List of Famous people born in Arkansas, United States of America
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson Clinton is an American lawyer and politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Prior to his presidency, he served as governor of Arkansas and as attorney general of Arkansas (1977–1979). A member of the Democratic Party, Clinton was known as a New Democrat, and many of his policies reflected a centrist "Third Way" political philosophy. He is the husband of former secretary of state, former U.S. senator, and two-time candidate for president Hillary Clinton.
Paula Jones
Paula Corbin Jones is an American civil servant. A former Arkansas state employee, Jones sued U.S. president Bill Clinton for sexual harassment. The Paula Jones case provided the impetus for Independent Counsel Ken Starr to broaden his on-going investigation into Clinton's pre-presidency financial dealings with the Whitewater Land Company, and resulted in Clinton's impeachment in the House of Representatives and subsequent acquittal by the Senate on February 12, 1999. Specifically, Clinton was asked under oath about Monica Lewinsky in the Jones suit, denied having ever had sexual relations with her, and was accused of perjury after evidence of sexual contact was exposed. The Jones lawsuit also led to a landmark legal precedent by the U.S. Supreme Court which ruled that a sitting U.S. president is not exempt from civil litigation for acts committed outside of public office.
Scottie Pippen
Scotty Maurice Pippen Sr., usually spelled Scottie Pippen, is an American former professional basketball player. He played 17 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA), winning six NBA championships with the Chicago Bulls. Pippen, along with Michael Jordan, played an important role in transforming the Bulls into a championship team and in popularizing the NBA around the world during the 1990s.
Jim Bob Duggar
James Robert Duggar is an American real estate agent, politician and television personality, known for the reality series, 19 Kids and Counting, which aired from 2008 to 2015. From 1999 to 2002, he was a Republican member of the Arkansas House of Representatives.
Sarah Sanders
Sarah Elizabeth Sanders, commonly known as Sarah Huckabee Sanders, is an American campaign manager and political adviser who served as White House press secretary under President Donald Trump from 2017 to 2019.
Billy Bob Thornton
Billy Bob Thornton is an American actor, filmmaker, and musician. He had his first break when he co-wrote and starred in the 1992 thriller One False Move, and received international attention after writing, directing, and starring in the independent drama film Sling Blade (1996), for which he won an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor. He appeared in several major film roles in the 1990s following Sling Blade, including Oliver Stone's neo-noir U Turn (1997), political drama Primary Colors (1998), science fiction disaster film Armageddon (1998), the highest-grossing film of that year, and the crime drama A Simple Plan (1998), which earned him his third Oscar nomination.
Chelsea Clinton
Chelsea Victoria Clinton is an American author and global health advocate. She is the only child of former U.S. President Bill Clinton and former U.S. Secretary of State and 2016 presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. She was a special correspondent for NBC News from 2011 to 2014 and now works with the Clinton Foundation and Clinton Global Initiative, including taking a prominent role at the foundation with a seat on its board.
Jill Duggar
Jill Michelle Dillard is an American television personality. She is known for her appearances on TLC as part of the reality television shows 19 Kids and Counting (2008-2015) and Counting On (2015-2017). She also co-authored a book with her sisters Jana, Jessa, and Jinger titled Growing Up Duggar: It's All About Relationships.
Ashley McBryde
Ashley McBryde is an American country music singer-songwriter. She released her self-titled debut album independently in January 2006. Her second independent album, Elsebound, was released in June 2011. An extended play titled Jalopies & Expensive Guitars was released through Road Life Records in March 2016. She signed with Warner Music Nashville in 2017 and released her major label debut album, Girl Going Nowhere, the following year. The album earned her a Grammy nomination for Best Country Album during the 61st Annual Grammy Awards. She was named New Artist of the Year during 53rd Annual Country Music Association Awards held on November 13, 2019.
Mary Steenburgen
Mary Nell Steenburgen is an American actress, singer, and songwriter. She won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress and the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture for playing the role of Lynda Dummar in Jonathan Demme's 1980 film Melvin and Howard.