List of people from South Dakota

State Flag of South Dakota

This is a list of prominent people who were born in or lived for a significant period of time in U.S. state of South Dakota.

Actors/Directors

January Jones

• Angela Aames (1956–1988), actress; born in Pierre
• Catherine Bach (born 1954), actress; grew up in South Dakota
• Bruce Baillie (born 1931), experimental filmmaker; born in Aberdeen
• Rachael Bella (born 1984), actress; born in Vermillion
• Shannon Bolin (born 1917), actress, singer; born in Spencer
• Moses Brings Plenty (born 1969), actor; born on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation
• Christopher Cain (born 1943), actor, director, screenwriter; born in Sioux Falls
• Leslie Carlson (born 1933), actor; born in Mitchell
• Harvey B. Dunn (1894–1968), actor; born in Yankton
• Judith Evelyn (1913–1967), actress; born in Seneca
• Amy Hill (born 1953), actress; born in Deadwood
• Candace Hilligoss (born 1935), actress; born in Huron
• Ron Holgate (born 1937), actress, opera singer; born in Aberdeen
• January Jones (born 1978), actress; born in Brookings
• Eddie Little Sky (1926–1997), actor; born in the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation
• Beth Maitland (born 1958), actress; born in Rapid City
• Gail Matthius (born 1953), actress, voice actress; born in Sioux Falls
• Russell Means (born 1939), actor, left-wing activist; born in Wanblee
• John Miljan (1892–1960), actor; born in Lead City
• Debra Mooney (born 1947), actress; born in Aberdeen
• Gary Owens (born 1936), voice actor, disc jockey; born in Mitchell
• Cheryl Ladd (born 1951), actress, singer; born in Huron
• Cliff Lyons (1901–1974), stuntman, actor; born in Lake County
• Dorothy Provine (1937–2010), actress, singer, dancer, comedienne; born in Deadwood
• Gene Roth (1903–1976), actor; born in Redfield
• Chic Sale (1885–1936), actor, vaudevillian; born in Huron
• Michael Spears (born 1977), actor; born in Lower Brulé Tribe, South Dakota
• Michael Steinberg (born 1959), director, writer; born in Rapid City
• Joan Tabor (1932–1968), actress; born in Sioux Falls
• Delores Taylor (born 1939), actress, writer, director; born in Winner
• Casey Tibbs (1929–1990), cowboy, rodeo performer, actor; born in Fort Pierre
• Mamie Van Doren (born 1931), actress; born in Rowena
• Jerry verDorn (born 1949), actor; born in Sioux Falls
• Alfred L. Werker (1896–1975), director; born in Deadwood
• John War Eagle (1901-1991), actor; born in the Yankton Indian Reservation
• Floyd Red Crow Westerman (1936–2007), actor, left-wing activist; born in the Lake Traverse Indian Reservation
• Crystal Wilder (born 1967), 90s porn actress; born in Brookings
• Timmy Williams (born 1981), actor, comedian; born in Watertown

Artists

• Harvey Dunn
• James Earle Fraser - sculptor, spent much of his life in Mitchell
• Paul Goble - author and illustrator of children's books, lives in Rapid City
• Mary GrandPré
• Oscar Howe (1915–1983), Native American artist; born in South Dakota
• Roy Braxton Justus (1901–1983), editorial cartoonist; born in Avon ^[1]
• Terry Redlin (born 1937), wildlife artisit; born in Watertown
• Dick Termes, painter of Termespheres; lives in Spearfish

Authors/Poets

Laura Ingalls Wilder

• L. Frank Baum
• Allison Hedge Coke (1958-), American Book Award winning poet, writer, South Dakota resident 1990-1994, and 1996-current; lived in Rapid City, Wagner, Kyle, Porcupine, Sioux Falls...
• Elizabeth Cook-Lynn author.
• Pete Dexter
• David Allan Evans (born 1940), poet laureate of South Dakota
• Joseph Hansen (1923–2004), author, best known for mystery novels; born in Aberdeen
• Cameron Hawley (1905–1969), author, Executive Suite, Cash McCall; born in Howard
• Patrick Hicks (born 1970), poet/writer, Writer-in-Residence at Augustana College
• Johan Andreas Holvik (1880–1960), author and professor at Concordia College (Minnesota)
• Bill Johnson (born late 1950s), science fiction writer; born in South Dakota
• Herbert Arthur Krause (1905–1976), American historian
• Rose Wilder Lane (1886–1968), journalist, travel writer, novelist; born in De Smet
• Gaylord Larsen (born 1932), mystery writer; born in Canova
• Joseph Marshall III (born on Rosebud Reservation) Pen Award winning author. Co-Founder of Sinte Gleska College.
• Laura Ingalls Wilder (1867–1957), author, best known for Little House on the Prairie; lived in De Smet

Business

• Al Neuharth^[2]
• Lee Raymond (born 1938), chemical engineer and long-term Chairman and CEO, Exxon Corporation and Exxon-Mobile, born and attended primary and secondary school in Watertown
• Joseph Robbie
• Ted Waitt (born 1963), co-founder of Gateway, Inc.

Military

• David C. Jones (born 1921), retired U.S. Air Force general, former Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff; born in Aberdeen
• Touch the Clouds (ca. 1837 - 1905), native American chief, later Indian Scout and Sergeant in the US army

Music

• Shawn Colvin (born 1956), Grammy Award winning musician; born in Vermillion
• Myron Floren (1919–2005), accordionist, The Lawrence Welk Show; born in Roslyn
• Jess Thomas (1927–1993), opera singer; born in Hot Springs
• Abby Whiteside
• Joey Clement, band member of Selena Gomez & The Scene; born in Rapid City
• Mark Craney (1952–2005), drummer for Jethro Tull, Jean Luc-Ponty, Eric Burdon and others

Native Americans

Touch the Clouds.

• Gertrude Bonnin (Zitkala-Sa) (1876–1938), Lakota writer and activist, born on Yankton Sioux Reservation
• Crazy Horse (c. 1840–1877), Oglala Lakota war leader
• Russell Means (born 1939), Native American activist; born in Pine Ridge
• Maria Pearson (1932–2003), Yankton Sioux activist who helped establish the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act
• Rain-in-the-Face (c. 1835–1905), Hunkpapa Lakota chief
• Red Cloud (1822–1909), Oglala Lakota chief
• Sitting Bull (c. 1831–1890), Hunkpapa Lakota chief
• Touch the Clouds (ca.1837–1905), Miniconjou Teton Lakota chief known for his great size
• Floyd "Red Crow" Westerman (1936–2007), musician, activist and actor; born on Sisseton-Wahpeton Dakota Sioux reservation

Politics/Government

• James Abourezk
• Tom Daschle (born 1947), U.S. Senator from South Dakota; born in Aberdeen
• J. James Exon (1921–2005), Nebraska governor and U.S. senator; born in Geddes
• Joe Foss (1915–2003), Medal of Honor recipient, 20th Governor of South Dakota, first Commissioner of the American Football League; born in Sioux Falls

Hubert Humphrey

• Hubert Humphrey (1911–1978), U.S. Senator, 38th Vice President of U.S.; born in Wallace
• Bill Janklow
• Arthur Larson (1910–1993), United States Under Secretary of Labor, lawyer, law professor; born in Sioux Falls
• George McGovern (born 1922), U.S. Senator from South Dakota; born in Avon
• Gladys Pyle

Science

• Ernest O. Lawrence (1901–1958), physicist, Nobel Prize winner, built first cyclotron; born in Canton
• Niels Ebbesen Hansen (1866–1950) Horticulturist and botanist^[3]

Sports

• Sparky Anderson (born 1934), baseball player and manager; born in Bridgewater
• Dave Collins
• Justin Duchscherer (born 1977) starting pitcher for the Baltimore Orioles; born in Aberdeen
• Mark Ellis (born 1977) second baseman for the Oakland A's; born in Rapid City
• Terry Francona (born 1959) former baseball player and current manager of the Boston Red Sox, born in Aberdeen
• Chad Greenway
• Becky Hammon
• Jason Kubel (born 1982) designated hitter for the Minnesota Twins; born in Belle Fourche
• Ward Lambert (1888–1958), college basketball coach; born in Deadwood
• Brock Lesnar
• Mike Martz (born 1951) former NFL head coach, currently the offensive coordinator for the Chicago Bears; born in Sioux Falls
• Mike Miller (born 1980), basketball player for the Miami Heat; born in Mitchell
• Billy Mills^[4]
• Eric Piatkowski
• Norm Van Brocklin (1926–1983), football player; born in Eagle Butte
• Ben Leber
• Adam Vinatieri (born 1972), National Football League placekicker, born in Yankton^[5]

Television

Tom Brokaw

• Bob Barker^[6]
• Tom Brokaw (born 1940), television journalist, former NBC Nightly News anchor; born in Webster^[7]
• Mary Hart (born 1951), television personality (Entertainment Tonight); from Madison, and Sioux Falls^[8]
• Pat O'Brien (born 1948), sports commentator, television personality (Access Hollywood); born in Sioux Falls^[9]
• Gary Owens (born 1936), announcer for Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In, radio disc jockey, voice actor; born in Mitchell

Uncategorized

• Gutzon Borglum
• Seth Bullock
• K. G. William Dahl (1883–1917), Lutheran pastor, author and social advocate
• Billy Etbauer
• John Hamre
• Alvin Hansen
• Wild Bill Hickok
• Calamity Jane
• Frank Leahy
• Lawrence Lessig
• Vernon C. Miller
• James "Scotty" Philip
• James Edward Zimmerman
• Korczak Ziółkowski
• Peter Norbeck^[10]

References

1. ^ Draw Your Own Conclusions: Political Cartooning Then and ? || Roy Braxton Justus
2. ^ "Allen Neuharth". South Dakota Hall of Fame. http://www.sdhalloffame.com/bio.cfm?cat_id=15&inductee_id=382. Retrieved 2008-12-13. ^{[dead link]}
3. ^ Niels Ebbesen Hansen 1866-1950 (South Dakota History. Volume 17 Number 1) https://www.sdhistory.org/rp/dp/dp_hansen.htm
4. ^ Sun, Rebecca. Catching up with Billy Mills Olympics news, results, schedules, medal tracker - SI.com Sports Illustrated. July 28, 2008. . Retrieved December 31, 2008.
5. ^ "Adam Vinatieri". New England Patriots. http://www.patriots.com/team/index.cfm?ac=playerbio&bio=447. Retrieved 2008-12-31. 
6. ^ "Robert (Bob) Barker". South Dakota Hall of Fame. http://www.sdhalloffame.com/bio.cfm?cat_id=15&inductee_id=32. Retrieved 2008-12-13. ^{[dead link]}
7. ^ "Tom Brokaw". South Dakota Hall of Fame. http://www.sdhalloffame.com/bio.cfm?cat_id=15&inductee_id=68. Retrieved 2008-12-13. ^{[dead link]}
8. ^ "Mary Hart". South Dakota Hall of Fame. http://www.sdhalloffame.com/bio.cfm?cat_id=15&inductee_id=214. Retrieved 2008-12-13. ^{[dead link]}
9. ^ "Pat O'Brien". South Dakota Hall of Fame. http://www.sdhalloffame.com/bio.cfm?cat_id=15&inductee_id=389. Retrieved 2008-12-13. ^{[dead link]}
10. ^ "Peter Norbeck: Prairie Statesman". http://www.sdshspress.com/index.php?id=6&action=912. Retrieved 2008-11-04. 

This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.