- Jane Addams (1860 - 1935) Earned a Nobel Peace Prize for her efforts in helping the inner city poor; born in Cedarville.
- Black Hawk (1767 - 1838) Sauk leader who led the Indians in the black Hawk War; born near Rock Island.
- Gwendolyn Brooks (1917 - 2000) The first African-American woman to win a Pulitzer Price; grew up in Chicago.
- Hillary Rodham Clinton (1947 - ) Lawyer, politician, First Lady to President Bill Clinton, First Lady elected to the United States Senate; born in Chicago.
- Miles Davis (1926 - 1991) Trumpeter, Composer, Bandleader, and Artist; born in Alton.
John Deere (1804 - 1886) Invented the first successful steel plow; born in Vermont lived in Grand Detour.
Walt Disney (1901 - 1966) Creator of Mickey Mouse and founder of the Disneyland® and Walt Disney World® Theme Parks; born in Chicago.
George Ferris (1859 - 1896) Inventor of the Ferris wheel; born in Galesburg.
Marshall Field (1834-1906) Established the Marshall Field & Company store that became the largest retail business in the world at that time; lived in Chicago.
Harrison Ford (1942 - ) Actor made famous in Star Wars and as Indiana Jones in Raiders of the Lost Ark and its sequels; born in Chicago.
- Ernest Hemingway (1899 - 1961) Nobel Prize winning author; born in Oak Park.
- Abraham Lincoln (1809 - 1865) The 16th President of the United States; moved from Kentucky to New Salem at the age of 21.
Marlee Matlin (1965 - ) The youngest recipient (21) to win an Oscar for an acting role; born in Morton Grove.
- Bill Murray (1950 - ) Actor made famous in Saturday Night Live and movies such as Ghostbusters and Groundhog Day; born in Evanston.
Ronald Wilson Reagan (1911 - ) The 40th President of the United States; born in Tampico.
Carl Sandburg (1878 - 1967) Pulitzer Prize winning author of Abraham Lincoln; The War Years; born in Galesburg.
Shel Silvertstein (1932 - 1999 ) Author of children's books such as Where the Sidewalk Ends and The Giving Tree; from Chicago.
- Robin Williams (1952 - ) Actor made famous in the television show Mork and Mindy and movies such as Patch Adams and Toys; born in Chicago.
More Famous People of Illinois
- Franklin Pierce Adams author, Chicago
- Gillian Anderson actress, Chicago
- Mary Astor actress, Quincy
- Arnold O. Beckman inventor, Cullom
- Jack Benny comedian, Chicago
- Harry A. Blackmun jurist, Nashville
- William E. Borah public official, Fairfield
- Ray Bradbury author, Waukegan
- William Jennings Bryan orator, politician, Salem
- Edgar Rice Burroughs author, Chicago
- Marvin Camras inventor, Chicago
- Jennie Garth actress, Urbana
- Gower Champion choreographer, Geneva
- John Chancellor TV commentator, Chicago
- Raymond Chandler writer, Chicago
- Jimmy Connors tennis champion, East St. Louis
- James Gould Cozzens author, Chicago
- Cindy Crawford model, DeKalb
- Richard J. Daley mayor, Chicago
- John Dos Passos author, Chicago
- James T. Farrell author, Chicago
- Betty Friedan feminist, Peoria
- Benny Goodman musician, Chicago
- John Gunther author, Chicago
- George E. Hale astronomer, Chicago
- Dorothy Hamill ice skater, Chicago
- John M. Harlan jurist, Chicago
- Charlton Heston actor, Evanston
- Wild Bill Hickok scout, Troy Grove
- William Holden actor, O'Fallon
- Rock Hudson actor, Winnetka
- Burl Ives singer, Hunt City
- James Jones author, Robinson
- Quincy Jones composer, Chicago
- Walter Kerr drama critic, Evanston
- Archibald MacLeish poet, Glencoe
- David Mamet playwright, Chicago
- Homer Z. Martin inventor, Chicago
- Stanley Mazor inventor, Chicago
- Robert A. Millikan physicist, Morrison
- Sherrill Milnes baritone, Downers Grove
- John G. Neihardt poet, Sharpsburg
- Bob Newhart actor, comedian, Chicago
- Frank Norris author, Chicago
- William S. Paley broadcasting executive, Chicago
- Drew Pearson columnist, Evanston
- Richard Pryor comedian, actor, Peoria
- Lewis Hastings Sarett inventor, Champaign
- Sam Shepard playwright, Fort Sheridan
- William L. Shirer author, historian, Chicago
- McLean Stevenson actor, Bloomington
- Preston Sturges director, Chicago
- Clyde W. Tombaugh astronomer, Streator
- Gloria Swanson actress, Chicago
- Carl Van Doren writer, educator, Hope
- Melvin Van Peebles playwright, Chicago
- Irving Wallace author, Chicago
- Alfred Wallenstein conductor, Chicago
- Raquel Welch actress, Chicago
- Florenz Ziegfield theatrical producer, Chicago
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