Music · born 1958Madonnasinger, songwriter, producer, actressThe “Queen of Pop,” raised in the Detroit suburbs of Pontiac and Rochester Hills, a Rochester Adams High School graduate who left Michigan for New York in 1978.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.
- 1,912 famous people
- 135 Detroit places
- 22 fields
Hungarian ties 22 Detroiters with Hungarian ties →
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277 people · 1/6 page
Clear filtersMusic · born 1958Madonnasinger, songwriter, producer, actressThe “Queen of Pop,” raised in the Detroit suburbs of Pontiac and Rochester Hills, a Rochester Adams High School graduate who left Michigan for New York in 1978.
Music · born 1972Eminemrapper, songwriter, record producer, actorDetroit-raised rapper who came up through the city's open-mic battles and became one of the best-selling artists in music history.
Comedy · 1951–2014Robin Williamscomedian, actorOscar-winning comic genius who spent his early teens in Bloomfield Hills, where his father was a Ford executive, and attended Detroit Country Day School.
Film & TV · born 1930Clint Eastwoodactor, film director, producerDirector and star of Gran Torino (2008), shot entirely in metro Detroit, from Highland Park to Grosse Pointe Park and Royal Oak.
Film & TV · born 1961Eddie Murphycomedian, actor, singerBrooklyn-born comedy star whose Axel Foley, the wisecracking Detroit police detective of Beverly Hills Cop, is one of the most famous Detroiters in film.
Film & TV · born 1939Francis Ford Coppolafilm director, screenwriter, producerThe director of The Godfather and Apocalypse Now was born at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, and his middle name honors the city's most famous carmaker.
Theatre & dance · 1874–1926Harry Houdiniillusionist, escape artist, stage and film performerBudapest-born escape artist who played Detroit's vaudeville houses for decades, leapt handcuffed off the Belle Isle Bridge in 1906 and died in the city on Halloween 1926.
Music · born 1944Diana Rosssinger, actressDetroit-born lead singer of the Supremes, Motown's biggest 1960s act, who grew up in the North End and the Brewster-Douglass projects before a long solo and film career.
Film & TV · born 1980Kristen Bellactress, singerStar of Veronica Mars, The Good Place and Disney's Frozen, born in Huntington Woods and raised in Detroit's northern suburbs.
Music · 1979–2001Aaliyahsinger, actress, dancerBrooklyn-born R&B star raised in Detroit, who graduated from the city's performing-arts high school while already releasing hit albums.
Film & TV · born 1932Ellen BurstynactressOscar-, Tony- and Emmy-winning actress born Edna Rae Gillooly in Detroit, where she went to Cass Tech and modeled for Hudson's before leaving for the stage.
Comedy · born 1953Tim Allencomedian, actorHome Improvement star and voice of Buzz Lightyear who grew up in Birmingham, Michigan, learned stand-up in Detroit's clubs and set his hit sitcom in suburban Detroit.
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.
Film & TV · born 1959Sam Raimifilm director, producer, screenwriterRoyal Oak-born director who launched The Evil Dead from metro Detroit, premiered it at the Redford Theatre and later shot Crimewave on Detroit streets.
Film & TV · 1939–2014Richard KielactorDetroit-born giant of the screen, 7 ft 1.5 in tall, best remembered as Jaws, the steel-toothed henchman of two James Bond films.
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.
Comedy · born 1939Lily Tomlincomedian, actress, writerComedy legend raised in Detroit's Virginia Park area; Cass Tech and Wayne State alumna whose characters grew out of the neighbors on her childhood block.
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.
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.
Film & TV · 1932–2023Piper LaurieactressThree-time Oscar nominee (The Hustler, Carrie, Children of a Lesser God) who was born Rosetta Jacobs in a one-bedroom walk-up on Detroit's Tyler Street.
Film & TV · born 1958Bruce Campbellactor, producer, director, writerRoyal Oak-born cult actor, Ash of The Evil Dead, who made his first films with Sam Raimi in Detroit's suburbs and premiered them in Detroit theaters.
Press & broadcasting · 1932–2014Casey Kasemradio host, disc jockey, voice actorDetroit-born host of American Top 40 and original voice of Shaggy in Scooby-Doo, who started on the air at Northwestern High and Detroit radio stations.
Music · born 1974Xzibitrapper, actor, television hostRapper, actor and Pimp My Ride host who was born in Detroit and lived in the city until elementary-school age.
Film & TV · born 1972Selma Blairactress, authorStar of Cruel Intentions, Legally Blonde and Hellboy, born in Southfield and educated at Hillel Day School and Cranbrook Kingswood.
Film & TV · 1926–2024Roger Cormanfilm director and producerDetroit-born king of low-budget cinema who produced or directed hundreds of films and gave first breaks to Coppola, Scorsese, Cameron and many more.
Music · born 1950Suzi Quatrosinger, bass guitarist, songwriter, actressThe leather-clad bass-playing rock star grew up in Detroit and Grosse Pointe and started out at 14 in the Pleasure Seekers, an all-girl band with her sisters.
Film & TV · 1922–2002Kim Hunterstage, film and television actressDetroit-born actress who created Stella in A Streetcar Named Desire on Broadway, won an Oscar for the film, and later played Zira in Planet of the Apes.
Music · born 1988Lizzosinger, rapper, flutist, actressGrammy-winning singer and rapper of “Truth Hurts” and “About Damn Time,” born in Detroit in 1988 and raised there until age ten.
Film & TV · born 1930Robert WagneractorHart to Hart and It Takes a Thief star, born in Detroit to a Ford Motor Company salesman, who lived in the city until his family moved to Bel Air in 1937.
Film & TV · born 1983Steven Yeunactor, producerSeoul-born actor raised in Taylor and Troy, Michigan, a Troy High School graduate who became Glenn in The Walking Dead and an Oscar nominee for Minari.
Theatre & dance · 1925–2013Julie HarrisactressOne of the great actresses of the American stage, winner of five Tony Awards for Best Actress in a Play, born and raised in Grosse Pointe.
Literature · 1925–2013Elmore Leonardnovelist, screenwriterCrime novelist nicknamed 'the Dickens of Detroit', raised and educated in the city, who set many of his hard-boiled stories on its streets.
Film & TV · born 1943Jerry Bruckheimerfilm and television producerDetroit-born producer of Top Gun, Pirates of the Caribbean and CSI, a Mumford High graduate who put his school's gym shirt on Axel Foley in Beverly Hills Cop.
Film & TV · 1928–1994George PeppardactorBreakfast at Tiffany's leading man and The A-Team's Hannibal Smith, born in Detroit, raised in Dearborn and buried there beside his parents.
Film & TV · born 1972Elizabeth Berkleyactress, dancerSaved by the Bell's Jessie Spano grew up in Farmington Hills, trained as a dancer in Detroit and first acted on metro Detroit stages.
Film & TV · 1961–2023Tom SizemoreactorDetroit-born, Wayne State-trained character actor of Heat, True Romance and Saving Private Ryan.
Comedy · born 1971Keegan-Michael Keyactor, comedian, writer, producerCo-creator of Key & Peele who grew up in Detroit, studied theater at the University of Detroit Mercy and co-founded Hamtramck's Planet Ant Theatre.
Music · 1935–1998Sonny Bonosinger, songwriter, producer, politicianDetroit-born half of Sonny & Cher, who later became mayor of Palm Springs and a U.S. congressman; the family left Michigan for California when he was a boy.
Film & TV · born 1965Sherilyn Fennactress, authorTwin Peaks' Audrey Horne, born in Detroit into the Quatro rock family: Suzi Quatro is her aunt.
Film & TV · born 1975Judy Greeractress, authorDetroit-born character actress raised in Redford Township and Livonia, who writes fondly of her hometown in her memoir.
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.
Comedy · born 1969Ken Jeongcomedian, actor, physicianDetroit-born comedian and licensed physician, famous as Mr. Chow in The Hangover and Ben Chang in Community.
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.
Film & TV · born 1966Dean Cainactor, producer, former football playerTV's 1990s Superman in Lois & Clark was born at Selfridge Air Force Base in Macomb County, northeast of Detroit.
Film & TV · born 1969Martin Klebbaactor, stunt performerTroy native and Athens High School graduate, best known as the pirate Marty in the Pirates of the Caribbean films.
Film & TV · born 1975Elizabeth ReaseractressTwilight and Grey's Anatomy actress who was born in Bloomfield Hills and finished high school in Auburn Hills before training at Juilliard.
Film & TV · born 2004Kaitlyn Mahersinger, actressSinger and actress born in Novi, northwest of Detroit, who became the youngest top-10 finalist in America's Got Talent history at age four.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 ↗