List of people from Wheaton, Illinois

This list includes notable people who were born or have lived in Wheaton, Illinois.

Business

 * Elbert Henry Gary (1846–1927), lawyer, county judge and founder of U.S. Steel
 * Dan and Ada Rice (Daniel 1896–1975; Ada 1898–1977), businesspeople, Thoroughbred racehorse owners and breeders, and philanthropists; owners of Kentucky Derby winner Lucky Debonair

Media and entertainment

 * Shane Acker (born 1971), filmmaker and animator
 * Jane Adams (born 1965), film, television, and theatre actress
 * Selamawi Asgedom (born 1976), author of Of Beetles and Angels: A Boy's Remarkable Journey from a Refugee Camp to Harvard
 * Bobbie Battista (born 1952), CNN anchor; attended high school in Wheaton
 * Andrew Belle (born 1984), singer and songwriter
 * Jim Belushi (born 1954), actor (According to Jim, K-9, Red Heat)
 * John Belushi (1949–1982), actor (Saturday Night Live, The Blues Brothers, and Animal House)
 * Wes Craven (1939–2015), horror film director (A Nightmare on Elm Street); alumnus of Wheaton College
 * John Drury (1927–2007), Chicago television news anchor
 * Dennis Dugan (born 1946), actor and director (Happy Gilmore and I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry)
 * Tami Erin (born 1974), actress and model (The New Adventures of Pippi Longstocking)
 * Danny Gonzalez (born 1994), YouTuber and former Viner
 * A. Wilson Greene (born 1949), writer and historian
 * Paul Hendrickson (born 1944), author, journalist and professor
 * Clyde S. Kilby (1902–1986), author and professor at Wheaton College
 * Ned Locke (1919–1992), Chicago TV and radio announcer
 * Paul Maxey (1907–1963), actor who played character roles in films and television, starting in 1937
 * Brian McCann (born 1965), actor, writer, and comedian
 * Robert R. McCormick (1880–1955), publisher of the Chicago Tribune
 * Joseph Medill (1823–1899), Mayor of Chicago; co-owner and managing editor of the Chicago Tribune
 * Everett Mitchell (1898–1990), radio announcer
 * Gail O'Grady (born 1963), actress (NYPD Blue, American Dreams)
 * Lorraine Olivia (born 1968), November 1990 Playboy Playmate of the Month; graduated from Wheaton Central High School (1986)
 * Kate Pierson (born 1948), lead singer of the B-52s, past spokesperson for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals
 * Janet Pilgrim (1934–2017), model and actress
 * Rick Santelli (born 1953), on-air editor for the CNBC Business News cable network
 * Sonal Shah (born 1980), actress (Scrubs)
 * Sandra Smith (born 1980), reporter for Fox Business Network
 * Bob Woodward (born 1943), author and reporter with The Washington Post; broke the Watergate scandal, co-writer of All the President's Men

Military

 * Mark S. Inch (born 1960), retired US Army Major General and ninth Director of the Federal Bureau of Prisons (2017–2018); graduate of Wheaton College; son of Morris Inch, Wheaton Professor
 * Robert James Miller (1983–2008), US Army Special Forces staff sergeant; Medal of Honor recipient; graduate of Wheaton North High School
 * James Howard Monroe (1944–1967), US Army PFC; Medal of Honor recipient; graduate of Wheaton Central High School; namesake of James Howard Monroe Middle School

Music

 * Andrew Belle (born 1984), musician
 * Steve Camp (born 1955), Christian singer
 * Blake Judd (born 1982), musician; lead vocalist of Nachtmystium

Politics and law

 * Ralph H. Barger (1923–2002), Illinois state legislator and mayor of Wheaton
 * Joe Birkett (born 1955), Illinois Appellate Court justice; former DuPage County State's Attorney
 * George Peter Foster (1858–1928), U.S. congressman from Illinois, 3rd and 4th districts
 * Amy Grant, member of the Illinois House of Representatives (2019–present)
 * William L. Guild (1910–1993), Illinois Attorney General and jurist
 * Randy Hultgren (born 1966), U.S. congressman, represented Illinois's 14th congressional district from 2011 to 2019.
 * Jeanne Ives (born 1964), Illinois state legislator (2013-2018), and candidate for Governor of Illinois (2018).
 * Robert Jauch (born 1945), Wisconsin state legislator
 * John McCandish King (1927–2016), member of the Illinois House of Representatives; between 1951–2015, he held the record as the youngest person to serve in the Illinois General Assembly
 * Prentice Marshall (1926–2004), U.S. District Judge for the Northern District of Illinois (1973–1996)
 * Lewis V. Morgan (1929–2018), American judge, lawyer, and politician
 * Evelyn Sanguinetti (born 1970), Lieutenant Governor of Illinois
 * Samuel K. Skinner (born 1938), U.S. Secretary of Transportation and White House Chief of Staff under President George H. W. Bush

Religion

 * Jonathan Blanchard (1811–1892), pastor, educator, social reformer, and abolitionist; founder of Wheaton College
 * Jim Elliot (1927–1956), evangelical Christian missionary to Ecuador who was killed while evangelizing to the Waodani people; alumnus of Wheaton College
 * Billy Graham (1918–2018), Christian evangelist; alumnus of Wheaton College
 * R. Kent Hughes (born 1942), author; pastor Emeritus of College Church
 * Isobel Miller Kuhn (1901–1957), Canadian missionary to the Lisu people of Yunnan Province, China, and northern Thailand
 * John R. Rice (1895–1980), Baptist evangelist and journalist
 * Miles J. Stanford (1914–1999), Christian author
 * Kenneth N. Taylor (1917–2005), translator of The Living Bible and founder of Tyndale House Publishers
 * Phil Vischer (born 1966), creator of the children's show VeggieTales

Science and design

 * Edwin Hubble (1889–1953), astronomer after whom the Hubble Space Telescope is named
 * Jarvis Hunt (1863–1941), architect and designer of Chicago Golf Club's clubhouse in Wheaton
 * Grote Reber (1911–2002), amateur astronomer, radio engineer and pioneer of radio astronomy

Baseball

 * Herb Adams (1928–2012), outfielder for Chicago White Sox
 * Don Bollweg (1921–1996), first baseman for St. Louis Cardinals, New York Yankees, and Philadelphia/Kansas City Athletics
 * Mike Joyce (born 1941), pitcher for Chicago White Sox
 * Chet Lemon (born 1955), outfielder for Chicago White Sox and Detroit Tigers; World Series champion (1984)
 * J. C. Martin (born 1936), catcher for New York Mets, and Chicago Cubs; World Series champion (1969)
 * Dave Otto (born 1964), pitcher for Chicago Cubs, Oakland Athletics, Cleveland Indians, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Chicago White Sox; sports broadcaster
 * Milt Pappas (1939–2016), pitcher for Baltimore Orioles, Cincinnati Reds, Atlanta Braves, and Chicago Cubs
 * Jimmy Piersall (1929–2017), outfielder for Boston Red Sox, broadcaster for Chicago White Sox, lived and died in Wheaton
 * Lee Pfund (1919–2016), pitcher for Brooklyn Dodgers
 * Sy Sutcliffe (1862–1893), catcher for Baltimore Orioles and Washington Statesmen
 * Ollie Voigt (1899–1970), pitcher for St Louis Browns

Basketball

 * Katie Meier (born 1967), head coach of University of Miami women's basketball team
 * Randy Pfund (born 1951), former head coach of NBA's Los Angeles Lakers and General Manager of Miami Heat

Boxing

 * Mike Lee (born 1987), light heavyweight boxer

Football

 * Jon Beutjer (born 1980), former professional football quarterback in the Arena Football League and Canadian Football League
 * Corey Davis (born 1995), NFL wide receiver for the New York Jets
 * Titus Davis (1993–2020), former American professional football player who was a wide receiver
 * Scott Dierking (born 1955), former NFL running back
 * Rick Fox, football head coach, Drake University
 * Kent Graham (born 1968), quarterback for eight NFL teams; 1986 National High School Quarterback of the Year at Wheaton North
 * Garland Grange (1906–1981), former Chicago Bears player and younger brother of Red Grange
 * Harold "Red" Grange (1903–1991), running back for the Chicago Bears and New York Yankees (NFL); known as "the Wheaton Ice Man"
 * A. J. Harris (born 1984), former Canadian football running back
 * Pete Ittersagen (born 1985), former NFL and CFL cornerback
 * Rick Johnson (born 1961), former CFL quarterback, actor and director
 * Jim Juriga (born 1964), former guard for the Denver Broncos
 * Tim Lester (born 1977), head football coach at Western Michigan University, from 2017 - 2022
 * Chuck Long (born 1963), College Football Hall of Fame quarterback; offensive coordinator of University of Kansas football
 * Tony Moeaki (born 1987), tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills
 * Todd Monken (born 1966), offensive coordinator and quarterback coach for University of Georgia
 * Matt Rahn (born 1982), retired American football player and since 2020, the acting head coach of the College of DuPage Chaparrals football team
 * Steve Thonn, American football coach
 * Clayton Thorson (born 1995), American football quarterback who is a free agent
 * Danny Vitale (born 1993), former American football fullback
 * Bob Zeman (1937–2019), defensive back for the San Diego Chargers and Denver Broncos, later coach for several college and professional teams

Golf

 * Charles B. Macdonald (1855–1939), golfer; built the first 18-hole course in the US
 * Kevin Streelman (born 1978), golfer on the PGA Tour

Hockey

 * Alain Chevrier (born 1961), goaltender for five NHL teams
 * Jacques Cloutier (born 1960), goaltender for the Buffalo Sabres, Chicago Blackhawks, and Quebec Nordiques
 * Ryan Dzingel (born 1992), forward for the Ottawa Senators
 * Bobby Hull (1939–2023), forward for the Chicago Blackhawks
 * Darren Pang (born 1964), goaltender for the Chicago Blackhawks; commentator for the St. Louis Blues
 * Wayne Presley (born 1965), right wing for five NHL teams
 * Denis Savard (born 1961), Hockey Hall of Fame centre and head coach for the Chicago Blackhawks, Montreal Canadiens, and Tampa Bay Lightning
 * Trent Yawney (born 1965), defenceman for the Chicago Blackhawks, Calgary Flames, and St. Louis Blues

Olympics

 * Adam Harris (born 1987), Olympic sprinter
 * Thomas Jaeschke (born 1993), bronze medalist of the 2016 Olympic Games for indoor volleyball
 * Sean Rooney (born 1982), Olympic volleyball outside hitter; gold medalist
 * Jim Spivey (born 1960), three-time Olympic 1500 meter and 5000 meter track and field athlete
 * Nancy Swider-Peltz (born 1956), Olympic speedskater (1976, 1980, 1984, 1988); mother of Nancy Jr.
 * Nancy Swider-Peltz Jr. (born 1987), Winter Olympian speed skater (2010)

Soccer

 * Charlie Fajkus (born 1957), former professional soccer midfielder

Tennis

 * Tim Gullikson (1951–1996), tennis player; coach of no. 1 ranked Pete Sampras; lived in Wheaton