This is a listing of famous and notable people who were either born in, or have lived in, Oakland, California. [edit] Entertainment - Mahershalalhashbaz Ali – actor
- Eddie Anderson – actor
- Max Baer, Jr. – actor, film director
- Pamela Blake – actress
- True Boardman – silent film actor
- Connie Cezon – actress
- Buster Crabbe – actor
- T. D. Crittenden – silent film actor
- Robert Culp – actor
- Mark Curry – actor/comedian
- Walter DeLeon – screenwriter
- Rockmond Dunbar – actor, mixed-media artist
- Michael Earl – puppeteer who characterized Mr. Snuffleupagus on Sesame Street
- Clint Eastwood – actor, Academy Award-winning film producer and director
- Lyndsy Fonseca – actress
- Sumner Getchell – actor
- Michael A. Goorjian – actor and filmmaker
- R. Henry Grey – silent film actor
- Khamani Griffin – child actor
- Mark Hamill – actor
- Tom Hanks – Academy Award-winning actor, raised in Oakland
- Christian Hartsock – director, columnist
- Russell Hornsby – actor
- Susan Seaforth Hayes – actor
- Joseph Jackson – talent manager
- Joe Knowland, newspaper publisher, actor
- Ted Lange – actor
- Brandon Lee (son of Bruce Lee) – actor, born in Oakland
- Bruce Lee – actor, martial artist
- Nnegest Likké – film director
- Caryl Lincoln – actress
- Dakin Matthews – actor
- Russ Meyer – film director
- Jefferson Moffitt – screenwriter, film director
- Shemar Moore – actor, model
- Mitch Mullany – actor
- Laura Oakley – silent film actress
- Dorothy Revier – silent film actress, dancer
- Cherie Roberts – adult model, photographer
- Kellita Smith – actress and model
- George Stevens – Academy Award-winning film director
- Ethel Grey Terry – silent film actress
- Jo Van Fleet – actor
- Mills Watson – actor
- Will Wright – game designer credited with SimCity and The Sims
- Daniel Wu – actor
[edit] Artists and designers - Garry Knox Bennett – woodworker, metalworker, furniture maker, artist
- Henry Doane – landscape painter, commercial artist
- Walter J. Mathews – architect, designed the First Unitarian Church of Oakland
- Bernard Maybeck – architect
- Julia Morgan – architect, raised and buried in Oakland
- Willis O'Brien – animator
- Nathan Oliveira – painter, printmaker, sculptor, professor
- Lisa Quinn – artist, author, designer
- Galen Rowell – photographer
- Flo Oy Wong – installation artist
- Wendy Yoshimura – artist
[edit] Athletes - Jon Barry – basketball player, television sports analyst
- Charlie Beamon – baseball pitcher
- Charlie Beamon, Jr. – baseball first baseman and designated hitter
- Davone Bess – football player
- Will Blackwell – football player
- Marlin Briscoe – football player
- John Brodie – football player, sportscaster
- Don Budge – tennis player
- Glenn Burke – baseball player
- Antonio Davis – basketball player
- Steve DeBerg – football quarterback
- Dennis Eckersley – baseball player
- Manny Fernandez – football defensive lineman
- Greg Foster – basketball player, born and raised in Oakland
- Brad Gilbert, former tennis player and tennis coach
- Drew Gooden – basketball player
- Rickey Henderson – baseball player
- Steve Hosey – baseball player
- Al Hrabosky also known as the "Mad Hungarian" – baseball pitcher, color commentator
- Brian Johnson – baseball player
- Maurice Jones-Drew – football player
- Robert Jordan – football player
- Bobby Kemp – football safety
- Jason Kidd – basketball player, raised in Oakland
- Tony Lema – golfer
- Bill Lester – professional racer and former NASCAR driver
- Ernie Lombardi – baseball catcher and Hall of Famer
- Cookie Lavagetto – baseball third baseman, manager, coach
- Terrell Lowery – baseball player
- Lorenzo Lynch – retired football player
- Marshawn Lynch – football player
- Eddie McGah – baseball catcher, minority owner of the Oakland Raiders
- Demetrius "Hook" Mitchell – streetball player, convicted for armed robbery
- Joe Morgan – baseball player
- Kirk Morrison – football player
- Gary Payton – basketball player, born and raised in Oakland
- Gary Pettis – baseball center fielder and coach
- Paul Pierce – basketball player
- Vada Pinson – baseball center fielder and coach
- Jim Pollard - Basketball player
- Leon Powe – basketball player
- John Ralston – football linebacker and coach
- Isiah Rider – basketball player
- Chris Roberson – baseball player
- Frank Robinson – baseball player
- Jimmy Rollins – baseball player
- Bill Russell – basketball player
- Brian Shaw – basketball player
- Paul Silas basketball player
- Fred Silva – football official
- Dave Stewart – baseball player
- Jim Tobin – baseball pitcher
- Marviel Underwood – football player
- Langston Walker – football player
- Andre Ward – boxer
- George Wells – professional wrestler
- Bill Werle – left-handed baseball pitcher
- Archie Williams – runner
- Dontrelle Willis – baseball player
[edit] Leaders (activists and politicians) - Richard Aoki – activist
- William P. Baker – politician
- Sonny Barger – founder of the Hells Angels motorcycle club
- Jerry Brown – politician, former governor of California and mayor of Oakland
- Albert E. Carter – politician
- Frank Chu – eccentric street protester
- William Clark, Jr. – diplomat, ambassador
- Angela Davis – activist, former member of Black Panthers
- C. L. Dellums – organizer and leader of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters
- Ron Dellums – politician, former U.S. Congressman and Representative, mayor of Oakland
- Warren B. English – Confederate war veteran, politician, realtor
- Heather Fargo – politician, mayor of Sacramento, California
- Marcus Foster – educator, the first African-American Superintendent of the Oakland Unified School District
- Elihu Harris – politician, former mayor of Oakland
- Kamala Harris – politician, District Attorney for San Francisco
- Fred Korematsu – Japanese-American who fought forced internment, testing the law in Korematsu v. United States
- Joseph R. Knowland – former U.S. Representative and former owner of Oakland Tribune, cremated in Oakland
- Barbara Lee – U.S. Representative
- Charles Goodall Lee – dentist, civic leader, benefactor of the Chinese American Citizens Alliance
- Clara Elizabeth Chan Lee – activist, first Chinese-American woman voter in the US
- Edwin Meese III – former United States Attorney General
- Victor H. Metcalf – politician, attorney, banker
- Jessica Mitford – writer, activist, former Communist
- Paul Montauk – Communist politician and two-time candidate for Oakland mayor
- Nancy Nadel – member of the Oakland City Council
- Huey P. Newton – activist, co-founder of Black Panthers
- Pat Parker – black lesbian poet and activist
- Ed Rosenthal – horticulturist, publisher, activist for the legalization of marijuana
- John A. Russo – Oakland city attorney, former city councilman
- Bobby Seale – activist, co-founder of Black Panthers
- Robert Treuhaft – activist for labor and leftist causes, attorney, writer
- Lionel J. Wilson – politician, first African-American mayor of Oakland
- Mother Wright – anti-hunger activist
[edit] Military [edit] Musicians, composers and dancers - 3X Krazy – male rap group
- Billie Joe Armstrong – musician, lead vocalist for rock band Green Day
- Tim Armstrong – musician
- Gaylord Birch – musician
- Carla Bley – composer, musician
- Cold Blood – rock, soul, jazz band
- Mike Botts – studio musician, drummer for rock band Bread
- Chris Broderick – musician, lead guitarist for heavy metal band Megadeth
- Peter Buck – musician
- Emilio Castillo – musician, founding member of Tower of Power
- Mike Clark – musician
- Keyshia Cole – Grammy Award-nominated R&B singer-songwriter, record producer, born and raised in Oakland
- Del tha Funkee Homosapien – musician
- Digital Underground – rap group
- Rose Ann Dimalanta – musician
- Mike Dirnt – musician, bassist for rock band Green Day
- Mac Dre – rapper, born in Oakland, raised in Vallejo
- Isadora Duncan – dancer
- E-A-Ski – rapper, record producer
- En Vogue – Grammy Award-nominated female R&B singing group, originated from Oakland in 1990
- Pete Escovedo – musician, born in Oakland
- Sheila E. – musician, born in Oakland
- Robb Flynn – musician best known as lead guitarist and vocalist for Machine Head
- Michael Franti – musician
- Fred Frith – improvisational musician, guitarist, composer, professor of music
- Nils Frykdahl - musician, founding member of Sleepytime Gorilla Museum and Idiot Flesh
- David Garibaldi – musician, member of Tower of Power
- Mic Gillette – musician, founding member of Tower of Power
- Goapele – soul and R&B singer
- Larry Graham – musician
- Jeff Hanneman – guitarist for rock band Slayer
- MC Hammer – musician, born in Oakland
- Davey Havok – musician, lead singer for AFI
- Hieroglyphics – rap group, originated from Oakland
- Earl Hines – jazz pianist
- John Lee Hooker – musician
- Paul Jackson – musician
- Stephan Jenkins – musician in Third Eye Blind
- Henry Kaiser – musician, grandson of Henry J. Kaiser
- Keak da Sneak – musician
- Kid 606 – musician
- Sharon Knight – Celtic musician, founding member of Pagan rock band Pandemonaeon
- Stephen "Doc" Kupka – musician, founding member of Tower of Power
- Pep Love – rapper
- The Lovemakers – pop band
- The Luniz – rap duo
- Michael Manring – bassist, born in D.C, lives in Oakland
- Tony Martin – singer, actor
- Dave Meniketti – rock musician; born and raised in Oakland; lead singer/lead guitarist for Y&T
- Seagram Miller – rapper
- Mistah F.A.B. – rapper
- David Murray – musician
- Andy Narell – musician, lived in Oakland in the 1960s
- Holly Near – singer, teacher, activist
- Numskull – rapper
- Ray Obiedo – musician
- Marty Paich – pianist, composer, arranger, producer, director, conductor
- Harry Partch – composer
- Phesto – rapper, producer
- Matt Pike – guitarist of Sleep and High on Fire
- The Pointer Sisters – Grammy Award-winning R&B singing group
- Pooh-Man – rapper
- Richie Rich – rapper
- Francis Rocco Prestia – musician
- Perri "Pebbles" Reid – singer-songwriter, manager of TLC
- Cynthia Robinson – musician
- Raphael Saadiq – musician
- Pharoah Sanders – musician
- Timothy B. Schmit – rock musician, bassist for the Eagles
- Sharon Shore – ballet dancer, model
- Dave Smallen – musician, lead vocalist of Street to Nowhere
- J Stalin – rapper
- Shakir Stewart – record producer, Senior Vice President of Island Def Jam Music Group
- Bill Summers – musician
- The Team – rap group
- Too Short – rapper, born in Los Angeles, lived in Oakland from 1980–1994
- Tony! Toni! Toné! – male R&B singing group
- Tupac Shakur – rapper, songwriter, poet, actor, activist, lived in Oakland from 1988-1991
- Freddie Stone – musician
- Rose Stone – musician
- R. Prophet – rapper, former member of Nappy Roots
- San Quinn – rapper, born in Oakland, raised in San Francisco
- Shock G – rapper
- Sly Stone – musician
- Souls of Mischief – rap group
- Calvin E. Simmons – symphony orchestra conductor, namesake of Calvin Simmons Theatre
- Bill Summers – musician
- Tower of Power – band; formed and based in Oakland
- Tre Cool – musician, drummer for rock band Green Day
- Weasel Walter – progressive rock and free jazz musician/composer
- Freddie Washington – musician
- Lenny Williams – musician, early member of Tower of Power
- Yukmouth – rapper
- Y&T – rock band; formed in Oakland 1974
[edit] Industrialists - Anthony Chabot – entrepreneur, father of hydraulic mining, namesake of Chabot Space & Science Center, Lake Chabot, and Chabot College, buried in Oakland
- Charles Crocker – railroad tycoon, buried in Oakland
- Debbi Fields – entrepreneur, founder of Mrs. Fields cookies
- Domingo Ghirardelli – founder of the Ghirardelli Chocolate Company based in San Francisco, buried in Oakland
- Ken Hofmann – former owner of the Oakland Athletics
- Henry J. Kaiser – entrepreneur, businessman, founder of Kaiser Permanente and Kaiser Family Foundation, buried in Oakland
- Francis Marion Smith also known as "Borax" Smith – miner, business magnate
[edit] Physicians [edit] Religious leaders [edit] Scientists and inventors [edit] Writers and poets - Daniel Alarcon – writer, currently resides in Oakland
- Catherine Asaro – writer
- Chauncey Bailey – journalist assassinated by an agent of Your Black Muslim Bakery
- Delilah L. Beasley – first African-American columnist to be published in a major newspaper
- Anthony Boucher – writer
- Jon Carroll – columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle
- Frank Chin – writer
- Daniel Clowes – comic book writer, Academy Award-nominated screenwriter, currently resides in Oakland
- Robert Duncan – poet
- Maxine Hong Kingston – writer, currently resides in Oakland
- Sidney Howard – Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright, Academy Award-winning screenwriter
- Jack London – writer, raised in Oakland, namesake of Jack London Square
- Rod McKuen – poet, composer, singer
- Joaquin Miller – poet, lived in Oakland from 1886-1913
- Stephen Morse – poet, publisher
- Jess Mowry – writer
- Frank Norris – author, buried in Oakland
- Suzetta Perkins – author
- Ishmael Reed – writer, currently resides in Oakland
- Jason Shiga – author, cartoonist, puzzle designer
- Jan Steckel – poet, writer, bisexual activist
- Alex Steffen – writer, born in Oakland
- Gertrude Stein – writer
- Amy Tan – writer, born in Oakland
- Li Keng Wong – writer
- Nellie Wong – poet and activist, born in Oakland
- Shawn Wong – writer, English professor
- William Wong – writer, columnist, born in Oakland
- Helen Zia – writer, journalist, and activist, currently resides in Oakland
[edit] Criminals [edit] See also |
