List of Famous people born in Illinois, United States of America

Alice Arlen was an American screenwriter, best known for Silkwood (1983), which she wrote with Nora Ephron. Her other film credits include the scripts of Alamo Bay (1985), Cookie (1989), The Weight of Water (2000) and Then She Found Me (2007).

Lionel Frederick Cole was an American jazz singer and pianist whose recording career spanned almost 70 years. He was the brother of musicians Nat King Cole, Eddie Cole, and Ike Cole, father of Lionel Cole, and uncle of Natalie Cole and Carole Cole.

Richard Carl Laymon was an American author of suspense and horror fiction, particularly within the splatterpunk subgenre.

Lowrell Simon was an American soul singer. He began as a singer in The LaVondells, which became The Vondells which featured Butch McCoy and Jessie Dean and enjoyed some regional success in the 1960s with the song "Lenore". When the Vondells broke up, Simon formed the group The Lost Generation alongside several Chicago friends, and the group scored several U.S. hits between 1969 and 1974. After the band's breakup, Simon made contributions to the soundtrack to the 1974 film, Three the Hard Way, and wrote tracks for the 1976 debut album of Mystique, which featured other former members of The Lost Generation. He also wrote the tune "Dance Master" in 1974 for Willie Henderson, and the 1979 tune "All About the Paper" for Loleatta Holloway.

Ralph Wesley Foody was an American character actor.

Spencer Burdette Patton is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Texas Rangers organization. He previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Texas Rangers and Chicago Cubs and for the Yokohama DeNA BayStars of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB).

Mary Agnes Chase (1869–1963) was an American botanist who specialized in agrostology, the study of grasses. Although lacking formal education past elementary school, Chase was able to rise through the ranks as a botanist at the United States Department of Agriculture, beginning as an illustrator under the tutelage of Albert Spear Hitchcock and eventually becoming a senior botanist, overseeing the USDA's Systematic Agrostology department. Chase conducted fieldwork abroad in Europe and South America and published several books, including the First Book of Grasses: The Structure of Grasses Explained for Beginners, which was later translated into Spanish and Portuguese. Additionally, Chase was recognized for her work as an agrostologist with numerous awards, including a Certificate of Merit issued by the Botanical Society of America in 1956. Chase was also an active suffragist and took part in demonstrations organized by the Silent Sentinels, a group established by members of the National Woman's Party. Although Chase's participation in this movement was not always well-received by her peers in the scientific community, she nevertheless remained committed to the cause of women's suffrage.

Joseph John Lando is an American actor, known for playing Byron Sully on the television series Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman.

Michael Kenneth Mann is an American director, screenwriter, and producer of film and television who is best known for his distinctive brand of stylized crime drama. His most acclaimed works include the crime films Thief (1981), Manhunter (1986), Heat (1995), Collateral (2004), and Public Enemies (2009), the historical drama The Last of the Mohicans (1992), and the docudrama The Insider (1999). He is also known for his role as executive producer on the popular TV series Miami Vice (1984–89), which he later adapted into a 2006 feature film.

Susan Hendrickson is an American explorer and fossil collector. Hendrickson is best known for her discovery of the remains of a Tyrannosaurus rex in South Dakota on August 12, 1990. Her discovery was one of the most complete skeletons of Tyrannosaurus known to science. This skeleton is now known as "Sue" in honor of her discovery. It is on display at the Field Museum in Chicago, Illinois. She has also found other important fossils and artifacts around the world.