List of people from Maine

A

Angela Adams (born 1965), designer; born in North Haven, Maine

Paul André Albert (born 1926), scientist; born in Van Buren, Maine

Erin Andrews (born 1978), sportscaster, Dancing With the Stars contestant and co-host; born in Lewiston

Dorothy Appleby (1906–1990), film actress from the 1930s and 1940s; born in Portland

Katie Aselton (born 1978), actress, The League; born in Milbridge

B

Christopher Daniel Barnes (born 1972), actor, voice actor, The Little Mermaid film, Spider-Man television series; born in Portland

Leon Leonwood Bean (1872–1967), founder of L.L. Bean Inc., a large private retail company in Freeport

Corey Beaulieu (born 1983), musician, guitarist in Trivium; born in Brunswick

Anna Belknap (born 1974), actress, Lindsay Monroe on CSI: NY; born in Damariscotta

Joan Benoit (born 1957), first women's Olympic marathon champion; born in Cape Elizabeth

Jacques Berlinerblau (born 1966), religious scholar, Georgetown University professor; born in Portland

Carroll Thayer Berry (1886–1978), printmaker, woodcut engraver, painter and photographer; born in New Gloucester

Julie Berry (born 1980), television personality and producer; born in Lewiston

Nina Blackwood (born 1955), radio and television personality, actor, model; lives in Mid Coast region

Dennis Blair (born 1947), US Director of National Intelligence (2009–2010), retired four-star U.S. Navy admiral; born in Kittery

Cindy Blodgett (born 1975), basketball player and coach, born in Clinton

Tim Boetsch (born 1981), mixed martial artist; born in Lincolnville

Gordon Bok (born 1939), folk singer-songwriter; born in Camden

Contessa Brewer (born 1974), news anchor for MSNBC; born in Parsonsfield

Brett Brown, assistant coach for the San Antonio Spurs; raised and born in Rockland

Harry Brown (1917–1986), poet, novelist, screenwriter; born in Portland

Scott Brown (born 1959), U.S. Senator of Massachusetts (2010–12); born in Kittery

Brian Butterfield (born 1958), third-base coach for the Boston Red Sox; born in Bangor

C

John Cariani, actor, Law & Order; grew up in Presque Isle

Howie Carr, journalist, author, radio talk-show host; born in Portland

Bill Carrigan (1883–1969), catcher and manager for Boston Red Sox; born in Lewiston

Josh Casaubon (born 1978), actor, Hugh Hughes on One Life to Live; born in Brunswick

Joshua Chamberlain (1828–1914), Civil War Major General, Governor of Maine (1867–1871)

Conrad Chase (born 1965), actor, singer; born in Portland

Oren Burbank Cheney (1816–1903), student, teacher, principal Parsonsfield Seminary; Free Will Baptist clergyman; abolitionist; founding president of Bates College

Frank Churchill (1901–1942), Oscar-winning composer for many Disney animated films; born in Rumford

William Cohen (born 1940), U.S. Congressman (1973–1979), Senator (1979–1997), US Secretary of Defense (1997–2001); born in and Mayor (1971–1973) of Bangor

Samuel Colman (1832–1920), artist, writer, interior designer; born in Portland

Susan Collins (born 1952), U.S. Senator from Maine; born in Caribou

William Coperthwaite (1930–2013), educator and yurt advocate; born in Monticello

Ron Corning (born 1971), TV host at WFAA in Dallas, Texas; raised in Calais

Mike "Fluff" Cowan (born 1947), PGA Tour golf caddy; born in Winslow

Ricky Craven (born 1966), ESPN broadcaster, NASCAR driver; born in Newburgh

Laura Creavalle (born 1959), Guyanese-born Canadian/American professional bodybuilder; live in Old Orchard Beach

Ian Crocker (born 1982), three-time Olympic champion in swimming; born in Portland

Effie Crockett (1857–1940), actress, wrote and composed the lullaby, Rock-a-bye Baby; born in Rockland

John Crowley (born 1942), author of fantasy, science fiction and mainstream fiction; born in Presque Isle

Earl Cunningham (1893–1977), folk artist, born in Edgecomb

D

Sarah D'Alelio (born 1980), professional mixed martial artist; born in Belfast

Bette Davis (1908–1989), two-time Oscar-winning actress; born in Massachusetts and lived in Cape Elizabeth

Owen Davis (1874–1956), Pulitzer Prize-winning dramatist; born in Portland

Howie Day (born 1981), singer; born and raised in Brewer

William Deering (1826–1913), businessman and philanthropist, co-founder of International Harvester

Patrick Dempsey (born 1966), actor; born in Lewiston

Dorothea Dix (1802–1878), pioneering advocate for treatment and care of handicapped and mentally ill

Nelson Dingley Jr. (born 1832), Governor of Maine, US House of Representatives (Dingley Tariff), Editor of Lewiston Journal

Jeff Donnell (1921–1988), actress; born in Windham

Paul Douglas (1892–1976), economist and Illinois senator (1949–1967); partly raised in Onawa in Piscataquis County

E

Kevin Eastman (born 1962), comic book artist and writer; co-created Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles; born in Springvale

Stanley Boyd Eaton (born 1938), radiologist, one of the originators of the concept of Paleolithic nutrition; born in Old Town

Maxine Elliott (1868–1940), stage actress; born in Rockland

George Barrell Emerson (1797–1881), educator; born in Kennebunk

F

Myrna Fahey (1933–1973), actress, Father of the Bride; born in Carmel

Parker Fennelly (1891–1988), actor; born in Northeast Harbor

Greg Finley (born 1984), actor, The Secret Life of the American Teenager; born in Portland

Frank Fixaris (1934–2006), sportscaster; resident of Falmouth

Ryan Flaherty (born 1986), infielder for the Baltimore Orioles; born in Portland

James Flavin (1906–1976), film and television actor; born in Portland

Charles Flint (1850–1934), businessman, founder of Computing-Tabulating-Recording Company which later became IBM; born in Thomaston

Francis Ford (1881–1953), actor, writer, director, brother of John Ford; born in Portland

John Ford (1894–1973), film director, winner of six Oscars; born in Cape Elizabeth, Maine, raised on Munjoy Hill in Portland

Philip Ford (1900–1976), film director, nephew of John Ford; born in Portland

Melville Fuller (1833–1910), eighth Chief Justice of the United States (1888–1910); born in Augusta

Charlie Furbush (born 1986), starting pitcher for the Seattle Mariners; born in Portland, attended St. Joseph's College of Maine

G

Joey Gamache (born 1967), lightweight champion who boxed from 1992 to 2000; originally from Lewiston

Scott Garland (born 1973), WWE wrestler, ring name Scotty 2 Hotty

Gladys George (1904–1954), actress, The Maltese Falcon, The Best Years of Our Lives; born in Patten

Frank Bunker Gilbreth, Sr. (1868–1924), early advocate of scientific management and pioneer of motion study; born in Fairfield

Everett Glass (1891–1966), actor; born in Bangor

Charles Goddard (1879–1951), playwright and screenwriter for silent films; born in Portland

Gary Gordon (1960–1993), Master Sergeant in the U.S. Army who perished during Operation Gothic Serpent; born in Lincoln

Noah Gray-Cabey (born 1995), teen actor, My Wife and Kids, Heroes; raised in Newry

Patty Griffin (born 1964), Grammy award-winning singer-songwriter and musician; born in Old Town

H

Edwin Hall (1855–1938), physicist who discovered the "Hall effect"; born in Gorham

John H. Hall (1781–1841), inventor of the M1819 Hall breech-loading rifle and a mass production innovator; born in Portland

Hannibal Hamlin (1809–1891), 15th Vice President of the United States and U.S. Senator; born in Paris

Marsden Hartley (1877–1943), artist, poet; born in Lewiston

Juliana Hatfield (born 1967), guitarist and singer-songwriter; born in Wiscasset

Heather Hemmens (born 1988), actress, Hellcats; raised in Waldo

James Chico Hernandez (born 1954), Sambo martial artist; born in Chicago and lived in Washburn, Maine

Joe Hill (born 1971), horror novelist; born in Hermon

Patrick Aaron Hodgkins (born 1977), musician and bass guitarist for the alternative rock band As Fast As

Will Holt (born 1929), singer-songwriter, librettist and lyricist; born in Portland

Winslow Homer (1836–1910), 19th-century painter; lived in Prouts Neck, Maine

Richard Herrick, received first successful organ transplant from identical twin brother Ronald Herrick in 1954; born and lived in Maine

J

Dave Jackson (1902–1978), Allagash Wilderness Waterway guide

Sarah Orne Jewett (1849–1909), novelist and short story writer, lifelong resident of South Berwick

Jigger Johnson (1871-1935), a logger and American folk hero known for his numerous off-the-job exploits

K

Linda Kasabian (born 1949), member of Charles Manson's "family"; born in Biddeford

David E. Kelley (born 1956), Emmy-winning television producer and writer; born in Waterville

Anna Kendrick (born 1985), Oscar-nominated actress, Jessica Stanley in The Twilight Saga; born in Portland

Matthew Kenney (born 1964) Celebrity Chef, Author, Educator and Entrepreneur, Raised in Searsport and Graduated from University of Maine at Orono

Sumner Kimball (1834–1923), General Supt. of U.S. Life-Saving Service; born in Lebanon; raised in Sanford

Angus King (born 1944 in Virginia), Governor of Maine (1995–2003), US Senator from Maine (since 2013)

Owen King, author, raised in Bangor

Stephen King (born 1947), novelist whose books have sold more than 350 million copies, born in Portland; raised in Durham

Tabitha King (born 1949), novelist, born in Old Town

L

Linda Lavin (born 1937), actress, Alice, six-time Tony Award nominee; born and raised in Portland

Ralph W. 'Bud' Leavitt Jr. (1917–1994), Bangor sportswriter, outdoor columnist, television host

Paul LePage (born 1948), Governor of Maine, former mayor of Waterville; born in Lewiston

Tawny Little (born 1956), 1976 Miss America, television journalist; born in Portland

Elle Logan (born 1987), 2008 Olympic gold medalist in women's rowing; born in Portland

Alvin Orlando Lombard (1856–1937), inventor of continuous tracked vehicles, born in Springfield

James B. Longley (1924–1980), first Independent Governor of Maine, born in Bangor

Barry B. Longyear (born 1942), novelist, author of Enemy Mine, lives in New Sharon

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807–1882), poet, born and raised in Portland; attended Bowdoin College

Bob Ludwig (born 1945), audio mastering engineer, founder of Gateway Mastering and DVD in Portland

M

Marc Macaulay (born 1957), actor, Burn Notice; born in Millinocket

Bob Marley, stand-up comedian; from Portland; born in Bangor

Andrea Martin (born 1947), actress, comedian, voice actress, SCTV, My Big Fat Greek Wedding, Kim Possible, Earthworm Jim; born in Portland

H.S. Maxim (1840–1916), inventor of Maxim gun; born in Sangerville

Cynthia McFadden (born 1956), co-anchor of Nightline and Primetime; born in Lewiston

Christian McLaughlin (born 1967), TV writer, producer, novelist; born in Houlton

Vaughn Meader (1936–2004), comedian, impersonator, musician, film actor; born in Waterville

Edna St. Vincent Millay (1892–1950); poet, born in Rockland

George J. Mitchell (born 1933), U.S. Senate Majority Leader, significant player in peace process of Northern Ireland

Herb Mitchell (1937–2011), actor, director; born in Bar Harbor

Matthew Mulligan (born 1985), tight end for Buffalo Bills; born in Bangor and lived in Enfield

Edmund Muskie (1914–1996); politician, Governor of Maine, and Democratic Vice Presidential nominee (1968), U.S. Secretary of State (1980–1981), born in Rumford

David McCullough, author, historian, Pulitzer Prize winner

N

Judd Nelson (born 1959), actor, Breakfast Club, Suddenly Susan; born in Portland

Louise Nevelson (born 1899 in Perislav, Poltava Governorate, Russian Empire – died 1988 in New York City ), sculptor of found objects; came to Maine when she was five and lived in Rockland

Rachel Nichols (born 1980), actress, Alias, Star Trek, G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra; born and raised in Augusta

Stephanie Niznik (born 1967), actress, Everwood, Vanishing Son, Life Is Wild; born in Bangor

Edward Lawry Norton (1898–1983), Bell Labs engineer and scientist famous for developing the concept of the Norton equivalent circuit; born in Rockland

O

Harry Oakes, discovered second-largest gold mine in Canada; mysteriously murdered in the Bahamas, which became basis of several books and movies; born in Sangerville

Jeremiah O'Brien (1744–1818), naval officer of American Revolutionary War; born in Kittery

John O'Hurley (born 1954), actor, voice actor, TV personality; J. Peterman on Seinfeld; born in Kittery

P

Gilbert Patten (1866–1945), author of the Frank Merriwell novels; born in Corinna

Frannie Peabody (1903–2001), HIV/AIDS activist, helped establish The AIDS Project, and co-founded the Peabody House

Greenleaf Whittier Pickard (1877–1956), radio pioneer and 1926 IEEE Medal of Honor winner; born in Portland

John A. Poor (1808–1871), developer of the Portland gauge Maine railway system; born in Andover

Shirley Povich (1905–1998), sports columnist and reporter for The Washington Post; born in Bar Harbor

Zach Porter (born 1989), singer-songwriter for Allstar Weekend; born in Bath

R

Esther Ralston (1902–1994), silent film actress; born in Bar Harbor

Edwin Arlington Robinson (1869–1935), poet; born in Alna and raised in Gardiner

Nelson Rockefeller (1908–1979), businessman, philanthropist, public servant, Vice President of the United States (1974–1977) and Governor of New York (1959–1973); born in Bar Harbor

Charles Rocket (1949–2005), actor, Saturday Night Live, Tequila and Bonetti, Dumb and Dumber; born in Bangor

Lou Rogers (1879–1952), suffrage cartoonist, writer, and radio personality, born in Patten

Victoria Rowell (born 1959), actress, The Young and the Restless, Diagnosis: Murder, Dumb and Dumber; born and raised in Portland

Travis Roy (born 1975), former college ice hockey player; born in Augusta

Robert Rushworth (1924–1993), U.S. Air Force Major General and test pilot; born in Madison

S

Tim Sample (born 1951), humorist and author; born in Fort Fairfield and raised in Boothbay Harbor

Tony Shalhoub, actor, attended the University of Southern Maine in Portland

David Evans Shaw, pharmaceutical industry executive; married to actress Glenn Close; lives in Scarborough, Maine

Reta Shaw (1912–1982), actress, The Ghost & Mrs. Muir, Mary Poppins; born in South Paris

Arthur Shawcross (1945–2008), serial killer; born in Kittery

Timothy Simons (born 1978), actor, Veep; born in Readfield

Albion Woodbury Small (1854–1926), sociologist and founder of first university department of sociology in United States; born in Buckfield and raised in Bangor

Margaret Chase Smith (1949–1973), first woman to serve in both houses of U.S. Congress; first woman to have her name placed in nomination for the Presidency at a major political party's convention; born in Skowhegan, Maine

Samantha Smith (1972–1985), child peace activist, child actress; born in Houlton, Maine, later lived in Manchester, Maine

Olympia Snowe (born 1947), Congresswoman and U.S. Senator; born in Augusta and raised in Auburn

Brett Somers (1922–2007), actress; born in Canada and raised in Portland

Percy Spencer (1894–1970), inventor of the microwave oven; born in Howland

Spose (born 1985), rapper from Wells, Maine

Andrew St. John (born 1982), actor, General Hospital, Life Is Wild; born in Millinocket

Bob Stanley (born 1954), baseball player, pitched for Boston Red Sox in 1986 World Series

Cordelia Stanwood (1865-1968), teacher, ornithologist, and wildlife photographer.

C. A. Stephens (1844–1931), writer and gerontologist; born and died in Norway

C. J. Stevens (born 1927), author; born in Smithfield and has lived in Philips, Weld, and Temple

Noel Paul Stookey (born 1937); folk singer and songwriter; member of Peter Paul and Mary group; settled in Blue Hill

Tim Sylvia, mixed martial arts fighter, professional wrestler; born in Ellsworth

T

Phyllis Thaxter (1919–2012), actress, born in Portland

Brigadier Samuel Thompson (1734–1798), soldier of the American Revolutionary War; lived in Brunswick

Liv Tyler (born 1977), actress, daughter of Aerosmith singer Steven Tyler, grew up in Maine

V

Donald Valle (1908–1977), founder and owner of Valle's Steak House restaurant chain; born in Italy, moved to Portland in 1912

Richard Valle (1931–1995), son of Donald Valle and owner of eponymously named Valle's Steak House; born in Portland

Rudy Vallée (1901–1986), singer, actor, bandleader, and entertainer; born in Island Pond, Vermont lived in Westbrook, Maine

Todd Verow (born 1966), filmmaker, cinematographer, actor; born in Bangor

W

Sam Webb, chairman of Communist Party USA; born in Maine

Janwillem van de Wetering (1931–2008), Dutch-born, Maine-based novelist

Clarence White (1944–1973), bluegrass, country rock, and rock guitarist; born in Lewiston

E. B. White (1899–1985), essayist, author, humorist, poet; lived in Maine

Ellen G. White (1827–1915), author, co-founder of the Seventh-day Adventist Church; born in Gorham

Charles Whitman (1842–1910), zoologist, influential to the founding of classical ethology; born in Woodstock

JoAnn Willette (born 1963), actress, Just the Ten of Us; born in Lewiston

Dorothy Clarke Wilson (1904–2003), author, playwright; born in Gardiner

Andrew Wyeth (1917–2009), 20th-century painter; had a home in Cushing, Maine

Jamie Wyeth (born 1946), contemporary American painter; has lived in Maine since the mid 1960s

N. C. Wyeth (1882–1945), artist and illustrator; bought a home in Port Clyde, Maine, in the 1930s

Nick Wyman (born 1950), actor, Die Hard with a Vengeance; born in Portland