This is a list of well-known persons who were either born in, or lived in, Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Arts Joe Brainard (1942–1994), painter Charles Bell (1935–1995), artist Ted Berrigan (1934–1983), poet Shan Goshorn (1957–2018), artist James Pepper Henry, artist and Gilcrease Museum director (2015–2017) Roman Jasinski (1907–1991), ballet dancer and teacher Ron Padgett (b. 1942), poet
Business Frank Abagnale (born 1948), fraud expert, former con man, subject of Catch Me If You Can Cyrus Avery (1870–1963), businessman and "father of Route 66" Bill Bartmann (c. 1949–2016), businessman, named as "One of the Top 100 Entrepreneurs of the Last 100 Years" W. Tate Brady (1870–1925), businessman, owner of the Brady Hotel James A. Chapman (1881–1966), oilman and philanthropist Robert Galbreath Jr. (1863–1955), oilman who moved to Tulsa after he drilled the first oil well in Glenn Pool Field J. Paul Getty (1892–1976), oilman founder of Getty Oil Company, who made his first million in Tulsa between 1914 and 1916 Thomas Gilcrease (1890–1962), oilman, founder of Gilcrease Museum Jay Graber (born 1991), software engineer and first CEO of Bluesky J. M. Hall (1851–1935), pioneer merchant in Tulsa, organized First Presbyterian Church George Kaiser (born 1942), chairman of BOK Financial Corporation Henry Kravis (born 1944), co-founder of Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. James H. McBirney (1870–1944), co-founder and president National Bank of Commerce in Tulsahttps://web.archive.org/web/20100807185714/http://fwix.com/tulsa/share/42ca70679c/tulsa_founders_james_h_mcbirney Sam P. McBirney (1877–1936), football coach and co-founder of National Bank of Commerce in Tulsa Robert M. McFarlin (1866–1942), oilman and philanthropist Waite Phillips (1883–1964), oilman and philanthropist Harry Ford Sinclair (1876–1956), founder of Sinclair Oil, co-founder of Exchange National Bank (later part of National Bank of Tulsa and Bank of Oklahoma; convicted of jury tampering during Teapot Dome scandal trial Carolyn Mary Skelly (1905–1996), eccentric daughter of William Grove Skelly; oil heiress; dubbed the most robbed woman in the U.S. by the Boston Globe; socialite; hosted fundraisers for President George H.W. Bush, and Texas Governor John Connally William G. Skelly (1877–1957), founder of Skelly Oil Company, Spartan Aircraft Company and Spartan School of Aeronautics, philanthropist William K. Warren Sr. (1897–1990), founder of Warren Petroleum Corporation; philanthropist John Smith Zink (1928–2005), engineer, owner of John Zink Industries, automobile racer
Music Admiral Twin (Mark Carr, Jarrod Gollihare, John Russell, Brad Becker), rock band The Agony Scene, metalcore band AleXa, K-pop Idol Tuck Andress, guitarist Elvin Bishop (born 1942), blues and rock music singer-songwriter, guitarist and bandleader Garth Brooks (born 1962), country music singer Broncho, punk rock band with Ryan Lindsey, Johnathon Ford of Roadside Monument, and Nathan Price Anita Bryant (1940–2024), singer J. J. Cale (1938–2013), songwriter and musician, an originator of The Tulsa Sound Capital Lights, pop rock band Rodney Carrington (born 1968), country music singer and comedian Jeff Carson (1963–2022), country musician Kristin Chenoweth (born 1968), actress, singer and author Chuck Cissel (born 1948), singer and dancer Roy Clark (1933–2018), country musician David Cook (born 1982), 2008 American Idol winner Denny Cordell (1943–1995), record producer, signed Tom Petty as part of Mudcrutch Ester Dean (born 1986), singer-songwriter Joe Diffie (1958–2020), country musician Phil Driscoll (born 1947), trumpet player and singer, Christian and jazz musician Ronnie Dunn (born 1953) (Brooks and Dunn) Annie Ellicott (born 1984), jazz, swing singerKaren Shade, "Finding Annie", Tulsa World, August 13, 2009 (pay site).Gary Hizer, "Big New Voice", Urban Tulsa Weekly, May 9, 2007. Scott Ellison (born 1954), electric blues guitarist, singer and songwriter Ester Drang, indie band Rocky Frisco (1937–2015), pianist for J.J. Cale; 2008 inductee into Oklahoma Blues Hall of Fame The Gap Band, Charlie, Ronnie and Robert Wilson, R&B, funk, and soul band David Gates (born 1940),David Gates Retrieved 24 November 2022 pop rock musician (Bread) Hanson, Isaac, Taylor and Zac Hanson, Pop rock band Hardie Avenue, Christian alternative rock band Gus Hardin (1945–1996),Singer Gus Hardin Killed in Accident. TulsaWorld.com (February 18, 1996). Retrieved 26 November 2022 female country musician Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey, jazz band William Johns (born 1936), opera singerForbes, Elizabeth (2001). "Johns, William". Grove Music Online. Retrieved 26 October 2015 (subscription required for full access). Jim Keltner (born 1942), drummer for the Traveling Wilburys Tosca Kramer (1903–1976), violinist, violist, and music educator Fredell Lack (1922–2017), violinist Lega-C (born 1976), rapper Leon McAuliffe (1917–1988), steel guitarist with Bob Wills and his Texas Playboys Little Joe McLerran (born 1983), singer, guitarist, recording artist and winner of 2009 International Blues Challenge John Moreland (born 1985), singer-songwriter Jamie Oldaker (1951–2020), drummer, Eric Clapton, Bob Seger Patti Page (1927–2013), singer PDA, rapper Pillar, band Johnny Polygon (born 1984), rapper Carl Radle (1942–1980), musician, bassist for Derek and the Dominos Ben Rector (born 1986), singer-songwriter Steve Ripley (1950–2019), engineer, producer, singer-songwriter and guitarist for The Tractors and Bob Dylan Leon Russell (1942–2016),Leon Russell Retrieved 21 November 2022 singer-songwriter, pianist, guitarist, an originator of The Tulsa Sound and founder of The Church Studio SafetySuit, pop rock band Jacob Sartorius (born 2002), born in Tulsa but adopted and moved to upstate Virginia shortly after his birth Natalie Sims (born 1984), musician, songwriter and music executive Andy Skib (born 1985), guitarist, keyboardist in David Cook's band Clyde Stacy (1936–2013), rockabilly musician Ryan Tedder (born 1979), producer, songwriter, lead singer of OneRepublic David Teegarden, rock drummer with Teegarden & Van Winkle and with Bob Seger Flash Terry (1934–2004), blues musicianFlash Terry Retrieved 26 November 2022 Neal Tiemann (born 1982), lead guitarist in David Cook's band Wayman Tisdale (1964–2009), jazz musician and former professional basketball player Dara Tucker (born 1958), singer-songwriter and documentary filmmaker Dwight Twilley (1951–2023), power pop, rock musician Jared Tyler (born 1978), singer-songwriter and producer Unwed Sailor, instrumental indie rock St. Vincent (born 1982) David T. Walker (born 1941), session guitarist, famous for his work with Jackson 5, Bobby Womack, Levert and Stevie Wonder among others Johnnie Lee Wills (1912–1984), western music band leader, brother of Bob Wills Charlie Wilson (born 1953), R&B singer and lead singer of The Gap Band Bob Wootton (1942–2017), lead guitarist for the Tennessee Three
Politics Tom Adelson, member of the Oklahoma State Senate Alicia Andrews, former chair of the Oklahoma Democratic Party Bob Ballinger (born 1974), member of the Arkansas House of Representatives, reared in Tulsa Dewey F. Bartlett (1919–1979), former governor of the state of Oklahoma and U.S. senator Dewey F. Bartlett Jr. (born 1947), former mayor of Tulsa (2009–2016) G. T. Bynum (born 1977), mayor of Tulsa (2016–2024) Jim R. Caldwell, retired Church of Christ minister and former member of the Arkansas State Senate David Duke (born 1950), former grand wizard of the Ku Klux Klan and former member of the Louisiana House of Representatives David Hall (1930–2016), former governor of the state of Oklahoma Kevin Hern (born 1961), U.S. representative Linda Hughes O'Leary (born 1950), former member of the Cherokee Nation Tribal Council (2003–2007) James Inhofe (1934–2024), U.S. senator James R. Jones (born 1939), former member of the U.S. House of Representatives, chairman of the American Stock Exchange Frank Keating (born 1944), former governor of the state of Oklahoma John Albert Knebel (born 1936), secretary of agriculture in the Carter Administration Sheila Kuehl (born 1941), former actress, now California state senator Steve Largent (born 1954), former member of the U.S. House of Representatives Phyllis Lyon (1924–2020), feminist and gay rights activist, co-founder of Daughters of Bilitis Willian F. Martin (born 1950), U.S. deputy secretary of energy Jim McConn (1928–1997), former mayor of Houston, Texas, 1979–1981 Daniel Patrick Moynihan (1927–2003), former Democratic U.S. senator representing New York; born in Tulsa Markwayne Mullin (born 1977), U.S. senator for Oklahoma, U.S. secretary of Homeland Security George E. Nowotny (born 1932), retired Tulsa businessman and former member of the Arkansas House of Representatives from Fort Smith John Sullivan (born 1965), member of the U.S. House of Representatives Kathy Taylor (born 1955), mayor of Tulsa (2006–2009) John Volz (1935–2011), attorney for the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana, died in Tulsa in 2011 Roger G. Wells (1940–2023), member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives R. James Woolsey Jr. (born 1941), former director, Central Intelligence Agency Terry Young (born 1948), former mayor of the City of Tulsa
Print Mildred Grosberg Bellin (1908–2008), Jewish cookbook author William Bernhardt (born 1960), mystery/suspense fiction author Daniel J. Boorstin (1914–2004), historian and writer; former Librarian of Congress Cleora Butler (1901–1985), chef, caterer and cookbook writer Dorothy Carnegie (1912–1998), author P.C. Cast (born 1960), author John Hope Franklin (1915–2009), African American historian; namesake of John Hope Franklin Reconciliation Park in Tulsa Martin Gardner (1914–2010), author of works on philosophy, mathematics and literature Sterling Gates (born 1981), comic book writer (Supergirl, Action Comics) Joy Harjo (born 1951), poet, musician, and author; first Native American Poet Laureate, and first Poet Laureate from Oklahoma S.E. Hinton (born 1948), author (The Outsiders, That Was Then, This Is Now, Tex) Mercedes Lackey (born 1950), science-fiction author R.A. Lafferty (1914–2002), science-fiction author Billie Letts (1938–2014), author, Where the Heart Is Tracy Letts (born 1965), Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright and actor (August: Osage County) Joe McGuff (1926–2006), journalist and newspaper editor Russell Myers (born 1938), cartoonist, Broom-Hilda comic strip Denver Nicks, journalist Dan Piraro (born 1958), cartoonist of the Bizarro comic strip Nancy Speir, children's book illustrator Grace Steele Woodward (1899–1987), writer and historian William P. Steven (1908–1991), journalist and newspaper editor Clifton Taulbert, author, Once Upon a Time When We Were Colored Will Thomas (born 1958), mystery fiction author Mildred Ladner Thompson (1918–2013), reporter for The Wall Street Journal and Tulsa World Michael Wallis (born 1945), author, Route 66, Pretty Boy Floyd, Mankiller, Billy the Kid K. D. Wentworth (1951–2012), science-fiction author Cornel West (born 1953), theologian, author
Radio Paul Harvey (1918–2009), radio personality
Screen and stage
Pamela Bach (born 1962), actress; ex-wife of David Hasselhoff Marshall Bell (born 1942), actor William Boyd (1895–1972), aka Hopalong Cassidy, western actor (born in Hendrysburg, Ohio) Max Burnett (born 1969), TV writer, screenwriter and director Gary Busey (born 1944), actor Cindy Chupack (born 1965), screenwriter for Sex and the City Larry Clark (born 1943), film director and photographer Iron Eyes Cody (1904–1999), actor Jay Dee (born 1979), comedian Larry Drake (1949–2016), actor Blake Edwards (1922–2010), film director Sue England (1928–2018), actress Josh Fadem (born 1980), actor, writer and comedian Bill Hader (born 1978), actor, writer and comedian Sterlin Harjo (born 1979), filmmaker Josh Henderson (born 1981), actor John Ingle (1928–2012), actor Eva Jinek (born 1978), news anchor