List of people from Rockford, Illinois

The following list includes notable people who were born or have lived in Rockford, Illinois. For a similar list organized alphabetically by last name, see the category page People from Rockford, Illinois.

Academics, science, and engineering

 * James Henry Breasted, scholar, first American teacher of Egyptology
 * Griffith Buck, rose breeder
 * Richard Bulliet, scholar of the Middle East
 * Robert Clodius, educator, acting President of the University of Wisconsin–Madison
 * James A. Davis, chair of sociology department, Harvard University, and professor, University of Chicago
 * Arnold Krammer, historian, resided in Rockford from 1970 to 1974 while on the faculty of Rockford College; at Texas A&M University from 1974 to retirement in 2015
 * James Lindgren, law professor and sociologist, Northwestern University
 * John Henry Manny, inventor, founder of Manny Reaper Works
 * Fred Merkel, broadcast engineer for Premiere Networks and iHeartMedia
 * Anna Peck Sill (1816-1889), educator
 * Adaline Emerson Thompson, benefactor and educational leader
 * Gordon Tullock, economist and one of the founders of public choice
 * Janice E. Voss, astronaut and engineer; lived in Rockford
 * Daniel Hale Williams, surgeon, first doctor to successfully complete open heart surgery; founder of the first integrated American hospital, Provident Hospital of Cook County

Business

 * Virgil Abloh (1980–2021), fashion designer and businessman
 * Robert Greenblatt, Fox, Showtime and NBC producer and executive, and former Chairman of WarnerMedia Entertainment.
 * Albert Henry Loeb (1868–1924), attorney and business executive, Sears
 * Pehr August Peterson (1846–1927), business executive, Sundstrand Corporation
 * John Sall, co-founder of SAS Institute
 * Albert Spalding (1850–1915), co-founder of Spalding; pitcher with Rockford Forest Citys; manager of Chicago White Stockings; executive of National League of Baseball Clubs; inductee in National Baseball Hall of Fame

Acting

 * Ginger Lynn Allen, porn actress
 * Jodi Benson, voice actress, Ariel in The Little Mermaid
 * Barbara Hale, actress, Perry Mason
 * Kathryn Layng, actress, Doogie Howser, M.D.
 * Natasha Leggero, comedian, actress
 * Joseph Mantello, actor, director, Wicked, Take Me Out, Assassins
 * Andra Martin, actress, Up Periscope, The Thing That Couldn't Die
 * Marin Mazzie, Tony Award nominated actress and singer known for, Kiss Me, Kate (1999-2001), and her other work in musical theater.
 * Aidan Quinn, actor, Desperately Seeking Susan, Elementary, Legends of the Fall
 * Anthony Tyler Quinn, actor, Boy Meets World
 * Betty Jane Rhodes, actress, singer, Sweater Girl, The Fleet's In
 * Susan Saint James, actress, Kate & Allie, McMillan & Wife
 * Linda Wallem, actress, writer, producer, Nurse Jackie
 * Stephen Wallem, singer, actor, Nurse Jackie

Animation

 * Bill Kopp, animator

Cinematography

 * Declan Quinn, cinematographer, Leaving Las Vegas, Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love, U2's "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For"
 * Jay Bauman, founding member of Red Letter Media

Directing

 * Bing Liu, director, Minding the Gap

Music

 * Emily Bear, pianist, composer
 * Bun E. Carlos, drummer, Cheap Trick
 * Chuckey Charles, film composer and music producer
 * Kurt Elling, jazz vocalist, composer, lyricist
 * Katherine Tanner Fisk, contralto concert singer
 * Swan Hennessy, classical composer
 * Joie De Vivre (band), emo band
 * Sarah Kelly, singer, songwriter
 * Matthew McDonough, drummer for Mudvayne
 * Lou Musa, guitarist, The Verve Pipe
 * Ann Nesby, singer, producer, part of the urban Gospel group Sounds Of Blackness
 * Rick Nielsen, lead guitarist for Cheap Trick
 * Tom Petersson, bass guitarist for Cheap Trick
 * Marty Ross, musician, songwriter and performer
 * Jake Runestad, composer and conductor
 * Nellie Strong Stevenson, pianist, music educator, clubwoman
 * Shawn Wade, bass guitarist for 12 Stones
 * Ryley Walker, guitarist
 * Michelle Williams, singer and member of the R&B group Destiny's Child
 * Robin Zander, vocalist and rhythm guitarist for Cheap Trick

Photography

 * Alvin C. Jacobs Jr., documentary photographer and image activist

Special effects

 * Shaun Smith, visual effects

Television

 * Paris Bennett, contestant on Season 5 of American Idol
 * Kelly Killoren Bensimon model, former cast member of Real Housewives of New York City
 * Heather Nauert, news anchor on Fox News; born in Rockford

Writing

 * Robert Lee Maupin Beck, writer, producer, Pimp: The Story of My Life
 * Stewart Brand, writer, editor, publisher and environmentalist: The Whole Earth Catalog, The WELL, Long Now Foundation, and, Whole Earth Discipline: An Ecopragmatist Manifesto.
 * Thomas Fleming, writer, editor, Chronicles: A Magazine of American Culture
 * John Ortberg, author, pastor
 * Will Pfeifer, comic book writer
 * Shawn Ryan, television producer, screenwriter (The Shield)
 * Barbara Santucci, artist, poet, author
 * Erica Spindler, author
 * Leopold Tyrmand, novelist, editor, dissident; originally from Poland
 * Kimberla Lawson Roby, New York Times bestselling author
 * Cora Stuart Wheeler (1852–1897), poet, author

Politics and law

 * John B. Anderson, US Representative, US presidential candidate
 * John Baumgarten, Illinois House of Representatives
 * Debra Bowen, Secretary of State of California, 2007–2015
 * William Brown, Illinois House of Representatives
 * John T. Buckbee, US Representative
 * Robert R. Canfield, Illinois state legislator and lawyer
 * James E. Cartwright, US Marine Corps general; Vice Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff
 * Ho Chung, Patent attorney
 * Mary Lou Cowlishaw, Illinois House of Representatives
 * Barbara Giolitto, Illinois House of Representatives
 * Edolo J. Giorgi, Illinois House of Representatives
 * Rodney Grams, Republican United States Senator, news anchor, WIFR 23 Rockford
 * Joyce Holmberg, educator and Illinois state senator
 * Alta M. Hulett, attorney, first woman admitted to the state of Illinois Bar
 * Betty Ann Keegan, Illinois State Senator
 * Julia Lathrop, social and political activist, subject of biography My Friend, Julia Lathrop (1935) by Jane Addams
 * Emma Octavia Lundberg, Swedish-American child welfare advocate.
 * Donald A. Manzullo, United States Representative
 * Lynn Morley Martin, United States Representative, United States Secretary of Labor
 * Stanley Mosk, Justice, Supreme Court of California
 * David Campbell Mulford, United States Ambassador to India; Vice-Chairman International, Credit Suisse
 * Paula J. Raschke-Lind, Illinois state politician
 * Bertil T. Rosander, Illinois state legislator and businessman
 * Benjamin R. Sheldon, Chief Justice of the Illinois Supreme Court
 * Eric Sorensen, meteorologist and politician
 * Steve Stadelman, Illinois state senator
 * Fred E. Sterling, Illinois politician
 * Thomas E. Ticen, Minnesota state legislator and lawyer

Baseball

 * Ross Barnes (1850–1915), second baseman, shortstop, Boston Red Stockings
 * Aldine Calacurcio, All-American Girls Professional Baseball League player, Rockford Peaches, born in Rockford
 * Hal Carlson, pitcher for Chicago Cubs
 * Jean Cione, All-American Girls Professional Baseball League player, Rockford Peaches, born in Rockford
 * Orville Jorgens, pitcher, Philadelphia Phillies
 * Margaret Jurgensmeier, All-American Girls Professional Baseball League player, Rockford Peaches, born in Rockford
 * Gene Lamont, catcher, coach, manager, Detroit Tigers, Pittsburgh Pirates, Chicago White Sox
 * Berith Melin, All-American Girls Professional Baseball League player, Rockford Peaches, born in Rockford
 * Rodney Myers, pitcher, Chicago Cubs, San Diego Padres, Los Angeles Dodgers
 * Hattie Peterson, All-American Girls Professional Baseball League player, Rockford Peaches, born in Winnebago, Illinois
 * Ken Rudolph, catcher, Chicago Cubs, St. Louis Cardinals, San Francisco Giants, Baltimore Orioles
 * Jake Smolinski, outfielder, Texas Rangers; born in Rockford
 * Harry Sullivan, pitcher, St. Louis Cardinals
 * Ed Swartwood, player, umpire, Pittsburgh Pirates
 * Charles Swindells, catcher, St. Louis Cardinals
 * Daniel E. Tipple, pitcher, New York Yankees; born in Rockford

Basketball

 * Lorenzo Brown (born 1990), basketball player in the Israeli Basketball Premier League, formerly in the NBA
 * Bill Erickson, player for Illinois in 1949 Final Four
 * John E. Erickson, coach, University of Wisconsin, and GM of Milwaukee Bucks
 * Ernie Kent, coach, Washington State University and University of Oregon
 * JP Tokoto (born 1993), basketball player for Hapoel Tel Aviv of the Israeli Basketball Premier League
 * Fred VanVleet, point guard with Toronto Raptors, NBA Champion (2019), and 2017-2018 Sixth Man of the Year finalist, NBA All-Star (2021-22)

Billiards

 * Dallas West, pool player; inducted into the Billiard Congress of America Hall of Fame (1996)

Boxing

 * Kenneth Gould, boxer, 1988 United States Olympics welterweight bronze medalist
 * Sammy Mandell, boxer, World Boxing Association lightweight champion

Diving

 * Ronald Merriott, Olympic diver; 1984 bronze medalist

Football

 * John Blake, nose guard, coach, University of Oklahoma, Dallas Cowboys
 * Merwin Hodel, fullback, New York Giants
 * Jerry Latin, halfback, St Louis Cardinals
 * Dean Lowry, defensive end, Green Bay Packers
 * Ira Matthews, halfback, Oakland Raiders
 * Walt McGaw, guard, Green Bay Packers
 * Carlos Polk, linebacker, Dallas Cowboys
 * Ken Roskie, fullback, Green Bay Packers, Detroit Lions
 * Brock Spack, head coach, Illinois State University
 * Jerry Stalcup, linebacker, Los Angeles Rams
 * James Robinson, halfback, Jacksonville Jaguars

Golf

 * Dave Barclay, golfer, 1947 national collegiate champion
 * Jeff Mitchell, pro golfer

Ice skating

 * Alexe Gilles, champion figure skater
 * Janet Lynn Nowicki, ice skater, 5-time national champion, 1972 Olympic bronze medalist
 * Piper Gilles, Olympic figure skater

Mixed martial arts

 * Corey Anderson, mixed martial artist (Bellator Fighting Championship)
 * Daniel Roberts, mixed martial artist

Motor racing

 * Chad Knaus, crew chief, Jimmie Johnson, seven-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion

Mountaineering

 * Ed Viesturs, high-altitude mountaineer

Soccer

 * Steve Cherundolo, defender for the US Men's National Team and Hannover 96 in Germany's Bundesliga
 * Peri Marosevic, forward for the Toronto FC
 * Bryan Namoff, defender and midfielder for D.C. United
 * Brad Ring, midfielder for the San Jose Earthquakes (2008-2013), midfielder for the Indy Eleven (2013-2018)
 * R. T. Moore, defender for the Tampa Bay Mutiny (1998-1999)
 * Tim Trilk, goalkeeper for the Indy Eleven (2022-present)

Wrestling

 * Stephanie Bellars, wrestling manager; married to Paul Caiafa of the Misfits