List of people from Bakersfield, California

Law and politics

General Edward Fitzgerald Beale — Superintendent of Indian Affairs for California and Nevada (1850s), Surveyor General of California and Nevada (1860s) U.S. Ambassador to Austria-Hungary (1870s), founder of Tejon Ranch

Harvey Hall — past Mayor of Bakersfield (2001-2016)

Kevin McCarthy (California politician) — California Congressman, House Majority Leader

Ken Mettler - past president (2008-2010) of the California Republican Assembly

Joe Shell — intraparty rival of Richard M. Nixon in the 1962 Republican gubernatorial primary; husband of Mary K. Shell

Mary K. Shell — first woman mayor of Bakersfield, 1981–1985, member of the Kern County Board of Supervisors (1985–1997), Republican activist

Earl Warren — Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court, former governor of California

Walter W. Stiern — California Democratic State Senator

Science and medicine

Hans Einstein — world's foremost authority on Valley Fever

Carver Mead — pioneer in the field of VLSI design, inventor of the concept of neuromorphic computing

Arts and entertainment

Adema — rock band (Tim Fluckey, Dave DeRoo, Kris Kohls, Mark Chavez, Mike Ransom)

Ana Lily Amirpour — filmmaker, director, writer

Noah Beery — actor

Robert Beltran — actor

David Benoit — jazz pianist

Justin Berry — public speaker and former teenage webcam pornographer

Frank Bidart — poet

Big Poppa E

Burning Image — deathrock band (Moe Adame, Tony Bonanno, Paul Burch, Anthony Leyva)

Black Diamond — session musicians, cover band, funk musicians, dub musicians, hip hop musicians, soul music, Jazz music

James Chapman — novelist and publisher

Greg Colson — artist

Brandon Cruz — punk musician and former child actor

The Def Dames — female rap duo, hip hop musicians

DJ Flash - DJ and record producer

Ric Drasin — actor, author, designer of Gold's Gym and World Gym logos, retired professional wrestler

Kelli Garner — actress

Frank Gifford - college and professional football player, television sportscaster

Justin Gordon — actor, producer, artist

Merle Haggard — singer, Country Music Hall of Fame inductee

Gerald Haslam — author

Fay Helm — actress

Brian Hooks — actor, Soul Plane, Three Strike

Nathan Jung — actor, martial artist, stunt coordinator

Davey Faragher — Bass, Backing Vocals for Elvis Costello and the Imposters

Korn — Grammy Award-winning metal band (Jonathan Davis, Reginald "Fieldy" Arvizu, James "Munky" Shaffer, David Silveria, Brian "Head" Welch)

Dalene Kurtis — model, former Playboy Playmate of the Year

Joanne Linville - actress

Michael Lockwood — guitarist and music producer

Kareem Lopez — musician

Guy Madison — actor

Roger Mathey — theatrical director, actor, playwright, producer

Derek Mears — actor and stuntman

Mary Osborne — jazz guitarist

Buck Owens — singer, musician Country Music Hall of Fame inductee

Gregory Porter — singer

Prussian Blue — White Nationalist duo; lived in Bakersfield

RIOT! — rock band

Lawrence Tibbett — baritone of the New York Metropolitan Opera

Basketball

Nikki Blue — New York Liberty guard (WNBA)

Fred Boyd — NBA player

Chris Childs — NBA guard

J. R. Sakuragi (formerly J.R. Henderson) — player for Memphis Grizzlies

Lonnie Shelton — Seattle SuperSonics all-star

Robert Swift — Tokyo Apache (Japan) center

Tyrone Wallace — Utah Jazz guard

Football

Mike Ariey — former offensive tackle for Green Bay Packers

Jon Baker — NFL and CFL player

Theo Bell — former wide receiver for Pittsburgh Steelers, earned Super Bowl rings in 1979 and 1980

Jeff Buckey — former starting offensive lineman for Miami Dolphins

Vern Burke — former tight end for San Francisco 49ers, New Orleans Saints, and Atlanta Falcons

David Carr — quarterback, first overall selection in 2002 NFL Draft (Houston Texans), won Super Bowl with New York Giants

Derek Carr — quarterback for Oakland Raiders and former Mountain West Conference Player of the Year for Fresno State University

Frank Gifford — Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee, broadcaster

Cory Hall — former Cincinnati Bengals, Atlanta Falcons, and Washington Redskins safety

A.J. Jefferson — free safety for Arizona Cardinals

Cody Kessler — quarterback for Cleveland Browns, former quarterback for USC Trojans

Rodney Leisle — defensive tackle for New Orleans Saints, member of 2009 Super Bowl winning team

Bob McCaffrey — center for USC, drafted by Green Bay Packers in 1975

Brent McClanahan — former Minnesota Vikings running back

Ray Mansfield — center who played 14 seasons for Pittsburgh Steelers in 1960s and 1970s

Brock Marion — former Dallas Cowboys Super Bowl champion and Pro Bowl player

Jerry Marion — former wide receiver drafted by Pittsburgh Steelers, father of Brock Marion

Ryan Mathews — Philadelphia Eagles running back and former Fresno State University All-American

Aaron Merz — former offensive lineman for University of California and Buffalo Bills

Stephen Neal — New England Patriots lineman and Super Bowl champion player, former NCAA wrestling champion, world gold medalist, and U.S. Olympic wrestler

Mark Nichols — wide receiver for Detroit Lions in 1981

Jared Norris — NFL player

Larry Parker — former receiver for USC Trojans and Kansas City Chiefs

Joey Porter — All-Pro and Pro Bowl outside linebacker, member of Pittsburgh Steelers Super Bowl champion team in 2006

Rocky Rasley — guard drafted by Detroit Lions in 1969

Randy Rich — defensive back for Detroit Lions, Denver Broncos, and Cleveland Browns

Greg Robinson — defensive coordinator for Denver Broncos, University of Michigan

Ken Ruettgers — former offensive tackle for Green Bay Packers

Rashaan Shehee — former running back for Kansas City Chiefs

L.J. Shelton — former NFL offensive tackle for Arizona Cardinals

Jeff Siemon — Minnesota Vikings Pro Bowl linebacker (1972–1983), inducted to College Football Hall of Fame in 2006

Kevin Smith — former tight end for UCLA, Oakland Raiders, and Green Bay Packers

Jeremy Staat — former Pittsburgh Steelers defensive lineman, United States Marine

Jason Stewart — defensive tackle, played for Indianapolis Colts in 1994

Michael Stewart — former safety for Miami Dolphins

John Tarver — running back for New England Patriots in 1970s

Leonard Williams - defensive lineman for USC

Dick Witcher — former San Francisco 49ers wide receiver

Louis Wright — former All-Pro defensive back for Denver Broncos, member of 1970s NFL all-decade team

Rodney Wright — former Fresno State and Buffalo Bills wide receiver

Motorsports

Kevin Harvick — NASCAR driver, 2007 Daytona 500 winner and 2014 Sprint Cup Series champion

Casey Mears — NASCAR driver

Rick Mears — 4-time Indianapolis 500 winner

Roger Mears — Baja 1000 winner

Ryan Reed — NASCAR driver

Bruce Sarver — NHRA champion

Ryan Reed NASCAR driver

Boxing

Ruben Castillo — WBO and NABO lightweight champion, WBC featherweight and super featherweight contender

Michael Dallas, Jr. — Golden Gloves silver medalist, light welterweight contender

Jack Johnson — first African-American heavyweight champion, member of World Boxing Hall of Fame

Jerry Quarry — national Golden Gloves champion, heavyweight professional boxer, won 53 pro bouts, fought Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier

Mike Quarry — light-heavyweight professional boxer

Other sports

Keith Franke — professional wrestler

Jack LaLanne — fitness and nutrition expert, host of The Jack LaLanne Show, designed leg extension, Smith and pulley machines

Hank Pfister — professional tennis player

Dennis Ralston — professional tennis player

Jake Varner — wrestler, 2009 and 2010 NCAA champion, 2012 Olympic gold medalist

Gabe Woodward — swimmer, freestyle bronze medalist 2004 Olympics

Richard Blick. — swimmer, freestyle relay gold medalist 1960 Rome Olympics

Crime

Vincent Brothers — convicted murderer; shot and stabbed five members of his family to death

Rodolfo Cadena — Rudy "Cheyenne" Cadena, one of the founders of the Mexican Mafia, basis of character played by Edward James Olmos in the film American Me