This is a list of prominent people who were born in or lived for a significant period in U.S. state of South Dakota. For a larger list by location, see People from South Dakota.
Academia
Vine Deloria Jr., American Indian author, theologian, historian, and activist Alvin Hansen, economist, Harvard professor; born in Viborg Arthur Larson, law professor, U.S. undersecretary of labor; born in Sioux Falls Ernest O. Lawrence, inventor of cyclotron, winner of 1939 Nobel Prize for Physics; born in Canton Lawrence Lessig, internet activist, Harvard Law School professor; born in Rapid City Theodore Schultz, economist, winner of 1979 Nobel Prize for Economics; born in Arlington
Actors and filmmakers
Angela Aames (1956–1988), actress; born in Pierre Catherine Bach (born 1954), actress; grew up in South Dakota Bruce Baillie (1931–2020), experimental filmmaker; born in Aberdeen Rachael Bella (born 1984), actress; born in Vermillion Shannon Bolin (1917–2016), actress, singer; born in Spencer Moses Brings Plenty (born 1969), actor; born on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation Christopher Cain (born 1943), actor, director, screenwriter; born in Sioux Falls Leslie Carlson (1933–2014), actor; born in Mitchell Sean Covel(born 1976), film producer; grew up in Edgemont Harvey B. Dunn (1894–1968), actor; born in Yankton Judith Evelyn (1913–1967), actress; born in Seneca Amy Hill (born 1953), actress; born in Deadwood Candace Hilligoss (born 1935), actress; born in Huron Ron Holgate (born 1937), actor; opera singer; born in Aberdeen January Jones (born 1978), actress; born in Hecla Cheryl Ladd (born 1951), actress; born in Huron Eddie Little Sky (1926–1997), actor; born on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation Cliff Lyons (1901–1974), stuntman, actor; born in Lake County Beth Maitland (born 1958), actress; born in Rapid City Gail Matthius (born 1953), actress, voice actress; born in New York City Russell Means (1939–2012), actor, left-wing activist; born in Wanblee John Miljan (1892–1960), actor; born in Lead City Debra Mooney (born 1947), actress; born in Aberdeen Conrad A. Nervig (1889–1980), Oscar-winning film editor; born in Grant County Gary Owens (1934–2015), voice actor, disc jockey; born in Mitchell Dorothy Provine (1937–2010), actress, singer, dancer, comedian; born in Deadwood Gene Roth (1903–1976), actor; born in Redfield Chic Sale (1885–1936), actor, vaudevillian; born in Huron Eddie Spears (born 1982), actor; born in Lower Brulé Tribe, South Dakota Michael Spears (born 1977), actor; born in Lower Brulé Tribe, South Dakota Michael Steinberg (born 1959), director, writer; born in Rapid City Joan Tabor (1932–1968), actress; born in Sioux Falls Delores Taylor (1939–2018), actress, writer, director; born in Winner Casey Tibbs (1929–1990), cowboy, rodeo performer, actor; born in Fort Pierre Mamie Van Doren (born 1931), actress; born in Rowena Jerry verDorn (1949–2022), actor; born in Sioux Falls John War Eagle (1901–1991), actor; born on the Yankton Indian Reservation Alfred L. Werker (1896–1975), director; born in Deadwood Floyd Red Crow Westerman (1936–2007), actor, left-wing activist; born on the Lake Traverse Indian Reservation Timmy Williams (born 1981), actor, comedian; born in Watertown
Artists Peggy Detmers, sculptor of wildlife in metal, attended South Dakota State Harvey Dunn, painter, born in Manchester James Earle Fraser, sculptor; spent much of his life in Mitchell Paul Goble, author and illustrator of children's books; lives in Rapid City Mary GrandPré, illustrator, born in South Dakota Bill Groethe, photographer, born in Rapid City Oscar Howe (1915–1983), Native American artist; born in South Dakota Terry Redlin (1937–2016), wildlife artist; born in Watertown Dick Termes, painter of Termespheres; lives in Spearfish
Authors and poets
Jacob M. Appel, author, wrote Coulrophobia & Fata Morgana while living in Sioux FallsAmerican Writer, March 2017, Pp. 7-8 L. Frank Baum (1856–1919) author; lived in Aberdeen Joseph Bottum (born 1959), essayist and poet; born in Vermillion Charles Badger Clark (1883–1957), poet laureate of South Dakota Allison Hedge Coke (born 1958), American Book Award-winning poet, writer; South Dakota resident Elizabeth Cook-Lynn (born 1930), author; born in Fort Thompson Pete Dexter (born 1943), author, screenwriter and journalist, attended University of South Dakota David Allan Evans (born 1940), poet laureate of South Dakota Joseph Hansen (1923–2004), author, best known for mystery novels; born in Aberdeen Cameron Hawley (1905–1969), author, Executive Suite, Cash McCall; born in Howard Patrick Hicks (born 1970), novelist and poet, Writer-in-Residence at Augustana University Adam Johnson (born 1967), writer, author of The Orphan Master's Son (2012); born in South Dakota, Lakota heritage Bill Johnson (born late 1950s), science-fiction writer; born in South Dakota Herbert Arthur Krause (1905–1976), historian, professor at Augustana Rose Wilder Lane (1886–1968), journalist, travel writer, novelist; born in De Smet Gaylord Larsen (born 1932), mystery writer; born in Canova Joseph Marshall III, Pen Award-winning author; co-founder of Sinte Gleska College; born on the Rosebud Indian Reservation Emily St. James (born 1982), writer, author of Woodworking (2025); born in Armour Laura Ingalls Wilder (1867–1957), author, best known for Little House on the Prairie; lived in De Smet
Business
Gene Amdahl (1922–2015), chief architect of IBM mainframe computer; born in Flandreau Al Neuharth (1924–2013), founder of USA Today, born in Eureka Lee Raymond (born 1938), CEO and chairman of ExxonMobil Corporation; born in Watertown Joseph Robbie, owned NFL's Miami Dolphins; born in Sisseton Tom Patterson, founder of Tommy John, born in Milbank
Military Oscar Randolph Fladmark (1922–1955), WWII and Korean War pilot; Distinguished Flying Cross recipient; lived in Sioux Falls, born in Moe David C. Jones (1921–2013), retired U.S. Air Force general, former chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff; born in Aberdeen Touch the Clouds (c. 1837–1905), Native American chief; later Indian scout and sergeant in the US army
Music Joey Clement, band member of Selena Gomez & the Scene; born in Rapid City Shawn Colvin (born 1956), Grammy Award-winning musician; born in Vermillion Mark Craney (1952–2005), drummer for Jethro Tull, Jean Luc-Ponty, Eric Burdon Myron Floren (1919–2005), accordionist, The Lawrence Welk Show; born in Roslyn Gary Mule Deer (born 1940), comedian and country musician; born in Deadwood, lives in Spearfish Keith Olsen (1945–2020), record producer and sound engineer; born in Sioux Falls Jess Thomas (1927–1993), opera singer; born in Hot Springs Frank Waln, Sicangu Lakota rapper Abby Whiteside (1881–1956), piano teacher, attended University of South Dakota
Native Americans
Gertrude Bonnin (Zitkala-Sa) (1876–1938), Lakota writer and activist; born on Yankton Sioux Reservation Crazy Horse (c. 1840–1877), Oglala Lakota war leader Russell Means (1939–2012), Native American activist; born in Pine Ridge Maria Pearson (1932–2003), Yankton Sioux activist who helped establish the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act Rain-in-the-Face (c. 1835–1905), Hunkpapa Lakota chief Red Cloud (1822–1909), Oglala Lakota chief Sitting Bull (c. 1831–1890), Hunkpapa Lakota chief Touch the Clouds (c. 1837–1905), Miniconjou Teton Lakota chief known for his great size Floyd "Red Crow" Westerman (1936–2007), musician, activist and actor; born on Sisseton-Wahpeton Dakota Sioux reservation
Politics and government
Jim Abdnor (1923–2012), second Lebanese U.S. representative and senator; born in Kennebec James Abourezk (born 1931), first Lebanese U.S. representative and senator; born in Wood Clinton Presba Anderson, U.S. secretary of agriculture; born in Centerville Tom Daschle (born 1947), U.S. majority leader of United States Senate; born in Aberdeen J. James Exon (1921–2005), U.S. senator for Nebraska, governor of Nebraska; born in Geddes Joe Foss (1915–2003), Medal of Honor recipient, 20th governor of South Dakota, first commissioner of the American Football League; born in Sioux Falls Ralph A. Gamble (1885–1959), U.S. representative for New York; born in Yankton John Hamre (born 1950), U.S. deputy secretary of defense; born in Watertown Hubert Humphrey (1911–1978), U.S. senator, 38th vice president of the U.S., 1968 Democratic presidential candidate; born in Wallace Muriel Humphrey Brown, U.S. senator from Minnesota, Second Lady of the United States; born in Huron Bill Janklow (1939–2012), governor 1979–1987 and 1995–2003; moved as teen to Flandreau Brendan Johnson (born 1975), 40th U.S. attorney for the District of South Dakota; born in Vermillion Tim Johnson (born 1946), U.S. senator from South Dakota 1997–2015; born in Canton Arthur Larson (1910–1993), U.S. under secretary of labor, lawyer, law professor; born in Sioux Falls George McGovern (1922–2012), U.S. senator from South Dakota, 1972 Democratic presidential candidate; born in Avon Karl E. Mundt (1900–1974), U.S. senator and U.S. representative; born in Humboldt Kristi Noem (born 1971), first female governor of South Dakota and U.S. representative from South Dakota; born in Watertown Larry Pressler (born 1942), three-term U.S. senator from South Dakota; born in Humboldt Gladys Pyle (1890–1989), first female U.S. senator from South Dakota; born in Huron Mike Rounds (born 1954), current U.S. senator from South Dakota, former governor; born in Huron Stephanie Herseth Sandlin (born 1970), U.S. representative from South Dakota; born in Houghton Edward John Thye (1896–1969), U.S. senator from Minnesota and 26th governor of Minnesota; born in Frederick
Science Bob Burris (1914–2010), biochemist; elected to the NAS; contributed to our understanding of biological nitrogen fixation; born in Brookings Ernest O. Lawrence (1901–1958), physicist, Nobel Prize winner, built first cyclotron; born in Canton John Mortvedt (1932–2012), agronomist and soil scientist who was the world's leading expert on micronutrients; born and raised on a farm near Dell Rapids
Sports
Sparky Anderson (1934–2010), Baseball Hall of Fame manager of Cincinnati Reds and Detroit Tigers; born in Bridgewater Michael Andrew (born 1999), Olympic swimmer; raised in AberdeenWaltman, Scott (June 14, 2021). "Former Aberdeen swimmer Michael Andrew qualifies for Tokyo Olympics". Aberdeen News. Retrieved July 21, 2021. Shayna Baszler (born 1980), mixed martial artist; born in Sioux Falls James Bausch (1906–1974), athlete, decathlon gold medalist at 1932 Summer Olympics; born in Marion Curt Byrum (born 1958), professional golfer, PGA Tour; Onida Tom Byrum (born 1960), professional golfer, PGA Tour, PGA Tour Champions; Onida Dallas Clark (born 1979), tight end for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers; born in Sioux Falls Dave Collins, baseball player; born in Rapid City Jessi Combs (1980–2019), professional racer, female land-speed world record holder, and TV personality; born in Rockerville Sean Doolittle (born 1986), baseball player; born in Rapid City Justin Duchscherer (born 1977), baseball player; born in Aberdeen Mark Ellis (born 1977), baseball player; Rapid City Keith Foulke (born 1972), baseball player, relief pitcher for 2004 World Series champion Boston Red Sox; born on Air Force base in South Dakota Terry Francona (born 1959), baseball player, manager of the Boston Red Sox and Cleveland Indians; born in Aberdeen Chad Greenway (born 1983), linebacker for the Minnesota Vikings; born in Mount Vernon Marlene Hagge (1934–2023), golfer, member of World Golf Hall of Fame; born in Eureka Becky Hammon (born 1977), basketball player and coach; born in Rapid City Clare Jacobs (1886–1971), athlete, pole vault bronze medalist in 1908 Olympics; born in Madison