Science & invention · born 1940
John Grinderlinguist, author, consultantLinguist who co-created neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) with Richard Bandler in the 1970s; born in Detroit.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
- 20 fields
Hungarian ties 31 Detroiters with Hungarian ties →
Origin and citizenship
Field
Connection
Born in
A–Z (family name)
230 people · 2/5 page
Clear filtersScience & invention · born 1940John Grinderlinguist, author, consultantLinguist who co-created neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) with Richard Bandler in the 1970s; born in Detroit.Rex Cawleytrack and field athlete, 400-meter hurdlerHighland Park-born hurdler who set a world record and won Olympic gold in the 400-meter hurdles at the 1964 Tokyo Games.
Music · 1948–2020
Ivan Králguitarist, bassist, songwriter, producer, filmmakerPrague-born guitarist of the Patti Smith Group and Iggy Pop, co-writer of “Dancing Barefoot,” who spent his final years recording in Ann Arbor and Detroit.
Film & TV · born 1941Robert McKeescreenwriting teacher, author, story consultantDetroit-born story guru whose Story Seminar and book Story have trained generations of screenwriters; he started as a young actor on Detroit stages.
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.Edwin Starrsinger, songwriterSoul singer who launched his career on Detroit's Ric-Tic label with "Agent Double-O-Soul" and then sang Norman Whitfield's protest anthem "War" for Motown.Dave Alexanderbassist, songwriterOriginal bassist of the Stooges, the Ann Arbor proto-punk band that came up through Detroit's Grande Ballroom alongside the MC5.
Sports · 1948–2022Bob Lanierbasketball player, centreHall of Fame centre and the Pistons' first overall draft pick in 1970, who anchored Detroit for a decade and remains the franchise's all-time leader in scoring average.
Music · 1941–1991David RuffinsingerThe raspy lead voice of the Temptations' “My Girl,” who helped build Hitsville U.S.A. as a teenager and is buried at Detroit's Woodlawn Cemetery.
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.
Music · 1943–1992Mary Wellssinger, songwriterDetroit-born "Queen of Motown" who pitched her first song to Berry Gordy in a nightclub at 17 and topped the Hot 100 with "My Guy" in 1964.
Press & broadcasting · born 1943E. Jean Carrolljournalist, advice columnist, authorDetroit-born journalist whose Ask E. Jean column ran in Elle for 26 years and who later won major civil verdicts against Donald Trump.
Sports · born 1949Spencer Haywoodbasketball playerMississippi-born Hall of Famer who moved to Detroit as a teenager, led one of the great teams in Michigan high school history, and starred at the University of Detroit before a groundbreaking pro career.
Literature · born 1947John C. Maxwellleadership author, speaker, pastorBest-selling leadership author of The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, born in the western Detroit suburb of Garden City.
Music · born 1944Leonard Slatkinconductor, composer, authorAmerican conductor who led the Detroit Symphony Orchestra from 2008 to 2018, through the city's financial crisis and a six-month strike, and became its first music director laureate.
Sports · 1944–2015Mel Danielsbasketball centerHall of Fame center, born and raised in Detroit, who grew up on the city's east side before becoming the ABA's all-time leading rebounder and a three-time champion with the Indiana Pacers.
Music · 1941–2022Lamont Doziersongwriter, record producer, singerThe Dozier of Holland–Dozier–Holland, the Detroit songwriting team that wrote and produced dozens of Motown hits for the Supremes, Four Tops and Martha and the Vandellas.
Music · born 1941Martha Reevessinger, former Detroit City Council memberLead singer of Martha and the Vandellas, who went from Motown secretary to star with “Heat Wave” and “Dancing in the Street”, and later served on the Detroit City Council.
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 · 1941–2023Barrett Strongsinger, songwriterSinger of "Money (That's What I Want)," Motown's first hit, who became the lyricist behind "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" and "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone."
Film & TV · 1946–2013Richard LeParmentieractor, screenwriterStar Wars' Admiral Motti, the officer Darth Vader chokes with the Force, who trained in drama at Wayne State University before moving to Britain.
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.Frederick Coffinactor, singer, songwriterDetroit-born character actor of Hard to Kill, Wayne's World and Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century, and a singer-songwriter.
Music · 1943–2018Dennis EdwardssingerDetroit-raised lead singer who replaced David Ruffin in the Temptations and fronted their psychedelic-soul era, from “Cloud Nine” to “Papa Was a Rollin' Stone.”Brian Hollandsongwriter, record producerDetroit-born songwriter and producer, the musical architect of Holland–Dozier–Holland, whose hits for the Supremes and Four Tops defined the Motown sound.
Music · born 1946Bettye LaVettesingerDetroit-raised soul singer who cut her first hit at 16 for local producer Johnnie Mae Matthews and found late-career acclaim in the 2000s.
Music · born 1949Lene Lovichsinger, songwriterDetroit-born new-wave singer of “Lucky Number” who spent her childhood in the city before moving to England at 13.
Sports · 1944–2012Emanuel Stewardboxing trainer, commentator, former boxerThe 'godfather of Detroit boxing', who built the Kronk Gym into a world-famous training ground and coached forty-one world champions, among them Thomas Hearns, Lennox Lewis and Wladimir Klitschko.
Religion · born 1948Allen VigneronCatholic Archbishop of Detroit (2009–2025)Mount Clemens native who studied and later served as rector at Sacred Heart Major Seminary, then led the Archdiocese of Detroit as archbishop from 2009 to 2025.
Music · 1940–2017Leon Waresongwriter, producer, singerDetroit-born Motown songwriter and producer behind Marvin Gaye's I Want You, Michael Jackson's “I Wanna Be Where You Are” and Minnie Riperton's “Inside My Love.”
Music · born 1949James Williamsonguitarist, songwriter, engineerThe Stooges' Raw Power guitarist, who came of age in the Detroit area in the 1960s and formed his first band there with future SRC singer Scott Richardson.
Music · 1949–2014Scott AshetondrummerThe Stooges' drummer, raised in Ann Arbor from age 14, whose primal beat drove the band from its Grande Ballroom debut to its 21st-century reunion.
Sports · born 1946Don Chaneybasketball coach, former playerTwo-time NBA champion as a player elsewhere who worked as a Pistons assistant coach and later served two seasons as Detroit's head coach in the mid-1990s.
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.
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 1944
Václav Nedomanskýice hockey forwardThe first Czechoslovak hockey star to defect and play professionally in North America, who spent five NHL seasons with the Red Wings in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
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.
Literature · 1941–2024John Sinclairpoet, activist, music manager, radio hostJazz poet, MC5 manager and White Panther co-founder who helped build Detroit's 1960s Cass Corridor counterculture and died in the city in 2024.
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.
Sports · born 1943Tom Van Arsdalebasketball playerIdentical twin of Dick Van Arsdale who began his 12-season NBA career with three years as a Pistons shooting guard.
Sports · born 1943Paul Hendersonice hockey playerCanada's 1972 Summit Series hero, who broke into the NHL with the Red Wings organization and reached two Stanley Cup Finals in Detroit before a blockbuster trade to Toronto.
Sports · born 1947Steve Mixbasketball player, broadcaster'The Mayor,' a later NBA All-Star with Philadelphia, began his professional life as a fifth-round Pistons draft pick who spent two-plus seasons in Detroit.
Auto industry · born 1945Alan MulallyCEO of Ford Motor Company, former Boeing executiveBoeing engineer hired by Bill Ford in 2006 who steered Ford through the 2008–2009 crisis without a government bailout.
Science & invention · 1942–2011David Rumelhartcognitive psychologistCognitive scientist whose work on parallel distributed processing and backpropagation laid foundations for modern neural networks; he spent his last years in the Ann Arbor area.
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."
Science & invention · born 1945Deborah Tannenlinguist, authorGeorgetown linguist and author of the long-running best-seller You Just Don't Understand, who earned a master's degree in English literature at Wayne State University.
Music · 1942–1995Melvin Franklinbass singerThe deep bass voice of the Temptations, a founding member who grew up in Detroit and sang with the group from 1961 until 1994.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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