List of people from Highland Park, Illinois explained

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

Academics and sciences

• Elisha Gray, invented and demonstrated a telephone in 1874; his Hazel Avenue house still stands
• Dr. John Grunsfeld, astronaut
• Eric Isaacs, director of Argonne National Laboratory and a professor at University of Chicago; lived in Highland Park
• Dr. John Preskill, professor at the California Institute of Technology
• Dr. Jeremy Siegel, Russell E. Palmer Professor of Finance at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania
• Dr. Graham Spanier, president of Penn State University
• Dr. Peter Suber, leader in the movement for open access to research^[1]
• Aaron Swartz, pioneer in internet technology and activism for free digital culture^[1]
• A. Judson Wells (1917-2008), Chemist

Arts and entertainment

• Craig Bolotin, screenwriter, film director
• Alex Borstein, actress
• Paul Brickman, film director
• Rachel Brosnahan, actress
• Patrick Burns, reality TV star (Haunting Evidence)
• Jacqueline Carey, fantasy fiction novelist
• Mickie Caspi, artist
• Billy Corgan, lead singer and founder of the band Smashing Pumpkins
• Blag Dahlia, singer in The Dwarves
• Eric Engberg, broadcast journalist
• Brenda Ferber, author
• Jennie Fields, writer, author of Crossing Brooklyn Ferry, Lily Beach, and The Middle Ages
• Brett Gelman, actor
• Michael Gelman, producer, Live With Regis and Kelly
• Stephen Glass, discredited magazine journalist^[2]
• James Goldman, screenwriter and playwright, author of The Lion in Winter
• William Goldman, Academy Award-winning screenwriter, author of The Princess Bride
• F. Gary Gray, film director
• Chief Keef, rapper and producer
• Brian Levant, film director
• Donald Lipski, artist
• Sebastian Maniscalco, comedian
• Richard Marx, singer-songwriter, producer
• Jeff Melvoin, television writer and producer
• Ken Olin, actor, director, producer
• Peter Orner, author
• Jeff Perry, actor
• Cory Provus, baseball broadcaster
• Robert Reed, actor
• David Safran, musician and writer
• Ben Savage, actor
• Fred Savage, actor and director
• Kala Savage, actress and singer
• Josh Server, actor
• Robert Seyfarth, architect
• Gary Sinise, actor
• Grace Slick, of the band Jefferson Airplane, born in Highland Park
• Kevin Symons, actor
• Harold Ramis, actor and director
• Brandon Ratcliff, actor
• Brian Ross, broadcast journalist
• David Seltzer, screenwriter, producer, and director
• Gene Siskel, film critic
• George Kirke Spoor, film pioneer
• Lauren Tom, actress
• D.B. Weiss, co-creator of Game of Thrones TV series^[3]
• Orson Welles, actor and director
• Edward Weston, photographer^[4]
• Dan Witz, artist
• Dean Zelinsky, founder of Dean Guitars
• Claud Mintz, singer

Business

• Anthony Saliba, (born 1955), author & businessman
• Steve Sarowitz (born 1965/1966), American billionaire, founder of Paylocity^[5]

Military

• Major General "Terrible Terry" Allen, World War II commander of 1st Infantry Division; featured on the cover of Time magazine^{[6] [7]}
• General Mark W. Clark, US Army general (World War II and the Korean War), lived in Highland Park^{[8] [9] [10]}
• Stansfield Turner, Admiral, U.S. Navy and Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, was a graduate of Highland Park High School.
• General Jonathan M. Wainwright, commander of Allied forces in the Philippines at the time of their surrender to the Empire of Japan, attended Highland Park High School

Politics and law

• Lane Bray, Washington state legislator; born in Highland Park
• Bill Cassidy, United States senator from Louisiana and former member of the United States House of Representatives; born in Highland Park
• Lauren Beth Gash, Illinois state legislator and lawyer; lived in Highland Park
• Mark Kirk, United States senator; lived in Highland Park
• Fayette S. Munro, Illinois state legislator and lawyer; lived in Highland Park
• Daniel M. Pierce, Illinois state legislator who served three nonconsecutive terms as Mayor of Highland Park; lifelong resident.
• Rob Sherman, atheist activist, perennial candidate, and businessman; grew up in Highland Park
• Jill Stein, 2012 and 2016 Green Party presidential candidate; grew up in Highland Park
• Grace Mary Stern, Illinois state legislator; lived in Highland Park
• Stansfield Turner, United States admiral and Director of Central Intelligence; born in Highland Park
• David Shulkin, United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs
• Howard R. Slater, Illinois state legislator and lawyer; lived in Highland Park
• Paul Soglin, mayor of Madison, Wisconsin graduated from Highland Park High School

Sports

Baseball

• Ross Baumgarten, pitcher for the Chicago White Sox and Pittsburgh Pirates, was born in Highland Park
• Ryan Borucki, relief pitcher for the Toronto Blue Jays, was born in Highland Park
• Tony Cogan, relief pitcher for the Kansas City Royals, attended Highland Park High School

Basketball

• Michael Jordan, iconic basketball player for the Chicago Bulls, six-time NBA champion, Olympic gold medalist, lived in Highland Park^[11]
• Toni Kukoč, forward for the Chicago Bulls and other NBA teams, lives in Highland Park
• Scottie Pippen, Chicago Bulls forward, six-time NBA champion and Basketball Hall-of-Famer
• Justin Smith (born 1999), basketball player in the Israeli Basketball Premier League

Football

• Tunch Ilkin, offensive tackle for Pittsburgh Steelers and Green Bay Packers, sports broadcaster, attended Highland Park High School
• Hugh "Shorty" Ray, football official, member of Pro Football Hall of Fame, was born in Highland Park

Gymnastics

• Jasmine Kerber, U.S. National rhythmic gymnast, resides in Highland Park

Hockey

• Billy Jaffe, hockey analyst, born in Highland Park
• David Meckler, professional hockey player, was born in Highland Park

Skating

• Jason Brown, figure skater, 2015 national champion and medalist at 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, attended Highland Park High School

Tennis

• Seymour Greenberg (1920–2006), tennis player; lived in Highland Park
• Robert Wrenn (1873–1925), tennis player; won the US Championship Men's Singles title four times, was born in Highland Park

Motorsports

• Brian Redman, champion road racing driver, lived and worked in Highland Park when driving for Carl Haas

Notes and References

1. Web site: Suber. Peter. Aaron Swartz, 1986–2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20190314203648/https://plus.google.com/109377556796183035206/posts/SfSPrspa6bD . 2019-03-14 . Blog self entry. Google +. June 27, 2013.
2. https://www.vanityfair.com/magazine/1998/09/bissinger199809 Shattered Glass | Vanity Fair
3. http://www.chicagomag.com/Chicago-Magazine/March-2013/How-D-B-Weiss-Went-From-Highland-Park-Geek-to-Game-of-Thrones-Writer/ How This Highland Park Geek Became a Game of Thrones Writer | Chicago magazine | March 2013
4. News: Edward Weston - edward-weston.com. edward-weston.com. 2018-01-16. en-US.
5. Web site: The city's newest billionaire doesn't plan to die one. 26 April 2019. Crain's Chicago Business. 3 May 2019.
6. Web site: Abbott House . Highland Park, IL . About Our City . February 10, 2012 .
7. News: . August 9, 1943 . Major Gen. Terry Allen (cover) . https://web.archive.org/web/20071114050004/http://www.time.com/time/covers/0,16641,19430809,00.html . dead . November 14, 2007 . February 10, 2012.
8. Web site: HistoryLink.org . . Clark, General Mark Wayne (1896–1984) . February 10, 2012 . ..grew up in Highland Park, a Chicago suburb near Fort Sheridan....
9. News: . June 24, 1946 . General Mark W. Clark (cover) . https://web.archive.org/web/20080421165432/http://www.time.com/time/covers/0,16641,19460624,00.html . live . April 21, 2008 . February 10, 2012.
10. News: . July 7, 1952 . General Mark W. Clark (cover) . https://web.archive.org/web/20061207070751/http://www.time.com/time/covers/0%2C16641%2C19520707%2C00.html . live . December 7, 2006 . February 10, 2012.
11. .