The following is a list of prominent people who were born in the U.S. state of

South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...

, lived in South Carolina, or for whom South Carolina is a significant part of their identity.

A–B

John Abraham John Abraham (born 17 December 1972) is an Indian actor and film producer who works in Hindi films. Known for his stoic action hero persona, he is a recipient of a National Film Award along with nominations for four Filmfare Awards. Abraham ha ...

(born 1978), born in Timmonsville; NFL

defensive end Defensive end (DE) is a defensive position in the sport of gridiron football. This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formation (American football), formations over the years have substantially ...

for the

Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division. The ...

* Rick Adair (born 1958), born in Spartanburg; pitching coach for the

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles (also known as the O's) are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East Division. As one of the America ...

* Kimberly Aiken (born 1975), born in Columbia;

Miss America Miss America is an annual competition that is open to women from the United States between the ages of 18 and 28. Originating in 1921 as a "bathing beauty revue", the contest is judged on competition segments with scoring percentages: ''Priva ...

1994 * Jaimie Alexander (born 1984), born in Greenville; actress, ''

Kyle XY ''Kyle XY'' is an American science fiction television series created by Eric Bress and J. Mackye Gruber and produced by ABC Signature, ABC Studios. The central character is a teenage boy (Matt Dallas) who awakens naked in a forest outside Seattl ...

'', '' Blindspot'', the ''

Thor Thor (from ) is a prominent list of thunder gods, god in Germanic paganism. In Norse mythology, he is a hammer-wielding æsir, god associated with lightning, thunder, storms, sacred trees and groves in Germanic paganism and mythology, sacred g ...

'' movies *

Ray Allen Walter Ray Allen Jr. (born July 20, 1975) is an American former professional basketball player. Allen played 18 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as a play ...

(born 1975), lived in Dalzell;

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

star for the

Miami Heat The Miami Heat are an American professional basketball team based in Miami. The Heat compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division (NBA), Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern C ...

* Bill Anderson (born 1937), born in Columbia; country music singer and songwriter, nicknamed "Whisperin' Bill" * Ike Anderson (born 1957), born in Columbia; Greco-Roman wrestler who competed at

1988 Summer Olympics The 1988 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIV Olympiad () and officially branded as Seoul 1988 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 17 September to 2 October 1988 in Seoul, South Korea. 159 nations were represe ...

* Olanda Anderson (born 1972), born in

Sumter Sumter may refer to: People Given name * Sumter S. Arnim (1904–1990), American dentist * Sumter de Leon Lowry Jr. (1893–1985), United States Army general Surname * Rowendy Sumter (born 1988), Curaçaoan footballer * Shavonda E. Sumt ...

; former boxer, member of the 2000 United States Olympics team *

Aziz Ansari Aziz Ismail Ansari ( ; born February 23, 1983) is an American actor, comedian, and filmmaker. He played Tom Haverford on the NBC series '' Parks and Recreation'' (2009–2015) and created and starred in the Netflix series ''Master of None'' (2 ...

(born 1983), born in Columbia; actor and comedian *

Norman C. Armitage Norman Armitage (January 1, 1907, as Norman Cudworth Cohn – March 14, 1972) was an American patent lawyer, and chemical engineer who became an accomplished textile executive. He was an exceptional Fencing#Sabre, saber fencer who competed in si ...

(1907–1972), Olympic medalist saber fencer * Robert Ayers (born 1985), raised in

Clio In Greek mythology, Clio ( , ; ), also spelled Kleio, Сleio, or Cleo, is the muse of history, or in a few mythological accounts, the muse of lyre-playing. Etymology Clio's name is derived from the Greek root κλέω/κλείω (meaning ...

; defensive end for the

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The ...

Annie Maria Barnes Annie Maria Barnes (pen name, Cousin Annie; May 28, 1857 – October 21 1933 or December 31 1943) was a 19th-century American journalist, editor, and author from South Carolina. At the age of eleven, she wrote an article for the '' Atlanta Const ...

(1857 – unknown), born in Columbia; journalist, editor, and author * Alex Barron (born 1982), born in Orangeburg; left tackle for the

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. T ...

* Frances Elizabeth Barrow (1822–1894), born in Charleston; children's writer *

Bernard Baruch Bernard Mannes Baruch (August 19, 1870 – June 20, 1965) was an American financier and statesman. After amassing a fortune on the New York Stock Exchange, he impressed President Woodrow Wilson by managing the nation's economic mobilization in W ...

(1870–1965), born in Camden; financier, philanthropist, statesman, and adviser to President Woodrow Wilson and Franklin Roosevelt * Tyler Bass (born 1997), from Columbia; kicker for the

Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East div ...

* Samuel Beam (born 1974), born in Columbia; singer-songwriter under the stage name Iron & Wine * Paul Benjamin (1938–2019), born in

Pelion Pelion or Pelium (Modern , ''Pílio''; Ancient Greek/Katharevousa: Πήλιον, ''Pēlion'') is a mountain at the southeastern part of Thessaly in northern Greece, forming a hook-like peninsula between the Pagasetic Gulf and the Aegean Sea. Its ...

; actor * Shelton Benjamin (born 1976), from Orangeburg;

professional wrestler Professional wrestling, often shortened to either pro wrestling or wrestling,The term "wrestling" is most often widely used to specifically refer to modern scripted professional wrestling, though it is also used to refer to real-life wrest ...

and former

amateur wrestler Amateur wrestling is a variant of wrestling practiced at Olympic, collegiate, scholastic, and other levels. There are two international wrestling styles performed at the Olympic Games The modern Olympic Games (Olympics; ) are the worl ...

* Charles Dantonja Bennett (born 1983), born in Camden; football player for Clemson University and Tampa Bay Buccaneers *

Ben Bernanke Ben Shalom Bernanke ( ; born December 13, 1953) is an American economist who served as the 14th chairman of the Federal Reserve from 2006 to 2014. After leaving the Federal Reserve, he was appointed a distinguished fellow at the Brookings Insti ...

(born 1953), graduated from high school in Dillon in 1971, former chairman of the

Federal Reserve The Federal Reserve System (often shortened to the Federal Reserve, or simply the Fed) is the central banking system of the United States. It was created on December 23, 1913, with the enactment of the Federal Reserve Act, after a series of ...

* The Big Show (born Paul Donald Wight), professional wrestler and actor, born in Aiken * Blue Sky (born 1938), born in Columbia and lived there for the majority of his life, painter and sculptor * Alfred W. Bethea (1916–1999), former member of the

South Carolina House of Representatives The South Carolina House of Representatives is the lower house of the South Carolina General Assembly. It consists of 124 representatives elected to two-year terms at the same time as U.S. congressional elections. Unlike many legislatures, seatin ...

from Dillon; the 1970 gubernatorial nominee of the

American Independent Party The American Independent Party (AIP) is an American political party that was established in 1967. The American Independent Party is best known for its nomination of Democratic then-former Governor George Wallace of Alabama, who carried five s ...

Mary McLeod Bethune Mary McLeod Bethune (; July 10, 1875 – May 18, 1955) was an American educator, Philanthropy, philanthropist, Humanitarianism, humanitarian, Womanism, womanist, and civil rights activist. Bethune founded the National Council of Negro Women in ...

(1875–1955), from Mayesville; civil rights leader and groundbreaking educator * Doc Blanchard (1924–2009), born in McColl, raised in Bishopville; college football player who became the first ever junior to win the

Heisman Trophy The Heisman Memorial Trophy ( ; also known simply as the Heisman) is awarded annually since 1935 to the top player in college football. It is considered the most prestigious award in the sport and is presented by the Heisman Trophy Trust followin ...

* Charles F. Bolden Jr. (born 1946), born in Columbia; NASA

astronaut An astronaut (from the Ancient Greek (), meaning 'star', and (), meaning 'sailor') is a person trained, equipped, and deployed by a List of human spaceflight programs, human spaceflight program to serve as a commander or crew member of a spa ...

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionar ...

major general, administrator of

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the federal government of the United States, US federal government responsible for the United States ...

* James Butler Bonham (1807–1836), from Red Bank (now Saluda); lawyer, soldier, and defender of the Alamo * Chadwick Boseman (1976–2020), born in Anderson; actor, known for his role as

Black Panther A black panther is the Melanism, melanistic colour variant of the leopard (''Panthera pardus'') and the jaguar (''Panthera onca''). Black panthers of both species have excess black pigments, but their typical Rosette (zoology), rosettes are al ...

in '' Captain America: Civil War'' and in the 2018 film of the same name * Peter Boulware (born 1974), born in Columbia; former

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and typically line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and so back up the defensive linemen. They play closer to the line ...

for the

Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its home g ...

* Zackary Bowman (born 1984), born in Columbia; cornerback for the

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They are one of two remaining ...

* Jarrell Brantley (born 1996), basketball player * Rick Brewer, former administrator at Charleston Southern University in North Charleston, and current president of

Louisiana College Louisiana Christian University (LC) is a private Baptist university in Pineville, Louisiana. It enrolls 1,100 to 1,200 students. It is affiliated with the Louisiana Baptist Convention (Southern Baptist Convention). Louisiana Christian Univer ...

Pineville, Louisiana Pineville is a city in Rapides Parish, Louisiana, United States. It is located across the Red River from the larger Alexandria, and is part of the Alexandria Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 14,555 at the 2010 census. It had ...

Lee Brice Kenneth Mobley Brice Jr. (born June 10, 1979), known professionally as Lee Brice, is an American country music singer and songwriter, signed to Curb Records. Brice has released five albums with the label: ''Love Like Crazy'', ''Hard 2 Love (Lee B ...

(born 1980), born in

; country artist, co-wrote the

Garth Brooks Troyal Garth Brooks (born February 7, 1962) is an American Country music, country singer and songwriter. His integration of pop and rock elements into the country genre has earned him his immense popularity, particularly in the United States, ...

song '' More Than a Memory'' * Danielle Brooks (born 1989), raised in Simpsonville; actress *

Preston Brooks Preston Smith Brooks (August 5, 1819 – January 27, 1857) was an American slaver, politician, and member of the U.S. House of Representatives from South Carolina, serving as a member of the Democratic Party from 1853 until his resignation i ...

(1819-1857), born in Edgefield; advocate of slavery and states' rights before the American Civil War * Robert Brooks (born 1970), born in Greenwood; former wide receiver for the Green Bay Packers and the Denver Broncos * J. Anthony Brown, born in Columbia; actor, comedian and radio personality *

James Brown James Joseph Brown (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, musician, and record producer. The central progenitor of funk music and a major figure of 20th-century music, he is referred to by Honorific nick ...

(1933–2006), born in Barnwell; singer, songwriter, musician, and recording artist dubbed the "godfather of soul" * Kwame Brown (born 1982), born in Charleston; center for the

Golden State Warriors The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in San Francisco. The Warriors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. Founded in 1946 i ...

* Omar Brown (born 1988), born in Moncks Corner; free safety for the

* Sheldon Brown (born 1979), born in Lancaster; cornerback for the

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. The Browns compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team is named after ...

* Martavis Bryant (born 1991), born in Calhoun Falls; wide receiver for the

Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. Founded in 1933 P ...

Peabo Bryson Robert Peapo "Peabo" Bryson ( ; born April 13, 1951) is an American singer and songwriter. He is known for singing soul ballads (often as a duet with female singers) including the hit singles " Tonight, I Celebrate My Love", "You're Looking Like ...

(born 1951), born in Greenville; R&B singer-songwriter * Jared Burton (born 1981), born in

Westminster Westminster is the main settlement of the City of Westminster in Central London, Central London, England. It extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street and has many famous landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, Buckingham Palace, ...

; relief pitcher for the

Minnesota Twins The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The team is named afte ...

* Rafael Bush (born 1987), born in Williston; safety for the

New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. Since 1975, the team ...

* James F. Byrnes (1882–1972), born in Charleston; U.S. Representative, U.S. Senator, Justice of the Supreme Court, Secretary of State, and 104th governor of South Carolina.

C–D

* Pat Caddell (1950–2019), born in Rock Hill; public opinion pollster, political film consultant * Tommy Caldwell (1949–1980), born in Spartanburg; bassist for

the Marshall Tucker Band The Marshall Tucker Band is an American rock band from Spartanburg, South Carolina. Noted for incorporating blues, country and jazz into an eclectic sound, the Marshall Tucker Band helped establish the Southern rock genre in the early 1970s. Wh ...

Toy Caldwell Toy Talmadge Caldwell Jr. (November 13, 1947 – February 25, 1993) was an American musician who was most notable as the lead guitarist and main songwriter of the 1970s Southern Rock group The Marshall Tucker Band. A founding member of the b ...

(1947–1993), born in Spartanburg; lead guitarist and vocalist for the Marshall Tucker Band *

Floride Calhoun Floride Bonneau Calhoun (née Colhoun; February 15, 1792 – July 25, 1866) was the wife of U.S. politician John C. Calhoun. She was known for her leading role in the Petticoat affair, which occurred during her husband's service as vic ...

(1792–1866), born in Charleston; Second Lady of the United States * John Caldwell Calhoun (1782–1850), born in

Abbeville County Abbeville County is a county located in the U.S. state of South Carolina. As of the 2020 census, its population was 24,295. Its county seat is Abbeville. It is the first county (or county equivalent) in the United States alphabetically. Abbev ...

; U.S. Senator, Secretary of State, Secretary of War, and the 7th Vice-President of the U.S. * Anna Camp (born 1982), born in Aiken; actress, ''

The Help ''The Help'' is a historical fiction novel by American author Kathryn Stockett published by Penguin Books in 2009. The story is about African Americans working in white households in Jackson, Mississippi, during the early 1960s. A ''USA Today' ...

'' * Carroll A. Campbell Jr. (1940–2005), born in Greenville; South Carolina Governor and U.S. Congressman * John Tucker Campbell (1912–1991), born in Calhoun Falls; Secretary of State 1978–1991, Mayor of Columbia 1970–1978, city councilman, drugstore owner * Marion Campbell (1929–2016), born in

Chester Chester is a cathedral city in Cheshire, England, on the River Dee, Wales, River Dee, close to the England–Wales border. With a built-up area population of 92,760 in 2021, it is the most populous settlement in the borough of Cheshire West an ...

; NFL defensive lineman and head coach * Shane Carruth (born 1972), born in

Myrtle Beach Myrtle Beach is a resort city on the East Coast of the United States in Horry County, South Carolina. It is located in the center of a long and continuous stretch of beach known as the " Grand Strand” in the northeastern part of the state. It ...

; filmmaker * Harry Carson (born 1953), born in

Florence Florence ( ; ) is the capital city of the Italy, Italian region of Tuscany. It is also the most populated city in Tuscany, with 362,353 inhabitants, and 989,460 in Metropolitan City of Florence, its metropolitan province as of 2025. Florence ...

; football player, inducted into the

Pro Football Hall of Fame The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame for professional football (gridiron), professional American football, located in Canton, Ohio. Opened on September 7, 1963, the Hall of Fame enshrines exceptional figures in the sport of profes ...

2006 * Wilson Casey (born 1954), born in Woodruff; "Trivia" Guinness World Record holder, nationally syndicated trivia newspaper columnist * Chandler Catanzaro (born 1991), born in Greenville; placekicker for the

* Charlamagne Tha God (born 1980), born in Moncks Corner; radio and TV personality * Essie B. Cheesborough (1826-1905), born in Charleston; writer *

Chubby Checker Chubby Checker (born Ernest Evans; October 3, 1941) is an American singer and dancer. He is widely known for popularizing many dance styles, including the Twist, with his 1960 hit cover of Hank Ballard & The Midnighters' R&B song " The Twis ...

(born 1941 as Ernest Evans), born in Spring Gulley (

Andrews Andrews may refer to: Places Australia *Andrews, Queensland *Andrews, South Australia United States *Andrews, Florida (disambiguation), various places *Andrews, Indiana *Andrews, Nebraska *Andrews, North Carolina *Andrews, Oregon *Andrews, South ...

); singer * Alice Childress (1920–1994), born in Charleston; playwright who wrote about the struggles of poverty and racism * Kelsey Chow (born 1991), born and raised in Columbia; actress *

Jim Clyburn James Enos Clyburn (born July 21, 1940) is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for . First elected in 1992, Clyburn is in his 17th term, representing a congressional district that includes most of the majority-black precinc ...

(born 1940), born in

; U.S. congressman *

Dave Cockrum David Emmett Cockrum (; November 11, 1943 – November 26, 2006) was an American comics artist known for his co-creation of the new X-Men characters Nightcrawler (character), Nightcrawler, Storm (Marvel Comics), Storm, Colossus (character), Colos ...

(1943–2006), died in Belton; comic book artist * Landon Cohen (born 1986), born in Spartanburg; defensive tackle for the

Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division. The club entered the NFL a ...

Stephen Colbert Stephen Tyrone Colbert ( ; born May 13, 1964) is an American comedian, writer, producer, political commentator, actor, and television host. He is best known for hosting the satirical Comedy Central program ''The Colbert Report'' from 2005 to ...

(born 1964), born in

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

but grew up in Charleston; comedian, anchor, political analyst, television personality, former host of ''

The Colbert Report ''The Colbert Report'' ( ) is an American late night television, late-night Late-night talk show, talk and news satire television program hosted by Stephen Colbert that aired four days a week on Comedy Central from October 17, 2005, to December ...

'' and current host of the television show ''

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert ''The Late Show with Stephen Colbert'' is an American late-night talk show, late-night news satire, news and liberal political satire talk show hosted by Stephen Colbert, which premiered on September 8, 2015. Produced by Stephen Colbert, Spartin ...

'' * Catherine Coleman (born 1960), born in Charleston; chemist, former U.S. Air Force officer, current

astronaut * Monique Coleman (born 1980), born in Orangeburg; actress * Mike Colter (born 1976), born in Columbia, raised in St. Matthews; actor, '' Ringer'' * O'Neal Compton (1951–2019), born in

; character actor *

Pat Conroy Donald Patrick Conroy (October 26, 1945 – March 4, 2016) was an American author who wrote several acclaimed novels and memoirs; his books ''The Water Is Wide (book), The Water is Wide'', ''The Lords of Discipline'', ''The Prince of Tides (no ...

(1945–2016), grew up in Beaufort, attended Beaufort High School and

The Citadel The Citadel Military College of South Carolina (simply known as The Citadel) is a public senior military college in Charleston, South Carolina, United States. Established in 1842, it is the third oldest of the six senior military colleges ...

; novelist * Angell Conwell (born 1983), born in Orangeburg and raised in Columbia; actress * Tyrone Corbin (born 1962), born in Columbia; NBA player and coach * James S. Cothran (1830–1897), born in

; U.S. House of Representatives for South Carolina's 3rd congressional district * Torrey Craig (born 1990), born in Columbia; NBA player * Charles Craven (1682–1754); governor of colonial South Carolina during the

Tuscarora War The Tuscarora War was fought in North Carolina from September 10, 1711, until February 11, 1715, between the Tuscarora people and their allies on one side and European American settlers, the Yamasee, and other allies on the other. This was con ...

and

Yamasee War The Yamasee War (also spelled Yamassee or Yemassee) was a conflict fought in South Carolina from 1715 to 1717 between British settlers from the Province of Carolina and the Yamasee, who were supported by a number of allied Native Americans in ...

Shawn Crawford Shawn Crawford (born January 14, 1978) is a retired American sprint athlete. He competed in the 100 meters and 200 meters events. In the 200 meter sprint, Crawford won gold at the 2004 Summer Olympics and silver at the 2008 Summer O ...

(born 1978), born in Van Wyck; gold medalist in 2004 Athens Olympics 200 meters, silver in

2008 Beijing Olympics The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and officially branded as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes fro ...

* Madelyn Cline (born 1997), born in Goose Creek; actress * Robert Houston Curry (1842–1892), born near Winnsboro; member of the

Louisiana House of Representatives The Louisiana House of Representatives (; ) is the lower house in the Louisiana State Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Louisiana. This chamber is composed of 105 representatives, each of whom represents approximately 4 ...

from Bossier Parish, wounded Confederate Army veteran at

Second Battle of Manassas The Second Battle of Bull Run or Battle of Second Manassas was fought August 28–30, 1862, in Prince William County, Virginia, as part of the American Civil War. It was the culmination of the Northern Virginia Campaign waged by Confederat ...

Esther Dale Esther Dale (November 10, 1885 – July 23, 1961) was an American actress of the stage and screen. Esther Dale died in the summer of 1961 following surgery in Queen of Angels Hospital in Hollywood. Her husband, writer-director Arthur J. Beckha ...

(1885–1961), born in Beaufort; actress * Beth Daniel (born 1956), born in Charleston; golfer, member of World Golf Hall of Fame * George B. Daniels (born 1953), born in Allendale; federal judge * Gary Davis (1896–1972), born in Clinton; blues and gospel songwriter and innovative guitarist * Kristin Davis (born 1965), early in her childhood, she and her parents moved to Columbia; actress known for role as Charlotte York in ''

Sex and the City ''Sex and the City'' is an American romantic comedy, romantic comedy-drama television series created by Darren Star for HBO, based on Sex and the City (newspaper column), the newspaper column and 1996 book by Candace Bushnell. It premiered in th ...

'' * Mary Elizabeth Moragne Davis (1815–1903), born in Oakwood, Abbeville District; diarist and author * Mendel Jackson Davis (1942–2007), born in North Charleston; United States Representative from South Carolina * Richard C. Davis (born 1963), from Charleston; real estate broker and television personality *

Viola Davis Viola Davis ( ; born August 11, 1965) is an American actress and film producer. List of awards and nominations received by Viola Davis, Her accolades include both the Triple Crown of Acting and EGOT. ''Time (magazine), Time'' named her one of ...

(born 1965), born in St. Matthews; actress, ''

'' * Katon Dawson (born 1956), born in Columbia; former chairman of the South Carolina Republican Party *

Manish Dayal Manish Dayal (born Manish Sudhir Patel; June 17, 1983) is an American actor. He is best known for his roles in the CW teen drama series '' 90210'' (2011–2012) as well as in the films '' The Hundred Foot Journey'' (2014) and '' Viceroy's House'' ...

(born 1983), born in Orangeburg; actor, '' 90210'' * Robert C. De Large (1842–1874), born in Aiken; member of United States House of Representatives from South Carolina * Will Demps (born 1963), born in Charleston; football safety for the

and others * Andy Dick (born 1965), born in Charleston; actor and comedian best known for his roles on sitcoms *

James Dickey James Lafayette Dickey (February 2, 1923 January 19, 1997) was an American poet, novelist, critic, and lecturer. He was appointed the 18th United States Poet Laureate in 1966. His other accolades included the National Book Award for Poetry a ...

(1923–1997); professor at University of South Carolina at Columbia, poet and novelist * Samuel Henry Dickson (1798–1872), born in Charleston; poet, physician, writer and educator * Anna Peyre Dinnies (1805–1886), born in Georgetown; poet and writer * Julius Dixson (1913–2004), born in Barnwell; songwriter and record company executive *

Larry Doby Lawrence Eugene Doby (December 13, 1923 – June 18, 2003) was an American professional baseball player in the Negro league baseball, Negro leagues and Major League Baseball (MLB) who was the second black player to break baseball color line, bas ...

(1923–2003), born in Camden; baseball player in Negro leagues and Major League Baseball, first black player in

American League The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is the younger of two sports leagues, leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western L ...

, later manager of

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The club plays its ...

, Hall of Fame inductee *

Stanley Donen Stanley Donen ( ; April 13, 1924 – February 21, 2019) was an American film director and choreographer. He received the Honorary Academy Award in 70th Academy Awards, 1998, and the Golden Lion#Golden Lion – Honorary Award, Career Golden Lion ...

(1924–2019), born in Columbia; film director and choreographer * Ulysses Dove (1947–1996), born in Columbia; choreographer *

David Drake David A. Drake (September 24, 1945 – December 10, 2023) was an American author of science fiction and fantasy literature. A Vietnam War veteran, he worked as a lawyer before becoming a writer in the military science fiction genre. Biography ...

(c.1800–c.1870s), from Edgefield; potter * Steven Duggar (born 1993), born in Spartanburg and raised in Moore; baseball player for the

San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...

Charles Duke Charles Moss Duke Jr. (born October 3, 1935) is an American former astronaut, United States Air Force (USAF) officer and test pilot, and young Earth creationist. As Lunar Module pilot of Apollo 16 in 1972, he became the tenth and youngest p ...

(born 1935), raised in Lancaster; engineer, retired U.S. Air Force officer,

test pilot A test pilot is an aircraft pilot with additional training to fly and evaluate experimental, newly produced and modified aircraft with specific maneuvers, known as flight test techniques.Stinton, Darrol. ''Flying Qualities and Flight Testin ...

, former astronaut * Watson B. Duncan III (1915–1991), born in Charleston; college professor * William Wallace Duncan (1839–1908), died in Spartanburg; bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South * Justin Durant (born 1985), born in

; linebacker for the

Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The Falcons were founded o ...

E–F

* Ainsley Earhardt (born 1976), grew up in Columbia, correspondent for

Fox News The Fox News Channel (FNC), commonly known as Fox News, is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Conservatism in the United States, conservative List of news television channels, news and political commentary Television stati ...

* John B. Earle (1766–1836), died in Anderson County, U.S. Representative from South Carolina * Samuel Earle (1760–1833), died in Pendleton District, United States Representative from South Carolina * Marian Wright Edelman (born 1939), born in Bennettsville, activist for the rights of children * Armanti Edwards (born 1988), born in Greenwood, Pro football player for the Carolina Panthers and Cleveland Browns * Carl Edwards Jr. (born 1991), born in

Prosperity Prosperity is the flourishing, thriving, good fortune and successful social status. Prosperity often produces profuse wealth including other factors which can be profusely wealthy in all degrees, such as happiness and health. Competing notions ...

, relief pitcher for the

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Division. Th ...

* Eddie Edwards (born 1954), born in

, former defensive end for the

Cincinnati Bengals The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its h ...

football team *

John Edwards Johnny Reid Edwards (born June 10, 1953) is an American lawyer and former politician who represented North Carolina in the United States Senate from 1999 to 2005. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the vice presidential nominee under ...

(born 1953), born in Seneca, former U.S. Senator from North Carolina (1999–2005),

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...

Democratic nominee for Vice President under

John Kerry John Forbes Kerry (born December 11, 1943) is an American attorney, politician, and diplomat who served as the 68th United States secretary of state from 2013 to 2017 in the Presidency of Barack Obama#Administration, administration of Barac ...

* Leslie Jean Egnot (born 1963), born in Greenville, Olympic yachtswoman for New Zealand * Frederick J. Eikerenkoetter II,

Reverend Ike Frederick J. Eikerenkoetter II (June 1, 1935 – July 28, 2009), better known as Reverend Ike, was an American minister and evangelist based in New York City. He was known for the slogan "You can't lose with the stuff I use!" Though his preach ...

(1935–2009), born in Ridgeland, minister and electronic evangelist * Andre Ellington (born 1989), born in Moncks Corner, running back for the

* Bruce Ellington (born 1991), born in Moncks Corner, wide receiver for the

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners and nicknamed the Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member ...

* Shaun Ellis (born 1977), born in Anderson, defensive end for the

New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. The Patriots compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The Pa ...

football team * Lilian Ellison (1923–2007), born in Kershaw County, female professional wrestler better known as the Fabulous Moolah * Edward C. Elmore (1826–1873), born in Columbia, Treasurer of the Confederate States of America * Frank Emanuel (born 1942), born in

, former football linebacker for

Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. The Dolphins compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team ...

and the

Alex English Alexander English (born January 5, 1954) is an American former professional basketball player, coach, and businessman. A South Carolina native, English played college basketball for the South Carolina Gamecocks men's basketball, South Carolina ...

(born 1954), born in Columbia, basketball player, member of the

Basketball Hall of Fame The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is an American history museum and hall of fame, located at 1000 Hall of Fame Avenue in Springfield, Massachusetts. It serves as basketball's most complete library, in addition to promoting and pres ...

* Joe Arnold Erwin (born 1956), born in

, entrepreneur and politician, former chairman of the South Carolina Democratic Party * Esquerita (1935–1986), born in Greenville, singer, songwriter and pianist, original name Eskew Reeder Jr. * Leomont Evans (born 1974), born in

Abbeville Abbeville (; ; ) is a commune in the Somme department and in Hauts-de-France region in northern France. It is the of one of the arrondissements of Somme. Located on the river Somme, it was the capital of Ponthieu. Geography Location A ...

, former American football safety in the National Football League for the Washington Redskins * Ralph B. Everett (born 1951), born in Orangeburg, lobbyist and political staffer * Richard Evonitz (1963–2002), born in Columbia, serial killer *

Shepard Fairey Frank Shepard Fairey (born February 15, 1970) is an American contemporary artist, activist and founder of OBEY Clothing who emerged from the skateboarding scene. In 1989, he designed the " Andre the Giant Has a Posse" (...OBEY...) sticker campa ...

(born 1970), born in Charleston, artist who created the Barack Obama "Hope" poster * James Farrow (1827–1892), born in Laurens, politician in Confederate Congress, elected to U.S. House of Representatives * William G. Farrow (1918–1942), born in

Darlington Darlington is a market town in the Borough of Darlington, County Durham, England. It lies on the River Skerne, west of Middlesbrough and south of Durham. Darlington had a population of 107,800 at the 2021 Census, making it a "large town" ...

, captured and executed by the Japanese military following the Doolittle Raid * Shannon Faulkner (born 1975), born in Powdersville, the first female cadet to enter

* Charles Fernley Fawcett (1915–2008), grew up in Greenville, co-founder of the International Medical Corps * Raymond Felton (born 1984), born in Marion, professional basketball player * Eugene Figg (1936–2002), born in Charleston, structural engineer who made numerous contributions to the field of

structural engineering Structural engineering is a sub-discipline of civil engineering in which structural engineers are trained to design the 'bones and joints' that create the form and shape of human-made Structure#Load-bearing, structures. Structural engineers also ...

* David E. Finley Jr. (1890–1977), born in

York York is a cathedral city in North Yorkshire, England, with Roman Britain, Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers River Ouse, Yorkshire, Ouse and River Foss, Foss. It has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a Yor ...

, art executive, first director of the National Gallery of Art, founding chairman of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and chairman of the United States Commission of Fine Arts * Kirkman George Finlay (1877–1938), born in Greenville, first bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Upper South Carolina * Michael Flessas (born 1959), attended college and lived in South Carolina, actor, best known for his role in the film ''

Dancer in the Dark ''Dancer in the Dark'' is a 2000 musical psychological tragedy film written and directed by Lars von Trier. It stars Icelandic musician Björk as a factory worker who suffers from a degenerative eye condition and is saving for an operation to p ...

'' *

Tyler Florence Tyler Florence (born March 3, 1971) is an American chef and television host of several Food Network shows. He graduated from the College of Culinary Arts at the Charleston, South Carolina, campus of Johnson & Wales University in 1991. He was la ...

(born 1971), born in Greenville, television chef * Rickey Foggie (born 1966), born in Laurens, former quarterback in the Canadian Football League and the Arena Football League * James Dudley Fooshe (1844–1940), born in Abbeville District (now Greenwood County), soldier, author, farmer, philosopher, and Methodist churchman *

Joe Frazier Joseph William Frazier (January 12, 1944November 7, 2011) was an American professional boxer who competed from 1965 to 1981. Nicknamed "Smokin' Joe", he is widely regarded as one of the greatest heavyweight boxers of all time. He was known for ...

(1944–2011), born in Beaufort, boxer, 1964 Olympic heavyweight champion and the world heavyweight champ 1970–73 *

Nancy Friday Nancy Colbert Friday (August 27, 1933 – November 5, 2017) was an American author who wrote on the topics of female sexuality and liberation. Her writings argue that women have often been reared under an ideal of womanhood, which was outdated ...

(1933–2017), grew up in Charleston, author, specializing in topics of female sexuality and liberation * Pearl Fryar (born 1940), topiary artist living in Bishopville *

Steven Furtick Larry Stevens Furtick Jr. (born February 19, 1980), known professionally as Steven Furtick, is an American evangelical Christian pastor, author, and composer of Elevation Worship. He is the founder and general overseer of Elevation Church, base ...

(born 1980) born in Moncks Corner, founder and lead pastor of Elevation Church

G–I

* Samkon Gado (born 1982), attended Ben Lippen High School in Columbia, running back in the National Football League * David du Bose Gaillard (1859–1913), born in Manning, U.S. Army engineer instrumental in the construction of the

Panama Canal The Panama Canal () is an artificial waterway in Panama that connects the Caribbean Sea with the Pacific Ocean. It cuts across the narrowest point of the Isthmus of Panama, and is a Channel (geography), conduit for maritime trade between th ...

* John Gaillard (1765–1826), born in St. Stephen's district, U.S. Senator * Brett Gardner (born 1983), born in Holly Hill,

left fielder In baseball, a left fielder, abbreviated LF, is an outfielder who plays defense in left field. Left field is the area of the outfield to the left of a person standing at home plate and facing towards the pitcher's mound. In the numbering system ...

for the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Am ...

Kevin Garnett Kevin Maurice Garnett ( ; born May 19, 1976) is an American former professional basketball player who played 21 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "the Big Ticket," Garnett is considered one of the greatest power f ...

(born 1976), born in Mauldin, retired professional basketball player for the

Minnesota Timberwolves The Minnesota Timberwolves (often referred to as the Wolves or T-wolves) are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis. The Timberwolves compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Divisio ...

Boston Celtics The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NBA), Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), ...

, and

Brooklyn Nets The Brooklyn Nets are an American professional basketball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Brooklyn. The Nets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NBA), ...

* Sarah Ann Haynsworth Gayle (1804-1835), born in Sumter County, diarist *

Leeza Gibbons Leeza Kim Gibbons (born March 26, 1957) is an American talk show host. She is best known as a correspondent and co-host for ''Entertainment Tonight'' (1984–2000) as well as for having her own syndicated daytime talk show, ''Leeza'' (1993– ...

(born 1957), born in Hartsville, talk show host of ''Entertainment Tonight'' and other

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood ...

news shows * Althea Gibson (1927–2003), born in Silver, Clarendon County, first African-American player to win Wimbledon and U.S. National tennis championships * Thomas Gibson (born 1962), born in Charleston, actor, ''

Criminal Minds ''Criminal Minds'' is an American police procedural crime drama television series created by Jeff Davis that premiered on CBS on September 22, 2005. It follows a group of criminal profilers who work for the FBI as members of its Behavioral ...

'' *

William Gibson William Ford Gibson (born March 17, 1948) is an American-Canadian speculative fiction writer and essayist widely credited with pioneering the science fiction subgenre known as cyberpunk. Beginning his writing career in the late 1970s, his ear ...

(born 1948), born in

Conway Conway may refer to: Places United States * Conway, Arkansas * Conway County, Arkansas * Lake Conway, Arkansas * Conway, Florida * Conway, Iowa * Conway, Kansas * Conway, Louisiana * Conway, Massachusetts * Conway, Michigan * Conway Townshi ...

, author, credited as the father of the

Cyberpunk Cyberpunk is a subgenre of science fiction in a dystopian futuristic setting said to focus on a combination of "low-life and high tech". It features futuristic technological and scientific achievements, such as artificial intelligence and cyberwa ...

genre of

science fiction Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...

Dizzy Gillespie John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie ( ; October 21, 1917 – January 6, 1993) was an American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, composer, educator and singer. He was a trumpet virtuoso and improvisation, improviser, building on the virtuosic style of Roy El ...

(1917–1993), born in

Cheraw The Cheraw people, also known as the Saraw or Saura,Sebeok, Thomas Albert''Native Languages of the Americas, Volume 2.''Plenum Press, 1977: 251. were a Siouan-speaking tribe of Indigenous people of the Southeastern Woodlands,Swanton''The Indians ...

, African-American

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

trumpeter, bandleader, singer and composer * Stephon Gilmore (born 1990), born in Rock Hill, cornerback for the

* Gordon Glisson (1930–1997), born in Winnsboro, thoroughbred horse racing jockey * Candice Glover (born 1989), born in Beaufort, ''

American Idol ''American Idol'' is an American Music competition, singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle (company), Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It a ...

'' (season 12) winner * Joseph L. Goldstein (born 1940), born in Kingstree, Nobel Prize-winning

biochemist Biochemists are scientists who are trained in biochemistry. They study chemical processes and chemical transformations in living organisms. Biochemists study DNA, proteins and Cell (biology), cell parts. The word "biochemist" is a portmanteau of ...

and

geneticist A geneticist is a biologist or physician who studies genetics, the science of genes, heredity, and variation of organisms. A geneticist can be employed as a scientist or a lecturer. Geneticists may perform general research on genetic process ...

André Goodman André Goodman (born August 11, 1978) is an American former professional football player who was a cornerback in the National Football League (NFL). He was selected by the Detroit Lions in the third round, third pick of the 2002 NFL draft. He ...

(born 1978), born in Greenville,

cornerback A cornerback (CB) is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in gridiron football. Cornerbacks cover Wide receiver, receivers most of the time, but also blitz and defend against such Play from scrimmage, offensive running plays as sweep ...

for the

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC West, West division. The team is headquartered in E ...

* A. J. Green (born 1988), born in Summerville, wide receiver for the

* Zack Godley (born 1990), born in

Bamberg Bamberg (, , ; East Franconian German, East Franconian: ''Bambärch'') is a town in Upper Franconia district in Bavaria, Germany, on the river Regnitz close to its confluence with the river Main (river), Main. Bamberg had 79,000 inhabitants in ...

, starting pitcher for the

Arizona Diamondbacks The Arizona Diamondbacks are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West Division. The franchise was established ...

* Malliciah Goodman (born 1990), born in

, defensive end for the

* B. J. Goodson (born 1993), born in Lamar, linebacker for the

* Jonathan Goodwin (born 1978), born in Columbia, offensive lineman in the National Football League * K. Lee Graham (born 1997), from Chapin, won the Miss Teen USA 2014 pageant *

Lindsey Graham Lindsey Olin Graham (; born July 9, 1955) is an American politician and attorney serving as the Seniority in the United States Senate, senior United States Senate, United States senator from South Carolina, a seat he has held since 2003. A membe ...

(born 1955), from Central, politician, lawyer, long-time South Carolina

Senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or Legislative chamber, chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the Ancient Rome, ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior ...

since 2003, and unsuccessful

2016 2016 was designated as: * International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly. * International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...

presidential candidate * Boyce Green (born 1960), born in Beaufort, former running back in the National Football League * Chad Green (born 1991), born in Greenville, relief pitcher for the

* Alvin Greene (born 1977), born in

, 2010 Democratic nominee for United States Senator * Maxcy Gregg (1814–1862), born in Columbia, lawyer, and brigadier general in the Confederate States Army * Fred Griffith (born 1964), born in Spartanburg, actor and producer * James Grimsley Jr. (1921–2013), born in

, major general U.S. Army and president of

* Terry Guess (born 1974), from Orangeburg, former NFL wide receiver * Michael Hackett (born 1960), basketball player, Liga Profesional de Baloncesto MVP in 1984, and Israeli League Top Scorer in 1991 * Johnson Hagood (1828–1898), Confederate general and governor of South Carolina *

Nikki Haley Nimarata Nikki Randhawa Haley (''née'' Randhawa; born January 20, 1972) is an American politician and diplomat who served as the 116th governor of South Carolina from 2011 to 2017 and as the 29th U.S. ambassador to the United Nations from Ja ...

(born 1972), born and raised in

, Indian-American politician, former

Governor of South Carolina The governor of South Carolina is the head of government of South Carolina. The governor is the ''ex officio'' commander-in-chief of the National Guard when not called into federal service. The governor's responsibilities include making year ...

(2010–2017), and

United States Ambassador to the United Nations The United States ambassador to the United Nations is the leader of the U.S. delegation, the United States Mission to the United Nations, U.S. Mission to the United Nations. The position is formally known as the Permanent representative to the U ...

since 2017 * Trevor Hall (born 1986), from Hilton Head, musician * Jakar Hamilton (born 1989), from Johnston, safety for the

* Michael Hamlin (born 1985), from Lamar, safety for the

Jacksonville Jaguars The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. The team ...

* Jason Hammel (born 1982), from Greenville, starting pitcher for the

Kansas City Royals The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The team ...

James Henry Hammond James Henry Hammond (November 15, 1807 – November 13, 1864) was an American attorney, politician, and Planter (American South), planter. He served as a United States representative from 1835 to 1836, the 60th Governor of South Carolina from 1842 ...

(1807–1864), US congressman, senator and governor of South Carolina * Shanola Hampton (born 1977), from Charleston, actress, on Showtime series '' Shameless'' *

Wade Hampton I Wade Hampton (February 4, 1835) was an American military officer, planter and politician. A two-term U.S. congressman, he may have been the wealthiest planter, and one of the largest slave holders in the United States, at the time of his death. ...

(1752–1835), U.S. Congressman from South Carolina, born in Virginia * Wade Hampton II (1791–1858), born in Columbia, plantation owner and soldier *

Wade Hampton III Wade Hampton III (March 28, 1818April 11, 1902) was an American politician from South Carolina. He was a prominent member of one of the richest families in the antebellum Southern United States, owning thousands of acres of cotton land in Sout ...

(1818–1902), born in Charleston, Confederate general, governor, United States Senator * Ken "The Hawk" Harrelson (born 1941), born in Woodruff, television broadcast announcer for the

* Albert Haynesworth (born 1981), from Hartsville, defensive tackle for the

Tennessee Titans The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. They play the ...

* Matt Hazel (born 1992), from North Augusta, wide receiver for the

* Josh Head, from Rock Hill, rhythm guitarist for the band Emery * Heath Hembree (born 1989), from

Cowpens Cowpens may refer to: * Battle of Cowpens, a battle in the American Revolution * Cowpens National Battlefield, a unit of the National Park Service that protects the battlefield. * Cowpens, South Carolina * USS Cowpens (CG-63), USS ''Cowpens'' (CG-63 ...

, relief pitcher for the

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Founded in as one of the Ameri ...

DuBose Heyward Edwin DuBose Heyward (August 31, 1885 – June 16, 1940) was an American author best known for his 1925 novel '' Porgy''. He and his wife Dorothy, a playwright, adapted it as a 1927 play of the same name. The couple worked with composer Georg ...

(1885–1940), born in Charleston, playwright and poet, wrote the novel " Porgy" and its stage incarnations "Porgy" and "

Porgy and Bess ''Porgy and Bess'' ( ) is an English-language opera by American composer George Gershwin, with a libretto written by author DuBose Heyward and lyricist Ira Gershwin. It was adapted from Dorothy Heyward and DuBose Heyward's play ''Porgy (play), ...

" * Thomas Heyward Jr. (1746–1809), signer of the Declaration of Independence * Jordan Hill (born 1987), from Newberry, National Basketball Association player * Lauren Michelle Hill (born 1979), from Columbia, model, actress, ''

Playboy ''Playboy'' (stylized in all caps) is an American men's Lifestyle journalism, lifestyle and entertainment magazine, available both online and in print. It was founded in Chicago in 1953 by Hugh Hefner and his associates, funded in part by a $ ...

'' Playmate * Thomas Hitchcock Jr. (1900–1944), polo player * Vonnie Holliday (born 1975), from Camden, defensive lineman for the

Washington Redskins The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East ...

* Chris Hope (born 1980), from Rock Hill, safety for the

* Bo Hopkins (1942–2022), from Greenville, actor * DeAndre Hopkins (born 1992), from Central, South Carolina, NFL wide receiver * Corinne Stocker Horton (1871–1947), born in Orangeburg, elocutionist, journalist, and newspaper editor *

Todd Howard Todd Andrew Howard (born 1970) is an American video game designer, Creative director, director, and Video game producer, producer. He serves as director and executive producer at Bethesda Game Studios, where he has led the development of the ...

(born 1965), from Spartanburg, entrepreneur and public figure * Orlando Hudson (born 1977), from

, Gold Glove-winning

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

player * Josephine Humphreys (born 1945), from Charleston, author * Fiona Hutchison (born 1960), raised in Columbia and attended

Clemson University Clemson University () is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university near Clemson, South Carolina, United States. - The blue-shaded pattern denotes university property. This shows Clemson University is ''out ...

, soap opera actress * J. B. Hutto (1926–1983), born in Blackville,

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form that originated among African Americans in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues has incorporated spiritual (music), spirituals, work songs, field hollers, Ring shout, shouts, cha ...

musician *

Lauren Hutton Lauren Hutton (born Mary Laurence Hutton; November 17, 1943) is an American model and actress. Born and raised in the southern United States, Hutton relocated to New York City in her early adulthood to begin a modeling career. Though she was ini ...

(born 1943), from Charleston, supermodel, actress *

Dontrelle Inman Dontrelle Javaar Inman (born January 31, 1989) is an American former Gridiron football, football wide receiver. He played college football for the Virginia Cavaliers football, Virginia Cavaliers and was signed by the Jacksonville Jaguars of the N ...

(born 1989), from Charleston, NFL and Canadian Football League wide receiver * Madison Iseman (born 1997), from

, actress * George Izard (1776–1828), an American general in War of 1812, and 2nd Governor of Arkansas Territory

J–L

Andrew Jackson Andrew Jackson (March 15, 1767 – June 8, 1845) was the seventh president of the United States from 1829 to 1837. Before Presidency of Andrew Jackson, his presidency, he rose to fame as a general in the U.S. Army and served in both houses ...

(1765–1845), 7th

President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president directs the Federal government of the United States#Executive branch, executive branch of the Federal government of t ...

Jesse Jackson Jesse Louis Jackson (Birth name#Maiden and married names, né Burns; born October 8, 1941) is an American Civil rights movements, civil rights activist, Politics of the United States, politician, and ordained Baptist minister. Beginning as a ...

(born 1941), born in Greenville, politician and

civil rights activist Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from infringement by governments, social organizations, and private individuals. They ensure one's entitlement to participate in the civil and political life of ...

* 'Shoeless' Joe Jackson (1887–1951), former outfielder for

* John G. Jackson (1907–1993), from Aiken, Pan-Africanist historian, lecturer, teacher and writer *

James Jamerson James Lee Jamerson (January 29, 1936 – August 2, 1983) was an American bassist. He was the uncredited bassist on most of the Motown Records hits in the 1960s and early 1970s (Motown did not list session musician credits on their releases un ...

(1938–1983), from Edisto Island, bass player * Anthony James (1942–2020), from Myrtle Beach, actor, ''

Unforgiven ''Unforgiven'' is a 1992 American revisionist Western film produced and directed by Clint Eastwood from a screenplay by David Webb Peoples. It stars Eastwood as William Munny, an aging outlaw and killer who takes on one more job years after ...

'' *

Young Jeezy Jay Wayne Jenkins (born September 28, 1977), known by his stage name Jeezy (or Young Jeezy), is an American rapper. He is credited, alongside fellow Georgia-based rappers T.I. and Gucci Mane, with pioneering the hip hop subgenre trap music fo ...

(born 1977 as Jay Wayne Jenkins), born in Columbia, rap and hip-hop performer * Sylvia Jefferies (born 1969), born in Greenwood, actress, ''

Nashville Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...

'' * Alshon Jeffery (born 1990), born in St. Matthews, wide receiver for the

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The team plays its ...

* Willie Jeffries (born 1937), born in Union, former player and head football coach of South Carolina State University, first

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

head coach of an

NCAA Division I-A The NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), formerly known as Division I-A, is the highest level of college football in the United States. The FBS consists of the largest schools in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). As ...

football program at a predominantly White college, member of the

College Football Hall of Fame The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and interactive Tourist attraction, attraction devoted to college football, college American football. The National Football Foundation (NFF) founded the Hall in 1951 to immortalize the players ...

* Jarvis Jenkins (born 1988), born in Clemson, defensive end for the

* Tim Jennings (born 1983), born in Orangeburg, cornerback for the

* Caroline Howard Jervey (1823–1877), born in Charleston, author and poet *

Jasper Johns Jasper Johns (born May 15, 1930) is an American painter, sculptor, draftsman, and printmaker. Considered a central figure in the development of American postwar art, he has been variously associated with abstract expressionism, Neo-Dada, and ...

(born 1933), grew up in Allendale, painter and printmaker * Anthony Johnson (born 1974), born in Charleston, professional basketball player *

Dustin Johnson Dustin Hunter Johnson (born June 22, 1984) is an American professional golfer. He has won two Men's major golf championships, major championships, the 2016 U.S. Open (golf), 2016 U.S. Open at Oakmont Country Club with a 4-under-par score of 276 ...

(born 1984), born in Columbia, professional golfer * T. J. Johnson (born 1990), born in Aynor, former NFL center for the

* William H Johnson (1901–1970), from Florence, artist * Christopher Jones (born 1982), born in

, actor and dancer * Greg Jones (born 1981), born in Beaufort, fullback for the

Orlando Jones Orlando Jones (born April 10, 1968) is an American stand-up comedian and actor. He is known for being one of the original cast members of the sketch comedy series ''MADtv'', for his role as the 7 Up spokesman from 1999 to 2002, and for his role ...

(born 1968), attended high school in Mauldin, comedian and actor * Alexis Jordan (born 1992), born in Columbia, R&B and pop singer * Robert Jordan (1948–2007), fantasy author * James "Radio" Kennedy (1947-2019), born in Anderson, SC, personality *

Joseph B. Kershaw Joseph Brevard Kershaw (January 5, 1822 – April 13, 1894) was an American planter and slaveholder from South Carolina. He was also a lawyer, judge, and a Confederate general in the American Civil War. Early life Kershaw was born on January 5 ...

(1822–1894), slave owner and Confederate general who served as a Division Commander,

Army of Northern Virginia The Army of Northern Virginia was a field army of the Confederate States Army in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. It was also the primary command structure of the Department of Northern Virginia. It was most often arrayed agains ...

, State Senator, Circuit Court Judge * Spencer Kieboom (born 1991), born in Mount Pleasant, catcher for the

Washington Nationals The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C. The Nationals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. They play their home games at Na ...

* Terry Kinard (born 1959), from

, former

safety Safety is the state of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk. Meanings The word 'safety' entered the English language in the 1 ...

for the

and

Houston Oilers The Houston Oilers were a professional American football team that played in Houston, Texas, from its founding in 1960 Houston Oilers season, 1960 to 1996 Houston Oilers season, 1996. The Houston Oilers began play as a charter member of the Ame ...

* Betsy King (born 1955), from Spartanburg, golfer, member of World Golf Hall of Fame * Lane Kirkland (1922–1999), labor union leader and president of the

AFL–CIO The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) is a national trade union center that is the largest federation of unions in the United States. It is made up of 61 national and international unions, together r ...

, 1979–1995 *

Richard Rowland Kirkland Richard Rowland Kirkland (August 1843 – September 20, 1863), known as "The Angel of Marye's Heights", was a Confederate soldier during the American Civil War, noted by both sides for his bravery and the story of his humanitarian actions dur ...

(1843–1863), Confederate soldier *

Eartha Kitt Eartha Mae Kitt (née Keith; January 17, 1927 – December 25, 2008) was an American singer and actress. She was known for her highly distinctive singing style and her 1953 recordings of "C'est si bon" and the Christmas novelty song "Santa Baby" ...

(1927–2008), actress, singer, and

cabaret Cabaret is a form of theatrical entertainment featuring music song, dance, recitation, or drama. The performance venue might be a pub, casino, hotel, restaurant, or nightclub with a stage for performances. The audience, often dining or drinking, ...

star * Michael Kohn (born 1986), from Camden, former relief pitcher for the

Los Angeles Angels The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, ...

* Carlos Knight (born 1993), from Columbia, television actor * Noah O. Knight (1929–1951), soldier in the United States Army during the Korean War, posthumously received the Medal of Honor * Sterling Knight (born 1989), from Hilton Head Island, actor, singer-songwriter, musician * Matt William Knowles (born 1985), from Greenville, actor. * Sallie Krawcheck (born 1964), from Charleston, former chairman and chief executive officer of Citi Global Wealth Management *

John Laurens John Laurens (October 28, 1754 – August 27, 1782) was an American soldier and statesman from South Carolina during the American Revolutionary War, best known for his efforts to help recruit slaves to fight for their freedom as U.S. soldiers. ...

(1754–1782), soldier and statesman from South Carolina during the American Revolutionary War * Lance Laury (born 1982), from Hopkins, football player, linebacker for the

New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team p ...

DeMarcus Lawrence DeMarcus Lawrence (born April 28, 1992) is an American professional football defensive end for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL). He was selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the second round of the 2014 NFL draft. He playe ...

(born 1992), from Aiken, defensive end for the

Andy Lee Andy Lee may refer to: __NOTOC__ Sportspeople * Andy Lee (American football) (born 1982), American football punter * Andy Lee (boxer) (born 1984), Irish boxer * Andy Lee (footballer, born 1982), English footballer for Bradford City * Andy Lee (footb ...

(born 1982), from

, football player, punter for the

* Mary Elizabeth Lee (1813–1849), born in Charleston, writer * Hyman Isaac Long (born 18th century), born in

Jamaica Jamaica is an island country in the Caribbean Sea and the West Indies. At , it is the third-largest island—after Cuba and Hispaniola—of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean. Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, west of Hispaniola (the is ...

, Freemason * Terry Long (1959–2005), guard for the

* James "Pete" Longstreet (1821–1904), Confederate general, commander of the 1st Corps of the Army of Northern Virginia * Harry B. Luthi (1933–2019), from Greenville, former mayor and retired businessman * Jordan Lyles (born 1990), from Hartsville, baseball player, starting pitcher for the

Colorado Rockies The Colorado Rockies are an American professional baseball team based in Denver. The Rockies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Division. Th ...

* Thomas Lynch Jr. (1749–1779), signer of the Declaration of Independence

M–O

* Andie MacDowell (born 1958), born in Gaffney, model and actress * Barton MacLane (1902–1969), born in Columbia, actor, playwright, and screenwriter * James Robert Mann (1920–2010), born in Greenville, soldier, lawyer and a United States Representative *

Francis Marion Brigadier general (United States), Brigadier General Francis Marion ( 1732 – February 27, 1795), also known as the "Swamp Fox", was an American military officer, planter, and politician who served during the French and Indian War and t ...

(c. 1732–1795), born in Winyah ( Winyah Bay), a.k.a. the Swamp Fox, strategic fighter against the British during the War of Independence * Logan Marshall-Green (born 1976), born in Charleston, actor, '' Dark Blue'' *

George Martin Sir George Henry Martin (3 January 1926 – 8 March 2016) was an English record producer, arranger, composer, conductor, and musician. He was commonly referred to as the "fifth Beatle" because of his extensive involvement in each of the Beatle ...

(born 1953), from Greenville, former

for the

* Cliff Matthews (born 1989), born in

, defensive end for the

Byron Maxwell Byron S. Maxwell (born February 23, 1988) is an American former professional football player who was a cornerback in the National Football League (NFL). He was selected by the Seattle Seahawks in the sixth round of the 2011 NFL draft, where he ...

(born 1988), born in North Charleston, cornerback for the

* Anthuan Maybank (born 1969), born in Georgetown, Olympic gold medalist 4x400 *

Edwin McCain Edwin Cole McCain (born January 20, 1970) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. His songs " I'll Be" (1998) and " I Could Not Ask for More" (1999) were radio top-40 hits in the U.S., and five of his albums have reached the ''Billboard ...

(born 1970), born in Greenville, musician and songwriter * Johnathan McClain (born 1970), born in

, actor and writer * Annie Virginia McCracken (1868–?), born in Charleston; published a magazine while living in Summerville * Tony McDaniel (born 1985), born in Hartsville, defensive tackle for the

* Rocky McIntosh (born 1982), grew up in Gaffney, linebacker for the

* Marian McKnight (born 1936), born in Manning, Miss America 1957, actress, producer and writer * Tre McLean (born 1993), basketball player in the

Israeli Basketball Premier League Ligat HaAl (, lit., ''Supreme League or Premier League''), or the Israeli Basketball Premier League, is a professional basketball league in Israel and the highest level of basketball in the country. The league's name is abbreviated as either BSL ...

Henry McMaster Henry Dargan McMaster (born May 27, 1947) is an American politician and attorney serving since 2017 as the 117th governor of South Carolina. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he was the 50th List of Attorneys Ge ...

(born 1947), born in Columbia,

since 2017 * Ronald McNair (1950–1986), born in Lake City, astronaut killed in the explosion of the

Space Shuttle Challenger Space Shuttle ''Challenger'' (OV-099) was a Space Shuttle orbiter manufactured by Rockwell International and operated by NASA. Named after HMS Challenger (1858), the commanding ship of a Challenger expedition, nineteenth-century scientific exp ...

* Walter Russell Mead (born 1952), born in Columbia, journalist, editor-at-large of ''

The American Interest ''The American Interest'' (''AI'') was a bimonthly magazine founded in 2005, focusing primarily on foreign policy, international affairs, global economics, and military matters. History The magazine was founded in 2005 by a number of member ...

'' magazine * Dave Meggett (born 1966), born in Charleston, former NFL

running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive American football plays#Offensive terminology, handoffs from the quarterback to Rush (American football)#Offense ...

, primarily with the

* Craig Melvin (born 1979), from Columbia,

NBC News NBC News is the news division of the American broadcast television network NBC. The division operates under NBCUniversal Media Group, a division of NBCUniversal, which is itself a subsidiary of Comcast. The news division's various operations r ...

anchor * Jamon Meredith (born 1986), born in Simpsonville, professional football player,

offensive tackle Offensive may refer to: * Offensive (military), type of military operation * Offensive, the former name of the Dutch political party Socialist Alternative * Fighting words, spoken words which would have a tendency to cause acts of violence by the ...

for the

* Arthur Middleton (1742–1787), born in Charleston, signer of the Declaration of Independence, Governor (1810–1812), Representative (1815–1819), and Minister to Russia (1820–1830) * William Ephraim Mikell (1868–1944), born in Sumter, Dean of the

University of Pennsylvania Law School The University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School (also known as Penn Carey Law, or Penn Law; previously University of Pennsylvania Law School) is the law school of the University of Pennsylvania, a private Ivy League research university in Phi ...

* Patina Miller (born 1984), born in Pageland, actress, singer, '' Madam Secretary'', ''

All My Children ''All My Children'' (often shortened to ''AMC'') is an American television soap opera that aired on American Broadcasting Company, ABC from January 5, 1970, to September 23, 2011, and on The Online Network (TOLN) from April 29 to September 2, 2 ...

'', '' The Hunger Games: Mockingjay'' films * Robert Mills (1781–1855), born in Charleston, architect, designed the

Washington Monument The Washington Monument is an obelisk on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., built to commemorate George Washington, a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father of the United States, victorious commander-in-chief of the Continen ...

and many public buildings * Adam Minarovich (born 1977), from Anderson, actor * Vanessa Minnillo (born 1980), from Charleston, television personality on ''

Entertainment Tonight ''Entertainment Tonight'' (or simply ''ET'') is an American Broadcast syndication, first-run syndicated news broadcasting news magazine, newsmagazine program that is distributed by CBS Media Ventures throughout the United States and owned by Par ...

'' * Jordan Montgomery (born 1992), from

, starting pitcher for the

* Tim Montgomery (born 1975), from Gaffney, Olympic athlete, and ESPY AWARD winner * Darla Moore (born 1954), born in Lake City, financial executive * D. J. Moore (born 1987), born in Spartanburg, professional football player,

for the

* Ja Morant (born 1999), born in Dalzell, No.2 pick in NBA Draft, NBA player for the

Memphis Grizzlies The Memphis Grizzlies (referred to locally as the Grizz) are an American professional basketball team based in Memphis, Tennessee. The Grizzlies compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division of the ...

* Julianne Morris (born 1968), born in Columbia, actress, ''

Days of Our Lives ''Days of Our Lives'' (also stylized as ''Days of our Lives''; simply referred to as ''Days'' or ''DOOL'') is an American television soap opera that aired on the network NBC from November 8, 1965, to September 9, 2022; the soap has streamed n ...

'' *

Maurice Morris Maurice Autora Morris (born December 1, 1979) is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Oregon Ducks and was selected by the Seattle Seah ...

(born 1979), born in

, professional football player, running back for the

Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. The team plays their home game ...

* R. Winston Morris (born 1941), from Barnwell, tuba player and composer, professor at

Tennessee Technological University Tennessee Technological University (commonly referred to as Tennessee Tech) is a Public university, public research university in Cookeville, Tennessee. It was formerly known as Tennessee Polytechnic Institute, and before that as University of D ...

* Kary Mullis (1944–2019), grew up in Columbia, biochemist and Nobel laureate * Mick Mulvaney (born 1967), grew up in Indian Land, former director of the

Office of Management and Budget The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is the largest office within the Executive Office of the President of the United States (EOP). The office's most prominent function is to produce the president's budget, while it also examines agency pro ...

* Allison Munn (born 1974), grew up in Columbia, actress * Kris Neely (born 1978), born in Spartanburg, artist who has created more than 10,000 Guardian angel paintings * Clifton Newman - Judge presided over several high profile criminal cases * Josh Norman (born 1987), from Greenwood, cornerback for the

* Billy O'Dell (1933–2018), born in Whitmire, Major League Baseball pitcher * Nancy O'Dell (born 1966), born in

, TV personality, ''

Access Hollywood ''Access Hollywood'', briefly known as ''Access'' from 2017 to 2019, is an American weekday television entertainment news program that premiered on September 9, 1996. It covers events and celebrities in the entertainment industry. It was create ...

'' and ''

'' * Jermaine O'Neal (born 1978), born in Columbia, basketball player for the

* Chris Owings (born 1991), born in Charleston, Major League Baseball player

P–S

* Emilio Pagán, closer for the

Tampa Bay Rays The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in the Tampa Bay area. The Rays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. They are one of two major ...

, from Simpsonville *

Peggy Parish Margaret Cecile "Peggy" Parish (July 14, 1927 – November 19, 1988) was an American writer known best for the children's book series and fictional character '' Amelia Bedelia''. Parish was born in Manning, South Carolina, attended the Univers ...

(1927–1988), born in Manning, author of Amelia Bedelia series *

Lu Parker Frances Louise Parker (born April 16, 1968) is an American journalist, animal rights advocate, motivational speaker and beauty pageant titleholder who was crowned Miss USA 1994 and represented the United States at Miss Universe 1994 where she pl ...

, broadcast journalist and Miss USA 1994, from Anderson * Mary-Louise Parker, film and television actress, born in Fort Jackson * Ron Parker (born 1987), born in Saint Helena Island, safety for the

Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) West division. Established in 1959 ...

* Teyonah Parris (born 1987), born in Hopkins, actress, ''

Mad Men ''Mad Men'' is an American historical drama, period drama television series created by Matthew Weiner and produced by Lionsgate Television. It ran on cable network AMC (TV channel), AMC from July 19, 2007, to May 17, 2015, with seven seasons ...

'', ''

WandaVision ''WandaVision'' is an American television miniseries created by Jac Schaeffer for the streaming service Disney+, based on Marvel Comics featuring the characters Wanda Maximoff / Scarlet Witch and Vision. It is the first television series i ...

'' *

Will Patton William Rankin Patton (born June 14, 1954) is an American actor. He starred as Colonel Dan Weaver in the TNT science fiction series '' Falling Skies''.Carl Anthony Payne II (born 1969), actor, ''

Martin Martin may refer to: Places Antarctica * Martin Peninsula, Marie Byrd Land * Port Martin, Adelie Land * Point Martin, South Orkney Islands Europe * Martin, Croatia, a village * Martin, Slovakia, a city * Martín del Río, Aragón, Spain * M ...

'', '' Rock Me Baby'', ''

The Cosby Show ''The Cosby Show'' is an American television sitcom created by (along with Ed. Weinberger and Michael J. Leeson) and starring Bill Cosby that originally aired on NBC from September 20, 1984, to April 30, 1992, with a total of 201 half-hour e ...

'' *

Teddy Pendergrass Theodore DeReese Pendergrass (March 26, 1950 – January 13, 2010) was an American Soul music, soul and R&B singer and songwriter. He was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Pendergrass lived most of his life in the Philadelphia area, and initial ...

(born 1950), born in Kingstree, singer * William "The Refrigerator" Perry, former professional football player, born in Aiken * Julia Peterkin (1880–1961), born in Laurens County,

Pulitzer Prize The Pulitzer Prizes () are 23 annual awards given by Columbia University in New York City for achievements in the United States in "journalism, arts and letters". They were established in 1917 by the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made his fo ...

winner *

Bobbie Phillips Bobbie Phillips (born January 29, 1968) is an American actress. Career Born in Charleston, South Carolina, Phillips moved to Hollywood, Los Angeles, Hollywood in 1990 and began working in television soon after. Her first acting job was guest-st ...

(born 1972), actress, '' The Cape'', '' Murder One'' *

Bill Pinkney Willie "Bill" Pinkney (August 15, 1925 – July 4, 2007) was an American performer and singer. Pinkney was the last surviving original member of The Drifters, who achieved international fame with numerous hit records. He was chiefly responsib ...

(1925–2007), born in Dalzell, pitcher in the Negro leagues, served in World War II, performer and singer with

The Drifters The Drifters are an American pop and R&B/soul vocal group. They were originally formed as a backing group for Clyde McPhatter, formerly the lead tenor of Billy Ward and his Dominoes in 1953. The second group of Drifters, formed in 1959 and ...

* Joel Roberts Poinsett (1779–1851), born in Charleston, Martin Van Buren's Secretary of War, physician, botanist, and statesman, as well as famous eponym *

Virginia Postrel Virginia Inman Postrel (born January 14, 1960) is an American political and cultural writer of broadly Libertarianism, libertarian, or Classical liberalism, classical liberal, views. She is a recipient of the Bastiat Prize (2011). Early life a ...

(born 1960), political and cultural writer, born in Greenville * Josh Powell, power forward and center for the

Atlanta Hawks The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta. The Hawks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division (NBA), Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Easte ...

, born in Charleston *

Jeryl Prescott Jeryl Prescott Gallien (also known as Jeryl Prescott Sales) is an American actress, best known for her roles as Jacqui in '' The Walking Dead'' (2010-2012; 2016), Madame Xanadu in '' Swamp Thing'' (2019), and Aktropaw in '' Ahsoka'' (2023). Lif ...

(born 1964), from Hartsville, actress * Melvin Purvis (1903–1960), born in Timmonsville, FBI agent responsible for ending the criminal careers of Baby Face Nelson,

Pretty Boy Floyd Charles Arthur Floyd (February 3, 1904 – October 22, 1934), nicknamed Pretty Boy Floyd, was an American bank robber. He operated in the West and Central states, and his criminal exploits gained widespread press coverage in the 1930s. He was s ...

, and John Dillinger * Brian Quick (born 1989), born in Columbia, wide receiver for the

St. Louis Rams The St. Louis Rams were a professional American football team of the National Football League (NFL). They played in St. Louis, Missouri, from 1995 through the 2015 season, before moving back to Los Angeles, California, where the team had played ...

* Robert Quinn (born 1990), from Ladson, defensive end for the

* Willie Randolph (born 1954), born in Holly Hill, MLB player, manager, third base coach for the

* Arthur Ravenel Jr. (born 1927), born in Charleston, Republican politician * Arizona Reid (born 1986), Israeli National League basketball player * Hunter Renfrow (born 1995), born in

, NFL wide receiver * Thomas C. Reynolds (1821–1887), born in Charleston, Confederate governor of

Missouri Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...

from 1862 to 1865 * Flint Rhem (1901–1969), Major League Baseball pitcher * Don Rhymer (1961–2012), born in Union, film writer and producer *

Sidney Rice Sidney Raynard Rice (born September 1, 1986) is an American former professional American football, football player who was a wide receiver for seven seasons in the National Football League (NFL). Rice played college football for the South Carol ...

(born 1986), born in Gaffney, wide receiver for the

Bobby Richardson Robert Clinton Richardson, Jr. (born August 19, 1935) is an American former professional baseball second baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees from 1955 through 1966. Batting and throwing right-handed, he fo ...

(born 1935), born in

, baseball player for the

* Richard Wilson Riley (born 1933), governor of South Carolina, U.S. Secretary of Education 1993–2001 *

Leon Rippy Leon Rippy (born October 30, 1949) is an American actor. Active on screen since 1983, Rippy has appeared in numerous films and recurring roles on television. He is best known for his roles as Earl the Angel on the series '' Saving Grace'', saloon ...

(born 1949), born in Rock Hill, film and television actor * Jane Robelot (born 1960), in Greenville, Co Anchor

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...

This Morning * Andre Roberts (born 1988), born in Columbia, football player for the

* Julie Roberts (born 1979), from Lancaster, country music singer * Bobby Robinson (1917–2011), born in Union, record producer * Eugene Robinson (born 1955), born in Orangeburg, Pulitzer Prize-winning newspaper columnist *

Chris Rock Christopher Julius Rock (born February 7, 1965) is an American comedian, actor, and filmmaker. He first gained prominence for his stand-up routines in the 1980s in which he tackled subjects including race relations, human sexuality, and obse ...

(born 1965), born in

, comedian, actor, screenwriter, film, TV producer, and director * Thomas A. Roe (1927–2000), born in Greenville, businessman and conservative philanthropist * Joshua Rogers (born 1994), born in Greeleyville, recording artist, Season 5 winner of BET's '' Sunday Best'' * Arthur Rose Sr. (1921–1995), born in Charleston, Chair of the Art Department at Claflin University, Orangeburg (1952–1973) * Al Rosen (1924–2015), born in Spartanburg, 4x All Star and MVP baseball player * Mackenzie Rosman (born 1989), born in Charleston, actress, '' 7th Heaven'' *

Darius Rucker Darius Carlos Rucker (born May 13, 1966) is an American singer, musician, and songwriter. He first gained fame as the lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of rock band Hootie & the Blowfish, which he founded in 1986 at the University of South Carol ...

(born 1966), born in Charleston, musician, lead singer of Hootie & The Blowfish, now a solo artist * Thomas Jefferson Rusk (1803–1857), born in Pendleton; early political and military leader of the

Republic of Texas The Republic of Texas (), or simply Texas, was a country in North America that existed for close to 10 years, from March 2, 1836, to February 19, 1846. Texas shared borders with Centralist Republic of Mexico, the Republic of the Rio Grande, an ...

* Edward Rutledge (1749–1800), youngest signer of the Declaration of Independence; later governor of South Carolina * Francis H. Rutledge (1799–1866), born in Charleston, first Episcopal bishop of Florida *

John Rutledge John Rutledge Jr. (September 17, 1739 – June 21, 1800) was an American Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father, politician, and jurist who served as one of the original Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States ...

(1739–1800), statesman and judge, elected President of South Carolina, April 1776, under the constitution drawn up on March 26, 1776 * Reggie Sanders (born 1967), born in

, professional baseball player * Gloria Saunders (1927–1980), actress, born in Columbia * Jake Scott (1945–2020), born in Greenwood, former

for the

and

* O'Brien Schofield (born 1987), born in Camden, outside linebacker for the

* Ian Scott (born 1981), born in Greenville, football player,

defensive tackle A defensive tackle (DT) is a position in American football that typically lines up on the line of scrimmage, opposite one of the Guard (American football), offensive guards; however, he may also line up opposite one of the offensive Tackle (gridir ...

for the

San Diego Chargers The San Diego Chargers were a professional American football team in the National Football League (NFL). The Chargers played in San Diego, California from 1961 until 2016, before relocating back to the Greater Los Angeles area, where the franch ...

* Ramon Sessions (born 1986), born in

, basketball player for the NBA *

Richard Seymour Richard Vershaun Seymour (born October 6, 1979) is an American former professional football player who was a defensive end in the National Football League (NFL) for the New England Patriots and Oakland Raiders. He played college football for ...

(born 1979), born in Gadsden, football player,

defensive lineman In gridiron football, a lineman is a player who specializes in play at the line of scrimmage. The linemen of the team currently in possession of the ball are the offensive line (OL), while linemen on the opposing team are the defensive line (D ...

for the

Oakland Raiders The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team based in Oakland, California, from its founding in 1960 to 1981, and again from 1995 to 2019 before Oakland Raiders relocation to Las Vegas, relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan ...

* Mike Sharperson (1961–1996), baseball player, member of

1988 World Series The 1988 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 1988 season. The 85th edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff played between the American League (AL) champion Oakland Athletics and the ...

champion Los Angeles Dodgers, born in Orangeburg *

Art Shell Arthur Lee Shell Jr. (born November 26, 1946) is an American former professional football player and coach. He played as an offensive tackle in the American Football League (AFL) and later in the National Football League (NFL) for the Oakland / ...

(born 1946), born in Charleston,

and head coach for the Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders * Donnie Shell (born 1952), born in Whitmire, Pro Football Hall of Fame strong safety for the

, member of the Steelers famed Steel Curtain defense in the 1970s * John Shumate (born 1952), born in Greenville, professional basketball player * Robert Smalls (1839–1915), born in Beaufort, naval pilot during

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

, founder of South Carolina Republican Party * Arthur Smith (1921–2014), born in Clinton, guitarist, songwriter, radio-TV personality, composer of " Guitar Boogie" and " Dueling Banjos" * Shawnee Smith (born 1970), born in Orangeburg, film and television actress, musician * J. Smith-Cameron (born 1955), raised in Greenville, stage and screen actress * Justin Smoak (born 1986), born in Goose Creek, baseball player for the

Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Since 1989, the team has p ...

* Louise Hammond Willis Snead (1870–1958), born in Charleston, artist, writer, lecturer, and composer * Mickey Spillane (1918–2006), lived in Murrells Inlet,

crime novel Crime fiction, detective story, murder mystery, crime novel, mystery novel, and police novel are terms used to describe narratives or fiction that centre on criminal acts and especially on the investigation, either by an amateur or a profession ...

author, many featuring fictional detective Mike Hammer * Jay Stamper (born 1972), Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate, resident of Columbia * John Steadman (1909–1993), born in Lexington, radio personality and actor; played "Pop" in '' The Longest Yard'' * Zak Stevens (born 1966), born in Columbia, lead singer in the heavy metal band

Savatage Savatage () is an American heavy metal band founded by brothers Jon and Criss Oliva in 1979 in Tarpon Springs, Florida. The band was first called Avatar, but, shortly before the release of their debut album '' Sirens'' (1983), they changed t ...

, backup singer for

Trans-Siberian Orchestra Trans-Siberian Orchestra (TSO) is an American rock band founded in 1996 by producer, composer, and lyricist Paul O'Neill (producer), Paul O'Neill, who brought together Jon Oliva and Al Pitrelli (both members of Savatage) and keyboardist and co-pr ...

and lead singer for Circle II Circle * Melvin Stewart (born 1968), raised in Fort Mill, Olympic swimmer, SwimSwam co-founder"Where Are They Now?: Mel Stewart"
'' Charlotte Magazine''. July 20, 2010. Retrieved July 20, 2021. * Jessica Stroup (born 1986), born in Anderson, actress, '' 90210'', ''

The Following ''The Following'' is an American crime thriller television series created by Kevin Williamson (screenwriter), Kevin Williamson, and jointly produced by Outerbanks Entertainment and Warner Bros. Television. The The Following (season 1), first s ...

'', '' Ted''

T–Z

* Devin Taylor (born 1989), from Lady's Island; defensive end for the

Tyler Thigpen Tyler Beckham Thigpen (born April 14, 1984) is an American former professional American football, football quarterback. Thigpen was selected out of Coastal Carolina University by the Minnesota Vikings in the seventh round of the 2007 NFL draft. ...

(born 1984), from Winnsboro; quarterback for the

Brandon Thomas Brandon Thomas may refer to: *Brandon Thomas (playwright) (1848–1914), English actor and playwright who wrote the hit farce, ''Charley's Aunt'' * Brandon Thomas (musician) (born 1980), American rock band singer *Brandon Thomas (American football) ...

(born 1991), from Spartanburg; offensive guard for the

* Gorman Thomas (born 1950), from Charleston; former outfielder for the

Milwaukee Brewers The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. The Brewers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Di ...

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. Since , the team ...

, and

Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. The Mariners compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. The team joined the American ...

* Stephen Thompson (born 1983), from Simpsonville; kickboxer and UFC fighter * David Thornton (born 1953), from

; television actor *

Melanie Thornton Melanie Janene Thornton (May 13, 1967 – November 24, 2001) was an American pop and dance music singer. She was the lead singer of the Eurodance group La Bouche from 1994 to 1999, alongside American rapper and backing vocalist Lane McCray. ...

(1967–2001), born in Charleston;

Eurodance Eurodance (sometimes referred to as Euro-NRG) is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in the late 1980s in Europe. It combines many elements of Hip-hop, rap, techno and Eurodisco. This genre of music is heavily influenced by the use ...

singer for La Bouche, famous for the singles " Be My Lover" and " Sweet Dreams" *

Strom Thurmond James Strom Thurmond Sr. (December 5, 1902 – June 26, 2003) was an American politician who represented South Carolina in the United States Senate from 1954 to 2003. Before his 49 years as a senator, he served as the 103rd governor of South ...

(1902–2003), born in Edgefield; South Carolina Governor, and the oldest and 2nd longest-serving U.S. Senator * Kelly Tilghman (born 1969), from North Myrtle Beach; broadcaster for The Golf Channel, and the PGA Tour's first female lead golf announcer * Lawrence Timmons (born 1986), from

; linebacker for the

* Gina Tolleson (born 1970), from Spartanburg; American model and beauty queen crowned Miss World America 1990 * Steven Tolleson (born 1983), from Spartanburg; infielder for the

Charles Townes Charles Hard Townes (July 28, 1915 – January 27, 2015) was an American physicist. Townes worked on the theory and application of the maser, for which he obtained the fundamental patent, and other work in quantum electronics associated with b ...

(1915–2015), from Greenville; Nobel Prize-winning

physicist A physicist is a scientist who specializes in the field of physics, which encompasses the interactions of matter and energy at all length and time scales in the physical universe. Physicists generally are interested in the root or ultimate cau ...

and educator * William Barret Travis (1809–1836), born in Saluda County; 19th-century American

lawyer A lawyer is a person who is qualified to offer advice about the law, draft legal documents, or represent individuals in legal matters. The exact nature of a lawyer's work varies depending on the legal jurisdiction and the legal system, as w ...

and

soldier A soldier is a person who is a member of an army. A soldier can be a Conscription, conscripted or volunteer Enlisted rank, enlisted person, a non-commissioned officer, a warrant officer, or an Officer (armed forces), officer. Etymology The wo ...

who commanded Texan forces at the Alamo * Josh Turner (born 1977), from Hannah; country music singer * Tom Turnipseed (1936–2020), lived in Columbia; lawyer, executive director of the 1968 presidential campaign of George C. Wallace, former member of the South Carolina State Senate * Angelica Singleton Van Buren (1818–1877), born in Wedgefield; married Abraham Van Buren while his father,

Martin Van Buren Martin Van Buren ( ; ; December 5, 1782 – July 24, 1862) was the eighth president of the United States, serving from 1837 to 1841. A primary founder of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as Attorney General o ...

, was the eighth

; served as

First Lady of the United States First Lady of the United States (FLOTUS) is a title typically held by the wife of the president of the United States, concurrent with the president's term in office. Although the first lady's role has never been Code of law, codified or offici ...

for the rest of his term in the

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest (Washington, D.C.), NW in Washington, D.C., it has served as the residence of every U.S. president ...

* William Washington Vance (1849–1900), born in Cokesbury, trained in the law in

, South Carolina;

state senator A state senator is a member of a State legislature (United States), state's senate in the bicameral legislature of 49 U.S. states, or a member of the unicameral Nebraska Legislature. History There are typically fewer state senators than there ...

from

Bossier Parish, Louisiana Bossier Parish ( ; ) is a parish located in the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Louisiana. At the 2020 census, the population was 128,746. The parish seat is Benton. The principal city is Bossier City, which is located east of the ...

, and private secretary to

Governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...

Murphy J. Foster in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Baton Rouge * Denmark Vesey (c.1767–1822), lived in Charleston; African-American leader * Corey Washington (born 1991), from North Charleston; wide receiver for the

* Benjamin Watson (born 1980), from Rock Hill; tight end for the

* John B. Watson (1878–1958), grew up in Travelers Rest, South Carolina, Travelers Rest; psychologist who established the List of psychological schools, psychological school of behaviorism * Shawn Weatherly (born 1959), from

; Miss USA and Miss Universe 1980 * Sean Weatherspoon (born 1987), from Greenville; linebacker for the

* Charles S. West (1829–1885), born in Camden; Texas jurist and politician * John C. West (1922–2004), politician * William C. Westmoreland (1914–2005), born in Saxon, South Carolina, Saxon; deputy commander of Military Assistance Command, Vietnam (MACV) 1964–1968, Army Chief of Staff 1968–1972 * Celia Weston (born 1951), from Spartanburg; character actress * Lily C. Whitaker (c. 1850–1932), born in Charleston; educator and author * Mary Scrimzeour Whitaker (1820–1906), born in Beaufort; litterateur, writer, poet, and novelist * Chris White (offensive lineman), Chris White (born 1983), from

; guard and center for the

* Roddy White (born 1981), from James Island, South Carolina, James Island; football player, wide receiver for the

* Tracy White (born 1981), from Charleston; linebacker for the

* Vanna White (born 1957), from North Myrtle Beach; co-host on ''Wheel of Fortune (U.S. game show), Wheel of Fortune'' * Johnson Chesnut Whittaker (1858–1931), from Camden; one of the first black men to win an appointment to the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York, West Point * Johnny Whitworth (born 1975), from Charleston; actor, ''CSI: Miami'', ''The 100 (TV series), The 100'', ''Limitless (film), Limitless'' * Matt Wieters (born 1986), from Goose Creek; catcher for the St. Louis Cardinals * Louis Wigfall (1816–1874), born in Edgefield; Texas politician who served as a member of the Texas Legislature, United States Senate, and Congress of the Confederate States, Confederate Senate * Armstrong Williams (born 1959), from Marion; television and radio host, columnist, political activist * Dennis Williams (basketball), Dennis Williams (born 1965); basketball player * James E. Williams (1930–1999), born in Fort Mill, raised in

; Medal of Honor (Vietnam, 1966), highest decorated enlisted man in the history of the U. S. Navy, U. S. Marshal * Zion Williamson (born 2000), raised in Spartanburg; No.1 pick in NBA Draft, NBA player for New Orleans Pelicans * A'ja Wilson (born 1996), born in Hopkins; basketball player for the Las Vegas Aces, 2x WNBA Most Valuable Player Award, WNBA MVP * Mookie Wilson (born 1956), from

; former center fielder for the New York Mets and

* Rod Wilson (born 1981), from Cross, South Carolina, Cross;

for the

* Woodrow Wilson (1856–1924), 28th President of the United States; lived in Columbia in his teenage years * DeWayne Wise (born 1978), from Columbia; outfielder for the

* Rosa Louise Woodberry (1869–1932), journalist, educator; born in Barnwell County, South Carolina; lived in, Williston, South Carolina * Chad Wolf (born 1976), from Charleston; lead vocalist in band "Carolina Liar" * Henry Woodward (colonist), Henry Woodward (1646–1690), an early colonist of South Carolina who was instrumental in establishing contact with Native Americans in the United States, Native Americans and setting up a trading system * Bill Workman (1940–2019), born in Charleston, mayor of Greenville 1983–1995, retired economic development specialist; resident of Walterboro, South Carolina, Walterboro * W. D. Workman Jr. (1914–1990), newspaper and radio journalist, author;Republican nominee for the U.S. Senate in 1962 and for governor of South Carolina in 1982 * Isaac Wright Jr. (born 1962), lawyer; born in Moncks Corner * Mike Wright (baseball), Mike Wright (born 1990), from Bennettsville; pitcher for the

* Samuel E. Wright (1946–2021), from Camden; actor and Broadway performer * Cale Yarborough (1939–2023), from Timmonsville; 3x NASCAR Cup Series champion * Lee Thompson Young (1984–2013), born in Columbia; actor, ''The Famous Jett Jackson'', ''Rizzoli & Isles''

References

{{Authority control Lists of people from South Carolina,

A–B

C–D

E–F

G–I

J–L

M–O

P–S

T–Z

See also

References