#1Famous people · Mesa
More famous people were born in Mesa than in any other town in Arizona: 54
The best known is the American actor Troy Kotsur, with articles in 39 languages. The largest group, 36, was born since 1970. The list has 1.6 times the usual share of performers, 8 in all. The earliest on the list is Wayne Thiebaud, born in 1920, and the youngest Oso Ighodaro, born in 2002.
Born here
54
notable people
Best known
Troy Kotsur
in 39 Wikipedia languages
First
1920
Wayne Thiebaud
Youngest
2002
Oso Ighodaro
Most common field
Sports
29 people
Also called it home
3
notable residents
What stands out about Mesa’s famous people
★ What stands out · Through the years
When Mesa’s famous people were born
Count by decade and the 1990s come out on top, with 13 births.
SportsFilm, TV & StageWriting & ArtsMusicNotablePolitics & LawBusinessScience & Medicine
Each dot is a person, stacked by the decade they were born.
Known for
What Mesa is known for
Performers stand out most, at 1.6 times the usual share.
The usual town: the share across everyone born in the towns gathered so far. Tap a field to see its people.
The best known
Born in Mesa
First, Troy Kotsur (39 languages), then Mike Lee (34) and Julie Ertz (28).
#1
#2
#3Everyone
Everyone else born in Mesa
Another 51, 28 of them athletes.
Misty Hyman
born 1979American swimmer, Olympic gold medalist, world champion, former world record-holder
SportsWikipedia ↗
Austin P. McKenzie
born 1993American stage and screen actor, and sign-language interpreter
Film, TV & StageWikipedia ↗
Jack Ong
1940–2017American actor, writer, activist and marketing professional
Film, TV & StageWikipedia ↗
No one matches both filters.
A chosen home
Also called Mesa home
Notable people Wikidata lists as living in Mesa, though born elsewhere.
The town’s pick
Town Square →Who’s the most famous person from Mesa?
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Your pick
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Next door
Famous people from the towns next door
Around it, Chandler has the most people on record, 27 of them.
From Wikidata and Wikipedia: people whose birthplace is Mesa and whose English Wikipedia article agrees, ranked by how many Wikipedia languages cover each person. People known mainly for crimes, and adult performers, aren’t listed. “The usual town” = everyone born in the towns gathered so far.
Photo credits (17)
- Troy Kotsur: Lyn Fairly Media, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Mike Lee: United States Senate, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Julie Ertz: Arlington National Cemetery, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Danielle Fishel: Super Festivals from Ft. Lauderdale, USA, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Alex Meraz: Paparazzo Presents, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Jake Shears: Steven Anthony Hammock, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Danny Baranowsky: Official GDC, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- John Jacob Rhodes III: US Government, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Lyndsey Fry: Shane Bailey, CC0, Wikimedia Commons
- Christina Birch: Robert Markowitz, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Todd Heap: Keith Allison from Baltimore, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Jack Ong: Westsidebill, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- John Brzenk: BarMihSan, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Shawn Michaels: David Seto from Brooksville, USA, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Carl Hayden: United States Senate Historical Office, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Ryan Fitzpatrick: All-Pro Reels, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Brock Purdy: Jar-Lar, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons