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
- 366 Detroit places
- 21 fields
Hungarian ties 22 Detroiters with Hungarian ties →
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Sports · 1928–2002Dick "Night Train" LaneAmerican football cornerback, youth-sports directorHall of Fame cornerback, one of the fiercest tacklers in NFL history, who played for the Lions and then ran Detroit's Police Athletic League for 17 years.
Visual art · born 1947Suzy Lakephotographer, performance and video artistDetroit-born, Toronto-based photographer and performance artist, a pioneer of feminist art whose early work was shaped by 1960s Detroit.
Music · 1937–2005Ruth Laredoclassical pianistDetroit-born pianist, 'America's First Lady of the Piano', who made the first complete recording of Scriabin's ten sonatas after hearing Horowitz play Scriabin in Detroit as a child.
Comedy · born 1971Loni Lovecomedian, television host, actress, authorDetroit comedian raised in the Brewster-Douglass projects, a Cass Tech graduate and former electrical engineer who became a Daytime Emmy-winning co-host of The Real.
Sports · 1926–1986Bobby LayneAmerican football quarterbackHard-living Texas quarterback who led the Lions to NFL championships in 1952 and 1953; his No. 22 is retired.
Civil rights & activism · 1947–2014Chokwe Lumumbahuman rights lawyer, Black nationalist activist, mayor of Jackson, MississippiDetroit-born lawyer and Republic of New Afrika leader who practiced civil rights law in Detroit before moving to Mississippi, where he became mayor of Jackson.
Music · born 1968Kenny Larkintechno producer, DJDetroit-born second-wave techno producer whose soulful, melodic records on Plus 8 and Warp made him a major influence in Europe.
Sports · 1930–2017Yale LaryAmerican football safety, punter and return specialistHall of Fame safety and one of the greatest punters in NFL history, who played eleven seasons for the Lions and won three championships.
Religion · 1804–1869Peter Paul LefevereCatholic bishopBelgian-born bishop who led the Catholic Diocese of Detroit for 28 years, built Saints Peter and Paul Church as its cathedral and brought teaching and nursing orders to the city.
Music · born 1937Kirk Lightseyjazz pianist, flutistDetroit-born pianist who accompanied singers in Detroit and California in the 1960s, toured with Dexter Gordon, played in The Leaders and has lived in Paris since 2000.
Sports · 1940–2026Mickey Lolichbaseball pitcherLeft-hander who won three complete games, including Game 7, to be MVP of the 1968 World Series; he holds the Tigers' career strikeout record and stayed in metro Detroit for life.
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.
Sports · born 1937Dick LeBeauAmerican football cornerback and coachHall of Fame cornerback who played all 14 of his NFL seasons with the Lions (1959–1972) before a legendary career as a defensive coordinator.
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.
Politics · 1885–1950John Lesinski Sr.businessman, congressman, Polish community leaderDetroit-raised Polish-American builder and lumber dealer who led the Polish Citizens' Committee of Detroit, recruited thousands of Polish volunteers in World War I and served in Congress from 1933 to 1950.
Politics · 1862–1950John C. Lodgejournalist, city council president, mayor of DetroitDetroit-born newspaperman who spent more than 30 years on the City Council, served three stints as mayor in the 1920s and gave his name to the Lodge Freeway.
Music · born 1976Tony Luccasinger-songwriter, actorPontiac-born, Waterford-raised singer who joined The All New Mickey Mouse Club after a Detroit audition and later finished third on The Voice in 2012.
Sports · born 1948Ron LeFlorebaseball player, center fielderEast-side Detroiter who went from Jackson State Prison to center field at Tiger Stadium in 1974, a story told in the TV film One in a Million.
Politics · 1812–1880Henry Ledyarddiplomat, businessman, mayor of DetroitLewis Cass's son-in-law and diplomatic aide who managed Cass's Detroit property, promoted Elmwood Cemetery and Michigan's first plank road, and was mayor in 1855.
Law · 1897–1970Theodore Levinimmigration lawyer, federal judgeDetroit immigration lawyer and Jewish community leader who served as a federal judge (1946–1970) and whose name is on Detroit's federal courthouse; uncle of Carl and Sander Levin.
Politics · 1804–1854John Ladueleather manufacturer, mayor of DetroitLeather merchant who, as mayor in 1850, defused a crisis over a jailed fugitive slave by raising money to buy the man's freedom.
Business & brands · 1822–1908Alexander Lewisgrain merchant, mayor of DetroitWindsor-born grain and flour merchant who ran one of Detroit's largest businesses, served as police commissioner and was Democratic mayor in 1876–1877.
Civil rights & activism · 1817–1890William Lambertabolitionist, Underground Railroad leaderFree-born tailor and abolitionist who for half a century helped lead Detroit's Underground Railroad and its Black community.
Business & brands · 1833–1909George C. Langdonbrewer, maltster, mayor of DetroitBookkeeper turned brewer and maltster who was Detroit's 38th mayor (1878–1879) and later, after losing his fortune, worked as a clerk at City Hall.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 ↗