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Famous people · Chapel Hill

38 famous people from Chapel Hill, many of them performers

With articles in 27 languages, Loudon Wainwright III is the most widely known. Taylor Sheridan is second and Floyd Council third. Between 1920 and 1969, 19 were born, the most of any period. 15 of them were born since 1970.

#1 best knownLoudon Wainwright IIIMusic · born 1946
+34more
Born here
38
notable people
Best known
Loudon Wainwright III
in 27 Wikipedia languages
First
1883
Louis Graves
Youngest
2006
Jax Forrest
Most common field
Film, TV & Stage
11 people
Also called it home
13
notable residents

What stands out about Chapel Hill’s famous people

★ What stands out · Known for

What Chapel Hill is known for

The field furthest above the usual share is performers, at 3.1 times.

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 Chapel Hill’s famous people were born

The 1960s alone account for 9 of the births charted here.

Mills & railroadsThe American centuryToday190019502000Jack Hogan
Film, TV & StageSportsWriting & ArtsMusicPolitics & LawScience & MedicineNotable

Each dot is a person, stacked by the decade they were born.

The best known

Born in Chapel Hill

Loudon Wainwright III has articles in 27 languages, Taylor Sheridan in 27 and Floyd Council in 21.

Loudon Wainwright III#1
Music

Loudon Wainwright III

born 1946

American singer-songwriter, humorist, and actor

27 Wikipedia languagesRead more ↗
TS#2
Film, TV & Stage

Taylor Sheridan

born 1970

American producer, screenwriter and director

27 Wikipedia languagesRead more ↗
FC#3
Music

Floyd Council

1911–1976

American blues guitarist and singer

21 Wikipedia languagesRead more ↗
Everyone

Everyone else born in Chapel Hill

Another 35, the earliest born in 1883.

John Haymes Newton

John Haymes Newton

born 1965

American actor

Film, TV & StageWikipedia ↗
Robert Schenkkan

Robert Schenkkan

born 1953

American playwright, screenwriter, and actor

Writing & ArtsWikipedia ↗
SB

Sean Bridgers

born 1968

American actor and director

Film, TV & StageWikipedia ↗
BF

Ben Fountain

born 1958

American writer

Writing & ArtsWikipedia ↗
RW

Ricardo Lagos Weber

born 1962

Chilean politician

Politics & LawWikipedia ↗
BS

Brook Steppe

born 1959

American basketball player

AA

Alex ter Avest

born 1993

American actress

Film, TV & StageWikipedia ↗
BG

Ben Griffin

born 1996

American professional golfer

NH

Nick Holliday

born 2006

American soccer player

BJ

Benton Johnson

1928–2024

American sociologist

BT

Blair Tindall

1960–2023

American journalist and oboist

Writing & ArtsWikipedia ↗
LG

Louis Graves

1883–1965

American newspaper editor

Writing & ArtsWikipedia ↗
PG

Paul Green

1924–2018

American electrical engineer

Science & MedicineWikipedia ↗
RM

Rosalind McGee

1937–2015

American politician and activist

Politics & LawWikipedia ↗
SS

Scott Speiser

born 1980

American actor and writer

Film, TV & StageWikipedia ↗
WT

Willie Trice

1910–1976

American Blues musician

AC

Andrea Long Chu

born 1992

American writer

Writing & ArtsWikipedia ↗
CS

Chris Stamey

born 1954

American musician, singer, songwriter

CH

Clarkston Hines

born 1967

All-American college football player, wide receiver, College Football Hall of Fame member

DE

Dovonte Edwards

born 1982

Player of American and Canadian football

A chosen home

Also called Chapel Hill home

13 notable people born elsewhere made the town home, John Grisham the best known.

JG

John Grisham

born 1955

American writer

Writing & ArtsWikipedia ↗
LB

Lewis Black

born 1948

American comedian and actor

Film, TV & StageWikipedia ↗
DJ

Donald Johnson

born 1968

American tennis player

Kizzmekia Corbett

Kizzmekia Corbett

born 1986

American immunologist

Science & MedicineWikipedia ↗
PF

Ping Fu

born 1958

Chinese computer scientist and entrepreneur

Science & MedicineWikipedia ↗
AR

Albert Ernest Radford

1918–2006

American botanist

Science & MedicineWikipedia ↗
WL

William Leuchtenburg

1922–2025

American historian and political scientist

Writing & ArtsWikipedia ↗
MG

Maddie Gardner

born 1993

Nationally recognized allstar cheerleader.

Writing & ArtsWikipedia ↗
DS

David Steinmetz

1936–2015

American historian

Writing & ArtsWikipedia ↗
DP

Diane Pozefsky

born 1901

American computer scientist

Science & MedicineWikipedia ↗
MF

Margaret Ferguson

born 1968

American political scientist

Science & MedicineWikipedia ↗
PS

Pranab K. Sen

1937–2023

American statistician

Science & MedicineWikipedia ↗
The town’s pick

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Next door

Famous people from the towns next door

Around it, Durham has the most people on record, 23 of them.

From Wikidata and Wikipedia: people whose birthplace is Chapel Hill 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 (6)