List of people from Oregon
This is a list of notable people associated with the U.S. state of Oregon through birth or residence.
A
- Bruce Abbott – actor
- Kenneth Acker – cornerback for the San Francisco 49ers
- Duane Ackerson – poet
- Brock Adams – U.S. representative and senator from Washington
- Alvin P. Adams Jr. – diplomat
- Lucia H. Faxon Additon – writer, teacher, social reformer
- Obo Addy – worldbeat musician
- Brad Adkins – artist
- Robert H. Adleman – novelist, historian and restaurateur
- Danny Ainge – former National Basketball Association and Major League Baseball player, NBA executive
- Erik Ainge – New York Jets quarterback, and nephew of Danny Ainge
- Jerome Alden – playwright and screenwriter
- Art Alexakis – member of Everclear
- James H. Allen – clown, author
- Laura Allen – actress
- Ryan Allen – punter for the New England Patriots
- Goli Ameri – U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs
- Rachel Ames – actress
- Aminé – hip hop musician and rapper
- Bob Amsberry – actor
- David Anders – actor
- Larry Andersen – former Major League Baseball pitcher
- Bruce Anderson – former National Football League linebacker
- Derek Anderson – quarterback for the Carolina Panthers
- Scott Anderson – former Major League Baseball pitcher
- Andy Andrist – stand-up comedian
- Oliver Cromwell Applegate – politician
- James E. Atwater – scientist; 2006 Wright Brothers medalist
- Montgomery Atwater – author, skier, avalanche control expert
- Les AuCoin – retired US congressman, 1st Dist., 1974–1992, Oregon State House Majority Leader, 1973–74
- Jean M. Auel – author
- Thomas J. Autzen – namesake of University of Oregon's stadium, contributing engineer to plywood manufacturing technologies
B
- Charlie Babb – Major League Baseball shortstop
- Wally Backman – Major League Baseball second baseman, Oregon Sports Hall of Fame inductee
- Preston Bailey – actor
- Rex T. Barber – World War II fighter pilot; known for shooting down Isoroku Yamamoto
- Carl Barks – comic book writer and artist
- Sandy Barr – professional wrestler, referee, promoter
- Jeffrey Barry – former Major League Baseball outfielder
- Blanche Bates – stage and film actress
- Scott Beach – actor
- Terry Bean – co-founder of the Human Rights Campaign and Democratic National Committee member
- James Beard – chef and food journalist
- Howard W. Bergerson – writer and palindromist
- Austin Bibens-Dirkx – relief pitcher for the Texas Rangers
- Josh Bidwell – former NFL punter
- Mel Blanc – voice actor
- Sheila Bleck – IFBB professional bodybuilder
- Lynette Boggs – politician, attorney, author, Miss Oregon 1989
- Harry D. Boivin – lawyer and legislative leader
- Tracy Bonham – alternative rock musician
- William H. Boring – Civil War veteran, pioneer
- Kevin Boss – tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs
- Chris Botti – trumpeter, recording artist
- Grayson Boucher – basketball player in the Streetball Mix Tape Tour
- Bill Bowerman – track coach at University of Oregon, Nike co-founder
- Matt Braunger – actor and stand-up comedian
- Ronnie Brewer – player for the Chicago Bulls
- Greg Brock – former Major League Baseball player for the Los Angeles Dodgers and Milwaukee Brewers
- Meredith Brooks – musician
- Scott Brosius – former Major League Baseball third baseman for the Oakland A's and New York Yankees
- Jasmin Savoy Brown – actress
- Bill Brown – pioneer horse and sheep rancher
- Kate Brown – Spanish-born politician, 38th governor of Oregon
- Brian Bruney – former Major League Baseball relief pitcher
- Louise Bryant – journalist and writer
- Edgar Buchanan – actor
- Peter Buck – musician, lead guitarist of R.E.M.
- Jamie Burke – former Major League Baseball catcher
- Ty Burrell – actor
- Brian Burres – Major League Baseball pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates
C
- Bruce Campbell – actor
- Marion Eugene Carl – United States Marine Corps fighter ace and record-setting test pilot
- Jean Carmen – actress, pin-up model
- Margaret Carter – politician
- Raymond Carver – author
- Anthony W. Case – astrophysicist
- Erin Chambers – actress
- Jeff Charleston – former National Football League defensive end
- Daveigh Chase – actress
- Arthur Chin – World War II flying ace
- Janet Chvatal – classical soprano, author and director of musicals
- Adam Cimber – Major League Baseball pitcher for the Cleveland Indians
- Beverly Cleary – author
- Kellen Clemens – National Football League quarterback for the San Diego Chargers
- Michelle Clunie – actress
- Pinto Colvig – actor, voice actor
- Thomas Condon – minister, geologist, and paleontologist
- Donald Cook – actor
- Gretchen Corbett – actress
- Henry L. Corbett – businessman, civic leader, and politician
- Henry W. Corbett – Oregon pioneer, businessman, politician, and philanthropist
- Robert O. Cornthwaite – character actor, Picket Fences
- Chad Cota – former National Football League player and co-owner of InfoStructure
- Colby Covington – mixed martial artist
- Trevor Crowe – former Major League Baseball outfielder
- Ann Curry – television journalist
D
- Bernard Daly – pioneer doctor, businessman, rancher, and politician
- George Dantzig – mathematical scientist
- Ray and Hugh DeAutremont – criminals
- David DeCoteau – film director and producer
- Madeline DeFrees – poet, teacher, and nun
- Richard Diebenkorn – artist
- Marie Aioe Dorion – member of Pacific Fur Company expedition
- Sarah Dougher – musician
- Sho Dozono – businessman, candidate in 2008 Portland mayoral race
- Brandon Drury – second baseman for the Arizona Diamondbacks
- Patrick Duffy – actor
- Mindy Duncan – beauty queen
- Mike Dunleavy Jr. – basketball player for the Chicago Bulls
- Katherine Dunn – writer
- James Dutton – astronaut
E
- Robert Eakin – Oregon Supreme Court chief justice
- Randall Edwards – Oregon State Treasurer
- Chandler Egan – golf course designer
- Mike Ekstrom – Major League Baseball pitcher for the Tampa Bay Rays
- Sam Elliott – actor
- LeRoy Ellis – NBA basketball player
- Jacoby Ellsbury – Major League Baseball outfielder for the New York Yankees
- Harris Ellsworth – member of U.S. Congress from Oregon
- Jeri Ellsworth – entrepreneur and autodidact computer chip designer
- Jack Ely – musician of The Kingsmen
- Douglas Engelbart – inventor and early computer pioneer
- Siegfried Engelmann – educator
- Marie Equi – physician and anarchist
- John R. Everett – president of Hollins College, first chancellor of the Municipal College System of the City of New York, and president of the New School for Social Research
- Neil Everett – ESPN sportscaster
- Tom Everett – actor
- Chris Eyre – film director and producer
F
- Tami Farrell – Miss Teen USA 2003
- Rich Fellers – Olympic equestrian
- Mark Few – head men's basketball coach at Gonzaga University
- Todd Field – screenwriter, film director, actor
- David Fincher – film director
- Francis Fletcher – British Oregon pioneer
- George Buck Flower – actor
- Sally Flynn – singer
- Peter Foley – former snowboarding coach; suspended for 10 years for sexual misconduct
- Dick Fosbury – track and field athlete; invented the "Fosbury Flop"
- Howie Fox – Major League Baseball pitcher
- Harriet Frank Jr. – screenwriter
- Nell Franzen – actress
- Alex Frost – actor
G
- Clark Gable – actor
- Maggie Gallagher – social conservative writer and commentator
- Richard Garfield – mathematician, inventor, and game designer
- Dan Gauthier – actor
- Laura Gibson – singer-songwriter, musician
- Alfred Carlton Gilbert – athlete, toy-maker and businessman; inventor of the Erector Set
- Karl Glusman – actor
- Neil Goldschmidt – influential and controversial governor, mayor of Portland, lobbyist
- Brandon Gonzáles – professional boxer
- Avel Gordly – first African American woman elected to the Oregon State Senate
- A.C. Green – NBA player
- Alex Green – National Football League running back for the Green Bay Packers
- Edith Green – Oregon congresswoman and educator
- Scott Gragg – National Football League offensive tackle for the San Francisco 49ers and New York Jets
- Kevin Gregg – relief pitcher for the Baltimore Orioles
- Matt Groening – creator of The Simpsons and Futurama
- Les Gutches – two-time world medalist and world champion in freestyle wrestling
- Jeremy Guthrie – Major League Baseball pitcher for the Kansas City Royals
H
- Kevin Hagen – actor
- Page Hamilton – musician
- Bill Hanley (rancher) – pioneer rancher and wildlife conservation advocate
- Kathleen Hanna – singer, songwriter
- Tonya Harding – ice skater, boxer
- Katie Harman – Miss America 2002
- Gregory Harrison – actor, Trapper John, M.D.
- Oscar Harstad – Major League Baseball pitcher
- Taylor Hart – defensive end for the Philadelphia Eagles
- Mark Hatfield – Oregon legislator, secretary of state, governor and U.S. senator
- Scott Hatteberg – former MLB first baseman and catcher
- John Haughm – vocalist and guitarist for folk metal band Agalloch
- Carey Hayes – screenwriter
- Chad Hayes – screenwriter
- Todd Haynes – director
- Hazel P. Heath – mayor, Homer, Alaska
- Jon Heder – actor
- Margaux Hemingway – fashion model, actress and granddaughter of writer Ernest Hemingway
- Bobby Henderson – Pastafarian and prophet of the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster
- Justin Herbert – National Football League quarterback
- Howard Hesseman – actor, played disc jockey "Johnny Fever" on the television sitcom WKRP in Cincinnati
- Leah Hing – pilot
- D.K. Holm – movie reviewer, Internet columnist, radio broadcaster, and author
- Herbert Hoover – moved to Oregon at the age of eleven; 31st president of the United States
- Nick Hundley – catcher for the Baltimore Orioles
I
- Terri Irwin – naturalist and conservationist
- Lucie Fulton Isaacs – writer, philanthropist, suffragist; member, Oregon Pioneer Association
J
- Clifton James – actor, best known for his roles as Sheriff J.W. Pepper alongside Roger Moore in two James Bond films
- Larry Jansen – Major League Baseball pitcher and coach
- Margo Jennings – athletic coach
- Ethel Jewett – actress
- Bill Johnson – World Cup alpine ski racer
- June Jones – head football coach for Southern Methodist University
- Terrence Jones – basketball player for the Houston Rockets
- Chief Joseph – chief of the Wal-lam-wat-kain band of Nez Perce Native Americans
K
- Mat Kearney – musician
- Barnaby Keeney – president of Brown University
- Scott Kelly – musician Neurosis
- Shell Kepler – actress
- Maude Kerns – avant-garde visual artist
- Ken Kesey – author
- Zach King – Youtube influencer
- Justin Kirk – actor
- John Kitzhaber – Oregon governor
- Phil Knight – founder of Nike
- Tonya Knight – IFBB professional bodybuilder
- Travis Knight – director and producer, son of Phil Knight
- A. Thomas Kraabel – classics scholar
- Jon Krakauer – author and mountaineer
- Nicholas Kristof – Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist
- Taya Kyle – author, wife of Chris Kyle
L
- Winona LaDuke – Native American activist
- Alicia Lagano – actress
- Ben Hur Lampman – journalist, essayist, Poet Laureate
- Frances Moore Lappé – author and activist
- Lars Larson – radio talk show host
- Ursula K. Le Guin – author
- Barbara Coombs Lee – president of Compassion & Choices
- Hazel Ying Lee – military pilot
- Marc Alan Lee – first Navy SEAL to lose his life in Operation Iraqi Freedom
- Leonard Levy – Pulitzer Prize winner
- Rian Lindell – NFL placekicker for the Buffalo Bills
- Matt Lindland – former MMA fighter, Olympic silver medalist in Greco-Roman wrestling
- Jon Lindstrom – actor, General Hospital, Port Charles
- Neil Lomax – NFL quarterback for St. Louis / Phoenix Cardinals
- Gary Loudermilk – radio personality, known as "Gary the Retard" in Howard Stern's Wack Pack
- Courtney Love – musician, actress
- Kevin Love – NBA basketball player for the Cleveland Cavaliers
- Jed Lowrie – infielder for the Houston Astros
M
- Ranald MacDonald – first man to teach the English language in Japan
- Holly Madison – former girlfriend of Playboy founder Hugh Hefner, model, television personality
- Dick Magruder – rancher, lawyer, and politician
- Larry Mahan – six-time World All-Around Rodeo Champion cowboy
- Donald Malarkey – World War II soldier
- Bridget Marquardt – former girlfriend of Playboy founder Hugh Hefner, model, actress, television personality
- Richard Laurence Marquette – serial killer
- Jeron Mastrud – American football player
- David Mayo – American football player
- Lewis A. McArthur – author of Oregon Geographic Names
- Tom McCall – 30th governor of Oregon
- David McCord – poet
- Rose McGowan – actress
- Dallas McKennon – voice actor; voice of Gumby, Pokey, Archie Andrews, and Tony the Tiger
- Charles McNary – U.S. senator, and 1940 republican U.S. vice presidential nominee
- Pat McQuistan – former NFL player
- Paul McQuistan – former NFL player; 2013 Super Bowl winner with the Seattle Seahawks
- Mayo Methot – actress; third wife of Humphrey Bogart
- Charis Michelsen – actress and former model
- Quintin Mikell – safety for the Philadelphia Eagles
- Jourdan Miller – fashion model, America's Next Top Model winner
- Bob Mionske – attorney and former Olympic and professional bicycle racer
- Geoffrey Moore – high-technology consultant and author
- Joel Moore – actor
- Walt Morey – author
- Lee Morse – jazz and blues singer/songwriter, Broadway actress, and guitar player
- Macy Morse – peace activist
- Ona Munson – actress
- Dale Murphy – former Major League Baseball player
- Brent Musburger – CBS, ABC, ESPN sportscaster
N
- Legedu Naanee – National Football League wide receiver for the San Diego Chargers
- James Nesmith – pioneer, lawyer, and politician
- John Strong Newberry – geologist, physician, explorer, and author
- Mickey Newbury – songwriter
- Chester Newton – Olympic silver medalist in freestyle wrestling
- William A. Niskanen – economist
- Kim Novak – actress
O
- Austin O'Brien – actor
- Owamagbe Odighizuwa – defensive end for the New York Giants
- Jack Ohman – editorial cartoonist for The Oregonian
- Robert T. Oliver – scholar of intercultural communication
- Musse Olol – social activist
- Eric Christian Olsen – actor
- George Olsen – drummer and prolific bandleader
- Kaitlin Olson – actress
- Bethenia Angelina Owens-Adair – activist, physician
P
- Bob Packwood – former United States Senate and Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee
- Bettie Page – pin-up model
- Chuck Palahniuk – journalist, author
- Mark Parent – former Major League Baseball catcher
- Tom Parrott – professional baseball player
- Ken Patera – professional wrestler, Olympic weightlifter, and strongman competitor
- Chief Paulina – leader of the Hunipuitöka band of Northern Paiute Native Americans
- Linus Pauling – chemist and activist; only person to win two Nobel Prizes outright
- Bill Pearl – world champion bodybuilder
- Alfred Peet – founder of Peet's Coffee & Tea
- Kari Ann Peniche – actress
- Jack Pennick – actor
- Tom Peterson – home appliance retailer and television pitchman
- Kim M. Peyton-McDonald – gold medalist from 1976 Summer Olympics; Oregon Sports Hall of Fame inductee
- Julianne Phillips – actress; ex-wife of Bruce Springsteen
- River Phoenix – actor, musician, and activist
- Mitch Pileggi – actor
- Henry Pittock – pioneer; founder and publisher of The Oregonian
- Bill Plympton – animator, graphic designer, and cartoonist
- Troy Polamalu – strong safety for the Pittsburgh Steelers
- Elias Porter – psychologist
- Norris Poulson – 36th mayor of Los Angeles
- Jane Powell – actress
- Steve Prefontaine – track athlete
- Megan Prelinger – cultural historian, archivist
- Maudie Prickett – actress
R
- Ruth Radelet – musician, lead singer of Chromatics
- Ahmad Rashad – college and National Football League player and sportscaster
- Johnnie Ray – singer, songwriter
- Susan Raye – country singer
- John Reed – journalist and Bolshevik activist
- Robin Reed – Olympic gold medalist in freestyle wrestling
- Holiday Reinhorn – fiction writer; married to actor Rainn Wilson
- Mike Remmers – offensive tackle for the New York Giants
- Harold Reynolds – Major League Baseball player; television analyst
- Kim Rhodes – actress and singer
- Mike Rich – screenwriter
- Anna Rankin Riggs – social reformer
- Jenelle Riley – journalist, screenwriter
- Mike Riley – football player for Alabama Crimson Tide and Nebraska Cornhuskers head coach
- Lisa Rinna – actress
- Terry Robb – fingerstyle guitarist
- Cathy McMorris Rodgers – U.S. representative, Republican Conference Chairman of [the United States House of Representatives|chair of the House Republican Conference]
- Dante Rosario – tight end for the Chicago Bears
- Terrence Ross – NBA player for the Toronto Raptors
- Zac Rosscup – pitcher for the Chicago Cubs
- Mark Rothko – Latvian expressionist artist
- Aaron Rowand – MLB player for San Francisco Giants and Chicago White Sox
- Burt Rutan – aerospace engineer
- Ad Rutschman – football and baseball coach at Linfield College
- Susan Ruttan – actress
S
- Domantas Sabonis – basketball player for the NBA Sacramento Kings
- Mendel Sachs – theoretical physicist
- Katee Sackhoff – actress
- Curtis Salgado – blues, rhythm and blues, and soul singer and harmonica player
- Rick Sanders – two-time Olympic silver medalist and world champion in freestyle wrestling
- Rebecca Schaeffer – actress
- Shoni Schimmel – WNBA player with the Atlanta Dream
- Les Schwab – businessman
- Dale Scott – Major League Baseball umpire
- Daniel Seavey – musician, singer-songwriter, and contestant on American Idol season 14
- Doc Severinsen – trumpeter, bandleader on The Tonight Show
- Martha Allen Sherwood – lichenologist
- Kyle Singler – small forward for the Oklahoma City Thunder
- Sonny Sixkiller – former Washington Huskies quarterback; actor
- Alek Skarlatos – Oregon Army National Guardsman specialist known for stopping a gunman in a Paris-bound train from Amsterdam via Brussels; contestant on Dancing with the Stars season 21
- Matt Slauson – guard for the Chicago Bears
- Bill Smith – Olympic gold medalist in freestyle wrestling
- Dean Smith – pioneer pilot
- Elliott Smith – musician
- Chael Sonnen – mixed martial artist, competed in the UFC
- Esperanza Spalding – jazz musician
- Erik Spoelstra – head coach for the Miami Heat
- Mary Jane Spurlin – Oregon's first female judge
- Ralph Stackpole – visual artist
- Colleen Stan – kidnapping victim, activist
- William Gladstone Steel – conservationist, known as the "father of Crater Lake"
- Dorothy Hester Stenzel – record-breaking stunt pilot
- Ryan Stevenson – musician
- David Ogden Stiers – actor
- Eric A. Stillwell – screenwriter and producer
- Kimberley Strassel – author, member of The [Wall Street Journal editorial board|The Wall Street Journal editorial board]
- Robert W. Straub – governor of Oregon
- Brenda Strong – actress
- Sally Struthers – actress
- Drew Struzan – artist
- Ndamukong Suh – defensive tackle for the Los Angeles Rams
- William L. Sullivan – author of outdoor guide books
- Robert S. Summers – legal scholar specializing in jurisprudence, commercial contracts, and comparative law
T
- Jack Tafari – housing-rights activist
- Ruth Taylor – actress
- Maria Thayer – actress
- Tommy Thayer – musician, lead guitarist of Kiss
- Inga Thompson – professional bicycle racer
- Andy Tillman – llama rancher, businessman, and author
- Barrett Tillman – novelist and military historian
- Kevin Towers – general manager for the Arizona Diamondbacks
- April Genevieve Tucholke – young adult novelist
- Corin Tucker – musician, guitarist
U
- Ime Udoka – small forward for the San Antonio Spurs
- Sara Jean Underwood – Playboy Playmate of the Year 2007, model, actress
V
- Richard VanGrunsven – homebuilt aircraft designer
- Gus Van Sant – director
- Paige VanZant – mixed martial artist
- Laura Veirs – folk singer-songwriter
- Will Vinton – director and producer
W
- Lindsay Wagner – actress
- Madge Morris Wagner – poet and journalist
- Don Wakamatsu – bench coach for the Kansas City Royals
- Neale Donald Walsch – author
- Don Walsh – oceanographer, explorer
- Bill Warren – film historian
- Craig Wasson – actor
- Michael Waterman – scientist
- Dominic Waters – basketball player in the Israel Basketball Premier League
- Connor Weil – actor
- Bob Welch – author and columnist
- John West – Scottish captain and inventor
- Oswald West – 14th governor of Oregon
- Opal Whiteley – nature writer and diarist
- Dave Wiegand – winner of 2005 and 2009 National Scrabble championship
- Carl Wieman – physicist, winner of 2001 Nobel Prize in Physics laureate
- Dave Wilcox – Hall of Fame linebacker with the San Francisco 49ers
- Edy Williams – film and television actress
- Mitch Williams – Major League Baseball relief pitcher, studio analyst for MLB Network
- Bridgette Wilson – actress, singer and model
- Nancy Wilson – musician, Heart
- Kyle Wiltjer – player for the Houston Rockets
- Henry Hope Wong – pioneer pilot
- Basil Wolverton – cartoonist, writer
- Renn Woods – actress
- Anthony Wynn – author
Y
- Minoru Yasui – lawyer and civil rights activist
- Yeat – rapper
Z
- John Zerzan – anthropologist and anarchist writer