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

Donny Edward Hathaway was an American soul singer, keyboardist, songwriter, and arranger. Hathaway has been described as a "soul legend" by Rolling Stone. His most popular songs include "The Ghetto", "This Christmas", "Someday We'll All Be Free", and "Little Ghetto Boy". Hathaway is also renowned for his renditions of "A Song for You", "For All We Know", and "I Love You More Than You'll Ever Know", along with "Where Is the Love" and "The Closer I Get to You", two of many collaborations with Roberta Flack. He has been inducted into the St. Louis Walk of Fame and won one Grammy Award from four nominations. Hathaway was also posthumously bestowed with a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. Dutch director David Kleijwegt made a documentary called Mister Soul – A Story About Donny Hathaway, which premiered at the International Film Festival Rotterdam on January 28, 2020.

Nancy Lee Grahn is an American actress known primarily for her work in daytime soap operas, portraying Julia Wainwright Capwell on Santa Barbara from 1985–93 and Alexis Davis on General Hospital since 1996.

Jack Wayne Sikma is an American former professional basketball center. He was a seven-time NBA All-Star with the Seattle SuperSonics, who drafted him in the first round with the eighth overall pick of the 1977 NBA draft. In 1979, he won an NBA championship with Seattle. Sikma finished his playing career with the Milwaukee Bucks. He was elected to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2019.

Arthur "Man" Agee Jr. is an American former Chicago-area high school basketball player. Agee was one of two Chicago-area high school basketball players whose lives were chronicled in the 1994 Kartemquin Films documentary, Hoop Dreams.

Patrick Francis Kennedy is a former career Foreign Service Officer who served as the U.S. State Department's Under Secretary of State for Management. He was Director of the Office of Management Policy, Rightsizing and Innovation. He has been Deputy Director for Management at the cabinet level Office of the Director of National Intelligence; he returned to the Department of State on May 7, 2007. Kennedy was U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations for Management and Reform and previously served as Chief of Staff for the Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq. He was the Assistant Secretary of State for Administration for the Clinton Administration from 1993 to 2001.

John Neil Reagan was an American radio station manager, CBS senior producer, and senior vice president of McCann Erickson. He was the older brother of the Hollywood star and former United States President Ronald Reagan.

Steven Benjamin Goodman was an American folk and country singer-songwriter from Chicago. He wrote the song "City of New Orleans," which was recorded by Arlo Guthrie and many others including John Denver, The Highwaymen, and Judy Collins; in 1985, it received a Grammy award for best country song, as performed by Willie Nelson. Goodman had a small but dedicated group of fans for his albums and concerts during his lifetime. His most frequently sung song is the Chicago Cubs anthem, "Go Cubs Go". Goodman died of leukemia in September 1984.

Patricia Mell "Patti" Blagojevich, née Mell, is the former First Lady of Illinois and wife of Rod Blagojevich, the former Governor of Illinois, who was impeached and removed from office. She served as First Lady of Illinois from January 2003 to January 2009. Patricia Blagojevich was also a contestant on the NBC reality show I'm a Celebrity…Get Me out of Here in June 2009. She placed 4th in the competition.

Theodore John Karras III is an American football center for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Illinois, and was drafted in sixth round of the 2016 NFL Draft by the New England Patriots, where he won two Super Bowl championships.

Christopher L. Streveler is an American football quarterback for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Minnesota and South Dakota. Streveler previously played two seasons for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League (CFL).