BA#1
Famous people · Oakland
46 famous people were born in Oakland, more of them musicians than in most towns
The best known is the American rock musician Billie Joe Armstrong, with articles in 72 languages. 22 of them were born between 1920 and 1969, more than in any other period. Births since 1970 account for 17 of the names. The earliest on the list is Lillian Moller Gilbreth, born in 1878, and the youngest Amen Thompson, born in 2003.
Born here
46
notable people
Best known
Billie Joe Armstrong
in 72 Wikipedia languages
First
1878
Lillian Moller Gilbreth
Youngest
2003
Amen Thompson
Most common field
Film, TV & Stage
16 people
Also called it home
7
notable residents
What stands out about Oakland’s famous people
A town of musiciansAmong the 46 people born here, 13 are musicians: 5.1 times the usual share.Known worldwideRead in 72 languages, Billie Joe Armstrong is known far beyond the town.Still making names27 were born since 1950, the youngest in 2003.A chosen home7 more notable people chose to live here, Tom Hanks among them.
★ What stands out · Known for
What Oakland is known for
Set against the usual town, musicians come out 5.1 times as common.
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 Oakland
The three are covered in 72, 72 and 66 languages: Billie Joe Armstrong, Mark Hamill and Mahershala Ali.
MH#2
#3Through the years
When Oakland’s famous people were born
The busiest decade was the 1970s, with 7 births.
Film, TV & StageMusicSportsScience & MedicineWriting & Arts
Each dot is a person, stacked by the decade they were born.
Everyone
Everyone else born in Oakland
The rest number 43, with 14 performers among them.
George Stevens
1904–1975American film director, producer, screenwriter and cinematographer
Film, TV & StageWikipedia ↗
Lillian Moller Gilbreth
1878–1972American psychologist and industrial engineer
Science & MedicineWikipedia ↗
Harry Partch
1901–1974American composer, music theorist, creator of musical instruments
MusicWikipedia ↗
Raphael Saadiq
born 1966American contemporary R&B singer, songwriter and record producer
MusicWikipedia ↗
No one matches both filters.
A chosen home
Also called Oakland home
Born elsewhere, they lived here: 7 in all, led by Tom Hanks.
Dorothy Day
1897–1980American journalist, social activist, and Catholic convert
Writing & ArtsWikipedia ↗
Frances M. Beal
born 1940Black feminist and a peace and justice political activist
Politics & LawWikipedia ↗
The town’s pick
Town Square →Who’s the most famous person from Oakland?
Pick one and say why. Your answer becomes a post in Town Square.
Your pick
No picks yet
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Or tell us
Next door
Famous people from the towns next door
Of the towns nearby, 6 have famous names listed.
From Wikidata and Wikipedia: people whose birthplace is Oakland 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 (34)
- Mahershala Ali: Gordon Correll, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Thomas Schelling: Alvaro conde, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Brandon Lee: Obata family, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Amy Tan: Robert Foothorap, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- George Stevens: Quigley Publishing, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Paul Pierce: Keith Allison from Baltimore, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Jo Van Fleet: N/A studio, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Damian Lillard: nikk_la, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Don Budge: PublicDomainFootage Original author unknown, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Ryan Coogler: Kevin Paul, CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Stanley Miller: Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Jeff Hanneman: Victoria Morse, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Gary Payton: Keith Allison, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Lillian Moller Gilbreth: Richard Arthur Norton (1958- ) at en.wikipedia, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Shemar Moore: etrainer, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Cary Joji Fukunaga: Dick Thomas Johnson from Tokyo, Japan, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Lyndsy Fonseca: Cameron Yee at https://www.flickr.com/photos/ygx/, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- G-Eazy: Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Harry Partch: Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Buster Crabbe: Movie studio, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Kehlani: New Zealand Warner Music, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Keyshia Cole: Indigault, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Fernando J. Corbató: Jason Dorfman, MIT CSAIL photographer, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Robert Culp: NBC Television, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Carla Bley: Nomo michael hoefner http://www.zwo5.de, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- K. Eric Drexler: Flickr user David Orban, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Chelsea Peretti: Kevintporter, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Daniella Pineda: Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Tom Hanks: Eva Rinaldi from Abbotsford, Australia, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Philip K. Dick: Arthur Knight (photographer), Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Dorothy Day: Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Jimmy Doolittle: Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Cliff Burton: Distributed by Megaforce Records, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Lloyd Bridges: Tom Korman Assoc., Public domain, Wikimedia Commons