The following are people of note who were born in, live in, or have formerly resided in Fort Worth, Texas.

Sports

  • Lance Cole Barrett (born 1984), Major League Baseball umpire
  • Tom Buckman (born 1947), professional football player
  • Beau Burrows (born 1996), MLB pitcher
  • Chennedy Carter (born 1998), professional basketball player for Atlanta Dream
  • Raymond Clayborn (born 1955), NFL football player
  • Kyle Crick, professional baseball player for the Pittsburgh Pirates
  • Donald Curry, former undisputed world welterweight boxing champion
  • John Douglas (1945–2005), NFL player
  • Brandon Finnegan, professional baseball pitcher for the Kansas City Monarchs
  • Jack Haden (1914–1996), football player
  • Phil Handler (1908–1968), NFL football player and coach
  • Brad Hawpe (born 1979), professional baseball player
  • Irv Hill (1908–1978), American football running back in the NFL for the Chicago Cardinals and Boston Redskins
  • Brock Holt (born 1988), professional baseball player
  • Rogers Hornsby (1896–1963), Hall of Fame baseball player
  • Keith Langford, professional basketball player
  • Yale Lary (1930–2017), Football Hall of Famer
  • Rod Manuel (born 1974), football player
  • Rags Matthews (1905–1999), football player for TCU
  • Suzanne Mitchell, director of the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders
  • Jay Needham (born 1984), professional soccer player. SMU Athletics Hall of Fame
  • Jeff Newman, MLB All-Star baseball player and manager
  • William Paulus, swimmer and former world record holder in the 100m Butterfly
  • Hunter Pence (born 1983), MLB baseball player
  • Mike Renfro (born 1955), former NFL player
  • Bryan Reynolds (born 2001), soccer player who represented the United States national team
  • Chuck Reynolds (born 1946), football player
  • Mike Richardson (born 1946), NFL player
  • A'Shawn Robinson (born 1995), NFL player; attended Arlington Heights High School in Fort Worth
  • John Roderick (born 1944), professional football player
  • Johnny Rutherford (born 1938), race car driver, three-time winner of Indy 500
  • Denise Rutkowski (born 1961), professional bodybuilder
  • By Saam (1914–2000), sportscaster
  • Annie Sanders (born 2007), professional rock climber
  • Kelly Shoppach (born 1980), Major League Baseball catcher (2005–2013)
  • Slick (1957–), WWE wrestling manager
  • AJ Smith-Shawver, professional baseball pitcher for the Atlanta Braves
  • Hurley Tarver (born 1975), football player
  • Jeana Yeager (born 1952), broke distance records during her (and Dick Rutan's) 1986 nonstop flight around the world in an experimental Voyager
  • Tylan Wallace (born 1999), NFL football player, attended South Hills High School
  • Allyson Simpson (born 2000), American professional ice hockey defenceman for the New York Sirens

Politics and law

  • Lawrence A. Alexander (born 1943 in Fort Worth), law professor
  • Betty Andujar (1912–1997), first Republican woman in Texas State Senate (1973–1983)
  • H.S. Broiles (1845–1913), 6th Mayor of Fort Worth, Texas
  • Joel Burns (born 1969), politician
  • Reby Cary (1920–2018), educator, historian, and member of the Texas House of Representatives
  • Nicole Collier (born 1972), member of the Texas House of Representatives
  • L. Clifford Davis (1924–2025), civil rights attorney and judge
  • Charlie Geren (born 1949), member of Texas House of Representatives from District 99 in Tarrant County
  • Pete Geren (born 1952), former member of U.S. House of Representatives; former U.S. Secretary of the Army; director of Sid W. Richardson Foundation
  • Craig Goldman (born 1968), member of Texas House of Representatives from District 97 in Fort Worth
  • Kay Granger (born 1943), U.S. Representative and former mayor of Fort Worth
  • John Hodgson (fl. 2022), Kentucky state representative born in Fort Worth
  • Debra Lehrmann, Texas Supreme Court justice, Place 3
  • Joe K. Longley, former President of the Texas State Bar
  • Dario Lorenzetti (born 1970) CIA Officer killed in Afghanistan
  • Lorraine Miller, first woman president of the NAACP, Interim president and CEO, 2014
  • John T. Montford (born 1943), businessman and former member of the Texas Senate
  • "Pappy" O'Daniel (1890–1969), Governor of Texas, U.S. Senator and radio personality
  • Bill Owens (born 1950), former Governor of Colorado (1999–2007)
  • Hugh Parmer (1939–2020), mayor of Fort Worth 1977 to 1979; member of both houses of Texas State Legislature
  • Bennett Ratliff (born 1961), state representative from District 115 in Dallas County; civil engineer
  • Tom Schieffer (born 1947), U.S. Ambassador to Japan, candidate for governor
  • Mark M. Shelton (born 1956), pediatrician and politician
  • Jonathan Stickland (born 1983), state representative from Tarrant County
  • Bascom N. Timmons (1890–1987), journalist and political advisor
  • Daniel E. Walker (1927–2009), civil servant, rescued remains of flag burned in protest at 1984 Republican National Convention in Dallas
  • Jim Wright (1922–2015), U.S. Congressman from Texas and Speaker of the House
  • Marc Veasey (born 1971), U.S. representative for Texas

Film and television

  • Adrienne Ames (1907–1947), actress, radio host
  • Texas Rose Bascom (1922–1993), film and television actress, National Cowgirl Hall of Fame inductee 1981
  • Patricia Blair (1933–2013), actress
  • Wes Brown (born 1982), actor
  • Betty Buckley (born 1947), Tony Award-winning actress
  • Kate Capshaw (born 1953), actress, married to Steven Spielberg
  • Julio Cedillo (born 1970), actor, raised in Fort Worth
  • Candy Clark (born 1947), Oscar-nominated actress
  • Kenneth Copeland (born 1936), televangelist
  • Noah Cottrell, actor
  • Shelley Duvall (1949-2024), actress
  • George Eads (born 1967), actor
  • Richard Gilliland (1950–2021), actor best known as JD Shackleford in Designing Women
  • Judy Graubart (born 1943), actress, The Electric Company
  • Larry Hagman (1931–2012), actor, son of actress Mary Martin, played J.R. Ewing in Dallas
  • Bug Hall (born 1985), actor
  • Harriet Sansom Harris (born 1955), actress, Frasier, Desperate Housewives
  • Martha Hyer (1924–2014), Oscar-nominated actress
  • Jesse Jane (1980-2024), pornographic actor
  • Benton Jennings, actor
  • Candace Kita, actress and model
  • Wallace Langham (born 1965), actor, The Larry Sanders Show, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, and CSI: Vegas
  • David Mann (born 1966), actor, comedian and gospel singer
  • Tamela Mann (born 1966), actor, singer and songwriter
  • Lisa McRee (born 1961), television journalist
  • Leighton Meester (born 1986), actress
  • Lynn Merrick (1919–2007), actress
  • Dan Hewitt Owens (born 1947), actor
  • Fess Parker (1924–2010), actor
  • Bill Paxton (1955–2017), actor, starred in Titanic, Frailty, TV series Big Love; attended Arlington Heights High School in Fort Worth
  • Richard Rawlings (born 1969), entrepreneur and reality television star
  • Rex Reed (born 1938), film critic, actor, television host
  • Rod Roddy (1937–2003), television announcer on game shows, like Press Your Luck & The Price is Right
  • Ginger Rogers (1911–1995), actress and dancer who moved to Fort Worth at age 9; attended Central (Paschal) High School
  • Bob Schieffer (born 1937), journalist, CBS Evening News anchor and Face the Nation host
  • Michael "Bear" Taliferro (1961–2006), actor
  • Hunter Tylo (born 1962), actress
  • Lisa Whelchel (born 1963), actress, The Facts of Life
  • Keith L. Williams, actor
  • Van Williams (1934–2016), actor, The Green Hornet
  • Morgan Woodward (1925–2019), actor, Dallas and Cool Hand Luke
  • Carlson Young (born 1990), actress, Scream

Military

  • Horace S. Carswell Jr. (1916–1944), USAAF, KIA World War II; posthumous Medal of Honor recipient; namesake of Carswell Air Force Base
  • Robert David Law (September 15, 1944 – February 22, 1969), Medal of Honor recipient
  • Charles F. Pendleton, posthumous Medal of Honor recipient for actions in the Korea War; R. L. Paschal High School, Class of 1953
  • William C. Rogers III (December 13, 1938 – June 30, 2025), United States Navy Captain of the USS Vincennes; involved in the shootdown of Iran Air Flight 655

Music

  • Trey Anastasio (born 1964), guitarist, singer, songwriter, and composer best known as the lead guitarist of the rock band Phish
  • Gerry Beckley (born 1952), singer-songwriter, founding member of the band America
  • Leon Bridges (born 1989), soul singer and Grammy nominee
  • T-Bone Burnett (born 1948), Oscar-winning songwriter, record producer, musician
  • Kelly Clarkson (born 1982), Grammy winning singer, original American Idol winner, Emmy winner talk show host
  • Van Cliburn (1934–2013), pianist
  • Ornette Coleman (1930–2015), jazz musician
  • Jeff Current, lead singer of Against All Will
  • Bobby Day (1928–1990), musician
  • John Denver (born Henry John Deutschendorf Jr., 1943–1997), singer-songwriter
  • Johnny Dowd (born 1948), musician
  • Manet Harrison Fowler (1895–1976), singer, music educator, painter
  • Kirk Franklin (born 1970), gospel singer and producer
  • Pat Green (born 1972), country musician
  • Marcus Haddock (born 1957 in Fort Worth), opera singer
  • Taylor Hawkins (1972–2022), drummer for Foo Fighters
  • Julius Hemphill (1938–1995), jazz composer and saxophone player
  • Jules Hoffman, children's musician
  • iayze, rapper and songwriter
  • Ronald Shannon Jackson (1940–2013), jazz drummer
  • Cody Jinks, country music singer-songwriter
  • Prince Lasha (William Lawsha) (1929–2008), jazz saxophonist and flutist
  • Vaden Todd Lewis (born 1965), lead vocalist and guitarist for the rock band Toadies
  • Samuel S. Losh (1884–1943), vocalist, composer, and music educator
  • Kirstin Maldonado (born 1992), singer-songwriter
  • Tamela Mann (born 1966), gospel singer and actress
  • Delbert McClinton (born 1940), singer-songwriter
  • Roger Miller (1936–1992), singer-songwriter
  • Gary Morris (born 1948), singer
  • Oh, Sleeper, heavy metal band
  • Clay Perry (born 1990), songwriter and recording artist
  • Dewey Redman (1931–2006), free jazz saxophonist
  • Jay Roecker, electronic musician
  • Wallace Scott (born 1943) and Walter Scott (1943–2025), twin brothers and lead singers of the R&B group The Whispers
  • Townes Van Zandt (1944–1997), country music singer-songwriter
  • William Walker (1931–2010), opera singer and director

Academics and writing

  • Mel Bradford (1934–1993), literary critic
  • Heloise Bowles Cruse (1919–1977), syndicated columnist, Hints from Heloise
  • James T. Draper, Jr. (born 1935), author, Baptist leader
  • Clare B. Dunkle (born 1964), author, librarian
  • Beth Haller, journalism professor
  • Patricia Highsmith (1921–1995), author of Strangers on a Train and The Talented Mr Ripley
  • Lillian B. Horace (1880–1965), author, educator, librarian
  • Dan Jenkins (1929–2019), sports journalist and author
  • Sally Jenkins (born 1960), sports journalist and author
  • Mary Daggett Lake (1880–1955), historian, botanist, and educator
  • Robert L. Lynn (1931–2020), journalist, poet, and retired college president
  • Blanche McVeigh (1895–1970), printmaker and art educator
  • Hazel Harvey Peace (1907–2008), educator, activist, and humanitarian
  • Jenny Lind Porter (1927–2020), poet and educator
  • Theresa A. Powell (1952–2023), academic administrator
  • Ben H. Procter (1927–2012), historian
  • Rex Reed (born 1938), film critic
  • Lenora Rolla (1904–2001), activist, educator, and historian
  • Jennie Scott Scheuber (1860–1944), public library pioneer and Fort Worth's first librarian
  • Liz Smith (1923–2017), journalist, syndicated columnist
  • Blake R. Van Leer (1897–1956), colonel, civil rights icon, and president of Georgia Institute of Technology
  • John Graves (1920-2013), author of Goodbye to a River and other books

Science

  • Alan Bean (1932–2018), artist, retired NASA astronaut (1981); R. L. Paschal High School, Class of 1950; carried Paschal High School's flag to the Moon
  • Robert Bruce Merrifield (1921–2006), biochemist who won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1984
  • Clyde Snow (1928–2014), forensic anthropologist

Business and philanthropy

  • Sid Bass (born 1943), billionaire, Sundance Square developer, major stockholder in The Walt Disney Company
  • Electra Carlin (1912–2000), art dealer
  • Amon G. Carter (1879–1955), civic booster, philanthropist, creator and publisher of Fort Worth Star-Telegram
  • T. Cullen Davis (born 1933), millionaire tried and acquitted for 1976 murders of Stan Farr and Andrea Wilborn
  • Edna Gladney (1886–1961), founder of Edna Gladney Home
  • Brad Hunstable (born 1978), founder of Ustream
  • Hazel Vaughn Leigh (1897–1995), founder of the Fort Worth Boys Club
  • Bill Noël (1914–1987), oil industrialist and philanthropist from Odessa, born in Fort Worth
  • Sid W. Richardson (1891–1959), oilman, cattleman and philanthropist
  • Lucille Elizabeth Bishop Smith (1892–1985), entrepreneur, chef, and inventor
  • A. Latham Staples (born 1977), CEO of EXUSMED, civil rights activist and founder of Empowering Spirits Foundation

Criminals

  • Ronald and James Allridge, Serial killer brothers; Ronald was executed in 1995 and James in 2004
  • Mark David Chapman (born 1955), assassin of John Lennon
  • Joe Michael Ervin (1951–1981), serial killer
  • Kenneth Granviel (1950–1996), serial killer and rapist
  • Ricky Lee Green (1960–1997), serial killer
  • Edward Lagrone (1957–2004), serial killer and rapist

Other

  • Opal Lee, activist promoting the Juneteenth federal holiday
  • G. Craige Lewis (born 1969), Christian minister
  • Gretchen Polhemus, Miss Texas USA 1989 and Miss USA 1989
  • Skratch (born 1972), pinstripe artist and fabricator
  • Randy Souders (born 1954), visual artist and disability rights advocate

References