List of Famous people born in Arkansas, United States of America
Mike Huckabee
Michael Dale Huckabee is an American politician, Christian minister and political commentator who served as the 44th governor of Arkansas from 1996 to 2007. He was a candidate for the Republican Party presidential nomination in both 2008 and 2016.
Charlie Strong
Charlie Rene Strong is an American football defensive analyst and former player and coach. Strong is currently a defensive analyst for Alabama. Prior to that he was most recently the head coach at the University of South Florida. He held numerous assistant coaching positions before becoming head coach at the University of Louisville in 2010. During his four-year stint at Louisville, he led the Cardinals to a 37–15 record and reached a bowl game each season, including the 2013 Sugar Bowl. After the 2013 season he left Louisville to become the head coach at the University of Texas. He was fired by Texas after the 2016 season with a 16–21 record in three seasons. One month after leaving Texas, Strong was hired at South Florida where he led the Bulls to a 21-16 record before being fired in 2019.
David Gordon Green
David Gordon Green is an American filmmaker. He directed the dramas George Washington (2000), All the Real Girls (2003), and Snow Angels (2007), as well as the thriller Undertow (2004), all of which he wrote or co-wrote.
Joe Johnson
Joe Marcus Johnson is an American professional basketball player who has played 18 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played high school basketball for Little Rock Central High School and college basketball for the Arkansas Razorbacks. After two years with Arkansas, he declared for the 2001 NBA draft where he was drafted 10th overall by the Boston Celtics. He is a seven-time NBA All-Star and has also played for the Phoenix Suns, Atlanta Hawks, Brooklyn Nets, Miami Heat and Utah Jazz, while having also represented the United States national team. While playing for the Atlanta Hawks, he earned the nickname "Iso Joe" for his skills on isolation plays. He is also one of 46 NBA players to score 20,000 career points.
Derek Fisher
Derek Lamar Fisher is an American basketball coach and former player who is the head coach and the general manager for the Los Angeles Sparks of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). Fisher played professionally in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for 18 seasons, spending the majority of his career with the Los Angeles Lakers, with whom he won five NBA championships. He also played for the Golden State Warriors, Utah Jazz, Oklahoma City Thunder, and Dallas Mavericks. He has also served as president of the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA).
Bobby Portis
Bobby Portis is an American professional basketball player for the Milwaukee Bucks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Arkansas Razorbacks and was drafted with the 22nd overall pick by the Chicago Bulls in the 2015 NBA draft.
Mike Conley Jr.
Michael Alex Conley Jr. is an American professional basketball player for the Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was drafted as the fourth pick in the 2007 NBA draft by the Memphis Grizzlies. Conley would spend 12 seasons there before being traded to the Utah Jazz in 2019 and is the team's all-time leading scorer. His father, Mike Conley Sr., was an Olympic gold and silver medalist in track and field.
Alan Ladd
Alan Walbridge Ladd was an American actor and film and television producer. Ladd found success in film in the 1940s and early 1950s, particularly in Westerns, such as Shane (1953) and in films noir. He was often paired with Veronica Lake in noirish films, such as This Gun for Hire (1942), The Glass Key (1942), and The Blue Dahlia (1946).
Josh Lucas
Joshua Lucas Easy Dent Maurer is an American actor. He is best known for his roles in various films, including American Psycho (2000), You Can Count On Me (2000), The Deep End (2001), A Beautiful Mind (2001), Sweet Home Alabama (2002), Hulk (2003), An Unfinished Life (2005), Glory Road (2006), Poseidon (2006), Life as We Know It (2010), The Lincoln Lawyer (2011), Red Dog (2011), J. Edgar (2011), Breakthrough (2019), and Ford v Ferrari (2019). He has also appeared in television series such as The Firm (2012), The Mysteries of Laura (2014–2016), and Yellowstone (2018–2019).
Ryan Mallett
Ryan Mallett is a former American football quarterback. He played college football at Arkansas, and was drafted by the New England Patriots in the third round of the 2011 NFL Draft. He also played for the Houston Texans and Baltimore Ravens.