Famous People From West Virginia & Celebs Born In West Virginia.

West Virginia is a state of great historic importance. The presence of mountains and several hilly terrains has made this a popular haven for mining since many years. The state is also known for being a home to several renowned celebrities of today. TV host and writer Steve Harvey, Confederate Leader Thomas Jackson as well as actor and voiceover artist Brad Dourif are eminent personalities from West Virginia. It is believed that these personalities and several yesteryear celebs shared a special bond with their hometown – West Virginia. Steve has hosted several acclaimed television shows such as ‘The Steve Harvey Morning Show’, ‘Family Feud’ and ‘Little Big Shots’ as well as many others. He is also the writer of the bestseller ‘Act Like A Lady. Think Like A Man’. People who still remember their history lessons would probably be aware of Confederate General Thomas Jackson’s role in the American Civil War. For those of you who don’t know, here are the names of other distinguished personalities from West Virginia.

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Birthdate: January 17, 1957

Sun Sign: Capricorn

Comedian, businessman and entertainer Steve Harvey has been active in the entertainment world since 1985. Born to parents who were avid movie lovers, he developed an early love for performing. He began his entertainment career as a stand-up comedian and soon started performing in TV shows and films. Also an entrepreneur, he founded Steve Harvey Global (SHG).

Randy Moss

(One of the Greatest and Most Talented Football Wide Receivers of All Time)

Birthdate: February 13, 1977

Sun Sign: Aquarius

NFL wide receiver Randy Moss set a record for the highest number of receiving touchdowns in a season. The Minnesota Vikings player became the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year in 1998 and retired after playing with the San Francisco 49ers. He gave rise to the term “getting mossed.”

Jerry West

(American Basketball Executive and Former Player)

Birthdate: May 28, 1938

Sun Sign: Gemini

Basketball player Jerry West, also known as Mr. Clutch, for his ability to snatch games in clutch situations, is known for his stint with the Los Angeles Lakers of the NBA. He was part of the US squads that won an Olympic gold in 1960 and a Pan American Games gold in 1959.

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Birthdate: June 13, 1928

Sun Sign: Gemini

Died: May 23, 2015

The inspiration behind the movie A Beautiful Mind, John F. Nash was a legendary mathematician whose work in the area of game theory earned him the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences. In his later years, he was riddled with mental illness. He later died in a car crash.

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Katherine Johnson

(Mathematician and One of the First African-American Women to Work as a NASA Scientist)

Birthdate: August 26, 1918

Sun Sign: Virgo

Died: February 24, 2020

Katherine Johnson was a physicist and mathematician, remembered as the first African-American female NASA scientist. Her calculations helped launch the space missions of Alan Shepard and John Glenn. She was crucial to the Apollo program and won a Congressional Gold Medal and a Presidential Medal of Freedom for her achievements.

Stonewall Jackson

(One of the Best-Known Confederate Commanders During the American Civil War)

Birthdate: January 21, 1824

Sun Sign: Aquarius

Died: May 10, 1863

Stonewall Jackson was a commander of the Confederate States Army. He played a major role as a Confederate general in the American Civil War, winning several significant battles in the Eastern Theater of the war. Considered one of the most tactically sound commanders in the history of the US, Jackson was idolized by George Patton, Chesty Puller, and Alexander Vandegrift.

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Birthdate: May 9, 1961

Sun Sign: Taurus

John Corbett is an American actor. Widely recognized for his distinctive hairstyle, Corbett himself is a licensed hairstylist as he attended hairdressing classes before becoming an actor. Apart from being an actor, John Corbett is also a successful singer whose debut self-titled album peaked at number 45 on Top Country Albums chart.

Chuck Yeager

(American Test Pilot and the First Air Force Officer to Exceed the Speed of Sound in Flight)

Birthdate: February 13, 1923

Sun Sign: Aquarius

Died: December 7, 2020

U.S. Air Force pilot Chuck Yeager was the first human to break the sound barrier, when he flew the Bell X-1 in 1947. He was a P-51 Mustang fighter pilot in World War II and also fought in the Vietnam War. He inspired the novel and movie The Right Stuff.

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Nick Saban

(One of the Greatest College Football Coaches of All Time)

Birthdate: October 31, 1951

Sun Sign: Scorpio

Nick Saban is an American football coach who is currently serving as the head coach for the University of Alabama. He has also served as the head coach for the NFL team Miami Dolphins. Widely regarded as the greatest coach in the history of college football Saban was made an inductee of the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame in 2013.

Mary Lou Retton

(American Retired Gymnast and Olympic Gold Medallist)

Birthdate: January 24, 1968

Sun Sign: Aquarius

Retired gymnast Mary Lou Retton, known for her trademark, The Retton Flip, made history by becoming the first American female gymnast to win an individual Olympic gold medal and was the first gymnast named to the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame. She later became a motivational speaker.

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Birthdate: October 28, 1972

Sun Sign: Scorpio

Brad Douglas Paisley is an American singer-songwriter. One of the most decorated male country music singers of the current generation, Paisley has won multiple American Music Awards, Grammy Awards, Country Music Association Awards, and Academy of Country Music Awards. Brad Paisley is also known for his skills as a guitarist and one particular model of guitar is named after him.

Brad Dourif

(Actor)

Birthdate: March 18, 1950

Sun Sign: Pisces

Height: 5'9" (175 cm)

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Conchata Ferrell

(Best Known for Her Role as ‘Berta’ in the TV Series ‘Two and a Half Men’)

Birthdate: March 28, 1943

Sun Sign: Aries

Died: October 12, 2020

Emmy-nominated actor Conchata Ferrell was best known for her portrayal of housekeeper Berta in Two and a Half Men. She began her career with the off-Broadway show The Sea Horse, which won her a Drama Desk and an Obie award. She had also appeared in Krampus and Erin Brockovich.

Birthdate: July 24, 1942

Sun Sign: Leo

Chris Sarandon is an American actor best known for voicing the popular Disney character Jack Skellington in the film The Nightmare Before Christmas. Apart from voicing the character in the movie, Sarandon has also voiced Skellington for many Disneyland Halloween attractions, such as Halloween Screams and Haunted Mansion Holiday. He has also voiced Skellington in many video games.

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Lou Holtz

( Former American Football Player, Coach, and Analyst)

Birthdate: January 6, 1937

Sun Sign: Capricorn

Lou Holtz has been the head football coach of teams such as the New York Jets. He led Notre Dame to be the national champions. Holtz became the only coach to guide four programs to the final top 20. The College Football Hall of Famer later became an ESPN analyst.

George Brett

(Baseball Player)

Birthdate: May 15, 1953

Sun Sign: Taurus

Height: 6'0" (183 cm)

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Joyce DeWitt

(Actress and Comedian Known for Her Role as ‘Janet Wood’ in the TV Series ‘Three's Company')

Birthdate: April 23, 1949

Sun Sign: Taurus

Three’s Company being her best-known television series, Joyce DeWitt has been a regular on the small screen since her debut in Baretta. The seasoned American actress, who also appeared in plays including Miss Abigail's Guide to Dating, co-produced a television film. She has hosted a number of charity programmes. She was caught on the wrong side of the law when she was arrested for drunken driving in California in 2009.

Katie Lee

(American Cookbook Author, Television Food Critic and Novelist)

Birthdate: September 14, 1981

Sun Sign: Virgo

Height: 5'7" (170 cm)

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Jason Williams

(Former Basketball player at point guard)

Birthdate: November 18, 1975

Sun Sign: Scorpio

Height: 6'1" (185 cm)

Deron Williams

(Basketball player)

Birthdate: June 26, 1984

Sun Sign: Cancer

Height: 6'3" (190 cm)

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Jessica Lynch

(Soldier)

Birthdate: April 26, 1983

Sun Sign: Taurus

Pearl Buck

(Winner of the 1938 Nobel Prize in Literature)

Birthdate: June 26, 1892

Sun Sign: Cancer

Died: March 6, 1973

Nobel Prize- and Pulitzer Prize-winning American author Pearl Buck was raised in China by her missionary parents. She grew up to teach English literature in Chinese universities and later penned books such as East Wind, West Wind and The Good Earth, which were based on her experiences in China.

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Birthdate: January 30, 1920

Sun Sign: Aquarius

Died: December 16, 2001

Carwood Lipton was a United States army officer who served during World War II. Lipton, who played a major role in the Battle of Normandy and Battle of the Bulge, was honored with three Purple Hearts and two Bronze Star medals. In the popular TV war drama miniseries Band of Brothers, Carwood Lipton was portrayed by actor Donnie Wahlberg.

Cynthia Germanotta

(American Philanthropist, President of the ‘Born This Way Foundation’ and Mother of Singer Lady Gaga)

Birthdate: August 30, 1954

Sun Sign: Virgo

Cynthia Germanotta is an American activist, philanthropist, and entrepreneur. She is credited with co-founding Born This Way Foundation, for which she also serves as the president. She also plays an important role as an advocate for mental health; in 2019, she served as the World Health Organization'sambassador for mental health.

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T. D. Jakes

(American Non-Denominational Christian Preacher)

Birthdate: June 9, 1957

Sun Sign: Gemini

Known for his baritone voice and his signature goatee, T. D. Jakes is a bishop at The Potter's House and a filmmaker, too. He has produced and appeared in films such as Jumping the Broom and Not Easily Broken, the latter being based one of his novels.

Jimbo Fisher

(American Football coach)

Birthdate: October 9, 1965

Sun Sign: Libra

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Homer Hickam

(Aerospace Engineer)

Birthdate: February 19, 1943

Sun Sign: Pisces

Hal Greer

(Basketball player)

Birthdate: June 26, 1936

Sun Sign: Cancer

Died: April 14, 2018

Height: 6'2" (188 cm)

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Josh Stewart

(Best Known for His Roles in the TV Series ‘Dirt’, ‘Criminal Minds’ and ‘Third Watch’)

Birthdate: February 6, 1977

Sun Sign: Aquarius

Josh Stewart is best known as Holt McLaren from Dirt and as William LaMontagne, Jr. from Criminal Minds. Fans also loved him in Third Watch, the film The Dark Knight Rises, and the Netflix series The Punisher. He also wrote and directed the found footage film The Hunted.

Birthdate: January 31, 1922

Sun Sign: Aquarius

Died: September 10, 1996

Height: 5'7" (170 cm)

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Bernie Casey

(American Poet, Actor, and Professional Footballer)

Birthdate: June 8, 1939

Sun Sign: Gemini

Died: September 19, 2017

Height: 6'4" (193 cm)

Morgan Spurlock

(Film director)

Birthdate: November 7, 1970

Sun Sign: Scorpio

Height: 6'2" (188 cm)

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Paul Dooley

(Actor)

Birthdate: February 22, 1928

Sun Sign: Pisces

Height: 5'10" (178 cm)

Birthdate: August 24, 1947

Sun Sign: Virgo

Height: 6'3" (190 cm)

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Henry Louis Gates Jr.

(Literary Critic and Scholar Who Became Popular for His Pioneering Theories of African and African-American Literature)

Birthdate: September 16, 1950

Sun Sign: Virgo

Henry Louis Gates Jr. is an American literary critic, historian, professor, filmmaker, and public intellectual. He is currently serving as the director of the Hutchins Center at Harvard University. Over the years Gates has been honored with several prestigious awards including the National Humanities Medal. In 1997, he was named in Time magazine's 25 Most Influential Americans list.

Gino Marchetti

(American Football Player)

Birthdate: January 2, 1926

Sun Sign: Capricorn

Died: April 29, 2019

Height: 6'4" (193 cm)

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O. J. Mayo

(Basketball Player)

Birthdate: November 5, 1987

Sun Sign: Scorpio

Height: 6'4" (193 cm)

Bob Huggins

(Basketball coach)

Birthdate: September 21, 1953

Sun Sign: Virgo

Height: 6'3" (190 cm)

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Heath Slater

(American Professional Wrestler)

Birthdate: July 15, 1983

Sun Sign: Cancer

Height: 6'2" (188 cm)

Ryan Switzer

(American football player)

Birthdate: November 4, 1994

Sun Sign: Scorpio

Height: 5'8" (173 cm)

Thomas Massie

(Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Kentucky's 4th District )

Birthdate: January 13, 1971

Sun Sign: Capricorn

Conservative libertarian Republican Thomas Massie is the US Representative from Kentucky's 4th district. Born to a beer distributor, he studied mechanical engineering at MIT and also co-owned a start-up. Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, he earned Donald Trump’s ire when he opposed a stimulus package to boost the American economy.

Peter Marshall (Entertainer)

Birthdate: March 30, 1926

Sun Sign: Aries

Height: 6'2" (188 cm)

Royal Robbins

(American Rock Climber)

Birthdate: February 3, 1935

Sun Sign: Aquarius

Died: March 14, 2017

Mike D'Antoni

(Basketball player)

Birthdate: May 8, 1951

Sun Sign: Taurus

Height: 6'3" (190 cm)

Randy Barnes

(American Former Shot Putter)

Birthdate: June 16, 1966

Sun Sign: Gemini

Height: 6'5" (196 cm)

Basil L. Plumley

(Military personnel)

Birthdate: January 1, 1920

Sun Sign: Capricorn

Died: October 10, 2012

Birthdate: August 2, 1980

Sun Sign: Leo

Height: 6'1" (185 cm)

Jimmy Dickens

(Singer)

Birthdate: December 19, 1920

Sun Sign: Sagittarius

Died: January 2, 2015

Height: 4'11" (150 cm)

Harry R. Truman

(Businessman)

Birthdate: October 30, 1896

Sun Sign: Scorpio

Died: May 18, 1980

Initially a bootlegger, Harry R. Truman later leased a 50-acre plot in the woods near the active volcano Mount St. Helens and opened the Mount St. Helens Lodge. He became famous after refusing to evacuate the place after warnings that the volcano would erupt, and was later presumed dead.

David Selby

(Actor)

Birthdate: February 5, 1941

Sun Sign: Aquarius

Height: 6'2" (188 cm)