D
- John Francis Daley (born 1985), actor, Bones, The Geena Davis Show, Freaks and Geeks
- Richard J. Daley (1902–1976), Politician (Democrat), Member of the Illinois State Assembly, Chicago Mayor (1955–1976)
- Richard M. Daley (born 1942), Politician (Democrat), attorney, Illinois State Senator, Chicago mayor (1989–2011), son of Richard J. Daley
- Owen Daniels, tight end for the Houston Texans
- Randy Daniels, politician (Republican), Secretary of State of New York, Deputy Mayor of New York City, educator, journalist
- Erik Darnell (1982–), NASCAR driver for Roush Fenway Racing
- Lisa Darr, actress, Popular, Life As We Know It, Flesh 'n' Blood
- Clarence Darrow, attorney
- Kristin Dattilo, actress, The Chris Isaak Show, Hitz
- Andrew Davis, film director, The Fugitive
- Miles Davis, jazz musician, bandleader and composer
- Clinton Davisson, Nobel Prize-winning physicist who discovered electron diffraction
- John Deere, inventor and manufacturer, founder of Deere & Company
- Oscar Stanton De Priest (1871–1951), politician (Republican), U.S. Representative, civil rights advocate, first African American to be elected to Congress in the 20th century
- Bruce Dern, character actor
- John Dewey, philosopher
- Bo Diddley, rock and blues musician and composer
- David Diehl, offensive tackle for the New York Giants
- Ryan Diem, offensive tackle for the Indianapolis Colts
- Paul Dinello, actor, comedian, Strangers with Candy, Exit 57, The Colbert Report
- Everett Dirksen (1896–1969), politician (Republican), United States Senator, Senate Minority Leader
- Walt Disney, film director, producer and animator
- Conrad Dobler, retired NFL offensive lineman
- Dorothy L. Dodson, track and field athlete
- Professor Mike Donovan, middleweight boxer of the bare-knuckle era
- Stephen Douglas, politician (Democrat), Member of the US Senate and House of Representatives, author of the Kansas-Nebraska Act
- Susan Downey, film producer, Sherlock Holmes, Iron Man 2, Due Date
- Theodore Dreiser, author and social activist
- Paddy Driscoll, Hall of Fame quarterback and head coach for the Chicago Cardinals and Chicago Bears
- Dennis Dugan, director, actor, Big Daddy, I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry
- Michael Clarke Duncan, actor, The Green Mile, Kung Fu Panda, Armageddon, Planet of the Apes
- Nora Dunn, actress, comedienne, Saturday Night Live, Sisters, Bruce Almighty
- Finley Peter Dunne, author and journalist
- Chad Durbin, relief pitcher for the Cleveland Indians
- Dick Durbin, politician (Democrat), U.S. Senator, Majority Whip, U.S. Representative
- Jean Baptiste Point du Sable, settler, founder of Chicago
- Dick Van Dyke, actor, producer and writer
Read more about this topic: List Of People From Illinois