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.

Designers

 * Marc Davis - animator and one of Disney's Nine Old Men, born in Bakersfield
 * Poy Gum Lee - architect, died in Bakersfield

Visual artists

 * Greg Colson - visual artist
 * Tyrus Wong - calligrapher, artist, animator, married in 1937 in Bakersfield

Business, entrepreneur

 * Ric Drasin - designer of Gold's Gym and World Gym logos, retired professional wrestler, actor, author

Crime

 * 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

Film, television, actors, models

 * 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

 * 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
 * Sheléa - singer-songwriter
 * Lawrence Tibbett - baritone of the New York Metropolitan Opera
 * Grant Whitson - drummer for Arlington

Bands

 * Adema - rock band (Tim Fluckey, 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
 * Reginald "Fieldy" Arvizu
 * Jonathan Davis
 * James "Munky" Shaffer
 * David Silveria
 * Brian "Head" Welch

Government, law, politics

 * 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
 * Harvey Hall - past 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

 * 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

Olympics

 * Jake Varner - Olympic gold medalist wrestler at 2012 London Games
 * Kamren Larsen - Pan American Games gold medalist BMX racing at 2023 Pan American Games

Baseball

 * 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

 * 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

 * Mike Ariey - offensive tackle for Green Bay Packers
 * Jon Baker - NFL and CFL player
 * 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

 * 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

 * 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

 * Lonnie Spurrier - middle-distance runner, Olympian (1956), set world's record in the half-mile run in 1955

Soccer

 * Cami Privett - former NWSL soccer player for the Houston Dash

Writers, poets, journalists

 * 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