Oklahoma may not have famous personalities contributing to its history, but it has risen to give this world some personalities who are well-known in their respective fields. This Buzzle article gives you a list of famous people from Oklahoma.
The Oklahoma You Didn’t Know!
• Milk is the official state beverage here.
• Previously, tattoos were considered illegal here.
• This state was the used as the backdrop for the movie “Twister.”
The 19th century saw a change when the people of Oklahoma came to the foreground in various fields. The people there supported and encouraged cultural activities. There are many who have left their mark in their respective faculties and are known throughout the world. Their contribution in the fields of arts and literature, business, entertainment industry, etc., is noteworthy. Here is the list of celebs who have made their motherland Oklahoma proud with prominent contributions.
Arts and Literature
Name: Allan Houser
Specialty: Sculpture, Painting, Drawing, and Murals
Achievement: Gold Medal in Sculpture at the Heard Museum Exhibition
Name: Bill Moyers
Specialty: Journalist and Public Commentator
Achievement: National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences – the Lifetime Achievement Award
Name: Charles Bell
Specialty: Photorealist and Hyperrealist
Achievement: Society of Western Artists Award in 1968
Name: Jason Nelson
Specialty: Digital and Hypermedia Poet and Artist
Achievement: International Prize for “Ciutat de Vinaròs” (The Bomar Gene), which is a Digital Literature
Name: Jeffrey Rowland
Specialty: Author and Cartoonist
Achievement: Nominated for 2004 Web Cartoonists’ Choice Awards (Wigu)
Name: Jim Thompson
Specialty: Writer of Crime, Suspense, and Literary Fiction
Achievement: Nominated for the Academy Awards (The Kill-Off; After Dark, My Sweet; and The Grifters)
Name: John Allyn Berryman
Specialty: Confessional poetry
Achievement: Pulitzer Prize for Poetry
Name: Lawrence Donald Clark, a.k.a. Larry Clark
Specialty: American Film Director, Photographer, Writer and Film Producer
Achievement: Golden Palm of category Best First Feature (Nominated for “Kids”)
Name: Nicole Jordan
Specialty: Author of Romance Novels
Achievement: Finalist for the Romance Writers of America RITA Award
Name: Stephen Hillenburg
Specialty: Cartoonist, Animator, Storyboard Artist, and Voice-over Artist
Achievement: Emmy Awards category of Outstanding Special Class Animated Program in 2010 (SpongeBob SquarePants)
Name: Tracy Letts
Specialty: Playwright, Screenwriter and Actor
Achievement: Pulitzer Prize for Drama 2008 August: Osage County
Name: William Bernhardt
Specialty: Author (thriller/mystery/suspense )
Achievement: Southern Writers Guild’s Gold Medal Award in 1998
Business
Name: Clayton Bennett
Specialty: Businessman and Chairman of the Professional Basketball Club LLC
Name: Edward K. Gaylord
Specialty: The Owner and Publisher of the daily newspaper The Oklahoman
Name: Edward Lewis Gaylord
Specialty: A Media Mogul who built the Gaylord Entertainment Company
Name: Eugene Lorton
Specialty: Newspaper publisher and Owner of Tulsa World
Name: George Kaiser
Specialty: Chairman of BOK Financial Corporation
Name: Henry Kravis
Specialty: Founder of Kohlberg Kravis Roberts
Name: James A. Chapman
Specialty: Oilman, Philanthropist
Name: James Monroe Hall
Specialty: Merchant, Civic Leader
Name: Neal Patterson
Specialty: CEO of Cerner Corporation
Name: Rick Bayless
Specialty: Chef (Mexican cuisines)
Name: Robert M. McFarlin
Specialty: Oilman and Philanthropist
Name: Sam P. McBirney
Specialty: A Founder and Vice President of Tulsa’s Bank of Commerce and a Football Coach
Name: Samuel Walton
Specialty: Founder of Walmart
Name: Sylvan Goldman
Specialty: Inventor of the Shopping Cart
Name: T. Boone Pickens
Specialty: Chairman of BP Capital Management
Name: Tom L. Ward
Specialty: Chairman & CEO, Tapstone Energy
Name: Waite Phillips
Specialty: Petroleum Businessman
Name: William K. Warren
Specialty: Founder of the Warren Petroleum Corporation of Delaware(1922)
Name: William Skelly
Specialty: Entrepreneur in the Oil Business
Name: William Wayne Keeler
Specialty: Chemical Engineer, Oil Company Executive, Cherokee Principal Chief
Music
Name: Bob Dunn
Style: Western Swing – Jazz
Name: Bob Wills
Specialty: Country Music
Name: Carrie Underwood
Specialty: Country Music
Name: Charlie Christian
Specialty: Jazz Guitarist
Name: Don Byas
Specialty: Bebop
Name: Earl Grant
Specialty: Easy Listening Pianist
Name: Hanson
Style: Indie Rock
Name: Joe Don Rooney
Specialty: Country Music
Name: Leon Russell
Specialty: Rhythm and Blues
Name: Nokie Edwards
Specialty: Instrumental Rock
Name: Patti Page
Specialty: Traditional Pop
Name: Roy Harris
Specialty: Classical Composer
Name: Ryan Tedder
Style: Pop Rock
Name: Sandi Patty
Specialty: Contemporary Christian
Name: The All-American Rejects
Specialty: Alternative Rock Band
Name: The Flaming Lips
Specialty: Neo-psychedelia
Name: Wanda Jackson
Specialty: Rockabilly
Name: Earl Bostic
Specialty: Rhythm and Blues and Jazz
Actors and Actresses
Name: Alfre Woodard
Specialty: Actress and Producer
Famous Show: True Blood, Grey’s Anatomy
Name: Ben Johnson
Specialty: Actor, Stuntman
Famous Show: Fort Apache, The Outlaw
Name: Beverlee McKinsey
Specialty: Actress
Famous Show: How to Survive a Marriage
Name: Chuck Norris
Specialty: Actor, Martial Artist
Famous Show: Way of the Dragon, Walker
Name: Clarence Nash
Specialty: Voice Actor
Famous Show: Tom and Jerry (Tom), The Wise Little Hen (Donald)
Name: Countess Vaughn
Specialty: Actress, Singer
Famous Show: The Parkers
Name: Heather Langenkamp
Specialty: Actress, Director, and Producer
Famous Show: A Nightmare On Elm Street,Star Trek Into Darkness, etc.
Name: James Garner
Specialty: Actor
Famous Show: The Rockford Files, Maverick, The Great Escape
Name: James Marsden
Specialty: Actor/Singer
Famous Show: Enchanted, Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore, etc.
Name: Jeanne Tripplehorn
Specialty: Actress
Famous Show: Basic Instinct, Big Love
Name: Jennifer Jones
Specialty: Actress
Famous Show: The Towering Inferno
Name: Joan Crawford
Specialty: Actress
Famous Show: Mildred Pierce
Name: Lauren Stamile
Specialty: Actress
Famous Show: Grey’s Anatomy
Name: Maria Tallchief
Specialty: Prima ballerina
Famous Show: Million Dollar Mermaid
Name: Megyn Price
Specialty: Actress
Famous Show: Rules of Engagement
Name: Tobe Sexton
Specialty: Actor, Filmmaker, Singer, Dancer
Famous Show: Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare, Offerings
Name: Tony Randall
Specialty: Actor
Famous Show: The Odd Couple
Name: Wes Studi
Specialty: Actor
Famous Show: Dances with Wolves, Avatar
Politicians
Name: Carl Albert
Designation: Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives
Name: Dan Boren
Designation: Representative of Oklahoma’s 2nd district in the U.S. House of Representatives
Name: David L. Boren
Designation: Governor of Oklahoma
Name: Dewey F. Bartlett
Designation: Governor of Oklahoma
Name: Donna Campbell
Designation: Member of the Texas Senate
Name: Elizabeth Warren
Designation: Special Advisor for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
Name: Enoch Kelly Haney
Designation: Senator State of Oklahoma
Name: Gene Stipe
Designation: Member of the Oklahoma State Senate
Name: Jeane Kirkpatrick
Designation: U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations
Name: Patrick J. Hurley
Designation: U.S. Secretary of War
Defense Personnel
Name: Apollo Soucek
Designation: Test pilot and Vice Admiral, U.S. Navy
Name: Clarence L. Tinker
Designation: U.S. Army Air Corps General
Name: Dennis Reimer
Designation: Chief of Staff of the US Army
Name: General Tommy Franks
Designation: Commander of US Central Command
Name: R. James Woolsey, Jr.
Designation: Director of Central Intelligence
Name: Joseph J. Clark
Designation: Admiral in the U.S. Navy
Religious Preachers
Name: Charles William Kerr
Known As: Protestant Minister in Tulsa
Name: Oral Roberts
Known As: A Preacher of the Christian gospel
Name: Robert McGill Loughridge
Known As: Missionary
Name: Yahweh ben Yahweh
Known As: Founder of the Nation of Yahweh
Science/Medicine/Technology
Name: David Deming
Profession: Professor of Geology
Name: Dr. Richard E. Berendzen
Profession: Astronomer
Name: Edwin R. Gilliland
Profession: Chemical Engineer
Name: James Neil Herndon
Profession: Media Psychologist
Name: John C. York
Profession: Cancer Research Pathologist
Name: Karl Guthe Jansky
Profession: Physicist and Radio Engineer
Name: Lyle D. Goodhue
Profession: Research Chemist and Entomologist
Name: Wiley Post
Profession: Pilot (First to go alone around the world)
Sportspersons
Name: Bart Conner
Profession: Gymnast
Name: Brent Albright
Profession: Wrestler
Name: Bryant Reeves
Profession: Basketball Player
Name: Charlie Haas
Profession: WWE Wrestler
Name: Danny Hodge
Profession: Olympic Wrestler
Name: Jack Swagger
Profession: WWE Wrestler
Name: Jim Thorpe
Profession: Athlete
Name: John Smith
Profession: Wrestling Coach
Name: Kelenna Azubuike
Profession: Basketball Player
Name: Lance Norick
Profession: NASCAR driver
Name: Larry Coker
Profession: Football Coach at University of Miami
Name: Mat Hoffman
Profession: BMX Biker
Name: Mikey Wayne Burnett
Profession: UFC fighter
Name: Sam Bradford
Profession: Football player
Name: Shannon Miller
Profession: Gymnast
Name: Tommy Morrison
Profession: Heavyweight Boxer
Name: Vickie Gates
Profession: IFBB Bodybuilder
Name: Pepper Martin
Profession: Baseball Player
