10 Famous Actors Born and Raised In Oklahoma
While the list of famous Oklahoman's is fairly long, here's a quick top ten of those in Hollywood you may have or not known were from the Sooner State.
- 1
Ron Howard
Okay, okay... Everyone knows Ron Howard is from Oklahoma. Or maybe you didn't. His origin story is really better known among the older generations in the state, as they were the people that grew up knowing who he was. While he hasn't really acted more than small bit-parts over the last couple of decades, he spends more of his time focused on making great movies rather than starring in them. Born in Duncan. His terrific acting, goofy looking brother Clint was born in California after they moved out there.
- 2
Brad Pitt
This is the second no-brainer on this list. I think everyone knows and touts that Brad Pitt is technically from Oklahoma. Born in the crap-town of Shawnee East of OKC, but he really grew up in Missouri as his family moved there shortly after he was born. So it's a technicality, but Wikipedia makes it fact.
- 3
Chuck F'n Norris!
Yeah baby! The man, the legend, Chuck F'n Norris was born and raised in the very small town of Ryan, OK. It's about and hour and half Southeast of Lawton. Like most small town kids, when he saw the chance to see the world, he enlisted in the military and set off to see the world. The Air Force took him to Korea where he learned martial arts, so in a way, without Oklahoma, Chuck Norris wouldn't be Chuck F'n Norris.
- 4
James Garner
This might be another one of those names most recognizable to the older generations, but odds are, if you've watched movies, you've seen him. Known mostly for his roles in Westerns over the years, although his stints in normal roles through the 90's and 00's were his most memorable. He was born and raised in Denver, OK... which has been absorbed into modern day Norman.
- 5
Bill Hader
Bill Hader might be the funniest guy to come out of Saturday Night Live since Will Ferrel. The man knows comedy. Ironically, he's also a supreme actor with a wide berth of talent for drama and suspense too. He's a man of a thousand voices, and is famous for not keeping a straight face. He was born and raised in Tulsa. Something he kept ultra-quiet until letting it slip while hosting SNL a few years ago. If you haven't seen him in HBO's Barry, you might pirate it. It's hilarious.
- 6
James Marsden
Here's a name you probably don't recognize, but it's not because he's an old-timey actor, he's just hasn't been in a lot of huge roles. Most will know his face from playing Cyclops in the O.G. X-Men trilogy... but he's famous, he acts, he was born and raised in Stillwater, OK, so he's on this list for sure.
- 7
Olivia Munn
Another famous Okie from the X-Men series is action heroin and overall smoke-show Olivia Munn. Born in OKC, graduated from OU, she worked her way out to Hollywood through TV news broadcasting. She briefly worked in Tulsa, ended up with Fox Sports as a sports sideline reporter for college football, got into E-Sports on a channel everyone has probably forgotten about, and the rest is history. A few memorable roles and stunning looks only Oklahoma produces, she's a household name in every man cave in America.
- 8
Dr. Phil
The "doctor" title bestowed on Dr. Phil McGraw might be a contended and sore subject, but the man was once a doctor for sure, and whether he remains the same now isn't anything we're going to talk about here and now. Born and raised in the tiny Northeastern Oklahoma town of Vinita. Oddly enough, he opened his first practice in Wichita Falls.
- 10
Paul Harvey
Alright, I know it's a stretch, but Paul Harvey was a personal favorite so I'm including it. Years ago, on every locally owned and operated radio station in America, you'd hear Paul Harvey and The Rest Of The Story everyday at noon. It was always an experience that tied back to the early days of broadcasting, where every time an announcer cracked a microphone, it was all about the story and performance. YouTube has a pretty extensive catalog of his more memorable ROTS's, so you might search it out. Believe me, you'll be glad you did.