Film & TV · 1928–1994
George PeppardactorBreakfast at Tiffany's leading man and The A-Team's Hannibal Smith, born in Detroit, raised in Dearborn and buried there beside his parents.DETROIT / A living lexicon / ¼
Famous Detroiters
People who were born here, moved here or built their careers in Detroit: musicians, carmakers, athletes, writers, inventors, civil-rights leaders and a few notorious names. With their dates, their Detroit story and the places where they lived, worked and played, closed ones included.
- 1,949 famous people
- 516 Detroit places
- 12 fields
Hungarian ties 31 Detroiters with Hungarian ties →
Origin and citizenship
Field
Connection
Born in
A–Z (family name)
34 people
Clear filtersFilm & TV · 1928–1994George PeppardactorBreakfast at Tiffany's leading man and The A-Team's Hannibal Smith, born in Detroit, raised in Dearborn and buried there beside his parents.
Science & invention · born 1947Michael Portereconomist, management scholarHarvard Business School professor behind the five forces model of competitive strategy, born in Ann Arbor in 1947.
Film & TV · born 1956Rob Paulsenvoice actor, voice directorDetroit-born voice of Yakko and Pinky in Animaniacs and of two different Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
Science & invention · born 1932Alvin PlantingaphilosopherLeading Christian philosopher of religion and Templeton Prize laureate, born in Ann Arbor, who began his professorial career at Wayne State University in Detroit (1958–1963).
Music · born 1988Mike Posnersinger, songwriter, record producerDetroit-born singer-songwriter raised in Southfield, known for "Cooler Than Me" and "I Took a Pill in Ibiza" and for co-writing hits for other stars.
Music · 1973–2006ProofrapperD12 co-founder and Eminem's closest friend, who ran the famous open-mic battles at the Hip Hop Shop on Seven Mile and was a pillar of Detroit hip-hop.
Music · born 1954Ray Parker Jr.guitarist, singer, songwriter, producerDetroit-born guitarist behind the “Ghostbusters” theme, who started as a teenager in the house band of the city's famous 20 Grand nightclub.
Politics · born 1958Gary Peterspolitician, former naval officerPontiac-born Democrat who represented eastern Detroit in the U.S. House and has been Michigan's U.S. senator since 2015.Marge Piercynovelist, poet, activistFeminist novelist and poet of Woman on the Edge of Time who grew up in working-class Detroit and returned to the city in her 2015 collection Made in Detroit.
Music · born 1942Freda Paynesinger, actressDetroit-born singer of the 1970 smash “Band of Gold”, recorded for Invictus, the label her hometown friends Holland–Dozier–Holland founded after leaving Motown.
Tiffany Portertrack and field athlete, hurdlerBritish-American 100-meter hurdler, born in Ypsilanti, who won five NCAA titles at the University of Michigan before becoming a European champion for Great Britain.Johnny Pacaractor, musicianDearborn-born actor of Flight 29 Down and Make It or Break It, a Wayne Memorial High School graduate of Romanian descent.
Film & TV · born 1960Bill Pradytelevision writer and producerDetroit-born co-creator of The Big Bang Theory, a Cranbrook graduate who studied at Wayne State, which later gave him an honorary doctorate.
Music · born 1956Greg Phillinganeskeyboardist, singer, arrangerDetroit-born keyboard ace who went from classical lessons with a Detroit Symphony pianist to Stevie Wonder's band and musical director for Michael Jackson.Kathleen Rose PerkinsactressCarol Rance of Showtime's Episodes, born in New Baltimore on Anchor Bay and a 1992 graduate of Anchor Bay High School.
Film & TV · born 1996Sarah PidgeonactressTony- and Emmy-nominated actress (Stereophonic, Love Story) who grew up in Birmingham, acting at the Community House and attending Groves High School.
Science & invention · 1923–1969Walter Pittslogician, computational neuroscientistSelf-taught Detroit-born logician who, with Warren McCulloch, wrote the 1943 paper that introduced the first mathematical model of a neural network.Connie Paraskevintrack cyclist, speed skaterDetroit-born athlete who competed in both the Winter and Summer Olympics, won four world sprint cycling titles and an Olympic bronze medal in 1988.
Politics · 1830–1913Thomas W. Palmerlumberman, U.S. senator, philanthropistDetroit-born lumber fortune heir and senator who founded the Detroit Museum of Art (today's DIA) and gave the city Palmer Park, with its 1885 log cabin.
Sports · 1927–2015Billy Piercebaseball pitcherDetroit-born, Highland Park-raised left-hander who debuted with his hometown Tigers at 18 and became a seven-time All-Star for the Chicago White Sox.
Music · born 1944Scherrie PaynesingerDetroit-born singer, sister of Freda Payne, who led the Invictus group the Glass House and then co-led the Supremes from 1973 to 1977.
Music · born 1962Roxy PetruccidrummerMetro Detroit drummer who co-founded the glam metal band Madam X in Detroit in 1981 with her sister Maxine and later drove Vixen, one of the most successful all-female hard rock bands.Terry Pollardjazz pianist, vibraphonistDetroit pianist and vibraphonist of the Blue Bird Inn house band, discovered at Baker's by Terry Gibbs, who toured nationally in the 1950s before choosing family and local work.
Music · 1938–1997Lawrence Paytontenor, vocal arrangerDetroit-born tenor and vocal arranger of the Four Tops, credited with the group's seamless harmonies.Terrence Parkerhouse DJ and producerDetroit house DJ and producer known for gospel-infused, piano-driven records such as “Love's Got Me High” and the album GOD Loves Detroit.L. Brooks Pattersonlawyer, prosecutor, Oakland County executiveDetroit-born, U of D Jesuit-educated Republican who ran affluent Oakland County for 27 years (1992–2019), famous for its AAA bond rating and for provocative remarks about Detroit.Russell PeckcomposerDetroit-born orchestral composer whose music joined Mozart and Beethoven with the Motown sound he grew up with; best known for The Glory and the Grandeur.Frank Porrettaoperatic and musical theater tenorDetroit-born tenor from a family of surgeons who sang fourteen seasons at New York City Opera and starred in musicals and the film Song of Norway.
Music · born 1969Stacey Pullentechno DJ and producerDetroit-raised protégé of Derrick May who blended house, garage and jazz into techno and became one of the city's globe-trotting DJs.
Music · born 1953Wally Palmarsinger, guitarist, songwriterHamtramck-born son of Ukrainian immigrants who founded and fronts the Romantics, the Detroit band behind “What I Like About You” and “Talking in Your Sleep.”Elizabeth Parcellscoloratura soprano, voice teacherDetroit-born coloratura soprano who built a twenty-year career in German and Swiss opera houses, sang with Michigan Opera Theatre and came home to teach.
Business & brands · 1852–1929John Pridgeon Jr.shipping executive, mayor of DetroitDetroit-born son of a shipping captain who ran the family's vessels and the Detroit & Windsor Ferry and served as Democratic mayor in 1888–1889.Sylvester Pottssinger, songwriterDetroit singer and songwriter who recorded for Fortune Records with the Hi-Fidelities and was a longtime member of the Contours.PeezyrapperEast-side Detroit rapper and Team Eastside leader, one of the most beloved street-rap voices of the 2010s and 2020s.The lexicon keeps growing. Every entry lists its sources at the bottom. Dates were checked against Wikidata and Wikipedia. The texts are our own. Famous people's places among the sights ↗
Save the plan. Share the moment.
