Famous People Born In Oak Park

Betty White, American actress and comedian, is considered as the pioneer of television and has had the longest television career of any entertainer, straddling more than 80 years. She’s known for her award-winning performances in shows like The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Golden Girls and Hot in Cleveland. 

Ernest Hemingway was an American novelist and short-story writer who had a strong impact on 20th-century fiction. He published seven novels and six short-story collections and won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1954. A Farewell to Arms, For Whom the Bell Tolls and The Old Man and the Sea are some of his classic works. He ended his own life in July 1961.

Ray Kroc was the man who helped expand McDonald's into a global franchise, eventually turning it into the most successful fast food corporation. Not surprisingly, he was mentioned in Time magazine's Time 100: The Most Important People of the Century list. He was also the owner of the popular baseball team San Diego Padres.

American stand-up comedian Bob Newhart is renowned for his slightly stammering delivery style and dry humor for which he was honored with the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor in 2002. Over the years, his comedic style has influenced many comedians. Also an actor, he was ranked 17th on TV Guide's list of 50 Greatest TV Stars of All Time.

Psychologist Carl Rogers was the first to introduce a client-centric approach to psychotherapy and addressed the patient as the client. Besides working on troubled children, he also taught at various institutes, such as the University of Chicago. On Becoming a Person remains one of his best-known books.

True-crime writer, Michelle McNamara, is remembered for coining the name "Golden State Killer" for the serial killer later identified as Joseph James DeAngelo. Sadly, the author died before his identification and arrest. Fascinated by true crime from a young age, she launched her website TrueCrimeDiary in 2006 and dedicated her life to researching and writing about true crime.

Kathy Griffin is an American actress and comedian who has won a couple of Primetime Emmy Awards for appearing in her own reality television series, Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List. Apart from being a comedian, Kathy Griffin is also an avid supporter of LGBT rights.

Judy Tenuta is an American actress, comedian, and comedy musician. Apart from performing stand-up comedy, Judy Tenuta has also written two comedy books. Over the years she has been an ardent supporter of gay rights and has built a devoted following among members of the LGBTQ community. She often performs at Gay Pride events and festivals across the United States.

American architect Lloyd Wright is best remembered for his Prairie style of architecture predominant in the 20th-century American residential buildings. A proponent of organic architecture, he also delivered talks on architecture. He made headlines when a staff set fire to his Taliesin studio and murdered seven people.

Considered to be the first transgender to specialize in sex reassignment surgery, American gynecologist Marci Lee Bowers is also a specialist in functional clitoral restoration. Beginning her career in obstetrics and gynecology, she later apprenticed under Stanley Biber, the father of sex reassignment surgery, and Pierre Foldès, a pioneer in clitoral restoration, before setting up her independent practice in California.   

Edward Egan was a cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. From 1988 to 2000, he served as Bishop of Bridgeport. From 2000 to 2009, he served as Archbishop of New York. A controversial personality, Egan vehemently opposed gay marriage and criticized the American film industry for glorifying same-sex marriage.