List of people from Sarasota

The following is a list of notable people who were born or who live or formerly lived in the city of Sarasota, Florida.

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.

• Carl Abbott, architect
• Erik Arroyo, former mayor of Sarasota and lawyer ^[1]
• Doug Band, assistant to Bill Clinton and businessman. Helped found the Clinton Global Initiative and assisted with the Clinton Foundation after his presidency
• Freddie Bartholomew, 1930s child actor
• Roy Basler (1906–1989), historian
• Dickey Betts (1943–2024), guitarist and founding member of The Allman Brothers Band
• Duane Betts, singer-songwriter, guitarist, and member of The Allman Betts Band
• Vern Buchanan (born 1951), U.S. representative ^[2]
• Daniel Bukantz (1917–2008), Olympic fencer
• Eugene A. Burdick, North Dakota Fifth Judicial District judge and surrogate judge for the North Dakota Supreme Court
• William J. Burns, Director of the Bureau of Investigation, later the Federal Bureau of Investigation
• Flossie M. Byrd, home economist and academic
• Lincoln Child, author of techno-thriller and horror novels
• Barber Conable, New York state senator, U.S representative from New York, and World Bank President under President Ronald Reagan
• Marlow Cook, U.S. senator from Kentucky
• Eric Curran, racing driver
• Vincent D'Autorio, Two-time Olympic gymnast ^[3]
• Ian Desmond, professional baseball player for the Colorado Rockies
• Lois Duncan, writer, novelist, poet, and journalist
• Gil Elvgren, painter of pin-up models
• Richard Floethe, printmaker and illustrator
• Sonia Pressman Fuentes, lawyer; author and co-founder of National Organization for Women
• Jackie Gerlich, dwarf actor and circus entertainer
• Brian Gottfried (born 1952), tennis player, reached Nº3 in the world in 1977
• Carla Gugino (born 1971), actress
• Dalton Guthrie (born 1995), Major League Baseball player for the San Francisco Giants
• James A. Haley, U.S. representative from Florida and member of the Florida House of Representatives. Vice-president and later president of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. Delegate to the Democratic National Convention in 1952, 1956, and 1960 ^[4]
• Denver David Hargis, U.S. representative from Kansas
• Forest Harness, U.S representative from Indiana and Sergeant at Arms of the Senate
• Ian Hornak, founding artist of the Hyperrealist and Photorealist fine art movements. Owned a winter home in Sarasota from 1985 to 2001. ^{[5] [6]}
• Tim Jaeger, artist
• Brian Johnson, lead singer of AC/DC
• Mackinlay Kantor, Pulitzer Prize winning author
• Josh Kaufman, soul singer and singer-songwriter
• Margaret Kerry, actress, radio host, and model for Tinker Bell in the 1953 Walt Disney film Peter Pan ^[7]
• Stephen King, author
• David Lawrence, publisher; founded what would later become U.S. News & World Report
• La Norma Fox, trapeze artist in RBB Circus and Sarasotan from 1949 onwards
• Mirjana Lučić-Baroni, professional tennis player
• Victor Lundy, architect
• Jes Macallan, actress
• John D. MacDonald, crime novelist
• Marlon Mack, running back for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League
• George E. Martin (1902–1995), US Army major general, lived in Sarasota during retirement ^[8]
• Myka Meier, etiquette coach and writer
• Eric Minkin (born 1950), American-Israeli basketball player
• Daniel Myrick, director of horror films
• Bello Nock, daredevil and circus performer
• Carol Perkins, fashion model
• Jack Perkins, reporter, commentator, war correspondent, and anchorman
• Joe Perry, lead guitarist of Aerosmith
• Guy Peterson, architect
• Paul Reubens, actor known for creating and portraying Pee-wee Herman
• Michael Rey, abstract painter
• Charles Edward Ringling, one of the Ringling Brothers
• Stephen Root, actor, voice actor, and comedian
• Milton Rubenfeld (1919–2004), pilot and one of five founding pilots of Israeli Air Force
• Randy Savage (1952–2011), professional wrestler
• Tim Seibert, architect
• Monica Seles, former no.1 tennis player
• Sharon Shewmake, Washington State Senator was born and raised in Sarasota
• Sam Shields, cornerback in the National Football League
• George Snyder, Maryland state senator and majority leader
• Kyle Snyder, Tampa Bay Rays pitching coach
• Dick Smothers, actor, comedian, composer, and musician
• Syd Solomon, American artist
• Jerry Springer, television personality
• Ben Stahl (artist)
• Alex Steinweiss, graphic artist, credited with being the inventor of album cover art. ^[9]
• Greg Steube (born 1978), U.S. representative and former Florida senator and Florida representative ^[10]
• Mildred Ladner Thompson, journalist and writer
• Ralph Twitchell, architect
• Dick Vitale, college basketball coach and broadcaster
• Adrienne Vittadini, fashion designer
• Noelia Voigt, Miss USA 2023 winner
• Joseph Volpe, general manager of the Metropolitan Opera
• Nik Wallenda, tightrope walker
• Iain Webb, Director of The Sarasota Ballet and former dancer with The Royal Ballet
• Scott Weiss, venture capitalist
• Hoyt Wilhelm, MLB pitcher and Baseball Hall of Fame inductee
• George Howard Williams, U.S Senator from Missouri
• Geoff Wilson, entrepreneur, investor, and sports card collector
• Jack West, architect
• Robert Windom, former Assistant Secretary for Health and Human Services under President Ronald Reagan
• Linda Winikow, politician and New York State Senator
• Roger Zare, composer and pianist
• Bridgett Zehr, ballet dancer with the English National Ballet

References

1. "Former Mayors | City of Sarasota". www.sarasotafl.gov. Retrieved February 5, 2023.
2. "Sarasota representative James Buchanan gets Democratic opposition". WUSF. June 11, 2023. Retrieved June 18, 2025.
3. Zaloudek, Mark (September 11, 2008). "World War II postponed Olympic gymnast's dream". heraldtribune.com. Retrieved November 22, 2023.
4. Zines, Jeffrey. "Congressman James A. Haley: An Overview". Florida Southern College: Roux Library & McKay Archives.
5. Stephen Bennett Phillips, Eric Ian Hornak Spoutz, "Ian Hornak Transparent Barricades," exhibition catalogue, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, Fine Art Program, Washington D.C., 2012
6. Joan Adan, Eric Ian Hornak Spoutz, "Transparent Barricades: Ian Hornak, A Retrospective," exhibition catalogue, Forest Lawn Museum, Glendale, California, May 2012
7. Nichols, Chris (January 16, 2020). "The Real-Life Tinker Bell Reconnected with a Lost Love at 90 and It's Wonderful". LAMag.com. Los Angeles, CA. Retrieved February 17, 2020.
8. Martin, George E. (1986). Blow, Bugle, Blow. Opuscula Press: Bradenton, Florida. p. 252 – via Book Read Free.com.
9. Heller, Steven (July 19, 2011). "Alex Steinweiss, Originator of Artistic Album Covers, Dies at 94". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved January 19, 2020.
10. "Steube wins reelection as Sarasota approves critical funding for schools". WUSF. November 6, 2024. Retrieved June 18, 2025.