We're Ready For Our Closeup: The Most Famous Celebrities From Louisville

By LEO Weekly Staff on Wed, Apr 12, 2023 at 8:10 pm

Louisville may not be the center of the music or film industry, but it still creates plenty of talent. There are musicians and actors, athletes and writers — some of whom have reached the upper echelon of their careers — who got their start here.

Here is a list of the most famous celebrities who were born or raised in Louisville, Kentucky (or the surrounding suburbs).

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Diane Sawyer

Diane Sawyer was born in Glasgow, Kentucky but grew up in Louisville. Her father was a Republican Jefferson County judge but was killed in a car accident on Interstate 64. E.P. “Tom” Sawyer State Park is named after him. Diane Sawyer attended Seneca High School and worked at WLKY as a weather forecaster. She left Kentucky permanently in 1970 to serve as a press aide in the Nixon administration and has since made her mark as an anchor for Good Morning America and ABC World News Tonight.
Photo by Andrew H. Walker/Getty Images for Yahoo News, Wikimedia Commons

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Jennifer Lawrence

Jennifer Lawrence was born and raised in Louisville, but she quickly left Kentucky for the big time, first visiting New York City in 2005 at the age of 14 to find acting jobs. Since then, she’s starred in multiple big films and even won the Academy Award for best actress for her performance in “Silver Linings Playbook.”
Photo by Red Carpet Report on Mingle Media TV

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Jack Harlow

Jack Harlow is constantly repping Louisville, so it shouldn’t be a surprise that he’s a native. The Atherton grad got his start rapping in Louisville, but his star quickly rose with his 2020 hit “Whats Poppin.” So far, he’s been nominated for three Grammy Awards.
Photo via LEO archives

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Rob Riggle

Rob Riggle has used his comedic acting chops in “21 Jump Street,” “The Lorax” and “Step Brothers” and many other films. The actor was born in Louisville, Kentucky, but his family moved to Overland Park, Kansas, when he was 2.
Photo via Gage Skidmore

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Muhammad Ali

Muhammad Ali is Louisville’s most legendary native. The boxer, known as The Greatest, cut his knuckles practicing in a community center in the Smoketown neighborhood. He was born Cassius Marcellsu Clay Jr. and attended Central High School. He was also a well-known activist, advocating for racial justice.
Photo via Dutch National Archives

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Jim James

The lead singer of rock band My Morning Jacket, Jim James is a born and raised Louisvillian and a St. Xavier High School alumnus. He formed MMJ in 1998 in Louisville and still frequently reps his hometown.
Photo by Tracy Macy

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Nicole Scherzinger

The breakout star of “The Pussycat Dolls,” Nicole Scherzinger was born in Honolulu, Hawaii but moved to Louisville when she was six, where she got her start in the entertainment industry as a performer at Kentucky Kingdom, an actress at Actors Theatre of Louisville and a student at the Youth Performing Arts School at duPont Manual High School. Photo by Joel Telling, Wikimedia Commons

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Hunter S. Thompson

Journalist Hunter S. Thompson made his mark with his cynical take on Louisville’s claim to fame with “The Kentucky Derby is Decadent and Depraved.” The essay was a homecoming for him, as Thompson was born and raised in Louisville, attending Atherton High School and graduating from Louisville Male High School. He went on to pen several classics, including “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas” and an inside look into the motorcycle gang Hell’s Angels.
Photo via Wikimedia Commons

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Darrell Griffith

Darrell Griffith was known as Dr. Dunkenstein for his signature move, which he used during his career with the Utah Jazz. Before the NBA, Griffith played at UofL. Griffith was also born in Louisville and attended Louisville Male High School.
Photo: UofL

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Jennifer Carpenter

Actress Jennifer Carpenter is most known for he role in “Dexter” as the serial killer’s sister. In real life, she married her co-star Michael C. Hall, although they divorced in 2011. Carpenter was born in Louisville, Kentucky, and attended Sacred Heart Academy.
Photo via Gage Skidmore

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Josh Dallas

Actor Josh Dallas has played Prince Charming on “Once Upon A Time” and a father involved in a mysterious plane disappearance in the prematurely canceled “Manifest,” but before that, he was a student thespian at New Albany High School. Dallas was born and raised in the Louisville area before leaving to study acting in England.
Photo via vagueonthehow

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Bryson Tiller

Louisville has produced some significant rapping talent, including Bryson Tiller, whose made frequent appearances on top Billboard lists for his music, including his first hit “Don’t” and “Wild Thoughts,” alongside DJ Khaled and Rhianna. He was born in Louisville, Kentucky, and attended Iroquois High School. Before success hit, he worked at UPS.
Photo by Will Fenwick

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Sue Grafton

The author of the popular crime thriller “alphabet series,” kicking off with “A is for Alibi,” Sue Grafton was born and raised in Louisville. She attended Atherton High School, just a few years behind Hunter S. Thompson.
Photo via Mark Coggins

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Chris Hardwick

Chris Hardwick made a name for himself as a geek, creating the Nerdist Podcast and recapping episodes of “The Walking Dead” and “Breaking Bad” on AMC. Hardwick was born in Louisville but grew up in Memphis, Tennessee. In 2018, Hardwick was investigated by AMC after allegations of sexual abuse and was cleared by the network.
Photo via Gage Skidmore

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Mary Travers

Mary Travers was one-third of the popular ‘60s folk group Peter, Paul and Mary, which performed hits such as “Puff the Magic Dragon” and a cover of “Leaving on a Jet Plane.” Travers was born in Louisville, Kentucky, but moved to Greenwich Village in New York City as a child with her family.
Photo via Wikimedia Commons

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Maggie Lawson

Actress Maggie Lawson starred as Detective Juliet “Jules” O’Hara on the beloved TV show “Psych,” at one point dating her co-star James Rodriguez. She was born and raised in Louisville and started acting at a young age, hosting a kid’s show on WDRB and performing at Derby Dinner Playhouse. Lawson also attended Assumption High School.
Photo via Gage Skidmore

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Static Major

Continuing Louisville’s history of rap talent is Static Major, who performed with the ‘90s hip-hop group Playa and made songs for Aaliyah, Lil Wayne (“Lollipop) and Genuine. Static Major, or Stephen Garrett, attended Waggener High School. In 2008, he died after being diagnosed with a rare autoimmune disease.
Photo via LEO archives, by S. Wade

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Paul Hornung

Before there was Aaron Rodgers, there was Paul Hornung, a Hall of Fame running back for the Green Bay Packers. Vince Lombardi once called the Heisman Trophy winner the greatest player he ever coached. And he was from Louisville, catching attention from recruiters from his time at the now closed Flaget High School.
Photo via Elvis Kennedy

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Rajon Rondo

NBA star Rajon Rondo has played on several professional basketball teams, with his most notable stint being with the Celtics, where he helped the team win the 2008 championship. Born in Louisville, Kentucky, Rondo played at Eastern High School before transferring to a Virginia school, Oak Hill Academy, his senior year.
Photo via Wikimedia Commons

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Sean Young

You probably know actress Sean Young from her turn in “Ace Ventura: Pet Detective,” where she’s revealed as the secret villain in a joke-y plot twist that also happens to be majorly transphobic. Before all that, Young was born in Louisville, Kentucky but later moved to Cleveland. Her mother was Lee Guthrie, a TV writer with her own Hollywood career.
Photo via lukeford.net

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