Famous People Born In Baltimore

The most decorated and successful Olympian of all time, Michael Phelps is a former competitive swimmer who has won a total of 28 Olympic medals. He is widely considered one of the greatest athletes ever and the greatest swimmer of all time. He has several world records and Olympic records under his belt.

Frank Zappa was an American composer, multi-instrumentalist, singer-songwriter, and bandleader. Widely regarded as one of the most stylistically diverse and innovative rock musicians of his generation, Zappa was named in Rolling Stone magazine's 100 Greatest Artists of All Time list in 2004. Zappa's works have influenced other musicians like Alice Cooper, Jimi Hendrix, Simon Phillips, Steve Vai, and Warren DeMartini.

The first African-American member of the US Supreme Court, Thurgood Marshall was an associate justice from 1967 to 1991. Earlier as an attorney, he fought for the abolishment of racial segregation in American public schools. He was also a strong proponent of individual rights. A symbol of black icon, there are numerous memorials in America to honour his legacy.

Actress Anna Faris is known for her comedic roles, especially as the lead in the commercially successful Scary Movie films. Lost in Translation, Brokeback Mountain, Just Friends, The House Bunny, The Dictator, Calgary and Overboard are some of her other notable films. She has also acted in television sitcoms like Friends and Mom. Anna Faris has been featured on the covers of several magazines.

Julie Bowen is an American actress whose performance in the television series Modern Family earned her six successive Primetime Emmy Award nominations, out of which she won twice. But what's really impressive and inspirational about this Marylander is that she achieved all this wearing a pacemaker in her chest all the way through—a real-life Iron Woman!

David Hasselhoff played the iconic role of Mitch Buchannon in Baywatch. He has also starred in The Young and The Restless and Knight Rider, judged on America’s Got Talent, released a music album, and appeared in Broadway musicals. He has a Guinness record for being the most-watched man on TV.

Lance Reddick is an American musician and actor. Over the years, Reddick has contributed immensely to the success of several TV series, such as Oz, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, The Wire, Fringe, and Bosch. He has also been entertaining children and adults alike by providing his likeness and voice for video games like Quantum Break and Destiny series.

Cass Elliot was a popular American singer and actress. As part of the famous folk-rock vocal group The Mamas and the Papas, Cass Elliot played an important role in influencing the counterculture of the 1960s and its music scene. She had a great impact on the American entertainment industry of the 1960s.

Born in the U.S., boxer Gervonta Davis is of mixed heritage but identifies as African-American. He has held titles such as the IBF super featherweight title and the WBA (Super) super featherweight title. Mentored by Floyd Mayweather, he is best known for his knockout-to-win percentage.

Muggsy Bogues is a former basketball player. Standing at 5 feet 3 inches tall, Bogues is the shortest player in the history of the National Basketball Association (NBA). When his 14-season NBA career came to an end, Bogues served as the head coach for Charlotte Sting, which participated in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) from 1997 to 2007. 

An actor known for appearing in the film Deep Blue Sea, Thomas Jane has been active in Hollywood for more than 30 years. He dropped out of high school to pursue acting and struggled for a while. Eventually, he was able to make a name for himself in the entertainment world. Besides acting, he writes comic books. 

Author and journalist Ta-Nehisi Coates gained international prominence while serving as the national correspondent at The Atlantic. His writings on socio-political issues related to African Americans and white supremacy garnered him much appreciation. He is a recipient of the Harriet Beecher Stowe Center Prize for Writing to Advance Social Justice. He also writes fiction and comics.

Mike Rowe is an American narrator, television host, and former opera singer. He has narrated popular programs on the Discovery Channel, such as How the Universe Works and Deadliest Catch. Also an activist, Rowe joined hands with the 'Association of Equipment Manufacturers' in 2010 in order to create jobs in the manufacturing sector through a campaign named "I Make America".

Nicole Ari Parker is best known for her role as Becky Barnett in the movie Boogie Nights. Fans also loved her as Teri Joseph in Soul Food and as Giselle Barker in the soap Empire. She also plays Samantha Miller in Chicago P.D. Nicole is an active Democrat.

Charles S. Dutton is an American actor and filmmaker. He is best known for playing Boy Willie in the television film The Piano Lesson, for which he received nominations at Golden Globe Awards and Primetime Emmy Awards. Interestingly, Dutton discovered his passion for acting in prison after he was jailed for manslaughter in 1967.

The Schock Prize and National Humanities Medal-winning American moral and political philosopher John Bordley Rawls is often counted among the most influential political philosophers of the twentieth-century. Notable books of Rawls, where he elucidated his theory of justice and which has influenced a variety of thinkers, includes A Theory of Justice and Political Liberalism.

Emmy-winning puppeteer and voice-actor Kevin Clash is best known for performing as and voicing Elmo on Sesame Street. He has also performed with puppets for Dinosaurs and Labyrinth, and was a regular on productions of the Muppet franchise. He has authored a memoir and has inspired a documentary, too.

H. L. Mencken was an American journalist, cultural critic, essayist, satirist, and scholar of American English. His reporting on the Scopes Trial earned him national recognition. The trial came to be known as the Scopes Monkey Trial as Mencken had nicknamed it Monkey Trial in accordance with his satirical reporting of the trial.

Kevin Chamberlin is an American actor best known for playing Uncle Fester in the musical comedy The Addams Family. Although he has played interesting roles in films and TV series, Chamberlin is best known for his work in theatre. Over the years, his theatre work has earned him three Drama Desk Award and three Tony Award nominations.

A congresswoman from California and the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi is a member of the Democratic Party. She is the highest-ranking female elected official in United States history and the only woman in US history to serve as the speaker. She played a key role in the passage of the 2010 Tax Relief Act.

An actress, screenwriter, producer, and businesswoman, Jada Pinkett Smith is a woman who dons many hats. Entering the entertainment world in the 1990s as an actress, she quickly cemented her place in Hollywood and soon branched out into production as well. An ambitious lady, she also runs her own music company and fashion label.

Utkarsh Ambudkar is an American rapper, actor, and singer. Apart from releasing extended plays, such as The Gold Tusk and Members Only, Ambudkar has also played interesting roles on stage, in films, and in TV series. Owing to his Indian origin, Utkarsh Ambudkar has often played characters of Asian background.