List of people from Provo, Utah

This is a list of notable people from Provo, Utah . This list includes notable individuals born and raised in Provo, those who currently live in Provo, and those who lived for a significant period in Provo.

Notable people

• The Aces, indie pop/alternative pop band ^[1]
• Tyson Apostol (b. 1979), contestant on reality TV show Survivor: Tocantins , Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains , and winner of Survivor: Blood vs. Water ^[2]
• Lindsay Arnold (b. 1994), ballroom dancer on Dancing With the Stars ^[3]
• Rylee Arnold (b. 2005), ballroom dancer on Dancing With the Stars ^[4]
• Earl W. Bascom (1906–1995), rodeo champion, inventor, sculptor, actor, inductee of 11 halls of fame, "father of modern rodeo" ^[5]
• Clyde Bawden, composer and performer of contemporary Christian music. ^[6]
• Robbie Bosco (b. 1963), former BYU football player ^[7]
• Paul D. Boyer (1918–2018), recipient of 1997 Nobel Prize in Chemistry ^[8]
• D. J. Butler, science fiction and fantasy writer ^[9]
• Stephen Covey, educator ^[10]
• John Curtis, U.S. senator; former U.S. congressman and mayor of Provo ^[11]
• Richard Davies, actor
• LaVell Edwards, BYU football Hall of Fame coach ^[12]
• Paul Engemann, pop musician best known for his 1983 song "Scarface (Push It to the Limit)"
• Avard Fairbanks, sculptor
• Jane Hedengren, track and field athlete ^[13]
• Tom Holmoe, former BYU football and San Francisco 49er player; current BYU athletic director ^[14]
• Julianne Hough, professional ballroom dancer on Dancing with the Stars, actress, singer
• Imagine Dragons, an indie rock band whose debut album Night Visions peaked at #2 on the Billboard 200 ^[15]
• Joshua James, folk singer and founder of Northplatte Records ^[16]
• Merrill Jenson, composer ^[17]
• Bryan Johnson, entrepreneur and anti-aging practitioner ^[18]
• Jenna Johnson, dancer on Dancing with the Stars ^[19]
• Brian Kershisnik, artist ^[20]
• Goodwin Knight, governor of California 1953-59 ^[21]
• Vance Law, Major League Baseball player ^[22]
• Vern Law, Major League Baseball player
• Mike Lee, U.S. senator ^[23]
• Rocky Long, defensive coordinator for the Syracuse Orange ^[24]
• Bert McCracken, born in Provo, lead singer of Utah-based band The Used ^[25]
• Kurt Mortensen, author
• Neon Trees, new wave, synthpop-rock band ^[26]
• Dallin H. Oaks, member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ^[27]
• The Osmonds raised all nine children in Provo, some of whom continue to live there. ^[28]
  • The Osmond Brothers, vocal group, band
  • Donny Osmond, singer, musician, actor
  • Marie Osmond, singer, author, actress
• Trevor Packer, head of the Advanced Placement program at the College Board ^[29]
• Jack Paepke, baseball player, coach, manager and scout
• Janice Kapp Perry, composer, LDS musician ^[30]
• Fred Roberts, NBA player for seven teams including Utah Jazz ^[31]
• Clarence Robison, Olympian and BYU track coach ^[32]
• Josh Rohatinsky, BYU cross-country national champion
• Ryan Shupe & the RubberBand, musicians, "Dream Big" ^[33]
• Roland N. Smoot, U.S. vice admiral ^[34]
• Beatrice Sparks, psychologist and author ^[35]
• Lindsey Stirling, hip-hop violinist ^[36]
• Suzanne Storrs, 1955 Miss Utah and television actress
• Will Swenson, Tony Award-nominated actor ^[37]
• Edgar A. Wedgwood, adjutant general of the Utah National Guard ^[38]
• Brian Wimmer, actor ^[39]
• Steve Young, quarterback; MVP of Super Bowl XXIX; inductee of Pro Football Hall of Fame ^[40] and College Football Hall of Fame; ^[41] record-breaking quarterback for BYU and San Francisco 49ers; television commentator ^[42]

See also

• Robert Redford, Academy Award-winning actor, film director, and producer, founder of the Sundance Film Festival, and longtime resident and owner of Sundance Ski Resort, located just outside Provo ^[43]

References

1. "The Aces make a triumphant headlining stop at Wooly's with opener Lady Revel". Iowa Public Radio. September 24, 2024. Retrieved July 22, 2025.
2. "Tyson: Survivor on CBS". CBS.com. Retrieved October 11, 2013.
3. "Dancing with the Stars Pro Lindsay Arnold Weds Her High School Sweetheart". People.com. Retrieved August 18, 2015.
4. "The premiere of 'Dancing with the Stars' Season 33 is Tuesday night with 2 dancers from Utah". Deseret News. September 17, 2024. Retrieved July 22, 2025.
5. "The Extended Biography of Earl Bascom". Bascom Productions. Retrieved March 10, 2017.
6. Jeffries, David. "Clyde Bawden". AllMusic . Retrieved April 25, 2020.
7. "Robbie Bosco Athlete Profile | The Official Site of BYU Athletics". byucougars.com. Archived from the original on September 12, 2011.
8. "The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 1997". Nobelprize.org. Archived from the original on March 25, 2017. Retrieved March 23, 2017.
9. "David Butler". Linked-In . Retrieved December 6, 2021.
10. Herald, Genelle Pugmire - Daily. "Stephen Covey leaves legacy of teaching, family". Daily Herald. Retrieved November 8, 2018.
11. "U.S. Senate: States in the Senate | Utah". www.senate.gov. Retrieved May 11, 2025.
12. "LaVell Edwards, the Man Who Reinvented BYU Football". Y Magazine. Retrieved July 22, 2025.
13. Mull, Cory. "Is This Utah Teenager The Best Girls Track Athlete In History? She Certainly Looks The Part". Forbes. Retrieved July 22, 2025.
14. "Perspective: A tribute to Tom and Lori Holmoe". Deseret News. June 30, 2025. Retrieved July 22, 2025.
15. "Imagine Dragons: A walk down memory lane". BYU Daily Universe. February 24, 2015. Retrieved July 22, 2025.
16. "Joshua James - About". Joshua James. Archived from the original on December 3, 2012. Retrieved November 17, 2012.
17. "Inside Mormon Music: Composer Merrill Jenson's music lifts films and viewers' spirits". Deseret News. April 22, 2010. Retrieved July 22, 2025.
18. "The seven traits that will help kids find happiness". Deseret News. October 22, 2017. Retrieved July 22, 2025.
19. "From Timpview High to 'Dancing With the Stars,' Jenna Johnson is rising to new heights with Olympic skating sensation Adam Rippon". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved July 22, 2025.
20. "bio". k e r s h i s n i k. Retrieved November 8, 2018.
21. "GOODWIN J. KNIGHT OF CALIFORNIA DIES". The New York Times. May 23, 1970. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved July 22, 2025.
22. Marshall, Andrew (November 10, 2008). "Vance Law: baseball a career, not an identity". Deseret News. Retrieved July 22, 2025.
23. "U.S. Senate: States in the Senate | Utah". www.senate.gov. Retrieved May 11, 2025.
24. Harmon, Dick (December 18, 2012). "SDSU's Rocky Long one of the good guys". Deseret News. Retrieved July 22, 2025.
25. "The Used on their humble start in Utah — and growth over the past 25 years". Deseret News. May 3, 2025. Retrieved July 22, 2025.
26. Honaker, Andrea. "Neon Trees lights up music scene with new album, tour". Gaston Gazette. Retrieved July 22, 2025.
27. Hinckley, Gordon B. "Sustaining of Church Officers", Ensign , May 1984, p. 4.
28. "The Osmonds (The Osmond Family) biography". Biography Channel . Archived from the original on September 30, 2007. Retrieved October 7, 2008.
29. "Meet the man who made Advanced Placement the most influential — and controversial — tool in American education". Washington Post. Retrieved July 22, 2025.
30. "Beloved church songwriter Janice Kapp Perry weighs in on the new hymn book". Deseret News. October 5, 2018. Retrieved July 22, 2025.
31. "Fred Roberts". basketballreference.com. Archived from the original on August 12, 2011. Retrieved March 11, 2017.
32. "Clarence Robison dies at 83". Deseret News. September 28, 2006. Retrieved July 22, 2025.
33. Robinson, Doug (November 22, 2006). "The unique sounds of Ryan Shupe". Deseret Morning News . Archived from the original on September 6, 2009. Retrieved October 7, 2008.
34. "A 'Smooth' Admiral; Roland Nesbit Smoot". The New York Times. September 4, 1958. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved July 22, 2025.
35. Cep, Casey (July 25, 2022). "How a Mormon Housewife Turned a Fake Diary Into an Enormous Best-Seller". The New Yorker. ISSN   0028-792X . Retrieved July 22, 2025.
36. "Lindsey Stirling graduates from Brigham Young University, performs at convocation". Deseret News. August 15, 2015. Retrieved July 22, 2025.
37. "From LDS-themed films to Broadway star, Will Swenson 'blessed to have the life I have'". Deseret News. July 30, 2018. Retrieved July 22, 2025.
38. State Bar Association of Utah (1924). Proceedings of the Annual Session. Kaysville, UT: Inland Printing Company. p. 129 – via Google Books.
39. "Celebrity Mailbag". The Blade (Toledo) . April 6, 1989. Retrieved August 10, 2016.
40. "Class Acts". ESPN. 2005. Retrieved October 7, 2008.
41. "Steve Young". College Football Hall of Fame . Football Foundation. Retrieved October 7, 2008.
42. Robinson, Doug (August 13, 2006). "Steve Young: A new chapter". Deseret Morning News. Archived from the original on August 20, 2006. Retrieved October 7, 2008.
43. "Robert Redford selling Sundance Mountain Resort; 300 acres to be preserved". Deseret News. December 12, 2020. Retrieved July 22, 2025.