Ohio Famous People

Famous Americans: History and Biographies

Ohio Famous People: Greeting from Ohio

Links to histories and biographies of the famous people of Ohio. Many famous people of Ohio have made significant contributions to the history of our nation and the state of Ohio. These famous Americans, famous entertainers, famous players, famous scientist, famous singers, famous statesmen, famous women, heroes, great explorers, and others Ohio famous Americans have all made Ohio their home. This list includes Ohio historical figures, celebrities and those individuals of Ohio who have influenced the lives of others.

Famous People from Ohio

  • Neil ArmstrongNeil Armstrong (Wapakoneta, Ohio, born August 5, 1930) is a former American astronaut, test pilot, university professor, and United States Naval Aviator. He is the first person to set foot on the Moon. His first spaceflight was aboard Gemini 8 in 1966, for which he was the command pilot. On this mission, he performed the first manned docking of two spacecraft together with pilot David Scott. Armstrong's second and last spaceflight was as mission commander of the Apollo 11 moon landing mission on July 20, 1969. On this mission, Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin descended to the lunar surface and spent 2½ hours exploring while Michael Collins remained in orbit in the Command Module. Armstrong is a recipient of the Congressional Space Medal of Honor.
  • Daniel Beard (1850 - 1941) Founded the Boy Scouts of America; born in Cincinnati.
  • Halle Berry (1966 - ) Famous Actress; born in Cleveland.
  • Drew Carey - (1958 - ) Actor, Writer, Comedian; born in Cleveland.
  • Thomas Edison (1847 - 1931) Born in Milan, Ohio, Thomas Edison is the only American inventor with more than 1,000 patents. Some of his most famous inventions include the light bulb, the phonograph and the stock ticker.
  • Clark Gable (1901-1960) Actor known for his role in Gone with the Wind; from Cadiz.
  • James A. Garfield (1831 - 1881) The 20th President of the United States; born in Cuyahoga County.
  • John Glenn (1921 - ) The first American to orbit the Earth; born in Cambridge
  • Ulysses S. Grant (1822 - 1885) The 18th President of the United States; born in Point Pleasant.
  • Zane Grey (1872 - 1939) Western novel author; born in Zanesville.
  • Arsenio Hall (1958- ) Actor and former late-night talk show host; born in Cleveland
  • Warren G. Harding (1865 - 1923) The 29th President of the United States; born near Marion.
  • Benjamin Harrison (1833 - 1901) The 23rd President of the United States; born near Cincinnati.
  • Rutherford B. Hayes (1822 - 1893) The 19th President of the United States; born in Delaware, Ohio.
  • Bob Hope (1903 - 2003) Actor/Dancer/Singer/Comedian/Entertainer; Grew up in Cleveland.
  • Fannie Hurst    (October 19, 1885 – February 23, 1968) was an American novelist and short-story writer whose works were highly popular during the post-World War I era. Her work combined sentimental, romantic themes with social issues of the day, such as women's rights and race relations.
  • William McKinley (1843 - 1901) The 25th President of the United States; born in Niles.
  • Annie OakleyAnnie Oakley (August 13, 1860 - November 3, 1926), born Phoebe Ann Moses in "a cabin less than 2 miles northwest of Woodland, now Willowdell, in Darke County, Ohio", a rural western border county of Ohio. Her birthplace log cabin site is about five miles east of North Star. There is a stone-mounted plaque in the vicinity of the cabin site, which was placed by the Annie Oakley Committee in 1981, 121 years after her birth. Oakley was an American sharpshooter and exhibition shooter. Oakley's "amazing talent" and timely rise to fame led to a starring role in Buffalo Bill's Wild West show, which propelled her to become the first American female superstar. Perhaps Oakley's most famous trick was her ability to repeatedly split a playing card, edge-on, and put several more holes in it before it could touch the ground, while using a .22 caliber rifle, at 90 feet (27 m)
  • Jesse Owens (1913 - 1980) Winner of four gold medals in the 1936 Summer Olympic Games; lived in Cleveland.
  • Judith Resnik (1949 - 1986) Astronaut. She was the second American woman to go into space; born in Akron.
  • Pete Rose (1941 - ) Baseball player for the Cincinnati Reds that broke the all-time hitting record in 1985; born in Cincinnati.
  • William Sherman (1820 - 1891) General of the Civil War that led "Sherman's March" through Georgia destroying Southern hope; born in Lancaster.
  • Steven Spielberg (1947 - ) Director of E.T., Schindler's List, Raiders of the Lost Ark, and many other famous movies; born in Cincinnati.
  • R.L. Stine (1943 - ) Author of the popular Goosebumps series; native of Bexley.
  • William Howard Taft (1857 - 1930) The 27th President of the United States; born in Cincinnati.
  • Wilbur Wright (1867 - 1912) & Orville Wright (1871-1948) Brothers who invented the first airplane; born in Indiana and Dayton respectively.

More Famous People of Ohio

Find more more Ohio famous people below. You may not even realize many of these famous people were born in Ohio or notable associated with Ohio, including actors, actresses, explorers, historical figures, inventors, musicians, novelists, professional athletes, important politicians, singers, sport stars and more.

  • George Bellows painter, lithographer, Columbus
  • Willard H. Bennett inventor, Findlay
  • Ambrose Bierce journalist, Meigs County
  • Albert J. Beveridge political leader, Highland
  • Erma Bombeck columnist, humorist, Dayton
  • Bill Boyd / Hopalong Cassidy actor, Cambridge
  • William Jennings Bryan US presidential candidate, Salem
  • William Meriam Burton inventor, Cleveland
  • Milton Caniff cartoonist, Hillsboro
  • Nancy Cartwright voice of Bart Simpson, Kettering
  • John R. Commons economist, Hollansburg
  • Hart Crane poet, Garrettsville
  • George Armstrong Custer army officer, New Rumley
  • Dorothy Dandridge actress, Cleveland
  • Doris Day singer, actress, Cincinnati
  • Clarence Seward Darrow lawyer, Kingsman
  • Ruby Dee actress, Cleveland
  • Hugh Downs TV broadcaster, Akron
  • Thomas Alva Edison inventor, Milan
  • John Evans physician, educator, Waynesville
  • Clark Gable actor, Cadiz
  • James Abram Garfield US president, Cuyahoga County
  • Cass Gilbert architect, Zanesville
  • Lillian Gish actress, Springfield
  • Zane Grey author, Zanesville
  • Warren Gamaliel Harding US president, Morrow County
  • Charles Martin Hall inventor, Thompson
  • Rutherford Hayes US president, Delaware
  • Benjamin Harrison US president, North Bend
  • Robert Henri painter, Cincinnati
  • William Dean Howells author, critic, Martins Ferry
  • Charles F. Kettering inventor, Loudonville
  • Kenisaw Mountain Landis first baseball commissioner, Millville
  • Maya Lin artist, sculptor, Athens
  • Dean Martin singer, actor, Steubenville
  • William McKinley US president, Niles
  • Toni Morrison author, Lorain
  • George W. Norris US Senator, Sandusky
  • Paul Newman actor, Cleveland
  • Jack Nicklaus golfer, Columbus
  • Annie Oakley markswoman, Darke County
  • Norman Vincent Peale clergyman, Bowersville
  • Roy J. Plunkett chemist, New Carlisle
  • Tyrone Power actor, Cincinnati
  • Eddie Rickenbacker aviator, Columbus
  • Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr. historian, Columbus
  • William Tecumseh Sherman army general, Lancaster
  • Gloria Steinem feminist, Toledo
  • Donalee L. Tabern inventor, Bowling Green
  • Joyce Kimberly Tatro educator, Toledo
  • Tecumseh Shawnee Indian chief, Oldtown
  • Ted Turner broadcasting, Cincinnati
  • Lowell Thomas commentator, author, Woodington
  • James Thurber author, cartoonist, Columbus
  • Ernest H. Volwiler inventor, Hamilton
  • Raymond Elwin Weber webmaster, Toledo
  • Cy Young baseball player, Gilmore
US Famous People
US Famous People
Learn history through the biographies of the famous people from your state.