List of people from Indiana
This is a list of some famous people who were born or lived in Indiana.
Founders and pioneers
Military
- George Rogers Clark, soldier
- Walter Bedell Smith, General, U.S. Army, chief of staff to General Dwight D. Eisenhower (Indianapolis)
Politicians and activists
- Birch Bayh, former U.S. Senator and presidential candidate (Terre Haute)
- Evan Bayh, U.S. Senator and former Governor of Indiana (Shirkieville)
- Otis R. Bowen, Governor of Indiana and U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services
- Maria Cantwell, Congresswoman and U.S. Senator (Indianapolis)
- Homer E. Capehart, businessman and U.S. Senator (Algiers)
- Eugene V. Debs labor and political leader (Terre Haute)
- Dan Quayle, former U.S. Senator and U.S. Vice President (Indianapolis)
- Richard Lugar, U.S. Senator and former Mayor of Indianapolis (Indianapolis)
- Thomas Marshall, U.S. Vice President (North Manchester)
- John Roberts, U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice
- Benjamin Harrison, U.S. President
- William H. Harrison, U.S. President and Governor of Indiana Territory
Entertainment
Film and theatre
- Leon Ames, actor (Portland)
- Anne Baxter, actress (Michigan City)
- James Dean, actor (Marion)
- Heather Douglas, actress, (New Albany)
- Irene Dunne, actress, (Madison)
- Vivica A. Fox actress (Indianapolis)
- Brendan Fraser, actor, (Indianapolis)
- Greg Kinnear, actor (Logansport)
- Elmo Lincoln, actor (Rochester)
- Carole Lombard, actress, (Fort Wayne)
- Marjorie Main, actress (Acton)
- Steve McQueen, actor, (Beech Grove)
- Sidney Pollack, actor, producer, director, (Lafayette)
- Jo Anne Worley, actress (Lowell)
Comedians
- Carole Lombard, comedienne (Fort Wayne)
- Red Skelton, comedian (Vincennes)
- David Letterman, comedian (Indianapolis)
Music
- Babyface, singer, producer (Indianapolis)
- Hoagy Carmichael, songwriter (Bloomington)
- Paul Dresser, songwriter (Terre Haute)
- Bill Gaither, singer (Alexandria)
- Gloria Gaither, songwriter (Alexandria)
- Bobby Helms, singer (Bloomington)
- Michael Jackson, singer (Gary)
- Janet Jackson, singer (Gary)
- John Mellencamp, singer, songwriter, musician (Seymour)
- Cole Porter, songwriter (Peru)
- Ned Rorem, composer (Richmond)
- David Lee Roth, singer (Bloomington)
- Connie Smith, singer (Elkhart)
Television
- Arija Bareikis, actress (Bloomington)
- Julia Barr, actor (Fort Wayne)
- Avery Brooks, actor (Evansville)
- Dan Butler, actor (Fort Wayne)
- Scatman Crothers, actor (Terre Haute)
- Chad Everett, actor (South Bend)
- Dolores Fuller, actress (South Bend)
- Florence Henderson, actress (Dale)
- Drake Hogestyn, actor (Fort Wayne)
- David Letterman, late night entertainer (Indianapolis)
- Shelley Long, actress (Fort Wayne)
- Karl Malden, actor (Gary)
- Jane Pauley, news anchor (Indianapolis)
- Dick York, actor (Fort Wayne)
Sports
- William "Dick the Bruiser" Afflis, football player and professional wrestler (Lafayette)
- Larry Bird, basketball player (French Lick)
- Phil Bradley, baseball player (Bloomington)
- Donie Bush, baseball player (Indianapolis)
- Max Carey, baseball player (Terre Haute)
- Lou Criger, baseball player (Elkhart)
- Nig Cuppy, baseball player (Logansport)
- Chad Curtis, baseball player (Marion)
- Bill Garrett (William Leon Garrett), basketball player (Shelbyville)
- Jeff Gordon, racing (Danville)
- Bob Griese, football player (Evansville)
- Billy Herman, baseball player (New Albany)
- Gil Hodges, baseball player (Princeton)
- Jeff King, baseball player (Marion)
- Chuck Klein, baseball player (Indianapolis)
- Don Lash, long-distance runner (Bluffton and Auburn)
- Kenny Lofton, baseball player (East Chicago)
- Don Mattingly, baseball player (Evansville)
- Ryan Newman, racer (South Bend)
- Dan Plesac, baseball player (Gary)
- Sam Rice, baseball player (Morocco)
- Scott Rolen, baseball player (Evansville)
- Edd Roush, baseball player (Oakland City)
- Everett Scott, baseball player (Bluffton)
- Tony Stewart, racer (Columbus)
- Sam Thompson, baseball player (Danville)
- Dickie Thon, baseball player (South Bend)
- Cy Williams, baseball player (Wadena)
- John Wooden, basketball player and coach (Martinsville)
- Rod Woodson, football player and television analyst (Fort Wayne)
- Rollie Zeider, baseball player (Hoover and Auburn)
- Fuzzy Zoeller, golfer (New Albany)
Business
- Madame C.J. Walker, businesswoman (Indianapolis)
- Bill Blass, fashion designer (Fort Wayne)
Art and literature
- George Ade, author and journalist, (Kentland)
- William Merritt Chase, painter, (Nineveh, Johnson County)
- Will Cuppy, humorist (Auburn)
- Jim Davis, cartoonist (Fairmount)
- Theodore Dreiser, author (Terre Haute)
- Stephen King, author (Fort Wayne)
- Ross Lockridge, Jr., author (Bloomington)
- James Muir, sculptor (Indianapolis)
- David Smith, Abstract Expressionist sculptor (Decatur)
- Gene Stratton Porter, author (Wabash County)
- Ernie Pyle, newsman (Dana)
- James Whitcomb Riley, poet (Greenfield)
- John T. McCutcheon, cartoonist (Lafayette)
- Kurt Vonnegut, author (Indianapolis)
Science and medicine
- Colonel Eli Lilly founder of Eli Lilly
Space exploration
- Joseph P. Allen, astronaut (Crawfordsville)
- Frank Borman, astronaut (Gary)
- Kenneth Bowersox, astronaut (Bedford)
- Mark N. Brown, astronaut (Valparaiso)
- Anthony England, astronaut (Indianapolis)
- Gus Grissom, astronaut (Mitchell)
- David Wolf, astronaut (Indianapolis)
- Charles D. Walker, astronaut (Bedford)
- Victor "How Do You Know You Wouldn't Like It?" Colussi, space freak (Madison)
Notorious & Infamous Indiana
- John Dillinger, bank robber (Indianapolis)
- Jim Jones, cult founder/leader (Crete)
- Tony Kiritsis
Famous Indiana Bands
Umphrey's McGee popular jam band (South Bend area)