#1Famous people · Topeka
Performers stand out among the 38 famous people born in Topeka
The best known is the American actress Annette Bening, with articles in 72 languages. More than half were born between 1920 and 1969, 20 in all. Half or more of the towns in Kansas have no one on record, but this one has 3 for every 10,000 residents. The oldest name on the list belongs to Charles Curtis, born in 1860, the newest to Teven Jenkins, born in 1998.
Born here
38
notable people
Best known
Annette Bening
in 72 Wikipedia languages
First
1860
Charles Curtis
Youngest
1998
Teven Jenkins
Most common field
Film, TV & Stage
10 people
Also called it home
2
notable residents
What stands out about Topeka’s famous people
★ What stands out · Known for
What Topeka is known for
The field furthest above the usual share is performers, at 2.8 times.
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 Topeka
By how many languages cover them, Annette Bening comes first (72), then Charles Curtis (58) and Gwendolyn Brooks (45).
#1
#2Politics & Law
Charles Curtis
1860–1936Vice president of the United States from 1929 to 1933
58 Wikipedia languagesRead more ↗
#3Through the years
When Topeka’s famous people were born
The 1930s alone account for 7 of the births charted here.
Film, TV & StageSportsWriting & ArtsPolitics & LawMusicScience & MedicineNotable
Each dot is a person, stacked by the decade they were born.
Everyone
Everyone else born in Topeka
The rest number 35, with 10 athletes among them.
Jamshied Sharifi
1960–2025American composer, producer, arranger, musician, and conductor
MusicWikipedia ↗
Brown Bannister
born 1951Contemporary Christian music producer and songwriter
Film, TV & StageWikipedia ↗
No one matches both filters.
A chosen home
Also called Topeka home
Notable people Wikidata lists as living in Topeka, though born elsewhere.
The town’s pick
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From Wikidata and Wikipedia: people whose birthplace is Topeka 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 (8)
- Annette Bening: Annette_Bening_2011_AA.jpg: David Torcivia at https://www.flickr.com/photos/viatorci/ derivative work: César, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Charles Curtis: Strauss Peyton, Kansas City, Missouri, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Gwendolyn Brooks: ACME Newspictures, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Pat Roberts: United States Senate, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Lois Smith: Vera de Kok, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Nancy Kassebaum: U.S. Senate, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Katrina Leskanich: Finsent, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Ruth Patrick: JerryFreilich, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons