Born here
51
notable people
Best known
Roger Ebert
in 100 Wikipedia languages
Most common field
Science & Medicine
12 people
Also called it home
3
notable residents
What stands out about Urbana’s famous people ★ What stands out · The best known Born in Urbana The three are covered in 100, 57 and 49 languages: Roger Ebert, Robert W. Holley and Lars Peter Hansen.
#1 Film, TV & Stage Roger Ebert 1942–2013 American film critic and author
#2 Science & Medicine Robert W. Holley 1922–1993 American biochemist
#3 Science & Medicine Lars Peter Hansen born 1952 American economist
Known for What Urbana is known for The field furthest above the usual share is scientists and doctors, at 4 times.
Science & Medicine 12 people 24%4× usual Writing & Arts 10 people 20%1.9× usual Sports 8 people 16%below usual Music 7 people 14%2.5× usual Film, TV & Stage 6 people 12%about usual Politics & Law 3 people 6%below usual Notable 2 people 4% Business 1 person 2%about usual Military 1 person 2%below usual Faith 1 person 2%about usual The usual town: the share across everyone born in the towns gathered so far. Tap a field to see its people.
Through the years When Urbana’s famous people were born No decade has more births than the 1950s, at 13.
Mills & railroads The American century Today 1900 1950 2000 Lars Peter Hansen Robert W. Holley Nina Paley Jennie Garth Roger Ebert Science & Medicine Writing & Arts Sports Music Film, TV & Stage Politics & Law Notable Business Military Faith
Each dot is a person, stacked by the decade they were born.
Everyone Everyone else born in Urbana 48 more names, born between 1878 and 1994.
All · 48 Politics & Law · 3 Military · 1 Sports · 8 Music · 7 Film, TV & Stage · 5 Writing & Arts · 10 Science & Medicine · 10 Business · 1 Faith · 1 Notable · 2
Any time Mills & railroads · 5 The American century · 31 Today · 11
Jennie Garth born 1972 American actress
Dan Graham 1942–2022 American artist
Nina Paley born 1968 US animator, cartoonist and free culture activist
Tom Harrell born 1946 American composer, arranger, jazz trumpeter and flugelhornist
Zena Cardman born 1987 American geobiologist and NASA astronaut
GS Gil Shaham born 1971 Israeli musician
José Graziano da Silva born 1949 Brazilian politician
BM Bill Mulliken 1939–2014 American swimmer, Olympic gold medalist
Linda Sue Park born 1960 American author
Tony Hsieh 1973–2020 American businessman
Jonathan Kuck born 1990 American speed skater
AZ August Zirner born 1956 Austrian American actor
Ella Masar born 1986 American soccer player
PM Peggy McCarthy born 1956 American rower
EB Emily Blue born 1994 American singer-songwriter
Karl Rubin born 1956 American mathematician
Ward Churchill 1947–2026 Political activist
Deborah Blum born 1954 American journalist
AL Andrew E. Lange 1957–2010 American physicist
Theodore Gray born 1964 American science writer
EF Eugie Foster 1971–2014 American writer
KK Karen Kurreck born 1962 Racing cyclist
Larry Allen Abshier 1943–1983 US soldier who defected to North Korea
Virginia Sale 1899–1992 American actress
WM William Slavens McNutt 1885–1938 Screenwriter
AK Antoni Kindler born 1988 Canadian field hockey player
BL Brian Lynch born 1956 American musician
AF Anne Friedberg 1952–2009 Chair of Critical Studies Division, University of Southern California
BB Benjamin Bowman born 1979 American Canadian violinist
DL Danny Lane born 1955 American artist
DS David O. Sears born 1935 American social psychologist
JG John Geanakoplos born 1955 American economist
OS Otto J. M. Smith 1917–2009 Professor of electrical engineering
RD Richard Dunn 1935–2010 American actor
CG Charles Goldman born 1930 American limnologist and ecologist
JH Jessica Hodgins Computer scientist
PB Phyllis Bird born 1934 Feminist scholar in biblical hermeneutics
AP Andy Propst 1965–2021 American theatre critic
BG Brendan Gamble born 1966 American singer-songwriter
CE Cindy Evans born 1952 American politician
CM Clyde Mathews 1878–1929 American football coach
TB Theodore C. Bestor 1951–2021 Professor of Anthropology and Japanese Studies at Harvard University
ZB Zsolt Bognár born 1982 American classical pianist
CB Charlotte H. Bruner 1917–1999 American scholar
DY Dennis Alden Yao born 1953 Ph.D. Stanford University 1984
EW Emily Stipes Watts 1936–2018 American educator, writer, and literary historian
GK Gene Kenney 1928–2022 American soccer coach
JB John Christian Bailar 1932–2016 American statistician
No one matches both filters.
Show all 48 A chosen home Also called Urbana home Born elsewhere, they lived here: 3 in all, led by Edwin G. Krebs.
EK Edwin G. Krebs 1918–2009 American biochemist
Carl Woese 1928–2012 American microbiologist
HG Herbert S. Gutowsky 1919–2000 American physical chemist
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Did you grow up with someone famous from Urbana? → Who should be on this list but isn’t? → Next door Famous people from the towns next door Close by, the fullest list is Champaign City Township’s, at 64 names.
From Wikidata and Wikipedia: people whose birthplace is Urbana 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 (21) Roger Ebert: Sound Opinions, CC BY-SA 2.0 , Wikimedia Commons Robert W. Holley: Sol Goldberg, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons Lars Peter Hansen: Ricardomayer at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 , Wikimedia Commons Jennie Garth: Alan Light, CC BY 2.0 , Wikimedia Commons Dan Graham: Monica Boirar, CC BY-SA 3.0 , Wikimedia Commons Nina Paley: Sage Ross, CC BY-SA 3.0 , Wikimedia Commons Tom Harrell: Tom Beetz, CC BY 2.0 , Wikimedia Commons Zena Cardman: NASA/Bill Stafford/Robert Markowitz, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons José Graziano da Silva: Renato Araújo/ABr, CC BY 3.0 br , Wikimedia Commons Linda Sue Park: Slowking4, CC BY-SA 2.0 , Wikimedia Commons Tony Hsieh: Delivering Happiness Book, CC BY-SA 2.0 , Wikimedia Commons Jonathan Kuck: Bjarte Hetland, CC BY-SA 3.0 , Wikimedia Commons Ella Masar: Heather_D_, CC BY 2.0 , Wikimedia Commons Karl Rubin: Jushi, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons Ward Churchill: Steve Rhodes from San Francisco, US, CC BY-SA 2.0 , Wikimedia Commons Deborah Blum: New America, CC BY 2.0 , Wikimedia Commons Theodore Gray: Pleasantville at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 , Wikimedia Commons Larry Allen Abshier: Associated Press, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons Virginia Sale: film screenshot (Paramount Pictures/Pine-Thomas Productions), Public domain, Wikimedia Commons Carl Woese: Don Hamerman, CC BY 3.0 , Wikimedia Commons Saul Perlmutter: Holger Motzkau, CC BY-SA 3.0 , Wikimedia Commons