List of people from Raleigh, North Carolina

This is a list of people who were born in, lived in, or are closely associated with Raleigh, North Carolina .

Academia

Daniel McFadden

James E. Shepard

• Carrie Lougee Broughton (1879–1957), librarian and first woman State Librarian
• John Chavis (1763–1838), African-American educator and theologian; early integrationist (Raleigh's Chavis Park is named for him)
• Anna J. Cooper (1858–1964), author, educator and scholar; fourth African-American woman to earn doctoral degree (in 1924)
• Phillip Griffiths, mathematician, known for his work in the field of geometry
• John E. Ivey, Jr., educator and founder of Southern Regional Education Board; co-creator of Peace Corps
• Daniel McFadden, economist
• Michael Munger, economist, Duke University political science professor
• Mary Jane Patterson, first African-American woman to receive a Bachelor of Arts degree
• Tom Regan, philosopher and animal-rights advocate
• Vermont C. Royster (1914–1996), managing editor of Wall Street Journal , Pulitzer Prize winner, recipient of Presidential Medal of Freedom
• James E. Shepard, pharmacist, civil servant and educator; founder of what would become North Carolina Central University
• Blake R. Van Leer, university president, dean of NC State University, inventor and civil rights advocate
• James W. York, mathematical physicist; recipient of Dannie Heineman Prize for Mathematical Physics from American Physical Society

Arts

Ariana DeBose

• Juliana Royster Busbee (died 1962) and Jaques Busbee (died 1947), artists and founders of Jugtown Pottery
• Ariana DeBose, actor and dancer
• Paul Friedrich, visual artist and cartoonist
• Isabelle Bowen Henderson (1899–1969), painter and floriculturist
• Herb Jackson, painter
• Renaldo Kuhler, scientific illustrator for the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences
• Rachel Nabors, gURL.com graphic designer
• Martha Nichols, choreographer and dance instructor
• Hunter Schafer, model and actress
• Mel Tomlinson, ballet and modern dancer
• Lea Ved, dancer and choreographer

Athletes

Chris Archer

Darrius Barnes

Juston Burris

Pete Maravich

Nate McMillan

Landon Powell

Webb Simpson

John Wall

• Nazmi Albadawi, soccer player ^[1]
• Loy Allen Jr., NASCAR Cup Series driver
• Chris Archer, MLB pitcher for Pittsburgh Pirates
• Hannah Aspden, youngest swimmer on Team USA to medal at either the Olympics or Paralympics in 2016 ^[2]
• John Baker Jr. (1935–2007), National Football League athlete and longtime Wake County sheriff
• Scott Bankhead, MLB player and pitcher for Team USA in the 1984 Olympic Games
• Darrius Barnes, soccer player ^[3]
• Bates Battaglia, NHL player, played for Carolina Hurricanes 1997–2003
• Braxton Berrios, NFL wide receiver ^[4]
• Rod Brind'Amour, NHL player, former Carolina Hurricanes player and current head coach
• Clark Brisson, soccer player ^[5]
• Bucky Brooks, former NFL athlete
• Evan Brown, soccer player ^[6]
• Willie Burden, professional Canadian football player with Calgary Stampeders of Canadian Football League
• Juston Burris, NFL safety
• Everett Case (1900–1966), NC State University men's basketball coach, member of N.C. Sports Hall of Fame and College Basketball Hall of Fame
• Isadora Cerullo, Olympic rugby player for Brazil; graduated from Enloe High School
• Bill Cowher, former professional American football coach and player
• Ike Delock, Major League Baseball player
• Randy Denton, NBA player
• James L. Dickey III (born 1996), basketball player for Hapoel Haifa of the Israeli Basketball Premier League
• Donald Evans, former NFL defensive end
• David Fox, Olympic gold medalist in swimming
• Ron Francis, NHL player (Carolina Hurricanes) 1998–2004, member of Hockey Hall of Fame
• Jeff Galloway, Olympic long-distance runner and author
• Justin Gatlin, Olympic sprinter
• Michael Gracz, professional poker player
• T. J. Graham, NFL wide receiver with New York Jets
• Brian Gutekunst, NFL scout with Green Bay Packers
• Chesson Hadley, professional golfer
• Josh Hamilton, Major League Baseball player
• Hardy Boyz, Matt Hardy and Jeff Hardy, professional wrestlers ^[7]
• Antwan Harris, NFL player for New England Patriots' Super Bowl team
• Leroy Harris, NFL player for Tennessee Titans
• Bret Hedican, NHL player, played for Carolina Hurricanes 2001–2008
• Gregory Helms, professional wrestler with WWE
• Anne Henning, Olympic speed skater, 1972 gold and bronze medalist
• Ryan Jeffers, MLB player ^[8]
• Curt Johnson, professional soccer player
• Marion Jones, disgraced Olympic track athlete
• Craig Keith, NFL player
• Chad Larose, NHL player, played for Carolina Hurricanes 2005–2013
• Roy Lassiter, professional soccer player for D.C. United and United States men's national soccer team
• Pete Maravich (1947–1988), Hall of Fame basketball player; attended high school in Raleigh ^[9]
• Bruce Matthews, former NFL player for Tennessee Titans; 14-time Pro Bowl participant, Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee
• Daniel McCullers, NFL defensive lineman ^[10]
• Nate McMillan, NBA player and head coach of Atlanta Hawks
• Richard Medlin, NFL player
• Ben Youssef Meite, sprinter, 3-time African champion in 100m
• Jackie Moreland (1938–1971), pro basketball player
• Kevin "PPMD" Nanney, professional Super Smash Bros. player
• Chuck Nevitt, NBA player
• Caleb Norkus, professional soccer player
• Bob Perryman, NFL player for New England Patriots and Denver Broncos
• Brandon Phillips, second baseman for Atlanta Braves, Cincinnati Reds
• Landon Powell, MLB player (Oakland Athletics)
• Shavlik Randolph, former professional basketball player
• Greg Raymer, professional poker player
• Hunter Raynor, independent professional wrestler
• Shawan Robinson, professional basketball player with Newcastle Eagles in the British Basketball League
• Randolph Ross, track athlete, 2020 Olympic gold medalist in the 4x400m relay ^[11]
• Anthony Rush, NFL player for the Atlanta Falcons
• Paul Shuey, MLB pitcher
• Webb Simpson, PGA Tour golfer
• Isaiah Todd, NBA G-League player
• Leigh Torrence, NFL player with Washington Redskins
• P. J. Tucker (born 1985), NBA player for the New York Knicks and 2008 Israeli Basketball Premier League MVP ^[12]
• Duane Underwood Jr., professional baseball pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates
• Jim Valvano (1946–1993), NC State University men's basketball coach, 1983 NCAA champion, TV commentator
• John Wall, NBA player who last played for the Los Angeles Clippers ^[13]
• Pat Watkins, MLB outfielder
• Carson Wentz, quarterback for NFL's Indianapolis Colts ^[14]
• Chris Wilcox, NBA athlete
• Kristi Yamaguchi, Olympic figure skater, married to Bret Hedican
• Danny Young, NBA player
• Kay Yow (1942–2009), NC State University women's basketball coach, member of Women's Basketball Hall of Fame

Business

Louis Bacon

• Louis Bacon, hedge fund manager
• Jim Baen (1943–2006), science fiction writer; founded his own publishing house, Baen Books, in 1983
• Cliff Bleszinski, lead designer of the popular Xbox 360 game Gears of War and co-founder of Boss Key Productions
• Anderson Boyd, filmmaker
• Needham B. Broughton, printer, temperance activist, and state senator
• E. Lee Hennessee, pioneer hedge fund manager ^[15]
• Richard Jenrette, chairman of U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and international philanthropist, awarded French Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur (National Order of the Legion of Honor) in 1996
• Jesse Lowe, first mayor of Omaha, Nebraska; an important real estate agent in the early city, Lowe is credited with naming the city after the Omaha Tribe ^[16]
• Anand Lal Shimpi, employee of Apple Inc. and former CEO of AnandTech ^[17]

Entertainment

Michael C. Hall

Emily Procter

Evan Rachel Wood

• Tyler Barnhardt, actor
• Priscilla Block, singer
• David J. Burke, screenwriter, film and television director
• Godfrey Cheshire, film writer, director and critic, former chairman of New York Film Critics Circle Awards
• Grady Cooper, director, producer, and Emmy-nominated film editor
• Ariana DeBose, actor and dancer, West Side Story , Hamilton
• Aubrey Dollar, actress
• Caroline Dollar, actress
• Rhoda Griffis, actress
• Michael C. Hall, actor, Dexter , Six Feet Under
• Lauren Kennedy, Broadway actress and singer
• Sharon Lawrence, actress, NYPD Blue
• Beth Leavel, Tony award-winning Broadway actress
• LA Lloyd, nationally syndicated radio host
• Brandi Love, pornography actress ^[18]
• Robert Duncan McNeill, actor, movie and TV director
• Daniella Monet, actress, singer and dancer
• MrBeast, YouTuber
• Karin Muller, writer, filmmaker and photographer for National Geographic Society and National Public Radio
• Emily Procter, actress, CSI: Miami
• Peyton Reed, film director, Ant-Man , The Break-Up , Bring It On
• Hunter Schafer, model, actress, activist, Euphoria
• Amy Sedaris, actress, writer and satirist
• Liz Vassey, actress, CSI
• Reginald VelJohnson, actor, Family Matters
• Evan Rachel Wood, actress, Westworld
• Ira David Wood III, actor and local theatre director

Military

Oscar F. Peatross

• David W. Bagley (1883–1960), admiral in the United States Navy during World War II
• Worth Bagley (1874–1898), United States Navy officer during the Spanish–American War
• Josephus Daniels (1862–1948), newspaper editor and publisher, United States Secretary of the Navy during World War I
• George A. Fisher Jr. (born 1942), former United States Army officer
• Vernon V. Haywood (1920–2003), former U.S. Army Air Force officer, combat fighter pilot/jet pilot, and commanding officer of Tuskegee Airmen's 302nd Fighter Squadron ^[19]
• Oscar F. Peatross (1916–1993), major general in the United States Marine Corps and recipient of the Navy Cross
• Leonidas Polk (1806–1864), lieutenant-general in the Confederate States Army, killed at the Battle of Marietta, Georgia
• Millie Dunn Veasey (1918–2018), served in the Women's Auxiliary Army Corps (WAAC) and later NAACP president of Wake County chapter

Musicians

Clay Aiken

Tift Merritt

Toosii

• Ryan Adams, singer-songwriter
• Clay Aiken, singer/actor
• Jeb Bishop, jazz musician
• Dan Briggs, bassist for metal band Between the Buried and Me
• Andrew Cadima, composer
• Jason Michael Carroll, country musician
• Caitlin Cary, alternative country singer
• Travis Cherry, Grammy-nominated music producer
• Cordae, hip-hop artist
• John Custer, record producer
• Steve Dobrogosz, pianist and composer
• Robbie Fulks, alt-country singer
• Rufus Harley (1936–2006), jazz musician
• D. Kern Holoman, musicologist and conductor
• Randy Jones (born 1952), original Village People cowboy, singer/actor
• Jon Lindsay, recording artist, producer, activist
• Little Brother, rap group
• Tift Merritt, singer-songwriter
• Pee Wee Moore, jazz musician
• Mic Murphy, frontman for funk/soul group The System, moved to New York before career took off ^[20]
• NGHTMRE, real name Tyler Marenyi, DJ and trap producer
• Anne-Claire Niver, singer-songwriter
• Petey Pablo, hip-hop artist
• Kate Rhudy, folk-pop and country singer-songwriter and musician
• Blake Richardson, drummer for metal band Between the Buried and Me
• Tommy Giles Rogers, Jr., lead vocalist for heavy metal band Between the Buried and Me
• Rajan Somasundaram, composer, songwriter whose album made in collaboration with Durham Symphony and Academy-nominated singer Bombay Jayashri became an Amazon top-10 international best seller ^[21]
• Toosii, rapper and singer
• Paul Waggoner, guitarist for metal band Between the Buried and Me
• Dustie Waring, guitarist for metal band Between the Buried and Me
• Woody Weatherman, musician

Bands and music groups

American Aquarium

• Alesana, post-hardcore band
• American Aquarium, alternative country band
• Between the Buried and Me, progressive metal band
• Bowerbirds, freak folk band
• Chatham County Line, bluegrass band
• The Connells, 1980s indie rock band
• Corrosion of Conformity, heavy metal band
• Daylight Dies, doom metal band
• Glass Moon, 1980s progressive rock band
• The Rosebuds, indie rock band
• Selah Jubilee Singers, 1930s–40s gospel quartet
• Troop 41, hip-hop ensemble
• Whiskeytown, 1990s alternative country band

Politics and law

Cate Edwards

Andrew Johnson

James H. Young

• William H. Bobbitt (1900–1992), former Chief Justice of North Carolina Supreme Court
• Alice Willson Broughton (1889–1980), former First Lady of North Carolina
• J. Melville Broughton (1888–1949), former Governor of North Carolina
• Bill Campbell, two-term mayor of Atlanta
• Ralph Campbell, three-term State auditor and first African-American to hold statewide elected office in North Carolina
• Paul Coble, 36th mayor of Raleigh (2006–2014)
• Cate Edwards, attorney
• Stormie Forte, lawyer, politician, radio host, and first African-American woman and first openly LGBTQ woman to serve on the Raleigh City Council
• Jim Fulghum (1944–2014), physician and state legislator
• James H. Harris (1832–1891), African-American politician, former slave, co-founder of North Carolina Republican Party
• Winder R. Harris (1888–1973), Democratic United States Congressman
• John Haywood, statesman and the longest-serving North Carolina State Treasurer (40 years)
• William Henry Haywood, Jr. (1801–1852), early Democratic U.S. Senator
• Jesse Helms (1921–2008), five-term Republican U.S. Senator
• George Holding, Republican United States Congressman ^[22]
• Andrew Johnson (1808–1875), 17th President of the United States
• Calvin Jones (1775–1846), Mayor of Raleigh, Adjutant General of North Carolina, and founder of Wake Forest College ^[23]
• I. Beverly Lake, former Chief Justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court
• Clarence Lightner (1921–2002), mayor (1973–1975); Raleigh's first popularly elected African-American mayor and first of any major Southern city
• Greg Murphy, physician and politician
• Fred Smith, politician
• Avery C. Upchurch (1928–1994), city's longest-serving mayor of the 20th century
• Charles D. Walton (born 1948), first African American to serve in the Rhode Island Senate
• George Smedes York, 33rd Mayor of Raleigh (1979–1983)
• James H. Young, African-American politician; founder and editor of Raleigh Gazette, North Carolina's first black-owned newspaper

Writers

Mary Robinette Kowal

David Sedaris

• Edward A. Batchelor, sportswriter
• Andrew Britton (1981–2008), novelist
• Jonathan W. Daniels (1902–1981), author, editor; White House Press Secretary under presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt and Harry S. Truman
• Thomas Dixon, Jr. (1864–1946), novelist, playwright, minister and statesman
• Elliot Engel, writer, dramatist, lecturer, and academic
• Charles Frazier, novelist, author of Cold Mountain
• Kaye Gibbons, writer
• Mary Robinette Kowal, author
• Eleanor Frances Lattimore, children's writer and illustrator
• Dorianne Laux, poet
• Armistead Maupin, writer
• Mary Lambeth Moore, novelist and podcaster
• Frances Gray Patton (1906–2000), writer, first woman to enroll at University of North Carolina
• Lawson A. Scruggs, early African-American physician in North Carolina and noted publisher of biographies on African-American women
• David Sedaris, author, humorist and satirist
• Lee Smith, writer
• Jan Cox Speas, author and novelist
• Julia Montgomery Street (1898–1993), children's author and playwright

Other

Max Yergan

• Jennifer Berry, Miss America 2006 from Oklahoma
• Bob Caudle, longtime WRAL news personality and host of Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling , later headed the Raleigh constituent office of U.S. Senator Jesse Helms
• John Anthony Copeland, Jr. (1834–1859), freed slave, abolitionist and political activist
• James A. Forbes, evangelist preacher, radio host
• T. Adelaide Goodno, president, North Carolina Woman's Christian Temperance Union
• Jacob Johnson, father of U.S. president Andrew Johnson
• Cornelia Alice Norris, socialite and genealogist
• Ray Price, motorcyclist
• Olivia Raney, church organist
• Jacob Tobia, LGBTQ activist
• John P. Turner , African-American physician, surgeon, hospital administrator, and educator
• Max Yergan, African-American activist, first black college faculty member hired in state of New York

References

1. "Nazmi Albadawi". Major League Soccer . Retrieved January 6, 2025.
2. Hannah Aspden - Team USA. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
3. "Darrius Barnes". Duke Blue Devils . Retrieved January 6, 2025.
4. Braxton Berrios Stats. Pro-Football-Reference. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
5. "Clark Brisson Inducted into NC Soccer Hall of Fame". South Carolina Gamecocks . January 30, 2015. Retrieved February 11, 2025.
6. "Evan Brown". Wake Forest Demon Deacons . Retrieved February 14, 2025.
7. Paltrowitz, Darren (July 8, 2020). "AEW's Matt Hardy on living in North Carolina his whole life and whether he plans on writing a second book (Exclusive)". Sportskeeda.com. Retrieved September 15, 2021.
8. Ryan Jeffers Stats. Baseball-Reference. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
9. Stevens, Tim (March 28, 2010). "Pistol on the court; shy boy a–courtin'". The News & Observer. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
10. Daniel McCullers Stats. Pro-Football-Reference. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
11. Clark, Chris. (July 19, 2021). Randolph Ross – Garner product, son of Olympic runner – off to Tokyo to compete in the 400m. cbs17.com. Retrieved August 15, 2021.
12. Jackson, Drew (August 14, 2021). "Raleigh native and Enloe grad PJ Tucker gets hero welcome as NBA Champion". The News & Observer . Retrieved September 15, 2021.
13. Wise, Mike (February 9, 2015). "John Wall's long, uphill road from Raleigh". ESPN.com. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
14. McManus, Tim (November 18, 2016). "The childhood connection that drew Carson Wentz to Russell Wilson". ESPN.com. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
15. Creswell, Julie. (November 3, 2016). E. Lee Hennessee, a Leading Woman in Hedge Funds, Dies at 64. The New York Times. Retrieved October 28, 2020.
16. Gifford Park History Book. Retrieved October 28, 2020.
17. Banker, Stephen. (December 1, 1999).The Web Kid Anand Lal Shimpi is a typical high schooler--except for his megahot computer-review site. CNN Money. Retrieved October 28, 2020.
18. "Brandi Love on Twitter: I Still live in Raleigh". Twitter. Retrieved September 15, 2021.
19. "Tuskegee Airmen Pilot Roster". CAF Rise Above. CAF Rise Above. Retrieved August 11, 2020.
20. Mic Murphy|Biography|AllMusic Retrieved November 11, 2014.
21. "NC based Composer Rajan revives ancient Tamil poetry with leading singers and musicians from India and USA". www.wrde.com. Retrieved February 15, 2020.
22. "Biography | U.S. House of Representatives". holding.house.gov. Retrieved April 2, 2019.
23. "Raleigh Hall of Fame to Honor Calvin Jones". Wake Forest Historical Museum: Open 9am-noon & 1:30–4:30pm Tues-Fri; Closed Sat, Sun, Mon. August 2, 2016. Retrieved April 2, 2019.