Famous People From Iowa

Famous for his roles in Western films in the mid-20th century, actor John Wayne was among the top box office draws for three decades. In a career spanning over half a century, he starred in 142 motion pictures. Upon his death, he came to be recognized as “an enduring icon who symbolized and communicated American values and ideals.”

Actor and producer, Ashton Kutcher, began his career as a model and soon ventured into acting, where he found success appearing in a string of romantic comedies. Besides acting, he is a venture capitalist and has successfully invested in several high technology start-ups. He is also actively involved in humanitarian work.

American actor Elijah Wood is credited with bringing the iconic character Frodo Baggins to life with his portrayal of Frodo in the Lord of the Rings film trilogy. He is also the founder of the production company SpectreVision, which predominantly produces horror films. Wood touched the lives of many when he visited Curepto after it was struck by an earthquake.

The 31st president of the United States, Herbert Hoover, was sworn into the office in 1929, the year the Great Depression struck the American economy. Earlier, Hoover was a successful mining engineer and had earned a reputation of a humanitarian who fed numerous Europeans during and after WWI. His policies during the depression, though, could not provide relief to people.

Shawn Johnson is a former artistic gymnast who won the 2008 Olympic balance beam gold medal. She is a five-time Pan American Games gold medalist and a three-time U.S. all-around champion as well. She retired from gymnastics in  2012. She was the winner of season eight of the dance competition show Dancing with the Stars.  

Six-time Emmy Award-winner Johnny Carson was known for hosting NBC’s The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. After serving in World War II, Carson started hosting radio shows and then graduated to TV. He also won the Presidential Medal of Freedom and is said to have inspired David Letterman.

Designer Halston began his career designing hats for American milliner Lilly Daché. He is primarily remembered for pioneering cashmere, or Ultrasued, in the mid-1970s. Known for his party-loving personality, he popularized the halter dress for women. He was also known for his homosexual relationship with Victor Hugo.

Cloris Leachman is an actress and comedian. One of the most decorated American actresses of all time, Cloris Leachman has won several prestigious awards in an illustrious career spanning more than seven decades; she is the most awarded actress in the history of Emmy Awards, along with Julia Louis-Dreyfus. She has also received an Oscar and a Golden Globe Award.

Donna Reed was an American actress whose career spanned over four decades. She is best remembered for her performance in the 1953 film From Here to Eternity, which earned her the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. Donna Reed is also remembered for her TV work and received the Golden Globe Award for her role in The Donna Reed Show.

Kate Mulgrew is an American actress known for her contribution across all three major acting mediums. An opponent of capital punishment and abortion, Kate Mulgrew was honored with an award from an anti-abortion feminist group called Feminists for Life. She is also a member of the Alzheimer's Association's National Advisory Committee.

Adam Young is an American singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. He is best known for creating Owl City, an electronic music project, which gained popularity in 2009 after the release of the album Ocean Eyes, which was certified platinum in the US. Apart from Owl City, Adam Young has also created several other music projects.

Terry Farrell is an American fashion model and actress whose modeling journey began in her junior year of high school when she submitted her photograph to the Elite modeling agency, which led to a contract with Mademoiselle. She then studied acting with Stella Adler before appearing in popular TV series like Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Becker.

Nate Ruess is best known as the lead vocalist of the Grammy-winning indie-pop band Fun and of the indie-rock band The Format. He is part of the labor-oriented non-profit organization Democratic Socialists of America. He was featured on Pink’s multi-platinum track Just Give Me a Reason and Eminem’s hit Headlights.

Zach Johnson has been one of the most consistent players in the history of golf and first came to prominence with his victory over Tiger Woods at the 2007 Masters Tournament. The 12-time PGA Tour winner also co-owns the charity Zach Johnson Foundation, which aids underprivileged children in Iowa.

Lara Flynn Boyle is an American actress best known for playing Donna Hayward in the cult TV series Twin Peaks. Boyle serves as an inspiration to those suffering from dyslexia as she was diagnosed with the condition before she went on to establish herself as a successful actress.

While she believes missing out on the gold medal at the 100m hurdles at the 2008 Beijing Olympics was her most painful experience, American hurdler and bobsledder Lolo Jones is still quite a star. She has penned a memoir and has also appeared on shows such as Celebrity Big Brother.

Currently a member of the House of Representative from the 45th Congressional District in Orange County, California, American politician Katie Porter practiced law before taking up teaching as her full time profession. Eventually she won the 2018 election to the House and is now a member of the House Natural Resources Committee and deputy chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus.

Mamie Eisenhower was the First Lady of the U.S. through her marriage to President Dwight D. Eisenhower. Her love for elegant attires got her featured on the New York Dress Institute’s list of the best-dressed women. She gave rise to the Mamie Look and the Mami Pink shade.

Norman Borlaug was an American agronomist who played a key role in the Green Revolution, a set of research technology transfer initiatives that increased agricultural production, for which he won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1970. Nicknamed the Father of the Green Revolution, Borlaug was also honored with the Congressional Gold Medal and Presidential Medal of Freedom for his work.

Jane Elliott is an American schoolteacher best known for inventing and popularizing the Blue eyes/Brown eyes exercise. The exercise, which was first conducted on April 5, 1968, with her third-grade class, aims at helping people understand the ill-effects of racial discrimination. The classroom exercise has inspired a couple of documentaries namely The Eye of the Storm and The Angry Eye.