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10 Most Famous people from Chicago

Chicago is a big city in the state of Illinois. It is home to several celebrities, famous people as well as historical figures.

Chicago is the 3^rd most populous city and the most populous in the Midwestern United States.

This city is home to beautiful lakes, incredible monuments, iconic landmarks and several other attractions. This city is one of the most visited in the United States.

The list of notable Chicagoans ranges from actors, musicians, politicians, athletes, authors and so many more.

Some notable people from Chicago are listed in the 10 most famous people below.

1. Michelle Obama – Former First Lady

Michelle was the first lady of the United States from 2009 to 2017. She was the first African-American woman to serve as a first lady.

She was raised on the South Side of Chicago, Illinois. Michelle went to Princeton University and Harvard Law School.

After graduating from Law School, Michelle worked at the law firm Sidley Austin where she met Barack Obama.

Subsequently, Michelle worked in non-profits together with Barack. She was also the associate dean of Student Services at the University of Chicago.

During Obama’s campaign period for president in 2007, Michelle played a big role in the campaigns.

She supported American designers and was considered a fashion icon. Michelle Obama is one of the most admired women in America.

2. Jennifer Hudson – Singer

Jennifer Hudson rose to fame in 2004 as a finalist on the third season of American Idol where she came in 7^th. She was also featured in the musical film Dreamgirls (2006).

Her role in the film earned her an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. Subsequently, Jenifer was the youngest African-American to win in a competitive acting category.

Hudson is also a recipient of several other accolades such as two Grammy Awards, a Daytime Emmy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Award. Time named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2020.

3. Hillary Clinton – Politician

Hillary Rodham Clinton is another famous person from Chicago.

She served as the first lady of the United States from 1993 to 2001; 67th United States secretary of state from 2009 to 2013; as a United States senator from New York from 2001 to 2009.

In 2016, Hillary was part of the presidential race on a Democratic Party ticket. Clinton was the first woman to win a presidential nomination by a major political party in the United States.

Although she won the popular vote, Hillary lost the Electoral College vote and thereby lost the presidential election.

4. Jenny McCarthy – Actress

Jenny started her career in 1993 as a nude model for Playboy magazine from which she was named their Playmate of the Year.

She later transitioned to a television and film acting career. It started with her co-hosting the MTV game show Singled Out (1995–1997).

Jenny then starred in the sitcoms Jenny (1997–1998) and Donnie Loves Jenny (2015–2016).

Other than being a successful actress, McCarthy has published several books about parenting. She promotes research into environmental causes and alternative medical treatments for autism.

5. Maria Shriver – Journalist

Maria is the former First Lady of California, and the founder of the non-profit organization The Women’s Alzheimer’s Movement.

Shriver was married to former Governor of California and actor Arnold Schwarzenegger. They divorced in 2011.

She has received a Peabody Award and was co-anchor for NBC’s Emmy-winning coverage of the 1988 Summer Olympics.

Maria worked as the executive producer of The Alzheimer’s Project.

the show earned her 2 Emmy Awards and an Academy of Television Arts & Sciences award for developing a “television show with a conscience”.

In 2017, the Alzheimer’s Association awarded Shriver its first-ever Lifetime Achievement Award.

6. Shonda Rhimes – Film Producer

Shonda Rhimes is popularly known for producing award-winning television series.

Some of her popular shows are Grey’s Anatomy, its spin-off Private Practice, Off the Map, How to Get Away with Murder, The Catch, Bridgeton, Inventing Anna.

Rhimes has also served as the executive producer of the ABC television series.

She was named by Time on the Time 100 among the most influential people in the world in 2007 and 2021.

In 2017, Rhimes signed a mega-deal with Netflix for an exclusive multi-year development of Netflix Originals.

7. Kanye West – Rapper

Photo by Phil Romans – Wikimedia

Kanye is one of the most popular rappers on the planet. He grew up in Chicago and even named one of his children Chicago in honour of his hometown.

West, now known as Ye, explored varied musical elements such as orchestral arrangements, synthesizers, and autotune on the albums Late Registration (2005), Graduation (2007), and 808s & Heartbreak (2008).

His 6^th album Yeezus (2013) received critical and commercial success.

Other than his music and entrepreneurial projects, Kanye is known for his outspoken views. Some have been seen as controversial.

His battle with mental health, divorce from Kim Kardashian and Christian faith have gained a lot of media attention in the recent past.

8. John Cusack – Actor

Another famous Chicagoan is John Cusack. He was born in Chicago and still lives there.

Cusack is a big fan of both the Cubs and the White Sox. He began his acting career in films in the 1980s and has since featured in more than 85 films.

His popular films include Sixteen Candles (1984), Tapeheads (1988), Say Anything (1989), Bullets over Broadway (1994), Grosse Pointe Blank (1997), Being John Malkovich (1999), High Fidelity (2000), Runaway Jury (2003), Igor (2008), Hot Tub Time Machine (2010), The Frozen Ground (2013), and Maps to the Stars (2014).

9. James Watson- Molecular Biologist

Photo by Jan Arkesteijn – Wikimedia

James Watson is a famous molecular biologist who grew up in Chicago. In 1953, Watson co-authored with Francis Crick the academic paper proposing the double helix structure of the DNA molecule.

A few years later, in 1962, the two authors were awarded the 1962 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine “for their discoveries concerning the molecular structure of nucleic acids and its significance for information transfer in living material”.

In the years that followed, Watson and his colleagues were faulted for leaving out their colleague Rosalind Franklin for her contributions to the discovery of the double helix structure.

Watson has published many science books, including the textbook Molecular Biology of the Gene (1965) and his bestselling book The Double Helix (1968).

10. Aaron Swartz – Computer Programmer

Aaron was part of the tech team that developed the web feed format RSS, the Markdown publishing format, the organization Creative Commons.

Additionally, Swartz joined the social news site Reddit six months after its founding. He was named the co-founder of Reddit by Y Combinator owner Paul Graham after the formation of Not a Bug, Inc.

Some of his work focused on civic awareness and activism where he helped launch the Progressive Change Campaign Committee in 2009. The goal was to learn more about effective online activism.

Furthermore, Aaron was a research fellow at Harvard University’s Safra Research Lab on Institutional Corruption in 2010. He died by suicide in 2013.