You May Be Surprised To Learn These 10 Famous People Are From Alaska
By Casea Peterson|Updated on July 28, 2021(Originally published July 23, 2021)
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Casea Peterson
Author
Casea Peterson grew up archery hunting, fishing, and camping throughout the Pacific Northwest. Motivated by her love for the outdoors she moved to Alaska to attend school and to spend time exploring the last frontier. If she doesn’t have a pen in hand or her nose in a book, she can be found out on a lake or up in the woods around a fire with friends.
Who doesn’t love to gloat over famous people who were born or lived in their home state? You may be surprised how many celebrities in Alaska eventually made it big! Check out this list we’ve compiled of famous people from Alaska (either born there or lived part of their life in the Last Frontier)
Holly Madison was born in Oregon but spent much of her childhood in Craig. She is a famous model and actress, and was even one of Hugh Hefner's girlfriends on the reality show "The Girls Next Door." She has written a couple of books about her life.
Though he was born in Anchorage, Schilling has achieved success in Major League Baseball as a pitcher for various cities. He won World Series titles twice with the Arizona Diamondbacks and once with the Boston Red Sox. He
Archie Van Winkle is the only Alaskan to receive the Medal of Honor. He received this prestigious award for his role as a Staff Sargent in the Marines during the Korean War. He also served in World War II and the Vietnam War.
Though born in Utah, James Morrison was raised in Anchorage. He's been a guest star on many shows, include "The X-Files" and "Frasier," but his biggest role to date was a main cast role on "24" as Bill Buchanan.
Jewel Kilcher (known more commonly just by her first name) was born in Utah, but she was raised in Alaska. Several of her family members, including her father, star in the TV series "Alaska: The Last Frontier." She's gained fame as a singer/songwriter of hits like "Who Will Save Your Soul." She has credited her homeland of Alaska as making her strong and self-sufficient.
Wyatt Earp is one of the most famous names of the Wild West era of United States history. He was the sheriff and deputy town marshal of Tombstone, Arizona. He's most known for participating in the famed gunfight at the O.K. Coral, which resulted in the death of three cowboy outlaws. Wyatt Earp lived in Nome for quite some time during the Gold Rush. He even opened a saloon there, before eventually moving back to Arizona.
Yet another on our list of famous people from Alaska to make it big in the world of sports is Carlos Boozer. Born on a military base in Germany, he was raised in Juneau and was a star high school basketball player there. As a professional, he's played for many teams, including the Los Angeles Lakers and Chicago Bulls.
Born in Anchorage, Mario Chalmers is another professional basketball player with ties to Alaska. He played for the NBA for many years and has most recently been playing basketball in the European professional leagues.
Mark Schlereth was a guard in the NFL for the Redskins and Broncos. Later, he became a sports analyst on ESPN. He's also dabbled in acting, with a recurring role on the soap opera "Guiding Light."
You'd be forgiven for not recognizing his birth name of Robert Stroud, but the "Birdman of Alcatraz" lived in Cordova for several years. The first crime he was convicted of actually occurred in Alaska, when he was sentenced to 12 years for shooting and killing a bartender. While imprisoned for later crimes at Leavenworth Penititentiary, he became famous for breeding and studying canaries.
Do you know of any other famous people from Alaska (or ones who lived here for part of their life)? Tell us in the comments! We always love to hear about Alaska trivia.
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Alaska Trivia
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