It has been suggested that List of people from Washington, D.C. be merged into this article or section. (Discuss)

This is a list of famous people and celebrities who were either born in or have lived in the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Area, including the Maryland and northern Virginia suburbs.

Business

• Sergey Brin – University Park, Maryland – co-founder of Google.
• Michael Karlan – Washington, D.C. – founder of Professionals in the City, a socializing and networking organization.
• J.W. Marriott, Jr. – Bethesda, Maryland – Chairman and CEO of Marriott International.
• James W. Rouse – Columbia, Maryland – urban planner, real estate developer and philanthropist; grandfather of actor Edward Norton.
• David Rubenstein – Bethesda, Maryland – Co-founder of The Carlyle Group.
• Eric Schmidt – Arlington, Virginia – CEO of Google.
• Paul Reed Smith – Bowie, Maryland – founder and owner of PRS Guitars.

Entertainment

• Gbenga Akinnagbe – Rockville, Maryland – Nigerian-American actor, best known for his portrayal of Chris Partlow on HBO's The Wire.
• Mark Oliver Everett – Washington, D.C. & Virginia – singer-songwriter, best known for The Eels.
• Tori Amos – Rockville, Maryland – pianist and singer-songwriter.
• Diedrich Bader – Alexandria, Virginia – actor.
• Warren Beatty – Arlington, Virginia – actor.
• Keter Betts – Silver Spring, Maryland – jazz bassist.
• Lewis Black – Silver Spring, Maryland – comedian, author, and playwright.
• Chuck Brown – Waldorf, Maryland – Go-Go guitarist.
• Sandra Bullock – Arlington, Virginia – actress.
• Hilarie Burton – Sterling, Virginia – actress.
• Bill Callahan – Silver Spring, Maryland – musician.
• Jameka Cameron – Waldorf, Maryland – Castmember of Big Brother 8.
• Chris Carmack – Washington, D.C. – actor, best known for his role on The O.C..
• Neko Case – Alexandria, Virginia – singer, songwriter.
• Mama Cass – Alexandria, Virginia – singer for The Mamas & the Papas.
• Eva Cassidy – Washington, D.C. – singer.
• Mary Chapin Carpenter – Washington, D.C. – singer.
• Crystal Chappell – Silver Spring, Maryland – soap opera actress.
• Dave Chappelle – Washington, D.C. – comedian, actor, film producer.
• JC Chasez – Bowie, Maryland – musician, formerly of 'N Sync.
• Roy Clark – Washington, D.C. – versatile country musician and TV star on Hee Haw.
• Stephen Colbert – Washington, D.C. – comedian, host of The Colbert Report.
• George Colligan – Columbia, Maryland – jazz pianist.
• Stewart Copeland – Alexandria, Virginia – drummer for The Police.
• Adrian Cronauer – Arlington, Virginia – disc jockey.
• Cara DeLizia – Silver Spring, Maryland – actress.
• Raheem DeVaughn – Beltsville, Maryland – singer.
• William DeVaughn – Washington, D.C. – R&B singer.
• Michael Ealy – Silver Spring, Maryland – actor.
• Edan – Rockville, Maryland – Jewish-American alternative hip hop performer.
• Chris Edgerly – Silver Spring, Maryland – voice actor.
• Duke Ellington – Washington, D.C. – jazz composer.
• Sam Endicott – Bethesda, Maryland – musician.
• John Fahey – Takoma Park, Maryland – guitarist and founder of American Primitivism.
• Wayne Federman – Silver Spring, Maryland – comedian, actor, and author.
• Roberta Flack – Arlington, Virginia – singer.
• Chip Franklin – Alexandria, Virginia – comedian and talk show host.
• Marty Friedman – Laurel, Maryland – former lead guitarist for Megadeth.^[1]
• Dan Futterman – Silver Spring, Maryland – actor.
• Gregory Thomas Garcia – Arlington, Virginia – creator of the television show My Name Is Earl.
• Marvin Gaye – Washington, D.C. – singer.
• Kathy Lee Gifford – Bowie, Maryland – actress.
• Ginuwine – Greenbelt, Maryland – R&B singer.
• Heather Graham – Springfield, Virginia – film and television actress.
• Tamyra Gray – Takoma Park, Maryland – finalist on season one of American Idol.
• Dave Grohl – Alexandria, Virginia – drummer for Nirvana; frontman for the Foo Fighters.
• Tim Gunn – Washington, D.C. – Fashion Guru.
• Emmylou Harris – Woodbridge, Virginia – singer.
• Goldie Hawn – Takoma Park, Maryland – actress.
• Helen Hayes – Washington, D.C. – actress; popularly known as the, "First Lady of the American Theatre."
• Robert Hays – Bethesda, Maryland – actor, best known for his role in Airplane!.
• Jim Henson – University Park, Maryland – entertainer, creator of the Muppets.
• Taraji P. Henson – Washington, D.C. – actress.
• Ron Holloway – Washington, D.C. – tenor saxophonist
• J. Holiday – Washington, D.C. – R&B Singer.
• Keith Howland – Silver Spring, Maryland – guitarist for Chicago.
• William Hurt – Washington, D.C. – actor.
• Douglas Hyde – Alexandria, Virginia – opera singer.
• Gregory Itzin – Washington, D.C. – actor, best known for his role of President Charles Logan in 24
• John Jackson – Fairfax, Virginia – blues musician.
• Samuel L. Jackson – Washington, D.C. – actor
• Joan Jett – Rockville, Maryland – musician.
• Courtney Jines – Fairfax, Virginia – actress.
• Spike Jonze – Rockville, Maryland – film director and producer.
• JJ Kincaid – Columbia, Maryland – radio personality in New York City.
• Joe Lally – Silver Spring, Maryland – bassist for the Rock and roll band Fugazi.
• Martin Lawrence – Landover, Maryland – actor.
• Julia Louis-Dreyfus – Bethesda, Maryland – actress, known for her role on Seinfeld.
• Ian MacKaye – Washington, D.C. – musician.
• Shirley MacLaine – Arlington, Virginia – actress.
• Wendy MacLeod – Arlington, Virginia – playwright.
• Benji Madden – Waldorf, Maryland – guitarist for the band Good Charlotte.
• Joel Madden – Waldorf, Maryland – lead vocalist for the band Good Charlotte.
• Biz Markie – Laurel, Maryland – rap artist/DJ.^[2]
• Brian McComas – Bethesda, Maryland – country music singer.
• James McDaniel – Washington, D.C. – actor, best known for his role of Lt./Capt. Arthur Fancy in NYPD Blue.
• Scott McKenzie – Alexandria, Virginia – singer; known for the 1967 hit, San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair).
• Christina Milian – Waldorf, Maryland – actress, singer, songwriter, and dancer.
• Reverend Jen Miller – painter, poet, actress, and owner of the Troll Museum.
• D'Monroe – Columbia, Maryland – Broadway and Off-Broadway actor.
• Jim Morrison – Alexandria, Virginia – singer for The Doors.
• Dermot Mulroney – Alexandria, Virginia – actor.
• Mýa – Greenbelt, Maryland – R&B singer and actress.
• Tim Neumark – Columbia, Maryland – solo pianist.
• Edward Norton – Columbia, Maryland – actor.
• Michelle Parma – Fairfax, Virginia – Contestant on MTV's Road Rules.
• Tom Paxton – Alexandria, Virginia – singer, songwriter.
• John Phillips – Alexandria, Virginia – singer for The Mamas & the Papas.
• Guy Picciotto – Chevy Chase, Maryland – singer/guitarist of Fugazi.
• Hilary Rhoda – Chevy Chase, Maryland – Supermodel.
• Amerie Rogers – Washington, D.C. – actress, singer and dancer.
• Henry Rollins – Washington, D.C. – musician, author, comedian.
• Matt Sharp – Arlington, Virginia – musician.
• Sylvia Snowden – Washington, D.C. – artist, best known for her Malik Series as well as other Corcoran Gallery of Art exhibitions.
• Ben Stein – Silver Spring, Maryland – economist, law professor, actor, and former White House speechwriter.
• Eddie Stubbs – Gaithersburg, Maryland – musician, disc jockey, and Grand Ole Opry announcer.
• John Philip Sousa – Washington, D.C. – composer.
• Daniel Stern – Bethesda, Maryland – actor.
• Paul Thomas – Waldorf, Maryland – bassist for the band Good Charlotte.
• Brian Transeau – Rockville, Maryland – musician.
• Jeff Tremaine – Bethesda, Maryland – film producer, director, and writer.
• Leeann Tweeden – Manassas, Virginia – model and television personality.
• Lisa Ann Walter – Silver Spring, Maryland – actress.
• Kiely Williams – Alexandria, Virginia – singer and actress; member of 3LW and The Cheetah Girls.
• Casey Wilson – Alexandria, Virginia – actress; Saturday Night Live cast member.

Government and politics

• Thad W. Allen – Chevy Chase, Maryland – Commandant of the United States Coast Guard.
• Joseph R. Bartlett – Takoma Park, Maryland – member of the Maryland House of Delegates (1999—present).
• Francis Preston Blair, Jr. – Silver Spring, Maryland – politician, Major General in the Civil War.
• Montgomery Blair – Silver Spring, Maryland – politician, United States Postmaster General under Abraham Lincoln.
• John R. Bolton – Bethesda, Maryland – former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations and Under Secretary of State.
• L. Paul Bremer – Bethesda, Maryland – former Director of Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance for post-war Iraq.
• Patrick Joseph Buchanan – Washington, D.C. – Columnist and Presidential Candidate.
• Cristeta Comerford – Columbia, Maryland – White House Executive Chef.
• William J. Crowe, Jr. – Alexandria, Virginia – United States Navy Admiral; former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; ambassador to the United Kingdom (1993—1997).
• Chris Daly – Silver Spring, Maryland – politician
• Douglas Feith – Bethesda, Maryland – former Under Secretary of Defense for Policy in the Department of Defense.
• Al Gore, Jr. – Washington, D.C. – U.S. Vice President (1993—2001), Presidential Nominee, Democratic Party, (2000).
• Tipper Gore – Washington, D.C. – author; wife of former Vice President of the United States, Al Gore.
• Francis C. Hammond – Alexandria, Virginia – sailor in the United States Navy during the Korean War; recipient of the Medal of Honor.
• John C. Herbert – Alexandria, Virginia – United States Congressman from Maryland.^[3]
• J. Edgar Hoover – Washington, D.C. – former director of the FBI.
• Jack Kemp – Bethesda, Maryland – former US Vice Presidential Candidate, Secretary of Housing & Urban Development, US Congressman, and Quarterback for the Buffalo Bills.
• Jeane Kirkpatrick – Bethesda, Maryland – former American ambassador, known for her Kirkpatrick Doctrine on foreign politics.
• Abner Lacock – Alexandria, Virginia – judge, member of the Pennsylvania State Senate, United States Congressman, and United States Senator.^[3]
• Mary Landrieu – Arlington, Virginia – U.S. Senator from Louisiana.
• Blair Lee I – Silver Spring, Maryland – former United States Senator from Maryland.
• Blair Lee III – Silver Spring, Maryland – former lieutenant governor, governor, and secretary of state of Maryland.
• Robert E. Lee – Arlington, Virginia – commander of Confederate forces during the American Civil War.
• William Henry Fitzhugh Lee – Arlington, Virginia – Confederate General in the American Civil War and later United States Congressman from Virginia.^[3]
• Anthony McAuliffe – Chevy Chase, Maryland – U.S. Military Commander; Commander of Allied forces at the Battle of Bastogne.
• Lewis McKenzie – Alexandria, Virginia – Mayor of Alexandria; United States Congressman from Virginia; president of the Washington and Ohio Railroad.^[3]
• Jim Moody – Bethesda, Maryland – former US Congressman from Wisconsin.
• Edwin Ward Moore – Alexandria, Virginia – officer of the United States Navy and the navy of the Republic of Texas, charted the Texas coast.^[3]
• Bruce Morrison – Bethesda, Maryland – United States Congressman from Connecticut (1983—1991) and 1990 Connecticut Gubernatorial Candidate.
• Alexander D. Orr – Alexandria, Virginia – United States Congressman from Kentucky.^[3]
• James Pearce – Alexandria, Virginia – United States Senator from Maryland (1843—1862).^[3]
• Leven Powell – Manassas, Virginia – former United States Representative from Virginia.
• John Roberts – Chevy Chase, Maryland – Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court.
• Dennis Ross – Bethesda, Maryland – author, Director of Policy Planning in the US State Department (Bush Administration), Middle East Coordinator (Clinton Administration).
• Jan Scruggs – Bowie, Maryland – corporal in the United States Army; founder of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
• Thomas Swann – Alexandria, Virginia – Governor of Maryland (1866—1869), U.S. Congressman for Maryland's 3rd and 4th Districts (1869—1879); Mayor of Baltimore (1856—1860).
• George Tenet – Chevy Chase, Maryland – former Director of Central Intelligence.
• Linda Tripp – Columbia, Maryland – government clerk; whistleblower in the Lewinsky scandal.
• Mark Warner – Alexandria, Virginia – Governor of Virginia (2002—2006).
• George Washington – Alexandria, Virginia – Revolutionary War general; first President of the United States.
• Paul D. Wolfowitz – Chevy Chase, Maryland – former Deputy Secretary of Defense; former President of the World Bank.
• Prince Alexander of Yugoslavia – Fairfax, Virginia – member of the Yugoslavian Royal Family.
• Prince Philip of Yugoslavia – Fairfax, Virginia – member of the Yugoslavian Royal Family.

Scientists and engineers

• Hunter "Patch" Adams – Arlington, Virginia – doctor, author, and social activist.
• Charles L. Bennett – Bethesda, Maryland – astrophysicist; PI of WMAP.
• Wernher von Braun – Alexandria, Virginia – rocket scientist; father of the US space program.
• William E. Caswell – Silver Spring, Maryland – physicist.
• Charles Drew – Washington, D.C. – physician and noted medical researcher in the fields of blood plasma and blood transfusions.
• Charlene Drew Jarvis – Washington, D.C. – president of Southeastern University and former medical researcher.
• Bill Nye – Washington, D.C. – mechanical engineer, scientist, and comedian, television personality.
• Frank Whittle – Columbia, Maryland – inventor of the jet engine.

Sports

• Nick Adenhart – Silver Spring, Maryland – professional baseball player for the Los Angeles Angels.
• Freddy Adu – Rockville, Maryland – teenage soccer prodigy, youngest American ever to sign a professional sports contract.
• Tommy Amaker – Fairfax, Virginia – coach of the Harvard University basketball team.
• Brady Anderson – Silver Spring, Maryland – former professional baseball player for the Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox and Cleveland Indians.
• Jess Atkinson – Bethesda, Maryland – former football player.
• Red Auerbach – Bethesda, Maryland – former coach and General Manager of the Boston Celtics.
• David Bautista – Arlington, Virginia – professional wrestler.
• Alana Beard – Bowie, Maryland – professional basketball player for the WNBA's Washington Mystics.
• Melissa Belote – Washington, D.C. – former Olympic gold-medal swimmer.
• Adam Birch – Fairfax, Virginia – former professional wrestler for World Wrestling Entertainment's SmackDown!.
• Mike Brey – Bethesda, Maryland – Men's Basketball coach for the University of Notre Dame.
• James Brown – Bethesda, Maryland – sports announcer.
• John Bunting – Silver Spring, Maryland – former head football coach for the University of North Carolina and professional football player for the Philadelphia Eagles.
• Gary Clark – Bethesda, Maryland – professional football player for the Washington Redskins.
• Mike Curtis – Rockville, Maryland – professional football player for the Baltimore Colts (1965—1975), Seattle Seahawks (1976), and the Washington Redskins (1977—1978).
• Vernon Davis – Washington, D.C. – professional football player for the San Francisco 49ers.
• Dominique Dawes – Silver Spring, Maryland – Olympic gymnast.
• Tom Dolan – Arlington, Virginia – 1996 Olympic Gold medalist in swimming.
• Jeremy Duchesne – Silver Spring, Maryland – NHL goaltending prospect currently in the Philadelphia Flyers system.
• Kevin Durant – Washington, D.C. – former University of Texas Longhorns basketball star (2006-2007) and professional basketball player for the Seattle Supersonics.
• Billy Edelin – Silver Spring, Maryland – former college basketball player for Syracuse University and member of the 2003 National Championship team.
• Danny Ferry – Bowie, Maryland – professional basketball player for the Cleveland Cavaliers and San Antonio Spurs.
• Hank Fraley – Gaithersburg, Maryland – professional football player for the Cleveland Browns and the Philadelphia Eagles.
• Steve Francis – Silver Spring, Maryland – professional basketball player for the Houston Rockets.
• Keith B. Gordon – Bethesda, Maryland – Major League Baseball player.
• Jeff Halpern – Bethesda, Maryland – professional ice hockey player for the Tampa Bay Lightning.
• Shane Halter – La Plata, Maryland – former professional baseball player for the Detroit Tigers and Anaheim Angels.
• Andy Heck – Fairfax, Virginia – former professional football player.
• Tony Hunt – Alexandria, Virginia – professional football player for the Philadelphia Eagles.
• Erik Imler – Silver Spring, Maryland – former professional soccer player.
• Larry Johnson – La Plata, Maryland – football player.
• William Joppy – Rockville, Maryland – boxer.
• Brian Kendrick – Fairfax, Virginia – professional wrestler for World Wrestling Entertainment
• Johnny Klippstein – Silver Spring, Maryland – professional baseball player for the Chicago Cubs, Cincinnati Reds, Los Angeles Dodgers, Cleveland Indians, Washington Senators, Philadelphia Phillies, Minnesota Twins, and Detroit Tigers.
• Jon Knott – Manassas, Virginia – professional baseball player for the Baltimore Orioles.
• Tim Kurkjian – Bethesda, Maryland – ESPN reporter and analyst for Baseball Tonight.
• Shawn Kuykendall – Fairfax, Virginia – professional soccer player for Red Bull New York.
• Kara Lawson – Alexandria, Virginia – women's college basketball player and professional basketball player for the Sacramento Monarchs of the WNBA.
• Alphonse "Tuffy" Leemans – Silver Spring, Maryland – former professional football player for the New York Giants.
• Byron Leftwich – Washington, D.C. – football player.
• Sugar Ray Leonard – Palmer Park, Maryland – former professional boxer.
• Ted Lerner – Chevy Chase, Maryland – owner of the Washington Nationals.
• Earl Lloyd – Alexandria, Virginia – retired professional basketball player; first African-American to play in the National Basketball Association.
• Marty Lyons – Takoma Park, Maryland – former professional football player New York Jets.
• Roger Mason – Washington, D.C. – professional basketball player for the Washington Wizards.
• Scott Norwood – Alexandria, Virginia – professional football player for the Buffalo Bills.
• Buzz Nutter – La Plata, Maryland – football player.
• Oguchi Onyewu – Silver Spring, Maryland – professional soccer player for Standard Liège.
• Chris Parks – Washington, D.C. – professional wrestler.
• David Robinson – Manassas, Virginia – professional basketball player for the San Antonio Spurs.
• Brad Schumacher – Bowie, Maryland – swimmer and two-time Olympic Gold Medalist.
• Jason Spence – Fairfax, Virginia – professional wrestler.
• Ron Springs – Silver Spring, Maryland – former professional football player for the Dallas Cowboys and father of Shawn Springs.
• Shawn Springs – Silver Spring, Maryland – professional football player for the Seattle Seahawks and Washington Redskins.
• Scott Van Pelt – Brookville, Maryland – ESPN SportsCenter anchor and ESPN Radio host.
• Greivis Vasquez – Rockville, Maryland – basketball player for the University of Maryland, College Park.
• Michael Weiss (figure skater) – Fairfax, Virginia – Olympic ice skater.
• Delonte West – Washington, D.C. – professional basketball player.
• Morgan Wootten – University Park, Maryland – high school basketball coach; achieved most wins in high school basketball history.
• Dainius Zubrus – Bethesda, Maryland – professional ice hockey player for the Buffalo Sabres.

Writers and journalists

• Jayson Blair – Columbia, Maryland – former reporter for the New York Times.
• Francis Preston Blair, Sr. – Silver Spring, Maryland – politician, journalist.
• William Peter Blatty – Bethesda, Maryland – writer, best known for The Exorcist.
• Ann Brashares – Bethesda, Maryland – author, known for The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants.
• David Brooks – Bethesda, Maryland – New York Times columnist.
• Rachel Carson – Silver Spring, Maryland – author.
• Michael Chabon – Columbia, Maryland – author.
• Steve Charnovitz – Falls Church, Virginia – author on international trade and law professor.
• Frank Cho – Beltsville, Maryland – syndicated cartoonist.
• Connie Chung – Washington, D.C. – journalist.
• Jerry Climer – Alexandria, Virginia – political consultant.
• Katie Couric – Arlington, Virginia – television news anchorwoman.
• Christopher Pearse Cranch – Alexandria, Virginia – Unitarian minister, newspaper editor, author, and artist.^[3]
• E.J. Dionne – Bethesda, Maryland – author and journalist.
• Matt Drudge – Takoma Park, Maryland – internet journalist.
• John Feinstein – Bethesda, Maryland – [[author, columnist and reporter.
• Jonathan Safran Foer – Washington, D.C. – writer.
• Thomas Friedman – Bethesda, Maryland – New York Times columnist.
• David Gardner – Alexandria, Virginia – founder of the Motley Fool.
• Tom Gardner – Alexandria, Virginia – founder of the Motley Fool.
• Doreen Gentzler – Chevy Chase, Maryland – WRC-TV television news anchor.
• Gary Groth – Springfield, Virginia – comic book publisher.
• Stephen Hunter – Columbia, Maryland – film critic and author.
• Gayle King – Chevy Chase, Maryland – editor-at-large for O, The Oprah Magazine.
• Laura Lippman – Columbia, Maryland – author.
• Suzanne Malveaux – Columbia, Maryland – reporter for CNN.
• Chris Matthews – Chevy Chase, Maryland – host of Hardball with Chris Matthews.
• Aaron McGruder – Columbia, Maryland – cartoonist.
• Paul Mirengoff – Bethesda, Maryland – attorney, co-author of the Power Line.
• Phyllis Reynolds Naylor – Bethesda, Maryland – author.
• Mike O'Meara – Manassas, Virginia – radio personality, best known for his role on the nationally-syndicated Don and Mike Radio Show.
• George Pelecanos – Silver Spring, Maryland – author, journalist, film producer and writer/producer of The Wire.
• Audrey Penn – Silver Spring, Maryland – author.
• Maury Povich – Washington, D.C. – television personality.
• Gordon Prange – University Park, Maryland – historian.
• Cokie Roberts – Bethesda, Maryland – journalist, author.
• Nora Roberts – Silver Spring, Maryland – author.
• Willard Scott – Alexandria, Virginia – television personality; meteorologist for NBC's The Today Show.
• Elliot Segal – Rockville, Maryland – host of radio show Elliot in the Morning.
• Valerie Tripp – Silver Spring, Maryland – author.
• Michael Wilbon – Bethesda, Maryland – columnist for the Washington Post, host of ESPN's Pardon the Interruption.
• David Willman – Bethesda, Maryland – recipient of the Pulitzer Prize.

Other

• Michael Bray – Bowie, Maryland – convicted terrorist and anti-abortion activist.
• Leo Felton – Silver Spring, Maryland – white supremacist.
• John Walker Lindh – Washington, D.C. – fought for the Taliban during the 2001 War in Afghanistan.
• Samuel Mudd – Waldorf, Maryland – doctor, implicated in aiding the Abraham Lincoln assassination by John Wilkes Booth.
• Lisa Nowak – Rockville, Maryland – astronaut and alleged attempted murderer.
• Lorenzo Odone – Fairfax, Virginia – adrenoleukodystrophy patient.
• Edmund Spangler – Waldorf, Maryland – conspirator in the Abraham Lincoln assassination.
• Robert Stethem – Waldorf, Maryland – United States Navy diver, killed during the hijacking of TWA Flight 847.

See also

• List of Presidents of the United States

References