The following is a list of famous people associated with North Carolina, USA.
Public/military figures
- Erskine Bowles, (born 1945), White House Chief of Staff under President Bill Clinton and two-time Democratic candidate for the US Senate; currently the President of the University of North Carolina system (Greensboro)
- William Blount, (1749 - 1800), first North Carolina signatory of the United States Constitution; played a major role in the creation of the State of Tennessee (Windsor)
- Braxton Bragg, (1817 - 1876), General in the Confederate States Army; led the Confederate Army of Tennessee in the battles of Perryville, Stones River, Chickamauga, and the Third Battle of Chattanooga against Union General Ulysses Grant (Warrenton)
- Robert Byrd, (born 1917), U.S. Senator from West Virginia since 1959; he is the longest-serving Senator in American history (North Wilkesboro)
- Julius L. Chambers, (born 1936), civil rights attorney who successfully argued the 1971 Swann v. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education school busing case before the US Supreme Court (Mount Gilead, North Carolina)
- Levi Coffin, (1798 - 1897), abolitionist and educator known as the "President" of the Underground Railroad; credited with helping over 2,000 slaves escape to freedom in the North before the Civil War (Greensboro)
- Josephus Daniels, (1862 - 1948), US Secretary of the Navy from 1913-1921 under President Woodrow Wilson; also was a journalist and founder of the Raleigh News and Observer newspaper (Washington)
- Elizabeth Dole, (born 1936), former U.S. Senator and former Secretary of Transportation under President Ronald Reagan; wife to former Republican Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole (Salisbury)
- Sam Ervin, (1896 - 1985), four-term U.S. Senator and Chairman of the Senate Watergate Investigation Committee; started the legislative process which led to the resignation of President Richard Nixon (Morganton)
- Richard Jordan Gatling, (1818 - 1903), physician and inventor of the Gatling gun (Hertford County)
- The Greensboro Four, male African-American students at the North Carolina A&T State University who in 1960 started the first civil rights sit-in; their action eventually led to lunch counters and restaurants being desegregated throughout the Southern United States
- John H. Hager, (born 1936), Lieutenant Governor of Virginia.
- Jesse Helms, (born 1921), retired five-term Senator from North Carolina and national spokesman for right-wing causes (Monroe)
- James B. Hunt, Jr., (born 1937), former NC governor who served a record four terms, also engaged Jesse Helms in a race for the U.S. Senate in 1984 that was the most expensive Senate campaign up to that time (Wilson)
- Andrew Jackson, (1767 - 1845), seventh President of the United States from 1829-1837 (Waxhaw)
- Andrew Johnson, (1808 - 1875), seventeenth President of the United States from 1865-1869 (Raleigh)
- Joseph Lane, (1801-1881), United States Army general and member of the United States Senate from Oregon (Buncombe County)
- Dolley Madison, (1768 - 1849), wife of President James Madison (Guilford County)
- Daniel McFadden, (born 1937), economist, winner of the 2000 Nobel Prize in economics (Raleigh)
- Walter Hines Page, (1855 - 1918), U.S. ambassador to Britain during the First World War, played a major role in bringing the United States into the war on the side of the British and French (Cary)
- James K. Polk, (1797 - 1849), 11th President of the United States from 1845-1849 (Mecklenburg County)
- Hiram Revels, (1822 - 1901), first African-American member of the United States Senate (Fayetteville)
- Hugh Shelton, (born 1942), retired US Army General, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from 1997 to 2001 (Tarboro)
- Richard Dobbs Spaight Sr, (1758-1802), second NC signatory of the US Constitution and the eighth NC Governor (New Bern)
- Robert F. Williams, (1925 - 1996), civil rights activist who advocated using black armed guards to protect African-American neighborhoods from the Ku Klux Klan and other violent white supremacist groups; he later lived in exile in Cuba (Monroe)
- Charles E. Whitmeyer, (1918-1975), undertaker, bootlegger, inventor, turned state legislator from Maggie Valley
- Charles A. Gabriel, (1928-2003), US Air Force General, 11th chief of staff of the U.S. Air Force. Lincolnton
- James E. Broyhill, (1892-1988), founder of Broyhill Furniture Industries Inc. and leader for Republican Party in North Carolina.
Law enforcement
Media
- John L. Adams, (born 1970), actor (Winston-Salem)
- Randy Boone (born 1942), actor and singer (Fayetteville)
- Cecil B. DeMille, (1919 - 1959), film director (Washington)
- Jennifer Ehle, (born 1969), actress (Winston-Salem)
- Zach Galifianakis, (born 1969), comedian, actor, writer (Sparta)
- Gallagher, (born 1947), comedian (Fort Bragg)
- Ava Gardner, (1922 - 1990), actress (Smithfield)
- Kathryn Grayson (born 1922), actress and singer (Winston-Salem)
- Pam Grier, (born 1949), actress (Winston-Salem)
- Rhoda Griffis, (born unknown), actress
- Andy Griffith, (born 1926), actor and singer (Mt. Airy)
- George Grizzard, (1928 - 2007), Emmy & Tony-winning actor (Roanoke Rapids)
- Michael C. Hall, (born 1971), actor (Raleigh)
- Ed Hinton (1927-1958), actor (Wilmington)
- Vincent Kennedy McMahon, (born 1945), Chairman of the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) (Pinehurst)
- Jeff Hardy, (born 1977), professional wrestler, entertainer (Cameron)
- Matt Hardy, (born 1974), professional wrestler, entertainer (Cameron)
- Molly Haskell, (born 1939), film critic (Charlotte)
- Gill Holland, (born 1964), film producer
- Darwin Joston, (1937 - 1998), actor (Winston-Salem)
- Tim Kirkman, (born 1966), film director (Monroe)
- Sharon Lawrence, actor
- Beth Leavel, actor
- Chyler Leigh, (born 1982), actress (Charlotte)
- Barbara Loden, (1932 - 1980), actor and film director (Marion)
- Shannon Moore, (born 1979), professional wrestler, entertainer (Cameron)
- Jaime Pressly, (born 1977), model (Kinston)
- Emily Proctor, (born 1968), actress (Raleigh)
- Soupy Sales, (born 1926), comedian (Franklinton)
- Judith Scott, actress, (Fort Bragg)
- Reginald VelJohnson, (born 1952), actor, best known as Carl Winslow on the TV show Family Matters, and as Sgt. Al Powell in the first two Die Hard films. (Raleigh)
- Mary Elizabeth Winstead, (born 1984), actress (Rocky Mount)
- Evan Rachel Wood, (born 1987), actress (Raleigh)
- Gregory Helms, (born 1974), professional wrestler, entertainer (Smithfield)
- Ben Vereen, (born 1946), actor, entertainer (Laurinburg)
Music
- 9th Wonder, (born 1975), hip-hop producer (Winston-Salem)
- Ryan Adams, (born 1974), singer/songwriter (Jacksonville and Raleigh)
- Clay Aiken, (born 1978), pop singer (Raleigh)
- Alesana, (2004 - present), post-hardcore band (Raleigh)
- Tori Amos, (born 1963), singer (Newton)
- Sunshine Anderson, (born 1974), R&B/Soul singer/songwriter (Winston-Salem and Charlotte)
- Bessie Banks, singer (born Bessie White)
- Fantasia Barrino, (born 1984), singer (High Point)
- Shirley Caesar, (born 1938), singer (Durham)
- George Clinton, (born 1941), funk musician (Kannapolis)
- John Coltrane, (1926 - 1967), jazz musician (Hamlet)
- The Connells, (1984 - present), indie rock band (Raleigh and Chapel Hill)
- David L. Cook, (born 1968), Christian recording artist and comedian (Charlotte)
- Corrosion of Conformity, (1982 - present), heavy metal band (Raleigh)
- Elizabeth Cotten, (1895 - 1987), folk and blues singer and songwriter (Carrboro)
- Bucky Covington, (born 1977), singer (Rockingham)
- Charlie Daniels, (born 1936), singer/songwriter (Wilmington)
- Chris Daughtry, (born 1979), singer (Roanoke Rapids & Greensboro)
- Jermaine Dupri, (born 1972), rap artist and record producer (Asheville)
- Analog Daze, Rock/Alternative Band (formed 2005), Founders of the "Jangledelic" Rock Scene in the Southeast (most notably for their debut studio album) "Our Great Unity of International Limited Liability (Charlotte)
- Mitch Easter, (born 1954), singer/songwriter and music producer (most notably for the band R.E.M.; frontman for the 1980s band Let's Active (Winston-Salem)
- Donna Fargo, (born 1945), singer/songwriter (Mt. Airy)
- Roberta Flack, (born 1937), singer (Asheville)
- Ben Folds, (born 1966), singer/songwriter (Winston-Salem and Chapel Hill)
- Ben Folds Five, (1994 - 1999), Indie Band (Chapel Hill)
- Blind Boy Fuller, (1908 - 1941), blues guitarist and singer Wadesboro
- Alfreda Gerald, opera singer and classical soloist (Morganton)
- Andy Griffith, (born 1926), actor and gospel singer (Mt. Airy)
- Anthony Hamilton, (born 1985), soul artist (Charlotte)
- Wilbert Harrison, (1929 - 1994), singer, pianist (Charlotte)
- Warren Haynes, (born 1960), Southern rock & Blues singer & guitarist. Founder of the band Gov't Mule & longtime member of The Allman Brothers Band. (Asheville, North Carolina)
- Jimmy Herring, (1962 - present), current lead-guitarist for the band Widespread Panic and guitar virtuoso (Fayetteville)
- Byron Hill, (born 1953), country songwriter (Winston-Salem)
- Michael Houser, (1962 - 2002), late lead-guitarist/founding member of the band Widespread Panic (Boone)
- Jodeci, (1990 - 1996), R&B group (Charlotte)
- K-Ci & JoJo, (1996 - present), R&B duo formerly of the group Jodeci (Charlotte)[citation needed]
- Ben E. King, (born 1938), singer/songwriter (Henderson)
- Let's Active, (1981 - 1990), jangle pop band (Winston-Salem)
- Little Brother, (2002 - present), hip-hop group (Durham)
- Ronnie Milsap, (born 1946), country singer/songwriter (Robbinsville)
- Dave Moody, (born 1962), Grammy nominated, Dove Award winning artist/producer/songwriter/filmmaker (Fayetteville)
- Thelonious Monk, (1917 - 1982), jazz & blues pianist (Rocky Mount)
- The Never, (2001 - present), indie rock band (Chapel Hill)
- Oliver (William Oliver Swofford), (1945 - 2000), singer (North Wilkesboro)
- Petey Pablo, (born 1978), rap artist (Greenville)
- Kellie Pickler, (born June 28, 1986), pop country singer-songwriter and participant in fifth season of American Idol (Albemarle)
- Charlie Poole and the North Carolina Ramblers, 1920s string band (Poole was from Randolph County; other members were from various locations in NC)
- Max Roach, (1924-2007), jazz drummer (Pasquotank County)
- Earl Scruggs, (born 1924), bluegrass banjo player (Shelby)
- Nina Simone, (1933 - 2003), singer (Tryon)
- Southern Culture on the Skids, (1983 - present), psychobilly/alt country band (Chapel Hill)
- Squirrel Nut Zippers, (1993 - 2001, 2006 - present), vintage-style jazz/swing jazz band infused with a DIY punk sensibility (Chapel Hill)
- Supastition, (born 1976), hip-hop artist (Greenville)
- James Taylor, (born 1948), singer/songwriter (Chapel Hill)
- The "5" Royales, (1952 - 1965), gospel, jump blues and doo wop R&B group; originally called the Royal Sons Quintet (Winston-Salem)
- The dB's, (1977 - 1987, 2005 - present), power pop group (members born in Winston-Salem)
- The Inspirations, (1964 - present), southern gospel group (Bryson City)
- The Red Fox Chasers, (1920s - 1930s), string band (various locations in NC)
- Randy Travis, (born 1959), country music singer (Marshville)
- Loudon Wainwright III, (born 1946), songwriter, folk singer, humorist and actor (Chapel Hill)
- Doc Watson, (born 1923), folk guitarist (Deep Gap)
- Whiskeytown, (1994 - 2999), alt country band (Raleigh)
- George Younce, (1930 - 2005), gospel singer (Caldwell County)
- Between the Buried and Me (2001-present) progressive metal (Raleigh)[citation needed]
- Beloved, (2000-2005) hardcore (Winston-Salem)
- The Avett Brothers, (2000-present) folk/rock (Concord)
- The Urban Sophisticates (2002-present) hip hop (Greensboro)
Journalism
- David Brinkley, (1920 - 2003), television newscaster, host of ABC-TV's This Week with David Brinkley from 1981-1996 and also co-anchor of the Huntley-Brinkley Report nightly newscast on NBC-TV from 1956-1970 (Wilmington)
- Howard Cosell, (1918 - 1995), sports journalist and long-time star of ABC-TV's Monday Night Football, also commentator for many of the greatest fights of boxing legend Muhammad Ali (Winston-Salem)
- Josephus Daniels, (1862 - 1948), Founder of the Raleigh News and Observer newspaper, also served as United States Secretary of the Navy from 1913-1921 under President Woodrow Wilson (Washington)
- David Gergen, (born May 9, 1942), journalist, editor-at-large for U.S. News & World Report, also serves as Director of The Center for Public Leadership at The John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, also a Senior Political Analyst at CNN (Durham)
- Al Hunt, (born 1942), journalist, managing editor for Bloomberg News, long-time regular panelist on CNN's Capital Gang news program (Winston-Salem)
- Carl Kassel, (born 1934), radio personality for NPR and long-time radio journalist (Goldsboro, North Carolina)
- Charles Kuralt, (1934 - 1997), journalist and television personality; host of the long-running CBS Sunday Morning program on CBS-TV (Wilmington)
- Edward R. Murrow, (1908 - 1965), legendary CBS News journalist and pioneer of television broadcasting; his programs See It Now and Person-to-Person revolutionized television news in the 1950s (near Greensboro)
- Charlie Rose, (born 1942), interviewer and journalist; host of a popular late-night talk show on PBS-TV (Henderson)
- Vermont C. Royster, (1914 - 1996), editor-in-chief of The Wall Street Journal from 1957-1970 and winner of two Pulitzer Prizes (Raleigh)
- Sharon Dahlonega Raiford Bush, (born 1952), American television's first African-American primetime weather anchor (Greensboro)
- Jim Shumaker, longtime editor of "The Chapel Hill Weekly," UNC-Chapel Hill Journalism professor and NC Journalism Hall of Fame member; inspiration for Jeff MacNelly's "Shoe"
- Stuart Scott, (born 1965), Anchor of SportsCenter from 1995 until present. Graduated from University of North Carolina
Art and literature
- Romare Bearden, (1911-1988), African-American artist and writer (Charlotte)
- Betsy Byars, (born 1928), children's author (Charlotte)
- Orson Scott Card, (author), most notably recognized for his publication of the Ender's Game series
- Fred Chappell, (born 1926) (Canton)
- Allison Hedge Coke, (born 1958, raised in North Carolina), American Book Award winning author whose works often focus on working-class and Native issues in North Carolina, Dog Road Woman, Off-Season City Pipe, Rock, Ghost, Willow, Deer, Blood Run and seven other volumes. (Jackson, Cherokee, Jackson, Wake, Johnston, Mecklenberg, and Carteret Counties)
- Sarah Dessen, (born 1970), writer of a number of novels for young adults (Chapel Hill)
- Thomas Dixon, (1864 - 1946), author of Birth of a Nation (Shelby)
- Pamela Duncan, (born 1961), novelist whose books often focus on the lives of working-class Southerners (Asheville)
- John Ehle, (born 1925), (Asheville)
- Charles Frazier, (born 1950), author of the bestselling novel Cold Mountain (Asheville)
- Kaye Gibbons, (born 1960), author of the novels Ellen Foster and A Virtuous Woman (Raleigh)
- Paul Green, (born 1894), Pulitzer-Prize winning playwright, author of The Lost Colony (Lillington)
- Herb Jackson, (born 1945), painter, given the North Carolina Award by the governor in 1999
- Kenneth Noland, (born 1924), painter (Asheville)
- William Sydney Porter, (1862 - 1910), prolific short story writer under the pen name O. Henry whose works include The Ransom of Red Chief and The Gift of the Magi (Greensboro)
- Tom Robbins, (born 1936), author of the bestselling novel Even Cowgirls Get The Blues and other works of fiction (Blowing Rock)
- Nicholas Sparks
- Theodore Taylor, (born 1921), author of over 50 books for young adults including The Cay (Statesville)
- Timothy Tyson, historian at Duke University and author of the bestselling book Blood Done Sign My Name (Oxford)
- Thomas Wolfe, (1900 - 1948), author of classic novels such as Look Homeward, Angel and You Can't Go Home Again (Asheville)
- Frances O'Roark Dowell, (born unknown), author of Chicken Boy, Dovey Coe, and The Secret Language of Girls (Durham)
Sports and athletics
- Brian Canter (born June 25, 1987) is a professional bull rider on the Professional Bull RidersBuilt Ford Tough Series tour
- Joey Cheek, (born 1979), Olympic gold medal winning speed skater. (Greensboro)
- Dwight Clark, (born 1957), two-time All-Pro wide receiver for the San Francisco 49ers. Propelled the 49ers to their first Super Bowl appearance with a last-minute touchdown catch in the 1982 NFC Championship Game against the Dallas Cowboys (Kinston)
- Brad Daugherty, (born 1965), former All-America basketball player for UNC-Chapel Hill and NBA player for the Cleveland Cavaliers. Subsequently a popular basketball television commentator for Raycom Media (Black Mountain)
- Walter Davis, (born 1954), former basketball player for UNC-Chapel Hill and for the NBA's Phoenix Suns; six-time NBA All-Star (Pineville)
- Dale Earnhardt Sr, (1951 - 2001), renowned NASCAR driver nicknamed "The Intimidator" for his aggressive driving style. Winner of 76 NASCAR races, he was killed in a crash at the 2001 Daytona 500 (Kannapolis)
- Dale Earnhardt Jr, (born 1974), championship-winning NASCAR driver and Protégé of his father, Dale Earnhardt Sr. (Kannapolis)
- Vince Evans, (born 1955), Rose Bowl MVP 1977, long term NFL/USFL Quarterback-(Raiders, Bears)(Greensboro)
- Roman Gabriel, (born 1940), All-America quarterback for NC State in the early 1960s. Also played professionally for the NFL's Los Angeles Rams and the Philadelphia Eagles, being named the NFL's MVP in 1969 (Wilmington)
- Harry Gant, (born 1940), former NASCAR driver, Mr. September(Taylorsville)
- David Garrard, (born 1978), former East Carolina University football player, Current second string Quarterback for the Jacksonville Jaguars (Durham)
- Joe Gibbs, (born 1940), Hall of Fame head coach for the Washington Redskins and owner of Joe Gibbs Racing; won Super Bowl in 1982, 1987, and 1991; won the NASCAR Cup Series Championship in 2000, 2002, and 2005 (Mocksville)
- Mark Grace, (born 1964), former Chicago Cubs and Arizona Diamondbacks All-Star and Gold Glove Award winning first baseman; has the major league record for most hits (1,754) and doubles (364) in the decade of the 1990s.
- Torry Holt, (born 1976), former NC State and current St. Louis Rams wide receiver; five time NFL Pro Bowl participant (Gibsonville)
- Brad Hoover, NFL Football player for the Carolina Panthers, attended Western Carolina University
- Jim "Catfish" Hunter, (1946 - 1999), Major League Baseball pitcher, starting for the Oakland Athletics and New York Yankees in five World Series Championships during the 1970s. Also a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame (Hertford)
- Dale Jarrett, (born 1956), long-time NASCAR driver and winner of the 1999 NASCAR Championship (Newton)
- Junior Johnson, (born 1931), moonshiner who eluded capture by outrunning law enforcement on mountain roads; later an early superstar of NASCAR, and subject of a 1965 Esquire magazine article by Tom Wolfe. (Wilkes County)
- Sonny Jurgensen, (born 1934), hall of fame quarterback for the Washington Redskins and Philadelphia Eagles; longtime color commentator for Redskins Radio. (Wilmington)
- Meadowlark Lemon, (born 1935), basketball player for the Harlem Globetrotters; nicknamed the "Clown Prince" (Wilmington)
- Sugar Ray Leonard, (born 1956), championship boxer and 1976 Olympic gold medal winner in boxing (Wilmington)
- JB Mauney, (born1987), Professional Bull Rider on Built Ford Tough Series(Mooresville)
- Robert "Bob" McAdoo, (born 1951) Hall of Fame basketball player for UNC-Chapel Hill and the NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers; led UNC-Chapel Hill to the 1971 NCAA Final Four; known for having "best jump shot for a big man;" currently Assistant Coach for the NBA Miami Heat,(Greensboro)
- Vince McMahon, (born 1945) Chairman of World Wrestling Entertainment (Pinehurst)
- Wilmer Mizell, (1930-1990) Major League Baseball pitcher and N.C. congressman
- Julius Peppers, (born 1980), All-America football player and star basketball player for UNC-Chapel Hill; the only athlete in history to have played in both the NCAA Final Four and NFL Super Bowl; currently an All-Pro defensive end for the NFL's Carolina Panthers (Wilson)
- Gaylord Perry, (born 1938), MLB pitcher and member of the Baseball Hall of Fame. Also the first pitcher to win the Cy Young Award in both the American and National Leagues (Williamston)
- Lee Petty, (1914 - 2000), stock car driver, pioneer of NASCAR and three-time NASCAR champion in the 1950s; father of Richard Petty (Randleman)
- Richard Petty, (born 1937), stock car driver and current holder of the NASCAR record for all-time victories at 200; son of Lee Petty (Randleman)
- Brian Roberts, (born 1977), MLB Baltimore Oriole's second baseman (Durham)
- Jerry Stackhouse, (born 1974), former All-America basketball player for UNC-Chapel Hill and current player for the Dallas Mavericks, member of the NBA's 1996 All-Rookie team (Kinston)
- Melvin Stewart, (born November 16, 1968), two-time Olympic gold medalist, swimming, inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame
- John Swofford, (born 1948), Commissioner of the ACC since 1997 and former Athletic Director of UNC-Chapel Hill (North Wilkesboro)
- David Thompson, (born 1954), NC State basketball legend, leading the team to the 1974 NCAA basketball championship over UCLA. Also, a four-time NBA All-Star and member of the Basketball Hall of Fame (Shelby)
- Brian Vickers, (born 1983), NASCAR driver
- Mario Williams, (born 1985), former NC State football player and the first ACC football player ever selected first overall in the NFL draft (Richlands)
- Roy Williams, (born 1950), UNC-Chapel Hill men's basketball coach since 2003; led UNC-Chapel Hill to the 2005 NCAA basketball national championship (Spruce Pine)
- James Worthy, (born 1961), basketball legend for UNC-Chapel Hill, named Most Valuable Player in the 1982 NCAA basketball championship game and winner of three NBA titles with the Los Angeles Lakers (Gastonia)
- Brian Canter, (born 1987), Professional Bull Rider (Randleman)
- Willie Parker, (born 1980) Running Back, Pittsburgh Steelers Clinton, North Carolina "Fast Willie"
- Brad Edwards, (born 1966) Safety, Washington Redskins, Lumberton, North Carolina two interceptions in Super Bowl XXVI
- Joe Horn, (born 1972), (grew up in Fayetteville), Wide Receiver, Atlanta Falcons previously New Orleans Saints (born in Connecticut)
- Chris Paul, (born 1985), Winston-Salem, NC, Point Guard, New Orleans Hornets, 2005-06 Rookie of the Year, 2-time All-American at Wake Forest University
- Greg Peterson, (born 1984), Kenansville, NC, Defensive Tackle, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, named an All-American at North Carolina Central University
- Michael Jordan, (born 1963), Retired NBA Basketball Player, Wilmington
Other
- Ernest Angley, (born 1921), international Christian evangelist and pastor of Grace Cathedral (Akron, Ohio)
- Caleb Bradham, (1866 - 1934), inventor of Pepsi-Cola (New Bern)
- Eliza Bryant, (1827-May 13, 1907), humanitarian
- Chelsea Cooley, (born 1983), Miss USA 2005 (Mint Hill)
- Virginia Dare, (1587 - 1597?), first person of English heritage born in the New World, to the Roanoke Colony, "The Lost Colony" (Roanoke Island)
- Billy Graham, (born 1918), world-renowned evangelist and unofficial religious advisor to U.S. Presidents from Dwight D. Eisenhower to Bill Clinton (Charlotte)
- Jay U. Gunter (1911 - 1994), pathologist and amateur astronomer
- Conrad Reed, (1787 - 1845), the son of a Hessian immigrant who found a large gold nugget while fishing, triggering the first gold rush in the United States (Midland)
- Afeni Shakur, (born 1947), former Black Panther, philanthropist, and mother of Tupac Shakur (Lumberton)
North Carolina residents born elsewhere
- Maya Angelou, (born 1928), poet, historian, author, actress, playwright, producer, director, and professor at Wake Forest University (Winston-Salem)
- Marshall Brain, (born 1961), technology expert and internet personality at HowStuffWorks.com (Raleigh)
- Chang and Eng Bunker, (1811 - 1874), the original Siamese twins who performed for audiences in Asia, Europe, and North America before settling in the mountains of North Carolina and marrying two local sisters (Wilkesboro)
- Orson Scott Card, (born 1951), lecturer and author of the award-winning science fiction book Enders Game (Greensboro)
- John Edwards, (born 1953), former U.S. Senator and 2004 Democratic Vice-Presidential nominee (Robbins)
- Ric Flair, (born 1949), most decorated professional wrestling champion of all time (Charlotte)
- John Hope Franklin, (1915-2009), historian and professor of African-American history at Duke University; also a civil-rights activist in the 1950s and 1960s (Durham)
- Bob Havens, (born 1930), musician who played trombone for the Lawrence Welk orchestra from 1960 to 1983, born in Quincy, Illinois. (Buies Creek)
- Joseph Hewes, (1730 - 1779), signatory of the Declaration of Independence for North Carolina and first U.S. Secretary of the Navy (Edenton)
- Michael Jordan, (born 1963), basketball legend for the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, leading UNC to the 1982 NCAA basketball championship and winning six NBA titles with the Chicago Bulls (Wilmington)
- Si Kahn, (born 1944), singer-songwriter and activist, supporting numerous civil-rights and environmental causes with his music (Charlotte)
- Mike Krzyzewski, (born 1947), long-time men's basketball coach for Duke University, garnering three NCAA basketball national championships (Durham)
- William Lenoir, (1751 - 1839), American patriot, serving in the Battle of Kings Mountain and several other skirmishes during the American Revolution, also the first President of the board of trustees of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (Wilkes County)
- Michael Peterson, (born 1943), novelist and convicted murderer; currently serving a life sentence for the 2003 murder of his wife (Durham)
- Kellie Pickler, (born 1986), singer (raised in Albemarle since age two, born in New Orleans)
- Tom Regan, (born 1938). philosopher and animal rights activist at North Carolina State University, his book The Case for Animal Rights is widely regarded as being influential in the animal liberation movement (Raleigh)
- Kathy Reichs, (born 1950), forensic anthropologist at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill; also the author of best-selling mystery novels featuring the character Temperance Brennan, (Charlotte)
- Tony Rice, musician (Reidsville)
- Eric Rudolph, (born 1966), anti-abortion terrorist currently serving five life sentences for the bombing at the 1996 Summer Olympics which killed one person and injured 111 others; Rudolph eluded capture for 5 years (Murphy)
- Dean Smith, (born 1931), retired men's basketball coach for the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, member of the NCAA Hall of Fame, earned 879 wins and two national championships in his career (Chapel Hill)
- Lee Smith, (born 1944), author and instructor at North Carolina State University, winner of the O. Henry award for short-story writing (Hillsborough)
- Edward Teach, (1680 - 1718), pirate known as Blackbeard, who kept his hide-out in the harbor of Ocracoke Island on North Carolina's Outer Banks (Ocracoke)
- John Tesh, (born 1952), musician and television personality, best-known as the host of the television series Entertainment Tonight from 1986 - 1996 (Winston-Salem)
- George Washington Vanderbilt II (1862 - 1914), billionaire who created the Biltmore Estate in the North Carolina mountains; it is the largest privately-owned mansion in the Western Hemisphere and North Carolina's top tourist attraction (Asheville).
- Daniel Wallace, (born 1959), author of the best-selling novel Big Fish (Chapel Hill)
- Hugh Williamson, (1735-1819) physician and the third NC signatory of the Constitution (Edenton)
Lived or studied in North Carolina, born and lived elsewhere
- Daniel Boone, (1734 - 1820), explorer, lived in the Yadkin River valley of western North Carolina for many years (near Boone)
- Sandra Bullock, (born 1964), movie actress, attended East Carolina University (Greenville)
- Perry Como, (1912 - 2001), popular crooner and host of "The Perry Como Show", part-time resident of the NC mountains (near Asheville)
- Fred Durst, (born 1970), frontman for the rock band Limp Bizkit grew up and graduated from High School in NC (Gastonia)
- Lawrence Ferlinghetti, (born 1919), poet and owner-operator of the City Lights Bookstore famous for promoting the works of beatnik writers and poets, NC resident (Chapel Hill)
- Mia Hamm, (born 1972), former soccer player for UNC-Chapel Hill, two-time Olympic gold medalist, twice named FIFA's World Player of the Year (Chapel Hill)
- Jesse Jackson, (born 1941), politician, preacher, civil rights activist, graduated from North Carolina A&T State University (Greensboro)
- Marion Jones, (born 1975), former basketball player for UNC-Chapel Hill and Olympic runner, winner of three gold medals at the 2000 Summer Olympics (Chapel Hill)
- David Lynch, (born 1946), film director and artist best known for directing the film Blue Velvet and the television series Twin Peaks, spent part of his childhood in NC (Durham)
- Armistead Maupin (born 1944) is an American writer best known for his Tales of the City series of novels based in San Francisco.
- Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, (born 1964 or 1965), terrorist known for masterminding the 9/11 attacks, attended Chowan College and obtained a degree from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University (Greensboro)
- Frankie Muniz, (born 1985), actor best-known as the star of the popular television series Malcolm in the Middle, spent his childhood in NC (Knightdale)
- Richard Nixon, (1913 - 1994), 37th President of the United States, graduated from the Duke University School of Law in 1937 (Durham)
- Arnold Palmer, (born 1929), professional golfer and four-time winner of The Masters golf tournament, attended Wake Forest University (Winston-Salem)
- Mary-Louise Parker, (born 1964), film and television actress, graduated from the North Carolina School of the Arts, star of the film Fried Green Tomatoes and the television series The West Wing and Weeds. Has won the Emmy, Tony, and Golden Globe awards (Winston-Salem)
- Missi Pyle, (born 1972), film actress, graduated from the North Carolina School of the Arts, star of films such as Bringing Down the House, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Galaxy Quest (Winston-Salem)
- Philip Rivers, (born 1981), star quarterback for NC State University, set school records in passing yardage and touchdowns, currently the starting quarterback for the National Football League's San Diego Chargers team (Raleigh)
- Amy Sedaris, (born 1961), actress and comedienne, spent her childhood in North Carolina, best known as the star of the television series Strangers with Candy (Raleigh)
- David Sedaris, (born 1956), author and essayist (brother to Amy), spent his childhood in NC (Raleigh)
- Jada Pinkett Smith, (born 1971), actress and singer, attended North Carolina School of the Arts, starred in the popular television series A Different World and in the movies The Nutty Professor and Matrix Reloaded and Matrix Revolutions (Winston-Salem)
- Lawrence Taylor, (born 1959), former football player for the New York Giants and member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, All-America football player for UNC-Chapel Hill (Chapel Hill)
- Kristi Yamaguchi, (born 1971), figure skater and member of the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame, NC resident (Raleigh)
References
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