Wikipedia lists over 2,400 “famous” people who were born, reared or spent a significant portion of their life in Texas. Most seemed relatively obscure so we thought it’d be easy to narrow the list down to the top 50. Well, it wasn’t. We ended up with “contemporary” list of celebrities, politicians, sports stars, actors and musicians from Texas. If you compare it to the original 2400 from wikipedia I bet you’ll agree that it easy to find the top 50.
“Mean Joe” Greene (born 1946), College and Pro Football Hall of Fame defensive tackle for the Pittsburgh Steelers
Anna Nicole Smith (1967–2007), model, actress
Barbara Mandrell (born 1948), country singer
Barry White (1944–2003), soul singer and record producer
Billy Gibbons (born 1949), guitarist in ZZ Top
Boxcar Willie (Lecil Travis Martin) (1931–1999), country singer
Carol Burnett (born 1933), actress, comedian, singer, writer The Carol Burnett Show
Chris Cooper (born 1951), Oscar-winning actor, Seabiscuit, The Bourne Identity, The Patriot
Clint Black (born 1962), country music singer, raised in Houston
Clyde Barrow (1909–1934), Bonnie and Clyde, bank robbers
Dan Rather (born 1931), former CBS Evening News anchor
Dennis Rodman (born 1961), former NBA forward, who played primarily with the Detroit Pistons and the Chicago Bulls
Don Henley (born 1947), musician with rock group the Eagles
Dwight Eisenhower (1890–1969), 34th President of the United States (born in Denison, but raised in Kansas)
Earl Campbell (born 1955), Pro Football Hall of Famer, Heisman Trophy winner
Ernest Tubb (1914–1984), country singer-songwriter
George H.W. Bush (born 1924), Forty-first president of the United States
George Walker Bush (born 1946), Former Governor of Texas and former President of the United States, 2001-2010.
Grant Hill (born 1971), seven-time NBA All-Star small forward for the Phoenix Suns
Howard Hughes (1905–1976), aviator, filmmaker, eccentric billionaire
Janis Joplin (1943–1970), blues/rock singer
Jerry Jones (born 1942), billionaire entrepreneur, oilman, owner of Dallas Cowboys football team
Jimmy Dean (1928–2010), country singer, television personality, businessman
Lady Bird Johnson (1912–2007), former first lady (married to President Lyndon B. Johnson)
Lamar Hunt (1932–2006), founder of American Football League, Major League Soccer, North American Soccer League
Lance Armstrong (born 1971), cyclist, seven-time Tour de France winner
Larry Hagman (born 1931), actor, son of actress Mary Martin
Lee Harvey Oswald. assassination of President John F. Kennedy
Lyle Lovett (born 1957), singer-songwriter
Lyndon B. Johnson (1908–1973), 36th President of the United States
Mark Cuban (born 1958), billionaire entrepreneur, owner of Dallas Mavericks basketball team
Mary Kay Ash (1918–2001), businesswoman and founder of Mary Kay Cosmetics
Michael Dell (born 1965), founder of Dell Inc.
Mickey Gilley (born 1936), country musician
Morgan Fairchild (born 1950), actress
Nolan Ryan (born 1947), Baseball Hall of Famer
Pat Green (born 1972), country singer-songwriter
Red Adair (1915–2004), offshore oil field firefighter
Rip Torn (born 1931), actor, cousin of Sissy Spacek
Robert M. Edsel (born 1956), nonfiction writer, oil company founder and innovator
Roger Staubach, Football star turned business titan
Sandra Day O’Connor (born 1930), former associate justice of the Supreme Court; first woman on the high court
Shaquille O’Neal (born 1972), 15-time All-Star center for the Boston Celtics
Steve Martin (born 1945), comedian, actor
T. Boone Pickens (born 1928), energy entrepreneur, philanthropist
Tommy Lee Jones (born 1946), actor
Walter Cronkite (1916–2009), CBS News anchor
Waylon Jennings (1937–2002), country singer
Willie Nelson (born 1933), country singer-songwriter
Willie Shoemaker (1931–2003), most successful jockey in history
Leave a comment and tell us who we missed or should’ve left out…