Kansas is known for producing a lot of great things, like food (remember to thank a Kansas farmer if you ate today!), college sports teams, and helium. But did you know the Sunflower State has also produced some pretty recognizable faces? Here are 11 famous people from Kansas that you may not have known about.

1. Hattie McDaniel (Wichita)
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This legendary actress was the first African American to win an Academy Award. She received the prestigious Oscar award for her role as Mammy in "Gone With The Wind." She was born in 1893 in Wichita to parents who were each former slaves (her father actually fought in the Civil War!)
2. Jeff Probst (Wichita)
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Emmy award winner Jeff Probst is best known as the host of TVs smash hit "Survivor." Survivor first aired in 2000 and was an immediate sensation. Probst's catchphrase of "The tribe has spoken. It's time for you to go" is one of the most iconic TV phrases of all time.
3. Annette Bening (Topeka)
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Annette Bening has been in a number of popular roles, including "American Beauty" and "Captain Marvel." She spent her early years in Topeka and Wichita.
4. Amelia Earhart (Atchison)
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Before she made history as the first female aviator to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean, she was simply "Meeley" from Atchison. She spent her early years in Kansas before the family moved when she was a teenager.
5. Ed Asner (Kansas City)
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Eddie Asner is an incredibly accomplished actor and one of the biggest celebrities in Kansas. He was born in Kansas City in 1929, and has been in too many roles to name. The one he's probably best known for is Lou Grant on "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" and its spin-off "Lou Grant." He also voiced Carl Frederickson in Pixar's "Up."

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6. Eric Stonestreet (Kansas City)
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Eric Stonestreet is best known for his role as Cameron in the hit show "Modern Family." He was born in Kansas City and as a child, dreamed of being a clown. He graduated from Kansas State University and now owns part of the Kansas City Royals team.
7. Vivian Vance (Cherryvale)
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Vivian Vance, born Vivian Jones in Cherryvale, was most famous for playing Albuquerque-born Ethel Mertz on "I Love Lucy." She began studying drama while attending Independence High School in Independence.
8. Kirstie Alley (Wichita)
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Kirstie Alley has said that people from her hometown of Wichita are some of the nicest you'll ever meet. We couldn't agree more! She gained fame for her role as Rebecca on "Cheers" and was in a number of films and other television series as well.
9. Martina McBride (Sharon)
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The "Independence Day" singer hails from the super-tiny town of Sharon. She became a country music superstar after moving to Nashville as an adult. She was in her first band in Wichita, though, and spent her entire childhood in Kansas.
10. Buster Keaton (Piqua)
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One of the best-known silent film actors, Buster Keaton, was born Joseph Keaton. He got his start in the minuscule unincorporated community of Piqua. He began performing in his parents' vaudeville act as a young child.
11. Dwight D. Eisenhower (raised in Abilene)
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Okay, okay. The 34th President of the United States was actually born in Texas. But his family moved to Abilene when he was just two years old and he always considered it his hometown. He was raised and buried in Kansas, and his Presidential Library and Museum are located in Abilene.

Do you know of any other famous people from Kansas? Share your favorites in the comments. We love Kansas trivia!

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Kansas Trivia

Lisa Sammons | August 06, 2021

What are some fun facts about Kansas?

Helium was discovered here, way back in 1905 at the University of Kansas! The original Pizza Hut is right here in Wichita and is now a museum. This is a surprisingly interesting place: we know we have a reputation as a bit of a flyover state, but we're actually pretty cool here!

What are some good museums in Kansas?

Kansas is loaded down with great museums. As mentioned above, we have the original Pizza Hut museum, plenty of historical museums, the Greyhound Racing Hall of Fame, the Eisenhower library and museum...there are so many we couldn't even begin to name them all!

What are some great cities in Kansas?

If you're looking to move, we've got a list of the dozen best places to live. Our largest city, Wichita, has only 400,000 people, so it's a lot quieter than a lot of cities, but still has the benefits of big city life. If you did want somewhere that's a small town in Kansas, we have plenty of those as well.

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