Film & TV · 1950–2009John Hughesfilm director, screenwriter, producerWriter-director of The Breakfast Club and Ferris Bueller's Day Off, who spent his first twelve years in Grosse Pointe as a Gordie Howe fan.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.
- 1,940 famous people
- 366 Detroit places
- 7 fields
Hungarian ties 22 Detroiters with Hungarian ties →
Field
Connection
Born in
A–Z (family name)
15 people
Clear filtersFilm & TV · 1950–2009John Hughesfilm director, screenwriter, producerWriter-director of The Breakfast Club and Ferris Bueller's Day Off, who spent his first twelve years in Grosse Pointe as a Gordie Howe fan.
Press & broadcasting · born 1959Chris Hansentelevision journalist, presenterDateline NBC's To Catch a Predator host, who grew up in the Detroit suburbs and learned investigative reporting at WXYZ and WDIV.
Film & TV · born 1953Tom Hulceactor, theater producerOscar-nominated Mozart of Amadeus, born in Detroit and raised in Plymouth, the son of a Ford Motor Company employee.
Sports · born 1958Thomas Hearnsboxer, champion in five weight divisionsThe Kronk Gym's most famous product: a lanky Detroit fighter who became the first boxer to win world titles in five weight divisions.
Film & TV · 1951–2020Dan HicksactorPontiac-born actor of Evil Dead II, Darkman and Intruder, a longtime member of Sam Raimi's Michigan circle.
Sports · born 1955Mark Howeice hockey defenseman and executiveDetroit-born son of Gordie Howe, a Hockey Hall of Fame defenseman who played his final NHL season for the Red Wings and then spent decades in the club's front office.
Sports · born 1957Glen Hanlonice hockey goaltender, later coachVeteran goaltender who anchored the Red Wings' crease for five seasons, sharing duties with Greg Stefan as Detroit reached back-to-back conference finals in 1987 and 1988.
Sports · born 1956Gerald Hendersonbasketball player, guardVeteran guard who joined the Pistons for their second straight championship season in 1989–90 and delivered a decisive late-game play in the Finals.
Sports · 1954–2023Willie Hernándezbaseball relief pitcherPuerto Rican left-handed closer who won both the Cy Young and MVP awards in 1984, the "missing link" of the Tigers' championship team.
Sports · born 1955Ken Hollandhockey executive, former goaltenderRed Wings general manager from 1997 to 2019, architect of the Cup teams of 1998, 2002 and 2008 and one of the most successful executives in NHL history.
Music · born 1952John Lee Hooker Jr.blues singer, songwriter, ministerDetroit-born son of John Lee Hooker who sang on local radio as a child, toured with his father, and later earned Grammy nominations with his own modern blues.
Music · born 1953Derek St. Holmessinger, guitaristDownriver-born rock singer whose voice is on Ted Nugent's classic 1970s albums, including the original “Stranglehold.”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 ↗