List of people from Bakersfield, California
This is a list of notable people from Bakersfield, California. In order to be included, subjects need to have an article and clear connection to the city.
Notable people
[edit]Arts
[edit]Designers
[edit]- Marc Davis - animator and one of Disney's Nine Old Men, born in Bakersfield
- Poy Gum Lee - architect, died in Bakersfield[1]
Visual artists
[edit]- Greg Colson - visual artist
- Tyrus Wong - calligrapher, artist, animator, married in 1937 in Bakersfield[2]
Business, entrepreneurs
[edit]- Ric Drasin - designer of Gold's Gym and World Gym logos, retired professional wrestler, actor, author
Crime
[edit]- Vincent Brothers - convicted murderer; shot and stabbed five members of his family to death
- Rodolfo Cadena - Rudy "Cheyenne" Cadena, one of the founders of the Mexican Mafia, basis of character played by Edward James Olmos in the film American Me
Entertainment
[edit]Film, television, actors, models
[edit]- Ana Lily Amirpour - filmmaker, director, writer
- Noah Beery - actor
- Robert Beltran - actor
- Justin Berry - former teenage webcam pornographer and public speaker
- Kelli Garner - actress
- Frank Gifford - television sportscaster, college and professional football player
- Justin Gordon - actor, producer, artist
- Fay Helm - actress
- Brian Hooks - actor, Soul Plane, Three Strike
- Nathan Jung - actor, martial artist, stunt coordinator
- Dalene Kurtis - model, former Playboy Playmate of the Year
- Joanne Linville - actress
- Guy Madison - actor
- Roger Mathey - theatrical director, actor, playwright, producer
- Derek Mears - actor and stuntman
- Michelle St. John - actress, singer, director, producer
- Sigrid Valdis - actress
- Anjelika Washington - actress, Stargirl, Tall Girl
Musicians
[edit]- David Benoit - jazz pianist
- Jo Ann Castle - pianist, The Lawrence Welk Show
- Brandon Cruz - punk musician and former child actor
- Merle Haggard - singer, Country Music Hall of Fame inductee
- Michael Lockwood - guitarist and music producer
- Kareem Lopez - musician
- Mary Osborne - jazz guitarist
- Buck Owens - singer, musician Country Music Hall of Fame inductee
- Gregory Porter - singer
- Gloria Roe - composer, pianist and singer
- Sheléa - singer-songwriter
- Lawrence Tibbett - baritone of the New York Metropolitan Opera
- Grant Whitson - drummer for Arlington[3]
Bands
[edit]- Adema - rock band (Dave DeRoo, Kris Kohls, Mark Chavez, Mike Ransom)
- Burning Image - deathrock band (Moe Adame, Tony Bonanno, Paul Burch, Anthony Leyva)
- The Def Dames - female rap duo, hip hop musicians
- Korn - Grammy Award-winning metal band
Government, law, politics
[edit]
- Leonard L. Alvarado - Medal of Honor recipient, Specialist 4th Class, United States Army - Republic of Vietnam 1969
- General Edward Fitzgerald Beale - Superintendent of Indian Affairs for California and Nevada (1850s), Surveyor General of California and Nevada (1860s), U.S. Ambassador to Austria-Hungary (1870s), founder of Tejon Ranch
- Vince Fong - politician in California State Assembly[6]
- Harvey Hall - mayor of Bakersfield (2001–2016)
- Kevin McCarthy - California Congressman, House Republican Leader, 55th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives
- Erik Paulsen - Minnesota Congressman
- Walter W. Stiern - California Democratic State Senator
- Earl Warren - Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court, former governor of California
Science, medicine, academia
[edit]- Hans Einstein - world's foremost authority on Valley Fever
- Carver Mead - pioneer in the field of VLSI design, inventor of the concept of neuromorphic computing
Sports
[edit]Olympics
[edit]- Kamren Larsen - Pan American Games gold medalist BMX racing at 2023 Pan American Games
- Jake Varner - Olympic gold medalist wrestler at 2012 London Games
Baseball
[edit]- Larry Barnes - California Angels first baseman
- Corbin Burnes - Baltimore Orioles pitcher
- Johnny Callison - Philadelphia Phillies right fielder
- Phil Dumatrait - Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher, first-round draft pick
- Jack Hiatt - catcher
- Leon Lee - Nippon Professional Baseball player and manager
- Colby Lewis - Texas Rangers pitcher, first-round draft pick
- William "Buckshot" May - Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher
- Brent Morel - Chicago White Sox third baseman
- Kurt Miller - pitcher for Florida Marlins and Chicago Cubs
- Steve Ontiveros - infielder for San Francisco Giants and Chicago Cubs
- Dave Rader - catcher
- Rick Sawyer - pitcher for the New York Yankees and San Diego Padres
- Todd Walker - second baseman
- Bruce Walton - pitcher for Montreal Expos, pitching coach for Toronto Blue Jays
- Allan Winans - pitcher
- Jake Woods - Seattle Mariners pitcher
Basketball
[edit]- Nikki Blue - New York Liberty guard (WNBA)
- Fred Boyd - NBA player
- Chris Childs - ABA/NBA guard (1989–2003; New Jersey Nets, New York Knicks, Toronto Raptors)
- J. R. Sakuragi (formerly J.R. Henderson) - player for Memphis Grizzlies
- Lonnie Shelton - Seattle SuperSonics all-star
- Robert Swift - Tokyo Apache (Japan) center
- Tyrone Wallace - Los Angeles Clippers guard
Football
[edit]- Mike Ariey - offensive tackle for Green Bay Packers
- Jon Baker - NFL and CFL player
- Krys Barnes - linebacker for Arizona Cardinals
- Theo Bell - wide receiver for Pittsburgh Steelers, earned Super Bowl rings in 1979 and 1980
- Steve Boadway - NFL player
- Jeff Buckey - starting offensive lineman for Miami Dolphins
- Vern Burke - tight end for San Francisco 49ers, New Orleans Saints, and Atlanta Falcons
- David Carr - quarterback, first overall selection in 2002 NFL draft (Houston Texans), won Super Bowl with New York Giants
- Derek Carr - quarterback for Oakland/Las Vegas Raiders, Mountain West Conference Player of the Year for Fresno State
- Frank Gifford - Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee, broadcaster
- Cory Hall - safety for Cincinnati Bengals, Atlanta Falcons, and Washington Redskins
- Joe Hawley - center for Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- A.J. Jefferson - free safety for Arizona Cardinals
- Cody Kessler - quarterback for Cleveland Browns and USC Trojans
- Rodney Leisle - defensive tackle for New Orleans Saints, member of 2009 Super Bowl-winning team
- Jordan Love - quarterback for the Green Bay Packers
- Bob McCaffrey - center for USC Trojans and Green Bay Packers
- Brent McClanahan - running back for Minnesota Vikings
- Ray Mansfield - center for Pittsburgh Steelers
- Brock Marion - Dallas Cowboys Super Bowl champion and Pro Bowl player
- Jerry Marion - wide receiver for Pittsburgh Steelers, father of Brock
- Ryan Mathews - running back for Philadelphia Eagles and former Fresno State All-American
- Aaron Merz - offensive lineman for University of California and Buffalo Bills
- Stephen Neal - lineman for New England Patriots, Super Bowl champion, NCAA wrestling champion, world gold medalist, Olympian
- Mark Nichols - wide receiver for Detroit Lions
- Jared Norris - NFL player
- Larry Parker - wide receiver for USC Trojans and Kansas City Chiefs
- Joey Porter - All-Pro and Pro Bowl outside linebacker, member of Pittsburgh Steelers Super Bowl champion team in 2006
- Rocky Rasley - guard for Detroit Lions
- D. J. Reed - free safety for New York Jets
- Randy Rich - defensive back for Detroit Lions, Denver Broncos, and Cleveland Browns
- Greg Robinson - defensive coordinator for Denver Broncos, University of Michigan
- Ken Ruettgers - offensive tackle for Green Bay Packers
- Colton Schmidt - punter for Buffalo Bills
- Rashaan Shehee - running back for Kansas City Chiefs
- L. J. Shelton - offensive tackle for Arizona Cardinals
- Jeff Siemon - Pro Bowl linebacker for Minnesota Vikings, inducted to College Football Hall of Fame in 2006
- Kevin Smith - tight end for UCLA, Oakland Raiders, and Green Bay Packers
- Jeremy Staat - defensive lineman for Pittsburgh Steelers, United States Marine
- Jason Stewart - defensive tackle for Indianapolis Colts in 1994
- Michael Stewart - safety for Miami Dolphins
- John Tarver - running back for New England Patriots in 1970s
- Leonard Williams - defensive lineman for New York Jets
- Dick Witcher - wide receiver for San Francisco 49ers
- Louis Wright - All-Pro defensive back for Denver Broncos, member of 1970s NFL all-decade team
- Rodney Wright - wide receiver for Fresno State and Buffalo Bills
Motorsports
[edit]- Kevin Harvick - NASCAR driver, 2007 Daytona 500 winner and 2014 Sprint Cup Series champion
- Casey Mears - NASCAR driver
- Rick Mears - 4-time Indianapolis 500 winner
- Roger Mears - Baja 1000 winner
- Blaine Perkins - NASCAR driver
- Ryan Reed - NASCAR driver
- Bruce Sarver - NHRA champion
- George Snider - 22-time competitor Indianapolis 500
Boxing
[edit]- Ruben Castillo - WBO and NABO lightweight champion, WBC featherweight and super featherweight contender
- Michael Dallas, Jr. - Golden Gloves silver medalist, light welterweight contender
- Jack Johnson - first African-American heavyweight champion, member of World Boxing Hall of Fame
- Jerry Quarry - national Golden Gloves champion, heavyweight professional boxer, fought Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier
- Mike Quarry - light-heavyweight professional boxer
Track & field
[edit]- Lonnie Spurrier - middle-distance runner, Olympian (1956), set world's record in the half-mile run in 1955
Soccer
[edit]- Cami Privett - former NWSL soccer player for the Houston Dash
Writers, poets, journalists
[edit]- Frank Bidart - poet
- James Chapman - novelist and publisher
- Robert Duncan - poet (lived in Bakersfield 1927–32)
- Georgie Starbuck Galbraith - writer of light verse
- Gerald Haslam - author
- Amber Hollibaugh - writer, filmmaker, activist and organizer
- Lawrence Kimble - Hollywood screenwriter
References
[edit]- ^ "Funeral Scheduled for China Architect Poy Lee". Bakersfield Californian News. 1968-03-26.
- ^ "Tyrus Timeline". pbs.org. Retrieved August 18, 2019.
- ^ "Alt-rock trio Arlington ready to debut"Jackson County"". bakersfield.com. Retrieved May 3, 2020.
- ^ President Bush's one-time Bakersfield home to be museum, KGET, January 19, 2009, Accessed August 8, 2009.
- ^ The Bush House Archived 2009-01-31 at the Wayback Machine, thebushhouse.net, Accessed August 8, 2009.
- ^ Harvey, Kyle (January 8, 2016). "Longtime McCarthy aide Vince Fong enters Assembly race". bakersfieldnow.com. Retrieved August 5, 2020.