Famous NC Natives

This is a list of notable NC natives. Note that some of these folks didn't live here very long and not all of them are necessarily to be celebrated. There are a number of famous people associated with NC that are not listed here because they weren't born here. Many of these are listed in the non-native section.

• Literature
• Science/Education
• News Media
• Music
• Acting
• Politics
• Sports
• Military
• Business
• Other
• Non-Natives

Literature

• A. R. Ammons - 1926 Whiteville - Poet. Won many awards, including a National Book Award and the Library of Congress's Rebekah Johnson Bobbitt National Prize for Poetry. Attended Wake Forest University.
• Doris Betts - - Author
• Alex Cross - Winston Salem - Fictional hero of James Patterson's books.
• Augustin Daly - 1838 Plymouth - Playwrite. Operated Daly's Theater on Broadway.
• Clyde Edgerton - Bethesda - Author of "Raney" and "Walking Across Egypt".
• Kaye Gibbons - 1960 Nash County - Award winning novelist.
• Paul Green - 1894 Harnett Co - Playwrite. Pulitzer Prize Winner. Specialist in outdoor dramas. Wrote "The Lost Colony" and 16 other outdoor dramas.
• Jan Karon -1937 Lenoir - Fiction. Her Mitford series is very popular.
• Margaret Maron - Greensboro - Mystery writer. Grew up in Johnston Co.
• Guy Owen - 1925 Bladen Co - Novelist and Poet. Wrote the book from which the movie "The Flim-Flam Man" was made. Web
• William Sidney Porter - 1862 Guilford Co - Wrote with the pen name O. Henry. Most of us read his stories in school.
• Reynolds Price - 1933 Macon - Pulitzer Prize Winner.
• Tom Robbins - 1936 Blowing Rock - Novelist. "Even Cowgirls Get The Blues"
• Betty Smith - - Author
• Thomas Wolfe - 1900 Asheville - Author of "Look Homeward Angel"

Science/Education

• Ellen S Baker - 1953 Fayetteville - Astronaut. Web
• Caleb Bradhan - 1867 Chinquapin - Pharmacist. Inventor of Pepsi Cola.
• Charles E Brady - 1951 Pinehurst - Astronaut. Web
• Charles Duke - 1935 Charlotte - Astronaut. Web
• Susan J Helms - 1958 Charlotte - Astronaut. Web
• Daniel McFadden - 1937 Spencer - Nobel Prize for Economics 2000.
• Kary Banks Mullis - 1944 ? - Biochemist. Invented Polymerase chain reaction.
• Sequoyah - 1770's Tuckaseege- Educator. Invented the Cherokee alphabet.
• Mike Smith - 1945 Beaufort - Astronaut. Died in the Challenger crash. Web
• David "Carbine" Williams - 1900 Cumberland Co - Inventor. Invented the carbine rifle while in prison. Portrayed by Jimmy Stewart in the movie about his life.

News Media

• David Brinkley - 1920 Wilmington - News Anchor for NBC. Huntley & Brinkley
• W. Horace Carter - - Founder and only employee of the first weekly paper (Tabor City Tribue) to win a Pulitzer Prize. The 1952 prize was awarded based on his expose of Ku Klux Klan activity which led to 62 convictions.
• Elbert Clifton Daniel - 1903 Zebulon - Editor NY Times 1964-1969.
• Josephus Daniels - 1862 Washington - Founded the News & Observer. Secretary of the Navy from 1913-1921.
• Ashley B Futrell - - Editor and Publisher of the Pulitzer Prize winning Washington (NC) Daily News.
• Hatcher Hughes - 1833 - 1924 Pulitzer Prize winner for drama.
• Charles Kuralt - 1934 Wilmington - Newscaster for CBS famed for his human interest stories.
• Edward R Murrow - 1908 Greensboro - The most influential televison journalist of the 20th century. He was at CBS for over 20 years. He hired and trained such folks as Eric Sevareid, Howard K. Smith and Charlies Collingwood. He shaped American television news coverage into what it used to be before the current crop of bozos took over. He later headed the US Information Agency.
• Eugene Roberts - Goldsboro - Managing editor of the NY Times.
• Charlie Rose - 1942 Henderson - Journalist & host of PBS talk show.
• Vermont Royster - 1914 Royster - Pulitzer Prize Winner for editorial writing. Editor of the Wall Street Journal. President of Dow Jones.
• James H. Shumaker - Winston-Salem - Journalism Professor at UNC. Model for Jeff MacNelly's cartoon strip "Shoe".
• Robert Trout - 1909 Wake Co. - Pioneering Newscaster & follower of Edward R Murrow. The Voice of CBS Radio from 1938-1964. Coined the phrase "Fireside Chat" to describe radio broadcasts by FDR during WWII.
• Tom Wicker - 1926 Hamlet - Journalist, Editor and Author. Chief of Washington Bureau for, and later associate editor of the NY Times. Acted as an observer of the standoff between prisoners and prison officials during the Attica prison riots.
• Edwin Yoder - 1934 Mebane - Pulitzer prize winner for editorial writing.

Entertainment/Music

• Clay Aiken - 1978 Chapel Hill - Singer, American Idol runner up
• Tori Amos - 1963 Newton - Singer/Songwriter.
• Fantasia Barrino - 1984 High Point - Singer, American Idol winner.
• Steve Boone - 1943 Camp Lejeune - Member of The Lovin' Spoonful. Member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
• Shirley Ceasar - 1938 Durham - Gospel
• George Clinton - 1941 Kannapolis - Musician. Uncle Jam. Creator of P-Funk, Parliment/Funkadelic.
• John Coltrane - 1926 Hamlet - Musician. 'Trane was one of the most influential jazz musicians of the 20th century.
• Elizabeth Cotton - 1895 Chapel Hill - Blues musician who learned the guitar after age 60. Wrote "Freight Train".
• Charlie Daniels - 1936 Wilmington - Musician
• Mary Cardwell Dawson - 1894 - African-American opera star. Founded the Cardwell School of Music in Pittsburg. Founded the National Negro Opera Co.
• Rick Dees - Greensboro - DJ
• Fred Durst - 1970 Gastonia - Rock Singer for Limp Bizkit.
• Skinnay Ennis - 1909 Salisbury - Big Band leader, 1930's - 1950's
• Donna Fargo - Mount Airy - Country Music Singer.
• Roberta Flack - 1939 Black Mountain - R&B Singer.
• Ben Folds - 1966 Winston-Salem - Musician.
• Don Gibson - 1928 Shelby - Country singer/songwriter. Grand Ol Oprey member. Wrote "Oh, Lonesome Me", "I Can't Stop Loving You".
• George Hamilton IV - 1937 Winston-Salem - Musician. Charted 40 songs on the Billboard Country Charts during the 1960's - 1970's.
• Algia Mae Hinton - 1920's Rural NC - Blues Woman.
• Sammy Johns - 1946 Charlotte - One Hit Wonder. His 1975 song "Chevy Van" reached 5.
• Doris Kenner-Jackson - 1941 Goldsboro - Member of the Shirelles and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member.
• Ben E. King - 1938 Henderson - Singer. Member of the Driters. Best know for "Stand By Me".
• Kay Kyser - 1897 Rocky Mount - Bandleader & radio personality. Hosted the famed "Kollege of Musical Knowlege" radio show.
• John D. Loudermilk - 1934 Durham - Songwriter. Wrote "Tobacco Road", "Indian Reservation", "Abilene" co-written with Don Gibson.
• Clyde McPhatter - 1932 Durham - Musician. Founded The Drifers. Inducted into the Rock and Roll hall of fame as a solo artist in 1987 and as a member of The Drifers in 1988.
• Ronnie Milsap - 1946 Robbinsville - Musician. Has had 35 No. 1 hits on the Billboard Country chart. Blind since birth, he attended the Governor Morehead School in Raleigh.
• Thelonious Monk - 1917 Rocky Mount - Musician. Monk was one of the most influential jazz musicians of the 20th century.
• LeRoi Moore - 1961 Durham - Musician. Classically and Jazz trained sax player Currently playing with the Dave Mathews Band.
• Mojo Nixon - 1957 Chapel Hill - Musician known for his irreverent music.
• Petey Pablo - 1978 Greenville - Hip Hop artist.
• Maceo Parker - 1943 Kinston - Musician. Longtime James Brown band member.
• Del Reeves - 1933 Sparta - Country Musician. Thirty five top ten and nine 1 records.
• Max Roach - 1924 New Land - Famed Jazz drummer. Played with musicians such as Bird, 'Trane, Monk, Diz and Sonny rollins.
• Earl Scruggs - 1924 Flint Hill - Bluegress musician. Flatt & Scruggs.
• Nina Simone - 1933 Tryon - Jazz, blues & soul singer/songwriter.
• William Oliver Swofford - 1945 North Wilksboro - Performed as Oliver, had hits with "Good Morning Starshine" and "Jean".
• Grady Tate - 1932 Durham - Drummer. Played with Quincy Jones, Count Basie, Ray Charles and Duke Ellington.
• Dr. Billy Taylor - 1921 Greenville - Jazz Musician. Big Band and Jazz Hall of Fame member in 1999. Regular on "CBS Sunday Morning"
• Sonny Terry - 1911 Durham? - Blues musician. Featured on US Postage stamp.
• Jim Bob Tinsley - Transylvania Co - Member of the National Cowboy Song and Poetry Hall of Fame.
• John Scott Trotter - 1908 Charlotte - Band Leader for Bing Crosby (D.G. Martin - Web)
• Randy Travis - 1959 Marshville - Award winning country musician and actor.
• Loudon Wainwright III - 1946 Chapel Hill - Singer/songwrite best known for "Dead Skunk".
• Arthel "Doc" Watson - 1923 Watauga Co - Flatpicking Guitar player.
• Merle Watson - 1949 Watauga Co - Finger Picking guitar player. Son of Doc. Died in a farm accident in 1985.
• Link Wray - 1929 Dunn - Rockabilly. Credited with inventing the Power Chord.

Entertainment/Acting

• Elvia Allman - 1904 Enochville - Film & TV Actress from 1930's - 1990's. "Breakfast At Tiffany's" and "The Nutty Professor". TV included "The Beveryly Hillbillies" (Elvirna Bradshaw) and "Petticoat Junction".
• Sidney Blackmer - 1895 Salisbury - Film & TV Actor 1914 - 1971. Rosemary's Baby, High Society, Ben Casey, Outer Limits.
• Cassandra Creech - 19?? Clayton - Graduated from the NC School of the Arts. Regular on "As The World Turns"
• Sammy Davis Sr - 1900 Wilmington - Father of Sammy Davis Jr.
• Cecil B DeMille - Washington - Actor and Directory. "The Ten Commandments"
• Thomas F Dixon Jr - 1864 Shelby - Author of the book "The Clansman" from which the contoversial movie "The Birth Of A Nation" was based.
• Donna Edmondson - 1966 Greensboro - 1987 Playboy Playmate of the Year/
• Penny Fuller - 1940 Durham - Actress. "All The Presidents Men", "The Elephant Man". Regular on "Mad About You", "Melrose Place".
• Eileen Fulton - 1933 Asheville - Long time regular on "As The World Turns"
• Leo Gallagher - 1947 Fort Bragg - Comedian.
• Ava Gardner - Smithfield - One of the most beautiful women to ever grace Hollywood. Married at various times to Mickey Rooney, Artie Shaw & Frank Sinatra.
• Maureen Garrett - 1948 Rocky Mount - Long time regular on "The Guiding Light"
• Kathryn Grayson - 1922 Winston Salem - Film Actress from 1930's - 1990's. "Showboat", "Kiss Me Kate".
• Andy Griffith - 1926 Mount Airy - Actor. Sherrif Andy Taylor, Matlock.
• Pam Grier - 1949 Winston-Salem - Film Actress. "Jackie Brown", "Coffy", "Foxy Brown", "Mars Attacks", "Escape From LA". Starred in many "Blaxploitation" films in the 1970s. Was a regular for two seasons on "Miami Vice". Cousin of NFL star Rosie Greer.
• Jester Hairston - 1901 Belews Creek - "Amos and Andy", "To Kill a Mockingbird", "Lilies of the Field", "Being John Malkovich".
• Murray Hamilton - 1923 Washington - "Spirit of St. Louis", "Anatomy of a Murder", "The Graduate" (Mr. Robinson), "Jaws", "Amityville Horror".
• Jack'ee Harry - 1956 Winston-Salem - TV Acress. "Another World", "227", "Sister, Sister"
• Shirley Hemphill - 1947 Asheville - TV Actress. "What's Happening!!" and "What's Happening Now!"
• Anne Jeffreys - 1923 Goldsboro - Actress from 1940's to present. Regular on "General Hospital" since 1984. Played Tess Trueheart in 1945 "Dick Tracy".
• Ben Jones - 1941 Tarboro - Cooter on "The Dukes of Hazzard"
• Sharon Lawrence - 1961 Charlotte - "NYPD Blue".
• Christian LeBlanc - 1958 Fort Bragg - Actor. Regular on soap operas "The Young And The Restless" and "As The World Turns"
• Moms Mabley - 1894 Brevard - Commediene. Headlined at Harlem's Apollo Theater. Influenced many later comics, such as Phyllis Diller.
• Pigmeat Markham - 1904 Durham - Commedian. Seen on Rowan & Martin's Laugh-in and known for the signature phrase "Here comes da judge"
• Linda McMahon - 1948 New Bern - President & CEO of WWF. Wife of Vince McMahon.
• Vince McMahon Jr - 1945 Pinehurst - Sports Promotor. Turned the Worldwide Wrestling Federation (created by his Dad) into a global phenomena.
• Julianne Moore - 1961 Fayetteville - "Benny & Joon", "The Hand That Rocks The Cradle", "Boogie Nights", "Psycho (1998)", "Hannibal", "Evolution"
• Debbi Morgan - 1956 Dunn - TV & Film Actress. "Mandingo", "All My Children" regular, "She's All That", "Charmed" regular.
• Anita Morris - 1943 Durham - "Radioland Murders", "Ruthless People"
• Charles O'Neal - 1904 Raeford - Writer and father of Ryan O'Neal & grandfather of Tatum.
• Dian Parkinson - 1944 Jacksonville - Miss USA 1965. Competed in Miss World Pagent. "The Price Is Right" model 1975-1993.
• Collin Wilcox Paxton - 1937 Highlands - "To Kill A Mockingbird", "Catch-22" (Nurse Cramer).
• Patsy Pease - 1956 Winston-Salem - Long time "Days Of Our Lives" regular.
• Jaime Pressly - 1977 Kinston - "Joe Dirt", "Tomcats", "Not Another Teen Movie"
• Eddie Mills - 1972 Kannapolis - TV & Film Actor. A regular on "Wasteland" and has appered on "Dawson's Creek", "Ally McBeal", and "Clueless".
• Shannon Moore - 1979 Cameron - Professional Wrestler with WCW.
• Sylvester Ritter - 1953 Wadesboro - Professional Wrestler "Junk Yard Dog"
• Soupy Sales - 1926 Franklinton - Actor & Commendian.
• Barney Slater - 1923 Gastonia - TV writer. "Bonanza", "The Rifleman", "Gilligan's Island", "Mission Impossible".
• Jeb Stuart - ???? ???? - Writer. "48 Hours", "Another 48 Hours", "Die Hard", "The Fugitive"
• Berlinda Tolbert - 1949 Charlotte - "The Jeffersons" regular. "Harlem Nights", "Goodfellas", "Patriot Games".
• Fred "Snowflake" Toones - 1906 ? - African American actor in over 175 films from 1931 to 1966.
• Kenneth Utt - 1921 Winston-Salem - Producer (and actor) "Silence of the Lambs", "Married to the Mob", "Midnight Cowbow".
• Reginald VelJohnson - 1952 Raleigh - TV & Film Actor. Ghostbusters, Crocodile Dundee, Die Hard, Turner & Hooch and regular on "Family Matters"
• Gregory Walcott - 1928 Wendell - Film Actor from 1952 - present. Mr Roberts, Joe Kidd, Last American Hero, The Eiger Sanction, Norma Rae and Ed Wood among others.
• Kevin Williamson - 1965 New Bern - Film & TV Writer. Created the series "Dawson's Creek". Wrote "Scream", "I Know What You Did Last Summer"
• Evan Rachel Wood - 1987 Raleigh - "S1m0ne", "Once and Again" tv series.

Politics

• Hannah Atkins - 1923 Winston-Salem - First African-American elected to the Oklahoma General Assembly. United Nations delegate.
• Robert Byrd - 1917 North Wilkesboro - US Senator representing West Virginia
• Josephus Daniels - 1862 Washington - Secretary of the Navy 1913-1921, Ambassador to Mexico 1933-1941
• Elizabeth Dole - NC Senator & Former 2nd Lady. Also president American Red Cross.
• Sam Ervin - 1896 Morganton - US Senator. Senator Sam chaired the Watergate hearings investigating President Nixon.
• Jesse Helms - Monroe - Controversial US Senator.
• Andrew Jackson - - US President.
• Andrew Johnson - - US President.
• Dolley Madison - 1768 Guilford Co - First Lady to President James Madison.
• James K. Polk - - US President.
• Charlie Rose - 1942 Henderson - Political Commentator.
• Hiram Rhoades Revels - Fayetteville - First African-American member of Congress
• Robert Welch - 1899 Chowan Co - Graduated UNC, US Naval Academy and Harvard Law Schoo. Founder of the uber-conservative John Birch Society.

Sports

• Luke Appling - 1907 High Point - Major League Baseball Hall of Fame.
• Walt Bellamy = 1939 New Bern - NBA Hall of Fame.
• David Bowling - 1956 Fuquay Varina - Famous sportsman and fishing expert.
• Howard Cosell - 1920 Winston-Salem - Sportscaster & journalist.
• Dale Ernhardt - 1951 Kannapolis - Famed NASCAR driver.
• Rick Ferrell - 1905 Durham - Major League Baseball Hall of Fame.
• Ray Floyd - - PGA Golfer.
• Roman Gabriel - Wilmington - NCSU quaterback. NFL Rams quaterback. NFL MVP 1969 and four-time All Pro.
• Harry Gant - 1940 Taylorsville - NASCAR driver.
• Mark Grace - 1964 Winston-Salem - ML Baseball First Baseman.
• Jim "Catfish" Hunter - 1946 Hertford - Major League Baseball Hall of Fame.
• Ned Jarrett - 1932 Newton - NASCAR driver.
• Sonny Jergenson - - Pro football quaterback.
• Junior Johnson - - NASCAR Driver.
• Sam Jones - 1933 Wilmington - NBA Hall of Fame.
• Charlie "Choo-Choo" Justice - - Famous UNC Football Star - Web
• Jim Lampley - 1949 Hendersonville - Sportscaster. Played himself in "Oceans Eleven" and "Play it to the Bone".
• Meadowlark Lemon - Wilmington - The Clown Prince of the Harlem Globetrotters. One of only four Globetrotters to have their jerseys retired.
• Sugar Ray Leonard - Wilmington - World Champion Boxer. Won Olympic Gold Medal and five world championships.
• Walter "Buck" Leonard - 1907 Rocky Mount - Start baseball player in the Negro leagues, before integration in ML Baseball. Major League Baseball Hall of Fame.
• "Pistol" Pete Maravich - - College and Professional Basketball star.
• Cedric "Cornbread" Maxwell - 1955 Kinston - NBA standout.
• Bob McAdoo - 1951 Greensboro - NBA Hall of Fame.
• Jim Nantz - 1959 Charlotte - Sportscaster.
• Curley Neal - 19?? Greensboro - Athlete with the Harlem Globetrotters.
• Mark O'Meara - 1957 Goldsboro - Professional Golfer.
• Kristi Overton - 1970 Greenville - Champion Water Skier.
• Floyd Patterson - 1935 Waco - World Heavyweight Boxing Champ & Olympic Gold Medal Winner.
• Gaylord Perry - 1938 Williamston - Major League Baseball Hall of Fame. Brother of Jim Perry.
• Jim Perry - 1935 Williamston - Baseball. Brother of Gaylord Perry.
• Lee Petty - - NASCAR Driver.
• Richard Petty - - NASCAR Driver.
• Rodney Rogers - Durham - NBA player.
• "Country" Enos Slaughter - 1916 Roxboro -
• James "Bonecrusher" Smith - - Heavyweight Boxing Champion.
• Dwight Stephenson - 1957 Murfreesboro - NFL Hall of Famer center for the Miami Dolphins.
• David Thompson - 1954 Shelby - NCSU standout and arguably the best ever player in the ACC. Won the 1974 National Championship with NCSU. NBA Hall of Fame.
• Dominque Wilkins - - NBA star "The Human Highlight Film"
• Hoyt Wilhelm - 1922 Huntersvill - Major League Baseball Hall of Fame.
• Roy Williams - 1950 Biltmore - Championship basketball coach at the Univeristy of Kansas. JV player at UNC. Assistant coach at UNC who recruited Michael Jordon.
• Morgan Wootten - 1931 Durham - Hall of Fame coach for over 30 years at Dematha High School where he compiled a greater than 1,210-183 (.870) record.
• James Worthy - 1961 Gastonia - NBA Hall of Fame.
• Kay Yow - 1942 Gibsonville - Hall of Fame coach with over 600 victories, most of them at NCSU.

Military

Thomas Ferebee - 1918 Mocksville - Bombardier on the Enola Gay.

Richard Gatling - 1818 Winton - Inventor of the Gatling Gun.

Gen. Henry H. Shelton - 1942 Tarboro - Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff. Airborne and Special Forces. Graduate of NCSU.

Gen. Maxwell Thurman - 1931 High Point - Commander of the invasion of Panama in 1989.

Business

• James Duke - 1856 Durham - Founded American Tobacco Company, Duke Power and endowed Duke University. Web
• Herman Lay - 1909 Charlotte - Founder of H W Lay, which led to Frito-Lay and PepsiCo. Chairman of the Board PepsiCo at it's founding in 1965. Bet you can't eat just one. Web

Other

• Virginia Dare - 1587 Roanoke Island - The first English child born in the new world. Fate unknown as the colony was lost. The outdoor drama "The Lost Colony" in Manteo tells the story.
• Billy Graham - 1918 Charlotte - Evangelical preacher.
• Homer Simpson - 1955 ???? - Family Man.
• Anna McNeill Whistler - ???? Wilmington - Whistler's Mother. Mother of artist James Whistler. Web

Non-Natives With NC Ties

• Francis Bavier - Actress. Aunt Bea from the Andy Griffith show retired in Siler City and died there in 1989.
• Daniel Boone - Explorer. Born in Pa. Lived & explored western NC. The town of Boone, NC is named after him.
• Sandra Bullock - Actress. Attended East Carolina University in Greeneville.
• Chang & Eng Bunker - The original Siamese Twins brought to America by PT Barnham from Siam (Thailand). Settled in near Wilkesboro NC and married twins. Moved to Mount Airy and fathered 16 children between them.
• Orson Scott Card - Science Fiction Author lives in Greensboro.
• Patricia Daniels Cornwell - Mystery Writer. Grew up in Montreat. Worked as crime reporter for the Charlotte Observer.
• Walter Cronkite - Newscaster. "The most trusted man in America". An avid sailor, Cronkite often visits coastal NC.
• F. Scott Fitzgerald - Stayed in Tryon while his wife was hospitalized in Asheville.
• Nnenna Freelon - Boston Native Grammy nominated jazz singer lived and worked in Durham befor persuing her music career.
• Clarence "Big House" Gaines - Kentucky native coached Winston-Salem State basketball for 47 years with a 828-447 (.649) record. Web
• Mia Hamm - World Champion soccer player. Played at UNC.
• DuBose Heyward - Wrote "Porgy & Bess". Frequent summer visitor to Hendersonville. Died in 1940 in Tryon.
• Daisy & Violet Hilton - Siamese Twins who settled in NC. Died in Charlotte 1969.
• James Iredell - Born in England, Associate Justice of the first Supreme Court.
• Wolfman Jack - Retired to NC. Died in 1995 in Belvedere.
• Jesse Jackson - Attended NC A&T.
• Jack Johnson - Boxer, World Heavyweight Champion 1908-1915. Died 1946 in Raleigh.
• Michael Jordon - Brooklyn, NY - And you thought he was from Wilmington.
• Brandon Lee - Actor. Son of famed Martial Artist Bruce Lee.Died while filming the move "The Crow" in 1993 in Wilmington
• Dr. John Lyday - ???? - Chief Surgeon Moses Cone hospital. Inspiration for the character Trapper John from the book and movie MASH.
• Jeff MacNelly - Pulitzer prize-winning cartoonist. Attended UNC and based his cartoon "Shoe" on UNC Journalism Professor James H. Shumaker.
• Oscar Micheaux - First African American to produce a feature film, The Homesteader, in 1919. Died in 1951 in Charlotte.
• Roger Mudd - Famed news broadcaster. Graduated from UNC School of Journalism.
• Earl "The Pearl" Monroe - NBA Hall of Famer. Attended Winston-Salem State.
• Fredrick Law Olmstead - Designer of Central Park in NYC. Designed the grounds of the Biltmore Estate for George Washington Vanderbilt in Asheville.
• Arnold Palmer - The Pa native attended and played golf for Wake Forest University.
• Frances Gray Patton - 1906 Durham - Novelist and short story writer. Contributor to The New Yorker, Ladies' Home Journal and McCall's.
• Sir Walter Raleigh - Conceived and organized the expedition to colonize the new world at Roanoke Island. This settlement disappeared, becoming the "Lost Colony". Also the namesake of the state capitol.
• Judge Reinhold - Actor. Attended NC School of the Arts.
• George Herman "Babe" Ruth - Played his first professional game and hit first home run in spring training in Fayetteville while with the minor league Baltimore Orioles. Fayetteville was also the first place Babe went outside of Baltimore. Given his lack of world experience, he was given the nickname "Babe" while in Fayetteville.
• Carl Sandburg - Poet. Settled and lived over 20 years in NC. Died 1967 in Flat Rock
• Randoph Scott - Famed cowboy actor. Born in Va but raised in Charlotte. Graduated from UNC. Is buried in Charlotte.
• Bessie Smith - - Singer, known for WWII version of "God Bless America". Retired to Raleigh and died in 19..
• Betty Smith - Author of "A Tree Grows In Brooklyn". Moved to Chapel Hill as part of the Federal Theater depression-era project.
• Buffalo Bob Smith - Buffalo, NY, puppetteer and creator of Howdy Doody. Retired to Flat Rock and died in Hendersonville in 1998.
• Dean Smith - Kansas born coach led the UNC Tarheels. The winningest coach at 828-447 (.649). Over 36 years, led the Tarheels to an ACC regular season record of 364-136 (.728). Two national championships. 27 NCAA tournament appearances including 23 in a row. 11 Final Four appearances. Basketball Hall of Famer.
• Willie Stargell - Major League Baseball Hall of Fame. Died in Wilmington 2001.
• James Taylor - Musician. Grew up in Chapel Hill.
• William Teach - AKA Blackbeard. Lived in Beaufort and was ultimately captured and killed off Ocracoke Island.
• Dave Thomas - Commedian. Second City TV. Doug McKenzie of the "Great White North" with Rick Moranis. Grew up in NC.
• Jim Valvano - The NY born coach led NC State to one of the most improbable NCAA championships (1983) of all time. His Cardiac Pack made the NCAA tournament only by winning the ACC tournament. They then proceeded to win close victories with one overtime and one double overtime win to make it to the finals. In the final game, they weren't given any chance of winning against Houston's Phi Slamma Jamma. One of the Houston players predicted that the team that dunked the most would win. NCSU held Houston to one dunk the entire game. With time running out and the score tied, Derrick Whittenburg took a desperation shot that came up short. Lorenzo Charles snagged the shot and put it in for State's second dunk and the win.
• Corneleus Vanderbilt - Son of industrialist Corneleus Vanderbilt built a 250 room summer home, The Biltmore House, in Asheville NC on the 125,000 acre Biltmore Estate. The house was completed in 1895. Web
• Wilber and Orville Wright - Despite what those yankees from Ohio say, they make the first powered flight in NC!!!!
• World B. Free - NBA Allstart played for Guilford College.
• Tyrone "Muggys" Bogues - 5'3" NBA star played for Wake Forest University.