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Famous People from Georgia


Rhett Akins (1969 - ) Born Thomas Rhett Akins. An American country singer and songwriter. He is the father of country singer Thomas Rhett. Born in Valdosta, GA (1193)

Jason Aldean (1977 - ) Born Jason Aldine Williams. An American country music singer. Two-time ACM Male Vocalist of the Year. Each of his albums has been certified Platinum. "Why", "Big Green Tractor", "Night Train" and "Burnin' It Down" are just some of his No. 1 hits. Born in Macon, GA (1663)

Edward Porter Alexander (1835 - 1910) An engineer, an officer in the U.S. Army, a Confederate general in the American Civil War, and later a railroad executive, planter, and author. Born in Savannah, GA (1195)

Asher Allen (1988 - ) A former American football cornerback who played for three seasons for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Vikings in the third round of the 2009 NFL Draft. He played college football at Georgia. Born in Tucker, GA (1196)

Robert Houston Anderson (1835 - 1888) A cavalry and artillery officer in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. Born in Chatham County, GA (1191)

George Thomas Anderson (1824 - 1901) A general in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. Nicknamed "Tige," Anderson was noted as one of Robert E. Lee's hardest-fighting subordinates. Born in Covington, GA (1197)

Francis Stebbins Bartow (1816 - 1861) An attorney, Confederate States of America political leader, and military officer during the early months of the American Civil War. He became the first brigade commander of the Confederate States Army to die in combat when he was killed at the First Battle of Manassas. Born in Savannah, GA (1188)

Kim Basinger (1953 - ) Born Kimila Ann Basinger. An American film actress and former fashion model. She has appeared in 38 feature films, 5 television movies and 9 television series. Some of her movies include Never Say Never Again, The Natural and Batman. Born in Athens, GA (1187)

Cullen Andrews Battle (1829 - 1905) An American attorney, politician, and general in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. Born in Powelton, GA (1186)

Henry Lewis Benning (1814 - 1875) A lawyer, legislator, judge on the Georgia Supreme Court, and a Confederate general during the American Civil War. The U.S. Army's Fort Benning was named in his honor. Born in Columbus, GA (1185)

Luke Bryan (1976 - ) Born Thomas Luther Bryan. An American country singer-songwriter. He was awarded the CMA Entertainer of the Year in 2014. Born in Leesburg, GA (1664)

Jimmy Carter (1924 - ) Born James Earl Carter, Jr. He was the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. He was awarded the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize. Born in Plains, GA (103)

Ray Charles (1930 - 2004) Born Ray Charles Robinson. An American singer, songwriter, musician, and composer. He pioneered the genre of soul music and contributed to the racial integration of country and pop music. He was the first African-American musician to be granted artistic control by a mainstream record company. Born in Albany, GA (773)

Ty Cobb (1886 - 1961) Born Tyrus Raymond Cobb. He was an American Major League Baseball outfielder. Nicknamed "The Georgia Peach." He played 24 seasons, 22 for the Detroit Tigers. He set 90 MLB records during his career and still holds several including the highest career batting average, .367. Born in Narrows, GA (278)

Thomas Howell Cobb (1815 - 1868) An American politician. He was a member of the United States House of Representatives, Speaker of the House (1849 to 1851), Secretary of Treasury (1857-1860) and the 40th Governor of Georgia (1851-1853). He also served as president of the Provisional Confederate Congress and a major general of the Confederate army. Born in Athens, GA (1183)

Charles Douville Coburn (1877 - 1961) An American film and theater actor. Best known for his work in comedies. He received the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for the movie The More the Merrier. Born in Savannah, GA (1182)

Jackie Lee Cochran (1934 - 1998) An American rockabilly musician, known as Jack the Cat. Born in Dalton, GA (1181)

Pat Conroy (1945 - ) Born Donald Patrick Conroy. A New York Times bestselling author who has written several acclaimed novels and memoirs. Two of his novels, The Prince of Tides and The Great Santini were made into films. Born in Atlanta, GA (1179)

Frances Conroy (1953 - ) An American actress known for playing the Ruth Fisher on the television series Six Feet Under, which earned her a Golden Globe in 2004. Also known for playing Moira O'Hara on the television anthology series American Horror Story. Born in Monroe, GA (1180)

David Cross (1964 - ) An American actor, writer and stand-up comedian best known for his sketch comedy work on HBO's Mr. Show and for his role as Tobias Funke in the FOX sitcom Arrested Development. Born in Atlanta, GA (1178)

Billy Currington (1973 - ) Born William Matthew Currington. An American country music artist. His 5 albums produced 10 singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, including 8 No. 1 hits. Born in Savannah, GA (1665)

Jack Davis (1924 - ) An American cartoonist and illustrator. Known for his advertising art, magazine covers, film posters, record album art and comic book stories. One of the founding cartoonists for Mad in 1952. He also received the National Cartoonist Society Milton Caniff Lifetime Achievement Award in 1996. Born in Atlanta, GA (1176)



Jeff Foxworthy (1958 - ) An American stand-up comedian, television and radio personality, voice artist and author. He is the largest selling comedy-recording artist in history and best selling author of 11 books. Host of the quiz show Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? Born in Hapeville, GA (1669)

Holly Hunter (1958 - ) An American actress. Hunter starred in The Piano for which she won the Academy Award for Best Actress. Other films she appeared in are Broadcast News, The Firm and Thirteen. Born in Conyers, GA (1670)

Alan Eugene Jackson (1958 - ) County Music singer and song writer. He has sold over 80 million records worldwide with more than 50 of his singles appearing on Billboard's list of the "Top 30 Country Songs." Born in Newnan, GA (724)

DeForest Kelley (1920 - 1999) Born Jackson DeForest Kelley. An American actor, screenwriter, poet and singer known for his iconic roles in Westerns and as Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy of the USS Enterprise in the television and film series Star Trek. Born in Toccoa, GA (1671)

Martin Luther King Jr. (1929 - 1968) Born Michael Luther King, Jr. An American Baptist minister, activist, humanitarian and leader in the African-American Civil Rights Movement. He received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964 for combating racial inequality through nonviolence. Born in Atlanta, GA (105)

Gladys Knight (1944 - ) An American recording artist, songwriter, businesswoman, humanitarian and author. She has won 7 GRAMMY Awards and earned number one hits in Pop, R&B and Adult Contemporary. Gladys Knight & the Pips recorded songs like Midnight Train to Georgia, Neither One of Us and Love Overboard. She has also had a solo career with hits like Superwoman and Men. Born in Oglethorpe, GA (106)

Mirabeau Buonaparte Lamar (1798 - 1859) A Texas politician, poet, diplomat and soldier who was a leading Texas political figure during the Texas Republic era. He was the third President of the Republic of Texas. Born in Louisville, GA (1202)

Juliette Gordon Low (1860 - 1927) Born Juliette Magill Kinzie Gordon. Founder of the Girl Scouts of America. Born in Savannah, GA (107)

Margaret Mitchell (1900 - 1949) An American author and journalist. Author of Gone with the Wind (1936) that won a Pulitzer Prize. Born in Atlanta, GA (108)

Ty Pennington (1964 - ) Born Gary Tygert Burton. An American television host, model, philanthropist, and carpenter. He is most notable for being the host of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. Born in Atlanta, GA (1672)

Jerry Reed (1937 - 2008) Born Jerry Reed Hubbard. An American country music singer, guitarist, songwriter, and actor who appeared in more than a dozen films. Guitar Man, A Thing Called Love, When You're Hot, You're Hot and East Bound and Down are a few of his signature songs. Born in Atlanta, GA (1667)

Thomas Rhett (1990 - ) Born Thomas Rhett Akins, Jr. An American country music singer. He charted 5 singles from his debut album It Goes Like This. Son of singer-songwriter Rhett Akins. Born in Valdosta, GA (1705)

Little Richard (1932 - ) Born Richard Wayne Penniman. An American recording artist, songwriter, and musician. His music has had an impact on the formation of rock and roll, soul and funk. His song "Tutti Frutti" was included in the Library of Congress' National Recording Registry. Born in Macon, GA (109)

Julia Roberts (1967 - ) An American actress and producer. Pretty Woman, Steel Magnolias, Erin Brockovich, The Pelican Brief, My Best Friend's Wedding, Ocean's Eleven, Eat Pray Love and Mirror Mirror are just a few of her many movie roles. Born in Atlanta, GA (725)

Jackie Roosevelt Robinson (1919 - 1972) The first African American baseball player in the major leagues since the 1880s. He played in 6 World Series in 10 seasons and was selected for 6 consecutive All-Star Games. He received the inaugural MLB Rookie of the Year Award and was the first African American to win the National League Most Valuable Player Award. His uniform number, 42, was retired across all major league teams in 1997. He was the first pro athlete in any sport to be so honored. Born in Cairo, GA (110)

Sugar Ray Robinson (1921 - 1989) Born Walker Smith Jr. Boxing Champion often called the best fighter in the history of boxing. He turned professional at the age of 19 and had a professional record of 128-1-2 with 84 knockouts but 1951. Born in Ailey, GA (275)

Ryan Seacrest (1974 - ) An American radio personality, television host, and network producer. He is the host of On Air with Ryan Seacrest, American Top 40, American Idol and Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve. Born in Atlanta, GA (1673)

Travis Tritt (1963 - ) An American country music singer. Seven of his albums are certified platinum and he has charted more than 40 times on the Hot Country Songs charts. Help Me Hold On, Anymore, and Foolish Pride are just some of his No. 1 songs. Born in Marietta, GA (115)

Alice Walker (1944 - ) An American author and activist. She wrote the novel The Color Purple for which she won the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. Born in Eatonton, GA (114)

Mary Lou Williams (1910 - 1981) Born Mary Elfrieda Scruggs. An American jazz pianist, composer, and arranger. She wrote hundreds of compositions and arrangements and recorded more than one hundred records. Born in Atlanta, GA (1668)

Joanne Woodward (1930 - ) Born Joanne Gignilliat Trimmier Woodward. An American actress and producer. Best known for her role in The Three Faces of Eve for which she won an Academy Award. Born in Thomasville, GA (937)

Trisha Yearwood (1964 - ) Born Patricia Lynn Yearwood. An American singer, author, and actress. Her debut single, "She's in Love with the Boy" became her first No. 1 single. "How Do I Live" became her signature song. Born in Monticello, GA (112)