Seattleites are people who are from or are residents of the city of Seattle. This is a list of well-known people who lived and currently live in the city of Seattle.
Lived in Seattle
Athletics
Seyi Adekoya – soccer player Darby Allin – professional wrestler Reed Baker-Whiting – soccer player Josh Barnett – MMA fighter, former Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight champion Peter Baum – lacrosse player Carl Bennett – soccer player Samad Bounthong – soccer player Jim Brazeau – soccer player and coach Larry Brown -–runner and Olympic athlete Leo Burney – soccer player Handwalla Bwana – soccer player who represented the Somalia national team Jerry Cameron – soccer player Fred Couples – golfer Jamal Crawford – basketball player Gail Devers – track and field athlete, Olympic track-and-field gold medalist Joan Dunlap-Seivold – soccer player Tom Gorman – tennis player Marcus Hahnemann – soccer player Nevin Harrison – canoer, Olympic Canoe Sprint gold medalist Ryder Jones – baseball player B. J. Johnson – swimmer Matthew King – Olympic swimmer Kimber Lee – wrestler Jaden McDaniels – NBA player Dejounte Murray – basketball player for the Atlanta Hawks Gray Newell – race car driver Katelyn Ohashi – gymnast for UCLA, multi time awardee for the US Apolo Ohno – world champion and Olympic gold-medalist short track speed skater John Olerud – baseball player who played at Washington State University Lora Ottenad – bodybuilder Paul Renkert – soccer player JR Ritchie – baseball player Nate Robinson – NBA player, known for winning three All-Star Dunk contests Ron Santo – 9-time All-Star and 5-time Gold Glove third baseman for the Chicago Cubs, inducted into National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2012 Tim Sedlacek – soccer player Chester Simmons – basketball player Maurice Smith – mixed martial artist Jason Terry – basketball player Jack Thompson – All-American quarterback at Washington State University and No. 3 overall pick in the 1979 NFL draft Greg Valentine – wrestler; inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame (2004) DeAndre Yedlin – soccer player
Business
Bill Gates – co-founder of Microsoft Edward Giddings – architect and painter Ethan Stowell – chef and restaurateur
Literature
Matt Briggs – writer Raegan Butcher – poet Mary Matsuda Gruenewald – memoirist David Guterson – author Brian Herbert – author Tan Lin – writer Leslie Rule – author, novelist, paranormal writer
Movies, television, and media
Jon Jon Augustavo – director John Aylward – actor (ER, Mad Men, House of Lies, Gangster Squad) Eric Barone — game developer, musician, creator of Stardew Valley David Michael Barrett – screenwriter and film producer
Craig Bartlett – Hey Arnold! creator Bob Bingham – Jesus Christ Superstar actor Josie Bissett – actress (Melrose Place); ex-wife of Rob Estes Tori Black – porn star Dove Cameron – actress, singer Erika Christensen – actress Bobby Clark – actor Brett Davern – actor, podcaster, Awkward Graham Elliot – chef, restaurateur Fantasy A – actor (Fantasy A Gets a Mattress); rapper India Gants – model, winner of America's Next Top Model Cycle 23 Tom Gorai – film producer Brian Haley – actor, comedian Sig Hansen – TV series Deadliest Catch Ken Jennings – Jeopardy! contestant and host, author, podcaster Bianca Kajlich – television actress noted for role of Jennifer on Rules of Engagement Richard Karn – television actor, game show host Mike Luckovich – editorial cartoonist Dave Losso – stand-up comedian Beau Mirchoff – actor known for television series Awkward Brian Stokes Mitchell – Broadway actor and baritone singer Jeffrey Dean Morgan – actor, known for Grey's Anatomy, Watchmen, Magic City, The Walking Dead, Rampage Mark Morris – director, choreographer, dancer Janice Pennington – The Price Is Right model Megyn Price – actress known for roles on Grounded for Life and Rules of Engagement Nick Robinson – actor known for portraying Ryder Scanlon on ABC Family sitcom Melissa & Joey Omari Salisbury – journalist, videographer, media company owner Derek Sheen – stand-up comedian Jean Smart – actress, known for Designing Women, Kim Possible, Frasier, 24, Hacks Ryan Stiles – comedian, known for Whose Line Is It Anyway? (both U.S. and U.K. versions), and playing Lewis Kiniski on The Drew Carey Show, and Herb Melnick on Two and a Half Men Alison Sudol – actress, singer, songwriter Jen Taylor – video game voice actress Maiara Walsh – actress, Cory in the House, Desperate Housewives, Switched at Birth Zoe Weizenbaum – actress, 12 and Holding, Memoirs of a Geisha Rainn Wilson – actor, The Office
Music
Nissim Black – rapper William Bolcom – composer Carrie Brownstein – musician, member of Sleater-Kinney Judy Collins – folk singer Kenny G – musician Isis Gee – American singer in Poland and Eurovision Song Contest entrant William Goldsmith – drummer for Sunny Day Real Estate and Foo Fighters Stone Gossard – rhythm guitarist of Pearl Jam Natalie Grant – Christian music singer/songwriter Mary Lambert – singer Lil Mosey – rapper Macklemore – hip-hop artist, born Ben Haggerty Duff McKagan – bassist of Guns N' Roses Sir Mix-a-Lot – rap musician Mark O'Connor – country violinist (also performs in other genres) Stephen O'Malley – member of doom metal band Sunn O))) Jake One – hip-hop music producer Stacie Orrico – pop singer Jay Park – Korean-American singer Robin Pecknold – musician, lead singer in the folk-rock band Fleet Foxes Lena Raine – video game music composer known for Celeste and Minecraft Scott Rockenfield – drummer with Queensrÿche John Roderick – musician (The Long Winters), writer, and podcaster Jim Sheppard – bassist with Nevermore Kim Thayil – lead guitarist of the grunge band Soundgarden Janet Thurlow – jazz singer Rachel Trachtenburg – drummer, member of The Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players Jennifer Warnes – singer and songwriter Mary Youngblood – Native American flutist
Politics Yassamin Ansari – U.S. representative for Arizona Maria Cantwell – U.S. senator for Washington Jenny Durkan – mayor of Seattle Bob Ferguson – governor of Washington Steve Gunderson – politician in Montana Jay Inslee – former governor of Washington Pramila Jayapal – U.S. representative for Washington Jerry Lewis – California politician Gary Locke – U.S. Ambassador to China, former U.S. Secretary of Commerce, former governor of Washington Patty Murray – U.S. senator, former state senator Frank Murkowski – Polish-American politician, tenth governor of Alaska Lonnie Nelson – civil rights, Indigenous peoples, labor, peace, and social justice activistLonnie Nelson (biography), in "Communism in Washington State: History and Memory Project." Seattle, Washington: Harry Bridges Center for Labor Studies, University of Washington, retrieved online July 27, 2023.Landis, Paul. "A Partial Revival: the 1960s," in "Communism in Washington State: History and Memory Project." Seattle, Washington: Harry Bridges Center for Labor Studies, University of Washington, retrieved online July 27, 2023. Marjorie Pitter King – first African-American woman to serve in the Washington State Legislature William Farrand Prosser – U.S. congressman from Tennessee, Seattle city treasurer, Yakima mayor Peter Steinbrueck – politician Lynn Woolsey – politician
Miscellaneous
Marc D. Angel – rabbi Mario Batali – chef, writer, restaurateur and media personality Linda B. Buck – scientist Art Chantry – graphic design Greg Colson – artist Stephen Funk – former United States Marine Corps Lance Corporal who refused to deploy to Iraq Emerald Ignacio (aka "DriftGirl") – actor and model; builds and races cars Irene the Alien – drag performer Amanda Knox – tried and convicted in Italy for murder of Meredith Kercher but subsequently acquitted on appeal Paul Kuniholm – artist Michael Leavitt – sculptor and toy maker Melissa Miranda – chef and restaurateur Stephen S. Oswald – astronaut Aleksander Petrovich Reza Qoli Mirza Qajar, Prince Persidskii – Russian military leader Catherine Eaton Skinner – multimedia artist Casey Treat – pastor, televangelist Paula Mary Turnbull – artist, nun Jim Whittaker – first American to climb Mount Everest Lou Whittaker – mountaineer, founded Mount Rainier guide service Colleen Willoughby – philanthropist
Deceased
Ann Reinking – actress, dancer, choreographer, All That Jazz, Micki + Maude, Annie Paul Jacob Alexander – newspaper publisher and Seattle City Councilman Paul Allen – co-founder of Microsoft Signe Toly Anderson – original lead singer of The Jefferson Airplane Richard Lee Armstrong – professor and geochemist Jo Baer – painter Bob Bartlett – politician Lawrence James Beck – sculptor Frank T. Bell – United States Commissioner of Fish and Fisheries (1933–1939) Barbara Berjer – television actress Max Brand – author (pen name of Frederick Schiller Faust) Gerald Brashear – musician, played with Wyatt Ruther, Ray Charles, Della Reese, Cecil Young Quartet Chester Carlson – physicist and inventor Carol Channing – actress, Hello, Dolly!, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Thoroughly Modern Millie Irma Schoennauer Cole – swimmer, civil servant Chris Cornell – musician, Soundgarden, Audioslave, Temple of the Dog Don Coryell – NFL coach Marian Cummings (c. 1892–1984) – first woman in the US to gain a commercial pilot's license Warrel Dane – musician, singer for Sanctuary, Nevermore Jennifer Dunn – politician Frances Farmer – actress Pete Fleming – missionary to Ecuador Keith Godchaux – musician Kathi Goertzen – longtime news anchor for KOMO 4 Richard F. Gordon Jr. – astronaut Bonnie Guitar – singer Ed Guthman – journalist Ivar Haglund – folksinger and restaurateur Jimi Hendrix – rock guitarist and singer Steven Hill – actor, portrayed Adam Schiff in the TV series Law & Order Eldon Hoke (aka El Duce) – drummer and singer of rock band The Mentors Art Hupy – photographer Fred Hutchinson – baseball player and manager Ruth Jessen – golfer Gary Kildall – scientist, inventor and founder of Digital Research Ed Lee – first Asian American mayor of San Francisco Gypsy Rose Lee – actress and burlesque star Mary Livingstone – comedian and wife of Jack Benny Kevin McCarthy – actor Mary McCarthy – author, critic and social activist Rob Roy McGregor – U.S. Navy rear admiral and decorated submariner Jon Brower Minnoch – heaviest recorded human in history, weighed 635 kg or 1400 lbs Alfred M. Moen – inventor and founder of Moen Incorporated Margaret Murie – environmentalist Mako Nakagawa – Japanese American advocate, educator, and activist Harley D. Nygren – admiral and engineer, first Director of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Officer Corps Adella M. Parker – suffragist, politician, lawyer, and high school teacher Walt Partymiller – cartoonist Tuulikki Pietilä – graphic artist and professor Guy Bates Post – stage and film actor Hal Riney – advertising executive Ron Santo – Hall of Fame baseball player Bell M. Shimada – fisheries scientist who pioneered the study of the tuna fishery in the tropical Pacific Ocean Robert Stroud – convicted felon, "Birdman of Alcatraz" George Tsutakawa – painter, sculptor and professor Emmett Watson – journalist
Moved to Seattle
Living
Zaid Abdul-Aziz – former Seattle SuperSonics power forward Dustin Ackley – former Seattle Mariners outfielder Sherman Alexie – author Kimball Allen – writer, playwright, performer, gay activist, author of Secrets of a Gay Mormon Felon and Be Happy Be Mormon Jeff Ament – bassist of Pearl Jam Brian Atwater – geologist Anomie Belle – musician BenDeLaCreme – actor, drag queen, 5th place and Miss Congeniality of Rupaul's Drag Race Season 6 Jeff Bezos – former CEO and founder of Amazon.com Christopher Boffoli – photographer Jeff Borowiak – tennis player Bosco – drag queen; contestant and finalist on Rupaul's Drag Race Season 14