List of Famous people born in Mississippi, United States of America
Cassandra Wilson
Cassandra Wilson is an American jazz singer, songwriter, and producer from Jackson, Mississippi. She has been described by critic Gary Giddins as "a singer blessed with an unmistakable timbre and attack [who has] expanded the playing field" by incorporating blues, country, and folk music into her work.
Richard H. Truly
Richard Harrison Truly is a retired vice admiral in the United States Navy, a former fighter pilot, engineer, astronaut, and was the eighth administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) from 1989 to 1992. He was the first former astronaut to head the space agency.
James E. Darnell
James Edwin Darnell Jr. is an American biologist who made significant contributions to RNA processing and cytokine signaling and is author of the cell biology textbook Molecular Cell Biology.
Hugh Green
Hugh Donell Green is a former professional American football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL) for eleven seasons during the 1980s and 1990s. He played college football for the University of Pittsburgh, and was recognized as a three-time consensus All-American. Green was selected in the first round of the 1981 NFL Draft, and played professionally for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Miami Dolphins.
Trent Lott
Chester Trent Lott Sr. is an American author and former politician. A former United States Senator from Mississippi, Lott served in numerous leadership positions in both the United States House of Representatives and the Senate. He entered Congress as one of the first of a wave of Republicans winning seats in Southern states that had been solidly Democratic. Later in his career, he became Senate Majority Leader, and, alternately, Senate Minority Leader. In 2003, he stepped down from the position after controversy due to his praising of senator Strom Thurmond's 1948 segregationist Dixiecrat presidential bid.
Mary Alice
Mary Alice Smith (born December 3, 1941) known professionally as Mary Alice, is an American film, television, and stage actress. Alice is known for her roles as Leticia "Lettie" Bostic on NBC's A Different World (1987–1989) and Effie Williams in the 1976 musical drama Sparkle. Alice has also performed on the stage, and received a Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play for her appearance in the 1987 production of August Wilson's Fences.
Charlaine Harris
Charlaine Harris Schulz is an American author who specializes in mysteries. She is best known for the adaptations of her series The Southern Vampire Mysteries, which was adapted as the TV series True Blood. The television show was a critical and financial success for HBO, running seven seasons, from 2008 through 2014. A number of her books have been bestsellers and this series was translated into multiple languages and published across the globe.
Belladonna
Belladonna is an American actress, director, producer, and model. She was a pornographic actress until she announced her retirement from the industry in 2008. Since retiring from pornography, she has acted in several films, including Inherent Vice and The Ladies of the House.
Ray Mabus
Raymond Edwin Mabus Jr. is an American politician, diplomat, and member of the Democratic Party who served as the 75th United States Secretary of the Navy from 2009 to 2017. Mabus previously served as the State Auditor of Mississippi from 1984 to 1988, as the 60th Governor of Mississippi from 1988 to 1992 and as the United States Ambassador to Saudi Arabia from 1994 to 1996.
Tyler Moore
Tyler Michael Moore is an American former professional baseball left fielder and first baseman. He previously played for the Washington Nationals and Miami Marlins.