List of people from Seattle

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 (including the deceased).

Born in Seattle

Athletics

• Josh Barnett – MMA fighter, former Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight champion
• Peter Baum – lacrosse player
• Fred Couples – professional golfer
• Jamal Crawford – professional basketball player
• Gail Devers – track and field athlete, Olympic track-and-field gold medalist
• Joan Dunlap-Seivold – former soccer player
• Tom Gorman – tennis player
• Marcus Hahnemann – professional soccer goalkeeper
• B. J. Johnson – swimmer
• Kimber Lee – professional wrestler
• Apolo Ohno – world champion and Olympic gold-medalist short track speed skater
• John Olerud – professional baseball player who played at Washington State University
• Nate Robinson – NBA player, known for winning three All-Star Dunk contests
• Tim Sedlacek – retired soccer forward who played professionally in the Major Indoor Soccer League, American Soccer League, and American Indoor Soccer Association
• Chester Simmons – professional basketball player
• Maurice Smith – mixed martial artist
• Jason Terry – professional basketball player
• Greg Valentine – professional wrestler; inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame (2004)
• DeAndre Yedlin (born 1993) – professional soccer player for Newcastle United F.C. and the The United States men's national soccer team

Business

• Bill Gates – co-founder of Microsoft

Literature

• Matt Briggs – writer
• Raegan Butcher – poet
• Mary Matsuda Gruenewald – memoirist
• David Guterson – author
• Brian Herbert – author
• Tan Lin – writer
• Leslie Rule – author, novelist, paranormal writer

Movies, television, and media

• 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
• 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
• 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
• 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
• 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

• Nissim Black – rapper
• William Bolcom – composer
• Carrie Brownstein – musician, member of Sleater-Kinney
• Judy Collins – folk singer
• Kenny G – musician
• Isis Gee – American singer in Poland and Eurovision Song Contest entrant
• Stone Gossard – rhythm guitarist of Pearl Jam
• Natalie Grant – Christian music singer/songwriter
• Mary Lambert – singer
• Lil Mosey – rapper
• Macklemore – hip-hop artist, born Ben Haggerty
• Duff McKagan – bassist of Guns N' Roses
• Sir Mix-a-Lot – rap musician
• Mark O'Connor – country violinist (also performs in other genres)
• Stephen O'Malley – member of doom metal band Sunn O)))
• Jake One – hip-hop music producer
• Stacie Orrico – pop singer
• Robin Pecknold – musician, lead singer in the folk-rock band Fleet Foxes
• Scott Rockenfield – drummer with Queensrÿche
• John Roderick – musician (The Long Winters), writer, and podcaster
• Jim Sheppard – bassist with Nevermore
• Kim Thayil – lead guitarist of the grunge band Soundgarden
• Rachel Trachtenburg – drummer, member of The Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players
• Jennifer Warnes – singer and songwriter
• Mary Youngblood – Native American flutist

Politics

• Jenny Durkan – Mayor of Seattle
• 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
• Angela Rye – CNN political commentator
• Peter Steinbrueck – politician
• Lynn Woolsey – politician

Miscellaneous

• Marc D. Angel – rabbi
• Mario Batali – chef, writer, restaurateur and media personality
• Linda B. Buck – scientist
• Art Chantry – graphic design
• Greg Colson – artist
• Emerald Ignacio (aka "DriftGirl") – actor and model; builds and races cars
• Amanda Knox – tried and convicted in Italy for murder of Meredith Kercher but subsequently acquitted on appeal
• Paul Kuniholm – artist
• Harley D. Nygren – admiral and engineer, first Director of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Officer Corps
• Stephen S. Oswald – astronaut
• Casey Treat – pastor, televangelist
• Jim Whittaker – first American to climb Mount Everest
• Lou Whittaker – mountaineer, founded Mount Rainier guide service
• Colleen Willoughby – philanthropist
• Katie Nicholson – hottie with a body

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
• 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
• 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
• Alfred M. Moen – inventor and founder of Moen Incorporated
• Margaret Murie – environmentalist
• 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
• Fred Beckey – mountaineer
• Anomie Belle – musician
• BenDeLaCreme – actor, drag queen, 5th place and Miss Congeniality of Rupaul's Drag Race Season 6
• Jeff Bezos – CEO and founder of Amazon.com
• Christopher Boffoli – photographer
• Jeff Borowiak – tennis player
• 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[2]
• 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
• 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[3]
• 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
• Marni Nixon – musician
• 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
• Jonathan Raban – 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[4]
• Ann Rule – true crime author
• Bill Russell – retired Hall of Fame basketball player and coach
• Dan Savage – advice columnist
• Howard Schultz – chairman of Starbucks
• Ross Shafer – comedian and television host
• 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
• 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
• Bill Boeing – aviation pioneer, industrialist
• Robert Bray – actor
• Edwin Frederick Brotze – cartoonist for the Seattle Daily Times
• Francis H. Brownell – businessman, president of the Seattle First National Bank
• Ted Bundy – serial killer
• 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
• Frantz Hunt Coe – educator
• 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
• Mitch Hedberg – comedian
• Frank Herbert – novelist, author of Dune
• 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
• J. P. D. Lloyd – Episcopal cleric, the president of the Seattle Public Library
• Keye Luke – actor[5]
• 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 – the man behind the Mercer Girls, a model for the TV series Here Come the Brides
• Robert Moran – shipbuilder
• Alexander Pantages – theatrical entrepreneur
• Robert W. Patten – veteran, storyteller, inspiration for cartoon series
• Lionel Pries – architect, educator
• Henry Prusoff – tennis player
• Alfred T. Renfro – cartoonist, Seattle Star
• Theodore Roethke – poet
• Zola Helen Ross – author
• 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[6]
• Mia Zapata – musician

Athletes from Seattle

• Aaron Brooks – NBA PG; Franklin High School
• Bobby Brown – MLB infielder and executive, played in four World Series
• Kevin Burleson – NBA PG; O'Dea High School
• Nate Burleson – NFL WR; O'Dea High School
• Jesse Chatman – NFL RB; Franklin High School
• Doug Christie – NBA SG; Rainier Beach High School
• Will Conroy – NBA PG; Garfield (Seattle)
• Fred Couples – PGA; O'Dea High School
• Jamal Crawford – NBA SG; Rainier Beach High School
• Michael Dickerson – NBA SF; Federal Way High School
• Corey Dillon – NFL RB; Franklin High School
• James Edwards – NBA PF; Roosevelt High School
• C. J. Giles – NBA PF; Rainier Beach High School
• Charlie Greene – USATF Olympian; Track & Field Hall of Fame; O'Dea High School[7]
• Spencer Hawes – NBA C; Seattle Prep
• Phil Heath – second world ranked IFBB professional bodybuilder
• Jeff Jaeger – NFL K; University of Washington
• Ruth Jessen – professional golfer, Seattle University
• Earl Johnson – Major League Baseball P; Ballard High School
• Taylor Mays – NFL S; O'Dea High School
• Reese McGuire – MLB catcher; Kentwood High School
• Hugh Millen – NFL QB; Roosevelt High School
• Nate Robinson – NBA PG; Rainier Beach High School
• Brandon Roy – NBA SF; Garfield (Seattle)
• Chester Simmons – NBA PG; Garfield (Seattle)
• Peyton Siva – NBA PG; Franklin High School (Seattle)
• Isaiah Stanback – NFL WR; Garfield (Seattle)
• Rodney Stuckey – NBA SG; Kentwood High School
• Jason Terry – NBA PG; Franklin High School
• Martell Webster – NBA SG; Seattle Prep
• Marcus Williams – NBA SF; Roosevelt High School
• Terrence Williams – NBA SF; Rainier Beach High School

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

1. "Steve Gunderson's Biography". Vote Smart. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
2. Washburn, Gary (August 26, 2008). "Collison reflects on Sonics' relocation". Seattle Post-Intelligencer.
3. "Gary Hall Jr.: Olympic medalist now a hero to diabetics". The Seattle Times. December 27, 2010.
4. "Ryan Rowland-Smith".
5. Flint, Peter B. (January 16, 1991). "Keye Luke, Actor, Is Dead at 86; 'No. 1 Son' and 'Kung Fu' Master". The New York Times.
6. Raymoure, K. (February 2019) "Black History Month: Lillian Yarbo". Wikitree. Retrieved February 5, 2021.
7. "Hall of Fame". USATF. Retrieved June 9, 2010.