List of people from Lake Charles, Louisiana

This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by editing the page to add missing items, with references to reliable sources.

Among the notable people from Lake Charles, Louisiana are:

Art

• Lynda Benglis, sculptor, born in Lake Charles

Business

• G. Lawrence Blankinship Sr. (1913–2005), civic leader and African-American businessman
• Caroline Boudreaux, businesswoman and social entrepreneur
• Christopher Catrambone (b. 1981), Businessman and Humanitarian, founder of Migrant Offshore Aid Station
• William Dore, businessman
• David Filo, billionaire; born in Wisconsin but raised partly in Moss Bluff; co-creator of the Internet portal Yahoo!

Entertainment

• Chris Ardoin, zydeco accordionist and singer ^[1]
• Sean Patrick Flanery, actor; starred in The Boondock Saints and The Dead Zone television series; born in Lake Charles
• Paul Groves, opera singer
• Ha*Ash, American pop country duo composed of sisters Hanna Nicole (b. 1985) and Ashley Grace (b. 1987)
• Bob Hilton, host of game shows including Truth or Consequences; briefly the announcer for The Price is Right; began his career at KPLC TV ^[2]
• Zachary Levi, actor, title character in the NBC series Chuck ; born in Lake Charles
• Nellie Lutcher, jazz singer, gained some national popularity in the late 1940s and 50s; recorded for Capitol Records
• Mike Murdock, singer-songwriter, televangelist and pastor
• Van Dyke Parks, Mississippi-born composer, singer, musician, and actor; grew up in Lake Charles
• Nic Pizzolatto, writer and producer best known for creating the crime drama True Detective
• Eddie Shuler, founder of Goldband Records; recorded swamp pop, Cajun, and other genres of southern music
• Lucinda Williams, singer-songwriter born in Lake Charles

Law

• Donald Ellsworth Walter, U.S. District Judge for the United States District Court for the Western District of Louisiana; U.S. attorney for the Western District 1969–1977, based in Shreveport; attorney formerly in private practice in Lake Charles

Literature and journalism

• Andre Dubus, author and essayist; born in Lake Charles; educated at McNeese State University
• Tony Kushner, Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright

Politics

• Mark Abraham, state representative for Calcasieu Parish, effective 2016
• Edward M. Carmouche (1921–1990), chairman of the Louisiana Democratic Party, 1966–1968; ally of U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson ^[3]
• A. C. Clemons (1921–1992), trucking executive in Jefferson Davis Parish; first Republican member of the Louisiana State Senate since Reconstruction
• Mike Danahay, Democratic state representative for Calcasieu Parish since 2008; sales representative in Lake Charles; graduate of McNeese State University ^[4]
• Lether Frazar, president of McNeese State University; Lieutenant Governor of Louisiana under Earl Kemp Long, 1956–1960; namesake of the McNeese library
• Harry Hollins, state representative for Calcasieu Parish, 1964–1980 ^[5]
• Sam Houston Jones (b. 1897), 46th Governor of Louisiana born in Merryville, Louisiana; died in 1978 in Lake Charles, where he is interred at Prien Pines Cemetery
• Jesse Knowles, businessman, civic leader, state legislator representing Calcasieu Parish; survivor of the World War II Bataan Death March
• Willie Mount, mayor of Lake Charles (1993–1999)
• Rupert Richardson (1930-2008), African-American civil rights activist and civil rights leader who served as president of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) from 1992 to 1995
• Victor T. "Vic" Stelly (1941-2020), former state representative; author of the Stelly Plan ^[6]
• George H. Wells (1833–1905), Northern-born Confederate States of America officer; practiced law in Lake Charles; served in the Louisiana State Senate, 1878–1880

Science and medicine

• Michael E. DeBakey, heart surgeon; first person to successfully implant an artificial heart (1963); member of the Health Care Hall of Fame; recipient of the United Nations Lifetime Achievement Award, the Presidential Medal of Freedom with Distinction, and the National Medal of Science; originator of the M.A.S.H. unit concept; born in Lake Charles; graduate of Lake Charles High School
• Dominic Gorie, astronaut from Lake Charles

Sports

• Terry Burrows, Major League Baseball pitcher; played for the Texas Rangers, Milwaukee Brewers and San Diego Padres
• JT Chargois, Major League Baseball pitcher
• Casey Daigle, baseball pitcher in the Houston Astros organization; husband of softball star Jennie Finch; graduated from Sulphur High School ^[7]
• Alvin Dark, World Series champion baseball shortstop and manager ^[8]
• Joe Dumars, former player and current general manager for the Detroit Pistons; played for McNeese State University before going on to have a successful NBA career; named MVP of the 1989 NBA finals; elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006 ^[9]
• Ray Fontenot, Major League Baseball pitcher, 1983–1986, for the New York Yankees, Chicago Cubs, and Minnesota Twins ^[10]
• Terry Fontenot, general manager of the Atlanta Falcons
• Matt Forte, starting running back and 2nd round-pick of the Chicago Bears; MVP of the 2008 Senior Bowl
• Garrett Nussmeier, quarterback for the LSU Tigers
• Johnnie Gray, retired NFL safety, played for the Green Bay Packers ^[11]
• Nickie Hall, former professional athlete in the Canadian Football League
• Mike Heinen, professional golfer; has played on the PGA Tour and Nationwide Tour; former winner of the PGA Shell Houston Open
• Brian Johnson, champion track-and-field athlete; college coach
• Ralph Waldo Emerson Jones (b. 1905), president and baseball coach at Grambling State University, 1936–1977; born in Lake Charles
• Eddie Kennison, retired NFL player, active 1996–2008; graduated from Washington-Marion High School
• Ted Lyons, baseball Hall of Famer who pitched for the Chicago White Sox; born in Lake Charles
• Tommy Mason, former professional football player, first overall pick of 1961 NFL draft by the Minnesota Vikings
• Chad Ogea (b. 1970), pitcher, Major League Baseball (1994–1999), for the Cleveland Indians and Philadelphia Phillies, best known for his performance in the 1997 World Series ^[12]
• Trey Quinn, professional athlete with the Jacksonville Jaguars of the NFL
• Herbert H. Ramsay (1887-1939) golf administrator and president of the United States Golf Association
• Justin Vincent, former professional football player in the NFL
• Ken Winey (born 1962), former professional athlete in the Canadian Football League

References

1. "Downtown at Sundown presents Chris Ardoin and NuStep". City of Lake Charles. Retrieved March 6, 2025.
2. KPLC 7 At Your Service, the News for Southwest Louisiana, health, sports, weather, video, community events, classifieds and more. | Neil Woolley
3. Lake Charles American Press, April 7, 1990
4. "Mike Danahay". house.louisiana.gov. Archived from the original on May 2, 2015. Retrieved April 20, 2015.
5. "Guide to Harry Hollins Papers" (PDF). ereserves.mcneese.edu. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 14, 2015. Retrieved July 13, 2015.
6. "House District 35", Louisiana Encyclopedia (1999)
7. "Casey Daigle Stats". Baseball Almanac. Retrieved November 26, 2012.
8. Aron, Eric. "Alvin Dark". SABR. Retrieved September 14, 2020.
9. "Dumars Says His Parents Are To Thank". mlive.com. April 4, 2006. Archived from the original on March 26, 2007. Retrieved February 7, 2007.
10. "Ray Fontenot Stats". Basketball Almanac. Retrieved November 26, 2012.
11. "Johnnie Lee Gray". databaseFootball.com. Archived from the original on January 20, 2013. Retrieved December 27, 2012.
12. "Chad Ogea Stats". Baseball-Reference.com.