Seattle Star
Theodore Roethke – poet
Zola Helen Ross – author
Ann Rule –
true crime author
Bill Russell – retired Hall of Fame basketball player and coach
James Willis Sayre – theatre critic, journalist, arts promoter, and historian
Jeff Smith – TV
chef and author
Layne Staley – musician, singer of grunge band Alice In Chains
Henry Suzzallo – president of the
University of Washington (1915–1926)
Sarah Truax – stage actor
August Wilson – playwright
Andrew Wood – singer of
grunge band
Mother Love Bone
Lillian Yarbo – actress, comedienne, dancer, and singer
Mia Zapata – musician
Athletes from Seattle
Musical groups
Abney Park –
steampunk band, formerly
goth
Aiden – rock band (
emo )
Alice in Chains – rock band (
grunge /
metal )
Amber Pacific – pop punk band
Band of Horses – previously known as Horses,
indie rock band
The Blood Brothers –
post-hardcore band
Blue Scholars –
hip hop
Brite Futures – indie pop
The Brothers Four – folksingers
Candlebox – alternative band
The Classic Crime – alternative band
Common Market – hip hop
Dave Matthews Band – originated in
Charlottesville, Virginia
Death Cab for Cutie – alternative band
Demon Hunter – metal band
Earth – drone/doom band
The Fall of Troy –
post-hardcore band (originally from
Mukilteo, Washington )
Fleet Foxes – indie rock band
Foo Fighters – rock band
The Gits – rock band
Grand Archives – alternative rock band
Green River – rock band (
grunge )
Harvey Danger – alternative band
He Is We – indie pop
The Head and the Heart – indie rock band
Heart – rock band
Hey Marseilles – alternative band
Himsa –
Metalcore band
I Declare War –
deathcore band
Ivan & Alyosha – pop rock band
Jake One –
hip hop producer
Quincy Jones – jazz musician
KMFDM –
industrial band
Macklemore and
Ryan Lewis – hip hop/rap duo
Melvins - sludge metal band (originally from
Montesano, Washington )
Metal Church – metal band
Minus the Bear – alternative rock band
Modest Mouse – indie rock band (from nearby
Issaquah, Washington )
Mother Love Bone – rock band (grunge)
Mudhoney – rock band (grunge)
Murder City Devils – rock band (
garage rock )
MxPx – rock band (
punk rock )
Nevermore – metal band
Nirvana – rock band (grunge) (originally from
Aberdeen, Washington )
Odesza – electronic/experimental
Pearl Jam – rock band (grunge)
Pedro the Lion – indie rock band
Pickwick – indie rock band
The Postal Service –
indietronica band
Presidents of the United States of America – rock band
Queensrÿche – metal band (from nearby Bellevue)
Thee Satisfaction – hip hop/rap duo
Schoolyard Heroes – horror punk/
post hardcore (originally from
Tacoma, Washington )
The Scene Aesthetic – acoustic/indie pop band
Shabazz Palaces – hip hop/rap duo
Sinai 48 – a rock band that includes the former members of
Buckingham Nicks
Smoosh – alternative pop band
Soundgarden – rock band (grunge)
Sunn O))) –
doom metal band
Kyle Townsend – record producer, musician
Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players – indie rock/pop band
Trial – political straightedge band
Ugly Casanova – indie rock band featuring the main member Isaac Brock of Modest Mouse (from nearby Issaquah, Washington)
Vendetta Red – rock band
The Ventures – surf band
References
^
"Steve Gunderson's Biography" .
Vote Smart . Retrieved August 13, 2020 .
^
Lonnie Nelson (biography), in "Communism in Washington State: History and Memory Project." Seattle, Washington: Harry Bridges Center for Labor Studies, University of Washington, retrieved online July 27, 2023.
^ Landis, Paul. "
A Partial Revival: the 1960s ," in "Communism in Washington State: History and Memory Project." Seattle, Washington: Harry Bridges Center for Labor Studies, University of Washington, retrieved online July 27, 2023.
^
"Bioguide Search" . bioguide.congress.gov . Biographical Directory of the United States Congress (United States Congress). Retrieved September 22, 2022 .
^ Washburn, Gary (August 26, 2008).
"Collison reflects on Sonics' relocation" . Seattle Post-Intelligencer .
^
"Gary Hall Jr.: Olympic medalist now a hero to diabetics" . The Seattle Times . December 27, 2010.
^ Flint, Peter B. (January 16, 1991).
"Keye Luke, Actor, Is Dead at 86; 'No. 1 Son' and 'Kung Fu' Master" . The New York Times .
^
"Hall of Fame" . USATF. Retrieved June 9, 2010 .
^
"Jack C. Medica: 1914 - 1985" .
University of Pennsylvania . Retrieved July 22, 2021.
^ Pieroth, Doris H. (1995).
"Toast of the Town in the Thirties: Seattle's Washington Athletic Club and Its Champion Swimmers" .
The Pacific Northwest Quarterly , 87 (1): 16-28. Retrieved July 22, 2021.