The list of people from Kansas City, Missouri is for native-born and past residents. Kansas City, Missouri is the central city of the Kansas City metropolitan area.
A
Bud Abell – linebacker in the American Football League; born in Kansas City Oleta Adams – singer Amy Alcott (born 1956) – Hall of Fame professional golfer; born in Kansas City M.A. Alford – multimedia artist Henry Wilson Allen – Western author and screenwriter Kirsten Bloom Allen – ballet dancer and actress; raised in Kansas City Robert Altman – film director Raleigh DeGeer Amyx – collector of Olympic and presidential memorabilia Ernest Appy – composer and cellist Sagir Arce – soccer player Stewart Ashby Jr. – rapper Edward Asner – actor, born in Kansas City Ashley Aull – 2006 Miss Kansas USA
B
Burt Bacharach – pianist and composer Joy Bang – actress, born in Kansas City Kay Barnes – mayor of Kansas City 1999–2007 Hector Barreto Sr. – activist and entrepreneur H. Roe Bartle – mayor of Kansas City and namesake of Kansas City Chiefs Lucas Bartlett – soccer player Count Basie – jazz musician and bandleader Noah Beery – actor Wallace Beery – Oscar-winning actor Thomas Hart Benton – artist Richard L. Berkley – politician, former mayor Ken Berry – baseball player Terry Blair – serial killer Danni Boatwright – Survivor: Guatemala winner; Miss Kansas Johnny Yong Bosch – actor, martial artist, voice actor, and musician Connee Boswell – singer George Brett – baseball player, third baseman Diane Brewster – actress Beau Brinkley – long snapper for the Atlanta Falcons Bob Brookmeyer – jazz musician, composer, and bandleader Elizabeth Broun – art historian and director of the Smithsonian American Art Museum Walter Brown – blues musician Sylvia Browne – psychic and medium Trevor Burns – soccer player
C
Melvin Calhoun – rapper Danny Carey – drummer for rock band Tool John D. Carmack – game programmer Joe Carter – baseball player with Cleveland Indians and Toronto Blue Jays; lives in the city Vincent O. Carter – writer Don Cheadle – actor, Hotel Rwanda, Ocean's Eleven, Crash Anthony Civella – mobster Emanuel Cleaver – politician, U.S. representative for Fifth District in Missouri Gene Clark – singer-songwriter with The Byrds Jonathan Coachman – ESPN sportscaster, wrestling commentator, college basketball player Jennifer Jo Cobb – NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driver Robert Coldsnow – Kansas legislator and lawyer Vinson Cole – operatic tenor David Cone – Major League Baseball pitcher Evan S. Connell – author Chris Cooper – Oscar-winning actor John Coughlin – figure skater, 2011 U.S. pairs champion Joan Crawford – Oscar-winning actor Walter Cronkite – CBS television journalist, news anchor
D
Marcus Denmon – NBA player Bob Dernier – MLB outfielder DeLos F. DeTar – scientist Walt Disney – film producer, director, screenwriter, voice actor, and animator Sophia Dominguez-Heithoff – model and Miss Teen USA 2017 James T. Draper Jr. – president of the Southern Baptist Convention 1982–1984; pastor of Red Bridge Baptist Church in Kansas City 1965–1970 Carol Duboc – singer, composer, arranger, and actress
E James E. Edmondson – Oklahoma Supreme Court justice Robert Ellis – physicist Mireille Enos – actress
F Harris Faulkner – newscaster Samantha Fish – musician Scott Foley – actor Lisa Forbes – Miss Kansas and Miss Earth USA 2007 William P. Foster – band director Thomas Frank – writer, editor Josh Freeman – NFL quarterback Matt Freije – NBA player Friz Freleng – film producer, director, animator, and cartoonist
G Heidi Gardner – comedian, writer, and actress Lorenzo Gilyard – serial killer nicknamed the "Kansas City Strangler" Nicholas Gioacchini – soccer player who represented the United States national team Caroline Glaser – The Voice contestant Renée Good – writer and poet; was infamously shot by a United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent in 2026 Thelma Thurston Gorham – journalist, organization leader, and activist Maurice Greene – sprinter, gold-medalist Olympian in track and field Masten Gregory – auto racing Allen Griffin – California newspaper publisher Eddie Griffin – comedian and actor, Deuce Bigalow, Undercover Brother Karolyn Grimes – actress, Zu-Zu in the Frank Capra classic It's a Wonderful Life, lived in town for many years
H
Donald J. Hall, Sr. – businessman Joyce Hall – businessman, founder of Hallmark Cards Jennie Hanna – missionary worker and co-founder of the Woman's Auxiliary of the Presbyterian Church, U.S. Leon Harden – football player for Green Bay Packers Jean Harlow – actress Jessica Harp – country music singer-songwriter, former member of The Wreckers with Michelle Branch Rhonda Harper – surfer and surf coach Thomas Hayward – leading tenor of Metropolitan Opera Caleb Hearon – comedian, writer, actor, and director Robert A. Heinlein – science fiction author; his stories are frequently set in or reference Kansas City Ernest Hemingway – iconic novelist and short story author Shauntay Henderson – FBI Ten Most Wanted fugitive, convicted criminal Paul Henning – writer, producer of The Beverly Hillbillies TV series Opal Hill – golfer and LPGA co-founder Jerry Hines – Emmy Award-winning photographer, voted cutest baby of Kansas City 1975 Ralph F. Hirschmann (1922–2009) – biochemist who led synthesis of first enzymeHevesi, Dennis "Ralph F. Hirschmann, Leading Scientist on Early Enzyme Research, Dies at 87", The New York Times, July 18, 2009. Accessed July 19, 2009. Mabel Hite – vaudeville and musical comedy performer, father worked at Owl Drug Store Clara Cleghorn Hoffman (1831–1908) – temperance activist Bob Holden – 53rd governor of Missouri Dorothy B. Hughes – novelist Jane Dee Hull – 20th governor of Arizona Earl Hurd - animated film director, inventor of the animation cel
I Rudolf Ising - animator, co-creator of Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies Sean Ingram – musician and entrepreneur Ub Iwerks – animator and cartoonist
J Bo Jackson – football and baseball player Pete Johnson – blues and jazz pianist Elaine Joyce – actress
K
Tim Kaine – former governor and current U.S. senator from Virginia; 2016 Democratic nominee for vice president under Hillary Clinton Krizz Kaliko (born Samuel Watson Jr.) – rapper Jason Kander – former Missouri secretary of state John Kander – composer Sybil Kaplan – journalist and author Ewing Kauffman – pharmaceutical magnate, philanthropist, and Major League Baseball owner Ellie Kemper – actress, The Office, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt Vern Kennedy – baseball pitcher Bill Kenney – politician, ex-Chiefs player Edward Kerr – actor, Above Suspicion, Confessions of a Sexist Pig, The Astronaut's Wife Craig Kilborn – actor, sportscaster, talk show host John Klein – soccer player for MLS club St. Louis City Philip Klutznick – U.S. secretary of commerce to President Jimmy Carter Evalyn Knapp – actress
L Sarah Lancaster – actress Frank Sherman Land – Freemason and founder of Order of DeMolay, international organization for young men Barbara Lawrence – actress William Least Heat-Moon – author Muna Lee – three-time track and field Olympic finalist Jeff Leiding – football player Lesa Lewis – IFBB professional bodybuilder Ryan Lilja – NFL player for Indianapolis Colts and Kansas City Chiefs, Shawnee Mission Northwest High School graduate Tyronn Lue – NBA player and current head coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers, Raytown Senior High School Betty Lynn – actress best known for playing Thelma Lou on The Andy Griffith Show
M
Bill Maas – NFL player Arthur Mag – lawyer, legal counsel to Harry S. Truman Sean Malto – professional skateboarder Amanda Marsh – first winner of The Bachelor Oliver T. Marsh – cinematographer Denny Matthews – sportscaster, author John Mayberry Jr. – baseball outfielder with Philadelphia Phillies Claire McCaskill – politician and senator Edie McClurg – actress Courtney McCool – athlete and Olympian Charles McCormick – singer and bass player, member of the Kansas City R&B band Bloodstone Glenn McGee – bioethicist and philosopher Katherine McNamara – actress, Shadowhunters Jay McShann – blues musician Pat Metheny – jazz guitarist Frederick H. Michaelis – U.S. Navy admiral Sue Miller – breast cancer activist Janelle Monáe – singer Wendy Moniz – actress Julia Montgomery – actress in Revenge of the Nerds and One Life to Live Dennis Moore – congressman, politician Logan Morrison – baseball player Paul Morrison – politician Tommy Morrison – heavyweight boxer Bennie Moten – pianist, bandleader Mancow Muller – radio personality Richard B. Myers – U.S. Air Force general and former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
N Rob Neyer – sportswriter Danielle Nicole – blues and soul musician Jesse Clyde Nichols – developer of commercial and residential real estate William F. Nolan – author
O Buck O'Neil – baseball player, scout, and coach; first African-American coach in the MLB; helped establish the Negro League Hall of Fame
P Satchel Paige – baseball pitcher Charlie Parker – jazz saxophonist and composer Gordon Parks – screenwriter, director, actor, photographer Mark Patton – actor Jamie Paulin-Ramirez – American Muslim convert arrested in Jihad Jane plot to kill a Danish artist Rodney Peete – NFL quarterback, Fox Sports TV host Tom Pendergast – political boss Tom Pernice Jr. – professional golfer Suzan Pitt - animated film director, painter Darrell Porter – professional baseball player, author Joe Posnanski – sports writer, author William Powell – actor The Pruitt Twins – identical twin brothers, Millus David Pruett [sic] and Myles Pennington Pruett, blues musicians Matthew Pryor – lead singer of The Get Up Kids
R
Joe Randa – baseball player Rudy Reyes – actor and former U.S. Marine sergeant Bullet Rogan – baseball player Ginger Rogers – dancer, Academy Award-winning actress, Broadway performer Michael Rosbash – geneticist at Brandeis University, Nobel laureate Karl L. Rundberg (1899–1969) – Los Angeles City Council member Brandon Rush – NBA player Kareem Rush – NBA player Pierre Russell – basketball player
S Ray Sadecki – Major League Baseball pitcher Lori Saunders – actress, Petticoat Junction Rachel Saunders – 2005 Miss Kansas USA Melana Scantlin – Miss Missouri USA and Average Joe star, co-host of World Series of Blackjack Wes Scantlin – lead singer and rhythm guitarist of rock band Puddle of Mudd, cousin of Melana Scantlin Nick Schnebelen – blues rock musician Josh Shapiro – former attorney general and current governor of Pennsylvania Ted Shawn – modern dance pioneer Columbus Short – choreographer, actor, singer Sam Simmons – former NFL and Arena Football League player Crystal Smith – model Jack Sock – professional tennis player Alberto Sordi – Italian actor (honorary citizen) Kate Spade – fashion designer Nancy Speir – children's book illustrator Alexis Spight – gospel musician Casey Stengel – baseball player and Hall of Fame manager Michael Stevens – YouTuber, educator, public speaker, creator and host of Mind Field Eric Stonestreet – actor George Strohmeyer – football player Justin Swift – football player with NFL's Detroit Lions
T
DePrice Taylor – executive director of community relations for the Kansas City Current and member of the Kansas City Parks Board Myra Taylor – blues singer, solo career and member of the Wild Women of Kansas Tech N9ne – rapper Bobb'e J. Thompson – child actor Virgil Thomson – Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Calvin Trillin – food writer, journalist, humorist Marion A. Trozzolo – businessman, River Quay Harry S. Truman – 33rd president of the United States (from Independence, Missouri) Lisa Tucker – writer Big Joe Turner – blues singer
V Henry Clay Van Noy – owner of Van Noy Railway News and Hotel Company (today known as HMSHost) Grace VanderWaal – singer-songwriter, ukuleleist, and season 11 winner of NBC's America's Got Talent Dorothy Vaughan – mathematician and human computer at NASA
W Mabel Wagnalls – pianist, writer, philanthropist Janie Wagstaff – 1992 Olympic swimmer