Biographical Records

Notable People from Kansas

1,048 notable figures born in Kansas, showing page 1 of 21, ranked by historical prominence.

Amelia Earhart
Amelia Earhart
American aviation pioneer and author (1897–1939)
1897 – 1939
aviation writerwomen's rights activistmemoirist
Buster Keaton
Buster Keaton
American actor, comedian, and director (1895–1966)
1895 – 1966
film screenwriterproducerfilm actor
Dennis Hopper
Dennis Hopper
American actor and film director (1936–2010)
1936 – 2010
film actortelevision actorfilm screenwriter
Kirstie Alley
Kirstie Alley
American actress (1951–2022)
1951 – 2022
television produceractor
Hattie McDaniel
Hattie McDaniel
American actress (1893-1952)
1893 – 1952
film actorfundraiserphilanthropist
Bob Dole
Bob Dole
American politician (1923–2021)
1923 – 2021
juristpoliticianlawyer
Charles Curtis
Charles Curtis
vice president of the United States from 1929 to 1933
1860 – 1936
prosecutorpoliticianlawyer
R. Lee Ermey
R. Lee Ermey
American actor and soldier (1944–2018)
1944 – 2018
film actordrill instructordirector
Earl Wilbur Sutherland, Jr.
Earl Wilbur Sutherland, Jr.
American pharmacologist (1915–1974)
1915 – 1974
biochemistpharmacologistphysiologist
Vernon L. Smith
Vernon L. Smith
American economist
1927
university teachereconomist
Louise Brooks
Louise Brooks
American actress (1906–1985)
1906 – 1985
dancerautobiographerfilm actor
Roscoe Arbuckle
Roscoe Arbuckle
American actor, director and comedian
1887 – 1933
film screenwriterfilm actordirector
Gwendolyn Brooks
Gwendolyn Brooks
American writer (1917–2000)
1917 – 2000
novelistpoetteacher
Shirley Knight
Shirley Knight
American actress (1936-2020)
1936 – 2020
film actortelevision actorstage actor
Charles Bachman
Charles Bachman
American computer scientist (1924–2017)
1924 – 2017
computer scientistengineer
Walter Percy Chrysler Sr.
Walter Percy Chrysler Sr.
(1875-1940) American automotive industry executive
1875 – 1940
industrialistbusiness executivemachinist
David Koch
David Koch
American billionaire heir and businessman (1940–2019)
1940 – 2019
political activistphilanthropistchemical engineer
Ronald Evans
Ronald Evans
NASA astronaut (1933-1990)
1933 – 1990
military flight engineeraircraft pilotmilitary officer
Edgar Lee Masters
Edgar Lee Masters
American writer (1868–1950)
1868 – 1950
novelistbiographerplaywright
Gordon Parks
Gordon Parks
American photographer, musician, writer and film director (1912–2006)
1912 – 2006
fashion photographernovelistfilm actor
Delbert Mann
Delbert Mann
American television and film director (1920–2007)
1920 – 2007
trade unionistfilm producerdirector
Gilbert Baker
Gilbert Baker
American artist and gay rights activist (1951–2017)
1951 – 2017
LGBTQ rights activistdesignerartist
Robert Whittaker
American ecologist (1920–1980)
1920 – 1980
ecologistbotanistuniversity teacher
Barnum Brown
Barnum Brown
American paleontologist (1873-1963)
1873 – 1963
paleontologistgeologist
Arlen Specter
Arlen Specter
American politician (1930–2012)
1930 – 2012
military officerpoliticianlawyer
Joe Engle
Joe Engle
American astronaut (1932-2024)
1932 – 2024
military flight engineerair force officertest pilot
William Inge
William Inge
American playwright and novelist (1913–1973)
1913 – 1973
novelisttelevision actorplaywright
Stan Kenton
Stan Kenton
American pianist, composer, arranger and band leader (1911-1979)
1911 – 1979
recording artistjazz musicianmusic educator
Richard Thorpe
Richard Thorpe
American actor and film director (1896-1991)
1896 – 1991
film actorfilm directordirector
Robert Ezra Park
Robert Ezra Park
American sociologist (1864–1944)
1864 – 1944
ecologistcriminologistsociologist
Larry Parks
Larry Parks
American stage and movie actor (1914-1975)
1914 – 1975
film actorstage actoractor
ZaSu Pitts
ZaSu Pitts
American actress (1894-1963)
1894 – 1963
film actortelevision actorvoice actor
Stanley Ann Dunham
Stanley Ann Dunham
American anthropologist, mother of Barack Obama (1942–1995)
1942 – 1995
anthropologist
Billy Drago
American actor (1946-2019)
1946 – 2019
film producerfilm actormodel
Angus Scrimm
Angus Scrimm
American actor (1926–2016)
1926 – 2016
film actortelevision actorvoice actor
W. Eugene Smith
W. Eugene Smith
American photojournalist (1918–1978)
1918 – 1978
war photographerjournalistphotojournalist
Ruth Patrick
Ruth Patrick
American botanist and limnologist (1907–2013)
1907 – 2013
limnologistphycologistecologist
Damon Runyon
Damon Runyon
American writer (1880–1946)
1884 – 1946
film producerjournalistwriter
Harry Beaumont
Harry Beaumont
American film director, actor, and screenwriter (1888-1966)
1888 – 1966
film actordirectorfilm producer
Vivian Vance
Vivian Vance
American actress (1909–1979)
1909 – 1979
film actortelevision actorstage actor
Charles Rogers
Charles Rogers
American actor and jazz musician (1904-1999)
1904 – 1999
jazz musicianfilm actordirector
John Kuck
John Kuck
American athletics competitor (1905–1986)
1905 – 1986
athletics competitor
Tom Kane
Tom Kane
American voice actor (1962—2026)
1962 – 2026
television actorvoice actoractor
Eugene Pallette
Eugene Pallette
American actor (1889–1954)
1889 – 1954
film actorstage actoractor
Milburn Stone
Milburn Stone
actor (1904–1980)
1904 – 1980
film actortelevision actoractor
Arthur Samuel
American computer scientist (1901–1990)
1901 – 1990
artificial intelligence researcheruniversity teachercomputer scientist
Moondog
Moondog
American composer (1916–1999)
1916 – 1999
jazz musicianstreet artistmusician
Dean Smith
Dean Smith
American basketball coach (1931–2015)
1931 – 2015
basketball coachbasketball playerengineer
Claire Windsor
Claire Windsor
American actress (1892-1972)
1892 – 1972
film actoractor
Dwight Frye
Dwight Frye
actor (1899-1943)
1899 – 1943
film actorstage actoractor
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