Film & TV · born 1955
J. K. SimmonsactorOscar-winning character actor (Whiplash, Spider-Man) who was born in Grosse Pointe, spent his first ten years there and remains a devoted Detroit Tigers fan.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
- 17 fields
Hungarian ties 31 Detroiters with Hungarian ties →
Origin and citizenship
Field
Connection
Born in
A–Z (family name)
75 people · 1/2 page
Clear filtersFilm & TV · born 1955J. K. SimmonsactorOscar-winning character actor (Whiplash, Spider-Man) who was born in Grosse Pointe, spent his first ten years there and remains a devoted Detroit Tigers fan.
Science & invention · born 1954Jeffrey Sachseconomist, public policy analystEconomist and longtime United Nations adviser on poverty and sustainable development, born in Detroit and raised in suburban Oak Park.
Film & TV · born 1945Tom Selleckactor, producerMagnum, P.I. star born in Detroit, whose on-screen Detroit Tigers cap made him the team's most famous fan; he once took batting practice at Tiger Stadium.
Science & invention · born 1946Robert J. ShillereconomistYale economist and Nobel laureate known for the Case–Shiller home-price index and for warning of the dot-com and housing bubbles; born in Detroit.
Comedy · born 1964David Spadestand-up comedian, actor, podcasterSarcastic Saturday Night Live alumnus and Tommy Boy star, born in the Detroit suburb of Birmingham before his family moved west.
Film & TV · 1961–2023Tom SizemoreactorDetroit-born, Wayne State-trained character actor of Heat, True Romance and Saving Private Ryan.
Film & TV · born 1933Tom Skerrittactor, directorEmmy-winning actor of M*A*S*H, Alien, Top Gun and Picket Fences who grew up in Detroit, graduated from Mackenzie High School and studied at Wayne State.
Music · born 1975Sufjan Stevenssinger, songwriter, multi-instrumentalistIndie songwriter born in Detroit who lived in the city until age nine and later saluted it on his 2003 album Michigan.
Fashion · born 1955Anna Suifashion designerDetroit-born fashion designer whose rock-and-roll, vintage-inspired label became a global brand; she keeps returning to her hometown.
Music · born 1945Bob Segersinger, songwriter, musicianHeartland rocker born at Detroit's Henry Ford Hospital who was a regional star for years before Live Bullet, recorded at Cobo Arena, made him a national name.
Science & invention · 1924–2021Isadore SingermathematicianMathematician who, with Michael Atiyah, proved the Atiyah–Singer index theorem, a bridge between geometry and physics; born and raised in Detroit.
Film & TV · born 1943Lin ShayeactressDetroit-born horror icon of the Insidious films and Farrelly brothers comedies, sister of New Line Cinema founder Robert Shaye.
Film & TV · born 1975Dax Shepardactor, comedian, filmmaker, podcasterActor and Armchair Expert podcast host who grew up in Detroit's northwestern suburbs, the car-loving son of a GM employee.
Sports · born 1969Steve Smithbasketball player, broadcasterMichigan-born NBA All-Star and Olympic gold medalist, Michigan State's all-time leading scorer, now a national basketball broadcaster.
Theatre & dance · 1925–2014Elaine Stritchactress, singer, comedianBroadway's tough, funny star of Company and At Liberty was born in Detroit, and after six decades in New York came home to Birmingham, Michigan, to spend her last year.
Film & TV · born 1962Grant ShowactorDetroit-born actor who played brooding mechanic Jake Hanson on Melrose Place and tycoon Blake Carrington in the Dynasty reboot.
Sports · born 1948Sgt. Slaughterprofessional wrestler, actorWWE Hall of Famer born in Detroit in 1948, famous for his drill-instructor gimmick and his 1991 WWF Championship reign.
Sports · 1930–2010Clarke Scholescompetitive swimmer, Olympic championDetroit-born and Redford High School-raised swimmer who won the gold medal in the 100-meter freestyle at the 1952 Helsinki Olympics.
Literature · born 1967Ruta Sepetyshistorical novelistCarnegie Medal–winning author of Between Shades of Gray, born in Detroit to a Lithuanian refugee family and raised in the city's northwestern suburbs.
Eddie SlovikU.S. Army privateDetroit-born private who became the only American soldier executed for desertion since the Civil War; his remains were brought home to Woodmere Cemetery in 1987.
Sports · 1924–2016Norbert SchemanskyweightlifterDetroit-born weightlifter, the first to win four Olympic medals in the sport, who lived most of his life in nearby Dearborn, where a park is named for him.
Science & invention · born 1947Theda Skocpolsociologist, political scientistHarvard sociologist and political scientist known for States and Social Revolutions, born in Detroit in 1947.
Literature · born 1949Jim Starlincomics writer and artistDetroit-born comics artist and writer who created Thanos, Gamora and Drax and wrote The Infinity Gauntlet, the source of Marvel's biggest film saga.
Film & TV · born 1977Geoff StultsactorActor of 7th Heaven, The Finder and Enlisted, born in Detroit and raised in the Colorado mountains; brother of actor George Stults.
Sports · born 1982Chris Sabinprofessional wrestlerDetroit-born wrestler who trained in the Michigan independent scene before becoming a multiple-time champion, half of the Detroit-nicknamed tag team the Motor City Machine Guns.Chris Savinoanimator, comic book artistCreator of Nickelodeon's The Loud House, whose fictional Michigan town of Royal Woods is modeled on his hometown of Royal Oak.
Comedy · born 1963Mary Scheeractress, comedian, writer, producerDetroit-born comedian, an original MADtv cast member and Freddie's overprotective mother Marissa Benson on Nickelodeon's iCarly.
Sports · born 1983Alex Shelleyprofessional wrestlerDetroit-born wrestler who, with tag partner Chris Sabin, built a career-long duo named for their hometown: the Motor City Machine Guns.
Music · 1945–2024J. D. Southersinger, songwriter, actorDetroit-born songwriter behind Eagles hits like “Best of My Love” and “New Kid in Town”, and early duo partner of fellow Detroit native Glenn Frey.
Music · 1936–2008Levi Stubbssinger, voice actorLifelong Detroiter and lead voice of the Four Tops, formed with Pershing High School friends, who sang “Reach Out I'll Be There” and is buried at Woodlawn Cemetery.
Film & TV · born 1958Ellen Sandweissactress, singerCheryl in The Evil Dead, a Detroit-born high school friend of Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell whose film premiered at Detroit's Redford Theatre in 1981.
Film & TV · born 1939Robert Shayefilm executive, producer, director, actorDetroit-born founder of New Line Cinema, the studio behind A Nightmare on Elm Street and The Lord of the Rings, and a graduate of Mumford High School.
Sports · 1937–2017George Steeleprofessional wrestler, teacher, actorDetroit-born wrestler and Madison Heights schoolteacher whose 'George the Animal Steele' character, born out of the local Detroit wrestling scene, became a national WWE star.
Science & invention · 1956–2018Richard A. Searfossastronaut, Air Force pilot, test pilotAir Force colonel and three-time Space Shuttle astronaut, commander of the 1998 Neurolab mission, born in Mount Clemens, Michigan.
Film & TV · born 1955Newton Thomas Sigelcinematographer, directorDetroit-born cinematographer, a painter turned camera artist, who shot The Usual Suspects, the first X-Men films and Drive.George Stultsactor, modelDetroit-born actor who played Kevin Kinkirk, the police officer who marries Lucy Camden, on the long-running family drama 7th Heaven.
Film & TV · born 1955Joel Surnowtelevision writer and producerCo-creator of the thriller series 24 and La Femme Nikita, born in Detroit and raised first in Michigan and then in Los Angeles.
Film & TV · born 1981Joe Swanbergindependent filmmakerLeading figure of the mumblecore movement and creator of Netflix's Easy, born in Detroit.Leonard Jimmie Savagemathematician, statisticianDetroit-born statistician whose Foundations of Statistics (1954) laid the groundwork for modern Bayesian statistics and decision theory.
Film & TV · born 1975Michael Schurtelevision writer, producer, director, actorCreator of The Good Place and co-creator of Parks and Recreation and Brooklyn Nine-Nine, born at the University of Michigan Hospital in Ann Arbor.
Science & invention · born 1963
Ulana Suprunphysician, activist, health minister of UkraineDetroit-born radiologist from the city's Ukrainian community who trained at Wayne State and Henry Ford Hospital and later served as Ukraine's acting health minister (2016–2019).
Film & TV · born 1976Dan Scanlonanimation director, writer, storyboard artistPixar director of Monsters University and the Oscar-nominated Onward, who grew up in Clawson and drew Onward from the loss of his father.Sreeleelaactress, dancer, physicianTelugu cinema star born in Detroit to a Telugu family and raised in Bengaluru, India, who also qualified as a medical doctor.
Military · born 1946Peter SchoomakerU.S. Army generalDetroit-born special operations officer who was recalled from retirement to serve as the 35th Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army (2003–2007).Stirling Silliphantscreenwriter, producerOscar-winning writer of In the Heat of the Night and creator of TV's Route 66, born in Detroit and raised in Glendale, California.
Sports · born 1967John Smoltzbaseball pitcher, broadcasterWarren-born Hall of Fame pitcher, drafted by his boyhood Tigers, whose 1987 trade for Doyle Alexander is one of the most debated deals in Detroit history.
Music · born 1987Kierra Sheardsinger, songwriter, evangelistDetroit-born gospel singer, daughter of Karen Clark Sheard and granddaughter of Mattie Moss Clark, with five No. 1 gospel albums.
Music · born 1975Colin Stetsonsaxophonist, multi-reedist, composerAnn Arbor–born saxophonist, trained at the University of Michigan, known for circular-breathing solo records and work with Arcade Fire and Bon Iver.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 ↗
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