Music · 1939–2007Billy Hendersonsinger, dancerFounding member of the Spinners, raised in Royal Oak Township, who was the group's leading dancer for half a century.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.
- 1,743 famous people
- 96 Detroit places
- 22 fields
Hungarian ties 21 Detroiters with Hungarian ties →
Field
Connection
Born in
A–Z (family name)
1743 people · 25/37 page
Music · 1939–2007Billy Hendersonsinger, dancerFounding member of the Spinners, raised in Royal Oak Township, who was the group's leading dancer for half a century.
Science & invention · 1870–1938Edward N. Hinesroad builder, Wayne County road commissionerWayne County road commissioner who built the world's first mile of concrete highway on Woodward Avenue in 1909 and came up with the painted center line.
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.
Theatre & dance · 1842–1908Bronson HowardplaywrightDetroit-born son of an 1849 Detroit mayor, often called the first American to make a living as a professional playwright, author of Shenandoah and Saratoga.
Music · born 1964Robert Hurstjazz bassist, composer, educatorDetroit-born bassist who played with Wynton and Branford Marsalis, spent the 1990s in The Tonight Show Band, and now teaches jazz bass at the University of Michigan.
Music · born 1982Boldy JamesrapperDetroit rapper known for his deep, unhurried voice and vivid street narratives, a prolific member of the Griselda collective.
Military · 1921–2022Alexander JeffersonTuskegee Airman, prisoner of war, teacherDetroit-born Tuskegee Airman who was shot down over France in 1944, survived a German POW camp, then taught science in Detroit public schools for decades; he lived to 100.
Theatre & dance · born 1985Andrew Keenan-Bolgerstage actor, web-series creatorDetroit-born Broadway actor, a Renaissance High School graduate, who originated Crutchie in Newsies and Jesse Tuck in Tuck Everlasting.
Theatre & dance · born 1978Celia Keenan-Bolgerstage actress, singerDetroit-born Broadway actress, trained at Mosaic Youth Theatre of Detroit, who won a Tony as Scout in To Kill a Mockingbird (2018).
Music · born 1967Kemsinger, songwriter, producerMetro Detroit R&B singer, raised in Pontiac and Southfield, who self-financed his debut Kemistry and was signed by Motown in 2001.
Theatre & dance · 1937–2026Woodie King Jr.theatre producer, director, filmmakerDetroit-raised founder of Concept East Theatre and New York's New Federal Theatre, a Ford welder turned producer who championed generations of Black playwrights.
Music · 1922–2026Phyllis Kinneysoprano, folk song collector, music historianPontiac-born soprano who sang with the Carl Rosa Opera, married into Welsh culture and became a leading authority on Welsh folk music.
Music · born 1938Bernie Krausemusician, synthesizer pioneer, soundscape ecologistDetroit-born musician who joined the folk group the Weavers, helped introduce the Moog synthesizer to pop music and later founded the science of soundscape ecology.
Fashion · 1932–2017Kenneth Jay Lanecostume jewelry designerDetroit-born designer whose glamorous costume jewelry was worn by Jacqueline Kennedy, the Duchess of Windsor and Barbara Bush.
Sports · born 1937Dick LeBeauAmerican football cornerback and coachHall of Fame cornerback who played all 14 of his NFL seasons with the Lions (1959–1972) before a legendary career as a defensive coordinator.
Comedy · born 1976Misty Leemagician, voice actress, comedianMagician raised in Detroit and trained by local magician Scorpio, the first woman to serve as séance medium at Hollywood's Magic Castle, and a prolific video-game voice actress.
Politics · 1885–1950John Lesinski Sr.businessman, congressman, Polish community leaderDetroit-raised Polish-American builder and lumber dealer who led the Polish Citizens' Committee of Detroit, recruited thousands of Polish volunteers in World War I and served in Congress from 1933 to 1950.
Politics · 1862–1950John C. Lodgejournalist, city council president, mayor of DetroitDetroit-born newspaperman who spent more than 30 years on the City Council, served three stints as mayor in the 1920s and gave his name to the Lodge Freeway.
Music · born 1976Tony Luccasinger-songwriter, actorPontiac-born, Waterford-raised singer who joined The All New Mickey Mouse Club after a Detroit audition and later finished third on The Voice in 2012.
Politics · 1848–1909William C. Mayburylawyer, congressman, mayor of DetroitDetroit-born lawyer and congressman who was mayor from 1897 to 1904, sealed the Detroit Century Box time capsule and invested in Henry Ford's first car company; his statue stands in Grand Circus Park.
Theatre & dance · 1898–1993Edith Meiseractress, playwright, radio writerDetroit-born actress and writer who brought Sherlock Holmes to American radio in 1930 and appeared in more than 20 Broadway shows.
Sports · 1879–1952James E. Norrisbusinessman, Red Wings ownerGrain magnate who bought Detroit's bankrupt NHL club and the Olympia in 1932, renamed the team the Red Wings and presided over five Stanley Cups.
Sports · 1913–1982Buddy ParkerAmerican football coach and former playerHead coach who led the Lions to back-to-back NFL championships in 1952 and 1953, after winning a title with Detroit as a player in 1935.
Science & invention · 1920–2006Lawrence Patrickbiomechanics researcherWayne State University professor who made himself a 'human crash-test dummy', enduring hundreds of rocket-sled rides and impacts to learn how bodies are hurt in car crashes.
Politics · 1840–1901Hazen S. Pingreeshoe manufacturer, mayor of Detroit, governor of MichiganReforming shoe manufacturer, Detroit mayor 1890–1897 and governor, famous for fighting utility monopolies and for his 'potato patches' for the jobless; his statue stands in Grand Circus Park.
Visual art · 1888–1964Betsy Graves Reyneauportrait painterPainter raised in Detroit whose portraits of prominent African Americans, including Detroit's Joe Louis, toured the nation from 1944 to 1954.
Film & TV · born 1962Shaun Robinsontelevision host, journalist, authorDetroit-born Cass Tech graduate who began her TV career at WGPR-TV before hosting Access Hollywood (1999–2015) and the 90 Day Fiancé tell-alls.
Music · 1947–2024Paul Schoenfieldcomposer, pianistDetroit-born composer and pianist who blended classical music with folk, Jewish and popular styles, best known for the piano trio Café Music.
Press & broadcasting · 1835–1906James E. Scrippsnewspaper publisher, founder of The Detroit News, art patronLondon-born publisher who founded The Evening News (today's Detroit News) in 1873 and helped create the Detroit Museum of Art, forerunner of the DIA.
Music · born 1960Karen Clark Sheardsinger, songwriterYoungest of the Clark Sisters, a Detroit gospel singer whose solo debut Finally Karen (1997) made her one of the genre's leading voices; Grammy winner for "Blessed & Highly Favored".
Politics · 1769–1846Solomon Sibleylawyer, first mayor of Detroit, territorial judgePioneer lawyer who arrived in 1797, wrote Detroit's first city charter and in 1806 became its first mayor, later serving as territorial delegate and chief justice.
Music · 1890–1961Florence Cole Talbertoperatic soprano, music educatorDetroit-born soprano who in 1927 became the first African American woman to sing Verdi's Aida in a European opera house, and one of the first Black classical singers on record.
Business & brands · 1924–2015A. Alfred Taubmanshopping-mall developer, owner of Sotheby's, philanthropistPontiac-born developer who helped define the American indoor shopping mall, owned Sotheby's and gave large sums to Detroit-area art and education.
Business & brands · 1816–1899Hiram Walkergrocer and distiller, founder of Hiram Walker & Sons (Canadian Club)Detroit grocer who built a distillery across the river in 1858, founded the company town of Walkerville and created Canadian Club whisky.
Visual art · 1905–2000Todd WebbphotographerDetroit-born documentary photographer of New York, Paris and the American West, who learned his craft at the Detroit Camera Club while working for Chrysler.The lexicon keeps growing. Every entry lists its sources at the bottom. Dates were checked against Wikidata and Wikipedia. The texts are our own.