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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.

1,912 famous people
135 Detroit places
20 fields

Hungarian ties 22 Detroiters with Hungarian ties →

9 people

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Civil rights & activism · 1925–1965Malcolm XMuslim minister, human rights activistMichigan-raised Muslim minister who began his Nation of Islam ministry at Detroit's Temple No. 1 in 1953 and gave some of his best-known speeches in the city.Moved hereDetroit career

Music · 1920–2013Yusef Lateefjazz multi-instrumentalist, composer, educator, authorJazz saxophonist and flutist who grew up in Detroit, studied at Wayne State and blended jazz with Eastern sounds long before "world music" had a name.Grew up hereDetroit career

Religion · 1920–2004James Aloysius HickeyCatholic cardinal, Archbishop of WashingtonMichigan-born cardinal who trained for the priesthood at Detroit's Sacred Heart Seminary before leading the Archdiocese of Washington for twenty years.Studied here

Literature · 1926–2016Tim LaHayeevangelical minister, novelist, activistDetroit-born co-author of the best-selling Left Behind novels and a key organizer of the Christian right, the son of a Ford autoworker.Born hereGrew up here

Religion · 1927–2014Edmund SzokaCatholic cardinal, Archbishop of Detroit, Vatican administratorArchbishop of Detroit in the 1980s who hosted Pope John Paul II in 1987, then became the Vatican's top financial officer and governor of Vatican City.Moved hereDetroit career

Religion · 1928–2007Sherwin Winerabbi, founder of Humanistic JudaismDetroit-born rabbi who founded the Birmingham Temple in 1963, the first congregation of Humanistic Judaism, and built it into a worldwide movement.Born hereGrew up here

Literature · 1927–2011E. M. Bronernovelist, playwright, feminist ritual writer, professorDetroit-born Jewish feminist author of A Weave of Women and The Women's Haggadah, who studied and taught for decades at Wayne State.Born hereGrew up here

Music · 1925–1994Mattie Moss Clarkgospel choir director, composer, arrangerDetroit choir director who introduced three-part harmony to gospel choirs, led the Church of God in Christ's music for decades, and launched the Clark Sisters.Moved hereDetroit career

Religion · 1923–2016Nicholas Hoodminister, civil rights leader, Detroit City Council memberPastor of Plymouth Congregational Church who fought urban-renewal evictions, built affordable housing and became the second Black member of Detroit's City Council.Moved hereDetroit career

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 ↗

Famous Detroiters

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