List of people from Tulsa, Oklahoma
This is a list of well-known persons who were either born in, or lived in, Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Arts[edit]
- 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[edit]
- Frank Abagnale,[1] fraud expert, former con man, subject of Catch Me If You Can
- Cyrus Avery (1870–1963), businessman and "father of Route 66"
- Bill Bartmann,[2] businessman, named as "One of the Top 100 Entrepreneurs of the Last 100 Years"[3]
- 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[4]
- Thomas Gilcrease (1890–1962),[5] oilman, founder of Gilcrease Museum
- J. M. Hall (1851–1935), pioneer merchant in Tulsa, organized First Presbyterian Church
- George Kaiser,[6] chairman of BOK Financial Corporation
- Henry Kravis,[7] co-founder of Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co.
- James H. McBirney (1870–1944), co-founder and president National Bank of Commerce in Tulsa[8]
- Sam P. McBirney (1877–1936), football coach and co-founder National Bank of Commerce in Tulsa[8]
- 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[9][10]
- 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[edit]
- Admiral Twin (Mark Carr, Jarrod Gollihare, John Russell, Brad Becker), rock band
- The Agony Scene, metalcore band
- Elvin Bishop, blues and rock music singer-songwriter, guitarist and bandleader
- Garth Brooks,[11] country music singer
- Broncho, punk rock band with Ryan Lindsey, Johnathon Ford of Roadside Monument, and Nathan Price
- Anita Bryant, singer
- J. J. Cale,[12] songwriter and musician, an originator of The Tulsa Sound
- Capital Lights, pop rock band
- Rodney Carrington[13] country music singer and comedian
- Jeff Carson, country musician
- Chuck Cissel,[14] singer and dancer
- Annie Clark (St. Vincent)
- Roy Clark, country musician
- David Cook, 2008 American Idol winner
- Denny Cordell, record producer, signed Tom Petty as part of Mudcrutch
- Ester Dean, singer-songwriter
- Joe Diffie,[15] country musician
- Phil Driscoll, trumpet player and singer, Christian and jazz musician
- Ronnie Dunn[16] (Brooks and Dunn)
- Annie Ellicott, jazz, swing singer[17][18]
- Scott Ellison, electric blues guitarist, singer and songwriter[19]
- Ester Drang, indie band
- Rocky Frisco, 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,[20] pop rock musician (Bread)
- Hanson, Isaac, Taylor and Zac Hanson, Pop rock band
- Gus Hardin,[21] female country musician
- Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey, jazz band
- William Johns, opera singer[22]
- Jim Keltner, drummer for the Traveling Wilburys
- Tosca Kramer (1903–1976), violinist, violist, and music educator
- Fredell Lack (1922–2017), violinist
- Hardie Avenue, Christian alternative rock band[23]
- Lega-C, rapper
- Leon McAuliffe, steel guitarist Bob Wills And His Texas Playboys
- Little Joe McLerran, singer, guitarist, recording artist and winner of 2009 International Blues Challenge
- John Moreland, singer-songwriter
- Jamie Oldaker, drummer, Eric Clapton, Bob Seger
- Patti Page, singer
- PDA, rapper
- Pillar, band
- Johnny Polygon, rapper
- Carl Radle, musician, bassist for Derek and the Dominos
- Ben Rector, singer-songwriter
- Steve Ripley, engineer, producer, singer-songwriter and guitarist for The Tractors and Bob Dylan
- Leon Russell,[24] singer-songwriter, pianist, guitarist, an originator of The Tulsa Sound and founder of The Church Studio
- SafetySuit, pop rock band
- Jacob Sartorius, born in Tulsa but adopted and moved to upstate Virginia shortly after his birth
- Natalie Sims, musician, songwriter and music executive
- Andy Skib, guitarist, keyboardist in David Cook's band
- Clyde Stacy, rockabilly musician
- Ryan Tedder, producer, songwriter, lead singer of OneRepublic
- David Teegarden, rock drummer with Teegarden & Van Winkle and with Bob Seger
- Flash Terry, blues musician[25]
- Neal Tiemann, lead guitarist in David Cook's band
- Wayman Tisdale (1964–2009), jazz musician and former professional basketball player
- Dwight Twilley, poper pop, rock musician
- Jared Tyler, singer-songwriter and producer
- Unwed Sailor, instrumental indie rock
- David T. Walker, session guitarist, famous for his work with Jackson 5, Bobby Womack, Levert and Stevie Wonder among others
- Johnnie Lee Wills, western music band leader, brother of Bob Wills
- Charlie Wilson, R&B singer and lead singer of The Gap Band
- Bob Wootton, lead guitarist for the Tennessee Three
- Tuck Andress, guitarist
- Kristin Chenoweth, actress, singer and author
- Dara Tucker, singer-songwriter and documentary filmmaker
- AleXa, K-pop Idol
Politics[edit]
- Tom Adelson, member of the Oklahoma State Senate
- Alicia Andrews, chair of the Oklahoma Democratic Party
- Bob Ballinger, member of the Arkansas House of Representatives, reared in Tulsa
- Dewey F. Bartlett, former Governor of the state of Oklahoma and U.S. Senator
- Dewey F. Bartlett Jr., former Mayor of Tulsa (2009–2016)
- G. T. Bynum, Mayor of Tulsa (2016–present)
- Jim R. Caldwell, retired Church of Christ minister and former member of the Arkansas State Senate
- David Duke, former Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan and former member of the Louisiana House of Representatives
- David Hall, former Governor of the state of Oklahoma
- James Inhofe, U.S. Senator
- James R. Jones, former member of the U.S. House of Representatives, chairman of the American Stock Exchange
- Frank Keating, former Governor of the state of Oklahoma
- John Albert Knebel, Secretary of Agriculture in the Carter Administration
- Sheila Kuehl, former actress, now California State Senator
- Joseph A. LaFortune, oilman and mayor
- Steve Largent, former member of the U.S. House of Representatives
- Willian F. Martin, United States Deputy Secretary of Energy
- Jim McConn, former Mayor of Houston, Texas, 1979–1981
- Daniel Patrick Moynihan, former Democratic U.S. Senator representing New York was born in Tulsa.[26]
- George E. Nowotny, retired Tulsa businessman and former member of the Arkansas House of Representatives from Fort Smith
- John Sullivan, member of the U.S. House of Representatives
- Kathy Taylor, Mayor of Tulsa (2006–2009)
- John Volz, attorney for the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana, died in Tulsa in 2011
- R. James Woolsey Jr., former director, Central Intelligence Agency
- Terry Young, former Mayor of the City of Tulsa
Print[edit]
- Mildred Grosberg Bellin, Jewish cookbook author
- William Bernhardt, 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, author
- John Hope Franklin, African American historian; namesake of John Hope Franklin Reconciliation Park in Tulsa
- Martin Gardner, author of works on philosophy, mathematics and literature
- Sterling Gates, comic book writer (Supergirl, Action Comics)
- Joy Harjo, poet, musician, and author. First Native American Poet Laureate, and first Poet Laureate from Oklahoma.
- S.E. Hinton, author (The Outsiders, That Was Then, This Is Now, Tex)
- Mercedes Lackey, science-fiction author
- R.A. Lafferty, science-fiction author
- Billie Letts, author, Where the Heart Is
- Tracy Letts, Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright and actor (August: Osage County)
- Joe McGuff, journalist and newspaper editor
- Russell Myers, cartoonist, Broom-Hilda comic strip
- Denver Nicks, journalist
- Dan Piraro, cartoonist of the Bizarro comic strip
- Nancy Speir, children's book illustrator
- Grace Steele Woodward, writer and historian
- William P. Steven, journalist and newspaper editor
- Clifton Taulbert, author, Once Upon a Time When We Were Colored
- Will Thomas, mystery fiction author
- Mildred Ladner Thompson, reporter for The Wall Street Journal and Tulsa World[27]
- Michael Wallis, author, Route 66, Pretty Boy Floyd, Mankiller, Billy the Kid Voice Of Sheriff in The Cars Series
- K. D. Wentworth, science-fiction author
- Cornel West, theologian, author
Radio[edit]
- Paul Harvey (1918–2009), radio personality
- Roy D. Mercer, fictional radio character
Screen and stage[edit]
- Pamela Bach, actress; ex-wife of David Hasselhoff
- Marshall Bell, actor
- William Boyd, aka Hopalong Cassidy, western actor (born in Hendrysburg, Belmont County, Ohio)
- Max Burnett, TV writer, screenwriter and director
- Gary Busey, actor
- Cindy Chupack, screenwriter for Sex and the City
- Larry Clark, film director and photographer
- Iron Eyes Cody, actor
- Jay Dee, comedian
- Larry Drake, actor
- Blake Edwards, film director
- Sue England, actress
- Bill Hader, actor, writer and comedian
- Sterlin Harjo, filmmaker[28]
- Josh Henderson, actor
- John Ingle, actor
- Eva Jinek, news anchor
- Jennifer Jones (1919–2009), actress
- Heather Langenkamp, actress
- Tommy Morrison, boxer and actor
- Jerry Nelson, actor, puppeteer
- Tim Blake Nelson, actor and director
- Mary Kay Place, actress
- Tony Randall, actor
- Julián Rebolledo, actor and voice talent
- Jack Roberts, actor
- Gailard Sartain, actor
- Mary Stuart, actress
- Wes Studi, actor
- Paula Trickey, actress
- Jeanne Tripplehorn, actress
- Stacy Valentine, porn star
- Amber Valletta, actress and supermodel
- Susan Watson, Broadway actress
- Alfre Woodard, actress
- Judy Woodruff, television journalist
- Don Woods, meteorologist
Sports[edit]
- Brent Albright, professional wrestler
- Kelenna Azubuike, professional basketball player
- Randy Blake, kickboxer
- Bill Blankenship, football coach, head coach at University of Tulsa
- Anthony Bowie, basketball player
- Michael Bowie, former Seattle Seahawks offensive tackle
- Jordan Brailford, defensive end for the Atlanta Falcons
- Dylan Bundy, baseball pitcher for the Minnesota Twins
- Mikey Burnett, mixed martial artist
- Patrick Callan, competitive swimmer[29]
- Dale Cook, kickboxer and actor
- Bobby Cox (born 1941), player, manager and Baseball Hall of Famer
- Richard Dumas, professional basketball player for the Phoenix Suns
- Ebi Ere, basketball player for Melbourne Tigers
- Terrance Ferguson, basketball player for the Philadelphia 76ers
- Justin Fuente, head football coach, Virginia Tech
- Reuben Gant, football player for Buffalo Bills
- Matt Gogel, professional golfer
- Bill Goldberg (born 1966), professional NFL football player and undefeated wrestler
- Todd Graham, head coach of Tulsa Golden Hurricane football team (2007–2010)
- Matt Grice, mixed martial arts fighter
- Tommy Hanson, baseball pitcher[30]
- Chris Harris Jr., NFL, Cornerback
- Gerald Harris, mixed martial artist
- Thomas Hatch, pitcher for the Toronto Blue Jays
- Marques Haynes, Harlem Globetrotters player, Basketball Hall of Famer[31]
- David Heath, mixed martial artist
- Randy Heckenkemper, golf course designer
- Daxton Hill, NFL, Safety
- Justice Hill, NFL, Running back
- Koyie Hill, Major League Baseball catcher
- Josh Jacobs, NFL, Running back
- Zach Jackson (pitcher, born 1994), Major League Baseball, pitcher for the Oakland Athletics
- Felix Jones, Dallas Cowboys Running back
- Dallas Keuchel, pitcher for the Chicago White Sox
- Jim King, NBA player and Tulsa Golden Hurricane men's basketball coach
- Jeff Krosnoff, Championship Auto Racing Teams driver
- Steve Largent, Seattle Seahawks wide receiver, Pro Football Hall of Famer, politician
- Kevin Lilly, NFL player
- Kevin Lockett, NFL player
- Tyler Lockett, NFL player
- Zach Loyd, soccer player
- Lee Mayberry, professional basketball player for the Milwaukee Bucks
- Sam P. McBirney, coach of Tulsa Golden Hurricane football (1914–1916)
- R. W. McQuarters, professional football cornerback
- Robert Meachem, New Orleans Saints wide receiver
- Kenny Monday, Olympic gold medalist and World Champion in freestyle wrestling
- Joe-Max Moore, soccer forward, U.S. Soccer Hall of Fame 2013
- Reece Morrison, NFL player
- Tommy Morrison (1969-2013), boxer, heavyweight contender and actor, Rocky V
- Ray Murphy, Jr., collegiate wrestler and 1989 Handicapped Person of the Year
- Charlie O'Brien, professional baseball catcher
- Janice O'Hara, All-American Girls Professional Baseball League player
- Peter Ramondetta, professional skateboarder
- Nolan Richardson (born 1941), basketball coach for University of Tulsa and University of Arkansas, coach and general manager WNBA's Tulsa Shock
- Henry Schichtle, football player
- Tubby Smith (born 1951), basketball coach
- John Starks, basketball player
- Ricky Stromberg (born 2000), American football player
- Iciss Tillis, professional basketball player for WNBA's Washington Mystics
- James "Quick" Tillis, boxer, heavyweight contender and actor
- Wayman Tisdale (1964–2009), professional basketball player and musician
- Matt Wiman, mixed martial arts fighter
- Darryl Wren, gridiron football player
- John Smith Zink, automobile racing
Religion[edit]
- Finis Alonzo Crutchfield, Jr., (1916–1986), United Methodist Church bishop, minister of Boston Avenue United Methodist Church, died in Tulsa[32]
- Paul Vernon Galloway (1904–1990), Minister of Boston Avenue United Methodist Church, later Methodist bishop
- Charles William Kerr (1875–1951), first permanent Protestant minister in Tulsa
- Carlton Pearson (born 1953), evangelist
- Oral Roberts (1918–2009), pioneer televangelist, founder of Oral Roberts University, affiliated with United Methodist church
- Mother Grace Tucker (1919-2012), Evangelical Christian pastor and philanthropist
- John B. Wolf (1925–2017), minister of All Souls Unitarian Universalist Church
Other[edit]
- William French Anderson, geneticist, born in Tulsa in 1936
- Bobby Baldwin, professional poker player (1978 world champion) and casino executive; born in Tulsa
- Deborah Barnes, judge of the Oklahoma Appellate Court (1987-present); daughter in law of the late Justice Don Barnes
- Don Barnes (judge), born in Tulsa, Justice of the Oklahoma State Supreme Court (1972-1985)
- Jennifer Berry,[33] Miss America 2006
- Butler, Phillip N., the eighth longest-held US prisoner of war in North Vietnam, president of Veterans for Peace
- Roscoe Cartwright, first black Field Artilleryman promoted to Brigadier General.
- Mike Doonesbury, main character in Garry Trudeau's comic strip Doonesbury
- Viola Fletcher, survivor of the Tulsa race massacre
- John Duncan Forsyth (1887–1963), architect[34]
- W. R. Holway (1893–1981), engineer, designer of Spavinaw water project
- Robert Lawton Jones (1925–2018), architect noted for his contributions to modern architecture
- Olivia Jordan, Miss World America 2013, Miss Oklahoma USA 2015, Miss USA 2015
- Joseph R. Koberling, Jr. (1900–1990), architect
- Charles Page (1860–1926), philanthropist and founder of Sand Springs
- Leon B. Senter (1889-1965), architect
- William Angie Smith (1894–1974), Methodist Bishop of Oklahoma
- Mother Grace Tucker, pastor and philanthropist
- Gordon Todd Skinner, drug dealer and convicted kidnapper[35]
References[edit]
- ^ "Abagnale & Associates (based in Tulsa)". Abagnale & Associates. Archived from the original on May 15, 2007. Retrieved May 20, 2007.
- ^ "The Richest Man You've Never Heard Of". Inc.com. Retrieved September 16, 2007.
- ^ "About Bill Bartmann". Archived from the original on September 10, 2007. Retrieved September 16, 2007.
- ^ Whitman, Alden (June 6, 1976). "J. Paul Getty dead at 83; amassed billions from oil". The New York Times. Retrieved September 6, 2008.
- ^ "Gilcrease Museum History". Archived from the original on December 16, 2007. Retrieved September 16, 2007.
- ^ "Forbes's The World's Richest People". Forbes. Retrieved September 16, 2007.
- ^ "Academy of Achievement Biography". Archived from the original on February 13, 1997. Retrieved September 16, 2007.
- ^ a b [1]
- ^ "Danny Cowley: Portsmouth appoint former Huddersfield Town and Lincoln City boss". articles.philly.com.
- ^ "Archives". Los Angeles Times. August 18, 1986.
- ^ "Life and Times of Garth Brooks". Planetgarth.com. Retrieved September 17, 2007.
- ^ "JJ Cale Biography on Yahoo! Music". Music.yahoo.com. Retrieved September 17, 2007.
- ^ "Rodney Carrington :: Rodney ::: KING OF THE MOUNTAINS". Archived from the original on December 18, 2007. Retrieved April 20, 2008.
- ^ "Chuck Cissel Biography". Soultracks.com. May 5, 2007. Retrieved September 17, 2007.
- ^ "Joe Diffie Biography". Starpulse.com. Retrieved September 17, 2007.
- ^ "Brooks & Dunn Bio". Tv.com. Retrieved September 17, 2007.
- ^ Karen Shade, "Finding Annie", Tulsa World, August 13, 2009 (pay site).
- ^ Gary Hizer, "Big New Voice", Urban Tulsa Weekly, May 9, 2007.
- ^ "Scott Ellison Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic. Retrieved August 28, 2022.
- ^ David Gates Retrieved 24 November 2022
- ^ Singer Gus Hardin Killed in Accident. TulsaWorld.com (February 18, 1996). Retrieved 26 November 2022
- ^ Forbes, Elizabeth (2001). "Johns, William". Grove Music Online. Retrieved 26 October 2015 (subscription required for full access).
- ^ "Hardie Avenue Artist Profile - Biography And Discography". New Release Today. Retrieved January 29, 2024.
- ^ Leon Russell Retrieved 21 November 2022
- ^ Flash Terry Retrieved 26 November 2022
- ^ Barone, Michael; Ujifusa, Grant (1987). The Almanac of American Politics 1988. National Journal. p. 794.
- ^ Stanley, Tim. "Mildred Ladner Thompson 1918–2013: Former Tulsa World columnist witnessed history". Tulsa World. Retrieved July 16, 2013.
- ^ "Sterlin Harjo | Granfalloon". Archived from the original on May 28, 2014. Retrieved May 26, 2014.
- ^ "Team USA: Patrick Callan". TeamUSA.org. Retrieved July 24, 2021.
- ^ "Tommy Hanson Stats". Baseball Almanac. Retrieved December 3, 2012.
- ^ "Globetrotting tales," Tulsa World, June 25, 2008. (Haynes grew up in Sand Springs.)
- ^ "A Faithful Secret". tribunedigital-chicagotribune.
- ^ "KRMG Event Guide for 2006 Miss America". Archived from the original on November 13, 2006. Retrieved September 17, 2007.
- ^ Jim Gabbert, "5 Buildings by John Duncan Forsyth", Preservation Oklahoma News, July 2006, p.5.
- ^ "Subterranean Psychonaut | This Land Press - Made by You and Me". thislandpress.com. Retrieved January 18, 2024.
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