Florida Famous People

Famous Americans: History and Biographies

Links to histories and biographies of the famous people of Florida. Many famous people of Florida have made significant contributions to the history of our nation and the state of Florida. These famous Americans, famous entertainers, famous players, famous scientist, famous singers, famous statesmen, famous women, heroes, great explorers, and others Florida famous Americans have all made Florida their home. This list includes Florida historical figures, celebrities and those individuals of Florida who have influenced the lives of others.

Famous People from Florida

• Wallace Amos (1936 - ) Founder of Famous Amos Chocolate Chip Cookie Corporation; born in Tallahassee.
• Fernando Bujones (1955 - ) Praised as one of the finest male ballet dancers of the 20th century; born in Miami.
• Steve "Lefty" Carlton (1944 - ) Baseball player, born in Miami.
• Jacqueline Cochran (1910 - 1980) Pilot who organized women pilots during World War II; born in Pensacola.
• Gloria Estefan (born September 1, 1957) Gloria Maria Milagrosa Fajardo García , known professionally as Gloria Estefan , is a Cuban-born American singer, songwriter, actress, and entrepreneur. The Fajardo family fled to Miami, Florida as a result of the Cuban Revolution and settled down there. She is in the top 100 best selling music artists with an estimated 100 million records sold worldwide, 31.5 million of those in the United States alone. She has won seven Grammy Awards and is the most successful crossover performer in Latin music to date.Estefan was born Gloria María Milagrosa Fajardo on September 1, 1957 in Havana, Cuba, to José and Gloria Fajardo. Her maternal grandfather, Leonardo García, immigrated to Cuba from Pola de Siero, Asturias, Spain, where he married Gloria's maternal grandmother, originally from Logroño, Spain. Prior to the Cuban Revolution, her father was a Cuban soldier and a bodyguard to Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista.
• Zora Neale Hurston Although author Zora Neale Hurston was actually born in Alabama, she considered Florida her home. She attended Howard University and had her first manuscript published there. Later, she moved to New York and became part of the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s along with other African American writers like Langston Hughes. Her most powerful work is usually considered to be "Their Eyes are Watching God."
• Harry T. Moore (1905 - 1951) 1930-40's Civil Rights worker; born in Houston.
• Jim Morrison (1943-1971) Famous rock singer and leader of The Doors; born in Melbourne.
• Osceola (1804 - January 30, 1838), born as Billy Powell, became an influential leader of the Seminole in Florida. Of mixed parentage, Creek, Scots-Irish, and English, he was raised as a Creek by his mother, as the tribe had a matrilineal kinship system. They migrated to Florida when he was a child, with other Red Stick refugees, after their defeat in 1814 in the Creek Wars
• Sidney Poitier (1927 - ) First African-American actor to win an Oscar, which he won for the movie "Lilies of the Fields;" Born in Miami.
• A. Philip Randolph (1889 - 1979) Labor leader; born in Crescent City.
• Janet Reno (1938 - ) Born in Miami, Janet Reno is the first woman to hold the office of Attorney General of the United States, having been nominated to the position by President Bill Clinton. Prior to holding that position, she served as State Attorney for Florida. She may be best remembered for her involvement in two highly controversial events: the return of young Elian Gonzalez to his family in Cuba, and the decision to attack the Branch Davidian complex in Waco, Texas. Despite a recent diagnosis of Parkinson's disease, Reno has stayed involved in politics, and made an unsuccessful run for Governor of Florida in 2002.
• Burt Reynolds (1936 - ) Actor made famous in films like Hustle and Smokey and the Bandit; owns ranch in Jupiter.
• Charles Ringling (1864 - 1926) and John Ringling (1866 - 1936) Co-founders of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, were born in the late 1800s.
• David Robinson (1965 - ) Basketball player for the San Antonio Spurs; born in Key West.
• Ben Vereen Born in Miami, Ben Vereen won a Tony award for his performance as the "Leading Player" in Bob Fosse's Pippin. Despite a near fatal car accident in 1992, Vereen has continued to sing and dance on Broadway, most recently in Jelly's Last Jam, and has also appeared on television and in film.

More Famous Floridians:

Find more more Florida famous people below. You may not even realize many of these famous people were born in Florida or notable associated with Florida, including actors, actresses, explorers, historical figures, inventors, musicians, novelists, professional athletes, important politicians, singers, sport stars and more.

• Julian Cannonball Adderley jazz saxophonist, Tampa
• Pat Boone singer, Jacksonville
• Howie Dorough singer, Orlando
• Fay Dunaway actress, Bascom
• Stepin Fetchit comedian, Key West
• James Weldon Johnson author, educator, Jacksonville
• Frances Langford singer, Lakeland
• A. J. McLean singer, West Palm Beach
• Butterfly McQueen actress, Tampa
• Joseph W. Stilwell army general, Palatka
• Don Sutton baseball player, Pensacola
• Norman E. Thargard astronaut