List of Famous people born in United States of America
Eric Heiden
Eric Arthur Heiden is an American physician and a former long track speed skater, road cyclist and track cyclist. He won an unprecedented five individual gold medals, and set four Olympic records and one world record at the 1980 Winter Olympic Games. Heiden was the most successful athlete at those Olympic Games, single-handedly winning more gold medals than all nations except for the Soviet Union (10) and East Germany (9). He is the most successful Winter Olympian from a single edition of any Winter Olympics. He delivered the Athlete's Oath at those same 1980 Games. His coach was Dianne Holum.
Kevin Harvick
Kevin Michael Harvick, nicknamed "The Closer" and "Happy Harvick," is an American professional racing driver. A veteran of stock car racing, he competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 4 Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing. He is the 2014 NASCAR Cup Series champion, as well as the 2001, and 2006 Xfinity Series champion and 2007 Daytona 500 winner. Harvick holds the all-time record for Cup Series wins at Phoenix Raceway with nine wins. Harvick's 119 combined national series wins currently rank him third all-time in NASCAR history, behind Richard Petty and Kyle Busch respectively, while his 58 Cup wins are the ninth most in series history. He is the second longest tenured active driver in the Cup series in terms of career starts, behind Kurt Busch.
Herman Melville
Herman Melville was an American novelist, short story writer, and poet of the American Renaissance period. Among his best-known works are Moby-Dick (1851), Typee (1846), a romanticized account of his experiences in Polynesia, and Billy Budd, Sailor, a posthumously published novella. Although his reputation was not high at the time of his death, the centennial of his birth in 1919 was the starting point of a Melville revival and Moby-Dick grew to be considered one of the great American novels.
Monroe Edwards
Monroe Edwards was an American slave trader, forger, and criminal who was the subject of a well-publicized trial and conviction in 1842. Originally from Kentucky, Edwards moved to New Orleans then settled in Texas. He smuggled slaves into Brazil in 1832 and used the proceeds to purchase land in Texas. In 1836, he was again smuggling slaves, this time into Texas. After attempting to swindle his partner out of the profits of the venture, partly with forged documents, Edwards was forced to flee the Republic of Texas to the United States. He then tried to scam money out of various abolitionists in the United States and the United Kingdom, partly with forged letters of introduction. He traveled to the United Kingdom, but his schemes were mainly unsuccessful and he returned to the United States in mid-1841.
Sione Takitaki
Sione Takitaki is an American football linebacker for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at BYU and was drafted by the Browns in the third round of the 2019 NFL Draft.
Chuck Person
Chuck Connors Person is an American former basketball player and coach. Person played 14 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and was the 1987 NBA Rookie of the Year. Person played college basketball at Auburn University and was selected fourth overall in the 1986 NBA draft by the Indiana Pacers, for whom he played six seasons. He also played for the Minnesota Timberwolves, San Antonio Spurs, Charlotte Hornets and Seattle SuperSonics. His 17-year coaching career ended when Person was ensnared in a college recruitment scandal and pleaded guilty to a bribery charge.
Sandy Dennis
Sandra Dale Dennis was an American actress. She made her film debut in the drama Splendor in the Grass (1961). For her performance in the comedy-drama film Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966), she received the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.
Marquese Chriss
Marquese De'Shawn Chriss Jr. is an American professional basketball player for the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Washington Huskies. He was selected in the first round of the 2016 NBA draft with the eighth overall pick by the Sacramento Kings, and he was named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team as a member of the Phoenix Suns.
John Orozco
John Orozco is an American artistic gymnast who competed in the 2012 Olympics and is the 2012 U.S national champion. He was selected to the U.S. Olympic gymnastics team for the 2016 Olympic Games, but withdrew on July 15, 2016 due to an ACL injury. After graduating High School at 17, John trained for 7 years at the United States Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
Jim Starlin
James P. Starlin is an American comics artist and writer. Beginning his career in the early 1970s, he is best known for space opera stories; for revamping the Marvel Comics characters Captain Marvel and Adam Warlock; and for creating or co-creating the Marvel characters Thanos, Drax the Destroyer, Gamora and Shang-Chi. Later, for DC Comics, he drew many of their iconic characters, especially Darkseid and other characters from Jack Kirby's Fourth World. For Epic Illustrated, he created his own character, Dreadstar.