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.
Born in Seattle
Living
- Paul Allen – co-founder of Microsoft[1]
- Marc D. Angel, rabbi emeritus of Congregation Shearith Israel, the Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue of New York City
- Jon Jon Augustavo- director
- John Aylward – actor (ER, Mad Men, House of Lies, Gangster Squad)
- Josh Barnett – MMA fighter, former Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight champion
- Craig Bartlett – Hey Arnold! creator
- Mario Batali – chef, writer, restaurateur and media personality
- Bob Bingham – Jesus Christ Superstar actor
- Josie Bissett – actress (Melrose Place), ex-wife of Rob Estes
- Tori Black – porn star
- William Bolcom – composer
- Karan Brar - actor
- Ben Bridwell – musician – lead singer in rock 'n roll band Band of Horses
- Matt Briggs - writer
- Carrie Brownstein – musician, member of Sleater-Kinney
- Linda B. Buck – scientist
- Raegan Butcher – poet
- Dove Cameron – actress, singer
- Jerry Cantrell – musician – Alice in Chains
- Brandi Carlile – musician
- Kyle Cease – comedian
- Carol Channing – actress, Hello, Dolly!, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Thoroughly Modern Millie
- Art Chantry – graphic design
- Erika Christensen – actress
- Bobby Clark – actor
- Judy Collins – folk singer
- Greg Colson – artist
- Chris Cornell – musician – Soundgarden, Audioslave
- Jamal Crawford - professional basketball player - Los Angeles Clippers
- Warrel Dane – musician, singer for Sanctuary, Nevermore
- Gail Devers – athlete, Olympic track-and-field gold medalist
- Jenny Durkan – United States Attorney for the Western District of Washington
- Wil Francis – lead singer of the band Aiden
- Kenny G – musician
- Bill Gates – co-founder of Microsoft
- Isis Gee – American singer in Poland and Eurovision Song Contest entrant
- Tom Gorai – film producer
- Richard F. Gordon, Jr. – astronaut
- Tom Gorman – tennis player
- Stone Gossard – rhythm guitarist of Pearl Jam
- Natalie Grant – Christian music singer/songwriter
- David Guterson – author
- Ben Haggerty (stage name Macklemore) - hip-hop artist
- Marcus Hahnemann – professional soccer goalkeeper
- Henri – existential cat
- Brian Herbert – author
- Steven Hill – actor, portrayed Adam Schiff in the TV series Law & Order
- Jay Inslee – Governor of Washington
- Jake One – hip-hop music producer
- Bianca Kajlich – television actress noted for role of Jennifer on Rules of Engagement
- Richard Karn – television actor, game show host
- London Keyes - porn star
- Amanda Knox – tried and convicted in Italy for Murder of Meredith Kercher but subsequently acquitted on appeal
- Addie Land - actress, The Sasquatch Gang
- Ed Lee – first Asian American mayor of San Francisco
- Blake Lewis – singer, runner-up on American Idol (season 6)
- Jerry Lewis – California politician
- Gary Locke – US Ambassador to China, former US Secretary of Commerce, former Governor of Washington
- Mike Luckovich – editorial cartoonist
- Duff McKagan – bassist formerly of Guns N' Roses, now with Velvet Revolver
- Gianna Michaels – porn star
- Beau Mirchoff – actor known for television series Awkward
- Brian Stokes Mitchell – Broadway actor and baritone singer
- Sir Mix-a-Lot – rap musician
- Jeffrey Dean Morgan – actor, known for Grey's Anatomy, Watchmen, Magic City
- Mark Morris – director, choreographer, dancer
- Frank Murkowski – Polish-American politician, tenth Governor of Alaska
- Gabe Newell – CEO and founder of Valve Corporation
- Mark O'Connor – country violinist (also performs in other musical genres)
- Apolo Ohno – world champion and Olympic gold-medalist short track speedskater
- John Olerud – professional baseball player who played at Washington State University
- Stephen O'Malley – member of doom metal band Sunn O)))
- Stacie Orrico – pop singer
- Stephen S. Oswald – astronaut
- Jay Park – B-boy, singer and rapper, former leader of 2PM
- Robin Pecknold – musician – lead singer in the American folk-rock band Fleet Foxes
- Megyn Price – actress known for roles on Grounded for Life and Rules of Engagement
- Ann Reinking – actress, dancer, choreographer, All That Jazz, Micki + Maude, Annie
- John Requa – screenwriter Cats & Dogs and Bad Santa
- Nate Robinson – NBA player, known for winning three All-Star Dunk contests
- Nick Robinson – actor known for portraying Ryder Scanlon on ABC Family sitcom Melissa & Joey
- Scott Rockenfield – drummer with Queensrÿche
- John Roderick – musician (The Long Winters), writer, and podcaster
- Leslie Rule - author, novelist, paranormal writer
- DJ Scene – producer, disc jockey
- Aaron Sele - professional baseball player, pitched for Seattle Mariners and other teams
- Jim Sheppard – bassist with Nevermore
- Jean Smart – actress, known for Designing Women, Kim Possible, Frasier, 24
- Peter Steinbrueck – politician
- 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
- Geoff Tate – singer with Queensryche
- Jen Taylor – video game voice actress
- Jason Terry – professional basketball player for the Houston Rockets
- Kim Thayil – lead guitarist of the grunge band Soundgarden
- Rachel Trachtenburg – drummer, member of The Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players
- Greg Valentine – professional wrestler. Inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame (2004)
- Maiara Walsh - actress Cory in the House, Desperate Housewives, Switched at Birth
- Jennifer Warnes – singer and songwriter
- Zoe Weizenbaum - actress 12 and Holding, Memoirs of a Geisha
- Adam West – actor, known for title role in TV series Batman and voice role on Family Guy
- Jim Whittaker – first American to climb Mt. Everest
- Lou Whittaker – mountaineer, founded Mt. Rainier guide service
- Rainn Wilson – actor, most notably on The Office
- Lynn Woolsey – politician
- Mary Youngblood – Native American flutist
- DeAndre Yedlin - professional soccer player for Tottenham Hotspur and the United States men's national soccer team
- Carly Shay, webshow host
Deceased
- Paul Jacob Alexander – newspaper publisher and Seattle City Councilman
- Richard Lee Armstrong – professor and geochemist
- Bob Bartlett – politician
- Barbara Berjer – television actress
- Max Brand – author (pen name)
- Gerald Brashear—musician, played with Wyatt Ruther, Ray Charles, Della Reese, Cecil Young Quartet
- Chester Carlson – physicist and inventor
- Irma Schoennauer Cole – swimmer, civil servant
- Don Coryell – NFL coach
- Jennifer Dunn – politician
- Frances Farmer – actress
- Pete Fleming – missionary to Ecuador
- Keith Godchaux – musician
- Kathi Goertzen – longtime news anchor for KOMO 4
- Ed Guthman – journalist
- Ivar Haglund – folksinger and restaurateur
- Jimi Hendrix – rock guitarist and singer
- 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
- Gypsy Rose Lee – actress and burlesque star
- Mary Livingstone – comedienne and wife of Jack Benny
- Paul B. Lowney – author
- Kevin McCarthy – actor
- Mary McCarthy – author, critic and social activist
- Alfred M. Moen – inventor and founder of Moen, Inc.
- Margaret Murie – environmentalist
- Walt Partymiller – cartoonist
- Peg Phillips - actress; founded the Woodinville Repertory Theater in 1998
- Tuulikki Pietilä – graphic artist and professor
- Guy Bates Post - stage and film actor
- Hal Riney - advertising executive
- Ron Santo – Hall of Fame baseball player
- Robert Stroud – convicted felon, The Birdman of Alcatraz
- Emmett Watson – journalist
- Charles Wood – singer and actor, introduced Cole Porter's "Tom, Dick or Harry" on Broadway
Moved to Seattle
Living
- Kimball Allen – writer, playwright, performer, gay activist, author of Secrets of a Gay Mormon Felon and Be Happy Be Mormon
- Zaid Abdul-Aziz – former Seattle SuperSonics power forward
- Dustin Ackley – Seattle Mariners Outfielder
- Sherman Alexie – author
- Jeff Ament – bassist of Pearl Jam
- Harry Anderson – actor
- Brian Atwater – geologist
- Fred Beckey – mountaineer
- Anomie Belle – musician
- Jeff Bezos – CEO and founder of Amazon.com
- Roberto Carcelen – Olympian
- Christopher Boffoli – photographer
- Jeff Borowiak – tennis player
- David Brewster (journalist) – publisher and journalist
- Terry Brooks – author
- Mike McCready – lead guitarist of Pearl Jam (considered local, went to grade school – college in Seattle)
- Robert Brown – musician, lead singer of Abney Park
- Ed Brubaker – comics writer and artist[2]
- Peter Buck – musician in R.E.M.
- Charles Burns – cartoonist
- Matt Cameron – drummer of Soundgarden and Pearl Jam
- Dyan Cannon – actress
- 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[3]
- 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
- Neile Graham – poet
- Nicola Griffith – author
- Dave Grohl – drummer of Nirvana and lead singer/guitarist of Foo Fighters
- Caren Gussoff – author
- Gary Hall Jr. – 10-time Olympic medalist[4]
- Leland H. Hartwell – Nobel Prize winner
- Matt Hasselbeck – quarterback, Seattle Seahawks player
- Jerick Hoffer/Jinkx Monsoon – actor/drag queen, winner of Rupaul's Drag Race Season 5
- Jenni Hogan – KIRO-TV traffic anchor
- 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 and Jerry Holkins – creators of Penny Arcade
- Jon Krakauer – author
- Jayne Ann Krentz – romance novelist
- Gary Larson – comic strip artist (the Far Side)
- Jason Lutes – cartoonist
- Kyle MacLachlan – actor
- Dave Matthews – musician
- Jim McDermott – congressman
- Rose McGowan – actress Charmed, Jawbreaker
- Joel McHale – actor, host of The Soup on E! and star of NBC television series Community
- Patrick Monahan – lead singer of the band Train
- Jinkx Monsoon - drag queen, singer, actor
- 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
- Susan Powter – motivational speaker, dietitian, personal trainer and author
- Karen Prell - puppeteer
- Jeff Probst – host of TV show Survivor
- Benjamin Putnam/BenDeLaCreme – actor/drag queen, 5th place and Miss Congeniality of Rupaul's Drag Race Season 6
- Jonathan Raban – author
- John Ratzenberger – actor, played Cliff Clavin on TV series Cheers
- 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
- 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
- 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[6]
- 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
- Al Young - dragster driver
- Lusine (real name Jeff McIlwain), prominent IDM musician.
Deceased
- 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
- 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
- Kate Fleming – audio book narrator (voice-over actor) and producer
- Frances Farmer - actress
- 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 Seattle Daily Times
- Alex Haley – African American 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 and 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
- Keye Luke - actor[7]
- Betty MacDonald – author
- Helene Madison – 3 gold medals at 1932 Summer Olympics
- Benjamin Brown Martin – illustrator for the Seattle Daily Times
- William Charles McNulty – illustrator Seattle Star, became teacher at Art Students League
- Asa Shinn 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
- 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
- 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.
- Mia Zapata – musician
Native athletes
Musical groups
Seattle in fiction
- Modern Combat 4: Zero Hour by Gameloft (2012) Seattle is bombed, on the level "Unified Terror".
- Here Come the Brides (1968–1970) television series
- Carl Kolchak in the 1973 TV movie The Night Stalker
- McQ, 1974 movie, featuring John Wayne
- An Officer and a Gentleman, 1982 movie, featuring Richard Gere and Debra Winger
- WarGames, 1983 movie, starring Matthew Broderick
- Runaway, 1984 movie, starring Tom Selleck and Gene Simmons
- No Retreat, No Surrender, 1986 movie, starring Kurt McKinney and Jean-Claude Van Damme
- Black Widow, 1987 movie, starring Debra Winger and Theresa Russell
- Harry and the Hendersons (1987), movie comedy featuring John Lithgow and Don Ameche
- The Stepfather, 1987 movie, starring Terry O'Quinn
- The Fabulous Baker Boys, 1989 movie
- Say Anything..., 1989 movie, featuring John Cusack
- American Heart, 1992 movie, featuring Jeff Bridges and Edward Furlong
- The Hand that Rocks the Cradle, 1992 movie, starring Rebecca De Mornay
- Singles, 1992 movie, directed by Cameron Crowe, featuring Bridget Fonda and Matt Dillon
- Frasier (1993–2004), Emmy award-winning US television sitcom featuring Kelsey Grammer as Dr. Frasier Crane and David Hyde Pierce as his brother, Dr. Niles Crane
- Shadowrun, 1993 video game for Super NES
- Sleepless in Seattle, 1993 movie featuring Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks
- The Vanishing, 1993 movie, featuring Kiefer Sutherland and Jeff Bridges
- Disclosure, 1994 movie, featuring Michael Douglas and Demi Moore
- Assassins, 1995 movie, starring Sylvester Stallone and Antonio Banderas
- Hideaway, 1995 movie, starring Jeff Goldblum and Jeremy Sisto
- Mad Love, 1995 movie, featuring Drew Barrymore and Chris O'Donnell
- Fear, 1996 movie, featuring Mark Wahlberg and Reese Witherspoon
- Millennium (1996–1999) television series, featuring Lance Henriksen and Megan Gallagher
- Excess Baggage, 1997 movie, featuring Alicia Silverstone and Benicio Del Toro
- 10 Things I Hate about You, 1999 movie, featuring Julia Stiles and Heath Ledger
- Double Jeopardy, 1999 movie, featuring Tommy Lee Jones and Ashley Judd
- Chasing Sleep, 2000 movie, starring Jeff Daniels
- Dark Angel (2000–2002) cyberpunk, science fiction television series, created by James Cameron and starring Jessica Alba
- Get Carter, 2000 movie, remake of the 1971 film starring Sylvester Stallone and Mickey Rourke
- Saving Silverman, 2001 movie, starring Jason Biggs and Jack Black
- Life or Something Like It, 2002 movie, featuring Angelina Jolie and Edward Burns
- The Ring, 2002 movie, featuring Naomi Watts and Martin Henderson
- John Doe (2002–2003), television sci-fi featuring Dominic Purcell
- A Guy Thing, 2003 movie, starring Julia Stiles, Jason Lee, Selma Blair
- Agent Cody Banks, 2003 movie, featuring Frankie Muniz and Hilary Duff
- Dead Like Me, (2003–2004) Showtime comedy, featuring Ellen Muth and Mandy Patinkin
- The 4400, (2004–2007), television sci-fi
- Grey's Anatomy (2005–), an award winning ABC television drama, featuring Ellen Pompeo and Sandra Oh
- Lucky 7, 2003 made-for-TV movie, featuring Kimberly Williams-Paisley and Patrick Dempsey
- Firewall, 2006 movie, starring Harrison Ford
- Kyle XY, (2006–2009), television abc family
- 88 Minutes, 2007 movie, featuring Al Pacino
- Battle in Seattle, 2007 movie, featuring Ray Liotta and Charlize Theron
- iCarly, (2007–2012), television series, Nickelodeon, created by Dan Schneider and starring Miranda Cosgrove
- The Last Mimzy, 2007 movie
- Reaper (2007–2009), comedy
- World in Conflict, an alternate-history 2007 game for the PC which the USSR invades the United States
- Antichrist, 2009 movie, featuring Willem Dafoe and Charlotte Gainsbourg
- Love Happens, 2009 movie, starring Jennifer Aniston
- World's Greatest Dad, 2009 movie, starring Robin Williams
- Take on Helicopters (2011), a helicopter game for the PC developed by Bohemia Interactive
- The Killing (2011-2014), AMC TV Series based on the Danish television series Forbrydelsen (literally The Crime).
- Chronicle, 2012 movie, starring Dane DeHaan and Michael B. Jordan
- Doonesbury, widely syndicated cartoon strip featuring numerous characters of which many live in Seattle, including Mike Doonesbury, Alex Doonesbury, Daisy 'The Widow' Doonesbury, Kim Rosenthal, J.J., Zeke Brenner, and Bernie
- Gordon Freeman, Half-Life game series for the PC, Xbox
- Ken Masters, Street Fighter game series
- Infamous: Second Son, Infamous game series
- Christian Grey from the Fifty Shades Of Grey trilogy by E. L. James
References
