This is a list of notable people who were born in or closely associated with the American state of Iowa. People not born in Iowa are marked with §.
A
Dudley W. Adams, horticulturalist John T. Adams, former Republican committee head Julie Adams, actress Kareem Al Allaf (born 1998), American tennis player who has played for Syria and the US Trev Alberts, football player Bess Streeter Aldrich, author James Allen, engineer Fran Allison, television personality William B. Allison, politician Betty Baxter Anderson, author Lew Anderson, actor Rudolph Martin Anderson, explorer Marc Andreessen, software engineer Pat Angerer, football player Cap Anson, baseball player Appanoose, 19th-century Meskwaki chief Lloyd Appleton, Olympic freestyle wrestler Samuel Z. Arkoff, film producer Herbert W. Armstrong, religious leader Tom Arnold, actor Matthew Ashford, actor Winifred Asprey, mathematician John Vincent Atanasoff, § inventor Jim Aton, jazz musician, composer, singer
B Ba–Bk
John Babcock, Olympic freestyle wrestler Michele Bachmann, politician Oliver Baez Bendorf, poet Stan Bahnsen, baseball player John O. Bailey, judge Bil Baird, puppeteer Betsy Baker, actress Nathaniel B. Baker, politician Alvin Baldus, politician Brad Banks, athlete Hal C. Banks, labor leader Jill Banner, actress Antonine Barada, folk hero Roger Barkley, broadcaster Harrison Barnes, athlete Bob Barr, politician Douglas Barr, actor, writer, and director David Barrett, football player Steve Bartkowski, football player Robert Bartley, editor of The Wall Street Journal Clint Barton, fictional character Theodore J. Bauer, scientist Lansing Hoskins Beach, Army officer Bennett Bean, artist Carl L. Becker, historian Bix Beiderbecke, jazz musician William W. Belknap Brian Bell, musician Alfred S. Bennett, Army general and U.S. secretary of war Duane Benson, athlete Matt Bentley, professional wrestler Christian Beranek, writer, actor, and producer Leo Beranek, acoustician Bill Bergan, coach Eddie Berlin, athlete Dan Bern, musician Jennie Iowa Berry, clubwoman S. Torriano Berry, film producer, writer, director Jay Berwanger, football player Stanley Biber, physician Greg Biekert, football player Leo Binz, § Roman Catholic archbishop Joe Bisenius, athlete Richard Pike Bissell, author Nate Bjorkgren, basketball coach
Bl–Bz
Black Hawk, § Native American chief Casey Blake, baseball player Gordon Blake, military general Donald G. Bloesch, theologian Isabel Bloom, artist Scott Bloomquist, auto racer Mike Blouin, politician Lisa Bluder, coach Mike Boddicker, baseball player Ike Boettger, American football player Bill Bogaard, politician Tommy Bolin, musician Norman Borlaug, agricultural scientist and Nobel laureate Rob Borsellino, writer Ryan Bowen, athlete Thomas M. Bowen, politician Charles Bowers, cartoonist and comic actor Lara Flynn Boyle, actress Eleanor Hoyt Brainerd, author Glen Brand, Olympic freestyle wrestler Neville Brand, actor Terry Brands, Olympic freestyle wrestler, wrestling coach Tom Brands, Olympic freestyle wrestler, wrestling coach Terry E. Branstad, politician Aaron Brant, athlete Charles Wesley Brashares, Methodist bishop Titus Bronson, founder of Kalamazoo, Michigan Greg Brown, folk musician Mace Brown, athlete Shannon Brown, country music singer Bruce Brubaker, pianist, record producer Rob Bruggeman, athlete Bill Bryson, author Oliver E. Buckley, electrical engineer Matt Bullard, athlete Ambrose Burke, priest, college president Jerry Burke, musician Tim Burke, football coach Joseph A. A. Burnquist, politician Martin Burns, athlete Joe Burrow, Heisman Trophy winner Jim Burt, sportscaster Marion LeRoy Burton, college president Harlan J. Bushfield, politician Mike Butcher, baseball player Frank M. Byrne, politician Robert Byrne, author
C
Samuel Calvin, geologist Marjorie Cameron, actress and occultist Branden Campbell, bassist for Neon Trees Donald L. Campbell, chemist Macdonald Carey, actor Chris Carney, politician Wallace Carothers, chemist Allan Carpenter, author Sabin Carr, athlete Tommy Carroll, criminal Johnny Carson, television talk-show host Jordan Carstens, athlete Louise Carver, actress Thomas Nixon Carver, economics professor Frank T. Cary, businessman Landon Cassill, auto racer Carrie Chapman Catt, suffragette Thomas Cech, chemist and Nobel laureate Matt Chatham, football player The Cherry Sisters, vaudevillians Norton P. Chipman, politician, judge Tom Churchill, broadcaster Bernard A. Clarey, admiral Caitlin Clark, WNBA player Dallas Clark, § football player Laurel Blair Salton Clark, astronaut Marvin Clark, man who mysteriously disappeared in 1926 Rush Clark, politician Fred Clarke, baseball Hall of Famer Frederick G. Clausen, architect Jeff Clement, athlete Ron Clements, director and producer Scott Clemmensen, athlete Buffalo Bill Cody, Wild West showman Samuel Cody, aviator Harris Coggeshall, athlete Danielle Colby, reality-television personality King Cole, athlete Ada Langworthy Collier, poet, writer Chris Collins, hockey player Max Allan Collins, mystery writer Stephen Collins, actor Nick Collison, basketball player John W. Colloton, healthcare executive Steven Colloton, federal judge Anders Colsefni, musician Martin Cone, college president Edwin H. Conger, diplomat Maurice Connolly, politician Paul Conrad, political cartoonist Ed Conroy, athlete George Cram Cook, author Marv Cook, football player Jack Coombs, athlete Eric Cooper, baseball umpire Barclay and Edwin Coppock, followers of John Brown Frank Cordaro, activist Sarah Corpstein, beauty queen John M. Corse, Army general Ernie Courtney, athlete Paul Coverdell, politician Thomas Jefferson Cowie, admiral Ryan Cownie, stand-up comedian Shawn Crahan, musician Roger Craig, football player Joe Crail, politician Coe I. Crawford, politician Francis X. Cretzmeyer, coach Joel Crisman, football player Jim Crotty, athlete Julee Cruise, singer and actress Frank Cuhel, athlete Mariclare Culver, political figure Henry J. B. Cummings, politician Billy Cundiff, athlete Jack Cunningham, screenwriter
D
Janet Dailey, author Bill Daily, actor Dick Dale, musician Muriel Frances Dana, actress Jack Daniels, politician Diane D'Aquila, actress Sarah Darling, musician Geof Darrow, artist Dana Davis, actress Barry Davis, Olympic freestyle wrestler Rebecca Fjelland Davis, author Stuart Davis, musician Laura Dawn, activist, singer-songwriter, director/producer Bud Day, war hero Walter Day, businessman Darren Daye, athlete Lee De Forest, inventor Jordan De Jong, athlete Henry Clay Dean, preacher, lawyer Don DeFore, actor Cooper DeJean, athlete W. Edwards Deming, statistician Don Denkinger, baseball umpire Dave Despain, sports journalist Adam Devine, actor Aubrey Devine, athlete Lester J. Dickinson, politician Justin Diercks, auto racer Charles Hall Dillon, politician, judge Thomas Disch, author James Dixon, orchestra conductor David M. Dobson, game creator Claire Dodd, actress Tim Dodd, YouTuber Grenville M. Dodge, railroad executive Ralph Edward Dodge, religious leader Angela Dohrmann, actress Ellen Dolan, actress Steve Doocy, television journalist Russell S. Doughten, filmmaker Nicholas Downs, actor Joel Dreessen, football player Kevin Dresser, collegiate wrestling head coach Leanna Field Driftmier, radio personality Bobby Driscoll, actor Fred Duesenberg, automobile manufacturer Randy Duncan, football player Francis John Dunn, religious leader Lloyd Dunn Samuel Grace Dunn, journalist Kenneth W. Durant, decorated sailor John Durbin, actor Tim Dwight, football player
E
Morgan Earp, Wild West lawman Warren Earp, brother of Wyatt Earp Abastenia St. Leger Eberle, sculptor Zales Ecton, politician Paul Eells, sportscaster Mamie Eisenhower, former First Lady of the United States Cal Eldred, athlete Jane Elliott, schoolteacher and activist James Ellison, actor Eugene Burton Ely, aviator Paul Emerick, International rugby player, and coach Hope Emerson, actress Michael Emerson, actor Femi Emiola, actress Norman A. Erbe, politician Joni Ernst, United States senator for Iowa Jane Espenson, television producer and writer Simon Estes, opera singer Linda Evans, political activist Frank F. Everest, general Barton Warren Evermann, ichthyologist
F
Randy Florke, writer/publisher of interior design book Urban Clarence "Red" Faber, baseball player Tom Fadden, actor Carole Farley, soprano singer Art Farmer, jazz musician Sharon Farrell, actress Terry Farrell, actress James Fee, photographer Victor Feguer, convicted murderer Chris Fehn, musician Margaret Feldner, university president Bob Feller, baseball player Mary Fels, philanthropist, suffragist, Georgist James Ferentz, football player Jeremy Ferguson, musician Susan Frances Nelson Ferree, journalist, activist, suffragist Susan Fessenden, activist, social reformer Al Feuerbach, track and field athlete Romaine Fielding, actor Margarita Fischer, actress Matt Fish, basketball player Freddie Fisher, musician Bill Fitch, basketball coach Joseph Fitz, naval veteran Bridget Flanery, actress John Flannagan, priest Jack Fleck, golfer Frank Jack Fletcher, admiral Robert Fletcher, costume designer Rich Folkers, baseball player Bradbury Foote, screenwriter Ben Foster, actor Jon Foster, musician Judith Ellen Foster, lawyer Farrah Franklin, singer William Frawley, actor John T. Frederick, scholar Tanna Frederick, actress Joan Freeman, actress Bruce French, actor George B. French, actor Joe Frisco, vaudeville performer Virgil Frye, actor, boxer
G
Dan Gable, Olympic freestyle wrestler, wrestling coach Jetseta Gage, kidnap victim Robert Gallery, football player George Horace Gallup, founder of Gallup Poll Viola Garfield, anthropologist Jim Garrison, lawyer, judge David Garst, farmer, seed manufacturer Roswell Garst, farmer, seed manufacturer Michael Gartner, journalist Joey Gase, NASCAR driver Harry Gaspar, baseball player James Lorraine Geddes, soldier John Getz, actor Dick Gibbs, basketball player Edward H. Gillette, politician Thomas Gilman, Olympic freestyle wrestler Owen Gingerich, astronomer Annabeth Gish, actress Salvatore Giunta, Congressional Medal of Honor recipient Fred Glade, baseball player Susan Glaspell, playwright Dan Goldie, tennis player Johnny Gosch, kidnap victim Frank Gotch, professional wrestler Al Gould, baseball player Rick Graf, football player Fred Grandy, actor, politician Chuck Grassley, Iowa senator Paul Gray, musician Dick Green, baseball player George Greene, Supreme Court justice Edna Griffin, civil rights activist James W. Grimes, Iowa governor and senator Dan Grimm, football player Harold R. Gross, politician Danai Gurira, actress Janet Guthrie, auto racer
H
Charlie Haden, musician Mike Haight, football player Don Hall, film director Leslie Hall, rapper Jack Halloran, composer Scot Halpin, musician Halston (Roy Halston Frowick), fashion designer Adam Haluska, basketball player Andy Haman, professional bodybuilder Jack Hamilton, baseball player Milo Hamilton, baseball broadcaster Edward Hammatt, architect Ryan Hannam, football player Joel Hanrahan, baseball player Bob Hansen, basketball player James Hansen, professor Juanita Hansen, actress Niels Ebbesen Hansen, botanist Robert Hansen, convicted murderer William L. Harding, 22nd governor of Iowa (1917–1921) Tom Harkin, U.S. senator from Iowa (1985–2015) Bob Harlan, professional football executive James Harlan, politician Graham Harman, professor Kate Stevens Harpel, teacher, physician Hill Harper, actor Frank Hatton, politician Tim Hauff, jazz musician Eva Lund Haugen, author James H. Hawley, 9th governor of Idaho (1911–1913) Merle Hay, World War I soldier Frank Hayes, unionist