Comedy · born 1978
Eugene Corderoactor, comedian, writerFilipino American comic actor of The Good Place, Loki and Star Trek: Lower Decks, raised in Detroit's northern suburbs and a 1996 graduate of Brother Rice High School.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
- 22 fields
Hungarian ties 31 Detroiters with Hungarian ties →
Origin and citizenship
Field
Connection
Born in
A–Z (family name)
957 people · 8/20 page
Clear filtersComedy · born 1978Eugene Corderoactor, comedian, writerFilipino American comic actor of The Good Place, Loki and Star Trek: Lower Decks, raised in Detroit's northern suburbs and a 1996 graduate of Brother Rice High School.
Music · born 1969Carl Craigelectronic music producer, DJ, label founderDetroit techno's leading second-wave producer, founder of Planet E Communications and co-creator of the Detroit Electronic Music Festival in Hart Plaza.
Film & TV · born 1943Max GailactorBarney Miller's Detective Wojo, born in Detroit and raised on Grosse Ile in the Detroit River, who later earned an MBA at the University of Michigan.
Business & brands · born 1962Dan Gilbertbusinessman, founder of Rocket Mortgage and BedrockDetroit-born mortgage billionaire who moved Quicken Loans downtown in 2010 and bought and rebuilt dozens of city landmarks through Bedrock.
Civil rights & activism · 1939–2016Tom Haydenactivist, author, politicianRoyal Oak-raised author of the Port Huron Statement and New Left leader who grew up in Father Coughlin's parish and later served in the California legislature.
Film & TV · born 1966Walter Emanuel Jonesactor, martial artist, dancer, singerThe original Black Ranger, Zack Taylor, of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, born and raised in Detroit.Zeke Joneswrestler, coachSoutheastern Michigan-born Olympic silver medalist wrestler who later led USA Wrestling's freestyle program as national head coach.
Film & TV · born 1962John Knollvisual effects supervisor, co-creator of PhotoshopOscar-winning Industrial Light & Magic effects supervisor and co-creator of Adobe Photoshop, born and raised in Ann Arbor, where his brother wrote the first version.
Music · 1948–2024Wayne Kramerguitarist, songwriter, producerMC5 guitarist from the Downriver suburb of Lincoln Park whose band, the house band of the Grande Ballroom, recorded Kick Out the Jams live there in 1968.
Sports · born 1991Torey Krugice hockey defensemanRoyal Oak-born defenseman who came up through metro Detroit's competitive youth hockey system before an NCAA and NHL career built mostly around the Boston Bruins.Annie Lazorcompetitive swimmerDetroit-born breaststroke swimmer who won Olympic bronze in 2021 after a standout high school career at Groves High School in suburban Beverly Hills, Michigan.
Sports · born 1982Jeremiah Masseybasketball playerDetroit-born power forward who attended Mackenzie High School before a college and professional career that took him through Kansas State and more than a decade of European and international basketball.
Music · born 1963Derrick MayDJ, electronic music producerDetroit-born techno pioneer, one of the Belleville Three, whose 1987 track "Strings of Life" became an anthem and who ran the Transmat label from Detroit's Eastern Market.
Sports · born 1992
Vladislav Namestnikovice hockey forwardRussian-born centre who moved to Michigan as an infant and grew up in the state before eventually returning to play two NHL seasons for his boyhood-area team, the Red Wings.
Politics · born 1949Ann Romneyauthor, philanthropist, former First Lady of MassachusettsDetroit-born, Bloomfield Hills-raised Kingswood graduate who married Mitt Romney and became First Lady of Massachusetts and an advocate for multiple sclerosis research.
Music · born 1964Kevin SaundersonDJ, record producer, label ownerOne of the Belleville Three who invented Detroit techno; his Inner City hits carried the city's sound onto pop charts worldwide.Leonard Jimmie Savagemathematician, statisticianDetroit-born statistician whose Foundations of Statistics (1954) laid the groundwork for modern Bayesian statistics and decision theory.
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).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.
Music · 1942–2014Dick Wagnerguitarist, songwriterMichigan-raised guitarist who led the Bossmen and the Frost in the Detroit rock scene, then co-wrote Alice Cooper's “Only Women Bleed” and played on Lou Reed's Rock 'n' Roll Animal.
Religion · 1958–2025Michael J. ByrnesCatholic Archbishop of Agaña (Guam)Detroit-born priest who served as an auxiliary bishop of Detroit before leading the Catholic Church in Guam; he died in Detroit in 2025.
Music · born 1979Tommy ClufetosdrummerDetroit-born hard-rock drummer who started with Mitch Ryder and Ted Nugent and went on to play for Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath's farewell tours.
Sports · born 1987Chris Douglas-Robertsbasketball playerDetroit-raised guard who starred at Cass Technical High School before leading the University of Memphis to the 2008 national championship game.Richard Ellmannliterary biographer, critic, professorHighland Park-born biographer of James Joyce and Oscar Wilde, whose Joyce is often called the greatest literary biography of the 20th century.Steve FraserGreco-Roman wrestler, coachHazel Park-born wrestler who won the first Olympic gold medal the United States ever earned in Greco-Roman wrestling, at the 1984 Los Angeles Games.
Sports · born 1991Josh Gattsoccer player, wingerMetro Detroit-born winger known for his speed, who built most of his career in Europe before briefly turning out for his hometown club, Detroit City FC.Wardell Grayjazz tenor saxophonistDetroit-raised tenor saxophonist who bridged swing and bebop, famous for “The Chase” with Dexter Gordon and for “Twisted,” and who got his big break in Detroit with Earl Hines.John Groganjournalist, memoiristNewspaper columnist and author of Marley & Me, born in Detroit and raised in the Oakland County lake suburb of Orchard Lake Village.Darnell Hallsprinter and police officerDetroit-born 400-meter sprinter who grew up in public housing, won a state title at Pershing High School, ran in the 1992 Olympics, and later became a Detroit police officer.
Music · 1932–2002Roland Hannajazz pianist, composer, educatorDetroit-born pianist of the city's celebrated bebop piano school, a Cass Tech graduate and longtime Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra member, knighted by Liberia in 1970.Mary Jacksoncharacter actressMilford-born character actress, Miss Emily Baldwin of The Waltons, who stayed close to her Oakland County village and is buried there.
Film & TV · born 1962John Marshall JonesactorDetroit-born actor best known as Floyd Henderson, the widowed father on the sitcom Smart Guy.
Politics · born 1970Kwame Kilpatrickpolitician, former mayor of DetroitDetroit-born politician who became the city's youngest mayor at 31 in 2002, but resigned in 2008 after a corruption scandal and later served federal prison time before a 2021 commutation.Thomas Knollsoftware engineerCreator of Adobe Photoshop, which he began writing in 1987 as a University of Michigan doctoral student in Ann Arbor, where he was born and raised.
Politics · born 1931Sander Levinpolitician, lawyerDetroit-born Democrat who represented northwestern Detroit and its northern suburbs in Congress for 36 years (1983–2019) and chaired the Ways and Means Committee.
Sports · born 1997Kyle MacksnowboarderRoyal Oak-born snowboarder from West Bloomfield who won Olympic silver in Big Air at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games, an unusual winter-sports success story out of flat, suburban Detroit.
Music · born 1987Teairra Marísinger, songwriter, actressDetroit-born R&B singer who signed with Roc-A-Fella Records at 16 while a student at the city's performing-arts high school; her debut album reached the Billboard top five.Steve McCroryboxerKronk Gym-trained flyweight, younger brother of world champion Milton McCrory, who won Olympic gold in 1984 before a career and life cut short.
Sports · 1932–2009Arthur Frank McKinlayrowerDetroit-born Olympic silver medalist rower, a 1950 graduate of Cooley High School with his twin brother, who won his medal in the coxless fours at the 1956 Games.
Film & TV · 1924–2024Joyce Randolphstage and television actressDetroit-born Trixie Norton of The Honeymooners, a Finnish-American store clerk who joined a touring play in Detroit and became the show's last surviving star.
Music · born 1945Mitch Ryderrock and soul singer, songwriterHamtramck-born singer whose Detroit Wheels fused rock and roll with Detroit soul on 1960s hits such as "Devil with a Blue Dress On & Good Golly Miss Molly."
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.
Fashion · born 1965Veronica Webbmodel, actress, writer, television personalityDetroit-born supermodel who in 1992 became the first Black model with an exclusive cosmetics contract (Revlon), and who acted in Spike Lee's Jungle Fever.
Film & TV · born 1996Chase Sui Wondersactress, director, screenwriterStar of The Studio and Bodies Bodies Bodies, born in Bloomfield Hills and educated at Cranbrook; niece of Detroit-born designer Anna Sui.
Sports · born 1978Mike Yorkice hockey player, coachWaterford-born forward who rose through Detroit-area youth hockey clubs before a long professional career in the NHL and Germany's top league.
Civil rights & activism · born 1970Gary Yourofskyanimal rights activist, lecturerDetroit-born, Oak Park-raised animal rights lecturer whose 2010 talk 'The Most Important Speech You Will Ever Hear' became a landmark of online vegan activism.
Film & TV · born 1962Doug Chiangfilm designer, concept artistDearborn-raised College for Creative Studies alumnus who became Lucasfilm's executive creative director and chief designer of the Star Wars prequels.Eddie Crook Jr.boxer, army officerDetroit-born army boxer who won Olympic gold in the middleweight division at the 1960 Rome Games, as a teammate of Muhammad Ali.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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