List of Famous people born in Wisconsin, United States of America
Mona Simpson
Mona Simpson is an American novelist. She has written six novels and studied English at the University of California, Berkeley and Languages and Literature at Columbia University. She won a Whiting Award for her first novel, Anywhere but Here (1986). It was a popular success and adapted as a film by the same name, released in 1999. She wrote a sequel, The Lost Father (1992). Critical recognition has included the Chicago Tribune Heartland Prize and making the shortlist for the PEN/Faulkner Award for her novel Off Keck Road (2000). Simpson is the younger sister of the late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs. Simpson was born after her parents had married and did not meet Jobs, who was placed for adoption after he was born, until she was 25 years old.
Dan Harmon
Daniel James Harmon is an American writer, producer, actor, rapper and comedian. Harmon created and produced the NBC sitcom Community (2009–2015), co-created the Adult Swim animated series Rick and Morty (2013–present), and co-founded the alternative television network and website Channel 101. Harmon published the book You'll Be Perfect When You're Dead in 2013. He also hosted a weekly podcast, Harmontown (2012–2019).
Bill Brown
William Walter Brown was an American pioneer rancher in central Oregon. He owned two large ranches between Burns and Prineville, Oregon. Together, his properties comprised one of the largest privately owned sheep and horse operations in the United States. He was known as the Horse King of the West and the Millionaire Horse King because over 10,000 horses carried his Horseshoe Bar brand. Brown was also a well-known philanthropist who gave hundreds of thousands of dollars to a wide range of religious and educational institutions.
Phil Kessel
Philip Joseph Kessel Jr. is an American professional ice hockey winger and alternate captain for the Arizona Coyotes of the National Hockey League (NHL). He has previously played for the Boston Bruins, Toronto Maple Leafs and Pittsburgh Penguins. Kessel is a two-time Stanley Cup champion, winning back-to-back championships with the Penguins in 2016 and 2017.
Gerald Meerschaert
Gerald Edward Meerschaert III is an American mixed martial artist currently competing in the Middleweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A professional competitor since 2007, he has formerly competed for the RFA, Titan FC, and King of the Cage. He is the former RFA Middleweight Champion.
Joe Thomas
Joseph Hayden Thomas is a retired American football offensive tackle who played his entire 11-season professional career for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the University of Wisconsin, earned unanimous All-American honors, and was recognized as the top college interior lineman. The Browns chose Thomas with the third overall pick in the 2007 NFL Draft. He was invited to the Pro Bowl in each of his first 10 seasons and did not miss a single play in his career until the 2017 season ; his 10,363 consecutive snaps played is the longest streak since the NFL began recording snap counts in 1999. He is regarded as one of the best offensive linemen of all time.
Chris Foerster
Christopher Flyn Foerster is an American football coach who currently serves as the offensive line coach for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). Previously, he worked for the Dolphins as their offensive coordinator in 2004.
Scott Thorson
Scott Thorson is an American known for his relationship with and lawsuit against the entertainer Liberace. Since 2008, he has had multiple criminal convictions and has been an inmate in the Nevada Department of Corrections system since January 2014.
Andrew Cray
Andrew S. Cray was an American LGBT rights activist and political figure. Cray played a central role in securing new nationwide LGBTQ nondiscrimination protections as part of the Affordable Care Act, partnering with the White House and the Department of Health and Human Services to create the Out2Enroll initiative to connect LGBTQ people with health insurance coverage options, assisting with the passage of the HOPE Act to make organ donation and transplantation more accessible to people with HIV, and drafting new provisions addressing the needs of LGBTQ youth for the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act.
Doug Gottlieb
Douglas Mitchell Gottlieb is an American basketball analyst and sports talk radio host. He played both NCAA collegiate basketball, twice leading the nation in assists, and professional basketball. He now works for Fox Sports, Pac-12 Network and CBS Sports after tenures with ESPN.