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

Richard Marvin Butkus is an American former football player, sports commentator, and actor. He played professional football as a linebacker for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL) from 1965 to 1973. Through those nine seasons he was invited to eight Pro Bowls, named a first-team All-Pro six times, and was twice recognized by his peers as the NFL's Defensive Player of the Year. Renowned as a fierce tackler and for the relentless effort with which he played, Butkus is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most intimidating linebackers in pro football history.

Sarah Wayne Callies is an American actress. She is known for starring as Sara Tancredi in Fox's Prison Break and as Lori Grimes in AMC's The Walking Dead. She has also starred as Katie Bowman in USA Network's Colony and Robin Perry in NBC's Council of Dads.

Walter Marvin Koenig is an American actor and screenwriter. He began acting professionally in the mid 1960s and quickly rose to prominence for his supporting role as Ensign Pavel Chekov in Star Trek: The Original Series (1967–1969). He went on to reprise this role in all seven original-cast Star Trek films. He has also acted in several other series and films including Goodbye, Raggedy Ann (1971), The Questor Tapes (1974), Babylon 5 (1993), and Crusade (1999).

Jacob Anthony Kumerow is an American football wide receiver for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Illinois and Wisconsin–Whitewater, and was signed by the Cincinnati Bengals as an undrafted free agent in 2015. He has also been a member of the New England Patriots, Green Bay Packers, and New Orleans Saints.

Elizabeth Chihaia, better known by the ring name Scarlett Bordeaux, is an American professional wrestler, ring announcer, and model, currently signed to WWE, where she performs on the NXT brand under the mononymous ring name Scarlett. She is known for her time on Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide, Ring of Honor, and Impact Wrestling. She has also competed in Ohio Valley Wrestling as well as the independent circuit such as AAW Wrestling, Chikara, and Combat Zone Wrestling.

Harry Joseph Lennix III is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as Terrence "Dresser" Williams in the Robert Townsend film The Five Heartbeats (1991) and as Boyd Langton in the science-fiction series Dollhouse. Lennix currently co-stars as Harold Cooper, Assistant Director of the FBI Counterterrorism Division, on the NBC drama The Blacklist. Lennix played General and then Secretary of Defense Calvin Swanwick in the DC Extended Universe.

Joseph Anthony Mantegna is an American actor, producer, and director.

Fatimah Nyeema Warner, known professionally as Noname, is an American rapper, poet, and record producer from the Bronzeville neighborhood of Chicago. She began rapping and performing slam poetry in 2010, and gained wider recognition in 2013 for her appearance on the track "Lost" from Chance the Rapper's mixtape, Acid Rap.

Robert Michael Ninkovich is a former American football outside linebacker who played eleven seasons in National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Purdue as a defensive end and was drafted by the New Orleans Saints in the fifth round of the 2006 NFL Draft. He also played for the Miami Dolphins and New England Patriots, winning two Super Bowls with the latter. After eight seasons with the Patriots, Ninkovich announced his retirement from the NFL following 2016.

Curtis Lee Mayfield was an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer, and one of the most influential musicians behind soul and politically conscious African-American music. He first achieved success and recognition with the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame-inducted group The Impressions during the civil rights movement of the late 1950s and 1960s, and later worked as a solo artist.