Source: Singer Kenny Rogers waves at the audience as he come to the stage at the Redneck Country Club Friday, Aug. 11, 2017, in Stafford. Rogers plans to give his last concert in October in Nashville, which made his Friday show his final performance in his hometown of Houston. (Yi-Chin Lee/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images)
Houston has a rich history of celebrities that’ve come out of H-Town, sure to stack up against any other city’s list of “hometown heroes.” From entertainers, to actors, singers, musicians and beyond – Houston has them all.
While you won’t find any sports stars on this list (as that can be a list in itself), here are 25 celebrities born in Houston, some of which may surprise you:
1. Wes Anderson
Born: May 1, 1969
Occupation: Film Director
Known for: Bottle Rocket (1996), Rushmore (1998), Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009), The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014), Asteroid City (2023)
Known for: Johnny Bravo (Johnny Bravo, 1997-2004), Dexter’s Dad (Dexter’s Laboratory, 1996-1998, 2001-2003), Big Billy (The Powerpuff Girls, 1998-2005), Petrie (The Land Before Time, 1994-2008), Kowalski (Penguins of Madagascar, 2008-2015)
3. Melissa Benoist
Born: Oct. 4, 1988
Occupation: Actress and Singer
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Known for: Marley Rose (Glee, 2012-2014), Supergirl (Supergirl, 2015-2021), Katherine Russell (Patriots Day, 2016), Rachel Koresh (Waco, 2018), Teela (Masters of the Universe: Revolution, 2024)
Known for: Rory Gilmore (Gilmore Girls, 2000-2007, 2016), Lena Kaligaris (The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, 2005, 2008), Ryden Malby (Post Grad, 2009), Molly Branford (Remember Sunday, 2013), Emily Malek (The Handmaid’s Tale, 2017-2021),
5. Lois Chiles
Born: April 15, 1978
Occupation: Actress and Model
Known for: Jordan Baker (The Great Gatsby, 1974), Linnet Ridgeway (Death on the Nile, 1978), Dr. Holly Goodhead (Moonraker, 1979), Holly Harwood (Dallas, 1982-1983), Annie Lansing (Creepshow 2, 1987)
6. Brett Cullen
Born: Aug. 26, 1956
Occupation: Actor
Known for: Dan Fixx (Falcon Crest (1986-1988), Sam Cain (The Young Riders, 1989-1990), Gov. Ray Sullivan (The West Wing, 2005-2006), Goodwin Stanhope (Lost, 2005-2008), Bill Sharman (Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty, 2022-2023)
7. Hilary Duff
Born: Sept. 28, 1987
Occupation: Actress, Singer, Author and Bussinesswoman
Known for: Lizzie McGuire (Lizzie McGuire, 2001-2004), Kelly Collins (Cadet Kelly, 2002), Lorraine Baker (Cheaper by the Dozen, 2003, 2005), Kelsey Peters (Younger, 2015-2021), Sophie Tomkins (How I Met Your Father, 2022-2023)
8. Shannon Elizabeth
Born: Sept. 7, 1973
Occupation: Actress and Poker Player
Known for: Nadia (American Pie franchise, 1998-2012), Buffy Gilmore (Scary Movie, 2000), Justice (Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, 2001), Harriet (Love Actually, 2003), Justice Faulken (Jay and Silent Bob Reboot, 2019)
9. A.J. Foyt
Born: Jan. 16, 1935
Occupation: Indy Car, NASCAR and USAC race car driver, A.J. Foyt Racing owner
Known for: First four-time winner of the Indianapolis 500, 159 career USAC wins, only driver to win 24 Hours of Daytona, 24 Hours of Le Mans, Daytona 500 and Indianapolis 500
10. Greg Germann
Born: Feb 26, 1958
Occupation: Actor
Known for: Petey (Clear and Present Danger, 1994) Eric “Rico” Morrow (Ned & Stacey, 1995-1997), Richard Fish (Ally McBeal, 1997-2002), Larry Dennit Jr. (Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, 2006), Tom Koracick (Grey’s Anatomy, 2017-2022, 2024)
11. Billy Gibbons
Born: Dec. 16, 1949
Occupation: Guitarist and Vocalist
Known for: The founder, lead guitarist and lead vocalist of ZZ Top (1969-Present)
12. Richard Linklater
Born: July 30, 1960
Occupation: Filmmaker
Known for: Slacker (1990), Dazed and Confused (1993), School of Rock (2003), Everybody Wants Some!! (2016), Blue Moon (2025)
13. Lyle Lovett
Born: Nov. 1, 1957
Occupation: Country Singer and Actor
Known for: Four Grammy awards, 14 studio albums and 25 singles
14. Machine Gun Kelly (MGK)
Born: April 22, 1990
Occupation: Rapper, Singer and Actor
Known for: Two AMA awards, two Billboard Music Awards and Six studio albums
15. Barbara Mandrell
Born: Dec. 25, 1948
Occupation: Country Singer and Actress
Known for: Six No. 1 singles on Billboard country charts, 25 singles and 39 awards for her music
16. Michael Nesmith
Born: Dec. 30, 1942
Died: Dec. 10, 2021
Occupation: Musician and Actor
Known for: A member of the Monkees, as well as starring on the band’s TV show
17. Annette O'Toole
Born: April 1, 1952
Occupation: Actress and Singer
Known for: Lana Lang (Superman III, 1983), Beverly Marsh (It [miniseries], 1990), Lisa Bridges (Nash Bridges, 1996-1998), Martha Kent (Smallville, 2001-2011), Hope McCrea (Virgin River, 2019-Present)
18. Jim Parsons
Born: March 24, 1973
Occupation: Actor and Producer
Known for: Sheldon Cooper (The Big Bang Theory, 2007-2019), Tommy Boatwright (The Normal Heart, 2011), Oh (Home, 2015), Henry Wilson (Hollywood, 2020), Michael Ausiello (Spoiler Alert, 2022)
19. DJ Premier
Born: March 21, 1966
Occupation: Record Producer and DJ
Known for: Former hip hop duos Gang Starr and PRhyme, and has produced several hip hop-rap records
20. Billy Preston
Born: Sept. 2, 1946
Died: June 6, 2006
Occupation: Keyboardist and Singer
Known for: Backing Little Richard, Sam Cooke, Ray Charles, the Everly Brothers, the Beatles and The Rolling Stones
21. Dennis Quaid
Born: April 9, 1954
Occupation: Actor
Known for: Detective Lieutenant Remy McSwain (The Big Easy, 1986), Jerry Lee Lewis (Great Balls of Fire!, 1989), Nick Parker (The Parent Trap, 1998), Jack Hall (The Day After Tomorrow, 2004), Ronald Reagan (Reagan, 2024)
22. Phylicia Rashad
Born: June 19, 1948
Occupation: Actress
Known for: Clair Huxtable (The Cosby Show, 1984-1992), Brenda Glover (Little Bill, 1999-2004), Lena Younger (A Raisin in the Sun, 2008),
23. Kenny Rogers
Born: Aug. 21, 1938
Died: March 20, 2020
Occupation: Singer and Actor
Known for: 37 studio albums, country music career, selling over 100 million records
24. Matt Stone
Born: May 26, 1971
Occupation: Actor, Animator, Producer and Musician
Known for: South Park (1997-Present), Bowling for Columbine (2002), Team America: World Police (2004), Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage (2010), The Book of Mormon (2011)
25. The Undertaker (Mark Calaway)
Born: March 24, 1965
Occupation: Wrestler
Known for: WWE Hall of Fame, one of the greatest professional wrestlers ever (1987-2020), 21 consecutive WrestleMania victories
