List of people from Evanston, Illinois

The following list includes notable people who were born or have lived in Evanston, Illinois. For a similar list organized alphabetically by last name, see the category page People from Evanston, Illinois.

This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by adding missing items with reliable sources.

Academia

• Oliver Marcy, two-time president of Northwestern University.
• Dale T. Mortensen, Nobel Prize winner in economics, faculty of Northwestern University.
• Gail Thain Parker, Scholar of American literature, President, Bennington College.
• Dwight H. Perkins, Economist, Harvard University.
• Edmund Phelps, Nobel Prize winner in economics and professor.
• Morton O. Schapiro, 16th president of Northwestern University, and 16th president of Williams College
• Stuart Vyse, psychologist and author. Specialist on superstitions.[1]
• John Carrier Weaver, American professor of geography, and college administrator for several major universities in the United States.
• John Henry Wigmore, dean of Northwestern Law School.

Business

• John C. Whitehead, banker, chairman of Goldman Sachs, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State 1985–89, board member of World Trade Center Memorial Foundation (WTC Memorial Foundation)[2]
• William Liston Brown, director of American Ship Building Company[3][4]
• James Cayne, former CEO of Bear Stearns[5]
• Lester Crown, son of Chicago financier Henry Crown and controls family holdings[6]
• John Donahoe, president and CEO of eBay, born in Evanston[7]
• Bob Galvin, former CEO of Motorola[8]
• Hecky Powell, restaurateur[9]
• Robert Sampson, disability rights activist born in Evanston[10]
• Gordon Segal, founder and CEO of Crate & Barrel[11]
• Gwynne Shotwell, American businesswoman, engineer, president and chief operating officer of SpaceX[12]

Entertainment

• Kate Baldwin, actress and singer
• Viola Barry, silent film actress
• William Bassett, actor
• Carlos Bernard, actor
• Marlon Brando, actor
• Tamara Braun, actress
• Heather Burns, actress
• Ronnie Burns, actor
• Timothy Carhart, actor
• William Christopher, actor, charity spokesperson
• Joan Cusack, actress[13]
• John Cusack, actor[13]
• John Dickson, poet and short story writer
• Sean Evans, host of Hot Ones
• Robert Falls, director
• Richard Fancy, actor
• Julie Fulton, actress
• Zach Gilford, actor
• Alicia Goranson, actress
• Seth Gordon, director, producer, editor
• Laura Harrier, actress
• Barbara Harris, actress
• Charlton Heston, actor
• Anders Holm, comedian and co-creator of Workaholics
• James Jewell, voice actor, producer & director for radio shows The Lone Ranger and The Green Hornet
• Jake Johnson, actor
• Amanda Jones, Miss Illinois USA 1973 & Miss USA 1973
• Tim Kazurinsky, actor and writer, Saturday Night Live[14][15]
• Walter Kerr, drama critic
• Lauren Lapkus, actor and comedian
• Jeffrey Lieber, writer and co-creator of the television series Lost
• Richard Long, actor
• Michael Madsen, actor[11]
• John Lee Mahin, Oscar-nominated screenwriter
• Jeff McCracken, actor, director, producer
• Elizabeth McGovern, Oscar-nominated actress[16]
• Patrick Melton, screenwriter
• Josh Meyers, actor and comedian[17]
• Seth Meyers, actor and comedian[18]
• John Moffatt, producer
• Jessie Mueller, actress and singer
• Bill Murray, actor and comedian
• Ajay Naidu, actor and singer[19]
• Christopher Nolan, director, screenwriter, and producer[20]
• Jonathan Nolan, screenwriter, producer and director
• James Olson, actor
• Geeta Patel, film and TV director
• D.A. Pennebaker, documentary filmmaker[21]
• William Petersen, actor
• Steve Pink, director, screenwriter, and producer
• Jeremy Piven, actor[22][23]
• Shira Piven, director[24]
• David Schwimmer, actor
• Anna D. Shapiro, award-winning director[25][26][27]
• Jerry Springer[28][29][30][31]
• Hope Summers, actress, founder of Evanston's Showcase Theater
• Daniel Sunjata, actor
• Dave VanDam, voice actor
• Lori Voornas, radio personality
• Ruby Wax, comedian
• Jenniffer Weigel, actress, writer[32]
• Rafer Weigel, actor, television personality[33][34]
• Martin Sherman, actor

Music

• Steve Albini, music producer
• Fred Anderson, saxophonist
• Benjamin Bagby, singer, performer of medieval music
• Stuart D. Bogie, musician and arranger
• David Burge, pianist
• Kenneth C. Burns, Jethro of Homer and Jethro
• Kevin Cronin, of REO Speedwagon
• Patti Drew, 1960s soul singer
• Alexander Frey, conductor, pianist, organist, harpsichordist, composer and recording artist
• Ezra Furman, of Ezra Furman and the Harpoons[35]
• Steve Goodman, songwriter and musician[36]
• Greg Graffin[37]
• Nancy Gustafson, opera singer
• David Ryan Harris, musician
• Stafford James, musician, composer[38][39]
• Josh Kantor, organist[40]
• Howard Levy, harmonica musician[41]
• Junior Mance, jazz pianist and composer
• Jason Narducy, musician
• Michael Omartian, pianist, keyboard player and producer
• Julianne Phillips, model and actress
• Matthew Polenzani, opera singer
• Ryan Raddon, producer known as Kaskade[42]
• Frank Rosenwein, classical oboist
• Natalie Sleeth, composer
• Grace Slick, of Jefferson Starship
• Patrick Stump, of Fall Out Boy[43]
• Eddie Vedder, of Pearl Jam[44][45]
• Loraine Wyman, early 20th century performer and fieldworker in folk song

Politics, government, and military

• Lorraine H. Morton, mayor of Evanston, Illinois from 1993 to 2009; Evanston's Longest serving mayor, first democratic mayor and first African-American mayor
• W. Russell Arrington, Illinois state legislator and lawyer[46]
• Alan E. Ashcraft Jr., Illinois state representative and judge[47]
• George Wildman Ball, Undersecretary of State for Presidents Kennedy and Johnson
• James J. Barbour, Illinois lawyer and state legislator, practiced law in Evanston[48]
• John Lourie Beveridge, 16th governor of Illinois
• Charles E. Browne, Wisconsin territorial legislator[49]
• Marguerite S. Church, U.S. Representative 1951–1963
• Ralph E. Church, U.S. Representative 1935–1941, 1943–1950
• James M. Cole, U.S. Deputy Attorney General
• Burton C. Cook, U.S. Representative 1865–1871
• Charles Gates Dawes, Vice President of the United States, 1925–1929; Nobel Peace Prize winner, 1925
• Henry M. Dawes, U.S. Comptroller of the Currency 1923–1924
• Frances L. Dawson, Illinois state representative and educator[50]
• Thomas C. Foley, U.S. Ambassador to Ireland, 2010 Republican gubernatorial candidate in Connecticut
• Robert Gettleman, federal judge
• James William Good, U.S. Secretary of War 1929
• Nathaniel M. Gorton, federal judge
• Mary Jeanne Hallstrom, nurse and politician
• Julian J. Hook, Minnesota state legislator and lawyer[51]
• Jim Kolbe, congressman
• Lynn Morley Martin, Secretary of Labor under President George H.W. Bush
• Catherine Waugh McCulloch, lawyer, suffragist, first woman to be elected Justice of the Peace in Illinois
• H.H.C. Miller, colonel to Illinois Governor Richard Yates, Jr., three-time mayor of Evanston
• Lenora Moragne (1931–2020), nutritionist
• John Porter, congressman
• Donald Rumsfeld, U.S. Secretary of Defense, congressman
• Andrew Shuman, Lieutenant Governor of Illinois 1877–1881
• Joseph A. Strohl, Wisconsin state senator
• Leroy D. Thoman, U.S. Civil Service Commissioner 1883–1885
• Julius White, American Civil War brigadier general

Scientists

• Isabella Garnett, pioneering African-American female physician and founder of Community Hospital
• J. Allen Hynek, astronomer, professor, and ufologist
• Peter Shirley, computer scientist and computer graphics researcher

Sports figures

• Mike Adamle, NFL running back and sports broadcaster[52][53][54]
• Cornelia Wicker Armsby, golfer
• Bessie Anthony, golfer
• Elmer Bennett, ACB basketball player
• Dave Bergman, MLB player for the New York Yankees, Houston Astros, San Francisco Giants and Detroit Tigers
• Pete Burnside, MLB pitcher for the New York Giants, San Francisco Giants, Washington Senators, Detroit Tigers and Baltimore Orioles
• John Castino, MLB infielder for the Minnesota Twins
• Jack Cooley, basketball player for the University of Notre Dame
• Yu Darvish, baseball player for the Chicago Cubs[55]
• Luke Donald, professional golfer
• Paddy Driscoll, Hall of Fame football player
• Lindsey Durlacher, wrestler
• Kevin Foster, MLB pitcher for the Chicago Cubs, Philadelphia Phillies, and Texas Rangers
• Pat Fitzgerald, head football coach for the Northwestern Wildcats
• Tim Floyd NBA and college basketball coach
• Clint Frank, college football halfback, 1937 Heisman Trophy winner
• Kevin Frederick, MLB pitcher for the Minnesota Twins and Toronto Blue Jays
• Timothy Goebel, Olympic figure skater
• Dov Grumet-Morris (born 1982), ice hockey player
• Robert Jeangerard, Olympic basketball gold medalist
• Damon Jones, NFL tight end
• Brandon Hyde, coach for the Chicago Cubs
• Mike Kenn, offensive tackle for the Atlanta Falcons, Pro Bowl selection
• Bob Lackey, Marquette and ABA basketball player
• Jim Lindeman, MLB player for the St. Louis Cardinals, Detroit Tigers, Philadelphia Phillies, Houston Astros and New York Mets
• Freddie Lindstrom, Hall of Fame baseball player[56]
• Billy Martin, tennis player and coach
• Brian McBride, soccer player
• Bob Mionske, Olympic and professional bicycle racer
• Emery Moorehead, tight end for Super Bowl XX champion Chicago Bears
• Steve Parker, NFL player
• Wes Parker, MLB first baseman for the Los Angeles Dodgers
• Josh Paul, MLB catcher for the Chicago White Sox, Chicago Cubs, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and Tampa Bay Devil Rays
• Dan Peterson, basketball coach
• Mike Quade, baseball player, coach and manager of Chicago Cubs
• Dewey Robinson, MLB pitcher for the Chicago White Sox
• Mike Rogodzinski, MLB outfielder for the Philadelphia Phillies
• Clarke Rosenberg (born 1993), American-Israeli basketball player in the Israel Basketball Premier League
• Erik Spoelstra, head coach, Miami Heat
• Everette Stephens, player for the Indiana Pacers and Milwaukee Bucks
• Dick Strahs, MLB pitcher for the Chicago White Sox
• Peter Ueberroth, sixth commissioner of Major League Baseball, chairman of the United States Olympic Committee
• Ed Weiland, MLB pitcher for the Chicago White Sox
• Aaron Williams, NBA basketball player
• Tommy Wingels, NHL player for the Chicago Blackhawks

Visual artists, designers

• Jane Fulton Alt, photographer
• John Dilg, painter and educator
• Edie Fake, fine artist and comic/zine author[57]
• Karen Finley, performance artist
• Margaret Burnham Geddes, architect
• Martha Nessler Hayden, painter[58]
• Kysa Johnson, painter
• Albert Henry Krehbiel, art teacher; impressionist painter and muralist; married to Dulah Marie Evans; died in Evanston
• Allison Miller, abstract painter
• Eugene Montgomery, painter
• Jay Ryan, illustrator and screen-printer, working professionally as The Bird Machine, musician
• Robert Slimbach, typeface designer, author of Myriad, Adobe Garamond, Adobe Jenson, Utopia, Cronos
• Adrian Smith, architect of the tallest building in the world[59]
• Gahan Wilson, cartoonist for The New Yorker, Playboy.
• Erik Winquist, visual effects supervisor, Best known for his work on films featuring computer generated effects: Peter Jackson's King Kong (2005), Avatar (2009), Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014), and War for the Planet of the Apes (2017).[60]

Writers, playwrights, journalists

• Mildred L. Batchelder, namesake of the ALA award given to the publisher of a translated children's book
• Beatrice Bruteau, American contemplative, philosopher and author
• Algis Budrys, science fiction author
• Carolyn Crimi, writer of children's books
• Allen G. Debus, historian of science and medicine, known primarily for his work on the history of chemistry and alchemy.
• Sarah Dessen, fiction author
• Carl Fick, author and film director
• James Foley, journalist, freelance war correspondent, and first American killed by the terrorist group, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant,[61][62]
• Jeffrey Gettleman, journalist
• Charles Gibson, news anchor
• Laurens Hammond, inventor of the Hammond organ
• George W. Hotchkiss, 19th-century journalist, editor, historian, and lumber dealer
• Cassidy Hubbarth, sports anchor
• Charles R. Johnson, author, National Book Award winner
• Clara Ingram Judson, children's book author
• Benay Lappe, publicist, professor, writer, female theologian, Covenant Award winner in education
• Mark McIntosh, priest and theologian
• Samuel Merwin, author and playwright
• Bob Mionske, attorney, author, former Olympic and professional bicycle racer
• Drew Pearson, newspaper columnist
• Richard Powers, author and National Book Award winner
• Alice Riley (1867–1955), author of children's media; founder of the Drama League of America and the Evanston Arts Center; lived in Evanston
• Albert Tangora, holder of world speed record for typing on a manual typewriter
• George Thiem, 1950 Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter
• Edward Thomson, writer and bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church
• Henry Kitchell Webster, author and playwright
• Edmund White, literary critic, novelist
• Frances Willard, temperance advocate and suffragist
• Garry Wills, Pulitzer Prize-winning writer/critic

Other

• Starr Faithfull, socialite known for her unsolved death

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