List of Mississippians

List of Famous Mississippians:

Actors/Actresses

• Dana Andrews, Covington County
• Earl W. Bascom, Columbia
• Lacey Chabert, Purvis
• John Dye, Amory
• Morgan Freeman, Greenwood
• Gary Grubbs, Amory
• Beth Henley, Jackson
• Jim Henson, Greenville
• Anthony Herrera, Wiggins
• Eddie Hodges, Hattiesburg
• James Earl Jones, Arkabutla
• Simbi Khali, Jackson
• Daniel Curtis Lee, Jackson
• Kris Lee, Louisville
• Shane McRae, Starkville
• Gerald McRaney, Collins
• Parker Posey, Laurel
• Eric Roberts, Biloxi
• Sela Ward, Meridian
• Oprah Winfrey, Kosciusko

Artists

• Earl W. Bascom, sculptor, Columbia
• George Ohr, "Mad Potter of Biloxi"
• Walter Inglis Anderson, painter, Ocean Springs

Athletes

• Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf, Gulfport
• Lance Alworth, Brookhaven
• Dizzy Dean, Wiggins
• Earl W. Bascom, Columbia
• Dennis Ray "Oil Can" Boyd, Meridian
• Ralph Boston, Laurel
• Jeff Bowman
• Terrell Buckley, Pascagoula
• Reggie Collier, D`Iberville
• Joseph (Joe) Pierre Courtney, Jackson
• Erick Dampier, Jackson
• Jim Dunaway, Columbia
• Marcus Dupree, Philadelphia
• Eric Moulds, Lucedale
• Brett Favre, Kiln
• Charles Gavin, Laurel
• Litterial Green, Pascagoula
• Louis Edward Green, Vicksburg
• Lancaster Gordon, Jackson
• Andrew Edam
• Bobby Hamilton, Columbia
• Phillip Hampton
• Othella Harrington, Jackson
• Lindsey Hunter, Utica
• Belton Johnson
• Steven Lombardi
• Deuce McAllister, Morton
• Steve McNair, Mount Olive
• Archie Manning, Drew
• Shane Matthews, Pascagoula
• Steve Newsome, Columbia
• Jerious Norwood , Jackson
• Joe Owens, Columbia
• Roy Oswalt, Weir
• Jeremy Patrick
• Eddie Payton, Columbia
• Walter Payton, Columbia
• Justin Reed, Jackson
• Jerry Rice, Starkville
• James Robinson, Jackson
• Eugene Short, Hattiesburg
• Purvis Short, Hattiesburg
• Jackie Slater, Jackson
• Calvin Smith, Bolton
• Jimmy Lee Smith, Jackson
• Lake Speed, Jackson
• Dmitri Young, Vicksburg
• Antonio Mcdyess, Quitman
• Claude Passeau, Lucedale
• Al Jefferson, Monticello
• Clarence Weatherspoon, Crawford
• Sammy Winder, Madison
• Ruthie Bolton, Lucedale

Authors/Writers

• Earl W. Bascom, Columbia
• Lerone Bennett, Jr., Clarksdale
• Larry Brown, Oxford
• Hodding Carter
• Craig Claiborne, Sunflower
• Gerald Ellis
• William Faulkner, New Albany
• Shelby Foote, Greenville
• Richard Ford, Jackson
• Barry Hannah, Clinton
• Thomas Harris
• Beth Henley, Hattiesburg
• Greg Iles, Natchez
• J.R. Johnson
• Muna Lee, Raymond
• Justin Mapp, Brandon
• D.J. McCornik
• Willie Morris, Jackson
• Lewis Nordan, Forest
• Walker Percy
• William Alexander Percy, Greenville
• William Raspberry, Okolona
• Eudora Welty, Jackson
• Tennessee Williams, Columbus
• Richard Nathaniel Wright, Roxie
• Stark Young, Como
• Carolyn Haines, Lucedale

Civil Rights Leaders

• Vernon Dahmer, Hattiesburg
• Charles Evers, Decatur
• Medgar Evers, Decatur
• Fannie Lou Hamer, Ruleville
• T.R.M. Howard, Mound Bayou
• James Meredith, Kosciusko
• Dianna Freelon-Foster, Grenada
• CC Bryant, McComb

Entrepreneurs/Business Leaders

• Jim Barksdale (former CEO Netscape Communications Corporation)
• Harry A. Cole, Jackson (inventor of Pine-Sol)
• Hartley Peavey (founder Peavey Electronics)
• Robert Pittman (founder MTV, former CEO and COO AOL)
• Fred Smith, Marks, MS, founder and CEO of FedEx
• Toxey Haas, West Point, MS, founder Mossy Oak Brand Camouflage

Inventors

• Joseph Newman, Lucedale
• Earl W. Bascom

Military Figures

• Charles Read
• Nathan Bedford Forrest

Musicians/Composers

• Glen Ballard, Natchez
• David Banner, Jackson
• Lance Bass, Laurel
• Big Bill Broonzy, Scott
• Jimmy Buffett, Pascagoula
• R.L. Burnside, Harmontown
• Sam Cooke, Clarksdale
• James Cotton, Tunica
• Arthur Crudup, Forest
• Bo Diddley, McComb
• Willie Dixon, Vicksburg
• Faith Hill, Jackson
• John Lee Hooker, Clarksdale
• Big Walter Horton, Horn Lake
• Guy Hovis, Tupelo
• Elmore James, Richland
• Skip James, Bentonia
• Little Milton, Inverness
• Brandy Norwood, McComb
• Alexander O'Neal, Natchez
• Charley Patton, Edwards
• Elvis Presley, Tupelo
• Charley Pride, Sledge
• Leontyne Price, Laurel
• Jimmy Reed, Duleith
• Del Rendon, Starkville
• LeAnn Rimes, Jackson
• Jimmie Rodgers, Meridian
• David Ruffin, Whynot
• Jimmy Ruffin, Collinsville
• Britney Spears, McComb
• William Grant Still, Woodville
• Ike Turner, Clarksdale
• Newt Rayburn, Oxford
• Lisa Stewart, Louisville
• Conway Twitty, Friars Point
• Muddy Waters, Rolling Fork
• Bukka White, Houston
• Big Joe Williams, Crawford
• Sonny Boy Williamson II, Glendora
• Cassandra Wilson, Jackson
• Howlin' Wolf, West Point
• Tammy Wynette, Tupelo
• Lester Young, Woodville
• Three Doors Down, Escatawpa
• Mickey Gilley, Natchez
• Chris Ledoux, Biloxi

Politicians

• Haley Barbour, Yazoo City
• Ross R. Barnett, Standing Pine
• Marion Barry, Itta Bena
• Theodore Bilbo, Poplarville
• Thad Cochran, Pontotoc
• Jefferson Davis
• James Eastland, Sunflower
• Pat Harrison, Crystal Springs
• Elmer Litchfield, Meridian; former sheriff of East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana
• Chester Trent Lott, Sr., Grenada
• Gillespie V. "Sonny" Montgomery, Meridian
• Charles W. Pickering, Jones County
• Chip Pickering, Laurel
• John E. Rankin, Itawamba County
• Hiram Revels
• John Stennis, DeKalb
• Bennie Thompson, Bolton
• James Vardaman, Yalobusha County
• Jamie L. Whitten, Cascilla
• William Winter, Grenada
• Blanche Bruce
• Gene Taylor, Bay St. Louis
• James Z. George, Carrollton
• Dianna Freelon-Foster, Grenada

Other luminaries

• Red Barber, sportscaster, Columbus
• Richard Scruggs, attorney, Pascagoula
• Shepard Smith, Newscaster, Holly Springs
• Lypsinka, drag performer and model
• Kent Simmons, regular person