37.7775° N, 122.4165° W

SAN FRANCISCO

Most Famous People Born in San Francisco, United States

Notable people
2,619
Peak decade
1960s
Median birth year
1943
Most distinctive
Baseball 6.1×

A city of restless reinventions. San Francisco's notables are heavily literary and athletic in the 19th century, then heavily technological and countercultural in the 20th — the same town gave the world Jack London and Steve Jobs, Ansel Adams and Bruce Lee, the Beats and the venture capitalists. The dataset doesn't show the tech industry as a category, but you can see its silhouette in the unusually high share of entrepreneurs, engineers, and screenwriters with day jobs in software.

Through the Decades

One face per decade — the most globally famous figure born in San Francisco during each.

Notable Births by Decade

Click a decade to filter the list below. Peak: 1960s with 295 notable births.

What San Francisco Is Known For

Click any row to filter the list of people below.

Actor is San Francisco's biggest profession — 15% of all notables (385).

San Francisco over-indexes on baseball6.1× the global rate.

San Francisco under-produces politician — only 0.4× the global rate.

  1. Actor385
  2. Baseball182
  3. Football144
  4. Politician136
  5. Film110
  6. Writer77
  7. Music74
  8. Singer74
  1. Baseball1826.1×
  2. Screenwriter433.8×
  3. Film1103.4×
  4. Actor3852.8×
  5. Photographer322.5×
  6. Basket732.2×
  7. Music742.0×
  8. Artist511.9×
  1. Politician1360.4×
  2. Football1440.5×

Profession Mix Over Time

Each band shows a profession family's share of San Francisco's notable births by decade. Hover the chart for the breakdown at any decade.

18001850190019502000
  • Sports
  • Film & TV
  • Music
  • Politics & Law
  • Writing
  • Art & Design
  • Other
All2,619
Sort By

2,619 notable people

0301 WRITER

John Antoine Nau

1860 - 1918

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0302 ACTOR

Alexis Ayala

Born 1965

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0303 MUSIC

Larry Grenadier

Born 1966

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0304 MUSIC

Paris (rapper)

Born 1967

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0305 BUSINESS

Craig Barrett (chief executive)

Born 1939

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0306 ACTOR

Will Ryan

Born 1939

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0307 INDUSTRIALIST

Stephen Mather

1867 - 1930

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0308 CARTOONIST

Raina Telgemeier

Born 1977

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0309 ARTIST

Burny Mattinson

Born 1935

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0310 FILM

Alexandra Pelosi

Born 1970

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0311 ACTOR

Joan Weldon

Born 1930

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0312 METEOROLOGIST

Jule Gregory Charney

1917 - 1981

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0313 FOOTBALL

Dan Fouts

Born 1951

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0314 SINGER

Cindy Herron

Born 1961

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0315 BASEBALL

Nyjer Morgan

Born 1980

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0316 PALAEONTOLOGIST

Dale Russell

1937 - 2019

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0317 WRESTLER

Rosey (wrestler)

1970 - 2017

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0318 SEIYŪ

Satoshi Hino

Born 1978

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0319 FOOTBALL

Mike Holmgren

Born 1948

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0320 ACTOR

Aya Cash

Born 1982

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0321 MUSIC

Barre Phillips

Born 1934

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0322 ACTOR

Paul Hartman

1904 - 1973

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0323 FILM

Miles Long

Born 1968

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0324 CINEMA

Roland Totheroh

1890 - 1967

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0325 POLITICIAN

Joseph Alioto

1916 - 1998

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0326 MONARCH

Hope Cooke

Born 1940

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0327 POLITICAL

Adam Kokesh

Born 1982

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0328 ACTOR

Crystal Allen

Born 1972

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0329 ACTOR

Ashlie Brillault

Born 1987

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0330 ACTOR

Lillian Lorraine

1892 - 1955

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0331 FILM

Kevin Rodney Sullivan

Born 1958

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0332 ACTOR

Aileen Pringle

1895 - 1989

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0333 MUSIC

Tommy Guerrero

Born 1966

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0334 NOVELIST

Gregg Hurwitz

Born 1973

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0335 PHYSICIAN

Albert Abrams

1863 - 1924

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0336 RAPPER

Andre Nickatina

Born 1970

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0337 BUSINESS

Marc Benioff

Born 1964

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0338 WRITER

Talus Taylor

1933 - 2015

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0339 CHOREOGRAPHER

Cheryl Burke

Born 1984

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0340 BASEBALL

Jonny Gomes

Born 1980

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0341 SINGER

Emily Jane White

Born 1982

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0342 FILM

Noël Burch

Born 1932

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0343 ARTIST

Melinda Gebbie

Born 1937

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0344 OFFICER

Millard Harmon

1888 - 1946

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0345 BASSIST

Ross Valory

Born 1949

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0346 BASEBALL

Jackie Jensen

1927 - 1982

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0347 FILM

George F. Marion

1860 - 1945

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0348 SPORT

Vicki Draves

1924 - 2010

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0349 CHEMIST

Denham Harman

1916 - 2014

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0350 OFFICER

Daniel J. Callaghan

1890 - 1942

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0351 BASEBALL

Harry Heilmann

1894 - 1951

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0352 PAINTER

Joan Brown

1938 - 1990

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0353 ACTOR

Bill Goodwin

1910 - 1958

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0354 COACH

Timothy Gallwey

Born 1938

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0355 MUSIC

Michael Wilton

Born 1962

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0356 PAINTER

Betty Edwards

Born 1926

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0357 PSYCHOLOGIST

Christina Maslach

Born 1946

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0358 ACTOR

Harry Bernard

1878 - 1940

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0359 SCREENWRITER

Alex Tse

Born 1976

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0360 PHYSICIST

Frank Elmore Ross

1874 - 1960

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0361 ACTOR

Erinn Hayes

Born 1976

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0362 IMMUNOLOGIST

George Nuttall

1862 - 1937

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0363 CINEMA

James Laxton

-

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0364 WRITER

Irene Mecchi

Born 1949

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0365 ACTOR

Vicki Richter

Born 1977

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0366 ANTHROPOLOGIST

Zelia Nuttall

1857 - 1933

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0367 SINGER

Juliet Simms

Born 1986

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0368 WRITER

Zeena Schreck

Born 1963

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0369 ACTOR

Wini Shaw

1907 - 1982

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0370 ACTOR

Ali Wong

Born 1982

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0371 JOURNALIST

Kimberly Guilfoyle

Born 1969

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0372 RABBI

Judah Leon Magnes

1877 - 1948

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0373 ACTOR

Louise Lorraine

1901 - 1981

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0374 PHYSICIAN

Augusta Déjerine-Klumpke

1859 - 1927

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0375 BASKET

Hank Luisetti

1916 - 2002

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0376 FENCER

Alexander Massialas

Born 1994

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0377 FILM

Jonathan Morgan (director)

Born 1966

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0378 FILM

Clarence G. Badger

1880 - 1964

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0379 SINGER

Paul Baloff

1960 - 2002

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0380 BASEBALL

Lefty O'Doul

1897 - 1969

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0381 FILM

Murdock MacQuarrie

1878 - 1942

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0382 BOXER

Mia St. John

Born 1967

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0383 SWIMMER

Ann Curtis

1926 - 2012

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0384 ACTOR

Allen Holubar

1888 - 1923

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0385 MUSIC

Jay Lane

Born 1964

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0386 SINGER

Benay Venuta

1911 - 1995

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0387 ACTOR

Matthew Moy

Born 1984

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0388 FOOTBALL

John Brodie

Born 1935

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0389 ACTOR

Seth Gamble

Born 1988

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0390 RIDER

Jeremy McGrath

Born 1971

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0391 WRITER

Laurence Yep

Born 1948

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0392 FILM

Doug Aarniokoski

Born 1965

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0393 SCREENWRITER

Julie Caitlin Brown

Born 1961

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0394 SINGER

Jay Gordon

Born 1967

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0395 NOVELIST

Vendela Vida

Born 1971

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0396 ENTREPRENEUR

John Wood (activist)

Born 1964

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0397 ACTOR

Holbrook Blinn

1872 - 1928

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0398 PLAYER

Joe Hunt

1919 - 1945

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0399 SCREENWRITER

Martin Flavin

1883 - 1967

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0400 JOURNALIST

Lewis H. Lapham

Born 1935

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0401 ECONOMIST

Orley Ashenfelter

Born 1942

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0402 FILM

Alfred Santell

1895 - 1981

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0403 PSYCHOLOGIST

Linda Gottfredson

Born 1947

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0404 FILM

Richard Sakai

Born 1954

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0405 PIANIST

Yaltah Menuhin

1921 - 2001

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0406 MATHEMATICIAN

Victor Klee

1925 - 2007

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0407 SCREENWRITER

Peter Barsocchini

Born 1952

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0408 FILM

Hoyt Yeatman

Born 1955

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0409 SINGER

Jocelyn Enriquez

Born 1974

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0410 PERCUSSIONIST

Michael Carabello

Born 1947

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0411 BASKET

Brandon Armstrong

Born 1980

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0412 DRUMMER

Denny Carmassi

Born 1947

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0413 CINEMA

Lionel Lindon

1905 - 1971

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0414 FILM

Harry L. Fraser

1889 - 1974

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0415 ACTOR

Sophie Oda

Born 1991

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0416 HISTORIAN

Kevin Starr

1940 - 2017

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0417 ACTOR

Taran Noah Smith

Born 1984

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0418 ACTOR

Pat Welsh (actress)

1915 - 1995

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0419 ASTRONOMER

Dorothea Klumpke

1861 - 1942

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0420 ACTOR

Robert Lees

1912 - 2004

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0421 ACTOR

Elizabeth Ho

Born 1983

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0422 BOXER

Abe Attell

1884 - 1970

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0423 BASKET

Scooter Barry

Born 1966

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0424 POLITICIAN

George Pardee

1857 - 1941

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0425 ACTOR

Lewis Martin (actor)

1895 - 1974

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0426 PHOTOGRAPHER

Francis Bruguière

1879 - 1945

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0427 ACTOR

John Eldredge (actor)

1904 - 1961

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0428 ACTOR

China Kantner

Born 1971

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0429 LIEUTENANT

Thomas Selfridge

1882 - 1908

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0430 SINGER

Kevin Cheng

Born 1969

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0431 DISCUS THROWER

John Powell (athlete)

Born 1947

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0432 SPRINT

Thomas Curtis

1873 - 1944

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0433 ANTHROPOLOGIST

Joseph Tainter

Born 1949

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0434 THEATRE

William A. Brady

1863 - 1950

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0435 FILM

Frank Hall Crane

1873 - 1948

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0436 ENGINEER

Dorian Shainin

1914 - 2000

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0437 MUSIC

Bill Perkins (saxophonist)

1924 - 2003

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0438 GYMNAST

Tracee Talavera

Born 1966

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0439 ACTOR

Guy Wilson (actor)

Born 1985

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0440 BASKET

Bob Feerick

1920 - 1976

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0441 COMPOSER

Sonia Wieder-Atherton

Born 1961

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0442 COMPUTER SCIENTIST

Dan Kaminsky

-

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0443 WRITER

James Harden-Hickey

1854 - 1898

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0444 LAWYER

John Henry Wigmore

1863 - 1943

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0445 ACTOR

Winifred Westover

1899 - 1978

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0446 MATHEMATICIAN

Steven G. Krantz

Born 1951

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0447 SCREENWRITER

Barry O'Brien

Born 1959

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0448 ACTOR

Ron Hayes

1929 - 2004

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0449 FOOTBALL

T. J. Ward

Born 1986

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0450 PAINTER

Robert Bechtle

1932 - 2020

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0451 FIDDLER

Darol Anger

Born 1953

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0452 BUSINESS

Paul Otellini

1950 - 2017

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0453 DRUMMER

Dave Raun

Born 1970

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0454 ACTOR

Mark Wood (actor)

Born 1968

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0455 ACTOR

Lucy Saroyan

1946 - 2003

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0456 EPISODE

Cliff Bole

1937 - 2014

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0457 BASKET

Brandon Ashley

Born 1994

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0458 ENGINEER

Ted Dabney

1937 - 2018

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0459 SWIMMER

Chris von Saltza

Born 1944

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0460 ACTOR

Gary Grimes

Born 1955

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0461 ACTOR

Willard Louis

1882 - 1926

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0462 MUSIC

Monte Cazazza

-

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0463 LAWYER

Brooksley Born

Born 1940

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0464 ACTOR

Helen Ware

1877 - 1939

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0465 SCULPTOR

Robert Ingersoll Aitken

1878 - 1949

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0466 COMPUTER SCIENTIST

David Fox (game designer)

Born 1950

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0467 ACTOR

Kurt Yaeger

Born 1977

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0468 BANDLEADER

Don Friedman

1935 - 2016

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0469 HISTORIAN

James J. Sheehan

Born 1937

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0470 ACTOR

Dylan Ryan

Born 1986

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0471 ACTOR

Eddie Firestone

1920 - 2007

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0472 ACTOR

Charlotte Burton

1881 - 1942

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0473 PSYCHOLOGIST

Kenneth Ring

Born 1936

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0474 ACTOR

Ricky Paull Goldin

Born 1965

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0475 BASKET

Keith Erickson

Born 1944

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0476 SKIER

Jimmie Heuga

1943 - 2010

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0477 COMPOSER

Kate Wolf

1942 - 1986

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0478 FLIGHT ATTENDANT

Betty Ong

1956 - 2001

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0479 BASKET

Jim Loscutoff

1930 - 2015

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0480 SOCIALITE

Nan Kempner

1930 - 2005

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0481 FILM

Donna Deitch

Born 1945

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0482 POLITICIAN

José Sarria

1923 - 2013

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0483 ACTOR

Linda Wong (pornographic actress)

1951 - 1987

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0484 ACTOR

Al Madrigal

Born 1971

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0485 AUTHOR

Tama Janowitz

Born 1957

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0486 ACTOR

Roy D'Arcy

1894 - 1969

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0487 ACTOR

Hannah Hodson

Born 1991

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0488 COMPOSER

Jared Emerson-Johnson

Born 1981

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0489 ARTIST

Larry Van Kriedt

Born 1954

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0490 ACTOR

Joseph Whipp

Born 1941

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0491 COMPOSER

Sam Spence

1927 - 2016

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0492 BASEBALL

Willie McGee

Born 1958

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0493 BASEBALL

Dan Serafini

Born 1974

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0494 BIOLOGIST

Joseph S. Nelson

1937 - 2011

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0495 PRESENTER

Michele Merkin

Born 1975

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0496 FILM

Philip Haas

Born 1954

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0497 HISTORIAN

James S. Ackerman

1919 - 2016

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0498 MUSIC

Linda Tillery

Born 1948

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0499 MILITAR

Robert T. Frederick

1907 - 1970

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0500 ACTOR

Alaura Eden

Born 1977

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0501 ACTOR

Daisy Ducati

Born 1989

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0502 MUSIC

Michael Formanek

Born 1958

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0503 ARCHITECT

Kate Sessions

1857 - 1940

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0504 PIANIST

Darius Brubeck

Born 1947

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0505 ACTOR

Dane Cross

Born 1983

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0506 BASEBALL

Frankie Crosetti

1910 - 2002

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0507 SWIMMER

Ben Wildman-Tobriner

Born 1984

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0508 DRAUGHTSWOMAN

Jason Thompson (writer)

Born 1974

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0509 POET

Lyn Hejinian

Born 1941

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0510 INVENTOR

Charles Ginsburg

1920 - 1992

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0511 FILM

Shiloh Strong

Born 1978

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0512 BASEBALL

Marcus Semien

Born 1990

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0513 SOCIALITE

Abigail Folger

1943 - 1969

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0514 WRITER

Joseph Staten

Born 1972

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0515 ACTOR

Christian Hoff

Born 1968

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0516 ANIMATOR

Andrew R. Jones

Born 1972

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0517 BOXER

Joe Choynski

1868 - 1943

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0518 ACTOR

Charles Cooper (actor)

1926 - 2013

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0519 ORNITHOLOGIST

Robert Ricklefs

Born 1943

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0520 SCENOGRAPHER

John DeCuir

1918 - 1991

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0521 NOVELIST

Stanton A. Coblentz

1896 - 1982

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0522 ECONOMIST

Rick Levin

Born 1947

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0523 WRITER

Kathryn Forbes

1908 - 1966

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0524 POLITICIAN

Richard Edmund Lyng

1918 - 2003

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0525 POET

Raymond Duncan

1874 - 1966

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0526 ACTOR

Aggie Herring

1876 - 1939

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0527 ACTOR

Estella Marie Thompson

Born 1969

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0528 ACTOR

Frank Hayes (actor)

1871 - 1923

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0529 SWIMMER

Rick DeMont

Born 1956

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0530 POLITICIAN

Stephen M. White

1853 - 1901

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0531 NOVELIST

MacKenzie Bezos

Born 1970

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0532 COMEDIAN

Arabella Weir

Born 1957

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0533 BANK

David David-Weill

1871 - 1952

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0534 OFFICER

Robert Alfred Theobald

1884 - 1957

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0535 POLITICIAN

David Miller (Canadian politician)

Born 1958

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0536 FILM

Scott Pembroke

1889 - 1951

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0537 CARTOONIST

Tad Dorgan

1877 - 1929

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0538 ACTOR

George Eldredge

1898 - 1977

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0539 FILM

Bruce Brown

1937 - 2017

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0540 ROWER

Alex Partridge

Born 1981

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0541 COMPOSER

Eddie Duran

1925 - 2019

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0542 FOOTBALL

Alexander Borromeo

Born 1983

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0543 ARTIST

Diana Thater

Born 1962

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0544 ACTOR

Jerry Tondo

Born 1950

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0545 ACTOR

Ernie Adams (actor)

1885 - 1947

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0546 MUSIC

Pat Thrall

Born 1953

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0547 ACTOR

Chester M. Franklin

1889 - 1954

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0548 FILM

Gary Lucchesi

Born 1955

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0549 FILM

Fred Guiol

1898 - 1964

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0550 POLITICIAN

Robert Gordon Sproul

1891 - 1975

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0551 GRANDMASTER

Duncan Suttles

Born 1945

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0552 ANTHROPOLOGIST

Robert Boyd (anthropologist)

Born 1948

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0553 ACTOR

Eric Swiss

Born 1975

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0554 ACTOR

Erika Stucky

Born 1962

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0555 JUDGE

James E. Rogan

Born 1957

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0556 COMPUTER SCIENTIST

Christopher Soghoian

Born 1981

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0557 PIANIST

Jeremy Menuhin

Born 1951

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0558 ARCHITECT

Gyo Obata

Born 1923

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0559 BASEBALL

Gary Matthews Jr.

Born 1974

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0560 HISTORIAN

John L. Heilbron

Born 1934

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0561 PHOTOGRAPHER

David Levinthal

Born 1949

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0562 AUTHOR

Herman George Scheffauer

1878 - 1927

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0563 ACTOR

Sheila Bromley

1907 - 2003

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0564 ASTRONOMER

Lyman Page

Born 1957

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0565 PSYCHOLOGIST

Melissa Farley

Born 1942

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0566 HISTORIAN

David G. Dalin

Born 1949

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0567 BOXER

Fred Apostoli

1913 - 1973

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0568 MUSIC

Craig Fairbaugh

Born 1978

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0569 BASEBALL

Gil McDougald

1928 - 2010

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0570 NOVELIST

Peter B. Kyne

1880 - 1957

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0571 MUSIC

Greg Errico

Born 1948

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0572 ARTIST

Rhode Montijo

Born 1966

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0573 MUSIC

T-Bone (rapper)

Born 1973

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0574 ACTOR

Kam Tong

1906 - 1969

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0575 ACTOR

Peter Lind Hayes

1915 - 1998

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0576 DESIGNER

Derek Lam

Born 1966

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0577 PLAYWRIGHT

John Willard (playwright)

1885 - 1942

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0578 BUSINESS

Donald Fisher

1928 - 2009

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0579 ACTOR

Martin Luther McCoy

Born 1970

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0580 FOOTBALL

Bob St. Clair

1931 - 2015

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0581 MUSIC

Torry Castellano

Born 1979

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0582 ACTOR

Heinie Conklin

1886 - 1959

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0583 ACTOR

Frank McGlynn Sr.

1866 - 1951

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0584 BASEBALL

George Kelly (baseball)

1895 - 1984

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0585 SCREENWRITER

Greg Behrendt

Born 1963

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0586 GOLF

George Archer

1939 - 2005

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0587 WRESTLER

Jimmy Uso

Born 1985

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0588 POLITICIAN

Eugene Schmitz

1864 - 1928

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0589 MATHEMATICIAN

Donald Kingsbury

Born 1929

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0590 SCREENWRITER

Dick Clair

1931 - 1988

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0591 ACTOR

Eve Mayfair

Born 1980

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0592 ACTOR

Colin Woodell

Born 1991

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0593 COMPOSER

Frederick Jacobi

1891 - 1952

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0594 JOURNALIST

Alma Reed

1889 - 1966

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0595 SINGER

Steve Von Till

-

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0596 MUSIC

Barry Finnerty

Born 1951

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0597 CONVICT

Richard Allen Davis

Born 1954

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0598 SCREENWRITER

Josephine Lovett

1877 - 1958

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0599 PAINTER

Louise Cox (painter)

1865 - 1945

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0600 ATHLETIC

Kibwé Johnson

Born 1981

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