List of people from Baltimore
This is a list of famous or notable people who were born in or lived in Baltimore, Maryland.
A
- Horace Abbott, born in Sudbury, Massachusetts, moved to Baltimore in 1836, iron manufacturer, supplied the armor for USS Monitor
- Arunah Shepherdson Abell, born in East Providence, Rhode Island, founder of the Baltimore Sun
- David T. Abercrombie, born in and raised in Baltimore, founder of Abercrombie & Fitch
- Don Abney, jazz pianist
- Rosalie Silber Abrams, first female and Jewish majority leader in Maryland State Senate
- Brendan Adams, basketball player in the Israeli Basketball Premier League
- Henry Adams, prominent mechanical engineer, co-founder of ASHVE; born in Germany, died in Baltimore
- Otto Eugene Adams, architect
- Charles Adler Jr., inventor
- Larry Adler, harmonica player
- Spiro Agnew, born in Baltimore; governor of Maryland 1967–1969 and vice president of the United States 1969–1973
- Felix Agnus, Union Army general, editor and publisher of Baltimore American newspaper, buried under Black Aggie
- John W. Albaugh, actor
- Franklin A. Alberger, mayor of Buffalo, New York
- Al Albert, college soccer coach and president of United Soccer Coaches
- William Albert, U.S. representative, born in Baltimore
- Grant Aleksander, actor
- John Aler, lyric tenor
- Hattie Alexander, pediatrician and microbiologist
- Robert Alexander, World War I general, commander of 77th Infantry Division
- All Time Low, pop punk band formed in Baltimore by Jack Barakat, Rian Dawson, Alex Gaskarth, and Zack Merrick
- Devin Allen, photographer and photojournalist
- Yari Allnutt, soccer player who played for the United States national team
- Cecilia Altonaga, judge of United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida
- Rafael Alvarez, journalist
- John Patrick Amedori, actor
- Adrian Amos, safety for the Green Bay Packers
- Tori Amos, born in North Carolina, grew up in Baltimore; singer, songwriter and pianist
- William H. Amoss, politician, former Maryland state senator
- Tom Amrhein, soccer player who played for the United States national team
- Charles W. Anderson, awarded Medal of Honor
- Curt Anderson, politician, broadcast journalist, member of Maryland House of Delegates
- Mignon Anderson, silent film actress
- Richard Snowden Andrews, architect, Confederate officer
- Peter Angelos, born in Pittsburgh, attorney, former owner of the Baltimore Orioles
- Carmelo Anthony, born in New York, grew up in Baltimore; professional basketball player formerly for the Oklahoma City Thunder, New York Knicks, Denver Nuggets, and Houston Rockets
- George Armistead, born in Virginia, commander of Fort McHenry during the Battle of Baltimore
- Lewis Addison Armistead, born in North Carolina, Confederate general mortally wounded at Gettysburg, buried in Baltimore
- Annie Armstrong, Baptist missionary
- Bess Armstrong, actress
- John S. Arnick, politician, former member of the Maryland House of Delegates
- Howard Ashman, Academy Award-winning lyricist
- Sonny Askew, soccer player and coach who played for the United States national team
- John Astin, TV and film actor, Gomez Addams on The Addams Family television series
- Lisa Aukland, professional bodybuilder and powerlifter
- Robert Austrian, physician, medical researcher, winner of Albert Lasker Clinical Medical Research Award
- Tavon Austin, wide receiver for Dallas Cowboys
- Flo Ayres, nationally known radio actress
- Leah Ayres, actress
B
- David Bachrach, lived in Baltimore, photographer, took only known photo of Lincoln giving the Gettysburg Address; uncle to Gertrude Stein
- Penn Badgley, born in Baltimore, actor, Dan Humphrey from Gossip Girl
- Orlando Bagwell, film director
- Robert Lewis Baker, after whom Robert Baker Park is named, Federal Hill
- Russell Baker, raised in Baltimore, writer, political columnist for The New York Times
- Virginia S. Baker, nicknamed "Baltimore's First Lady of Fun", the Patterson Park Recreation Center in Baltimore is named in her honor
- F. Clever Bald, historian and professor
- Florence E. Bamberger, pedagogue, school supervisor, and progressive education advocate
- Louis Bamberger, businessman, department store owner, and philanthropist
- Lloyd Banks, rapper born in Baltimore and raised in Queens, New York
- Jasmine Arielle Barnes, composer, vocalist, and educator
- Joshua Barney, commodore in U.S. Navy
- Christian Barreiro, soccer player
- John Barth, author
- Gary Bartz, jazz saxophonist
- Bernadette Bascom, R&B singer
- Robbie Basho, guitarist and singer
- Isaac Rieman Baxley, poet
- Sylvia Beach, owned Shakespeare and Company, key bookstore for expatriates in Paris
- Madison Smartt Bell, novelist and professor at Goucher College
- Ben Bender, soccer player
- Jacob Beser, only person to crew both atomic bomb missions in World War II
- Caleb Biggers, American football player
- Eubie Blake, composer of ragtime, jazz and popular music
- Shelly Blake-Plock, entrepreneur and musician
- Nili Block, Israeli world champion kickboxer and Muay Thai fighter
- Clarence W. Blount, Maryland State Senate
- A. Aubrey Bodine, photojournalist for The Baltimore Sun
- Tyrone "Muggsy" Bogues, professional basketball player
- John R. Bolton, National Security Advisor of the United States, former United States Ambassador to the United Nations
- Charles Joseph Bonaparte, U.S. attorney general, Secretary of the Navy, relative of Napoleon
- Keith Booth, Maryland Terrapins assistant coach, former Chicago Bulls player
- William S. Booze, former U.S. congressman for Maryland's 3rd District
- John Borozzi, soccer player, coach, and executive
- Julie Bowen, film and TV actress, star of Modern Family
- Andrew J. Boyle, U.S. Army lieutenant general
- Ryan Boyle, MLL and NLL lacrosse player, graduate of the Gilman School
- Cora Belle Brewster, physician, surgeon, medical writer, editor
- Flora A. Brewster, Baltimore's first women surgeon
- Margaret Sutton Briscoe, short story writer
- Conrad Brooks, B movie actor
- Buster Brown, tap dancer
- George William Brown, mayor of Baltimore during the Pratt Street Riot
- Rosey Brown, football star for New York Giants; member of Pro Football Hall of Fame; attended Morgan State University in Baltimore
- James M. Buchanan, judge and U.S. Ambassador to Denmark
- Robert C. Buchanan, Union army general
- Tony Bunn, jazz bassist, composer, producer
- Elise Burgin, tennis player
- Elizabeth Burmaster, Superintendent of Public Instruction of Wisconsin
- Beverly Lynn Burns, became first woman Boeing 747 airline captain on July 18, 1984
- Ed Burns, screenwriter and former homicide and narcotics police detective
- David Byrne, songwriter for new wave band Talking Heads, grew up in Baltimore County
C
- Cab Calloway, jazz singer and bandleader, raised in Baltimore
- Cecil Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore, proprietary governor
- Leonard Calvert, first governor of Province of Maryland
- Josh Campbell, soccer player
- Nick Campofreda, NFL player
- Ben Cardin, U.S. senator and U.S. representative from Maryland
- Meyer Cardin, Democratic state delegate, former Judge, Baltimore City Supreme Bench
- Pete Caringi Jr., soccer player and coach
- Bub Carrington, NBA player
- John Carroll, first Roman Catholic archbishop in U.S.
- Ben Carson, born and raised in Detroit, Michigan; United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development; noted neurosurgeon at Hopkins Hospital
- Hetty Cary, maker of one of first three battle flags of the Confederacy
- Sam Cassell, professional basketball player and coach
- Brett Cecil, Major League Baseball pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals
- Rome Cee, rapper
- Dennis Chambers, drummer
- Norman "Chubby" Chaney, short-lived child actor, Our Gang
- Josh Charles, actor, Sports Night, The Good Wife, Dead Poets Society
- Charley Chase, silent and sound film comedian, director
- Samuel Chase, signer of Declaration of Independence and US Supreme Court judge
- Jim Cherneski, soccer player, coach, and inventor
- Robert F. Chew, actor, The Wire
- John Christ, rock musician, Danzig classic lineup guitarist
- Tom Clancy, author of The Hunt for Red October and many other novels, several of which were made into motion pictures
- Jace Clark, soccer player
- Martha Clarke, modern choreographer
- Mary Pat Clarke, Baltimore City Council
- Kevin Clash, puppeteer best known for portrayal of Elmo on Sesame Street
- Charles Pearce Coady, U.S. congressman (D) for Maryland's 3rd District, 1913–1921
- Ta-Nehisi Coates, MacArthur Fellow and National Book Award winning author of Between the World and Me
- Andy Cohen, Major League Baseball second baseman and coach
- Claribel Cone, with sister Etta, collected art of Matisse, Picasso, and Van Gogh
- Hans Conried, comic character actor and voice actor
- Kenny Cooper, soccer player who represented the United States national team
- Miriam Cooper, silent film actress, co-starred in The Birth of a Nation
- Martha Coston, inventor and businesswoman
- Thomas Cromwell Corner, portrait artist
- Elijah E. Cummings, U.S. congressman for Maryland's 7th District
- Ida R. Cummings, Baltimore's first black kindergarten teacher
- Mary C. Curtis, journalist
- Harvey Cushing, pioneer neurosurgeon at Johns Hopkins Hospital
D
- Thomas D'Alesandro Jr., mayor of Baltimore, U.S. representative, father of Nancy Pelosi
- Bob Dalsemer, square and contra dance writer and caller
- Brian Dannelly, director
- Clay Davenport, sabermetrician and computer programmer for NOAA
- Charles William Davis, rapist and serial killer
- Gervonta Davis, boxer
- Henrietta Vinton Davis, elocutionist, dramatist, and impersonator
- Angela Dawson, community activist murdered at age 36 along with her family in 2002
- Dan Deacon, electronic musician
- Buddy Deane, disc jockey, host of TV dance show that inspired the movie Hairspray
- Olive Dennis, railroad engineer
- Divine, drag queen persona of Glen Milstead, actor and singer
- Juan Dixon, basketball player at University of Maryland, College Park and pro ranks
- Sheila Dixon, first female mayor of Baltimore
- Stephen Dixon, author
- Mary Dobkin, baseball coach
- Fitzhugh Dodson, clinical psychologist, lecturer, educator and author
- John Doe, guitarist for the band X
- James Lowry Donaldson, Union army general
- Henry Grattan Donnelly, author and playwright
- Art Donovan, Baltimore Colts, Pro Football Hall of Famer
- Joey Dorsey, professional basketball player for the Houston Rockets
- Frederick Douglass, abolitionist, statesman, orator, editor, author, prominent figure in African-American history
- Ronnie Dove, pop and country singer who had a string of 21 Billboard hits from 1964 to 1969
- Dru Hill, R&B singing group
- W.E.B. Du Bois, founder of the NAACP, lived in Baltimore 1939–1950
- Mildred Dunnock, Oscar-nominated theater, film and television actress
- Ferdinand Durang, actor, best known as the first person to sing publicly Francis Scott Key's "The Star-Spangled Banner"
- Adam Duritz, singer with Counting Crows
- Charles S. Dutton, actor
E
- Joni Eareckson Tada, Christian author and singer
- Charles K. Edmunds, president of Lingnan University and Pomona College
- Tyde-Courtney Edwards, dancer and businesswoman
- Robert Ehrlich, former U.S. congressman, 60th governor of Maryland
- Milton S. Eisenhower, president of Johns Hopkins University 1956–1967
- Louis E. Eliasberg, financier and numismatist known for assembling the only complete collection of U.S. coins ever
- Cass Elliot, born Ellen Naomi Cohen, singer, member of The Mamas & the Papas
- Donald B. Elliott, member of Maryland House of Delegates
- James Ellsworth, professional wrestler
- Joan Erbe, painter and sculptor
- Cal Ermer, Minnesota Twins manager
- Ellery Eskelin, jazz saxophonist, raised in Baltimore
- Helen Essary, Baltimore Sun reporter and syndicated columnist in Washington, born and raised in Baltimore
- Shinah Solomon Etting, matriarch of one of Baltimore's first Jewish families
- Solomon Etting, merchant and politician
- Damon Evans, actor best known as the second to portray Lionel Jefferson on the CBS sitcom The Jeffersons
- Tony Evans, pastor of Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship
F
- Diane Fanning, true crime author and novelist
- Anna Faris, actress, notably for Scary Movie, born but not raised in Baltimore
- Nathaniel Fick, U.S. Marine captain, author, and technology executive
- Walter Fillmore, U.S. brigadier general, United States Marine Corps
- Steven Fischer, film producer, two-time Emmy Award nominee, raised in northeast Baltimore
- Ray Fisher, actor, notably for Justice League
- George Fisher, vocalist for death metal band Cannibal Corpse
- F. Scott Fitzgerald, author; lived late in life in Baltimore, buried in Rockville
- Paul Ford, actor, notably for The Phil Silvers Show and The Music Man
- Edward R. Foreman, meteorologist
- Jane Frank, abstract expressionist artist, painter, sculptor, mixed media and textile artist, pupil of Hans Hofmann
- Gertrude Franklin, singer and music educator
- George A Frederick, architect of Baltimore City Hall
- Alex Freeman, soccer player who represented the United States national team
- Antonio Freeman, football wide receiver, most notably for Green Bay Packers
- Mona Freeman, actress, notably for Black Beauty in 1946
- William H. French, Union army general
- John Friedberg, Olympic fencer
- Paul Friedberg, Olympic fencer
- Bill Frisell, jazz guitarist and composer
G
- Joe Gans, lightweight boxing champion
- John Work Garrett, banker, philanthropist, and president of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
- Mary Garrett, suffragist and philanthropist
- Alex Gaskarth, singer for rock band All Time Low
- Lee Gatch, abstract artist
- Rudy Gay, basketball player for University of Connecticut and NBA's Memphis Grizzlies, Sacramento Kings, Toronto Raptors, and San Antonio Spurs
- Herb Gerwig, professional wrestler of the 1960s and 1970s known as Killer Karl Kox
- James Gibbons, cardinal, 9th Roman Catholic Archbishop of Baltimore
- Garretson W. Gibson, president of Liberia 1900–1904
- Horatio Gates Gibson, Union Army general
- Adam Gidwitz, children's book author
- Brian David Gilbert, comedian
- Duane Gill, former WWE Wrestler who resides in Severn, Maryland
- Anita Gillette, actress and game show personality
- Dondre Gilliam, football player
- Ira Glass, radio personality; host of This American Life, distributed by Public Radio International; cousin of Philip Glass
- Philip Glass, minimalist composer
- Jacob Glushakow, painter
- Duff Goldman, food artist, cake baker, television personality
- Minna Gombell, stage and film actress
- Tamir Goodman, basketball player
- Jaimy Gordon, author, winner of National Book Award for Fiction
- Shan Goshorn, artist
- Brian Gottfried, tennis player, reached No. 3 in the world in 1977
- Elmer Greensfelder, playwright
- George Griffin, freed slave and confidant of Mark Twain
H
- Virginia Hall, OSS agent
- Stavros Halkias, stand-up comedian, writer, actor, and podcaster
- Edith Hamilton, "the greatest woman classicist"
- Elaine Hamilton-O'Neal, artist, born in Catonsville near Baltimore; graduated from Baltimore's Maryland Institute College of Art
- Louis Hamman, physician and namesake of Hamman's sign, Hamman's syndrome and Hamman-Rich syndrome
- Mary Hamman, writer and editor, daughter of Louis Hamman
- Dashiell Hammett, detective writer of Maltese Falcon, born in Maryland and worked as a detective in Baltimore
- Steve Handelsman, journalist
- Frances Harper, abolitionist leader
- Elaine D. Harmon, aviator
- Ken Harris, city councilman
- Kyle Harrison, lacrosse player
- David Hasselhoff, actor
- Marcus Hatten, basketball player
- Moshe Hauer, Orthodox rabbi
- Emily Spencer Hayden, photographer
- Raymond V. Haysbert, business executive and civil rights leader
- Maya Hayuk, fine artist and muralist
- Mo'Nique Hicks, comedian, television and film actress from Woodlawn, Maryland
- Alger Hiss, State Department official, accused of being a Soviet spy and convicted of perjury
- Henry Hochheimer, rabbi
- Katie Hoff, Olympic medalist swimmer and multiple World Aquatics Championships gold medalist; lives in Baltimore
- Billie Holiday, born Eleanora Fagan Gough, jazz singer
- Sidney Hollander, humanitarian and civil and political rights activist
- Henry Holt, publisher, founded Henry Holt & Company in 1873
- Johns Hopkins, Quaker businessman, abolitionist and philanthropist whose bequest established Johns Hopkins University
- John Eager Howard, soldier, governor of Maryland, namesake of Howard County, Maryland
- William Henry Howell, physiologist who pioneered the use of heparin as a blood anti-coagulant
- Christopher Hughes, diplomat
- Sarah T. Hughes, federal judge who swore in Lyndon B. Johnson aboard Air Force One after the Kennedy assassination
I
- Joseph Iglehart, financier
- Moses Ingram, actress
J
- Lillie Mae Carroll Jackson, pioneer civil rights activist, organizer of Baltimore branch of NAACP
- Debbie Jacobs, singer
- Thomas Jane, actor
- Harry Jeffra, professional boxer, world bantamweight champion
- Ariell Johnson, business owner
- Bryant Johnson, professional football player with San Francisco 49ers
- Delano Johnson, football player
- Natalie Joy Johnson, film and stage actress, singer and dancer
- Brionna Jones WNBA power forward
- Cyrus Jones, former professional football player
- LaKisha Jones, singer
- Thomas David Jones, astronaut with doctorate in planetary science
- Brian Jordan, Major League Baseball player, briefly a pro footballer
- Jerome H. Joyce, president of Aero Club of Baltimore
- JPEGMafia, music producer, experimental hip hop artist
K
- K-Swift, born Khia Edgerton, club/radio DJ, producer, radio personality at WERQ
- David Kairys, Professor of Law at Temple University School of Law
- Al Kaline, Major League Baseball player for Detroit Tigers; Hall of Famer, never played in minor leagues
- Camara Kambon, film composer, songwriter, music producer, pianist
- John Kassir, actor, voice of Crypt Keeper in TV's Tales from the Crypt
- David Katz, Jacksonville Landing shooter
- Chris Keating, lead singer and songwriter for band Yeasayer
- William Henry Keeler, Archbishop Emeritus of Baltimore and Cardinal of Roman Catholic Church
- Stacy Keibler, actress, former professional wrestler for WWE
- Thomas Kelso, wealthy merchant, founder of Kelso Home, philanthropist
- John Pendleton Kennedy, U.S. Secretary of the Navy, congressman, speaker of Maryland General Assembly, author, led effort to end slavery in Maryland
- James Lawrence Kernan, Yiddish theater manager and philanthropist
- Stu Kerr, television personality and weatherman
- Ernest Keyser, sculptor
- Stanton Kidd, basketball player for Hapoel Jerusalem in the Israeli Basketball Premier League
- Greg Kihn, pop musician
- David J. Kim, publisher of Teen Ink, co-founder of C2 Education
- J. William Kime, commandant of U.S. Coast Guard, 1990–1994
- D.King, rapper
- Mel Kiper Jr., football analyst
- Benjamin Klasmer, musician
- Jim Knipple, professional stage director
- Tate Kobang, real name Joshua Goods, rapper
- Adam Kolarek, pitcher in the Atlanta Braves organization
- Jeff Koons, artist and sculptor, graduate of Maryland Institute College of Art, Baltimore
- Ruth Krauss, author of children's books
- Steve Krulevitz, American-Israeli tennis player
L
- Henrietta Lacks, namesake of HeLa cell line
- Mary Lange, founder of the Oblate Sisters of Providence and a school for free black children
- Bucky Lasek, pro skateboarder
- Maysa Leak, jazz singer
- Jerry Leiber, lyricist
- Noah Lennox, known as Panda Bear, sings and plays drums and electronics in band Animal Collective
- Ivan Leshinsky, American-Israeli basketball player
- Barry Levinson, screenwriter, Academy Award-winning film director, producer of film and television
- Kevin Levrone, IFBB professional bodybuilder, musician, actor and health club owner
- Hank Levy, jazz composer, founder of Towson University's jazz program
- Reggie Lewis, professional basketball player for the Boston Celtics
- Reginald F. Lewis, businessman
- Kevin Liles, record executive; former president of Def Jam Recordings and vice president of The Island Def Jam Music Group
- Eli Lilly, soldier, pharmaceutical chemist, industrialist, entrepreneur, founder of Eli Lilly and Company
- Laura Lippman, author of detective fiction
- Doug Llewelyn, reporter and television personality, born in Baltimore
- Alan Lloyd, composer, born in Baltimore
- Walter Lord, non-fiction author
- Los, real name Carlos Coleman, rapper
- Morris Louis, abstract expressionist painter
- G. E. Lowman, clergyman and radio evangelist
- Chris Lucas, country singer with LoCash
- Katharine Lucke, organist and composer
- Edmund C. Lynch, business leader graduate of Boys' Latin, Johns Hopkins and co-founder of Merrill Lynch & Co.
M
- Marvin Mandel, former governor of Maryland, assumed office upon resignation of Spiro Agnew
- Ann Manley, brothel proprietor
- Mario, born Mario Dewar Barrett, singer, grew up in Gwynn Oak, Maryland in Baltimore County
- Todd Marks, local businessman and entrepreneur
- Thurgood Marshall, first African-American U.S. Supreme Court Justice
- Joseph Maskell, Catholic priest accused of sexual abuse
- Nancy Mowll Mathews, art historian, curator, and author
- Aaron Maybin, football player for Buffalo Bills, picked in 2009 NFL draft
- Ernest G. McCauley, aviation pioneer
- Shane McClanahan, pitcher and 2-time All-Star for the Tampa Bay Rays
- Angel McCoughtry, basketball player; first overall pick in 2009 WNBA draft by Atlanta Dream
- Jim McKay, television sports journalist, Olympic and Wide World of Sports host
- Theodore R. McKeldin, governor of Maryland
- Randolph Harrison McKim, American Episcopal clergy and writer
- Georgie A. Hulse McLeod, author, educator, temperance activist
- H.L. Mencken, journalist and social critic known as "the Sage of Baltimore"
- Ottmar Mergenthaler, inventor of linotype machine that revolutionized the art of printing
- Joe Metheny, murderer and suspected serial killer
- Kweisi Mfume, former CEO of NAACP and U.S. congressman
- Barbara Mikulski, U.S. senator
- Isaiah Miles, basketball player in the Israeli Basketball Premier League
- Jamie Miller, musician, drummer for Bad Religion
- Steve Miller, author of science-fiction stories and novels
- Clarence M. Mitchell Jr., civil rights leader
- Juanita Jackson Mitchell, civil rights lawyer and activist
- Keiffer J. Mitchell Jr., Baltimore City Council, grandson of civil rights leaders Clarence M. Mitchell Jr. and Juanita Jackson Mitchell
- Parren Mitchell, former U.S. congressman
- Colonel Thomas Hoyer Monstery, duellist, fencing master, mercenary and author
- Garry Moore, early television host, I've Got a Secret
- Lenny Moore, running back, Baltimore Colts, member of Pro Football Hall of Fame
- Phil Moore, host of Nick Arcade
- John E. Morrison, US Air Force major general
- Bessie Moses, gynecologist, obstetrician and birth control advocate
- Sean Mosley, basketball player for Hapoel Tel Aviv B.C. of Israeli Basketball Premier League
- Nick Mullen, comedian best known as the host for the podcast Cum Town
- Billy Murphy Jr. lawyer and judge
- Carl J. Murphy newspaper editor, journalist
- George B. Murphy Jr. newspaper editor, journalist, civil rights leader
- John H. Murphy Sr. African American newspaper publisher
- Robert Murray, Surgeon General of the United States Army
- William H. Murphy Sr., African American judge, lawyer, and civil rights activist
- Max Muscle, born John Czawlytko, professional wrestler known for appearances in WCW in 1990s
- Clarence Muse, actor
N
- Anita Nall, Olympic gold medalist swimmer
- Ogden Nash, iconic poet and humorist
- Mildred Natwick, stage, film and television actress
- Gary Neal, professional basketball player
- John Needles, Quaker abolitionist, master craftsman of fine furniture
- James Crawford Neilson, architect
- Jeff Nelson, professional baseball player, middle relief pitcher
- Harry Nice, 50th governor of Maryland
- Joe Nice, dubstep DJ, moved to Baltimore from Southampton at the age of two
- Brian Nichols, known for 2005 killing spree
- Edward Norton, actor, 3-time Academy Award nominee
- Brandon Novak, skateboarder and member of Viva La Bam
- Ego Nwodim, actress and comedian
O
- Ric Ocasek, vocalist and frontman for The Cars
- Rashard Odomes, basketball player in the Israeli Basketball Premier League
- Madalyn Murray O'Hair, activist
- Frank O'Hara, poet
- Johnny Olszewski, U.S. representative for Maryland and Baltimore County Executive
- Martin O'Malley, born in Washington, D.C., mayor of Baltimore, 61st governor of Maryland
- Ken Ono, mathematician, grew up in Towson
- Dorothea Orem, nursing theorist, creator of self-care deficit nursing theory
P
- William Paca, signatory to Declaration of Independence; governor of Maryland
- Tim Page, winner of Pulitzer Prize for Criticism; biographer of Dawn Powell
- Jim Palmer, born in New York, Baseball Hall of Fame starting pitcher for Baltimore Orioles 1965–84
- James A. Parker, African-American foreign service officer for the U.S. Department of State
- Nicole Ari Parker, actress
- Bob Parsons, entrepreneur; founder and CEO of Go Daddy
- Travis Pastrana, freestyle motocross, x-treme sports professional, spokesman for Red Bull
- Randy Pausch, former professor of computer science, human–computer interaction, and design at Carnegie Mellon University
- Felicia Pearson, actress, community volunteer, and convicted drug dealer nicknamed "Snoop", who played the eponymous character on The Wire
- Nancy Pelosi, U.S. representative from California since 1987, Speaker of the House
- Clarence M. Pendleton Jr., chairman of U.S. Commission on Civil Rights from 1981 until death in 1988; worked in Model Cities Program in Baltimore, 1968–1970
- Vincent Pettway, boxer, light middleweight boxing champion
- Michael Phelps, swimmer from Baltimore County, multiple world-record holder, winner of more gold medals and total medals than any other Olympian
- Tom Phoebus, MLB pitcher
- Jada Pinkett Smith, actress and singer
- Greg Plitt, fitness model and actor
- Art Poe, member of College Football Hall of Fame
- Edgar Allan Poe, iconic poet, short story writer, editor and critic
- Edgar Allan Poe, attorney general of Maryland, 1911–1915
- Gresham Poe, football head coach at Virginia in 1903
- John P. Poe, Sr., attorney general of Maryland, 1891–1895
- Johnny Poe, college football player and coach, soldier of fortune
- Jack Pollack, politician and criminal
- Gordon Porterfield, playwright, actor, poet and educator
- David Portner, musician and lead singer of experimental avant-garde artpop band Animal Collective
- Parker Posey, actress, known for Dazed and Confused, Waiting for Guffman, Scream 3, Best in Show
- Emily Post, author of etiquette books
- Walter de Curzon Poultney, art collector and socialite
- Boog Powell, born in Florida, baseball player for Orioles and Baltimore restaurant owner
- Enoch Pratt, businessman and philanthropist; founded Enoch Pratt Free Library, one of oldest free public libraries in U.S.
- Thomas Rowe Price Jr., businessman, founder of Baltimore-based investment counsel firm T. Rowe Price
- Helen Dodson Prince, astronomer who pioneered work in solar flares
- Ernest W. Prussman, Medal of Honor recipient
- Rain Pryor, actress
- Greg Puciato, musician, singer, author
Q
- Robin Quivers, sidekick of TV and radio personality Howard Stern
R
- Hasim Rahman, boxer, former World Heavyweight Champion
- Frederick Ramsay, UMSM academic and administrator, mystery writer
- Jane Randall, contestant on America's Next Top Model, Cycle 15, and an IMG model
- James Ransone, actor, The Wire, Generation Kill, Sinister, adult Eddie Kaspbrak from It Chapter Two
- John Rawls, professor of political philosophy at Harvard, author
- Sam Ray, musician, EDM project Ricky Eat Acid, and founder of band American Pleasure Club, formerly known as Teen Suicide
- Lance Reddick, actor, Col. Cedric Daniels from The Wire
- Chris Renaud, animator and illustrator; co-director of The Lorax and Despicable Me; voice of many Minions
- Bryan Reynolds, outfielder and All-Star for the Pittsburgh Pirates
- Hilary Rhoda, fashion model
- Adrienne Rich, poet, writer, teacher, and feminist
- Hester Dorsey Richardson, author
- Charles Carnan Ridgely, 15th governor of Maryland
- Charles G. Ridgely, United States Navy officer
- Billy Ripken, born in Havre de Grace, Maryland, second baseman for Baltimore Orioles
- Cal Ripken Jr., born in Havre de Grace, infielder for Baltimore Orioles, member of [National Baseball National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum|Hall of Fame and Museum|Hall of Fame]
- Cal Ripken Sr., coach and manager of Baltimore Orioles
- Brooks Robinson, born Little Rock, Arkansas, third baseman for Baltimore Orioles 1955–77, member of Hall of Fame
- Lenny B. Robinson, born in Baltimore, charity worker who dressed up as superhero Batman
- Frank Robinson, born in Beaumont, Texas, outfielder for Baltimore Orioles, member of Hall of Fame
- Chrisean Rock, rapper
- Martin Rodbell, biochemist and molecular endocrinologist; won 1994 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
- Josh Roenicke, baseball player in Cincinnati Reds organization
- Eddie Rommel, Major League Baseball pitcher and umpire
- Adeke Rose, poet, psychoanalyst and teacher
- Carroll Rosenbloom, owner of Baltimore Colts and Los Angeles Rams
- Matt Rosendale, Montana state politician and businessman
- Alec Ross, author and former senior advisor for Innovation to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton
- Axl Rotten, professional wrestler
- Francis Peyton Rous, pathologist who won Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
- Christopher Rouse, composer, Pulitzer Prize winner
- James Rouse, pioneering real estate developer, civic activist, and philanthropist
- Mike Rowe, host of Discovery Channel program Dirty Jobs
- Ruckus, born Claude Marrow, professional wrestler
- Ruff Endz, R&B duo consisting of members David "Davinch" Chance and Dante "Chi" Jordan from Baltimore; best known for songs "No More" and "Someone to Love You"
- Mike Ruocco, singer-songwriter of bands Plunge and Cinder Road; bassist of SR-71
- Dutch Ruppersberger, U.S. congressman
- Harry W. Rusk, U.S. congressman for Maryland's 3rd District, 1886–1897
- Elizabeth Lownes Rust, philanthropist, humanitarian, Christian missionary
- Babe Ruth, iconic baseball player for New York Yankees, member of Baseball Hall of Fame
- Ida Mary Barry Ryan, philanthropist
- Rye Rye, real name Ryeisha Berrain, dancer and rapper
S
- Pat Sajak, television personality, Wheel of Fortune host; resides in Maryland
- Al Sanders, TV news anchor WJZ-TV; died in Baltimore
- John Sarbanes, U.S. representative for Maryland
- Paul Sarbanes, born in Salisbury, Maryland, former member of Maryland House of Delegates from Baltimore, U.S. congressman, U.S. senator
- William Donald Schaefer, mayor of Baltimore, 58th governor of Maryland, and 32nd Comptroller of Maryland
- Jason Schappert, aviator, born in Baltimore
- Kurt L. Schmoke, former mayor of Baltimore, current president of the University of Baltimore
- Gina Schock, rock drummer The Go Go's, songwriter and actress
- Dwight Schultz, actor, played H.M. Murdock in The A-Team series and Lt. Reginald Barclay in Star Trek: The Next Generation
- Josh Selby, pro basketball player, former No. 1 high school prospect in U.S. according to Rivals.com
- Elizabeth Ann Seton, established schools, founded first U.S. religious community of apostolic women, Sisters of Charity
- Tupac Shakur, hip hop performer and rapper, lived on Greenmount Ave in East Baltimore for two years
- Karl Shapiro, U.S. poet laureate 1946–47, born in Baltimore
- Philip Sharp, U.S. representative from Indiana; born in Baltimore
- Richard Sher, WJZ-TV newscaster, Oprah Winfrey co-host
- Daniel Shiffman, programmer, member of the board of directors of the Processing Foundation, associate arts professor
- Pam Shriver, professional tennis player and broadcaster
- Sargent Shriver, born in Westminster, Maryland, politician, activist, driving force behind creation of Peace Corps
- Eli Siegel, poet, critic, founder of philosophy of Aesthetic Realism
- Jeff Siegel, musician, writer, investment analyst and renewable energy expert; coined the phrase "green chip stocks"
- Hubert Simmons, Negro league baseball pitcher for the Baltimore Elite Giants
- David Simon, journalist for The Baltimore Sun, author, television writer, producer, creator of The Wire
- Bessie Wallis Warfield Simpson, Duchess of Windsor
- Upton Sinclair, author of The Jungle, Pulitzer Prize winner, born in Baltimore
- Christian Siriano, fashion designer; winner of fourth season of Project Runway; graduate of Baltimore School for the Arts
- Sisqó, real name Mark Althavan Andrews, R&B and pop singer
- Cameron Snyder, sportswriter for The Baltimore Sun; winner of Dick McCann Memorial Award
- Maelcum Soul, bartender, artist's model, and actress
- Florence Garrettson Spooner, social reformer
- Raymond A. Spruance, U.S. Navy admiral in World War II
- James Stafford, cardinal of the Catholic Church; born in Baltimore
- Steele Stanwick, former professional lacrosse player who won the Tewaaraton Trophy and the Jack Turnbull Award
- Melissa Stark, television personality and sportscaster for NFL Network
- John Steadman, sportswriter
- Michael S. Steele, lieutenant governor of Maryland, first African-American chairman of Republican National Committee
- Gertrude Stein, poet, art collector
- Andrew Sterett, U.S. Naval Officer during the Quasi-War, Captain of USS Enterprise
- Richard D. Steuart, historian, and journalist under the pseudonym Carroll Dulaney
- Harry P. Storke, US Army lieutenant general
- Victor Sulin, lawyer and politician
- Suter Sullivan, professional baseball player
- Rich Swann, professional wrestler
- Donald Symington, actor
- Stuart Symington, first Secretary of the Air Force; U.S. senator from Missouri
T
- Evan Taubenfeld, singer-songwriter
- Michael Tearson, pioneer underground DJ, concert and special appearance host, author, recording artist and actor
- Mark Texiera, player for New York Yankees 2009–16, 3-time All-Star
- Jon Theodore, musician, The Mars Volta's former drummer, Avril Lavigne's former guitarist
- Martha Carey Thomas, educator, suffragist, second president of Bryn Mawr College
- Tracie Thoms, actress
- A. Andrew Torrence, Illinois state representative
- Alessandra Torres, visual artist
- F. Morris Touchstone, National Lacrosse Hall of Fame coach
- Anne Truitt, minimalist sculptor
- Michael Tucker, actor, films and L.A. Law
- Joseph Tumpach, Illinois state representative
- Jack Turnbull, National Lacrosse Hall of Fame player
- Charles Yardley Turner, artist and muralist
- Jerry Turner, television news anchor
- Kathleen Turner, actress, graduate of University of Maryland, Baltimore County
- Anne Tyler, Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist
U
- Ultra Naté, house music singer, songwriter, producer, DJ, club promoter, and entrepreneur
- Johnny Unitas, born in Pittsburgh; professional football player for the Baltimore Colts; in Pro Football Hall of Fame
- Leon Uris, novelist, author of ''Exodus''
V
- Matthew VanDyke, freedom fighter and Prisoner of War in 2011 Libyan Civil War
- Nikolai Volkoff, born in Croatia, Yugoslavia, WWE Hall of Fame wrestler, spent time in Baltimore area
W
- LaMonte Wade Jr., first baseman and outfielder for the San Francisco Giants
- Shatori Walker-Kimbrough, basketball player for the Israeli team Maccabi Bnot Ashdod, and the Washington Mystics of the Women's National Basketball Association
- Evan Sewell Wallace, Black Paisley Records, hip hop artist
- Henry Walters, rail magnate and founder of Walters Art Museum in Baltimore
- Dante Washington, soccer player
- John Waters, filmmaker
- John K. Waters, U.S. Army four-star general
- D. Watkins, author
- Earl Weaver, born in St. Louis, Missouri, longtime manager of the Baltimore Orioles; Baseball Hall Of Fame inductee
- Chick Webb, jazz and swing drummer and bandleader; adopted Ella Fitzgerald
- Wendy Weinberg, Olympic medalist swimmer
- Matthew Weiner, creator of TV series Mad Men
- Leonard "Boogie" Weinglass, founder of Merry-Go-Round clothing empire; portrayed by actor Mickey Rourke in 1982 film Diner
- Harry Wendelstedt, umpire in Major League Baseball
- Terrance West, former running back at Towson University and NFL player for the Cleveland Browns, Tennessee Titans, New Orleans Saints, and Baltimore Ravens
- George Hoyt Whipple, graduated and taught medical school at Hopkins; won 1934 Nobel Prize in Medicine
- Reggie White, football player
- Ruth White, Olympic fencer
- Wade Whitney, professional soccer player
- William Pinkney Whyte, U.S. senator, governor of Maryland, mayor of Baltimore
- Emma Howard Wight, author
- Bernard Williams, gold medalist in 4 × 100 meter relay at 2000 Sydney Olympics
- LaQuan Williams, wide receiver for the Baltimore Ravens who attended Baltimore Polytechnic Institute
- Montel Williams, television personality
- Reggie Williams, professional basketball player
- Trevor Williams, football player
- Mary Willis, retired US Army brigadier general
- Ibbie McColm Wilson, poet
- Oprah Winfrey, television personality, actress, producer; born in rural Mississippi and raised in Milwaukee; worked at WJZ-TV in Baltimore
- David Wingate, professional basketball player
- Danny Wiseman, professional ten-pin bowler and 12-time winner on the PBA Tour
- Edward Witten, mathematical physicist and a leading researcher in string theory
- James Wolcott, journalist and cultural critic
- Allan Woodrow, author
- Eliza Woods, composer
- Bernie Wrightson, artist, known for horror illustrations and comic books
- Natalie Wynn, YouTube personality
Y
- John H. Yardley, pathologist
- Steve Yeager, award-winning filmmaker, writer, stage director and educator
- Joe Yingling, professional baseball pitcher
Z
- Geoff Zahn, baseball pitcher
- Frank Zappa, singer, guitarist, composer and satirist
- Nick Zedd, filmmaker, author, and painter
- Joanna Zeiger, Olympic and world champion triathlete, and author
- Bruce Zimmermann, pitcher in the Baltimore Orioles organization
- Marie Kunkel Zimmerman, soprano
- Lillian Zuckerman, actress