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

Maria Owings Shriver is an American journalist, author, member of the Kennedy family, former First Lady of California, and the founder of the nonprofit organization The Women's Alzheimer's Movement. She was married to former Governor of California and actor Arnold Schwarzenegger, from whom she filed for divorce in 2011. Shriver has received a Peabody Award and was co-anchor for NBC's Emmy-winning coverage of the 1988 Summer Olympics. As executive producer of The Alzheimer's Project, Shriver earned two Emmy Awards and an Academy of Television Arts & Sciences award for developing a "television show with a conscience". She is a member of the Kennedy family; her mother, Eunice Kennedy Shriver, was a sister of John F., Robert and Ted Kennedy. Shriver is currently a “special” anchor and correspondent for NBC News.

Maya Lakshmi Harris is an American lawyer, public policy advocate, and writer. In 2015, Harris was appointed as one of three senior policy advisors to lead the policy agenda for Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign. She is the sister of Kamala Harris, the vice president of the United States.

Kathryn Hahn is an American actress, comedian, model, singer, and producer. She began her career on television, starring as grief counselor Lily Lebowski in the NBC crime drama series Crossing Jordan (2001–2007). Hahn went on to appear as a supporting actress in a number of comedy films, including How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days (2003), Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004), Step Brothers (2008), The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard (2009), Our Idiot Brother (2011), We're the Millers (2013), and The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (2013).

Jennifer Kate Hudson, also known by her nickname J.Hud, is an American singer, actress, and philanthropist. Throughout her music and acting careers, Hudson has been the recipient of numerous accolades, including; an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and two Grammy Awards. Time magazine named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2020.

Fredrick Allen Hampton was an American activist and revolutionary socialist. He came to prominence in Chicago as chairman of the Illinois chapter of the Black Panther Party (BPP), and deputy chairman of the national BPP. In this capacity, he founded the Rainbow Coalition, a prominent multicultural political organization that initially included the Black Panthers, Young Patriots, and the Young Lords, and an alliance among major Chicago street gangs to help them end infighting and work for social change.

Gary Michael Cole is an American television, film and voice actor. Cole began his professional acting career on stage at Chicago's Steppenwolf Theatre Company in 1985. On television, he has had starring roles in the TV series Midnight Caller, American Gothic, The West Wing, Crusade, The Good Wife, The Good Fight, Veep, Chicago Fire, and Mixed-ish. In film, he has appeared in The Brady Bunch Movie, One Hour Photo, Office Space, Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story, and Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby. He is also known for voicing the title character on the Adult Swim series Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law and James Timothy Possible on Kim Possible.

Denise Richards is an American actress, former fashion model, and television personality. Her most recognized roles are Carmen Ibanez in Starship Troopers (1997), Kelly Van Ryan in Wild Things (1998) and Bond girl Christmas Jones in The World Is Not Enough (1999). She has also appeared in films Drop Dead Gorgeous (1999), Valentine (2001), Undercover Brother (2002), Scary Movie 3 (2003), Love Actually (2003), and Madea's Witness Protection (2012).

Raymond Albert Kroc was an American businessman. He joined the California company McDonald's in 1954, after the McDonald brothers had franchised nine locations out from their original 1948 operation in San Bernardino. This set the stage for national expansion with the help of Kroc, eventually leading to a global franchise, making it the most successful fast food corporation in the world. Kroc was included in Time 100: The Most Important People of the Century, and amassed a multi-million dollar fortune during his lifetime. He owned the San Diego Padres baseball team from 1974 until his death in 1984.

Frances Louise McDormand is an American actress and producer. McDormand is the recipient of numerous accolades, including two Academy Awards, two Primetime Emmy Awards, and a Tony Award, one of the few performers to achieve the "Triple Crown of Acting."

Cecily Legler Strong is an American actress and comedian who has been a cast member of Saturday Night Live since 2012. Other roles include the film Ghostbusters and voice work on The Awesomes. For her work on Saturday Night Live, she was nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series at the 72nd Primetime Emmy Awards.