List of people from Fort Worth, Texas

The following are people of note who were born in, live in, or have formerly resided in Fort Worth, Texas.

Sports

• Brandon Finnegan, professional baseball pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds
• Lance Cole Barrett (born 1984 in Fort Worth), Major League Baseball umpire
• Tom Buckman (born 1947), professional football player
• Mike Renfro (NFL football player) born in Fort Worth, Texas, 1955
• Chennedy Carter (born 1998), professional basketball player for Atlanta Dream
• Raymond Clayborn (born 1955), NFL football player
• Donald Curry, former undisputed world welterweight boxing champion
• John Douglas (1945–2005), NFL player
• Jack Haden (1914–1996), American football player
• Phil Handler (1908–1968), NFL football player and coach
• Brad Hawpe (born 1979), professional baseball player
• Irv Hill (1908–1978), American football running back in the NFL for the Chicago Cardinals and Boston Redskins
• Brock Holt (born 1988), professional baseball player
• Rogers Hornsby (1896–1963), Hall of Fame baseball player
• Keith Langford, professional basketball player
• Yale Lary (1930–2017), Football Hall of Famer
• Rags Matthews (1905–1999), football player for TCU
• Rod Manuel (born 1974), football player
• William Paulus, swimmer and former world record holder in the 100m Butterfly
• Jeff Newman, MLB All-Star baseball player and manager
• Chuck Reynolds (born 1946), football player
• Mike Richardson (born 1946), NFL player
• A'Shawn Robinson (born 1995), NFL player; attended Arlington Heights High School in Fort Worth.
• John Roderick (born 1944), professional football player
• Johnny Rutherford (born 1938), race car driver, three-time winner of Indy 500
• Denise Rutkowski (born 1961), professional bodybuilder
• By Saam (1914–2000), sportscaster
• Kelly Shoppach (born 1980), Major League Baseball catcher (2005–2013)
• Slick (1957–), WWE wrestling manager
• Hurley Tarver (born 1975), football player
• Jeana Yeager (born 1952), broke distance records during her (and Dick Rutan's) 1986 nonstop flight around world in experimental Voyager

Politics and law

• Betty Andujar (1912–1997), first Republican woman in Texas State Senate (1973–1983)
• Lawrence A. Alexander (born 1943 in Fort Worth), law professor
• Joel Burns (born 1969), politician
• Reby Cary (1920–2018), educator, historian, and member of the Texas House of Representatives
• L. Clifford Davis (born 1927), civil rights attorney and judge[1]
• Charlie Geren (born 1949), member of Texas House of Representatives from District 99 in Tarrant County
• Pete Geren (born 1952), former member of U.S. House of Representatives; former U.S. Secretary of the Army; director of Sid W. Richardson Foundation
• Craig Goldman (born 1968), member of Texas House of Representatives from District 97 in Fort Worth
• Kay Granger (born 1943), U.S. Representative and former mayor of Fort Worth
• Debra Lehrmann, Texas Supreme Court justice, Place 3
• Joe K. Longley, former President of the Texas State Bar[2]
• Lorraine Miller, first woman president of the NAACP, Interim president and CEO, March 2014[3]
• "Pappy" O'Daniel (1890–1969), Governor of Texas, U.S. Senator and radio personality
• Bill Owens (born 1950), former Governor of Colorado (1999–2007)
• John T. Montford (born 1943), businessman and former member of the Texas Senate
• Hugh Parmer (born 1939), mayor of Fort Worth 1977 to 1979; member of both houses of Texas State Legislature
• Bennett Ratliff (born 1961), state representative from District 115 in Dallas County; civil engineer
• Tom Schieffer (born 1947), U.S. Ambassador to Japan, candidate for governor
• Mark M. Shelton (born 1956), pediatrician and politician
• Jonathan Stickland (born 1983), state representative from Tarrant County
• Bascom N. Timmons (1890–1987), journalist and political advisor
• Daniel E. Walker (1927–2009), civil servant, rescued remains of flag burned in protest at 1984 Republican National Convention in Dallas
• Jim Wright (1922–2015), U.S. Congressman from Texas and Speaker of the House

Film and television

• Adrienne Ames (1907–1947), actress
• Patricia Blair (1933–2013), actress
• Betty Buckley (born 1947), Tony Award-winning actress
• Kate Capshaw (born 1953), actress, married to Steven Spielberg
• Julio Cedillo (born 1970), actor, raised in Fort Worth
• Candy Clark (born 1947), Oscar-nominated actress
• Kenneth Copeland (born 1936), televangelist
• Judy Graubart (born 1943), actress, The Electric Company
• Harriet Sansom Harris (born 1955), actress, Frasier, Desperate Housewives
• Larry Hagman (1931–2012), actor, son of actress Mary Martin, played J.R. Ewing in Dallas
• Martha Hyer (1924–2014), Oscar-nominated actress
• Benton Jennings, actor
• Candace Kita, actress and model
• David Mann (born 1966), actor, comedian and gospel singer
• Tamela Mann (born 1966), actor, singer and songwriter
• Lisa McRee (born 1961), television journalist
• Leighton Meester (born 1986), actress
• Lynn Merrick (1919–2007), actress
• Dan Hewitt Owens (born 1947), actor
• Fess Parker (1924–2010), actor
• Bill Paxton (1955–2017), actor, starred in Titanic, Frailty, TV series Big Love; attended Arlington Heights High School in Fort Worth
• Rod Roddy (1937–2003), television announcer on game shows, like Press Your Luck & The Price is Right
• Ginger Rogers (1911–1995), actress and dancer who moved to Fort Worth at age of 9; attended Central (Paschal) High School.
• Bob Schieffer (born 1937), journalist, CBS Evening News anchor and Face the Nation host
• Hunter Tylo (born 1962), actress
• Lisa Whelchel (born 1963), actress, The Facts of Life
• Van Williams (1934–2016), actor, The Green Hornet
• Carlson Young (born 1990), actress, Scream
• Jesse Jane (born 1980), pornographic actor

Military

• Horace S. Carswell Jr. (1916–1944), USAAF, KIA World War II; posthumous Medal of Honor recipient; namesake of Carswell Air Force Base
• Robert David Law (September 15, 1944–February 22, 1969), Medal of Honor recipient
• Charles F. Pendleton, posthumous Medal of Honor recipient for actions in the Korea War; R. L. Paschal High School, Class of 1953.

Music

• Leon Bridges (born 1989), soul singer and Grammy nominee
• T-Bone Burnett (born 1948), Oscar-winning songwriter, record producer, musician
• Kelly Clarkson (born 1982), Grammy winning singer, original American Idol winner, Emmy nominated talk show host
• Ornette Coleman (1930–2015), jazz musician
• Van Cliburn (1934–2013), pianist
• Jeff Current, lead singer of Against All Will
• Bobby Day (1928–1990), musician
• Johnny Dowd (born 1948), musician
• Manet Harrison Fowler (1895–1976), singer, music educator, painter
• Kirk Franklin (born 1970), gospel singer and producer
• John Denver (born Henry John Deutschendorf Jr., 1943–1997), singer-songwriter
• Pat Green (born 1972), country musician
• Marcus Haddock (born 1957 in Fort Worth), opera singer
• Taylor Hawkins (born 1972), drummer for Foo Fighters
• Julius Hemphill (1938–1995), jazz composer and saxophone player
• Ronald Shannon Jackson (born 1940), jazz drummer
• Cody Jinks, country music singer-songwriter
• Samuel S. Losh (1884–1943), vocalist, composer, and music educator
• Delbert McClinton (born 1940), singer and songwriter
• Roger Miller (1936–1992), singer-songwriter
• Prince Lasha (William Lawsha) (born 1929), jazz saxophonist and flutist
• Dewey Redman (1931–2006), free jazz saxophonist
• Townes Van Zandt (1944–1997), country music singer-songwriter
• William Walker (1931–2010), opera singer and director

Academics and writing

• Mel Bradford (born 1934), literary critic
• Heloise Bowles Cruse (1919–1977), syndicated columnist, Hints from Heloise
• James T. Draper, Jr. (born 1935), author, Baptist leader
• Clare B. Dunkle (born 1964), author, librarian
• Beth Haller, journalism professor
• Patricia Highsmith (1921–1995), author of Strangers on a Train and The Talented Mr Ripley
• Dan Jenkins (1929–2019), sports journalist and author
• Sally Jenkins (born 1960), sports journalist and author
• Mary Daggett Lake (1880–1955), historian, botanist, and educator
• Robert L. Lynn (born 1931), journalist, poet, and retired college president
• Blanche McVeigh (1895–1970), printmaker and art educator
• Ben H. Procter (1927–2012), historian
• Hazel Harvey Peace (1907–2008) educator, activist, and humanitarian
• Rex Reed (born 1938), film critic
• Lenora Rolla (1904–2001), activist, educator, and historian
• Jennie Scott Scheuber (1860–1944), public library pioneer and Fort Worth's first librarian
• Liz Smith (born 1923), journalist, syndicated columnist

Science

• Alan Bean (1932–2018), artist, retired NASA astronaut (1981); R. L. Paschal High School, Class of 1950; carried Paschal High School's flag to the moon.

Business and philanthropy

• Sid Bass (born 1943), billionaire, Sundance Square developer, major stockholder in The Walt Disney Company
• Amon G. Carter (1879–1955), civic booster, philanthropist, creator and publisher of Fort Worth Star-Telegram
• Electra Carlin (1912–2000), art dealer
• T. Cullen Davis (born 1933), millionaire tried and acquitted for 1976 murders of Stan Farr and Andrea Wilborn
• Edna Gladney (1886–1961), founder of Edna Gladney Home
• Brad Hunstable (born 1978), founder of Ustream
• Hazel Vaughn Leigh (1897–1995), founder of the Fort Worth Boys Club
• Bill Noël (1914–1987), oil industrialist and philanthropist from Odessa, born in Fort Worth
• Sid W. Richardson (1891–1959), oilman, cattleman and philanthropist
• A. Latham Staples (born 1977), CEO of EXUSMED, civil rights activist and founder of Empowering Spirits Foundation

Other

• Gretchen Polhemus, Miss Texas USA 1989 and Miss USA 1989
• Cattle Annie (1882–1978), female bandit, lived in Fort Worth 1910 to 1912
• Mark David Chapman (born 1955), killed John Lennon
• Brown Harwood (1891–1963), realtor and leader in the Ku Klux Klan
• G. Craige Lewis (born 1969), Christian minister
• Lee Harvey Oswald (1939–1963), accused assassin of President John F. Kennedy
• Randy Souders (born 1954), visual artist and disability rights advocate
• Soapy Smith (1860–1898), infamous con man who started his career in Fort Worth

References

1. Kilpatrick, Judith. "Desegregating the University of Arkansas School of Law: L. Clifford Davis and the Six Pioneers" (PDF). Arkansas Black Lawyers. Retrieved December 17, 2018.
2. Patricia Busa McConnico (June 2018). "The Good Fight". Texas Bar Journal. p. 448.
3. Jeff Smith, "Fort Worth Native Makes History as Interim NAACP President & CEO", 5NBCDFW.com, 13 March 2014