25 Most Famous People from Illinois

*Originally Published by Nellian in October 2022 Updated by Vanessa R in September 2023 and Updated by Nellian in March 2024.

This one is a breeze. When you think of Illinois, Chicago is often inevitable in your immediate thoughts. Right? Not to reiterate what you already have a good grasp on but it is almost impossible not to think about the home of the Sears Tower(now Willis Tower from 2009). This is America’s tallest building so, it pops into your mind easily.

Additionally, Chicago is the country’s third-largest city hence a global tourist destination and an international center for finance, culture, industry, technology, and transportation. To remind you, this city is also the nation’s hub of the railroad network. Sports enthusiasts cherish this as the home of the Chicago Cubs and the sound of the Cubs being the 2016 World Series champions never gets old to them. Further, it is the home of the NBA champions, the Chicago Bulls.

Flipping the coin to the dark face of Chicago, the region is infamous for crime from the organized version of notorious mobsters like Al Capone in the 1920s up to the modern severe and random variety of incidents. But to appreciate the beauty of things we have to take the bad with the good. Don’t you agree?

Besides Chicago, Illinois is full of many surprises. First, don’t annoy the Illinoisans with the wrong pronunciation of their state’s name. The “s” on Illinois is silent so it’s “il-uh-noi,” never “il-uh-noiz”. This is a straight giveaway that you are an out-of-towner. To add on, the state pride in hosting the first McDonald’s built in Des Plaines, it is also the start of Route 66 and it was the first state in the U.S. to abolish slavery. What’s more, this state produces more nuclear energy than any other in the country. Open land is another thing Illinois boasts of, the vast stretches of flat grassland earn this zone the “Prairie State” nickname.

Over and above that, Illinois is not short of notable personalities. It is known to some as the “Land of Lincoln” because former president Abraham Lincoln spent most of his life here. Ronald Reagan and Ulysses Grant are other Illinoisans who made it to the White House and there are more prominent persons from the area with a widespread effect. Discover them.

Here are the 25 Most Famous People from Illinois.

1. Betty White – America’s Sweetheart

She was an American radio, television, and film personality as well as a comedian born on January 17, 1922, in Oak Park, Illinois. She was aggressive and is credited for the sitcom, Life with Elizabeth (1953–1955). This saw her celebrated as the first woman to produce a sitcom. Moreover, White was dubbed “the first lady of game shows” because of her panelist role on American game shows like Just Men (1983) which earned her an Emmy Award the same year it pioneered.

Furthermore, her big roles as an actress were seen on The Bold and the Beautiful (1987), Boston Legal (2004), and The Carol Burnett Show (1967-78). In her honor, there was a documentary done in 2018, Betty White: First Lady of Television. This masterpiece detailed her life and career.

Her success in the entertainment industry brought her many prizes such as a Guinness World Record entry in 2014, countless Emmy Awards, and several American Comedy Awards. Also, a few Screen Actors Guild Awards and a Grammy. The climax of her acknowledgment is the star she has on the Hollywood Walk of Fame as well as the induction she received on the Television Hall of Fame in 1995. She died aged 99 years in, December 2021.

2. Robin Williams – The Genius of Comedy

Robin Williams by Eva Rinaldi from Wikimedia Commons

He was an American actor and comedian remembered for his comedy but he could pull off any acting role at any time. He won the coveted Academy Award, for Best Supporting Actor in 1998.

He began his career as a stand-up comedian in the 1970s but managed to establish his name in the show business space as a headline personality. His stardom came when he starred in commercially successful films like 1982s The World According to Garp, 1984s Moscow on the Hudson, and Good Morning, Vietnam (1987) to name a few.

Williams received many accolades to his name including some Grammy Awards, Golden Globe Awards, Screen Actors Guild Awards, and Primetime Emmy Awards. He died at 63 years old on August 11, 2014, by suicide at his Paradise Cay, California home. He also had undiagnosed Lewy body disease according to his autopsy report.

3. Ronald Reagan – From Illinois to the White House

Ronald Reagan is to some the man that changed American history into a glorious future. This Republican politician began his political journey as the 33rd governor of California. He served this role two times before proceeding to become the 40th president of the United States of America.

Before becoming a politician, he was in the world of entertainment and at some point was an actor. Subsequently, served as the Screen Actors Guild president from 1947 to 1952 and from 1959 to 1960.

Furthermore, in the speech, he gave “A Time for Choosing” in 1964, campaign support of Barry Goldwater( Republican presidential nominee then) brought him to the limelight. It earned him many followers and was the ladder to his election as California governor in 1966 and later U.S. president from 1981 to 1989. Reagan went public about his Alzheimer’s disease diagnosis in 1994 which he later succumbed to on June 5, 2004, at his Los Angeles home.

Read more about Reagan here, Top 10 Remarkable Facts about Ronald Reagan.

4. Juice Wrld – A Musical Prodigy

Jarad Anthony Higgins by Lexiou WesCudi from Wikimedia Commons

He was an American rapper and singer as well as a songwriter. He was born Jarad Anthony Higgins in Chicago, Illinois on December 2, 1998. He derived his stage name (Juice Wrld) pronounced as “juice world” from the 1992s American crime thriller film Juice. He saw it as a representation of taking over the world so he came up with the name (Juice Wrld).

He began as an independent artist and signed a recording contract with Grade A Productions in 2015 and switched to Interscope Records in 2017. His 2018 single Lucid Dreams was his game-changer, it made it to position two on the US Billboard Hot 100. The song later earned a diamond certification. This single was part of his first studio album Goodbye & Good Riddance in 2018. The album received triple platinum certification.

Additionally, Higgins’s influence is still felt even after his death which took place when he was 21 years old on December 8, 2019, as a result of a drug overdose. He has several posthumous albums like Legends Never Die (2020) and Fighting Demons released in 2021 along with the Juice Wrld: Into the Abyss documentary film. His Come & Go (with Marshmello) posthumous single is evidence that Juice Wrld’s legacy lives on having reached the top two of the Hot 100 chart.

5. Walt Disney – The Magic Maker

He can be described as a showman. Walt was born on 5 December 1901, in Chicago, Illinois. His innovation and creativity completely changed entertainment. He greatly impacted the animation sphere with his innovation throughout his career. He started as an animator and later grew into a business mogul in the show business.

To add to that, he co-founded the Walt Disney production with his brother making them important figures in the American amination industry and the world of motion pictures. The globally renowned and beloved characters like Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Goofy, and Pluto are products of this innovative artist.

Besides that, he also led to the development of Disneyland in 1955. His contribution to the animation industry has made him a great icon in this arena for generations. He lived until 15th December 1966.

Read more on Walt here, Top 10 Fun Facts about Walt Disney.

6. Harrison Ford – The Iconic Action Hero

Harrison Ford at the 2009 Deauville American Film Festival by Mireille Ampilhac from Wikimedia Commons

Ford is a prolific actor in Hollywood scenes and among the highest-grossing actors in North America. He is recognized for his role in the 1977 epic space opera film, Star Wars. Some of his notable roles are playing Indian Jones on Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) and characters in different franchises like Rick Deckard in the films Blade Runner (1982) and Blade Runner 2049 (2017) among others.

Harrison’s achievements include the AFI Life Achievement Award and the Cecil B. DeMille Award. This is an addition to countless nominations for the Academy Awards and Golden Globe Awards. His wife is actress Calista Flockhart.

To boot, he is a licensed pilot and assists during emergency rescue missions in his hometown. He is also an environmentalist and has served the Conservation International organization as vice chair. He was born in Chicago, Illinois, on July 13, 1942.

7. Bill Murray – The King of Comedy

This American actor was born William James Murray in Evanston, Illinois, on September 21, 1950. He doubles as a comedian and his rise to fame was through The National Lampoon Radio Hour from 1973 to 1974. Between 1977 to 1980, he was a national presence on the Saturday Night Live comedy show. His talent on this show was appreciated with a Primetime Emmy Award.

Also, Lost in Translation (2003), which was a romantic comedy-drama is another of his most triumphant stories. It made him a recipient of a Golden Globe and a British Academy Film Award.

More to that, Murray was honored with the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor in 2016. That is not all as he appeared in a recent role as Lord Krylar in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023) a superhero film by the Marvel Cinematic Universe franchise.

8. Ernest Hemingway – The Literary Giant

Hemingway had a unique skill in weaving words which was the result of his success as a novelist, short-story writer, and journalist. He was born on July 21, 1899, and raised in Oak Park, Illinois.

Thus, he started his journalism practice after high school at The Kansas City Star newspaper. Many of his creations happened in the 1920s and the mid-1950s. Therefore, he won the 1954 Nobel Prize in Literature. His works are viewed as classics of American literature resulting in some being published posthumously.

Moreover, his greatest pieces are A Farewell to Arms (1929) The Sun Also Rises (1926), and many more. His personal life was not so inspiring he got into a series of marriages, at least five with different spouses, and eventually died by suicide on July 2, 1961, in his house in Ketchum, Idaho.

Read more on Hemingway here, All About Ernest Hemingway’s Life in Paris.

9. Dwayne Wade – Basketball Superstar

Dwyane Wade for Miami Heat on December 18, 2010, against Washington Wizards by Keith Allison from Wikimedia Commons

Wade is a former professional American basketball player. He played for the Chicago Bulls of the NBA. For the majority of his career, he played for the NBA’s Miami Heat. He won at least three NBA championships, was a 13-time NBA All-Star, and was drafted fifth overall by his team(Heat) in the 2003 NBA draft leading them to their first NBA championship.

During the 2008 Summer Olympics, the “Redeem Team”,( United States men’s basketball team) clinched the gold medal thanks to Wade’s scores. More to that, he was NBA All-Star Game MVP(most valuable player) in 2010. The icing on the cake was being named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team in October 2021. Though he retired from active play in 2020, his passion for basketball led him to buy a minority stake at Utah Jazz in 2021.

10. Richard Pryor – The Pioneer of Comedy

He was an American stand-up comedian and actor born on December 1, 1940, in Peoria, Illinois. His creative works are seen in concert films and recordings such as Richard Pryor: Live & Smokin’ (1971), That Nigger’s Crazy (1974), …Is It Something I Said? (1975) and there is a lot more.

Pryor’s big prizes are a Primetime Emmy Award, five Grammy Awards, and a Writers Guild of America Award in 1974. He was the first recipient of the Kennedy Center Mark Twain Prize for American Humor in 1998. He has been valued in recent years and listed number one on Comedy Central’s list of all-time greatest stand-up comedians.

Besides, in 2017, he maintained the first position in Rolling Stone‘s magazine ranking of all-time 50 best stand-up comics. Richard died on December 10, 2005.

11. Jacqueline “Jackie” Joyner-Kersee: Track and Field Legend

Joyner-Kersee, an American former athlete with the name Jackie Kennedy, is considered one of the all-time best long jumpers and women’s heptathletes. She was born in East St. Louis, Illinois (right across the Mississippi River from downtown St. Louis, Missouri).

Furthermore, while still in high school, Joyner-Kersee qualified for the long jump finals at the 1980 Olympic Trials. She has won three gold, one silver, and two bronze Olympic medals. After her retirement, she joined the board of directors for USA Track & Field (USATF) and has taken part in many charitable endeavors.

12. Jennifer Hudson – The Voice of Resilience

When Hudson was seven years old, she started singing and performing in her church choir. Hudson was born in Chicago, Illinois, in 1981. She competed on American Idol‘s third season and finished seventh, although she has since established a successful career as a singer and actress.

Also, she was honored with a Grammy Award for Best R&B Album in addition to winning an Academy Award, a Golden Globe, a BAFTA, a Screen Actors Guild, and a BAFTA for her performance in Dreamgirls (2006) as Best Supporting Actress.

13. Ludacris – Hip-Hop Icon

Toglenn, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Christopher Bryan Bridges, better known by his stage name Ludacris, was raised in Atlanta despite being from Champaign, Illinois. He began rapping at the age of nine, demonstrating that he had a predisposition for hip-hop from an early age.

On top of that, Ludacris continued his education after high school, earning a degree in music management at Georgia State University. He started rapping in 1998 on Timbaland’s popular song Fat Rabbit, which was produced in hip-hop. The Grammy prize he received in 2006 for his album Release Therapy done the same year, was the apex of his musical career.

14. Miles Davis – Jazz Virtuoso

Miles Davis, named “the man who transformed music” by Rolling Stone, was a significant contributor to the advancement of jazz.

He was raised in Illinois, where he also completed high school, before moving to New York to attend the Juilliard School of Music. The impact he made on music is best summed up by his famous quote: “The way you change and help music is by trying to discover new ways to play.”

15. Verdine White – Funk Maestro

dbking from Washington DC, United States of America, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Verdine White, who comes from an educated family in Chicago, Illinois, decided to pursue a career in music against the advice of his parents.

This legend of the bands, Earth, Wind, and Fire, showed an early interest in picking up the upright bass. White played in the Chicago Symphony Orchestra when he was a teen. From there, he changed to playing the electric bass professionally. He won many awards over his time with the EWF, including eight Grammys and four American Music Awards.

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16. Oprah Winfrey – The Queen of Media

Born in the small town of Kosciusko, Mississippi, Oprah Winfrey‘s journey to international stardom began when she moved to Chicago at a young age. After excelling in media jobs, she launched her own production company and the groundbreaking talk show The Oprah Winfrey Show in 1986.

Subsequently, her ability to connect with guests and viewers on a personal level propelled the show to become the highest-rated talk show of all time. Oprah’s media empire expanded to include movies, magazines, book clubs, and her TV network. Her philanthropic efforts through organizations like Oprah’s Angel Network have also changed lives worldwide.

17. Barack Obama – United States 44th President

Photo by Library of Congress on Unsplash

Although born in Honolulu, Hawaii, Barack Obama made Chicago his home when he moved there after college. He worked as a community organizer before earning his law degree and teaching constitutional law.

Better still, Obama’s political career took off when he was elected to the Illinois State Senate in 1996, and then the US Senate in 2004. His historic presidential campaign inspired the nation with a message of hope and change. In 2008, he was elected as the first African American President of the United States. His major achievements included the Affordable Care Act and the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.

18. Michelle Obama – Advocate for Change

Michelle Obama was born on the South Side of Chicago to working-class parents. After graduating from Princeton and Harvard Law, she met her future husband Barack while working at a law firm.

As First Lady from 2009-2017, she was a passionate advocate for military families, healthy eating, education, and women’s rights. Her initiatives like Let’s Move! encouraged children’s health and wellbeing.

Further, Michelle‘s warm personality, intelligence, and commitment to service made her a global role model. Her memoir Becoming (2018) was a critically acclaimed bestseller sharing her extraordinary journey.

19. Kanye West – The Musical Maverick

Watch this video on YouTube.

Although born in Atlanta, Kanye West spent his childhood in Chicago where he fell in love with hip-hop and poetry. After dropping out of college, he produced hit songs for artists like Jay-Z, leading to his debut album The College Dropout in 2004 which reinvented hip-hop music and culture.

What’s more, later albums like Late Registration (2005) and My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (2010) further cemented his status as a visionary artist and producer willing to defy conventions. Alongside his prolific music career, Kanye has influenced fashion through his Yeezy clothing line and boundary-pushing sense of style.

20. John Hughes – The Master of Teen Cinema

Born and raised in the Chicago suburb of Northbrook, John Hughes had an uncanny ability to tap into the minds of teenagers through his iconic 1980s films. The Breakfast Club (1985), with its band of misfit students trapped in Saturday detention, is an era-defining exploration of adolescent angst.

Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986) hilariously celebrates cutting class and living life to the fullest. Sixteen Candles (1984) and Pretty in Pink (1986) also struck a chord as Hughes mastered depicting the humor, awkwardness, and drama of high school years. Hughes’ comedies still resonate with their honesty and wit.

21. Jane Addams – Champion of Social Reform

George de Forest Brush, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

At her family home in Cedarville, Illinois, Jane Addams developed a passion for improving the plight of the underprivileged after being exposed to poverty while traveling Europe.

Thus, in 1889 she co-founded the groundbreaking Hull House in Chicago – one of America’s most famous settlement houses serving immigrants and the poor through education, healthcare, and social services.

Additionally, Addams campaigned tirelessly for child labor laws, women’s rights, and world peace, for which she received the 1931 Nobel Peace Prize – the first American woman honored. Her inspiring life’s work uplifted countless lives and communities.

22. Ray Bradbury – The Master of Science Fiction

Ray Bradbury was born in 1920 in the small Illinois town of Waukegan. He transformed his childhood dreams and experiences into visionary works of science fiction exploring the impact of technology on society.

His masterpiece Fahrenheit 451 (1953) is a chilling dystopian future where books are burned to suppress free thought. The Martian Chronicles (1950) follows human colonists journeying to Mars, reflecting mid-20th century hopes and fears about space exploration. Bradbury’s poetic, imaginative tales encourage readers to embrace creativity and fight censorship, making him one of the most influential sci-fi writers.

23. Michelle Pfeiffer – The Hollywood Icon

joyparris, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Moving to the Chicago suburb of Midway City at age 10, Michelle Pfeiffer started taking acting and singing lessons to overcome her shyness. Those talents blossomed into one of Hollywood’s most celebrated careers.

Moreover, after starring roles in Grease 2 (1982) and Scarface (1932), she portrayed the infamous Catwoman opposite Michael Keaton in Batman Returns (1992). Her luminous beauty was matched by a versatile acting range earning her acclaim in dramas like The Age of Innocence (1993)and comedies like What Lies Beneath (2000). Pfeiffer continues taking iconic roles like French queen Marie Antoinette while championing environmental causes.

24. Harold Ramis – The Comedy Maestro

Chicago native Harold Ramis got his comedy start with improvisational groups leading to his writing iconic TV shows like Second City Television (SCTV) in 1976. He reached new comedic heights co-writing Animal House (1978) before co-writing and starring in Ghostbusters – one of the biggest comedy blockbusters of all time.

Furthermore, as a director, Ramis guided classic laughers like Caddyshack (1980), National Lampoon’s Vacation (1989), and Groundhog Day (1993). His sharp comedic voice blending slapstick and satire left a mark on American humor until his passing in 2014. Ramis’ collaborations with Bill Murray remain among the most quotable buddy comedies ever.

25. Cindy Crawford – The Supermodel Sensation

Ibsan73, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Born in the small town of DeKalb, Cindy Crawford rose from modest Midwestern roots to become one of the original 1990s supermodels. Her trademark beauty mark and facial symmetry graced countless magazine covers from Vogue to Cosmopolitan, Playboy, runway shows, commercials, and many more.

Over and above that, this American bombshell, Crawford transitioned into roles as a businesswoman, author, and television personality. Her signature line of furniture and remake over shows like MTV’s House of Style which premiered in 1989, further cemented her icon status and mass appeal spanning over three decades in the spotlight.

These 25 most famous people from Illinois represent a diverse array of talent and achievement, from the realms of entertainment and sports to literature and politics. Through their groundbreaking contributions and enduring legacies, these individuals have left strong legacies on the world stage, inspiring generations to come. Their stories serve as a testament to the power of perseverance, creativity, and determination in the pursuit of excellence. As we celebrate their accomplishments, let us also reflect on the rich cultural heritage of Illinois and the countless opportunities it has afforded to those who dare to dream.

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25 Most Famous People from Illinois