List of Famous people born in Illinois, United States of America
David Shulkin
David Jonathon Shulkin is an American physician and former government official. In 2017, Shulkin became the ninth United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs and served under President Donald Trump. He was the Under Secretary of Veterans Affairs for Health from 2015 until 2017, appointed by President Barack Obama. On March 28, 2018, President Trump dismissed Shulkin from his position by tweet, and announced that Physician to the President Ronny Jackson would be nominated as Shulkin's successor, although Jackson's nomination was withdrawn on April 26, 2018, after allegations surfaced of misconduct and mismanagement while serving in the White House. He was succeeded by Under Secretary of Defense Robert Wilkie.
Emily Alyn Lind
Emily Alyn Lind is an American actress. She began her career as a child actress, when she was known for her recurring role as young Amanda Clarke on the ABC series Revenge, and for her role as Ariel on the CBS medical drama Code Black. Lind has also starred in the Netflix original films The Babysitter and The Babysitter: Killer Queen as Melanie, and in the theatrical film Doctor Sleep as Snakebite Andi.
Harold Hering
Harold L. Hering is a former officer of the United States Air Force, who was discharged in 1975 for requesting basic information about checks and balances to prevent an unauthorized order to launch nuclear missiles. Major Hering was subsequently presented the 2017 Courage of Conscience Award at the Peace Abbey, Boston, Massachusetts.
Robert Zemeckis
Robert Lee Zemeckis is an American film director, producer, and screenwriter who is frequently credited as an innovator in visual effects. He first came to public attention in the 1980s as the director of Romancing the Stone (1984) and the science-fiction comedy Back to the Future film trilogy, as well as the live-action/animated comedy Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988). In the 1990s, he directed Death Becomes Her and then diversified into more dramatic fare, including 1994's Forrest Gump, for which he won an Academy Award for Best Director; the film itself won Best Picture. The films he has directed have ranged across a wide variety of genres, for both adults and families.
Jackie Joyner-Kersee
Jacqueline Joyner-Kersee is an American retired track and field athlete, ranked among the all-time greatest athletes in the heptathlon as well as long jump. She won three gold, one silver, and two bronze Olympic medals, in those two events at four different Olympic Games. Sports Illustrated for Women magazine voted Joyner-Kersee the Greatest Female Athlete of All-Time. She is on the Board of Directors for USA Track & Field (U.S.A.T.F).The national governing body of the sport.
George Wendt
George Robert Wendt III is an American actor and comedian. He is best known for playing Norm Peterson on the television sitcom Cheers (1982–93), which earned him six consecutive nominations for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series. He also appeared in films Fletch, Gung Ho, Dreamscape, House, Forever Young, Hostage for a Day, Man of the House, and Lakeboat.
August Zirner
August Zirner is an American-Austrian actor, who starred in over 60 film productions. He is one of the most popular actors in Germany.
Roger Fisher
Roger D. Fisher was Samuel Williston Professor of Law at Harvard Law School and director of the Harvard Negotiation Project.
Brian Friedman
Brian L. Friedman is an American dancer and choreographer.
Austin Jones
Austin Jefferson Jones is an American sex offender and former musician who was active as a YouTuber from 2007 to 2017, prior to his arrest for production of child pornography in 2017 and conviction in 2019. In 2015, Austin Jones previously apologized after a video of him teaching an under age girl to “twerk” surfaced, with many exposing and or calling out Austin Jones.