Visual art · 1924–2013Arthur C. Dantoart critic, philosopher, professorInfluential philosopher of art and longtime critic for The Nation who grew up in Detroit and studied art and history at Wayne University.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.
- 664 famous people
- 66 Detroit places
- 9 fields
Field
Connection
Born in
A–Z (family name)
6 people
Clear filtersVisual art · 1924–2013Arthur C. Dantoart critic, philosopher, professorInfluential philosopher of art and longtime critic for The Nation who grew up in Detroit and studied art and history at Wayne University.
Auto industry · 1925–2005John DeLoreanautomotive engineer and executive, founder of DeLorean Motor CompanyDetroit-born GM maverick who created the Pontiac GTO, ran Chevrolet, then built the stainless-steel DeLorean made famous by Back to the Future.
Politics · 1926–2019John Dingellpolitician, lawyerDearborn Democrat who represented Detroit and its western and Downriver suburbs for 59 years, the longest tenure in the history of Congress.
Music · 1927–2024Barbara Danefolk, blues and jazz singer, guitarist, record producer, activistDetroit-born singer whom critic Leonard Feather called Bessie Smith in stereo; she started out singing at Detroit factory gates and union halls.The lexicon keeps growing. Every entry lists its sources at the bottom. Dates were checked against Wikidata and Wikipedia. The texts are our own.