Music · born 1946
Patti Smithsinger, songwriter, poet, authorThe punk poet left New York for metro Detroit in 1980 to marry MC5 guitarist Fred “Sonic” Smith, and raised a family in St. Clair Shores for more than a decade.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
- 19 fields
Hungarian ties 31 Detroiters with Hungarian ties →
Origin and citizenship
Field
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143 people · 1/3 page
Clear filtersMusic · born 1946Patti Smithsinger, songwriter, poet, authorThe punk poet left New York for metro Detroit in 1980 to marry MC5 guitarist Fred “Sonic” Smith, and raised a family in St. Clair Shores for more than a decade.
Film & 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 · 1927–1999George C. Scottactor, directorOscar-winning star of Patton who grew up in Detroit and graduated from Redford High School before joining the Marines.
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.
Architecture & design · 1910–1961
Eero Saarinenarchitect, industrial designerFinnish-American architect who grew up at Cranbrook in Bloomfield Hills and ran his office there; his first masterpiece was the GM Technical Center in Warren.
Film & TV · 1961–2023Tom SizemoreactorDetroit-born, Wayne State-trained character actor of Heat, True Romance and Saving Private Ryan.
Architecture & design · 1873–1950Eliel Saarinenarchitect, urban plannerFinnish architect who designed the Cranbrook campus in Bloomfield Hills and led the Cranbrook Academy of Art, making metro Detroit a center of modern design.
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 1988Big Seanrapper, songwriterRapper raised in Detroit from infancy whose albums Detroit and Detroit 2 honor his hometown; he runs a youth foundation in the city and works with the Pistons.
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.
Film & TV · born 1946Paul Schraderscreenwriter, film director, criticMichigan-born writer of Taxi Driver whose directing debut, Blue Collar (1978), was shot in Detroit and at the Ford Rouge plant about three autoworkers robbing their union.
Press & broadcasting · 1829–1906Carl Schurzjournalist, Union general, statesmanGerman-born revolutionary, Union general and later U.S. senator and Interior secretary, who edited the Detroit Post in 1866–1867.
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.
Auto industry · 1875–1966Alfred P. Sloanpresident, CEO and chairman of General MotorsThe management architect of General Motors, who led it from its Detroit headquarters past Ford to become the world's largest automaker.
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 · born 1974Jerry Stackhousebasketball player and coach, broadcasterTwo-time All-Star who set the Pistons' single-game scoring record with 57 points and later returned to Detroit as a television analyst.
Politics · born 1976Elissa Slotkinpolitician, former CIA analystFormer CIA analyst and Pentagon official raised on a farm in Holly, Oakland County, and schooled at Cranbrook Kingswood; U.S. senator from Michigan since 2025.
Politics · born 1958Rick Snyderbusiness executive, governor of MichiganMichigan's governor (2011–2019) who put Detroit under an emergency manager, approved its 2013 bankruptcy filing and backed the 'grand bargain' that ended it.
Sports · born 1974Katie Smithbasketball guard, coachHall of Fame guard who won WNBA championships with the Detroit Shock in 2006 and 2008 and was MVP of the 2008 Finals.
Sports · born 1986Rodney Stuckeybasketball guardCombo guard who spent seven seasons with the Pistons after being drafted 15th overall in 2007, becoming a reliable scorer as the team transitioned away from its championship core.
Sports · born 1964John Salleybasketball player, forward-centerBad Boys-era Pistons forward who won back-to-back NBA titles in Detroit in 1989 and 1990 and later became the first player to win championships with three franchises.
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.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.
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.Edmund SzokaCatholic cardinal, Archbishop of Detroit, Vatican administratorArchbishop of Detroit in the 1980s who hosted Pope John Paul II in 1987, then became the Vatican's top financial officer and governor of Vatican City.
Sports · born 1968Barry Sandersfootball running backHeisman Trophy winner who spent all ten NFL seasons with the Detroit Lions, widely regarded as one of the most elusive running backs in football history.
Sports · born 1988Kyle Singlerbasketball forwardDuke's 2010 NCAA champion and Final Four Most Outstanding Player who spent three seasons as a regular starter for the Pistons.
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.
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 1964
Otmar Szafnauerengineer, Formula One team principalRomanian-born, Detroit-raised engineer who went from Ford program manager to running Force India, Racing Point, Aston Martin and Alpine in Formula One.
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.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 ↗