List of Famous people born in Ohio, United States of America
Phil Donahue
Phillip John Donahue is an American media personality, writer, film producer and the creator and host of The Phil Donahue Show. The television program, later known as Donahue, was the first talk show format that included audience participation. The show had a 29-year run on national television in America that began in Dayton, Ohio in 1967 and ended in New York City in 1996.
Burgess Owens
Clarence Burgess Owens is an American politician, non-profit executive, and retired football player serving as the U.S. Representative for Utah's 4th congressional district. Burgess played safety for 10 seasons in the National Football League (NFL) for the New York Jets and the Oakland Raiders. Since leaving the NFL, Owens has founded several businesses and is the CEO of a nonprofit dedicated to helping troubled and incarcerated youth. A Republican, Owens narrowly defeated incumbent Democrat Ben McAdams in the 2020 election. Burgess, along with Byron Donalds, is one of two black Republicans in the House of Representatives.
Carol Kane
Carolyn Laurie Kane is an American actress and comedian. She became known in the 1970s and 1980s in films such as Hester Street, for which she received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress, Annie Hall, and The Princess Bride. She appeared on the television series Taxi in the early 1980s, as Simka Gravas, the wife of Latka, the character played by Andy Kaufman, winning two Emmy Awards for her work. She has played the character of Madame Morrible in the musical Wicked, both in regional productions and on Broadway from 2005 to 2014. From 2015 to 2020, she was a main cast member on the Netflix series Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, in which she played Lillian Kaushtupper.
Matt Lanter
Matthew MacKendree Lanter is an American actor and model. He gained fame by playing Liam Court in The CW's teen drama series 90210, a spin-off of the 1990s Fox series Beverly Hills, 90210. He also appeared in some major released films, such as Disaster Movie, WarGames: The Dead Code, Sorority Row, Vampires Suck, The Roommate, and Pitch Perfect 3. He is the voice of Anakin Skywalker in Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels. From 2016 to 2018, he starred as Wyatt Logan, a time traveler, in the NBC series Timeless.
Jeane Manson
Jeane Manson is an American model, singer, and actor, born in Cleveland, Ohio. After being photographed for Playboy magazine's Playmate of the Month in August 1974, she moved to Europe and appeared in several films, including Bons Baisers de Hong Kong (1975). The following year, she became known for the song "Avant de nous dire adieu". In 1979 she represented Luxembourg in the Eurovision Song Contest with the song "J'ai déjà vu ça dans tes yeux".
Caris LeVert
Caris Coleman LeVert is an American professional basketball player for the Indiana Pacers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Michigan Wolverines. As a freshman for the 2012–13 team, he nearly redshirted but earned a key role off the bench as the team went on to reach the championship game in the 2013 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament. As a sophomore for the 2013–14 team, he became a regular starter and was selected as a second team 2013–14 All-Big Ten player for the outright Big Ten regular season champions. His junior and senior seasons were interrupted by injury. LeVert was drafted by the Pacers in the 2016 NBA draft, but was traded to the Brooklyn Nets. He was traded back to the Pacers in 2021.
Connor Cook
Connor Cook is an American football quarterback who is a free agent. He played college football for the Michigan State Spartans and was their starting quarterback from 2013 to 2015. He holds the record for most career wins at Michigan State. Cook was selected in the fourth round of the 2016 NFL Draft by the Oakland Raiders. After initially serving as the third-string backup to Derek Carr and Matt McGloin, Cook played in his first NFL game in the Raiders' last regular season game of the 2016 NFL season after Carr and McGloin suffered injuries. Following this, he was named the starter for the Raiders' playoff game against the Houston Texans and became the first quarterback in NFL history to make his first career start in a playoff game.
D. J. Durkin
Daniel John Durkin is an American football coach, who is currently the co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at the University of Mississippi. He is the former football head coach for the University of Maryland. Before Maryland, he was the defensive coordinator at the University of Michigan. He also served as the interim head football coach and defensive coordinator of the Florida Gators football team for the team's 2014 bowl game.
Marcia Fudge
Marcia Louise Fudge is an American politician who has been the U.S. Representative for Ohio's 11th congressional district since 2008. A member of the Democratic Party, she won the 2008 special election uncontested, succeeding Stephanie Tubbs Jones, who died in office. Fudge was chair of the Congressional Black Caucus in the 113th Congress. President Joe Biden nominated Fudge as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. On February 4, 2021, the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs advanced her nomination by a vote of 17-7.
Larry King
Larry King is an American attorney, real estate broker, promoter, bridge player, one of the founders of World Team Tennis, and the ex-husband of former World No. 1 professional tennis player Billie Jean King.