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List of people from Tucson, Arizona
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This is a listing of notable people who were born in, or have lived in, Tucson, Arizona. For people whose only connection with the city is attending the University of Arizona, see: List of University of Arizona people. Coaches of University of Arizona athletic teams should not be included either.
Athletics
[edit]
- George Arias – baseball player[1]
- Dave Baldwin – major league baseball player, writer, artist[2]
- Michael Bates – National Football League (NFL) player, sprinter, and 1992 Olympian[3]
- Stanley Berryhill – NFL player[4]
- Chad Beyer – cyclist[5]
- Craig Bjornson – baseball player and coach[6]
- Nat Borchers – soccer player[7]
- Alex Bowman – NASCAR driver[8]
- Henry Brauner – soccer player[9]
- Bryce Cotton – basketball player[10]
- Dominick Cruz – mixed martial artist[11]
- Lum Davenport – baseball player[12]
- Ike Davis – baseball player
- Chris Duncan – baseball player[13]
- Shelley Duncan – baseball player[14]
- Sean Elliott – basketball player[15]
- Cole Ford – football player[16]
- Jim Grabb – tennis player[17]
- J. J. Hardy – baseball player[18]
- Ron Hassey – baseball player[2]
- Gary Hayes – football player
- Alex Kellner – born in Tucson, baseball player[2]
- Walt Kellner – born in Tucson, baseball player[2]
- Mike Kellogg – football player
- Ian Kinsler – baseball player[19]
- Chris Knierim – pairs figure skater[20]
- Hank Leiber – baseball player[21]
- Eddie Leon – born in Tucson, baseball player[2]
- Lafayette Lever – basketball player[22]
- Caitlin Leverenz – Olympic swimmer, born in Tucson, attended Sahuaro High School[23]
- Pete McCaffrey – basketball player
- Roger McCluskey – National Sprint Car Hall of Fame racer[24]
- Alice Greenough Orr – rodeo star, originally from Montana[25]
- Tom Pagnozzi – baseball player
- Allen Pitts – Canadian Football League player
- Bijan Robinson – NFL player[26]
- Sam Sacksen – 2008 Beijing Olympic modern pentathlete[27]
- Anthony Shumaker – baseball player
- Michael Smith – NFL running back[28]
- Brad Steinke – Emmy award-winning sportscaster[29]
- Kerri Strug – Olympic gold-medalist gymnast[30]
- Donny Toia – soccer player[31]
- Alex Verdugo – baseball player[32]
- Roman Bravo Young – freestyle and folkstyle wrestler, two-time NCAA champion for Penn State University[33]
- Win Young – Olympic medalist in diving[34]
Business
[edit]- Leopoldo Carrillo – Mexican-American entrepreneur, early founder of Tucson[35]
- Arturo Moreno – entrepreneur, owner of Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim[36]
- Jeff Rein – chairman and chief executive officer of Walgreens[37]
- Robert Sarver – entrepreneur, principal owner of Phoenix Suns[38]
- Robert Stewart – co-founder of GMA Network
Law and order
[edit]- Eugene O'Dunne – jurist on the Supreme Bench of Baltimore[39]
- Clay Pell – lawyer
Literature
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- Edward Abbey – author[40]
- Sue Alexander – children's author[41]
- Jon Anderson – poet[42]
- Byrd Baylor – essayist and children's author[43]
- Michael Blake – author[44]
- Charles Bowden – author[45][46]
- Ray Bradbury – author[47]
- Erskine Caldwell – playwright
- Max Cannon – author and creator of the comic strip Red Meat[48]
- Mitch Cullin – author[49]
- Charles G. Finney – author[50]
- Frances Gillmor – folklorist, scholar and novelist
- Andrew Greeley – author, scholar and Roman Catholic priest
- Brenda Hillman – poet, translator
- Barbara Kingsolver – novelist
- Joseph Wood Krutch – author[51]
- Todd Miller – journalist[52]
- Tom Miller – travel writer
- Gary Paul Nabhan — author and ethnobotanist
- Adam Rex – children's writer and illustrator
- Stacey Richter – author
- Richard Shelton – poet, author
- Richard Siken – poet, painter, filmmaker
- Leslie Marmon Silko – author
- Susan Sontag – author, critic and public intellectual[53]
- Luci Tapahonso – poet laureate of the Navajo Nation
- David Foster Wallace – author
- Peter Wild – poet, author and professor of English at the University of Arizona
- Ofelia Zepeda – poet laureate of Tucson, author
- Tom Zoellner – nonfiction author
Movies, television, and media
[edit]- Rex Allen – actor, musician
- Max Amini – stand-up comedian
- Hailey Baldwin – model
- Mika Boorem – actress
- Lynn Borden – actress and 1957 Miss Arizona
- Roy Brown – actor
- Brooke Burke – model, TV host
- Aaron Chang – photographer
- Kaylee DeFer – actress
- Barbara Eden – actress
- Pablo Francisco – stand-up comedian
- Savannah Guthrie – television personality
- Dan Hicks – sportscaster
- Michael Horse – actor, jeweler, painter[53]
- Pat Hughes – baseball announcer
- Dominic Janes – actor[53]
- Cord Jefferson – screenwriter, director, journalist
- Ben Patrick Johnson – journalist, model, voice-over artist
- Brad Johnson – actor, former Marlboro Man[54]
- Daniel Kennedy – actor
- Gavin MacIntosh – child/teen actor, model
- Taryn Manning – actress[54]
- Clare McNulty – actress
- George Meyer – Simpsons producer and writer
- Bentley Mitchum – actor
- Noel Neill – actress
- Sierra Teller Ornelas – filmmaker and screenwriter
- Larry Pine – actor[54]
- Timothy Reckart – Oscar-nominated filmmaker
- Garry Shandling – comedian and actor[53]
- Tommy Shannon – musician, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble
- W. Eugene Smith – photographer
- Frederick Sommer – photographer[53]
- Martin Spanjers – actor
- Sally Todd – model, actress
- Amber Valletta – actress
- Janet Varney – actress
- Kate Walsh – actress[53]
- Lou Waters – newscaster
- Nick Young – actor[55]
- Parker Young – model, actor
Music, arts
[edit]
-_Arizona_Muse.jpg)
- Panteha Abareshi – multidisciplinary visual artist
- Madeline Heineman Berger – music and arts promoter
- Duane Bryers – painter, illustrator and sculptor
- Joey Burns – musician
- Joseph Byrd – musician
- John Convertino – musician
- James Pringle Cook – Western landscape painter
- Luis Coronel – singer, musician
- Jason DeCorse – musician, member of Greyhound Soul[56]
- Ted DeGrazia – artist
- John Denver – singer, musician
- Daniel Martin Diaz – artist and musician
- Maynard Dixon – artist
- Duane Eddy – musician, member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
- Howe Gelb – musician
- Greg Ginn – musician, founder of Black Flag and SST Records
- Lalo Guerrero – "father of Chicano music"
- Cord Jefferson – writer and film director
- Ulysses Kay – composer
- Katie Lee – folk singer, writer, photographer
- Dan Levenson – old-time musician[57]
- Bob Log III – musician
- Linda McCartney – photographer, musician
- Arizona Muse – model
- Dennis F. Parker – musician, recording engineer
- Raymond Pettibon – artist
- Signe Pierce (born 1988) – multidisciplinary artist
- Rainer Ptacek – composer, musician
- Linda Ronstadt – singer, member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
- Ivan and Jane Rosenquist – art gallerists
- Barry Sadler – singer-songwriter
- Pat The Bunny Schneeweis – folk-punk artist
- Sara Tea – musician and DJ
- Mark Wystrach – musician
Politics
[edit]- Andy Biggs – U.S. representative[58]
- J. W. Buchanan – Arizona state senator, member of the Arizona House of Representatives
- Dean Burch – Republican National Committee chairman, 1964–1965; chairman, FCC[59]
- James B. Burkholder – peace activist and retired U.S. Army officer
- Richard Carmona – U.S. Surgeon General
- Tony Carrillo – Arizona state legislator
- Juan Ciscomani – U.S. representative[60]
- James N. Corbett – former mayor of Tucson
- Eli Crane – U.S. representative[61]
- Terri Cruz – community organizer and political activist
- Dennis DeConcini – U.S. senator
- Randy Fine – U.S. representative for Florida[62]
- Gabby Giffords – U.S. representative
- Raul Grijalva – U.S. representative
- Alma Hernandez – member of the Arizona House of Representatives
- Don Hummel – politician, former Tucson mayor, businessman
- Mark Kelly – U.S. senator, former astronaut
- Laura Loomer – far-right political activist and white nationalist
- Kyrsten Sinema – U.S. senator
- Robert C. Strong – U.S. diplomat
- Mark Udall – U.S. senator from Colorado, former member of the House
- Mo Udall – U.S. representative
- Stewart Udall – U.S. Secretary of Interior and U.S. representative
- Tom Udall – U.S. senator from New Mexico
Science and medicine
[edit]- David Arnett – astronomer
- Bart Bok – astronomer
- Frank Borman – astronaut, orbited the Moon on Apollo 8
- A. E. Douglass – astronomer, dendrochronologist
- Tom Gehrels – planetary scientist
- Emil Haury – archaeologist
- Rashad Khalifa – biochemist and founder of United Submitters International
- Gerard Kuiper – planetary scientist
- Brian A. Larkins – molecular biologist
- William Rathje – archaeologist, Garbage Project director
- Peter M. Rhee – physician
- Elizabeth Roemer – astronomer
- Peter Smith – scientist, principal investigator of Phoenix Project
- Andrew Weil – doctor who promotes integrative medicine
- Wieslaw Z. Wisniewski – astronomer
Military
[edit]- Thad Allen – U.S. Coast Guard admiral
- Frank L. Culin Jr. – United States Army major general
- José de Urrea – Mexican general
Crime
[edit]- Robert John Bardo – convicted murderer and stalker of actress and model, Rebecca Schaeffer
- Joseph Bonanno – mobster
- Jared Lee Loughner – convicted mass murderer who perpetrated the 2011 Tucson shooting
- Stephen Paddock – mass shooter who perpetrated the 2017 Las Vegas shooting
- Charles Schmid – killer
Religion
[edit]- William M. Branham – minister
- Eusebio Kino – pioneer missionary and explorer
Miscellaneous
[edit]- John Dossey – mathematician
- Margaret Sanger – birth control activist; feminist; founder of Planned Parenthood
- María Urquides – educator, "mother of bilingual education"
References
[edit]- ^ "Major League Baseball players born in Arizona". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved July 30, 2025.
- ^ a b c d e Reichler, Joseph L., ed. (1979) [1969]. The Baseball Encyclopedia (4th ed.). New York: Macmillan Publishing. ISBN 0-02-578970-8.
- ^ Obert, Richard. "The Republic's Top 25 all-time Arizona high school football players who played at UA". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved July 30, 2025.
- ^ Fish, Ryan (May 1, 2022). "Stanley Berryhill signs with Atlanta Falcons as undrafted free agent". KGUN 9 Tucson News. Retrieved July 30, 2025.
- ^ "Chad Beyer Bio". Chad Beyer. Archived from the original on March 2, 2014. Retrieved September 4, 2014.
- ^ sportswire, Doug Murray / Icon (November 18, 2017). "Tucson High grad's memorable October leads to new office: Fenway Park". Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved July 30, 2025.
- ^ "Nat Borchers". Portland Timbers. Retrieved February 6, 2025.
- ^ Star, Cole Cusumano Special to the Arizona Daily (July 8, 2024). "Tucson-born Alex Bowman snags Chicago street race victory, snapping 80-race NASCAR Cup winless streak". Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved July 31, 2025.
- ^ "Henry Brauner on key ingredients to Seattle Sounders' youth success". Soccer America. July 26, 2022. Retrieved February 9, 2025.
- ^ "Cat Cotton's secret weapon". The West Australian. March 2, 2018. Retrieved July 31, 2025.
- ^ "Tucson's UFC fighter Dominik Cruz set to make return to Octagon". Tucson Local Media. August 31, 2023. Retrieved July 31, 2025.
- ^ Hansen, Greg (June 1, 2016). "Tucson High's 'Lum' rode left arm to big leagues, struck out the Babe". Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved July 31, 2025.
- ^ Tucson, News 4 (September 6, 2019). "Former St. Louis Cardinal, CDO Grad Chris Duncan dies at 38 after battle with cancer". KVOA. Retrieved July 31, 2025.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ Hansen, Greg (June 4, 2016). "No. 91 • CDO's Duncan breaks city's career HR record in state championship game". Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved July 31, 2025.
- ^ Cluff, Jeremy. "Best NBA player from Arizona: Sean Elliott, Richard Jefferson, Mike Bibby or Fat Lever?". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved July 31, 2025.
- ^ "Former local kicker pleads guilty". Arizona Daily Star. May 12, 2006. Retrieved July 31, 2025.
- ^ Citizen 1979, Tucson (July 7, 2011). "Tucsonan earned two Grand Slam doubles titles". Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved July 31, 2025.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ Hansen, Greg (October 8, 2016). "Sabino grad Hardy skimpy with errors". Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved July 31, 2025.
- ^ Dreier, Peter (September 13, 2013). "How Will Jewish Ballplayers Handle the Yom Kippur Quandry?". HuffPost. Retrieved July 31, 2025.
- ^ Faller, Mark. "Winter Olympics already a triumph for figure skaters Chris and Alexa Scimeca Knierim". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved July 31, 2025.
- ^ "Hank Leiber". Baseball-Reference.com. Archived from the original on July 5, 2014. Retrieved December 12, 2016.
- ^ "basketball-reference.com". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved April 9, 2015.
- ^ York, AP Photo / Matt (May 24, 2014). "Sahuaro grad Caitlin Leverenz an international swimming prospect". Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved July 31, 2025.
- ^ Star, Johanna Eubank Arizona Daily (July 7, 2015). "Tucson notable: Race car driver Roger McCluskey". Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved July 31, 2025.
- ^ "Alice Orr, 93, Top Bronc Rider and Rodeo Star (Published 1995)". August 24, 1995. Archived from the original on April 23, 2024. Retrieved July 31, 2025.
- ^ Spears, Justin (January 27, 2025). "Tucson native, Atlanta Falcons RB Bijan Robinson named Pro Bowler". Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved July 31, 2025.
- ^ "Sam Sacksen". April 25, 2012. Archived from the original on April 25, 2012. Retrieved January 20, 2024.
- ^ Eborn, Jared (August 10, 2010). "Utah State football: Michael Smith takes the lead on replacing Robert Turbin". Deseret News. Retrieved July 31, 2025.
- ^ "Alumnus, a Booth, & 8 Emmys" (PDF). Southern Utah University. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 12, 2013. Retrieved December 12, 2016.
- ^ Hansen, Greg (August 22, 2021). "Hansen's Hundred, No. 8: Courageous vault made Kerri Strug an American sports icon". Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved July 31, 2025.
- ^ "He's back: FC Tucson signs club legend, MLS veteran Donny Toia for rest of season". Arizona Daily Star. July 22, 2023. Retrieved December 22, 2024.
- ^ Ackermann, Dylan. "Ex-Arizona high school standout Alex Verdugo goes from Dodgers to Yankees to World Series". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved July 31, 2025.
- ^ "Roman Bravo-Young earns Poland Open championship ahead of Paris Olympics | ALLSPORTSTUCSON.com". June 23, 2024. Retrieved July 31, 2025.
- ^ "Win Young". Sports-Reference.com. Archived from the original on February 2, 2014. Retrieved September 4, 2014.
- ^ Wiley, Rick. "Photos: The Sosa-Carrillo House and urban redevelopment in Tucson". Arizona Daily Star. Archived from the original on March 29, 2023. Retrieved July 31, 2025.
- ^ Valenzuela, Sarah (August 23, 2022). "Angels owner Arte Moreno has started exploring option of selling the team". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 31, 2025.
- ^ "Bad medicine leaves Walgreens seeking cure". The Denver Post. October 14, 2008. Retrieved July 31, 2025.
- ^ Fish, Ryan (September 23, 2022). "Before controversy, Robert Sarver came from Tucson roots". KGUN 9 Tucson News. Retrieved July 31, 2025.
- ^ Lewis, H. H. Walker (1970). "Baltimore's Judicial Bombshell?Eugene O'Dunne". American Bar Association Journal. 56 (7): 650–655. ISSN 0002-7596.
- ^ Biggers, Doug. "Edward Abbey died 30 years ago today. A disciple tells why his work was so important". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved July 31, 2025.
- ^ Frischer, Rita Berman (March 1, 2009). "Sue Alexander". Jewish Women: A Comprehensive Historical Encyclopedia. Jewish Women's Archive. Retrieved July 3, 2017.
- ^ STAR, Tom Beal ARIZONA DAILY (October 30, 2007). "UA professor, poet Anderson, 67, dies". Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved July 31, 2025.
- ^ Davis, Tony (June 25, 2021). "Tucson writer Byrd Baylor, 'voice of the desert and its people,' dies at 97". Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved July 31, 2025.
- ^ "Michael Blake, 69, Writer, Dies; Won Oscar for 'Dances With Wolves' (Published 2015)". May 5, 2015. Retrieved July 31, 2025.
- ^ Tony Davis Arizona Daily Star. "Author Bowden 'devoured everything passing before his eyes'". Arizona Daily Star. Archived from the original on March 30, 2025. Retrieved July 31, 2025.
- ^ Kreutz, Douglas. "Late author Chuck Bowden will be honored Saturday". Arizona Daily Star. Archived from the original on February 2, 2021. Retrieved July 31, 2025.
- ^ Sept. 25, 2009, From Tales from the Morgue (June 6, 2012). "Ray Bradbury had a special love for Tucson". Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved July 31, 2025.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ Boegle, Jimmy. "More Meat Amassed". Tucson Weekly. Retrieved July 31, 2025.
- ^ Smith, Clay; Fri.; March 16 (March 16, 2001). "Postscripts". www.austinchronicle.com. Retrieved July 31, 2025.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Prize-winning novelist and newspaperman Charles G. Finney, author of... - UPI Archives". UPI. April 17, 1984. Retrieved July 31, 2025.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Joseph Wood Krutch, Naturalist, Dies (Published 1970)". May 23, 1970. Retrieved August 1, 2025.
- ^ Tenorio, Rich (December 6, 2022). "Journalist Todd Miller's new book ponders a world without borders". Mexico News Daily. Retrieved August 1, 2025.
- ^ a b c d e f "List of Famous People from Arizona". The Free Resource. Archived from the original on June 5, 2012. Retrieved December 12, 2016.
- ^ a b c "Famous People from Arizona". ThingsToDo.com. Archived from the original on July 2, 2014. Retrieved December 12, 2016.
- ^ "San Diego's Spielberg? Q&A With Director Brian Butler Near Sci-Fi Film Premiere". Times of San Diego. Archived from the original on August 10, 2020. Retrieved July 24, 2020.
- ^ Ventre, Sarah (September 27, 2007). "Greyhound Soul". Phoenix New Times. Archived from the original on October 20, 2012. Retrieved September 15, 2014.
- ^ Steinberg, David (January 2, 2009) "Old-time Musician Keeps Flame Burning: Levenson is Part Performer, Part Teacher and Part Historian", ProQuest 324446439 Albuquerque Journal. Retrieved April 18, 2024. (subscription required)
- ^ "BIGGS, Andrew S." Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved July 1, 2025.
- ^ Pace, Eric (August 5, 1991). "Dean Burch, Presidential Adviser And F.C.C. Chairman, Dies at 63". The New York Times. Archived from the original on May 26, 2013. Retrieved September 6, 2014.
- ^ https://clerk.house.gov/members/C001133
- ^ "CRANE, Eli". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved July 1, 2025.
- ^ "The Florida Senate". Florida Senate. Retrieved February 19, 2025.
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