List of People From North Carolina - Lived or Studied in North Carolina, Born and Lived Elsewhere

Lived or Studied in North Carolina, Born and Lived Elsewhere

• Daniel Boone (1734–1820), explorer, lived in the Yadkin River valley of western North Carolina for many years Wilkesboro, North Carolina
• Sandra Bullock (born 1964), movie actress, attended East Carolina University (Greenville)
• Nick Cannon (born 1980), actor, comedian, TV personality, graduated from Quail Hollow Middle School in Charlotte
• Chris Canty (born 1982), defensive lineman for the New York Giants, graduated from Charlotte Latin School (Charlotte)
• Perry Como (1912–2001), popular crooner and host of "The Perry Como Show", part-time resident of the NC mountains (near Asheville)
• Dan Cortese, MTV host, graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill
• Joey Dorsey (born 1983), NBA basketball player for the Sacramento Kings and alumnus of Laurinburg Institute in Laurinburg
• Fred Durst (born 1970), frontman for the rock band Limp Bizkit grew up and graduated from High School in NC (Gastonia)
• Lawrence Ferlinghetti (born 1919), poet and owner-operator of the City Lights Bookstore famous for promoting the works of beatnik writers and poets, NC resident (Chapel Hill)
• Mark Freiburger (born 1983), filmmaker, grew up in Charlotte, graduating from Providence High School and the University of North Carolina School of the Arts
• Mia Hamm (born 1972), former soccer player for UNC-Chapel Hill, two-time Olympic gold medalist, twice named FIFA's World Player of the Year (Chapel Hill)
• Brendan Haywood (born 1979), center for the Dallas Mavericks (Greensboro)
• Jesse Jackson (born 1941), politician, preacher, civil rights activist, graduated from North Carolina A&T State University (Greensboro)
• Antawn Jamison (born 1976), power forward for the Cleveland Cavaliers, attended Quail Hollow Middle School and Providence High School (Charlotte)
• Marion Jones (born 1975), former basketball player for UNC-Chapel Hill and Olympic runner, winner of three gold medals at the 2000 Summer Olympics (Chapel Hill)
• David Lynch (born 1946), film director and artist best known for directing the film Blue Velvet and the television series Twin Peaks, spent part of his childhood in NC (Durham)
• Armistead Maupin (born 1944) is an American writer best known for his Tales of the City series of novels based in San Francisco.
• Khalid Sheikh Mohammed (born 1964 or 1965), terrorist known for masterminding the 9/11 attacks, attended Chowan College and obtained a degree from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University (Greensboro)
• Frankie Muniz (born 1985), actor best known as the star of the popular television series Malcolm in the Middle, spent his childhood in NC (Knightdale)
• Richard Nixon (1913–1994), 37th President of the United States, graduated from the Duke University School of Law in 1937 (Durham)
• Arnold Palmer (born 1929), professional golfer and four-time winner of The Masters Tournament, attended Wake Forest University (Winston-Salem)
• Mary-Louise Parker (born 1964), film and television actress, graduated from the North Carolina School of the Arts, star of the film Fried Green Tomatoes and the television series The West Wing and Weeds. Has won the Emmy, Tony, and Golden Globe awards (Winston-Salem)
• Missi Pyle (born 1972), film actress, graduated from the North Carolina School of the Arts, star of films such as Bringing Down the House, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Galaxy Quest (Winston-Salem)
• Philip Rivers (born 1981), star quarterback for North Carolina State University, set school records in passing yardage and touchdowns, currently the starting quarterback for the National Football League's San Diego Chargers team (Raleigh)
• Amy Sedaris (born 1961), actress and comedienne, spent her childhood in North Carolina, best known as the star of the television series Strangers with Candy (Raleigh)
• David Sedaris (born 1956), author and essayist (brother to Amy), spent his childhood in NC (Raleigh)
• Jada Pinkett Smith (born 1971), actress and singer, attended North Carolina School of the Arts, starred in the popular television series A Different World and in the movies The Nutty Professor and Matrix Reloaded and Matrix Revolutions (Winston-Salem)
• Lawrence Taylor (born 1959), former football player for the New York Giants and member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, All-America football player for UNC-Chapel Hill (Chapel Hill)
• Kristi Yamaguchi (born 1971), figure skater and member of the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame, NC resident (Raleigh)