#1Film, TV & Stage
Morgan Freeman
born 1937American actor and producer
127 Wikipedia languagesRead more ↗
Famous people · Memphis
Of the 30 famous people born in Memphis, an unusual share are performers
At the top of the list is the American actor and producer Morgan Freeman, covered in 127 languages. Close behind are Aretha Franklin and Kathy Bates. More than half were born between 1920 and 1969, 24 in all. For its size the list is short: 0.5 for every 10,000 residents, against 2.9 in the typical Tennessee town.
Born here
30
notable people
Best known
Morgan Freeman
in 127 Wikipedia languages
First
1914
Marjorie Lee Browne
Youngest
2002
Benjamin Flores Jr.
Most common field
Film, TV & Stage
19 people
Also called it home
13
notable residents
What stands out about Memphis’ famous people
Known worldwideMorgan Freeman has a Wikipedia article in 127 languages.A town of performers19 of the 30 people born here are performers, 6.7× the usual share.Still making names12 were born since 1950, the youngest in 2002.A chosen home13 more notable people chose to live in Memphis, including Marc Gasol.
★ What stands out · The best known
Born in Memphis
First, Morgan Freeman (127 languages), then Aretha Franklin (116) and Kathy Bates (85).
#1
#2Music
Aretha Franklin
1942–2018American singer, songwriter, and pianist
116 Wikipedia languagesRead more ↗
#3Film, TV & Stage
Kathy Bates
born 1948American film actress and director
85 Wikipedia languagesRead more ↗
Known for
What Memphis is known for
No other field is as far above the usual share as performers, at 6.7 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 Memphis’s famous people were born
More of them were born in the 1930s than in any other ten years, 8 in all.
Film, TV & StageMusicSportsBusinessWriting & ArtsNotableScience & Medicine
Each dot is a person, stacked by the decade they were born.
Everyone
Everyone else born in Memphis
Here are 27 more, born from 1914 to 2002.
No one matches both filters.
A chosen home
Also called Memphis home
Notable people Wikidata lists as living in Memphis, though born elsewhere.
John Faulkner
1901–1963American author and artist; brother of author William Faulkner
Writing & ArtsWikipedia ↗
Tyre Nichols
1993–2023African American man who was a victim of police violence in the United States
NotableWikipedia ↗
The town’s pick
Town Square →Who’s the most famous person from Memphis?
Pick one and say why. Your answer becomes a post in Town Square.
Your pick
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Next door
Famous people from the towns next door
Close by, West Memphis counts 21 famous people, the most of its neighbours.
From Wikidata and Wikipedia: people whose birthplace is Memphis 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 (20)
- Morgan Freeman: U.S. Secretary of Defense, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Aretha Franklin: Atlantic Records (Life time: Published before 1978 without a copyright notice), Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Kathy Bates: Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Shannen Doherty: Wilson Cleveland, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Lucy Hale: MTV UK, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Ginnifer Goodwin: User:David Shankbone (David Shankbone), CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Lisa Marie Presley: David French, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Cybill Shepherd: Noxell Corporation-makers of Noxema., Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Herman Cain: Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- George Hamilton: Angela George at https://www.flickr.com/photos/sharongraphics/, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- William Sanderson: John Mathew Smith & www.celebrity-photos.com from Laurel Maryland, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Ric Flair: Super Festivals, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Dan Schneider: Not specified, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Ben Browder: Timebandit5565, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Marc Gasol: Patrickpedia, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Nathan Bedford Forrest: Likely "T. J. Selby, Corinth, Mississippi", Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Marcus Brown: Original uploader was Sportswikiman at en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Olivia Holt: Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Terence Davis: GamecockCentral, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Sam Moll: Scott U, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons