Comedy · born 1939
Lily Tomlincomedian, actress, writerComedy legend raised in Detroit's Virginia Park area; Cass Tech and Wayne State alumna whose characters grew out of the neighbors on her childhood block.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)
33 people
Clear filtersComedy · born 1939Lily Tomlincomedian, actress, writerComedy legend raised in Detroit's Virginia Park area; Cass Tech and Wayne State alumna whose characters grew out of the neighbors on her childhood block.
Politics · born 1976Rashida Tlaibpolitician, lawyerSouthwest Detroit native who became the first Muslim woman in the Michigan Legislature and, from 2019, one of the first two Muslim women in Congress.
Press & broadcasting · 1920–2013Helen Thomasjournalist, White House correspondent, columnistThe pioneering White House reporter who covered ten presidents grew up in a Lebanese immigrant family in Detroit, studied at Wayne University and is buried in the city.
Music · born 1977Obie TricerapperWest-side Detroit rapper who came up through the Hip Hop Shop battles and released two top-ten albums on Eminem's Shady Records.Eddie Tolansprinter, track and field athleteCass Tech-raised sprinter nicknamed the 'Midnight Express' who won double gold in the 100 and 200 meters at the 1932 Olympics, becoming the first Black man to be named the world's fastest human.
Sports · born 1948Rudy Tomjanovichbasketball player and coachHamtramck-born rebounding star at the University of Michigan who went on to win NBA championships as a Houston Rockets player and head coach.
Religion · born 1952Joseph W. TobinCatholic cardinal, Archbishop of NewarkDetroit-born Redemptorist priest who served Southwest Detroit's Holy Redeemer parish for eleven years before becoming a cardinal and Archbishop of Newark.
Music · born 1974Mark Tremontiguitarist, singer, songwriterDetroit-born guitarist of Creed and Alter Bridge who spent most of his childhood in suburban Grosse Pointe.
Music · born 1973Trick-Trickrapper, record producerDetroit rapper and producer of the Goon Sqwad, best known for the civic-pride anthem “Welcome 2 Detroit” with Eminem.
Auto industry · 1903–1956Preston Tuckerautomobile entrepreneur and designerLincoln Park–raised car dreamer behind the futuristic Tucker 48, whose story became the 1988 film Tucker: The Man and His Dream.
Music · born 1949Garry Tallentbassist, record producerFounding bassist of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band, born in Detroit before his family moved to the Jersey Shore.
Film & TV · born 1955Rob Tapertfilm and television producer, writer, directorRoyal Oak-born producer who co-founded Renaissance Pictures with Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell, produced The Evil Dead and co-created Xena: Warrior Princess.
Music · 1924–2005Lucky Thompsonjazz tenor and soprano saxophonistDetroit-raised tenor and soprano saxophonist, a Cass Tech graduate who played with Basie, Charlie Parker and Miles Davis and was an early modern master of the soprano sax.
Film & TV · 1903–1954Tom Tylerfilm actor, weightlifterHamtramck-raised B-Western star and screen Captain Marvel, who came home to Hamtramck to die and is buried in Detroit's Mount Olivet Cemetery.Sheila Taorminaswimmer, triathlete, modern pentathleteLivonia-born athlete who is the only woman ever to qualify for the Olympics in three different sports, beginning with an Olympic swimming gold medal in 1996.
Film & TV · 1915–1968William TalmanactorPerry Mason's perpetually defeated district attorney Hamilton Burger, born in Detroit, who founded the drama club at Cranbrook in Bloomfield Hills.
Sports · born 1964Frank Tateboxer, Olympic champion, IBF middleweight championDetroit-born Kronk boxer who won Olympic gold in 1984 and later held the IBF middleweight title.
Music · 1944–1991Rob TynersingerDetroit-born lead singer of the MC5, whose incendiary live album Kick Out the Jams was recorded at the Grande Ballroom in October 1968.Teri Thorntonjazz singer, pianist, composerDetroit-born jazz singer and pianist, praised by Ella Fitzgerald and Cannonball Adderley, who sang the Naked City theme and made a celebrated comeback in the late 1990s.
MusicRosie Thomassinger-songwriter, comedianDetroit-raised indie folk singer-songwriter known for gentle Sub Pop albums and for her comic stage character Sheila Saputo.
Music · 1944–1980Georgeanna TillmansingerInkster-born original member of the Marvelettes, heard on "Please Mr. Postman", who left the group because of illness and died at 35.
Business & brands · 1924–2015A. Alfred Taubmanshopping-mall developer, owner of Sotheby's, philanthropistPontiac-born developer who helped define the American indoor shopping mall, owned Sotheby's and gave large sums to Detroit-area art and education.
City history · born 1963Heather Ann Thompsonhistorian, authorPulitzer-winning historian of the Attica uprising who grew up in Detroit's North Rosedale Park, graduated from Cass Tech and wrote Whose Detroit?
Music · born 1985Seth TroxlerDJ, producer, label founderDJ raised on the edge of metro Detroit who learned techno as a teenage record-store buyer and became one of the most popular house and techno DJs in the world.
Sports · born 1953Frank Tananabaseball pitcherNorthwest Detroit native who came home to pitch for his boyhood team and threw the 1–0 shutout that clinched the 1987 division title on the season's final day.
Deniz Tekguitarist, singer, songwriter, physicianAnn Arbor–raised guitarist who carried the sound of the MC5 and the Stooges to Australia, where he co-founded the punk pioneers Radio Birdman.
Music · 1948–2024Dennis Thompsondrummer“Machine Gun” Thompson, the Detroit-born drummer of the MC5, whose rapid-fire attack powered the band and who was its last surviving original member.Keith Tuckerelectro producer, DJEast-side Detroit electro pioneer who co-founded Aux 88, the group that fused Detroit techno with Miami bass, and later ran the Puzzlebox label.
Politics · 1860–1941William Barlum Thompsonmeat merchant, city treasurer, mayor of Detroit, developerDetroit-born meat merchant and longtime city treasurer who was twice mayor (1907–1908 and 1911–1912) and later co-developed the Barlum Tower on Cadillac Square.
Notorious figures · 1926–2014Jack Toccoboss of the Detroit Partnership (1979–2014)Grosse Pointe Park-raised son of William Tocco and nephew of Joseph Zerilli who led the Detroit Mafia for decades while holding extensive legitimate businesses.James Toccoconcert pianistDetroit-born concert pianist, the youngest of thirteen children of Sicilian immigrants, who co-founded the Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival in Bloomfield Hills.Robert Hudson Tannahillart collector, benefactorDetroit-born heir to the Hudson's department store fortune who became one of the Detroit Institute of Arts' greatest benefactors.T3rapper, producerCo-founder and last original member of Slum Village, the Conant Gardens group that grew up with J Dilla and shaped soulful Detroit hip-hop.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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