Famous People From Georgia

Creative from a very young age, Kanye West dreamed of becoming a rapper since very early in his life. He became an award winning American rapper whose creativity in music is widely appreciated by critics. However, his outspoken views, comments and behaviour have quite often landed him controversies.

A leader in the civil rights movement in the mid-twentieth century, Martin Luther King Jr. is best remembered for advancing civil rights through nonviolence and civil disobedience. A man of Christian faith who was inspired by Indian freedom fighter Mahatma Gandhi’s nonviolent activism, he was honored with the Nobel Peace Prize for fighting racial inequality.  

Julia Roberts is one of the most popular Hollywood actresses. She came to limelight in the 1990, when she played the female lead in the movie, Pretty Woman. In 2000, she won the Academy Award for best actress for her role in Erin Brockovich in 2000. She has been named the most beautiful woman in the world, a record five times, by the People magazine.

Former American professional wrestler Hulk Hogan had a very successful career from the 1970s to the 2010s and won many championships. He has also acted in several movies. However, he has been accused of being a racist and a homophobic and a leaked sex tape involving him created quite a stir.

Ray Charles went on to become a great singer-songwriter, composer, and pianist, despite suffering blindness due to glaucoma early in his life. One of the most respected and decorated musicians of all time, Ray Charles has been named in lists, such as 100 Greatest Singers of All Time. He pioneered the soul music genre, which remains his greatest contribution.

Holly Hunter established herself as an actress in the American film industry after being born into a middle-class household, proving to the world that talent and hard work can make dreams come true. She also serves as an inspiration to those suffering from partial hearing loss as she has achieved popularity despite her inability to hear with her left ear.

Chris Tucker is an American stand-up comedian and actor best known for playing Detective James Carter in the Rush Hour film series alongside Jackie Chan. Also a humanitarian, Tucker joined the likes of Bill Clinton, Jeffrey Epstein, Kevin Spacey, and Ghislaine Maxwell on a trip to Africa in an attempt to raise awareness about HIV/AIDS.

American professional basketball player, Dwight Howard, is known for his athleticism and his powerful physique. He is in the Los Angeles Lakers team of the National Basketball Association. He has also played for NBA’s Orlando Magic, Houston Rockets, Atlanta Hawks, Charlotte Hornets and Washington Wizards. He was part of the US men’s national basketball team which won the 2008 Olympics gold medal.

Spike Lee is a celebrated and one of the most decorated American filmmakers of his generation. Most of his critically acclaimed films explore political issues, such as urban crime and poverty, colorism in the African-American community, and race relations. Four of his films have been selected for conservation in the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress.

Montero Lamar Hill, better known as Lil Nas X, soared to fame with his US Billboard Hot 100 charter country rap track Old Town Road. The gay singer initially became viral for his comedy videos on Facebook and Vine and then soared to fame on Spotify.

Rapper T.I., also known as TIP, is one of the pioneers of trap music. The three-time Grammy-winner owns a music label and has seven “Top 5” Billboard 200 albums. He has starred in his own reality series, has written two novels, and has appeared in films such as Ant-Man.

Jimmy Carter, the 39th President of USA, is one of the rare Presidents whose legacy continues even after leaving office. He is known as a champion of human rights and a mediator of peace efforts across the world. His humanitarian works earned him the prestigious Nobel Peace Prize in 2002.

Dakota Fanning rose to fame as a child actor for her performance in the film, I Am Sam. Some of the other films in which she made her mark include New Moon and The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2. She has also appeared in successful television series; the science fiction series, Taken being one of them.

Britanny Murphy was an American singer and actress. She received critical acclaim for playing important roles in films like 8 Mile before leaving for heavenly abode due to pneumonia at age 32. A month after her demise, her mother and widower established a charitable fund called The Brittany Murphy Foundation, which aimed at aiding children's arts education and cancer research.

Elle Fanning started her career as a child actress and her breakthrough came in 2011 when she starred in Super 8. Teen Spirit, We Bought a Zoo, Maleficent, Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, The Neon Demon, The Beguiled, A Rainy Day and Live by Night are some of her other notable films. She has also acted in the TV series The Great.

Singer and songwriter Alan Jackson is famous for popularizing the “neotraditional country” genre of music that has elements of traditional honky-tonk and mainstream country-pop sounds. Having sold over 75 million records worldwide, he is one of the best-selling music artists of all-time. In 2017, he was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.

Future is an American rapper, record producer, singer, and songwriter. He is credited with founding a record label named Freebandz. Having released many gold-certified singles and albums, Future is a popular rapper and his music is often characterized as trap music.

American football quarterback for New England Patriots, Cam Newton shot to fame when he led Auburn Tigers to the 2010 BCS National Championship, won the Heisman Trophy and was selected by Carolina Panthers in the 2011 NFL draft. In the subsequent nine seasons with the Panthers, he emerged as star player and even bagged NFL’s top player spot in 2016.

A shy schoolgirl, Kim Basinger grew up to become a successful model, actress and singer. After appearing in numerous advertisements, Kim began acting on television. Her breakthrough role came with movie Never Say Never Again where she played the Bond girl. Later, she won accolades for her performance in movies like The Natural, Batman, L.A. Confidential and Fifty Shades Darker.

Sugar Ray Robinson was an American boxer. Considered one of the greatest boxers ever, Robinson held a 91-fight unbeaten streak from 1943 to 1951, the third-longest in the history of professional boxing. Also known for his flamboyant and classy lifestyle outside the ring, Sugar Ray Robinson unsuccessfully tried his hand at a career as an entertainer after retiring from boxing.

Ryan Seacrest is an American television host, radio personality, and producer. He gained national recognition after hosting the popular singing competition TV series, American Idol. Also known for his humanitarian efforts, Seacrest established the Ryan Seacrest Foundation in 2010. He is also credited with producing a men's skincare line called Polished.

Khalid is an American singer-songwriter whose work in Logic’s hit single 1-800-273-8255 earned him a nomination at the Grammy Awards. He has also received prestigious awards, such as Billboard Music Awards, MTV Video Music Award, and American Music Awards. In 2019, he was named in Time magazine's list of 100 Most Influential People.

Known for his portrayal of domineering and aggressive characters in his films, Laurence Fishburne began his stint on screen as a child actor in projects such as Apocalypse Now. The play Two Trains Running won him multiple theater awards. However, fans remember him best as Morpheus from The Matrix.

Luke Bryan is an American singer and songwriter. As a songwriter, Bryan has contributed to the success of songs recorded by musicians like Billy Currington and Travis Tritt. He is also an acclaimed singer with many prestigious awards under his belt. Also known for his philanthropic activities, Bryan has supported various charities, such as Red Cross and City of Hope.

Danielle Panabaker is an American actress who made the heads turn with her performance in the TV series, Shark. She has acted in a number of horror films and hence is popularly known as scream queen. Also known for her charity work, Danielle Panabaker volunteers for organizations, such as Unicef, Art of Elysium, and Young Storytellers Foundation.

Film, Television and stage actress, Dianna Agron is best known for her acting in comedy-drama series Glee. For the musical series, she also sang numerous songs. Her other notable work include movies like The Family, Burlesque, I Am Number Four and Bare and the play McQueen. Dianna has also directed numerous music videos and a couple of films.

David Cross is an American actor, writer, and stand-up comedian. Cross is credited with creating and developing popular TV series, such as The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret and Freak Show. In 2013, the co-founder of Kickstarter, Yancey Strickler, revealed that David Cross was one of the first investors of Kickstarter, a public benefit corporation.

Kirshnik Ball, better known by his stage name Takeoff, is an American singer-songwriter and rapper. He is known for forming the hip hop trio Migos along with Offset and Quavo. Over the years, Kirshnik Ball has achieved success as part of the Migos. He stirred controversy in 2017 when he refused to use an overhead storage bin in an airplane.

Jeff Daniels is an American actor, playwright, and musician. Over the years, Daniels has played an influential role in the American entertainment business. In 1991, Daniels founded a not-for-profit organization called The Purple Rose Theatre Company, which offers an attractive apprenticeship program for youngsters looking for a career in theatre.

Emmy Award-winner improv comedian Wayne Brady of Whose Line Is It Anyway? has also mesmerized audiences with his acting skills in the Broadway musical Kinky Boots. If that wasn’t enough, the multitalented performer was also nominated for a Grammy for his rendition of Sam Cooke’s A Change Is Gonna Come.

Larry Holmes is an American retired boxer whose left jab is often ranked among the best in the history of professional boxing. Widely regarded as one of the greatest heavyweights in the history of boxing, Holmes' title defense against 19 boxers is the second-most in history. He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2008.

Stand-up comedian Bill Hicks was known for his controversial themes, which included religion and politics. He was ranked fourth on Channel 4's 2010 list of the "100 Greatest Stand-Up Comics.” He had also experimented with music before his untimely death due to pancreatic cancer at age 32.

Joanne Woodward is best remembered for her Academy Award-winning performance as three characters in The Three Faces of Eve, and for her multiple award-winning TV projects. The first entertainer to get a Hollywood Walk of Fame “star,” she was also in the news for her marriage to Paul Newman.

Actress and television personality, Marla Maples, began her career as a model and won several beauty pageants. She later started acting. She was married to Donald Trump for a few years in the 1990s and has a daughter with him. The marriage ended after she allegedly cheated on Trump. As of today, she is a TV personality and wellness advocate.