Missouri Famous People

Famous Americans: History and Biographies

Links to histories and biographies of the famous people of Missouri. Many famous people of Missouri have made significant contributions to the history of our nation and the state of Missouri. These famous Americans, famous entertainers, famous players, famous scientist, famous singers, famous statesmen, famous women, heroes, great explorers, and others Missouri famous Americans have all made Missouri their home. This list includes Missouri historical figures, celebrities and those individuals of Missouri who have influenced the lives of others.

• Maya Angelou (1928 - ) Author of I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings; born in St. Louis.
• David Rice Atchison (1807 - 1886) A Missouri native, held the office of president of the United States for one day in 1849.
• Scott Bakula (1955 - ) Actor of television's "Quantum Leap"; born in St. Louis.
• Yogi Berra (1925 - ) New York Yankee catcher that won 10 World Series; born in St. Louis.
• Chuck Berry (1926 - ) Singer known for "Johnny B. Goode"; born in Wentzville.
• Susan Elizabeth Blow (1843 - 1916) Teacher and founder of the nation's first public kindergarten in St. Louis; born in St. Louis.
• Omar N. Bradley (1893 - 1981) Commanded the 12th Army Group in World War II, the largest American force ever united under one man's command.  Bradley served 69 years on active duty in the Armed Forces, longer than any other soldier in United States history; born near Clark.
• Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain) (1835 - 1910) Author made famous with Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn; born in Florida, MO.
• T.S. Eliot (1888 - 1965) Nobel Prize winning author of The Wasteland; born in St. Louis.
• Jesse James (1847 - 1882) Famous outlaw killed by one of his own gang; born in Kearney.
• Rush Limbaugh (1951 - ) Radio and television talk show host; born in Cape Girardeau.
• James Cash Penney (1875 - 1971) Founder of the J.C. Penney Company; born in Hamilton
• Harry S. Truman (1884 - 1972) The 33^rd President of the United States; born in Lamar.
• Kathleen Turner (1954 - ) Actress starring in Romancing the Stone; born in Springfield.
• Roy Wilkins (1901 - 1981) Leader of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP); born in St. Louis.

More Famous People of Missouri

• Robert Altman film director, Kansas City
• Burt Bacharach songwriter, Kansas City
• Josephine Baker singer, dancer, Saint Louis
• Wallace Beery actor, Kansas City
• William Bent fur trader, pioneer, Saint Louis
• Robert Russell Bennett composer, Kansas City
• Thomas Hart Benton painter, Neosho
• Bill Bradley basketball player, Crystal City
• Grace Bumbry soprano, Saint Louis
• William Burroughs writer, Saint Louis
• Sarah Caldwell opera director, conductor, Maryville
• Martha Jane Canary (Calamity Jane) frontierswoman, Princeton
• Dale Carnegie teacher of public speaking, Maryville
• George Washington Carver educator, agricultural chemist, Diamond Grove
• Samuel Langhorne Clemens (Mark Twain) author, Florida
• Walter Cronkite TV newscaster, Saint Joseph
• Robert Cummings actor, Joplin
• Jane Darwell actress, Palmyra
• Charles Stark Draper inventor, Windsor
• Jeanne Eagels actress, Kansas City
• James Fergason inventor, Wakenda
• Eugene Field author, poet, Saint Louis
• Redd FoMissouri actor, comedian, Saint Louis
• James W. Fulbright senator, Sumner
• John Goodman actor, Affton
• Betty Grable actress, Saint Louis
• Dick Gregory comic, activist, Saint Louis
• Jean Harlow actress, Kansas City
• Edwin Hubble astronomer, Marshfield
• Jack S. Kilby inventor, Jefferson City
• James Langston Hughes poet, Joplin
• William Lear aviation inventor, Hannibal
• John Huston film director, Nevada
• Bernarr MacFadden physical culturist, Mill Springs
• Mary Margaret McBride TV hostess, Paris
• Robert D. Maurer inventor, St. Louis
• Marianne Moore poet, Saint Louis
• Geraldine Page actress, Kirksville
• Marlin Perkins TV host, zoo director, Carthage
• John J. Pershing army leader, pershing rifles, Linn County
• Vincent Price actor, Saint Louis
• Ginger Rogers dancer, actress, Independence
• Charles M. Russell painter, artist St. Louis
• Nellie Tayloe Ross first woman elected governor of a state, Saint Joseph
• Ted Shawn dancer, choreographer, Kansas City
• Casey Stengel baseball player, Kansas City
• Gladys Swarthout soprano, Deepwater
• Sara Teasdale poet, Saint Louis
• Virgil Thomson composer, Kansas City
• Dick Van Dyke actor, West Plains
• Dennis Weaver actor, Joplin
• Pearl White actress, Greenridge