List of people from Washington, D.C.

This is a list of prominent people who were born in, lived in, or are otherwise closely associated with Washington, D.C., and its surrounding metropolitan area, which includes portions of Maryland and Virginia.

Actors

Gbenga Akinnagbe, actor; born in D.C.
Jonathan Banks, actor; born in D.C.
Dave Bautista, actor and former wrestler of the WWE; born in D.C.
Jon Bernthal, actor; born in D.C.
David Birney, actor; born in D.C.
Blair Brown, actress; born in D.C.
Billie Burke, actress; born in D.C.
Louis C.K., actor, comedian; born in D.C.
Dave Chappelle, actor, comedian; born in D.C., raised in suburban Maryland
Whitney Cummings, comedian, actress; born in D.C.
Pat Flaherty, actor; born in D.C.
Matt Frewer, actor; born in D.C.
Isabelle Fuhrman, born in D.C.
Betty Gabriel, actress born in D.C
Ana Gasteyer, actress; born in D.C.
Cameron Goodman, actress; born in Texas; raised in D.C.
Regina Hall, actress; born in D.C.
Alyson Hannigan, actress; born in D.C.
Goldie Hawn, actress; born in D.C.; raised in Takoma Park, Maryland
Helen Hayes, actress; born in D.C.
John Heard, actor; born in D.C.
Katherine Heigl, actress; born in D.C.
Taraji P. Henson, actress; born in D.C.
Edward Herrmann, actor; born in D.C.
William Hurt, actor; born in D.C.
Samuel L. Jackson, actor; born in D.C.
Archie Kao, actor; born in D.C.
Erik King, actor; born in D.C.
Michael Learned, actress; born in D.C.
James McDaniel, actor; born in D.C.
Christopher Meloni, actor; born in D.C.
Bridgit Mendler, singer and actress; born in D.C.
Michael Nouri, actor; born in D.C.
Clifton Powell, actor; born in D.C.
Madlyn Rhue, actress; born in D.C.
Eden Riegel, actress; born in D.C.
Sam Riegel, actor; born in D.C.
Chita Rivera, Broadway musical actress; born in D.C.
Corey Parker Robinson, actor; born in D.C.
Yeardley Smith, actress; born in Paris, France, raised in D.C.
Josh Stamberg, actor; born in D.C.
Ben Stein, actor, author, economist, former political speechwriter; born in D.C.; raised in Maryland
Frances Sternhagen, actress; raised in D.C.
Rip Taylor, actor, comedian; born in D.C.
Veronica Taylor, actress; born in New York, raised in D.C.
Leigh Taylor-Young, actress; born in D.C.
Justin Theroux, actor; born in D.C.
Tony Todd, actor; born in D.C.
Robin Weigert, actress; born in D.C.
Samira Wiley, actress; born in D.C.
Kellie Shanygne Williams, actress; born in D.C.
Tom Williamson, actor from The Fosters; born in D.C.
Robert Wisdom, actor; born in D.C.
Jeffrey Wright, Tony Award-winning stage and film actor; born in D.C.
Leonard Wu, actor; born in D.C.
Damian Young, actor; born in D.C.
Rick Yune, actor; born in D.C.

Artists

Richard Artschwager, minimalist and pop artist; born in D.C.
Robin Bell, art projectionist; lives and works in D.C.
Ned Bittinger, portrait painter and illustrator; born in D.C.
F. Lennox Campello, visual artist, critic and author; works in D.C.
Allen 'Big Al' Carter, painter; worked and taught art in D.C.
Elizabeth Catlett, sculptor; born in D.C.
Will H. Chandlee, painter and illustrator; born in D.C.
Shanthi Chandrasekar, painter and sculptor; works out of D.C.
Manon Cleary, painter and educator; lived in D.C.
Gene Davis, painter; born in D.C.
Rosetta DeBerardinis, visual artist; lives in D.C.
Victor Ekpuk, visual artist; lives in D.C.
Joseph Craig English, printmaker; born in D.C.
Inez Demonet, visual artist; born in D.C.
Sharon Farmer, photographer who served as the Chief Official White House Photographer; born in D.C.
Halim Flowers, visual artist; born in Washington, D.C.
Catriona Fraser, photographer and art dealer; worked in D.C.
Sam Gilliam, painter; lives in D.C.
Nan Goldin, photographer; born in D.C.
Patricia Goslee, painter, lives in Washington, D.C.
Michael Janis, glass artist; lives in D.C.
Mark Jenkins, street artist; lives in D.C.
Wayson R. Jones, visual artist; works in D.C.
Margaret Sherratt Keys, British-born American artist, china painter, store proprietor; lived in D.C.
Nate Lewis, visual artist; works out of D.C.
Morris Louis, painter; lived in D.C.
Kevin MacDonald, painter; lived in D.C.
Eugene J. Martin, visual artist; born in D.C.
Percy Martin, visual artist; lives in D.C.
Benoit Maubrey, born in D.C.
Alexa Meade, visual artist; born in D.C.
Benson Moore, painter and sketcher; lived and worked in D.C.
Judith Peck, visual artist, works in D.C.
Michael B. Platt, visual artist and art professor; lived and worked in D.C.
Martin Puryear, sculptor; born in D.C.
Paul Reed, painter; born in D.C.
Amber Robles-Gordon, mixed media artist; lives in D.C.
Joe Shannon, painter and educator; worked in D.C.
Lou Stovall, printmaker; lived in D.C.
Tim Tate, glass and video artist; born in D.C.
Erwin Timmers, glass artist; lives in D.C.
Bill Watterson, cartoonist; born in D.C.
Frances Wieser, scientific illustrator; born and died in D.C.
Frank Wright, painter; born in D.C.

Athletes

Kevyn Adams, hockey player; born in D.C.
Kevin Alston, soccer player; born in D.C.
Desmond Armstrong, soccer player and coach; born in D.C.
Jake Atz, baseball player; born in D.C.
Khalid Balogun, soccer player; born in D.C.
Kay Banjo, soccer player; born in D.C.
Mike Banner, soccer player; born in D.C.
Elgin Baylor, basketball player; born in D.C.
Walter Beall, former baseball player; born in D.C.
Lu Blue, baseball player; born in D.C.
Nate Burkey, soccer player; born in D.C.
Jerry Chambers, former basketball player; born in D.C.
Billy Chiles, soccer player and coach; born in D.C.
Patrick Clark, professional wrestler; born in D.C.
Bonzie Colson, basketball player in the Israeli Basketball Premier League; born in D.C.
Arthur Cook, Olympic sport shooter; born in D.C.
Derek Cooke, basketball player; born in D.C.
Judah Cooks, soccer player and coach; born in D.C.
Micah Cooks, soccer player
Josh Cribbs, football player; born in D.C.
Adrian Dantley, former basketball player; born in D.C.
Vernon Davis, football player; born in D.C.
Vontae Davis, football player; born in D.C.
Kevin Durant, basketball player; born in D.C., raised in suburban Maryland
Malik Ellison, basketball player; born in D.C.
A. J. Francis, football player and wrestler; born in D.C.
Lennard Freeman, basketball player; born in D.C.
Frank Funk, former baseball player; born in D.C.
Luka Garza, basketball player; born in D.C.
Paul Goldstein, tennis player; born in D.C.
Frank Jackson, basketball player; born in D.C.
Khyree Jackson, football player; born in D.C.
Clay Kirby, baseball player; born in D.C.
Katie Ledecky, Olympic swimmer; born in D.C.
Byron Leftwich, football player; born in D.C.
Tim Legler, former basketball player; born in D.C.
Ricky Lindo, American-Panamanian basketball player; born in D.C.
Andrew Luck, football quarterback; born in D.C.
Shawne Merriman, football player; born in D.C.
Matt Mervis, baseball player; born in D.C.
Rollie Miles, Canadian football player; born in D.C.
Don Money, baseball player; born in D.C.
Robin Montgomery, tennis player; born in D.C.
Josh Morgan, football player; born in D.C.
Jon Morris, football player; born in D.C.
Bubba Morton, baseball player; born in D.C.
Jonathan Ogden, football player; born in D.C.
Jamorko Pickett, basketball player; born in D.C.
Jerry Porter, former football player; born in D.C.
Curtis Pride, former baseball player; born in D.C.
Pete Sampras, tennis player; born in D.C.
Gabriel Segal, soccer player, born in D.C.
Harold Solomon, former tennis player; born in D.C.
Teez Tabor, cornerback for the Atlanta Falcons; born in D.C.
James Tillman, Negro league baseball player; born in D.C.
Michael Weiss, figure skater; born in D.C.
Delonte West, basketball player; born in D.C.
Brian Westbrook, football player; born in D.C.
Mike Wilcher, former football player; born in D.C.
Caleb Williams, football player; born in D.C.
Maury Wills, former baseball player; born in D.C.
Willie Wood, football player; born in D.C.

Entertainers

Pat Buchanan, author, syndicated columnist, television commentator; born in D.C.
Connie Chung, television journalist; born in D.C.
Stephen Colbert, television host, comedian; born in D.C.
Sam Denby, YouTuber; born and raised in D.C.
Sarah Urist Green, PBS art program creator and former museum curator; born in D.C.
Petey Greene, radio and TV talk show host; born in D.C.
Tim Gunn, TV personality and fashion expert; born in D.C.
Jim Henson, creator of the Muppets; lived in D.C. from 1948 until 1961.
King Molasses, drag king
Fulton Lewis, radio and TV commentator; born in D.C.
Patricia Newcomb, producer and publicist; born in D.C.
Bill Nye, television host, scientist, mechanical engineer; born in D.C.
Maury Povich, television talk show host; born in D.C.
Diane Rehm, radio talk show host; born in D.C.
Scott Sanders, screenwriter and director, born in N.C., raised in D.C.

Journalists

Jim Acosta, journalist born in D.C.
Thomas Boswell, journalist born in D.C.
John Dickerson, journalist; born in D.C.
Susan Ford, photojournalist and chairman of the Betty Ford Center; born in D.C.
David Frum, journalist, newspaper writer of The Atlantic
Anna Sanborn Hamilton, journalist, author, and teacher; lived, died in D.C.
Douglas Harriman Kennedy, journalist born in D.C.
Austin H. Kiplinger, journalist and philanthropist; born in D.C.
Buster Olney, sports columnist; born in D.C.
Frank Rich, newspaper columnist; born in D.C.
David Simon, author, journalist; born in D.C.
A. G. Sulzberger, journalist; born in D.C.
Cal Thomas, newspaper columnist and author; born in D.C.
Margaret Hicks Williams, government official, feature writer, political expert; lived in D.C.

Military

Frederic Vaughan Abbot, U.S. Army brigadier general, resided in D.C. during retirement
Alfred E. Bates, U.S. Army major general, lived in D.C. during retirement
Upton Birnie Jr., U.S. Army major general, retired in D.C.
Harold W. Blakeley, U.S. Army major general, retired in D.C.
George S. Blanchard, U.S. Army four-star general; born in D.C.
Nathan W. Brown, Paymaster-General of the U.S. Army, lived in D.C. during retirement
William Bryden, U.S. Army major general, lived in Washington, D.C. during retirement
John Loomis Chamberlain, U.S. Army major general, retired in Washington, D.C.
John R. D. Cleland, U.S. Army major general; born and raised in Washington
John J. Coppinger, U.S. Army major general; lived in Washington during his retirement
Samuel T. Cushing, U.S. Army brigadier general; lived in D.C. during retirement
John M. K. Davis, U.S. Army brigadier general; born in D.C.
Lester A. Dessez, U.S. Marine Corps brigadier general; raised in D.C.
Lorenzo D. Gasser, U.S. Army general, retired to Washington, D.C.
Charles Badger Hall, US Army major general, retired in D.C.
Laurence Halstead, US Army brigadier general, retired in Washington, D.C.
Cecil D. Haney, U.S. Navy admiral who commanded U.S. Strategic Command; born in D.C.
George Herbert Harries, U.S. Army major general, resided in Washington, D.C.
Charles L. Hodges, U.S. Army major general, retired in Washington, D.C.
Martin P. Hottel, U.S. Navy Admiral and decorated submarine commander; born in D.C.
Miles Imlay, U.S. Coast Guard rear admiral, born in D.C.
Beverley Kennon, commodore in the United States Navy and commander of the Bureau of Construction and Repair; resided in Washington
Lester Lyles, former U.S. Air Air Force general, Vice Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force, and Commander, Air Force Materiel Command
Robert Macfeely, US Army brigadier general, retired in Washington
Anthony McAuliffe, U.S. Army general, commander of the 101st Airborne Division defending Bastogne; born in D.C.
John Kemp Mizner, US Army brigadier general, retired in Washington, D.C.
Henry C. Newcomer, U.S. Army brigadier general, engineer whose work included Taft Bridge and improvements to Washington Aqueduct; retired to Washington, D.C.
Edward C. Peter II, U.S. Army lieutenant general, commander of Fourth United States Army; born in D.C.
Thomas H. Rees, US Army brigadier general, lived in Washington during retirement
Curtis C. Robinson, pharmacist, U.S. Army Air Force officer, fighter pilot with the Tuskegee Airmen; lived and died in D.C.
William B. Rochester, Paymaster-General of the United States Army
Otho B. Rosenbaum, U.S. Army brigadier general, resided in Washington, D.C. during retirement
Daniel H. Rucker, U.S. Army brigadier general, resided in Washington, D.C. during retirement
Joseph P. Sanger, U.S. Army major general
Charles G. Sawtelle, U.S. Army brigadier general, resided in Washington, D.C. during retirement
Charles L. Scott, U.S. Army major general; lived in D.C. in retirement; died in D.C.
Alexander E. Shiras, US Army brigadier general, lived in DC during military service
William A. Shunk, US Army colonel whose commands included the United States Army Command and General Staff College; lived in D.C. during retirement
William Sinclair, U.S. Army brigadier general, lived in Washington during retirement
William Renwick Smedberg Jr., U.S. Army brigadier general; lived in D.C. in retirement; died in D.C.
Franklin Guest Smith, U.S. Army brigadier general, resident of Washington, D.C. during retirement
Culver C. Sniffen, Paymaster-General of the United States Army, lived in Washington
Oliver Lyman Spaulding, U.S. Army brigadier general, 1891 graduate of Central High School, lived in Washington during retirement
William F. Spurgin, U.S. Army brigadier general, live in Washington during retirement
Donald A. Stroh, U.S. Army major general, raised and educated in Washington, retired to Washington
Edwin F. Townsend, U.S. Army brigadier general, retired in D.C.
Karl Truesdell, U.S. Army major general, raised in D.C.
Carlos Clark Van Leer, U.S. Army Captain and Chief of Personnel and Budget for Department of Treasury: lived and died in D.C.
George Henry Weeks, Quartermaster General of the United States Army, retired to D.C.
Earle Wheeler, U.S. Army general; born in D.C.
Walter K. Wilson Sr., US Army major general, lived in DC in retirement
Eben Eveleth Winslow, U.S. Army brigadier general; raised and educated in D.C.
William T. Wood, U.S. Army brigadier general, resided in Washington, D.C. during retirement
John E. Woodward, U.S. Army brigadier general, lived in D.C. during retirement

Musicians

Chuck Brown, musician; lived in D.C.
Tim Buckley, musician; born in D.C.
Vernon Burch, singer; born in D.C.
Darrell Calker, composer and arranger, born in D.C.
Jack Casady, musician ; born in D.C.
Eva Cassidy, singer; born in D.C.
Clones of Clones, indie-rock band; originated in D.C.
Chris Cutler, musician ; born in D.C.
DJ Kool, rapper; born in D.C.
Duke Ellington, jazz composer, pianist and bandleader; born in D.C.
John Fahey, musician; born in D.C.
Marty Friedman, musician; born in D.C.
Danny Gatton, musician; born in D.C.
Marvin Gaye, singer; born in D.C.
Johnny Gill, singer; born in D.C.
Ginuwine, singer; born in D.C.
Goldlink, rapper; born in D.C.
Dave Grohl, musician ; began career as drummer for D.C.-area bands
Ron Holloway, musician; ; born in D.C.
Shirley Horn, singer; born in D.C.
Lida Husik, musician; born in D.C.
Darryl Jenifer, musician; born in D.C.
Al Jolson, singer; born in Seredžius, Lithuania; raised in D.C.
Jorma Kaukonen, musician ; born in D.C.
Damian Kulash, musician ; born in D.C.
Stacy Lattisaw, singer; born in D.C.
Ari Lennox, singer; born in D.C
Ian MacKaye, musician ; born in D.C.
Van McCoy, musician, songwriter and producer; born in D.C.
Mýa, singer; born in D.C.
Nonchalant, rapper; born in D.C.
Oddisee, rapper; born in D.C.
Guy Picciotto, musician ; born in D.C.
James Ray, singer; born in D.C.
Malinda Kathleen Reese, singer-songwriter; born in D.C.
Henry Rollins, singer-songwriter ; born in D.C.
Tim Rose, singer-songwriter; born in D.C.
rum.gold, R&B singer-songwriter; born and raised in D.C.
Hayley Sales, pop singer; born in D.C.
Shaed, band; originated in D.C.
Shy Glizzy, rapper; born in D.C.
Richard Smallwood, Grammy award-winning gospel singer-songwriter; born in Atlanta and raised in D.C.
Kate Smith, singer; born in D.C.
Rob Sonic, rapper; born in D.C.
John Philip Sousa, composer; born in D.C.
Billy Stewart, singer; born in D.C.
Mary Timony, musician; born in D.C.
Peter Tork, musician; born in D.C.
Wale, rapper; born in D.C.
Wax, rapper; born in D.C.

Political figures

Kenneth Bacon, Department of Defense spokesman; later served as president of Refugees International
Michael Bennet, U.S. senator from Colorado; grew up in D.C.
Cory Booker, U.S. senator from New Jersey; born in D.C.
Muriel Bowser, mayor of Washington D.C.
Janelle Bynum, U.S. representative from Oregon; born in D.C.
Jean Carnahan, U.S. senator from Missouri, born and raised in D.C.
Mel Carnahan, governor of Missouri, raised in D.C.
Pedro Casanave, fifth mayor of Georgetown in Washington, D.C.
Dereck E. Davis, Treasurer of Maryland; born in D.C.
John Foster Dulles, U.S. Secretary of State; born in D.C.
Omar Fateh, Minnesota state senator; born in D.C.
Adrian Fenty, mayor of the District of Columbia, 2007–2011; born in D.C.
Dan Goldman, U.S. representative from New York; born in D.C.
Don Forsht, West Virginia state delegate; born in D.C.
Al Gore, U.S. vice president; born in D.C.
Tipper Gore, wife of former vice president Al Gore; born in D.C.
Larry Hogan, governor of Maryland; born in D.C.
Hank Johnson, U.S. representative from Georgia; born in D.C.
Abraham Katz, diplomat, United States Ambassador to the OECD; lived in D.C.
Sharon Pratt Kelly, mayor of the District of Columbia, 1991–1995; born in D.C.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., politician, environmental lawyer, author, serving as the 26th United States Secretary of Health and Human Services since 2025; born in D.C.
Ned Lamont, businessman and 89th Governor of Connecticut; born in D.C.
Eleanor Holmes Norton, delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives for Washington, D.C.; born in D.C.
Jimmy Panetta, U.S. representative from California; born in D.C.
Bill Posey, U.S. representative from Florida; born in D.C.
Jerome Powell, Chair of the Federal Reserve and member of the Federal Reserve Board of Governors; born in D.C.
Amata Coleman Radewagen, delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives from American Samoa; born in D.C.
Jamie Raskin, U.S. representative from Maryland; born in D.C.
Bobby Scott, U.S. representative from Virginia; born in D.C.
Brian Sims, Democratic member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives; born in D.C.
Adam Smith, U.S. representative from Washington; born in D.C.
Josh Stein, governor and attorney general of North Carolina; born in D.C.
Gladys Spellman, former member of the U.S. House Of Representatives from Maryland; raised in New York and D.C.
Charles W. Swisher, thirteenth Secretary of State of West Virginia; died in D.C.
Conrad Tillard, politician, Baptist minister, radio host, author, and activist
Walter Nathan Tobriner, Washington, D.C., government official; born in D.C.
Larry Warner, Texas state legislator; born in D.C.
Paul Wellstone, U.S. senator from Minnesota; born in D.C.
Rob Wittman, U.S. representative from Virginia; born in D.C.

Scientists

Charles R. Drew, physician, medical researcher; born in D.C.
Danielle Hairston, psychiatrist; educated in D.C.
Michael Hendricks, psychologist, suicidologist, and advocate for the LGBT community; long-time resident of D.C.
Lars Krutak, tattoo anthropologist; long-time resident of D.C.

Writers

Edward Albee, playwright; born in D.C.
Alida Anderson, Arts researcher, author and professor at American University; born in D.C.
Ann Beattie, short story writer and novelist; born in D.C.
Tracy Chevalier, novelist; born in D.C.
Katherine M. Cook, educator and government official who specialized in rural education; lived and worked in D.C.
Ella Loraine Dorsey, author, journalist, translator; born in D.C.
Frederick Douglass, author, public speaker, political activist, abolitionist; lived and died in D.C.
Jonathan Safran Foer, writer; born in D.C.
Mary Downing Hahn, author; born in D.C.
Christopher Hitchens, author, journalist, political philosopher; lived in D.C. for most of his writing career
Langston Hughes, writer, poet; lived in D.C. at the start of his writing career
Edward P. Jones, author; raised in D.C.
Florence King, author; born in D.C.
Jeannie Blackburn Moran, author, community leader, socialite, and philanthropist; lived in and died in D.C.
George Pelecanos, author of detective fiction; born in D.C.
Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, writer; born in D.C.
Frederick Reuss, novelist known for works such as Mohr and Horace Afoot.
David Simon, screenwriter; born in D.C.
Paula Vogel, playwright; born in D.C.
Walt Whitman, journalist, poet, essayist; lived in D.C. for a decade during and after the American Civil War

Miscellaneous

Robert Askins, suspected serial killer; born in D.C.
Zak Bagans, paranormal expert
Vanilla Beane, Black milliner and businesswoman; moved to D.C. in the 1940s
John L. Carroll, federal judge and academic administrator; born in D.C.
Blac Chyna, socialite and model; born and raised in D.C.
Ruby Corado, transgender activist, founder and executive director of Casa Ruby in D.C.; married in D.C.
Sam Denby, YouTuber; born and raised in D.C.
Julie Nixon Eisenhower, daughter of President Richard Nixon; born in D.C.
Andrew Fastow, chief financial officer of Enron Corporation; born in D.C.
Albert Fish, cannibalistic serial killer and rapist; born in D.C.
Charles Brenton Fisk, organ builder; born in D.C.
Bill France Jr., CEO of NASCAR; born in D.C.
Bill France Sr., founder and CEO of NASCAR; born in D.C.
John R. Francis, physician and educator at Howard University; born in D.C.
William D. Gibbons, minister at D.C.'s Zion Baptist Church
Steven B. Gould, lawyer and judge from Maryland; born in D.C.
Shauntay Hinton, Miss USA 2002, Miss District of Columbia 2002; educated in D.C.
J. Edgar Hoover, FBI director; born in D.C.
Charlene Drew Jarvis, educator and president of Southeastern University; born in D.C.
Kerry Kennedy, human rights advocate; born in D.C.
Bruce Levenson, businessman, philanthropist, and former owner of the Atlanta Hawks; born in D.C.
J.W. Marriott Jr., chairman and CEO of Marriott International; born in D.C.
Clarence Moore, businessman; D.C. resident from 1890
Queen Noor of Jordan, born in D.C.
Perry Redd, social activist and organizer, and songwriter; born in D.C.
Vincent Reed, former assistant secretary of education under President Ronald Reagan; superintendent of the District of Columbia Public Schools
Tony Ressler, billionaire and owner of the Atlanta Hawks; born in D.C.
Andrew Tate, American-British media personality, businessman, and former professional kickboxer born in D.C.
Alethia Tanner, educator, businesswoman and community leader; resident from the early 1800s
Lauren Tuchman, rabbi and disability rights activist, raised in D.C.
Maryly Van Leer, university president and founder, women's rights activist, born in D.C.
Stanley Woodward, attorney