List of people from Cedar Rapids, Iowa
The following is a list of notable people from Cedar Rapids, Iowa. This list includes people who were born, have lived, or worked there.
Arts
- Douglas Barr, actor and vintner
- Michael Boddicker, musician (distant cousin of Mike Boddicker, MLB player)
- Marvin D. Cone, artist
- Paul Conrad, Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist
- Joshua Coyne, musician
- Jim Cummins, NBC News correspondent, 1963 graduate of Regis High School
- Geof Darrow, comic book artist
- Michael Daugherty, classical composer
- Don DeFore, actor and president of National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences
- Bobby Driscoll, child actor, Treasure Island, Peter Pan
- Mark Elliot, voice-over artist for Disney previews
- Michael Emerson, actor, grew up in Toledo, Iowa
- Paul Engle, poet
- James Erwin, author
- Terry Farrell, actress
- Ed Gorman, writer
- John Hench, Disney animator and Imagineer
- Harry Hershfield, cartoonist
- Larry N. Jordan (born 1952), publisher, journalist, and author, launched weekly Cedar Rapids Press-American as a 15-year-old student[1]
- Bert Kelly, jazz musician
- Ashton Kutcher, actor, star of films and TV's Two and a Half Men
- Ron Livingston, actor, Office Space, Band of Brothers, grew up in Marion, Iowa
- Byron McKeeby, artist
- Conger Metcalf, artist
- Dow Mossman, author
- Matthew Reinhart, author and pop-up book artist
- Megan Reinking, actor
- Ann Royer, painter, sculptor
- William L. Shirer, journalist and author
- Riley Smith, actor
- Carl Van Vechten, novelist and photographer
- Brooks Wheelan (born 1986), stand-up comedian, featured player on Saturday Night Live
- Elijah Wood, actor, The Lord of the Rings
- Grant Wood, painter (American Gothic)
Business
- Arthur A. Collins (1909–1987), inventor and founder of Collins Radio Company[2]
- Walter Donald Douglas, co-founder of Penick & Ford Starch Company, died on RMS Titanic
- Bob Parsons, founder of Parsons Technology and Go Daddy
- John Stuart, CEO of Quaker Oats
- Mark Walter, CEO of Guggenheim Partners, co-owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers
Military
- Salvatore Giunta, US Army, first living recipient of Medal of Honor since Vietnam War[3][4]
- John O. Miner, U.S. Navy rear admiral
- Paul Tibbets, pilot of B-29 Enola Gay that dropped atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan; lived in Cedar Rapids until 1927
Politics
- Lord Acton (1941–2010), British peer and politician
- Jeff Cooling (born 1987), member of the Iowa House of Representatives
- John Ely, member of Iowa General Assembly, instrumental in abolishing capital punishment in Iowa
- T. Cooper Evans (1924–2005), congressman
- Bourke B. Hickenlooper (1896–1971), lieutenant governor, 29th governor of Iowa, 4-term U.S. senator[5]
- Benny Johnson, conservative political commentator and columnist
- Sami Scheetz (born 1996), member of the Iowa House of Representatives
Science
- John Mark Dean (1936–2025), conservationist and marine biologist[6]
- Alexander Lippisch (1894–1976), aerodynamics pioneer and aircraft designer[7]
- Wright Brothers, Orville (1871–1948) and Wilbur (1867–1912), aviation pioneers, resided in Cedar Rapids in their youth[8][9]
Sports
- Katie Abrahamson-Henderson, head coach of the Georgia Lady Bulldogs basketball team
- Adrian Arrington (born 1985), football player[10]
- Charlie Bales (born 1991), soccer player, manager, and sports commentator[11]
- Mike Boddicker, Major League Baseball pitcher (distant cousin of Michael Boddicker, musician)
- Robert Bruggeman, football player
- Pauly Burke, professional road cyclist
- Landon Cassill, NASCAR racer
- Ray Cheetany, UNLV football player, founder of RawTeams.com
- Ian Christianson, soccer player[12]
- Tim DeBoom, Ironman triathlon champion
- Cal Eldred, baseball player
- Phil Estes, college football coach
- Kent Ferguson, Olympic diver, 1991 world champion
- Ben Ford, baseball player
- Joey Gase, NASCAR driver
- Trent Green, NFL quarterback
- Beulah Gundling, synchronized swimmer, aquatic artist, choreographer and author
- Fred Jackson, NFL player for Buffalo Bills
- Ashley Joens, basketball player, Phoenix Mercury
- Zach Johnson (born 1976), professional golfer, 2007 Masters champion,[13] and the 2015 Open Championship winner
- Danielle Kahle (born 1989), figure skater[14]
- Aaron Kampman (born 1979), football player, 2-time All-Pro[15]
- Mitch Keller, baseball player, Pittsburgh Pirates
- Bruce Kimm, baseball player, coach, and manager
- Timothy LeDuc, figure skater
- Pat Mason, All-American Girls Professional Baseball League player (1950 season)
- George Nissen (1914–2010), three-time national AAU champion, 1935–37, developer of modern trampoline[16][17]
- Wes Obermueller, baseball player
- Arthur D. Pennington, known as Art "Superman" Pennington, was a Negro league baseball star
- Lance Rozeboom, USL soccer player, Rochester Rhinos former MLS player, D.C. United
- Scott Schebler, baseball player, Los Angeles Dodgers
- Shawn Sedlacek, baseball player, Kansas City Royals
- Kiah Stokes, basketball player, Las Vegas Aces
- Ryan Sweeney, baseball player, Chicago Cubs
- Dedric Ward, football player
- Kurt Warner (born 1971), pro football quarterback, played in three Super Bowls, won Super Bowl XXXIV as Super Bowl MVP[18]
- Earl Whitehill, Major League Baseball pitcher with the Detroit Tigers; won 218 games during his career
- Marshal Yanda, NFL offensive lineman, Baltimore Ravens, Super Bowl champion Super Bowl XLVII
Other
- Alanna Arrington, fashion model
- Mark Elliott, former disc jockey, familiar for voicing Disney (among other companies) trailers and guest-hosting American Top 40 with Casey Kasem
- George Greene, Iowa Supreme Court justice
- Šárka B. Hrbková (1878–1948), Czech-American Slavologist
- Sarah Lacina, winner of CBS show Survivor: Game Changers
References
- ^ Winston Mill, "At 19 Already a Publisher Four Years," Editor and Publisher, December 2, 1972, pp. 30–31.
- ^ "Famous Iowans Collins, Arthur". Des Moines Register.com. Archived from the original on September 3, 2012. Retrieved December 29, 2010.
- ^ "Medaglia al parà, Obama chiama la Ederle". Il Giornale di Vicenza. September 10, 2010. Archived from the original on November 23, 2010. Retrieved September 19, 2010.
- ^ Jacobs, Jennifer (September 12, 2010). "Iowan downplays Medal of Honor designation". The Des Moines Register. Archived from the original on September 13, 2010.
- ^ "HICKENLOOPER, Bourke Blakemore". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved June 24, 2011.
- ^ "John Dean Obituary (1936-2025)". The Post and Courier. April 3, 2025. Retrieved July 5, 2025 – via Legacy.com.
- ^ Marc de Piolenc, F.; George E. Wright Jr. (2002). Ducted Fan Design, Volume 1 (Revised). Mass Flow. p. 130. Retrieved July 4, 2011.
- ^ The Eastern Iowa Airport. "About the Airport History". Archived from the original on July 10, 2011. Retrieved July 4, 2011.
- ^ EAA. "Countdown to Kitty Hawk:Wright Brothers-Full:Chapter 3". Retrieved July 4, 2011.
- ^ "Adrian Arrington". NFL. Retrieved June 23, 2011.
- ^ "Bales and Hunt Take the Reins as Menace Co-General Managers". Des Moines Menace. November 25, 2020. Retrieved January 4, 2025.
- ^ "Ian Christianson". Major League Soccer. Retrieved April 5, 2025.
- ^ "ZACH JOHNSON". PGA TOUR, Inc. Retrieved June 23, 2011.
- ^ "Danielle Kahle". Ice Network, LLC. Retrieved June 23, 2011.
- ^ "Aaron Kampman". National Football League. Retrieved August 5, 2011.
- ^ "Nissen, George P. inducted 1965". U.S. Gymnastics Hall of Fame. Retrieved December 29, 2010.
- ^ McDonell, Terry, ed. (April 26, 2010). "For the Record: Died". Sports Illustrated. 112 (18). Time: 18.
- ^ Aasen, Susan (June 19, 2009). "Giving Back: NFL Pro Kurt Warner Helps Rebuild His Home Town". ABC News. Retrieved July 4, 2011.