Famous People From Louisiana

Rapper, singer and songwriter, Lil Wayne, is said to be an influential hip hop artists of his generation. Initially he was a flagship artist of Cash Money Records and then went solo. His albums are hugely popular and he has sold more than 120 million records worldwide. He has served an eight-month jail sentence for criminal possession of a weapon.

American football quarterback Peyton Manning played 14 seasons with the Indianapolis Colts and four with the Denver Broncos, winning a Super Bowl with each, thus becoming the only person to achieve the feat. Also known as “The Sheriff,” the talented player has NFL records for passing yards and touchdowns.

Bill Russell was an American retired professional basketball player. Widely regarded as one of the greatest basketball players ever, Russell led the US national basketball team to victory and helped his team win an Olympic gold at the 1956 Summer Olympics. Also known for his accomplishments in the civil rights movement, Russell was honored with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2011.

Louis Armstrong was an American trumpeter and singer who played an important role in the development of jazz. Thanks to his playing, trumpet became known as a solo instrument and jazz, which was previously known as a collectively improvised folk music, became a soloist's art form. Not surprisingly, Louis Armstrong is widely accepted as the embodiment of jazz. 

Dustin Poirier is an American mixed martial artist who currently fights in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). An absolute angel off the ring, Poirier often auctions his UFC kit to donate money to various charitable causes. In 2018, he founded a non-profit organization called The Good Fight Foundation, along with his wife.

Ian Somerhalder is a successful actor, model, and director. He is also known for his activism; he is an ardent supporter of St. Tammany Humane Society, which aims at providing shelter to animals. In 2010, he founded the Ian Somerhalder Foundation, which aims at educating people about the importance of safeguarding animals and the environment.

Odell Beckham Jr. is an American football player who plays in the National Football League (NFL). With several NFL records under his belt, Beckham Jr. is widely regarded as one of the most popular and productive players of all time. His one-handed touchdown catch in a Sunday Night Football game is considered the greatest catch ever made in NFL history.

The amazingly talented, Tyler Perry, is an American actor who topped Forbes list of highest-paid man in entertainment in 2011. Perry is most known as the creator of the boisterous, African-American grandmother character, Madea, which he himself performs with great skill and artistry. From a homeless playwriter to having his own studio, Perry has surely achieved the evasive American dream.

Founder of We the Best Music Group record label, DJ Khaled is an internationally acclaimed DJ and record producer. He has won prestigious awards, such as the Grammy and American Music Award. Apart from music, Khaled is also known for his acting and writing skills; his book, The Keys, was named in New York Times Best Seller list.

Addison Rae Easterling is an American dancer, actress, and social media personality. She is one of the most-followed TikTokers in the world. In 2020, Forbes named her the highest-earning TikTok star. Her success as a TikToker has led her to work with popular companies like L'Oréal, Reebok, and Hollister.

NBA YoungBoy is an American singer, songwriter, and rapper. He garnered a cult following between 2015 and 2017, during which he released eight successful, independent mixtapes. Rated highly among America's most controversial rappers, NBA YoungBoy has been arrested on a couple of occasions for charges, including attempted first degree murder.

NFL quarterback Eli Manning, brother of Peyton Manning, is one of only five players to have won multiple Super Bowl MVP honors. He initially played for the University of Mississippi and eventually led the New York Giants to two Super Bowl victories. He is known for his match-winning Helmet Catch.

Zachary Levi is an actor who brought the famous character, Flynn Rider, to life with his impressive voice in the animated film Tangled. Levi, who considers himself a nerd, founded a company called The Nerd Machine to launch the nerd culture worldwide. In 2019, it was announced that Levi will be an ambassador for Active Minds, a mental health charity.

Jared Leto is one of the few method actors who remains completely in character while filming a particular project, even to the point of affecting his health. Also a singer-songwriter, he formed a band called Thirty Seconds to Mars, for which he serves as a singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. He is also known for his philanthropic activities.

Anthony Mackie is an American actor who achieved international recognition after playing Sam Wilson / Falcon in a series of superhero films produced by Marvel Studios. A self-made man, Mackie graduated from the Juilliard School and worked hard to establish himself in the American film and TV industry.

Carl Weathers began his career as a football player, playing for the NFL team Oakland Raiders and the CFL team B.C. Lions. He stepped into acting with Arthur Marks’s blaxploitation films. He is best known as Apollo Creed from the Rocky films and as Greef Karga from The Mandalorian.

Pauley Perrette is a former actress, singer, and writer. Perrette is best known for portraying Abby Sciuto from 2003 to 2018 on the popular police procedural TV series NCIS. Also an activist, Pauley Perrette supports several animal rescue organizations, LGBT rights organizations, and civil rights organizations. Over the years, she has been an ardent supporter of the American Red Cross.

Kevin Gates is an American singer, rapper, and entrepreneur. He is best known for his debut studio album Islah, which peaked at number two on the Billboard 200 chart. Over the years, Kevin Gates has had many brushes with the law. He was first arrested at the age of 13 when he was found inside a stolen vehicle.

Grammy-winning singer-actor Harry Connick Jr. was born to a lawyer mother and an attorney father, who also owned a record store. He mastered the piano as a child and formed his first jazz band at 10. He later soared to fame with the multi-platinum soundtrack of When Harry Met Sally...

Lauren Daigle is an American singer and songwriter who predominantly works with contemporary Christian music. Thanks to the success of her albums, such as How Can It Be and Look Up Child, Lauren Daigle is credited with popularizing contemporary Christian music among youngsters and children.

Hank Williams Jr. is a musician and singer-songwriter. Although he initially gained fame for imitating his father Hank Williams' style, he later established his own style, winning several awards like Grammy Awards. In 2017, he was included in Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest Country Artists of All Time list. In 2020, he was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.  

Rising to fame with her role in the sitcom The Office, actress Angela Kinsey began her career as an intern on the NBC talk show Late Night with Conan O'Brien. She received many acting offers and soon made a foray into TV dramas. She has also appeared in many films. She loves cats and supports Alley Cat Allies.

Fred Hampton was considered an activist and a revolutionary socialist working for social change. He was the deputy chairman of the national Black Panther Party. He founded the Rainbow Coalition, aiming to help the Chicago street gangs to end infighting. The FBI considered him as a major threat and he was shot and killed in December 1969 during a raid.

Huey P. Newton was an African-American civil and political rights activist. He is credited with co-founding The Black Panther Party (BPP), which went on to become one of black movement's most influential organizations of the late-1960s. The party, under Newton's leadership, founded more than 60 community support programs, including Free Breakfast for Children, which provided food to thousands of children.

Better known by his stage name Boosie Badazz, rapper, singer, and songwriter Torrence Hatch first became popular as a member of the hip hop collective, Concentration Camp, in the 1990s. In the ensuing years, he became a key figure in the Southern hip hop scene. His career has been marred by frequent legal hassles and drug issues.

Trace Adkins is an American country singer renowned for his bass-baritone singing voice. Adkins has recorded many studio albums that have received platinum or gold certification in the US. A multi-talented personality, Adkins also appears on TV and writes books; his autobiography was released in 2007. He is also a member of a non-profit organization called 'Sons of Confederate Veterans'.