Music · 1885–1957Gene Bucklyricist, sheet music illustrator, producer, ASCAP presidentCorktown-raised illustrator and lyricist who wrote for the Ziegfeld Follies, discovered Will Rogers and Ed Wynn for Broadway and led ASCAP from 1925 to 1942.DETROIT / A living lexicon / ¼
Famous Detroiters
People who were born here, moved here or built their careers in Detroit: musicians, carmakers, athletes, writers, inventors, civil-rights leaders and a few notorious names. With their dates, their Detroit story and the places where they lived, worked and played, closed ones included.
- 1,940 famous people
- 270 Detroit places
- 21 fields
Hungarian ties 22 Detroiters with Hungarian ties →
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A–Z (family name)
403 people · 7/9 page
Clear filtersMusic · 1885–1957Gene Bucklyricist, sheet music illustrator, producer, ASCAP presidentCorktown-raised illustrator and lyricist who wrote for the Ziegfeld Follies, discovered Will Rogers and Ed Wynn for Broadway and led ASCAP from 1925 to 1942.
Music · born 1983Rob Cantorsinger-songwriter, guitarist, video creatorBloomfield Hills–raised guitarist and singer of Tally Hall, the band he formed at the University of Michigan, later known for the viral song “Shia LaBeouf.”
Politics · 1925–2016Roman Gribbslawyer, sheriff, mayor of Detroit, appeals judgePolish American prosecutor and Wayne County sheriff who was mayor in 1970–1974, created the notorious STRESS police unit, and was Detroit's last white mayor until 2014.
Music · 1939–2007Billy Hendersonsinger, dancerFounding member of the Spinners, raised in Royal Oak Township, who was the group's leading dancer for half a century.
Military · 1921–2022Alexander JeffersonTuskegee Airman, prisoner of war, teacherDetroit-born Tuskegee Airman who was shot down over France in 1944, survived a German POW camp, then taught science in Detroit public schools for decades; he lived to 100.
Theatre & dance · born 1985Andrew Keenan-Bolgerstage actor, web-series creatorDetroit-born Broadway actor, a Renaissance High School graduate, who originated Crutchie in Newsies and Jesse Tuck in Tuck Everlasting.
Theatre & dance · born 1978Celia Keenan-Bolgerstage actress, singerDetroit-born Broadway actress, trained at Mosaic Youth Theatre of Detroit, who won a Tony as Scout in To Kill a Mockingbird (2018).
Theatre & dance · 1937–2026Woodie King Jr.theatre producer, director, filmmakerDetroit-raised founder of Concept East Theatre and New York's New Federal Theatre, a Ford welder turned producer who championed generations of Black playwrights.
Music · born 1938Bernie Krausemusician, synthesizer pioneer, soundscape ecologistDetroit-born musician who joined the folk group the Weavers, helped introduce the Moog synthesizer to pop music and later founded the science of soundscape ecology.
Fashion · 1932–2017Kenneth Jay Lanecostume jewelry designerDetroit-born designer whose glamorous costume jewelry was worn by Jacqueline Kennedy, the Duchess of Windsor and Barbara Bush.
Comedy · born 1976Misty Leemagician, voice actress, comedianMagician raised in Detroit and trained by local magician Scorpio, the first woman to serve as séance medium at Hollywood's Magic Castle, and a prolific video-game voice actress.
Theatre & dance · 1898–1993Edith Meiseractress, playwright, radio writerDetroit-born actress and writer who brought Sherlock Holmes to American radio in 1930 and appeared in more than 20 Broadway shows.
Music · born 1960Karen Clark Sheardsinger, songwriterYoungest of the Clark Sisters, a Detroit gospel singer whose solo debut Finally Karen (1997) made her one of the genre's leading voices; Grammy winner for "Blessed & Highly Favored".
Business & brands · 1924–2015A. Alfred Taubmanshopping-mall developer, owner of Sotheby's, philanthropistPontiac-born developer who helped define the American indoor shopping mall, owned Sotheby's and gave large sums to Detroit-area art and education.
Labor · 1911–2001Leonard WoodcockUAW president (1970–1977), first US ambassador to the People's Republic of ChinaDetroit machine assembler who succeeded Walter Reuther as UAW president in 1970, then became the first US ambassador to Communist China.
Theatre & dance · born 1940Garth Faganchoreographer, dancer, company directorJamaican-born choreographer who spent the 1960s dancing and studying in Detroit before founding Garth Fagan Dance and winning a Tony for The Lion King.
Law · 1922–2019Damon Keithfederal judge, civil rights lawyerDetroit-born federal judge whose rulings desegregated Pontiac schools, struck down warrantless wiretaps and declared that 'democracies die behind closed doors'; he served on the bench for over 50 years.
Law · 1955–2020Benny Napoleonpolice chief, lawyer, Wayne County sheriffDetroit-born minister's son who rose from patrolman to Detroit police chief (1998–2001), served as Wayne County sheriff (2009–2020) and ran for mayor in 2013.
Music · 1938–1997Lawrence Paytontenor, vocal arrangerDetroit-born tenor and vocal arranger of the Four Tops, credited with the group's seamless harmonies.
Music · 1936–2013Bobby SmithsingerPrincipal lead singer of the Spinners from their founding at a Ferndale high school in 1954 until 2013.
Fashion · born 1954John Varvatosmenswear designerDetroit-born menswear designer, raised in Allen Park, whose rock-and-roll tailoring grew out of a Downriver youth spent on Detroit music.
Music · born 1968Rodney Whitakerjazz double bassist, educatorDetroit-born bassist, a Marcus Belgrave protégé who played with Terence Blanchard, Roy Hargrove and Wynton Marsalis and now leads jazz studies at Michigan State University.
Literature · 1939–2021Al Youngpoet, novelist, essayistCalifornia poet laureate (2005–2008) who spent his youth in Detroit, graduated from Central High and set his first novel, Snakes, among the city's teenage musicians.
Politics · 1889–1962Eugene Van Antwerpcivil engineer, city councilman, mayor of DetroitRailroad civil engineer and World War I veteran who sat on the City Council for nearly three decades and was mayor in 1948–1950.
Music · 1943–2026Rosalind AshfordsingerDetroit-born soprano and original member of Martha and the Vandellas, heard on "Heat Wave", "Dancing in the Street" and "Nowhere to Run".
Music · 1943–2012Michael DavisbassistBassist of the MC5, a Wayne State art student who joined the band in 1964 and played on Kick Out the Jams, recorded live at Detroit's Grande Ballroom.
Music · 1925–2000Lucia Dlugoszewskicomposer, poet, instrument inventorDetroit-born Polish American avant-garde composer who invented the 'timbre piano' and dozens of percussion instruments and was music director of the Erick Hawkins Dance Company.
Politics · 1899–1970Thaddeus M. Machrowiczlawyer, judge, congressmanPolish-born lawyer who rose from Hamtramck city attorney and judge to represent the Detroit area in Congress for a decade, then served as a federal judge in Detroit.
Politics · 1897–1987Louis Mirianilawyer, city council president, mayor of DetroitLegal aid lawyer and council president who succeeded Albert Cobo in 1957, completed Cobo Hall and the Civic Center, and remains Detroit's most recent Republican mayor.
Music · born 1955Niagarasinger, painterDetroit-born singer of the art-punk band Destroy All Monsters and a painter of pop-noir women whose shows made her the “Queen of Detroit” of lowbrow art.
Politics · born 1987Mary Sheffieldpolitician, pastor, mayor of DetroitWest Side native, pastor's daughter and youngest-ever council president who in 2025 became the first woman elected mayor of Detroit, taking office in January 2026.The lexicon keeps growing. Every entry lists its sources at the bottom. Dates were checked against Wikidata and Wikipedia. The texts are our own. Famous people's places among the sights ↗