List of Famous people born in Illinois, United States of America
Stuart Scott
Stuart Orlando Scott was an American sportscaster and anchor on ESPN, most notably on SportsCenter. Well known for his hip-hop style and use of catchphrases, Scott was also a regular for the network in its National Basketball Association (NBA) and National Football League (NFL) coverage.
William Christopher
William Christopher was an American actor and comedian, best known for playing Private Lester Hummel on Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. from 1965 to 1968 and Father Mulcahy on the television series M*A*S*H from 1972 to 1983 and its spinoff AfterMASH from 1983 to 1985.
Belal Muhammad
Belal Muhammad is an American mixed martial artist who is currently competing in the UFC welterweight division. A professional since 2012, he has also competed for Bellator and Titan FC. As of November 23, 2021, he is #10 in the UFC welterweight rankings.
Clint Walker
Norman Eugene "Clint" Walker was an American actor and singer. He played cowboy Cheyenne Bodie in the ABC/Warner Bros. western series Cheyenne from 1955 to 1963.
Darius Miles
Darius LaVar Miles is an American former professional basketball player.
Harvey Korman
Harvey Herschel Korman was an American actor and comedian, who performed in television and film productions. His big break was being a featured performer on CBS' The Danny Kaye Show, but he is best remembered for his performances on the sketch comedy series The Carol Burnett Show for which he won four Emmy Awards as well as his partnership with Tim Conway. Korman also appeared in several comedy films by Mel Brooks.
Mike Shanahan
Michael Edward Shanahan is a former American football coach, best known as the head coach of the Denver Broncos of the National Football League (NFL) from 1995 to 2008. During his 14 seasons with the Broncos, he led the team to consecutive Super Bowl victories in XXXII and XXXIII, including the franchise's first NFL title in the former. His head coaching career spanned a total of 20 seasons and also included stints with the Los Angeles Raiders and Washington Redskins. He is the father of San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan. He is a Denver Broncos Ring of Famer.
Ken Norton
Kenneth Howard Norton Sr. was an American professional boxer who competed from 1967 to 1981, and held the WBC heavyweight title in 1978. He is best known for his fight trilogy with Muhammad Ali, in which Norton won the first by split decision, lost the second by split decision, and lost the final by a controversial unanimous decision. Norton also fought a slugfest with Larry Holmes in 1978, narrowly losing a split decision. These are all seen as great fights, and generally controversial, with some people thinking that Norton won the fight.
Amy Krouse Rosenthal
Amy Krouse Rosenthal was an American author of both adult and children's books, a short film maker, and radio show host. She is best known for her memoir Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life, her children's picture books, and the film project The Beckoning of Lovely. She was a prolific writer, publishing more than 30 children's books between 2005 and her death in 2017. She is the only author to have three children's books make the Best Children's Books for Family Literacy list in the same year. She was a contributor to Chicago's NPR affiliate WBEZ, and to the TED conference.
Kel Mitchell
Kel Johari Rice Mitchell is an American actor, stand-up comedian, musician, singer, and rapper. He is known for his work as a regular cast member of the Nickelodeon sketch comedy series All That, as the Invisible Boy in the 1999 Ben Stiller and Geoffrey Rush superhero satire film Mystery Men, his portrayal of Kel Kimble on the Nickelodeon sitcom Kenan & Kel, his role as Ed in the film and All That sketch Good Burger, as the voice of Dutch in the Disney XD cartoon Motorcity, and as Ray in the 2006 sequel to Like Mike, Like Mike 2: Streetball. He also starred as Double G on the Nickelodeon series Game Shakers. Mitchell was on Dancing with the Stars on the 28th season and placed 2nd alongside his partner Witney Carson.