List of people from Asheville, North Carolina
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This is a list of notable persons who were born in and/or have lived in the American city of Asheville, North Carolina.
Art and literature[]
- Sarah Addison Allen, New York Times bestselling author
- Ruth and Latrobe Carroll (1899–1999; 1894–1996), children's authors and illustrators
- Evan Dahm, webcomic creator
- Olive Tilford Dargan (1869–1968), proletarian novelist of the 1930s under the pen name "Fielding Burke"
- John Ehle (1925–2018), author
- Charles Frazier (born 1950), author[1]
- Gail Godwin (born 1938), novelist, spent her early years in Asheville with mother Kathleen Krahenbuhl Cole
- O. Henry (1862–1910), pen name of author William Sydney Porter; lived for a while in Asheville and is buried in Riverside Cemetery
- Hope Larson (born 1982), Eisner Award-winning illustrator, cartoonist and author of graphic novels Salamander Dream and Chiggers[2]
- Kenneth Noland (1924–2010), abstract painter, one of the best-known American Color Field painters
- Bryan Lee O'Malley (born 1976), Canadian cartoonist and creator of Scott Pilgrim graphic novel series[3]
- Jonathan Williams (1908–1929), poet and publisher
- Thomas Wolfe (1900–1938), author, born and raised in Asheville, buried in Riverside Cemetery
Entertainment[]
- Harry Anderson (1952–2018), actor, starred in nine seasons of NBC's Night Court[4]
- Mark Boswell (born 1960), film director
- Joe Bowman (1925–2009), bootmaker and marksman of American West entertainment; grew up in Asheville but left for Houston, Texas, in 1937
- Chris Chalk, television, film, and theater actor, born in Asheville and graduated from Asheville High School
- Jim David, stand-up comedian and playwright, both in Asheville[5][6]
- Jim Eason (born 1935), radio talk show host
- Maria Fletcher, (born 1942), Miss America 1962.
- Eileen Fulton (born 1933), actress, starred on the CBS soap As the World Turns, 1960–2010; born in Asheville[7]
- Joel Goffin (born 1981), film composer, music producer
- Perla Haney-Jardine (born 1997), actress
- Dorothy Hart (1922–2004), screen actress, known mostly for supporting roles
- William S. Hart (1864–1946), cowboy actor in early Hollywood; resided in Asheville around 1900 and coached shows at the Asheville Opera House[8]
- Shirley Hemphill (1947–1999), stand-up comedian and actress, best known for What's Happening!!, 1976–79
- Charlton Heston (1923–2008), Oscar-winning actor, managed the Asheville Community Theatre with his wife Lydia in 1947
- Taras Kulakov (born 1987), YouTuber
- Andie MacDowell (born 1958), actress, lived for several years in Biltmore Forest, adjacent to Asheville[9]
- Sierra McCormick (born 1997), actress
- Marjorie Rambeau (1889–1970), Hollywood actress; was married to Francis A. Gudger, a resident of Asheville; resided in Asheville in the winter from 1932 to the mid-1940s[10]
- Paul Schneider (born 1976), actor
- Angela Shelton (born 1972), actress and producer
- Duncan Trussell (born 1974), actor and comedian
- Bellamy Young (born 1970), actress, co-star of television series Scandal; born and raised in Asheville
- Clint Basinger (born 1986), YouTuber
Government and politics[]
- William Jennings Bryan (1860–1925), 20th-century politician, presidential candidate[11]
- Mark B. Childress (born 1959), former United States Ambassador to Tanzania and former Deputy Chief of Staff for Planning in the administration of President Obama
- Wilma Dykeman (1920–2006), author and Southern liberal activist
- Bill Hendon (1944–2018), author, POW/MIA activist, and two-term U.S. Congressman from North Carolina
- Floyd McKissick, an American lawyer and civil rights activist who led the Congress of Racial Equality for a time and founded Soul City, North Carolina
- Dan K. Moore (1906–1986), 66th Governor of North Carolina from 1965 to 1969[12]
- Mary Cordell Nesbitt (1911–1979), served in the North Carolina House of Representatives[13]
- James W. Reid (1917–1972), served as the Mayor of Raleigh, North Carolina
- Robert Rice Reynolds (1884–1963), U.S. Senator of isolationist sympathies in World War II
- Joseph Tydings (1928–2018), lawyer and politician
- William Winkenwerder, Jr. (born 1954), Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs (2001–2007)[14]
Musicians[]
- Greg Cartwright (born 1970), rock musician; relocated to Asheville[15]
- Luke Combs, country music singer-songwriter, graduated from A.C. Reynolds High School
- Jermaine Dupri, rapper
- Backwards Sam Firk (1943–2007), country blues singer, fingerstyle guitarist, songwriter, and record collector[16]
- Roberta Flack (born 1937), Grammy Award-winning singer, born in Asheville[17]
- Sallie Ford, of Sallie Ford and the Sound Outside, singer[18]
- Warren Haynes (born 1960), musician, spent formative years in Asheville[19]
- David Holt (born 1946), folk musician, lives near Asheville[20]
- Caleb Johnson (born 1991), American Idol Season 13 winner
- Gary Jules (born 1969), singer-songwriter, known for rendition of "Mad World" for film Donnie Darko
- Bascom Lamar Lunsford (1882–1973), folklorist, musician, folk festival founder
- Bill Monroe (1911–1996), musician, known as "the father of bluegrass"; lived in Asheville; had a show on a local radio station in 1939
- Robert Moog (1934–2005), pioneer of electronic music, inventor of the Moog synthesizer
- Angel Olsen (born 1987), musician[21]
- Chase Rice (born 1985), country music singer-songwriter
- Jimmie Rodgers, singer, known as "the father of country music"; lived in Asheville; had a show on a local radio station in 1927[22]
- Root Boy Slim, aka Foster Mackenzie III (1945–1993), blues musician
- Nina Simone (1933–2003), jazz singer, attended Allen Home School for Girls in Asheville[23]
- David Wilcox (born 1958), folk musician and singer-songwriter
Military[]
- Donald V. Bennett (1915–2005), former commanding general of the US Army Pacific Command
- Kathleen M. Gainey (born 1956), retired US Army Lieutenant General
- Hugh B. Hester (1895–1983), retired Army general who opposed the Vietnam War and the Cold War
- Robert Morgan (1918–2004), pilot of the Memphis Belle, the famed World War II B-17 bomber
- Kiffin Rockwell (1892–1916), aviator; pilot in the Lafayette Escadrille; first American to shoot down an enemy aircraft
- Zachary Taylor Wood (1860–1915), Assistant Commissioner of North-West Mounted Police and Commissioner of Yukon Territory
Sportspeople[]
- Chad Allegra, professional wrestler; signed to Impact Wrestling under ring name Karl Anderson
- John Avery (born 1976), football player in NFL, XFL, and CFL; attended Asheville High School[24]
- Crezdon Butler (born 1987), NFL cornerback for Pittsburgh Steelers; born and raised in Asheville; led Asheville High School to 2006 state championship[25]
- Adam "Edge" Copeland (born 1973), professional wrestler, author, relocated to Asheville
- Eddie Golden (born 1973), professional wrestler, resides in Asheville
- Brad Daugherty (born 1965), retired NBA basketball player, 5-time All-Star, ESPN NASCAR analyst[26]
- Lawson Duncan (born 1964), former Grand Prix tennis tour player
- Darren Holmes (born 1966), MLB player for eight teams
- Jack Ingram, retired NASCAR driver
- Hughie Jennings (1869–1928), Major League Baseball player and manager, 1891–1925
- Charlie "Choo Choo" Justice (1924–2003), professional football player
- Loyd King (born 1949), retired professional basketball player
- Stephen Leicht (born 1987), NASCAR driver
- Leonard Little (born 1974), NFL football player with St. Louis Rams; born and raised in Asheville[27]
- Cameron Maybin (born 1987), Major League Baseball player with Los Angeles Angels; born and raised in Asheville[28]
- Rashad McCants (born 1984), NBA basketball player for Minnesota Timberwolves and Sacramento Kings; former Erwin High School basketball player[29]
- Dorothy Montgomery (1924–2009), All-American Girls Professional Baseball League player
- Buzz Peterson (born 1963), former director of player personnel for NBA's Charlotte Bobcats; head basketball coach at UNC Wilmington;[30] born and raised in Asheville[31]
- Beth Phoenix (born 1980), real name Elizabeth Copeland; retired professional wrestler, four-time women's champion, and commentator; relocated to Asheville
- Robert Pressley (born 1959), retired NASCAR driver, born in Asheville[32]
- Stephen Rerych (born 1946), Olympic gold medalist in swimming[33]
- Ray Roberts (born 1969), retired NFL player
- Jonathan Rush (born 1989), American football offensive lineman
- Ronnie Silver (born 1951), NASCAR driver[34]
- Brett Swain (born 1986), NFL player for Green Bay Packers
- Don Thompson (1923–2009), Major League Baseball player for the Brooklyn Dodgers
- Nate Torbett (born 1994), professional soccer player for Coomera Colts SC
- Joe West (born 1952), MLB umpire for record-breaking 40 seasons
- Roy Williams (born 1950), University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill basketball coach, raised in Asheville[35]
Other[]
- Dorothy Hansine Andersen, physician; first person to identify cystic fibrosis; inducted into National Women's Hall of Fame in 2002 for scientific work
- Elizabeth Blackwell (1821–1910), first recognized woman doctor in the United States
- Jennifer Pharr Davis (born 1982), long-distance hiker; unofficial record holder of fastest through-hike of Appalachian Trail
- John E. Exner, psychologist
- Zelda Fitzgerald (1900–1948), wife of F. Scott Fitzgerald; died in a fire with eight other women at Highland Hospital, an Asheville mental institution in the Montford district
- Edythe J. Gaines (1922–2006), educator and school superintendent
- Edwin Wiley Grove (1850–1927), patent medicine inventor, builder and owner of the Grove Park Inn
- Rafael Guastavino (1842–1908), architect; final resting place at the Basilica of St. Lawrence, Asheville
- Howard Kester (1904–1977), author and organizer of the Southern Tenant Farmers Union
- Berniece Baker Miracle (1919–2014), writer and half-sister of Marilyn Monroe
- Doan Ogden (1908–1989), nationally noted landscape architect during the 20th century
- William Dudley Pelley (1890–1965), leader of the "Silver Shirt" fascist movement in the 1930s and 1940s
- Michael Robinson (1924–2006), American Reform rabbi and civil rights activist
- Ashleigh Shanti, chef
- George Washington Vanderbilt II (1862–1914), entrepreneur, founder of the Biltmore Estate
See also[]
References[]
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on October 20, 2009. Retrieved July 16, 2014.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
- ^ Zack Smith. "Hope Larson on Chiggers and More". Newsarama. Archived from the original on December 12, 2008. Retrieved April 18, 2008.
- ^ "Bryan Lee O'Malley". LibraryThing. Retrieved May 23, 2016.
- ^ "For Harry Anderson, the New Orleans Magic Is Gone". The New York Times. Retrieved May 23, 2016.
- ^ Neal, Dale (June 10, 2016). "Laughs and equality: Comedian Jim David comes home to Asheville". Asheville Citizen-Times. Asheville, North Carolina. Retrieved April 28, 2021.
- ^ Webster, Andy (August 17, 2010). "A One-Man Show Rich With Southern Flavor, and Humidity". The New York Times. Retrieved October 5, 2011.
- ^ "Eileen Fulton". Eileen Fulton. Archived from the original on January 24, 2010. Retrieved January 24, 2010.CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
- ^ Davis, Ronald L. (2003). William S. Hart: Projecting the American West – Ronald L. Davis – Google Books. ISBN 9780806135588. Retrieved June 29, 2013.
- ^ "The two lives of Andie MacDowell". Main.nc.us. July 13, 2001. Retrieved May 23, 2016.
- ^ "citizen-times.com". Archived from the original on June 1, 2010. Retrieved July 16, 2014.CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
- ^ "heritagewnc.org". heritagewnc.org. Archived from the original on May 7, 2012. Retrieved May 23, 2016.
- ^ Dan Killian Moore - National Governors Association. Retrieved October 19, 2020.
- ^ Byrd, Caitlin. (July 19, 2013). Bill to honor Mary Nesbitt and rename MAHEC campus becomes law. Mountain Xpress. Retrieved October 19, 2020.
- ^ "bulk.resource.org" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on May 29, 2008. Retrieved July 16, 2014.
- ^ Sells, Toby. "Seeing Red | Music Features | Memphis News and Events". Memphis Flyer. Retrieved May 23, 2016.
- ^ Jason Ankeny. "Backwards Sam Firk | Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved May 22, 2016.
- ^ "Roberta Flack". Roberta Flack. Retrieved May 23, 2016.
- ^ Ryan White (January 7, 2010). "Sallie Ford and the Sound Outside build some buzz". The Oregonian. Retrieved April 27, 2011.
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on August 15, 2009. Retrieved August 12, 2009.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
- ^ "Southerners Making a Difference". David Holt. Retrieved May 23, 2016.
- ^ "Angel Olsen Will Be Heard". Spin. March 24, 2014. Retrieved December 27, 2018.
- ^ "Jimmie Rodgers Biography". Archived from the original on May 20, 2013. Retrieved July 16, 2014.
- ^ Tolleson, Robin (January 29, 2010). "To Know Nina". Bold Life. Archived from the original on June 6, 2013. Retrieved September 19, 2012.
- ^ "Official site of the Canadian Football League". CFL.ca. Retrieved May 23, 2016.
- ^ Crezdon Butler (December 31, 2012). "Crezdon Butler, CB for the Buffalo Bills at". Nfl.com. Retrieved June 29, 2013.
- ^ "NASCAR Sprint Cup Series news, articles, stories, videos, blogs". NASCAR.com. Retrieved May 23, 2016.
- ^ Leonard Little (October 19, 1974). "Leonard Little, DE at". Nfl.com. Retrieved May 23, 2016.
- ^ "news: Cameron Maybin". Asheville.com. Retrieved May 23, 2016.
- ^ "nbadraft.net". Archived from the original on September 20, 2003. Retrieved July 16, 2014.
- ^ "UNC Wilmington hires Peterson of Appalachian State – ESPN". Sports.espn.go.com. April 16, 2010. Retrieved June 29, 2013.
- ^ "wataugademocrat.com". Archived from the original on September 17, 2012. Retrieved July 16, 2014.CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on September 27, 2011. Retrieved July 16, 2014.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
- ^ Steve Rerych 1993 - North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame. Retrieved October 14, 2020.
- ^ "Ronnie Silver". Racing-Reference. Retrieved August 22, 2013.
- ^ "news: Roy Williams". Asheville.com. Retrieved May 23, 2016.
Categories:
- Lists of people by city in the United States
- Lists of people from North Carolina
- People from Asheville, North Carolina