List of people from Kansas

The following are notable people who were either born, raised, or have lived for a significant period of time in the American state of Kansas.

State flag of Kansas

Location of Kansas in the U.S. map

Academics and Nobel Prize Laureates

• Milton S. Eisenhower (1899–1985), university president; Abilene
• Wendell Johnson (1906–1965), psychologist and speech pathologist, author of The Monster Study; Roxbury
• Jack S. Kilby (1923–2005), Nobel Prize winner in Physics; Great Bend
• Solon Toothaker Kimball (1909–1982), anthropologist; Manhattan
• Stanford Lehmberg (born 1931), historian; McPherson
• Norman Malcolm (1911–1990), philosopher; Selden
• Deane Waldo Malott (1898–1996), president of Cornell University; Abilene
• Abby Lillian Marlatt (1869–1943), home economics; Manhattan
• Eric K. Meyer (born 1953), journalism professor and Pulitzer Prize nominee; Marion
• M. Lee Pelton (born 1950), president of Willamette University; Wichita
• John Brooks Slaughter (born 1934), college president and first African-American director of the National Science Foundation; Topeka
• Vernon L. Smith (born 1927), Nobel Memorial Prize winner in Economics; Wichita
• Earl Wilbur Sutherland Jr. (1915–1974), 1971 Nobel Prize winner in Physiology and Medicine; Burlingame
• Donald Worster (born 1941), historian; Lawrence

Arts and literature

Artists

• Nina E. Allender (1873–1957), artist and women's suffrage cartoonist; Auburn
• Grace Bilger (1907–2000), artist; Olathe
• Grant Bond (born 1974), artist; Kansas City
• Blackbear Bosin (1921–1980), Native American artist; Wichita
• Gwendolyn Elizabeth Brooks (1917–2000), poet; Topeka
• Bruce Conner (1933–2008), artist; McPherson
• John Steuart Curry (1897–1946), artist; Winchester
• Aaron Douglas (1900–1979), artist; Topeka
• Randall Duell (1903–1992), architect and art director; Russell County
• Edgar Heap of Birds (born 1954), artist; Wichita
• Bruce Helander (born 1947), artist; Great Bend
• Elizabeth Layton (1909–1993), artist; Wellsville
• Evan Lindquist (born 1936), printmaker, Artist Laureate of Arkansas; Salina
• Barbara Morgan (1900–1992), photographer; Buffalo, Kansas
• Gordon Parks (1912–2006), photographer and film director; Fort Scott
• Birger Sandzen (1871–1954), artist, art professor at Bethany College; Lindsborg
• Gary Mark Smith (born 1956), photographer, studied at University of Kansas; Wichita
• W. Eugene Smith (1918–1978), photographer; Wichita
• Mort Walker (1923–2018), cartoonist, creator of Beetle Bailey and Hi and Lois comic strips; El Dorado

Authors

• Laura Abbot (), author of Harlequin romance novels; Kansas City
• Gwendolyn Brooks (1917–2000), author, poet; Topeka
• William Burroughs (1914–1997), author; Lawrence
• Don Coldsmith (1926–2009), author of Western fiction; Iola
• Dorothy Canfield Fisher (1879–1958), author of children's books; Lawrence
• Thomas Frank (born 1965), author and editor; Mission Hills
• Jane Heap (1883–1964), author and publisher; Topeka
• Scott Heim (born 1966), author; Hutchinson
• Langston Hughes (1902–1967), author and poet; Lawrence
• William Inge (1913–1973), playwright; Independence
• Bill James (born 1949), author; Mayetta, Kansas
• Bill Martin, Jr. (1916–2004), children's author; Hiawatha
• Fred Myton (1885–1955), screenwriter; Garden City
• Kathy Patrick (), author, founder of Pulpwood Queens Book Club; Eureka
• Scott Phillips (born 1961), author; Wichita
• Vance Randolph (1892–1980), folklorist; Pittsburg
• Red Reeder (1902–1998), author and United States Army officer; Fort Leavenworth
• Richard Rhodes (born 1937), author and historian; Kansas City
• Lois Ruby (), author of historic fiction; Lawrence
• Damon Runyon (1880–1946), author; Manhattan
• Mary Francis Shura (1923–1990), children's, romance and mystery author; Pratt
• William Stafford (1914–1993), poet and pacifist; Hutchinson
• Max Yoho (born 1934), author; Colony

Dancers

• Clark Tippet (1954–1992), ballet; Parsons

Musicians

• Chris Arpad, solo steel pannist; McPherson
• Karrin Allyson, jazz performer; Great Bend
• Dawayne Bailey, musician and songwriter (Bob Seger and Chicago); Manhattan
• Chris Burnett (born 1955), musician; Olathe
• Karla Burns (born 1955), mezzo-soprano; Wichita
• Danny Carey (born 1961), musician; Lawrence
• Richard Christy, musician, actor, comedian, drummer, writer for Howard Stern show; Fort Scott
• Dorothy DeLay (1917–2002), violinist, Juilliard professor; Medicine Lodge
• Joyce DiDonato (born 1969), mezzo-soprano; Prairie Village
• Phil Ehart (born 1951), drummer for the rock band "Kansas"; Coffeyville
• Melissa Etheridge (born 1961), musician; Leavenworth
• Rory Lee Feek (born ca. 1966), country music singer; Atchison
• Wendell Hall (1886–1969), musician; St. George
• Mark Hart (born 1953), musician, Crowded House, Supertramp; Fort Scott
• Louis Thomas Hardin (1916–1999), vocalist, percussionist and composer better known by stage name, "Moondog"; Marysville
• Nora Holt (1885 or 1890–1975), singer and co-founder of the National Association of Negro Musicians; Kansas City
• Dave Hope (born 1949), musician; Topeka
• Eva Jessye (1895–1992), choral conductor; Coffeyville
• Jennifer Knapp (born 1974), singer and songwriter; Chanute
• Katrina Leskanich (born 1960), musician; Topeka
• Kerry Livgren (born 1949), founding member of Kansas; Topeka
• Frank Luther (1905–1980), musician; Lakin
• Mitch Markovich (born 1944), drummer, marching band director, professor; Great Bend
• Martina McBride (born 1966), musician; Sharon
• Andy McKee (born 1979), musician; Topeka
• Janelle Monáe (born 1985), vocalist; Kansas City
• Jerrod Niemann (born 1979), country singer; Liberal
• Charlie Parker (1920–1955), musician; Kansas City
• Samuel Ramey (born 1942), opera, bass-baritone; Colby
• Joe Don Rooney (born 1975), guitarist and vocalist; Baxter Springs
• Mark Schultz (born 1970), musician; Colby
• Steven Stucky (born 1949), Pulitzer Prize-winner in music; Hutchinson
• Jeremy Turner, guitar player in death metal band Origin, formerly of Cannibal Corpse; (Hometown Needed)
• Joe Walsh (born 1947), musician; Wichita
• Bobby Watson (born 1953), musician; Bonner Springs
• James Wesley, country music singer; Mound Valley
• David Wetzel (born 1983), musician; Westwood
• J. White Did It (born 1984), record producer; Kansas City and Leavenworth
• Chely Wright (born 1970), musician; Wellsville
• XV (stage name of Donavan LaMond Johnson), emcee, producer; Wichita
• Gordon Young (1919–1998), organist and composer; McPherson

Athletics

Athletes

A–F

• Alvan Adams (born 1954), basketball; Lawrence
• John H. Adams (born 1915), jockey; Iola
• Neil Allen (born 1958), baseball pitcher, pitching coach; Kansas City
• David Arkin (born 1987), pro football player; Wichita
• Elden Auker (1910–2006), baseball pitcher; Norcatur
• Chase Austin (born 1989), NASCAR driver; Eudora
• Ron Baker (born 1993), NBA player (New York Knicks); Utica and Scott City (born in Hays)
• Thane Baker (born 1931), gold medalist at 1956 Summer Olympics, decathlon; Elkhart
• Tony Barker (born 1968), football player; Wichita
• Chris Barnes (born 1970), professional bowler; Topeka
• James Bausch (1906–1974), gold medalist 1932 Summer Olympics; Garden Plain
• Judy Bell (born 1936), member of World Golf Hall of Fame; Wichita
• Matt Besler (born 1987), professional soccer player; Overland Park
• B.H. Born (born 1932), basketball player; Medicine Lodge
• Clint Bowyer (born 1979), NASCAR driver; Emporia
• George Brett (born 1953), baseball Hall of Famer; Mission Hills
• Bryce Brown (born 1991), football player; Wichita
• Orville Brown (1908–1981), pro wrestler, NWA champion; Sharon
• Mildred Bliss Burke (1915–1989), wrestler, Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame; Coffeyville
• Enos Cabell (born 1949), baseball player; Fort Riley
• Veronica Campbell-Brown (born 1982), track and field athlete (Olympic and world champion); Great Bend
• Antoine Carr (born 1961),; basketball player
• Larry Cheney (1886–1969), baseball pitcher; Belleville
• Jack Christiansen (1928–1986), football Hall of Famer; Sublette
• Tony Clark (born 1972), baseball player; Newton
• Maliek Collins (born 1995), football player; Kansas City
• Baron Corbin (born 1984), football player, WWE wrestler; Lenexa
• Nolan Cromwell (born 1955), football player; Smith Center
• Aaron Crow (born 1986), baseball player; Topeka
• Glenn Cunningham (1909–1988), silver medalist, 1936 Olympic Games,1,500m run; Elkhart
• Johnny Damon (born 1973), baseball player; Fort Riley
• Eldon Danenhauer (born 1935), football player; Clay Center
• Darren Daulton (born 1962), baseball player; Arkansas City
• Wantha Davis (born 1918), jockey; Liberal
• Joey Devine (born 1983), baseball player; Junction City
• Lynn Dickey (born 1949), football player; Osawatomie
• Andy Dirks (born 1986), baseball player; Burrton
• Larry Drew (born 1958), basketball player and coach; Kansas City
• Mark Duckens (born 1965), football player; Wichita
• Brian Duensing (born 1983), baseball player; Marysville
• Brody Eldridge (born 1987), football player; La Cygne
• Tim Elliott (born 1986), mixed martial artist; Wichita
• Maurice Evans (born 1978), basketball player; Wichita
• Kyle Farnsworth (born 1976), baseball player; Wichita
• Galen Fiss (1931–2006), football player; Johnson City
• Scott Fulhage (born 1961), football player; Beloit

G–M

• Andrew Gachkar (born 1988), football player; Overland Park
• Tyson Gay (born 1982), track and field athlete (world champion); Great Bend
• Maurice Greene (born 1974), track and field athlete (world and Olympic champion); Kansas City
• Adrian Griffin (born 1974), basketball player and coach; Wichita
• Geneo Grissom (born 1992), football player; Hutchinson
• Andy Gruenebaum (born 1982), soccer player
• Don Gutteridge (1912–2008), baseball player and manager; Pittsburg
• Joe Hastings (born 1987), football player; Wichita
• Tanner Hawkinson (born 1990), football player; McPherson
• Mark Haynes (born 1958), football player; Kansas City
• Ben Heeney (born 1992), football player; Hutchinson
• Bobby Henrich (born 1938), baseball player; Lawrence
• Don Hill (1904–1967), football player; Hiawatha
• Shaun Hill (born 1980), football player; Parsons
• Chief Hogsett (1903–2001), baseball player; Brownell
• Lionel Hollins (born 1953), basketball player and coach; Arkansas City
• Scott Huffman (born 1964), pole vaulter; Quinter
• Damian Johnson (born 1962), football player; Great Bend
• Walter Johnson (1887–1946), baseball Hall of Famer; Humboldt
• Pete Kilduff (1893–1930), baseball player; Weir
• Fred Kipp (born 1931), baseball pitcher; Piqua
• Tonya Knight (born 1966), IFBB professional bodybuilder; Overland Park
• Laurie Koehn (born 1982), WNBA player; Moundridge
• Gene Krug (born 1955), baseball player; Garden City
• Adam LaRoche (born 1979), baseball player; Fort Scott
• Bobby Lashley (born 1976), professional wrestler for WWE; Junction City
• Shalee Lehning (born 1987), WNBA player; Sublette
• Martin Lewis (born 1975), NBA basketball player; Liberal
• Danny Manning (born 1966), NBA basketball player; Lawrence
• Rudy May (born 1944), baseball player; Coffeyville
• Jon McGraw (), professional football player; Riley
• Archie "Hap" McKain (1911–1985), baseball player; Delphos
• Peter Mehringer (1910–1987), Olympic gold medalist wrestler, pro football player; Kinsley
• Brian Moorman (born 1976), football player; Sedgwick
• Mike Morin (born 1991), baseball player; Leawood

N–Z

• Marcio Navarro (born 1978), professional kickboxer and mixed martial artist; Wichita
• Jordy Nelson (born 1985), football player; Leonardville
• Terence Newman (born 1978), football player; Salina
• Nicole Ohlde (born 1982), WNBA player; Clay Center
• Antonio Orozco (born 1987), professional boxer; Garden City
• Victor Ortiz (born 1987), professional boxer; Garden City
• Bob Orton (1929–2006), professional wrestler; Kansas City
• Bob Orton, Jr. (born 1950), professional wrestler, WWE Hall of Fame; Kansas City
• John Parrella (born 1969), professional football player; Topeka
• Hal Patterson (1932–2011), professional football player; Larned
• Jordan Phillips (born 1992), professional football player; Towanda
• Joseph Randle (born 1991), professional football player; Wichita
• Ronn Reynolds (born 1958), professional baseball player; Wichita
• Dustin Richardson (born 1984), MLB pitcher; Newton
• John Riggins (born 1949), football player, Pro Football Hall of Famer; Centralia
• Brandon Rios (born 1986), professional boxer; Garden City
• Lafayette Russell (1905–1978), football player, B-movie actor "Reb" Russell; Osawatomie
• Johnny Rutherford (born 1938), race car driver; Coffeyville
• Jim Ryun (born 1947), athlete and politician; Wichita
• Barry Sanders (born 1968), football player, NFL Hall of Famer; Wichita
• Melvin Sanders (born January 3, 1981), pro basketball player; Liberal
• Wes Santee (1932–2010), NCAA cross country champion, track and field athlete; Ashland
• Gale Sayers (born 1943), NFL Hall of Famer; Wichita
• Otto Schnellbacher (1923–2008), pro basketball and football player; Sublette
• Ryan Schraeder (born 1988), professional football player; Wichita
• Wayne Simien (born 1983), NCAA All-American, NBA basketball player; Leavenworth
• Mark Simoneau (born 1977), professional football player; Smith Center
• Marilynn Smith (born 1928), professional golfer and LPGA co-founder; Topeka
• Lee Stevens (born 1967), professional baseball player; Lawrence
• Darren Sproles (born 1983), professional football player; Olathe
• Jackie Stiles (born 1978), WNBA basketball player; Claflin
• Stewart "Smokey" Stover (born 1938), professional football player; McPherson
• Darrell Stuckey (born 1987), professional football player; Kansas City
• Tom Sturdivant (1930–2009), professional baseball player; Gordon
• Steve Tasker (born 1962), NFL Pro Bowl MVP in 1993; Leoti (born in Smith Center)
• Luther Haden "Dummy" Taylor (1875–1958), baseball pitcher; Oskaloosa
• Doug Terry (born February 10, 1968), pro football player; Liberal
• Tommy Thompson (1916–1989), pro football player; Hutchinson
• Blake Treinen (born 1988), professional baseball player; Osage City
• Jerame Tuman (born March 24, 1976), pro football player; Liberal
• Ron Warner (born 1975), professional football player; Independence
• Earl Watson (born 1979), NBA basketball player; Kansas City
• Tom Watson (born 1949), golfer, member of World Golf Hall of Fame; Stilwell
• Mitch Webster (born 1959), MLB player; Larned
• Kendra Wecker (born 1982), WNBA player; Marysville
• Michael Wilhoite (born 1986), pro football player; Manhattan
• Jess Willard (1881–1968), world heavyweight boxing champion, St. Clere; Pottawatomie County
• Kamerion Wimbley (born 1983), professional football player; Wichita
• Lynette Woodard (born 1959), basketball Hall of Famer; Wichita
• Brad Ziegler (born 1979), baseball player; Pratt
• John Zook (born 1947), professional football player; Garden City

Coaches

• Phog Allen (1885–1974), Hall of Fame college basketball coach; Lawrence
• Jeremy Bates (born 1976), NFL offensive coordinator; Manhattan
• Jack Christiansen (1928–1986), pro and college football coach; Sublette
• Alan Cockrell (born 1962), hitting coach, New York Yankees; Kansas City
• Jory Collins (born 1978), college basketball coach; Holton
• Larry Drew (born 1958), NBA head coach; Kansas City
• Mark Fox (born 1969), college basketball coach; Garden City
• Dennis Franchione (born 1951), college football coach; Girard
• Don Gambril (born 1934), Hall of Fame swimming coach; Altamont
• Ted Gilmore (born 1967), college football coach; Wichita
• Bill Guthridge (born 1937), college basketball coach; Parsons
• Lionel Hollins (born 1953), NBA head coach; Arkansas City
• Ralph Houk (1919–2010), Major League Baseball manager; Lawrence
• Tim Jankovich (born 1959), college basketball coach; Manhattan
• Gene Keady (born 1936), Hall of Fame college basketball coach; Larned
• Gary Patterson (born 1960), college football coach; Rozel
• Jerry Kill (born 1961), college football coach; Cheney
• Lon Kruger (born 1952), college and NBA basketball coach; Silver Lake
• John McLendon (1915–1999), Hall of Fame basketball coach of college, ABL, and ABA; Hiawatha
• Ralph Miller (1919–2001), Hall of Fame college basketball coach; Chanute
• Billie Moore (born 1943), Hall of Fame college basketball coach; Westmoreland
• James Naismith (1861–1939), inventor of basketball, coach, athletic director, faculty member University of Kansas; (Hometown needed)
• Johnny Orr (born 1927), college basketball coach; Yale
• John H. Outland (1871–1947), namesake of Outland Trophy; Douglas County
• Adolph Rupp (1901–1977), Hall of Fame college basketball coach; Halstead
• Francis Schmidt (1885–1944), college football, baseball, and basketball coach; Downs
• Brian Schottenheimer (born 1973), NFL offensive coordinator; Stilwell
• Dean Smith (1931–2015), Hall of Fame college basketball coach; Emporia
• Bill Snyder (born 1939), Hall of Fame college football coach; Kansas State University
• Eddie Sutton (born 1936), college basketball coach; Bucklin
• Mark Turgeon (born 1965), college basketball coach; Topeka
• Brent Venables (born 1970), college football coach; Salina

Aviators and astronauts

• Walter Herschel Beech (1891–1950), aviator and aircraft designer; Wichita
• Clyde Vernon Cessna (1879–1954), aviator and aircraft designer; Rago
• Amelia Earhart (1897–1937), aviator; Atchison
• Joe Engle (born 1932), astronaut; Chapman
• Ronald Evans (1933–1990), astronaut; St. Francis
• Daniel Forbes (1920–1948), United States Army Air Corps pilot; Carbondale
• Steve Hawley (born 1951), astronaut; Salina
• Donald Hudson (1895–1967), World War I flying ace; Topeka
• Glenn L. Martin (1886–1955), aviation pioneer; Salina
• Lloyd Carlton Stearman (1898–1975), aviator and aircraft designer; Wellsville

Businesspeople and inventors

• Philip Anschutz (born 1939), billionaire investor; Russell
• Bion Barnett (1857–1958), co-founder of Barnett Bank; Hiawatha
• Olive Ann Beech, Chairwoman of Beech Aircraft Company; Wichita (born in Waverly)
• Dan and Frank Carney (Dan born 1931, Frank born 1938), founders of Pizza Hut; Wichita
• Walter Chrysler (1875–1940), founder of Chrysler Corporation; Wamego
• William Coffin Coleman (1870–1957), founder of the Coleman Company; Wichita
• David Dillon (born 1951), former CEO of Kroger; Hutchinson
• Vic Edelbrock (1913–1962), automotive engineer; Eudora
• James Harbord (1866–1947), President and Chairman of the Board of RCA; Manhattan
• William Wadsworth Hodkinson (1881–1971), pioneer film marketer and distributor; Independence
• Omar Knedlik (1915–1989), inventor of the ICEE frozen drink; Barnes
• Charles G. Koch (born 1935), CEO of Koch Industries; Wichita
• David H. Koch (born 1940), executive and politician; Wichita
• Alan Mulally (born 1945), engineer, former President and CEO of the Ford Motor Company; Lawrence
• Matthew K. Rose (born 1959), Chairman and CEO of Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corp.; Salina
• Harry F. Sinclair (1876–1956), founder of Sinclair Oil company; Independence
• Russell Stover (1888–1954), founder of Russell Stover Candies; Alton

Film, stage and television

Actors and performers

• Brandon Adams (born 1979), actor; Topeka
• Tyrees Allen (born 1954), actor; Salina
• Kirstie Alley (born 1951), actress; Wichita
• Fatty Arbuckle (1887–1933), actor; Smith Center
• Barbara Babcock (born 1937), actress; Fort Riley
• Gerry Bamman (born 1941), actor; Independence
• Hugh Beaumont (1909–1982), actor; Lawrence
• Annette Bening (born 1958), actress; Topeka
• Madge Blake (1899–1969), actress (Batman); Kinsley
• Roscoe Born (born 1950), actor; Topeka
• Todd Bosley (born 1984), actor; Overland Park
• Steve Brodie (1919–1992), actor; El Dorado
• Louise Brooks (1906–1985), actress; Cherryvale
• Petrea Burchard (born 1955), actress; Lawrence
• Darren E. Burrows (born 1966), actor; Winfield
• Trai Byers (born 1983), actor; Kansas City
• Del Close (1934–1999), actor and comedian; Manhattan
• Brent Collins (1941–1988), actor; Plainville
• Jack Colvin (1934–2005), actor; Lyndon
• Aneta Corsaut (1933–1995), actress; Hutchinson
• Nathan Darrow (born 1976), actor; Overland Park
• Lucinda Dickey (born 1960), actress and dancer; Hutchinson
• Billy Drago (born 1945), actor; Hugoton
• Marj Dusay (born 1936), actress; Hays
• R. Lee Ermey (1944–2018), actor; Emporia
• Bridget Everett (born 1972), actress, cabaret artist, comedian; Manhattan
• Bill Farmer (born 1952), voice actor; Pratt
• Tamara Feldman (born 1980), actress; Wichita
• Scott Foley (born 1972), actor; Kansas City
• Dwight Frye (1899–1943), actor; Salina
• Alan Fudge (1944–2011), actor; Wichita
• Laurel Goodwin (born 1942), actress; Wichita
• Cary Guffey (born 1972), actor; Topeka
• Dennis Hayden (born 1952), actor; Girard
• Colton Haynes (born 1988), actor; Wichita
• Thelma Hill (1906–1938), actress; Emporia
• Dennis Hopper (1936–2010), actor; Dodge City
• Jayne Houdyshell (born 1953), actress; Topeka
• Mary Howard (1913–2009), actress; Independence
• Don Johnson (born 1959), actor; Wichita
• Neal Jones (born 1960), actor; Wichita
• Gordon Jump (1932–2003), actor; Manhattan
• Tom Kane (born 1962), voice actor; Overland Park
• Buster Keaton (1895–1966), actor and director; Piqua
• Emmett Kelly (1898–1979), circus clown; Sedan
• Laura Kirk (born 1966), actress; Lecompton
• Shirley Knight (born 1936), actress; Goessel
• Sarah Lancaster (born 1980), actress; Overland Park
• Lila Leeds (1928–1999), actress; Dodge City
• Hattie McDaniel (1895–1952), actress; Wichita
• Everett McGill (born 1945), actor; Kansas City
• Michael McMillian (born 1978), actor; Olathe
• George Murdock (born 1930), actor; Salina
• Cassandra Peterson (born 1949), actress, aka Elvira, Mistress of the Dark; Manhattan
• ZaSu Pitts (1894–1963), actress; Parsons
• Chris Porter (born 1979), comedian; Olathe
• John Quade (1938–2009), actor; Kansas City
• James Reynolds (), actor; Oskaloosa
• Rob Riggle (born 1970), actor and comedian; Overland Park
• Charles "Buddy" Rogers (1904–1991), actor and jazz musician; Olathe
• Paul Rudd (born 1969), actor; Overland Park
• Sheila Ryan (1921–1975), actress; Topeka
• Kendall Schmidt (born 1990), singer, actor, and dancer; Wichita
• Kevin Schmidt (born 1988), actor; Andover
• Travis Schuldt (born 1974), actor; Topeka
• Angus Scrimm (born 1926), actor; Kansas City
• Max Showalter (1917–2000), actor; Caldwell
• Cynthia Sikes (born 1954), actress; Coffeyville
• Lois Smith (born 1930), actress; Topeka
• David Rees Snell (born 1966), actor; Wichita
• Sara Sothern (1895–1994), stage actress; Arkansas City
• Taryn Southern (born 1986), actress, YouTube personality; Wichita
• Rebecca Staab (born 1961), actress; Hays
• Milburn Stone (1904–1980), actor (Gunsmoke); Burrton
• Eric Stonestreet (born 1971), actor; Kansas City
• Jason Sudeikis (born 1975), actor; Overland Park
• Norma Terris (1904–1989), actress; Columbus
• Fay Tincher (1884–1983), actress; Topeka
• Vivian Vance (1909–1979), actress (I Love Lucy); Cherryvale
• Matt Vogel (born 1970), puppeteer; Kansas City
• Lyle Waggoner (born 1935), sculptor, actor (Wonder Woman); Kansas City
• Kari Wahlgren (born 1977), actress; Hoisington
• Dee Wallace (born 1948), actress; Kansas City
• Jason Wiles (born 1970), actor; Lenexa
• Claire Windsor (1892–1972), actress; Cawker City
• Patrice Wymore (1926-2014), actress; Miltonvale
• Jeff Yagher (born 1961), actor; Lawrence

Directors

• Michael Almereyda (born 1960), film director; Overland Park
• Steve Balderson (born 1975), film director; Wamego
• Darren Lynn Bousman (born 1979), film director; Overland Park
• Chris Buck (born 1960), film director, animator; Wichita
• Eric Darnell (born 1960), director, writer, songwriter, animator; Prairie Village
• Randall Duell (1903–1992), art director; Russell County
• Alex Graves (born 1968), television director; El Dorado
• Sherman Halsey, music video and television director; Independence
• Martin and Osa Johnson (1884–1937 and 1894–1953), film pioneer, explorer; Chanute
• Oscar Micheaux (1893–1951), film director; Great Bend
• Gordon Parks (1912–2006), film director; Fort Scott
• Richard Thorpe (1896–1991), film director; Hutchinson

Public figures

Journalists

• Frank Marshall Davis (1905–1987), journalist, poet, political and labor movement activist; Arkansas City
• Steve Doocy (born 1956), co-host of Fox News's Fox & Friends; Abilene
• Elizabeth Farnsworth (born 1943), television journalist; Topeka
• William M. Gallagher (1923–1975), Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist; Hiawatha
• Jane Grant (1892–1972), journalist who co-founded The New Yorker; Girard, Kansas
• E. W. Howe (1853–1937), author and newspaper editor; Atchison
• Bill Kurtis (born 1940), television journalist; Independence
• Jim Lehrer (born 1934), television journalist; Wichita
• Melissa McDermott (born 1960s), television news anchor for CBS's Up to the Minute; Wichita
• Clementine Paddleford (1898–1967), journalist and food critic; Riley County
• Eugene C. Pulliam (1889–1975), founder Central Newspapers, Inc.; Ulysses
• Roy A. Roberts (1887–1967), newspaper editor; Muscotah
• W. Eugene Smith (1918–1978), photojournalist; Wichita
• John Cameron Swayze (1906–1995), television journalist; Wichita
• Julius Wayland (1854–1912), newspaper editor, Appeal to Reason; Girard
• William Allen White (1868–1944), author and newspaper editor; Emporia
• Gene Wojciechowski, author, sportswriter and ESPN commentator; Salina

Politics and law

• John Anderson, Jr. (1917–2014), Kansas Governor; De Soto
• Earl Browder (1891–1973), General Secretary, Communist Party USA; Wichita
• Sam Brownback (born 1956), U.S. Representative, U.S. Senator, Kansas Governor; Garnett
• Arthur Capper (1865–1951), Kansas Governor and newspaper editor; Garnett
• Frank Carlson (1893–1987), U.S. Representative, U.S. Senator, and Kansas Governor; Concordia
• Georgia Neese Clark (1900–1995), first woman Treasurer of United States; Richland
• Ty Cobb (born 1950), Special Counsel to the President of the United States; Great Bend, Kansas
• Samuel J. Crawford (1835–1913), Kansas Governor; Garnett
• Charles Curtis (1860–1936), U.S. Senator and 31st Vice President of United States; Topeka
• Harry Darby (1895–1987), businessman and U.S. Senator; Kansas City
• George Docking (1904–1964), Kansas Governor; Clay Center
• Bob Dole (born 1923), U.S. Senator from Kansas {1969-1996} and 1996 Republican nominee for president; Russell
• Dwight Eisenhower (1890–1969), 34th President of the United States, Allied commander in World War II; Abilene (born in Denison, Texas)
• Joan Finney (1925–2001), Kansas Governor; Topeka
• Marlin Fitzwater (born 1942), Press Secretary for Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush; Abilene
• Robert Gates (born 1943), CIA director, U.S. Secretary of Defense; Wichita
• Robert L. Gernon (1943–2005), Kansas Supreme Court Justice; Sabetha
• Dan Glickman (born 1944), Secretary of Agriculture, President of Motion Picture Association of America; Wichita
• Bill Graves (born 1953), Kansas Governor; Salina
• Paul Ranous Greever (1891–1943), Wyoming Congressman; Lansing
• Gary Hart (born 1936), Colorado Senator; Ottawa
• Carl Hatch (1889–1963), New Mexico Senator; Kirwin
• Mike Hayden (born 1944), Kansas Governor; Colby
• Wally Hickel (1919–2010), Governor of Alaska, U.S. Secretary of Interior; Claflin
• Ural Alexis Johnson (1908–1997), diplomat and ambassador; Falun
• Tim Kaine (born 1958), Virginia Governor and Senator; 2016 Democratic nominee for Vice President; Overland Park
• Nancy Kassebaum Baker (born 1932), Kansas Senator; Topeka
• James H. "Dog" Kelley (1833–1912), frontiersman, mayor of Dodge City; (Hometown Needed)
• William P. Lambertson (1880–1957), U.S. Congressman; Fairview
• Alf Landon (1887–1987), Kansas Governor, 1936 presidential candidate; Topeka
• Frank H. Lee (1873–1952), Missouri U.S. Representative; De Soto
• John Martin (1839–1889), Kansas Governor, newspaperman, Civil War Colonel; Atchison
• George McGill (1879–1963), Kansas Senator; Wichita
• Jerry Moran (born 1954), U.S. Representative and Senator; Plainville
• Roger Noriega (born 1959), U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs; Wichita
• Gale Norton (born 1954), U.S. Secretary of the Interior; Wichita
• Lawton Nuss (born 1952), State Supreme Court Justice; Salina
• Kate Richards O'Hare (1877–1948), American Socialist Party activist; Ottawa County
• Leslie Osterman (born 1947), member of Kansas House of Representatives; Wichita
• Shirley Phelps-Roper (born 1957), lawyer for Westboro Baptist Church; Topeka
• Chuck Reed (born 1948), Mayor of San Jose, California; Garden City
• Roy Romer (born 1928), Colorado Governor; Garden City
• Susanna M. Salter (1860–1961), Mayor of Argonia, first woman mayor in U.S.; (Hometown Needed)
• Bradley Schlozman (born 1971), controversial figure in George W. Bush Administration's Dismissal of U.S. attorneys controversy; Overland Park
• K. Gary Sebelius (born 1949), U.S. magistrate judge, husband of Kathleen Sebelius; Norton
• Harold Sebring (1898–1968), Nuremberg Trial judge; Olathe
• Arlen Specter (1930–2012), Pennsylvania Senator; Russell
• Dale Swenson (born c. 1957), member of Kansas House; Wichita
• Martin E. Trapp (1877–1951), Oklahoma Governor; Robinson
• Rosalie E. Wahl (1924–2014), associate justice Minnesota Supreme Court; Caney
• William Walker (1800–1874), Provisional Governor of Nebraska Territory, Wyandot chief; (Hometown Needed)
• Mabel Walker Willebrandt (1889–1963), U.S. Assistant Attorney General 1921–29; Woodsdale
• Harry Hines Woodring (1890–1967), Kansas Governor and Secretary of War under Franklin Roosevelt; Elk City
• Robert M. Wright (1840–1915), member of Kansas House of Representatives; a founder of Dodge City
• Ron Wyden (born 1949), Oregon Senator; Wichita

Military and national security

• Stanley T. Adams (1922–1999), Korean War Medal of Honor recipient; De Soto
• Wilbur Bestwick (1911–1972), first Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps; Sabetha
• Kendall Carl Campbell (1917–1942), Ensign, posthumous WWII Navy Cross recipient; Garden City
• Richard Cowan (1922–1944), WWII Medal of Honor recipient; Wichita
• Rebecca L. Ediger (born 1952), agent in charge of Presidential Protective Division of U.S. Secret Service; Peabody (born in Newton)
• Harry D. Felt (1902–1992), WWII Naval aviator and Admiral; Topeka
• Arthur M. Ferguson (1877–1922), Colonel, Medal of Honor recipient, Philippine–American War; Coffey County
• Frederick N. Funston (1865–1917), Major General, Medal of Honor recipient; Iola
• John E. Gingrich (1897–1960), U.S. Navy four-star Admiral, first chief of security for Atomic Energy Commission; Dodge City
• James Harbord (1866–1947), U.S. Army, WWI Distinguished Service Cross; Bushong
• Joseph Henderson (1869–1938), Medal of Honor recipient, Philippine–American War; Fort Leavenworth
• Elizabeth P. Hoisington (1918–2007), first WAC officer promoted to Brigadier General; Newton
• Herbert Loper (1896–1989), Major General, U.S. Army; Norcatur
• Homer A. McCrerey (1919–1999), U.S. Navy meteorologist and oceanographer; Hiawatha
• Richard Myers (born 1942), General, U.S. Air Force, 15th Chairman of Joint Chiefs; Olathe
• Danny J. Petersen (1949–1970), Specialist 4, U.S. Army, posthumous Vietnam Medal of Honor recipient; Netawaka
• George S. Robb (1887–1972), U.S. Army, WWI Medal of Honor recipient; Assaria
• Bernard W. Rogers (born 1921), NATO Supreme Allied Commander, Europe; Fairview
• Donald K. Ross (born 1910), first Medal of Honor recipient in WWII, United States Navy; Beverly
• Conrad Schmidt (1830–1908), Civil War, Medal of Honor recipient; Ogden
• Duane D. Thiessen (born 1951), Major General, USMC; Goessel
• Grant F. Timmerman (1919–1944), Sergeant, USMC, posthumous Medal of Honor recipient; Americus
• William B. Trembley (1877–1952), Medal of Honor recipient, Philippine–American War; Johnson
• Lewis William Walt (1913–1989), General, USMC, initiated Combined Action Program in Vietnam; Wabaunsee County

Religious

• William Bickerton (1815–1905), founder of The Church of Jesus Christ (Bickertonite) and the Zion Valley, Kansas, colony; St. John
• Charles J. Chaput (born 1944), Archbishop, Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Denver; Concordia
• Sheri L. Dew (born 1953), influential Latter-day Saint spokeswoman; Ulysses
• Bart D. Ehrman (born 1955), New Testament scholar; Lawrence
• Jerry Johnston (born 1959), Southern Baptist Convention evangelist and pastor; Overland Park
• Emil Kapaun (1916–1951), Army chaplain Korean War, posthumous Medal of Honor recipient, Catholic martyr and sainthood candidate; Pilsen
• Ron Kenoly (born 1944), musical worship leader; Coffeyville
• Fred Phelps (1929–2014), leader of Westboro Baptist Church; Topeka
• James Reeb (1927–1965), Unitarian minister beaten to death by segregationists in Selma, Alabama, during the Civil Rights Movement; Wichita
• David Laurin Ricken (born 1954), bishop of Roman Catholic Diocese of Cheyenne; Dodge City
• Michael Jarboe Sheehan (born 1939), Archbishop of Santa Fe; Wichita
• M. Madeline Southard (1877–1967), Methodist minister and writer
• John Joseph Sullivan (1920–2001), Bishop of Grand Island, Nebraska, and Kansas City-St. Joseph; Horton
• Gerald B. Winrod (1900–1957), evangelical Christian and Nazi sympathizer; Wichita
• Gordon Winrod (born 1926), Christian Identity minister; Hesston

Scientists and programmers

• Charles Bachman (born 1924), computer scientist; Manhattan
• C. Olin Ball (1893–1982), food scientist; Abilene
• Barnum Brown (1873–1963), paleontologist; Carbondale
• John D. Carmack (born 1970), computer programmer; Shawnee Mission
• George Washington Carver (1864–1943), botanist and chemist; Minneapolis, Kansas
• James F. Crow (1916–2012), geneticist; Wichita
• Carl Owen Dunbar (1891–1979), geologist and paleontologist; Cherokee County
• David Fairchild (1869–1954), botanist and explorer; Manhattan
• Philip Fox (1878–1944), astronomer; Manhattan
• Howard K. Gloyd (1902–1978), herpetologist; De Soto
• Ebbe Hoff (1906–1985), neurologist; Rexford
• Jack Kilby (1923–2005), inventor of the integrated circuit; Great Bend
• Homer A. McCrerey (1919–1999), meteorologist and oceanographer; Hiawatha
• Ray McIntire (1918–1996), research engineer, inventor of Styrofoam; Gardner
• Karl Menninger (1893–1990), psychiatrist; Topeka
• Charles D. Michener (born 1918), entomologist; Lawrence
• Lou Montulli (), a founding engineer at Netscape and responsible for many HTML and web innovations; (Hometown Needed)
• Ernest Fox Nichols (1869–1924), scientist; Leavenworth County
• Wallace Pratt (1885–1981), petroleum geologist; Phillipsburg
• Walter Sutton (1877–1916), geneticist and physician; Russell
• George Tiller (1941–2009), medical doctor and controversial late-term abortion provider; Wichita
• Clyde Tombaugh (1906–1997), astronomer; Burdett
• Samuel Wendell Williston (1852–1918), scientist; Manhattan
• Douglas Youvan (born 1955), biophysicist and inventor; Frontenac

Others

Notable individuals

• Danni Boatwright (born 1975), winner of Survivor: Guatemala; Tonganoxie
• Emily Gibson Braerton (1884–1966), V.P. Daughters of the American Revolution {1950–53}; Lawrence
• Erin Brockovich (born 1960), environmental activist; Lawrence
• Richard Christy (born 1974), comedian on the Howard Stern Show; Fort Scott
• Hilda Clark (1872–1932), first woman to appear in a Coca-Cola advertisement; Leavenworth
• Earl Cole (born 1971), winner of Survivor: Fiji; Kansas City
• Racquel Darrian (born 1968), pornographic film star; Hutchinson
• Elmer Dresslar, Jr. (1925–2005), voice actor and baritone voice of Jolly Green Giant commercials; St. Francis
• Alvin Dewey (1912–1987), special agent of the Kansas Bureau of Investigation; Garden City
• Ann Dunham (1942–1995), mother of Barack Obama; Wichita
• Madelyn and Stanley Dunham (born 1922 and 1918–1992), grandparents of Barack Obama; Puru
• Tara Dawn Holland (born 1972), Miss America 1997; Overland Park
• Carrie Ingalls (1870–1946), sister of Laura Ingalls Wilder; born near Independence
• Charles "Buffalo" Jones (1844–1919), state representative Finney County; co-founder of Garden City
• Vicki Lynn Lasseter (born 1960), February 1981 Playboy Playmate; Iola
• Candy Loving (born 1956), January 1979 Playboy Playmate and 25th Anniversary Playmate; Oswego
• Waldo McBurney (1902–2009), formerly listed as oldest worker; Quinter
• Kelli McCarty (born 1969), Miss USA 1991, actress, pornographic films; Liberal
• Janet Murguía (born 1954), President and CEO, National Council of La Raza; Kansas City
• Dan Perkins (born 1961), cartoonist, pen name "Tom Tomorrow"; Wichita
• Jeff Probst (born 1962), television personality and host of Survivor; Wichita
• Victor Rojas (), studio analyst for MLB Network; Overland Park (born in Miami)
• Satanta (1830–1878), Chief of Kiowa tribe; western Kansas
• Matt Schlapp (), chairman of American Conservative Union; Wichita
• Justin E. Smith (born 1968), sheriff of Larimer County, Colorado; McPherson
• Theresa Vail (born 1990), host of Outdoor Channel's Limitless with Theresa Vail; Manhattan
• Kari Wahlgren (born 1977), video game voice actress; Hoisington
• Carrie Westcott (born 1969), September 1993 Playboy Playmate; Mission Hills
• Harold F. Williamson (1901–1989), business historian; Piper

Notable historical people not from Kansas but were part of an important event in Kansas

• John Brown (1800–1859), abolitionist; Osawatomie
• Buffalo Bill Cody (1846–1917), buffalo hunter and showman; Leavenworth
• Wyatt Earp (1848–1929), lawman; Wichita and Dodge City
• Dora Hand (1844–1878), dance hall singer, Dodge City, Kansas
• Wild Bill Hickok (1837–1876), lawman; Hays and Abilene
• James H. Lane (1814-1866), abolitionist, senator and union general; Lawrence
• Bat Masterson (1853–1921), lawman; Dodge City
• Carrie Nation (1846–1911), temperance activist; Medicine Lodge
• John James Ingalls (1833–1900), politician
• Kris Kobach (1966), Candidate for Governor in 2018, Kansas Secretary of State.

Infamous persons

• Edward J. Adams (1887–1921), bank robber and murderer; Hutchinson
• Lowell Lee Andrews (1939–1962), murderer; Wolcott
• John and Kate Bender (1872–1873), serial killers; Labette County
• Fred "Killer" Burke (1893–1940), Prohibition-era gangster; Mapleton
• Mark Essex (1949–1973), mass murderer; Emporia
• Jake and Ralph Fleagle () (Ralph: ), bank robbers and murderers; Marienthal
• Debora Green (born 1951), murderer; Prairie Village
• Eric Harris (1981–1999), perpetrator, along with Dylan Klebold, of the Columbine High School massacre; Wichita
• Richard Hickock (1931–1965), murderer; Kansas City
• Alvin "Creepy" Karpis (1907–1979), bank robber and member of the Barker Gang; Topeka
• Anna Emmaline McDoulet (1882–1978), female spy for Doolin Gang known as Cattle Annie Lawrence; Seneca
• George Newcomb (1866–1895), member of Bill Doolin's Wild Bunch; Fort Scott
• Duane Earl Pope (born 1943), bank robber and murderer; Roxbury
• Dennis Rader (born 1945), serial killer known as "BTK"; Wichita
• Scott Philip Roeder (born 1958), assassin; Merriam
• Marc Sappington (born 1978), murderer and cannibal, known as the Kansas City Vampire; Kansas City

Fictional persons

• Helen Crump (1962), girlfriend of Sheriff Andy Taylor of Mayberry on The Andy Griffith Show, from rural Kansas
• Dennis the Menace (1951), neighborhood terror, Wichita
• Matt Dillon (1949), marshal, Dodge City, Kansas
• Dorothy Gale (1900), farm girl who lived with her Aunt Em and Uncle Henry; transported to the Land of Oz by a tornado, with her dog Toto
• Elmer Gantry (1927), evangelist and title character in the Sinclair Lewis novel of the same name; attended college in Kansas
• Gil Hamilton (c. 2083), futuristic detective, Topeka
• Will Kane (1952), sheriff in the 1952 classic Western High Noon, from Hadleyville, Kansas
• Johnny Kaw (1955), mythical Kansas settler, Manhattan
• Clark Joseph Kent (1938), adopted child of Jonathan and Martha Kent of Smallville, known as the alter ego Superman, born on Krypton as Kal-El
• Lana Lang (1950), Superboy's teenage love interest, Smallville, Kansas
• Major Astro (1960), astronaut portrayed by local character actor Tom Leahy; host of a children's television program, Wichita
• Colleen McMurphy, lead character from China Beach, from a "small town" in Kansas
• Cameron Mitchell, Lieutenant Colonel of Stargate SG-1 television series, from Auburn
• Jack B. Quick (1999), boy genius, Queerwater Creek, Kansas
• Amanda Rogers (born 2351), character on Star Trek: The Next Generation, Topeka
• Pete Ross (1961), Superboy's bestfriend, Smallville, Kansas
• Mary Ann Summers, traveler on a "three-hour tour" that was lost at sea on Gilligan's Island, Winfield, Kansas
• Annie Wilson (1993), aspiring actress, Wichita
• Dean Winchester (1979), demon hunter, Lawrence
• Sam Winchester (1983), demon hunter, Lawrence
• Wizard of Oz (1900), balloonist, magician, ruler of the Land of Oz (1939 movie version only)