List of people from Wichita, Kansas

This is a list of well-known persons who were either born in, or lived in, Wichita, Kansas.

A

*Kirstie Alley, actress, attended Southeast High School

B

*Robert Ballard, marine geologist
*Tony Barker, former NFL football player
*Walter Herschel Beech, industrialist, Beechcraft
*Judy Bell, golfer
*Mark and Mike Bell, Professional Football Players, Kansas City Chiefs and Seattle Seahawks
*William Bonney, aka "Billy the Kid"
*Louise Brooks, silent film actress
*Caroline Bruce, Olympic swimmer

C

*Dan and Frank Carney, founder of Pizza Hut
*Antoine Carr, basketball star
*Clyde Cessna, industrialist
*Jonathan Coachman, WWE interim General Manager
*Richard Cowan, Medal of Honor recipient

D

*Darren Dreifort, pitcher
*Ann Dunham, mother of Presidential Nominee Barack Obama

E

*Maurice Evans, basketball star

F

*Kyle Farnsworth, Major League Baseball pitcher for the New York Yankees
*Tamara Feldman, Actress

G

*Robert M. Gates, former Director U.S. Central Intelligence Agency and current Secretary of Defense
*Dan Glickman, former US Congressman, Secretary of Agriculture, and current President of the Motion Picture Association of America
*Laurel Goodwin actress who played J. M. Colt in the Star Trek pilot The Cage.
*Taj Gray, basketball player
*Adrian Griffin, Professional Basketball player
*Grant Graybill, creator of "the grantman shuffle" dance crave, movie producer, comedian, McArthur Award Recipient, and current Governer of Grantly City, KS.

H

*Jessica Hughbanks, BB8 Contestant

K

*Stan Kenton, jazz musician
*Bill Koch, America's Cup winner
*Charles Koch, industrialist

J

*James Jabara, World War II flying ace
*Don Johnson, actor

L

*William Lear, industrialist, Learjet
*John Leavitt, composer, conductor, teacher, church musician
*Jim Lehrer, PBS network news anchor

M

*MadHatter, emcee, record label owner
*Michael McClure, beat poet, attended Wichita East High School and the University of Wichita
*Judith Ann Mayotte (Humanitarian), Peabody and Emmy award winning producer, author and refugee expert.
*Hattie McDaniel, actress
*Roger Mears, race car driver
*Vera Miles, actress, attended North High School
*Eric Moore, musician
*Rich Mullins, Christian Pop/Folk Musician

N

*Antonya Nelson, author
*Roger Noriega, Ambassador to the Organization of American States
*Gale Norton, Secretary of the Interior

P

*Susan Page, journalist
*Mike Pelfrey, Professional Baseball player
*Lawrence Pete, former NFL football player
*Jeff Probst, TV host, currently of "Survivor"

R

*Dennis Rader, the "BTK" serial killer convicted in 2005 for the deaths of 10 Wichita area residents between 1974 and 1991
*Nate Robertson, Pitcher, Detroit Tigers, pitched in 2006 World Series
*Danny Roew, film director
*Jim Ryun, Olympic medalist and former U.S. Representative from Kansas

*Barry Sanders, Pro Football Hall of Fame, played for the Detroit Lions
*Gale Sayers, Pro Football Hall of Famer; born in Wichita, but raised in Omaha, Nebraska
*Vernon L. Smith, Nobel Memorial Prize winner in economics
*W. Eugene Smith, photojournalist
*Arlen Specter Republican Senator (PA)
*Lloyd Stearman, industrialist
*John Cameron Swayze, announcer

V

*Darnell Valentine, basketball star

W

*Joe Walsh, musician, James Gang and The Eagles
*Kamerion Wimbley, professional football player for the Cleveland Browns
*Lynette Woodard, Basketball Hall of Fame, Olympic Medalist

Titanic Related

Millvina Dean, the last living survivor of the RMS Titanic sinking, was aboard the ship with her parents and brother en route to Wichita where her father was going to open a tobacco shop. Millvina's father died in the sinking, and the remaining members of the family returned to their native England