List of people from Orange County, California facts for kids
Orange County, California, is a vibrant place where many famous people have lived or grown up! From amazing athletes and talented actors to brilliant business leaders and creative musicians, this list shares some of the notable individuals connected to Orange County.
Contents
Sports Stars
Orange County has been home to many incredible athletes who have excelled in various sports.
- Amanda Beard, an Olympic swimmer who won several medals.
- Shane Bieber, a talented baseball player.
- Kobe Bryant, a legendary NBA basketball player. He was born in Pennsylvania.
- Gary Carter, a Hall of Fame baseball player.
- Michael Chang, a professional tennis player. He was born in New Jersey.
- Sasha Cohen, a graceful figure skater.
- Allen Craig, a baseball player.
- Isaac Curtis, a professional football player.
- Lindsay Davenport, a professional tennis player.
- Phil Dent, a professional tennis player.
- Taylor Dent, a professional tennis player.
- Super Dragon, a professional wrestler.
- Janet Evans, a record-breaking swimmer.
- Jim Fassel, a professional football coach.
- Julie Foudy, a famous soccer player.
- Kyle Harrison (born 2001), a baseball pitcher for the San Francisco Giants.
- Matthew Hoppe, a professional soccer player.
- Phil Hughes, a baseball player.
- Nyjah Huston, a professional skateboarder.
- Kevin Jepsen, a baseball player.
- Samoa Joe, a professional wrestling champion.
- Magic Johnson, a former NBA basketball player.
- Stanley Johnson, an NBA basketball player.
- Jürgen Klinsmann, a player and coach for Germany's national football (soccer) team.
- Mark Kotsay, a baseball player.
- Iris Kyle, a 10-time Ms. Olympia professional bodybuilder.
- Tommy Lasorda, a Hall of Fame manager for the Los Angeles Dodgers. He was born in Pennsylvania.
- Adam LaRoche, a first baseman for the Washington Nationals.
- Jason Lee, a professional skateboarder and actor.
- Mark McGwire, a baseball player and coach.
- Tito Ortiz, a mixed martial arts fighter.
- Carson Palmer, a professional football player.
- Aaron Peirsol, a swimmer.
- Dennis Rodman, a basketball player. He was born in New Jersey.
- Elizabeth Ryan, a tennis player.
- Mark Sanchez, a USC and NFL quarterback.
- Monte Scheinblum, the 1992 U.S. National Long Driving Champion.
- Larry Sherry, a baseball pitcher and 1959 World Series MVP.
- Ed Templeton, a professional skateboarder and manufacturer.
- Garry Templeton, a professional baseball player.
- Matt Treanor, a baseball player.
- Peter Vidmar, a gymnast.
- C. J. Wilson, a baseball player.
- Tiger Woods, a world-famous professional golfer.
- Sara Ramirez, a gymnast.
- Kalia Pang, a roller derby player.
- Anthony Aiesi, a soccer player.
- Chase McQuown, a professional skateboarder.
Business Leaders
Many successful business people have called Orange County home, creating jobs and new ideas.
- George Argyros, a diplomat and real estate investor.
- Jonas Bevacqua, who helped start Lifted Research Group.
- Donald Bren, the chairman of the Irvine Company.
- Dan Caldwell, who co-founded Tapout, a clothing brand.
- Christopher Cox, a chairman of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
- Mark Cuban, a businessman, investor, and owner of the Dallas Mavericks basketball team.
- Walt Disney, the creative mind behind the Disneyland theme park. He was born in Illinois.
- Lucy Dunn, the CEO of the Orange County Business Council.
- Scott Fox (author), a best-selling author on entrepreneurship.
- Ray Grainger, the founder of Mavenlink.
- Justin Hartfield, who helped start Weedmaps.
- Reza Jahangiri, the CEO of American Advisors Group.
- James Jannard, a businessman and founder of Oakley Inc.
- Paul Merage, who co-founded Chef America Inc.
- Arturo Moreno, a businessman.
- Michael Morhaime, a businessman and co-founder of Blizzard Entertainment.
- Henry Nicholas, the CEO of Broadcom Corporation.
- Igor Olenicoff, a real estate developer.
- Dan Rodrigues, the founder of Kareo.
- Rodney Sacks, a businessman and CEO of Monster Beverage.
- Henry Samueli, the owner of the Anaheim Ducks hockey team.
- Hilton Schlosberg, a businessman.
- Henry Segerstrom, an entrepreneur.
- Vinny Smith, the founder of Toba Capital.
- Lynsi Snyder, the owner of In-N-Out Burger.
- Chad Steelberg, a businessman.
- David Sun, the founder of Kingston Technology.
- Dean Stoecker, the CEO of Alteryx.
- William Wang, the founder and CEO of Vizio.
Authors and Writers
Orange County has inspired many authors and writers to create amazing stories and books.
- Gregory Benford, a science fiction author and astrophysicist.
- Cornelia ten Boom, a Holocaust survivor, author, and speaker.
- James P. Blaylock, a fantasy author.
- Philip K. Dick, an author and futurist. He was born in Illinois.
- Jeremy Gable, a playwright.
- Dean Koontz, a popular horror author. He was born in Pennsylvania.
- Toni Turner, an author.
Movie, TV, and Media Personalities
From actors to directors and TV stars, Orange County has a strong connection to the entertainment world.
- Mitch Hurwitz, a writer and creator of the show Arrested Development.
- Scott Aukerman, a comedian, writer, and host of the Comedy Bang Bang podcast and TV show.
- Gene Autry, a singer and actor, who also owned the Angels baseball team for a long time. He was born in Texas.
- Tara Lynne Barr, an actress.
- Jimmy Bennett, an actor.
- Nate Berkus, a designer and TV personality.
- Joey Bishop, a comedian and actor. He was born in Pennsylvania.
- Marlon Brando, a famous film and stage actor. He was born in Nebraska.
- James Cameron, a well-known film director. He was born in Canada.
- Marc Cherry, the creator and executive producer of Desperate Housewives.
- Lauren Conrad, a TV personality from The Hills.
- Kevin Costner, a famous actor and director.
- Valorie Curry, an actress.
- Heather Dubrow, an actress and TV personality on The Real Housewives of Orange County. She was born in New York.
- Terry Dubrow, a plastic surgeon and star of Botched. He was born in Los Angeles.
- Kyle Echarri, a Filipino actor.
- Susan Egan, an actress and singer.
- Will Ferrell, a popular comedian and actor.
- Jere Fields, an actress.
- Yasmeen Fletcher, an actress and musician.
- Cuba Gooding Jr, an actor.
- Vicki Gunvalson, a TV personality from The Real Housewives of Orange County. She was born in Chicago.
- Diane Keaton, an actress and author. She was born in Los Angeles.
- Jeana Keough, a TV personality from The Real Housewives of Orange County. She was born in Milwaukee.
- Penny Marshall, an actress and director. She was born in New York.
- Steve Martin, a comedian, actor, author, and musician. He was born in Texas.
- Jennette McCurdy, an actress and singer.
- Scott McGehee, a filmmaker.
- Tarek El Moussa, a TV personality from Flip or Flop.
- Donny Osmond, a singer and actor. He was born in Utah.
- Michelle Pfeiffer, a famous actress.
- Jessica Rey, an actress.
- Shelby Rabara, an actress.
- Mark Rober, a mechanical engineer and popular YouTube personality.
- Jim Rome, a sports radio personality.
- Mirela Rupic, a costume designer.
- Keri Russell, an actress.
- Emily Skinner, an actress.
- Jeffree Star, an internet celebrity.
- Kristy Swanson, an actress.
- Milo Ventimiglia, an actor.
- John Wayne, an iconic film actor. The Orange County airport is named after him. He was born in Iowa.
Music Stars
Orange County has a rich music scene, producing many talented singers, musicians, and bands.
- Avenged Sevenfold, a rock band.
- Aloe Blacc, a singer.
- Jackson Browne, a musician.
- Jeff Buckley, a singer, songwriter, and musician.
- Pamela Courson, the wife of Jim Morrison, the lead singer of The Doors.
- Dick Dale, a musician.
- Leo Fender, the inventor of the solid-body electric guitar.
- Bobby Hatfield, a singer from The Righteous Brothers. He was born in Wisconsin.
- Banks, a singer.
- Dexter Holland, a musician and singer for The Offspring.
- Kiev, an indie rock band.
- Lee Soon-kyu (English name: Susan Soonkyu Lee), a singer and member of Girls' Generation.
- Crystal Lewis, a Christian singer.
- Mike Ness, a pioneer in O.C. punk music with Social Distortion.
- Terri Nunn, a singer and actress.
- Dan O'Mahony, a singer, author, activist, and journalist.
- Gwen Stefani, the lead singer of No Doubt.
- Jeff Timmons, the founder, singer, and producer of 98 Degrees.
- Lisa Tucker, a singer.
- Brian Tyler, a composer, conductor, arranger, and producer.
- Scott Weiland, the lead singer of Stone Temple Pilots and Velvet Revolver.
- Noah Urrea, a singer, actor, and member of Now United.
- Yeat, a rapper.
Political Figures
People who have shaped laws and led communities have also lived in Orange County.
- Sean Faircloth, a former Majority Whip of the Maine House.
- Jim Gilchrist, a politician.
- Richard Nixon, who served as Vice President and the 37th President of the United States.
- Marian Elaine Walters, a politician.
Other Notable People
Orange County has been home to many other interesting individuals from various fields.
- Farzad Bonyadi, a professional poker player.
- Michael Carona, a sheriff.
- Paul Frank, a clothes designer.
- Maharaja Sir Yeshwant Rao Holkar II, a ruler of Indore from 1926 to 1961. He lived in Santa Ana for a time.
- Usha Devi Maharani Sahiba Holkar XV Bahadur, the current ruler of Indore since 1961. She grew up in Santa Ana.
- Sean McMahon, an aerospace engineer.
- Glenn L. Martin, a pioneer in aviation.
- Alex Odeh, an Arab-American activist.
- Robert Schuller, a clergyman whose ministry was based in Garden Grove. He was born in Iowa.
- Miranda Weese, a ballet dancer.
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List of people from Orange County, California Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.