Image by Malchow from Wikimedia

10 Most Famous People from South Dakota


 

Home to Mount Rushmore and the Badlands, the state is known for tourism and agriculture. South Dakota (SD) is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux Native American tribes, who comprise a large portion of the population with nine reservations currently in the state and have historically dominated the territory. The state is the place to be for those who love the outdoors because it is practically spoiled with natural beauty. Their iconic attractions include Mount Rushmore National Memorial, Badlands National Park, the Black Hills and the Missouri River. On top of that, they have many state parks, lakes and trails. Beyond that, we have some of the nation’s best hunting and fishing.

Often known as the land of “Great Faces, Great Places” there are many famous people from South Dakota. The people in this article are some of the most recognizable names from South Dakota. Some of the people below are celebrities born in South Dakota, while others are simply notable locals. The list considered people who were born and raised in South Dakota, also those who were born there but moved away at a young age. The following 1o people are among the most famous people from South Dakota.

 

Famous Athletes from South Dakota

Brock Edward Lesnar – Webster, SD

10 Most Famous People from South Dakota

Image by Ed Webster from Wikimedia

Brock Edward Lesnar is an American-Canadian professional wrestler, former mixed martial artist, amateur wrestler and professional American football player who holds both American and Canadian citizenship. He was born in Webster, South Dakota in 1977 to Stephanie Lesnar and Richard Lesnar. He is a four-time WWE Champion, inspired by lessons he learnt about the value of hard work while growing up on a dairy farm with his parents and three siblings. After his successful amateur wrestling career at Bismarck State College and the University of Minnesota, Lesnar signed with WWE (then the World Wrestling Federation) in 2000.  In 2002 he debuted on WWE’s main roster in 2002,  he went on to win the WWE Championship five months later at the age of 25, becoming the youngest champion in the title’s history. Lesnar abruptly resigned from WWE and pursued a career in the National Football League (NFL) as a defensive tackle for the Minnesota Vikings, but was cut prior to the start of the 2004 season. In 2005, Lesnar returned to professional wrestling and signed with New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he won the IWGP Heavyweight Championship in his first match.

Adam Vinatieri – Yankton, SD

Image by Jeffery Beall from Wikimedia

The South Dakota State alumni and former Colts (10 seasons) and Patriots (14 seasons) standout became known for consistently clutch performances on his way to becoming the league’s all-time leading scorer over the course of a pro career that spanned from 1996 through 2019. He won 4 Super Bowls with the New England Patriots and one more with the Indianapolis Colts. He holds the NFL record for most Super Bowl wins by a kicker. Other  NFL records include, the most points scored, (2,600), most postseason points scored (238), most field goals made (582) and most overtime field goals made (12). He is the only player ever to score 1,000 points with two teams. As of 2019, Vinatieri, 46, is the oldest active player in the NFL and 4th oldest of all time. Furthermore, Vinatieri was named first-team All-Pro three times in 24 NFL seasons. Due to his numerous accolades and records, Vinatieri is considered to be one of the greatest kickers in NFL history. The legend will be eligible for the Hall of Fame in 2025.  This is no mean feat because only two kickers Jan Stanerud and Morten Andersen have made it but Vinatieri is a strong bet to become the third after a legendary 24-year career.

 

Most Famous People from South Dakota – American Indians

 Rain in the Face – Hunkpapa Sioux Chief

Famous People from South Dakota

Image by Unknown Author from Wikimedia

Rain-in-the-Face was a leader of the Lakota tribe and was born about 1835 in the Dakota Territory near the forks of the Cheyenne River. He was one of the Sioux’s greatest and most respected war heroes. As a war chief, he was among the Indian leaders who vanquished George A. Custer and his U.S. Army 7th Cavalry regiment at the Battle of the Little Big Horn. He did not inherit the title of “Chief,” because his lineage on either side contained no chiefs. That meant he had to earn his title, which he did by displaying his leadership and courage during the Lakota wars of the 1860s. Rain-in-the-Face had a reputation for belligerence from early boyhood. At the age of ten, he got into a fight with a “friendly” Cheyenne, the result of which his face was bloodied and streaked with blood, thus giving him his name. Later, as a young man, in an all-day fight with the Gros Ventres, his face paint was streaked with rain, reinforcing his name.

Learn information about the Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument.

Sitting Bull – Hunkpappa  Sioux Chief

10 Most Famous People from South Dakota

Image by Allen and Ginter from Wikimedia

Sitting Bull was born around 1831 into the Hunkpapa people, a Lakota Sioux tribe that roamed the Great Plains in what is now the Dakotas. He was initially called “Jumping Badger” by his family but earned the boyhood nickname “Slow” for his quiet and deliberate demeanour. In the 1860s, he emerged as one of the fiercest opponents of white encroachment on Sioux land. His resistance usually took the form of raids on livestock and hit-and-run attacks against military outposts. Knowing that the Indians required unity to face down the might of the U.S. Army, Sitting Bull’s uncle Four Horns led a campaign to make the war chief the supreme leader of all the autonomous bands of Lakota Sioux—a position that had never before existed.

Sitting Bull was elevated to his new rank sometime around 1869. He was seized by authorities in Grand River, on December 15, 1890, as a precaution against the spread of the Ghost Dance Movement. However, Sitting Bull was killed while his warriors were trying to rescue him. He was buried at Fort Yates, but his remains were moved in 1953 to Mobridge, South Dakota, where a granite shaft marks his resting place.

Click Here for more facts about the Battle of Little Bighorn.

Russell Means – Pine Ridge Reservation

artist Bob Coronato stands beside his most famous and controversial painting, of American Indian activist Russell Means. Image by Carol M Highsmith from Wikimedia

Means was born on November 10, 1939, in Porcupine, South Dakota, on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. He was an Oglala Sioux activist, writer, and actor, who founded the Cleveland American Indian Center and was a central figure in the American Indian Movement (AIM). Russell Means, the self-styled modern Indian warrior who forced international attention on the plight of Native Americans for more than four decades, first through militant protest and later through the power of his own celebrity.

Hailing from the Oglala Sioux tribe he overcame a life of drugs and poverty to become one of the most famous American Indians since Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse. Russell Means to some Indians was seen as a hero but there are those who regarded him as an unwelcome representative. He retired from AIM in 1988 and began a prolific acting career extending his activism into Hollywood. He acted in over 30 roles, his most notable films include The Last of the Mohicans 1992 and Natural Born Killers 1994. When he passed away on in 2012 at the age of 72 he was cremated and his ashes were scattered among the Black Hills of South Dakota.

 

The Most Famous Actors from South Dakota

 January Jones – Sioux Falls, SD

Image by Peabody Awards from Wikimedia

January Jones, star of AMC’s “Mad Men,” was born in Sioux Falls and is an alumnus of Roosevelt High School. She was a mega-star in the popular AMC series Mad Men, starred in several movies and most recently, the Fox series The Last Man on Earth. In 1979, her family moved to the small town of Hecla, South Dakota, with a population of 400 people, however, they moved back to Sioux Falls in 1986. After finishing high school, she moved to New York City to become a model. She launched her modelling career at age 18 before pursuing a career in acting. She is best known for playing Betty Draper on AMC’s Mad Men from 2007 to 2015, a role that earned her an Emmy nomination in 2010. After making a splash with her breakthrough role in American Wedding (2003), actress January Jones quickly rose up the ranks to become a prominent screen presence in film and on television.

Read this article on Hollywood dreams.

Cheryl Ladd – Huron, SD

Image by Christina M Rumsey from Wikimedia

Cheryl Ladd born Cheryl Jean Stoppelmoor in 1951, is an American actress, author and musician. She is best known for portraying Kris Munroe on the TV series Charlie’s Angels. She married into the famous Hollywood Ladd family in 1973 and has a daughter who is also an actress. Ladd originally came to Hollywood to begin a career in music (she was known as “Cherie Moor” when she was the singing voice of Melody on Hanna-Barbera’s Josie and the Pussycats animated series and she also sang on the 1970 album of the same name.

Later, she began to get non-singing roles in commercials and television i.e. The Rookies, The Partridge Family, Police Woman, The Muppet Show, Search and Happy Days. She is also a published author with a book titled The Adventures of Little Nettie Windship, in 1996. Another title under her belt is Token Chick: A Woman’s Guide to Golfing With the Boy, 2005 an autographical book that focused on her love of golf. Furthermore, the 71-year-old actress is one of the celebrity contestants in Season 31 of Dancing With The Stars.

The 15 most famous Hollywood Scandals, CLICK HERE

Amy Hill – Deadwood

Image by Nancy Wong from Wikimedia

Hill was born on May 9, 1953, in Deadwood, South Dakota, to Japanese national Ayako Yoneoka Hill (1914–2008) and Archie Russell Hill, a Finnish American who died after an automobile accident in 1979. She became an acclaimed actress working with the famed Asian American Theater Company in San Francisco, California. Deadwood is a city in South Dakota known for its gold rush history. Mount Moriah Cemetery has the graves of Wild West figures like Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane. Hill’s first major role was as Yung-Hee “Grandma” Kim on All-American Girl where her character became the breakout character of the short-lived television series.

She has been a mainstay on American television in her work, many of her roles being major recurring roles, the most notable being: Mrs. DePaulo on That’s So Raven, Mama Tohru on Jackie Chan Adventures, Mrs. Hasagawa in Lilo & Stitch: The Series (reprising the same character she played in Lilo & Stitch). She had regular roles on Strip Mall and as “Ah-Mah” Jasmine Lee on The Life and Times of Juniper Lee. Hill has recurring roles as Beverley on Mom and Ms. Mannering on Preacher.

15 Facts About Mt. Rushmore.

 

Most Journalist from South Dakota

 Tom Brokaw – Webster, SD

Image by Peabody Awards from Wikimedia

Tom Brokaw is the former anchor and managing editor of NBC Nightly News. He has been affiliated with NBC News for 30 years. He was born Thomas John Brokaw in Webster, South Dakota and is best known for anchoring the NBC Nightly News from 1982 to 2004. Brokaw graduated from the University of South Dakota with a B.A. in political science in 1962. Initially, he worked as a news editor for a television station in Omaha, Nebraska, before leaving in 1965 to anchor the late evening news for a television station in Atlanta, reporting on the civil rights movement. He joined NBC in 1966. In addition, Brokaw reported on more than thirty documentaries covering subjects including AIDS, gangs, race, immigration and global warming. Furthermore, he has an impressive list of firsts: the first American interview with Mikhail Gorbachev and the first network report on human rights abuses in Tibet, accompanied by an exclusive interview with the Dalai Lama.

Read here about the best journalists of all time.

 

The Most Famous Actors from South Dakota – Politicians

Hubert Humphrey – Wallace, SD

Image by Library of Congress from Wikimedia

Hubert Humphrey was born in Wallace, South Dakota in 1911, Wallace is a town in Codington County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 91 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Watertown, South Dakota Micropolitan Statistical Area. Known as the “Happy Warrior,” Hubert Humphrey represented Minnesota in the Senate from 1949 to 1964, presided over the Senate as vice president from 1965 to 1969, and then returned to the Senate again in 1971. At the 1948 Democratic National Convention, Humphrey delivered a stirring speech in support of civil rights that persuaded the Democratic Party to adopt a pro-civil rights ideology. Humphrey was the one who originated proposals for the creation of the Peace Corps, also the Humphrey-Hawkins Full Employment bill of 1978. On his death in 1978, he was accorded the honour of lying in state in the Capitol Rotunda. In 2011 the Senate passed a special resolution to commemorate the centennial of this South Dakota native’s birth.

 

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