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

Marjorie Merriweather Post was an American businesswoman, socialite, philanthropist, and owner of General Foods, Inc. She used much of her fortune to collect art, particularly pre-revolutionary Russian art, much of which is now on display at Hillwood, the museum which was her estate in Washington, D.C. She is also known for her mansion, Mar-a-Lago, in Palm Beach, Florida, which following her death eventually became a resort owned by Donald Trump.

David Ayer is an American filmmaker, best known for making crime films based in Los Angeles and which deal with gangs and police corruption. His screenplays include Training Day (2001), The Fast and the Furious (2001), and S.W.A.T. (2003). He has also directed Harsh Times (2005), Street Kings (2008), End of Watch (2012), and Sabotage (2014). In 2016, he directed the superhero film Suicide Squad from the DC Extended Universe, and then the urban fantasy film Bright (2017) for Netflix. He has twice collaborated with actor Shia LaBeouf: first with the World War II drama Fury (2014), then the crime thriller The Tax Collector (2020). He has also collaborated with his friend Cle Shaheed Sloan who has appeared in 5 of his films.

Donald Cortez Cornelius was an American television show host and producer who was best known as the creator of the nationally syndicated dance and music show Soul Train, which he hosted from 1971 until 1993. Cornelius sold the show to MadVision Entertainment in 2008.

Suzzanne Douglas was an American actress. She is best known for her role as matriarch Jerri Peterson on The WB sitcom The Parent 'Hood, starring Robert Townsend which ran from 1995–1999. Douglas portrayed Amy Simms in the 1989 dance/drama film Tap alongside Gregory Hines and Sammy Davis, Jr, for which she received an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture. In addition to Tap, Douglas has starred in several other motion pictures, among them How Stella Got Her Groove Back (1998), Jason's Lyric (1994), The Inkwell (1994) as well as the 2003 Disney/ABC version of Sounder with Carl Lumbly. Douglas is also best known for her portrayal as Cissy Houston in the Lifetime TV movie Whitney in 2015. In 2019, she appeared as the mother of one of the main characters in When They See Us (Netflix), directed by Ava DuVernay.

Sidney Stone Blumenthal is an American journalist and political operative.

Taylor Townsend is an American professional tennis player. She reached a career-best WTA ranking of No. 61 in July 2018.

DuShon Monique Brown was an American actress known for her performances as Nurse Katie Welch on the Fox series Prison Break and Connie in the NBC series Chicago Fire.

William Ryan Owens was a decorated United States Navy SEAL senior chief petty officer. He died in the Yakla raid in Yemen, making him the first American to die in combat under the Trump administration.

Michael Ryan Flatley is an Irish-American dancer, choreographer, and musician. He became internationally known for Irish dance shows Riverdance, Lord of the Dance, Feet of Flames, and Celtic Tiger Live. Flatley's shows have played to more than 60 million people in 60 countries and have grossed more than $1 billion.

Jami Beth Gertz is an American actress and investor. Gertz is known for her early roles in the films Crossroads, The Lost Boys, Less Than Zero and Quicksilver, the 1980s TV series Square Pegs and 1996's Twister, as well as for her roles as Judy Miller in the CBS sitcom Still Standing and as Debbie Weaver in the ABC sitcom The Neighbors. Along with husband Tony Ressler, she is a part-owner of the Atlanta Hawks of the National Basketball Association.