List of Famous people born in Alabama, United States of America
Kathryn C. Thornton
Kathryn Ryan Cordell Thornton is an American scientist and a former NASA astronaut with over 975 hours in space, including 21 hours of extravehicular activity. She was the associate dean for graduate programs at the University of Virginia School of Engineering and Applied Science, currently a professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering.
Lula Mae Hardaway
Lula Mae Hardaway was an American songwriter and the mother of soul musician Stevie Wonder. She spent her early adult life in Saginaw, Michigan, but from 1975 until her death in 2006, lived in Los Angeles, California.
Henry Hartsfield
Henry Warren "Hank" Hartsfield Jr. was a United States Air Force Colonel and a USAF and NASA astronaut who logged over 480 hours in space. He was inducted into the United States Astronaut Hall of Fame in 2006.
John Zimmerman
John Luther Zimmerman IV is an American professional pair skater and coach. With skating partner Kyoko Ina, he is the 2002 World bronze medalist and a three-time U.S. national champion. They also competed at the 2002 Olympics.
Hal Kemp
James Hal Kemp was an American jazz alto saxophonist, clarinetist, bandleader, composer, and arranger.
Walker Percy
Walker Percy, Obl.S.B. was an American writer whose interests included philosophy and semiotics. Percy is noted for his philosophical novels set in and around New Orleans; his first novel, The Moviegoer, won the U.S. National Book Award for Fiction.
Dinah Washington
Dinah Washington was an American singer and pianist, who has been cited as "the most popular black female recording artist of the '50s". Primarily a jazz vocalist, she performed and recorded in a wide variety of styles including blues, R&B, and traditional pop music, and gave herself the title of "Queen of the Blues". She was a 1986 inductee of the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame, and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993.
Billy Hardwick
William Bruce Hardwick was a right-handed ten-pin bowler and member of the Professional Bowlers Association.
Larry Kenon
Larry Joe Kenon is an American former professional basketball player.
Gary Palmer
Gary James Palmer is an American politician from the state of Alabama. Elected to the United States House of Representatives in 2014, he represents Alabama's 6th congressional district. The district includes the wealthier portions of Birmingham, as well as most of that city's suburbs. Prior to his career as an elected official, Palmer co-founded and served as the long-time president of the Alabama Policy Institute, a conservative think tank. He is a member of the Republican Party and the Freedom Caucus in the House of Representatives. Since 2019, he has served as the Chair of the Republican Policy Committee.