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10 Most Famous People from St. Louis

There are tons of celebrities who come from St. Louis which is a vibrant metropolis in the heartland of the USA. Commonly referred to as the ‘Gateway to the West’, this eclectic city is famous for its iconic blues music scene Gateway Arch and fiercely loyal sports fans. Attractions of note include City Hall, the Gateway Arch and the Busch Stadium. St. Louis ranks in the top 15% of the most affluent areas in this country. With a median household income north of $54,000*, St. Louis ranked 144th out of some 942 U.S. cities and towns in a new affluence index produced by the Business Journals.

Most people in St. Louis and beyond are aware that Award-winning hip hop recording artist Nelly, Joe Buck and the world’s greatest athlete Jackie Joyner-Kersee are from St. Louis. There are many other famous people that were either born, raised or live in St. Louis, and that the subject of this article. This city is a stark reminder that you can get ahead in life and be successful without necessarily coming from a big city like the 鈥淏ig Apple鈥�. If you work hard at it you can make it big in America. Following are ten famous people who are from St. Louis.

1. Akon 鈥� Singer & Entreprenuer

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Born on April 16, 1973, in  St. Louis, Missouri, Aliaune Damala Badara Akon Thiam AKA Akon, is a Senegalese-American singer, record producer and entrepreneur. Akon has stated that he was part of an auto-theft ring and spent four years in prison from 1999 to 2002. He rose to prominence in 2004 following the release of Locked Up, the first single from his debut album Trouble, followed by the second single Lonely. His second album, “Konvicted”, earned him a Grammy Award nomination for the single Smack that featured Eminem. His latest album, “Freedom”, was released in 2008. Akon often sings hooks for other artists and is currently accredited with over 200 guest appearances and 32 Billboard Hot 100 songs.

Growing up he split his time between Senegal and the States and thus launched a $6 billion development project meant to transform a Senegalese farming village by the decade’s end. Recently, the American rapper shocked fans with his wildly outdated views about gender roles in a relationship between a man and woman during a January 2023 appearance on The Joe Budden Podcast. During the interview, Akon also bizarrely claimed men are able to make babies without women, because he claims all you need is sperm and an incubator in order to create life, explaining: ‘We’re gods, we are the ones that create life.

10 Most Famous People from Missouri.

2. TS Eliot – Poet

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Thomas Stearns Eliot was born in St. Louis on September 26, 1888, and lived there during the first eighteen years of his life. Eliot was to pursue four careers: editor, dramatist, literary critic, and philosophical poet. He later became the most erudite poet of his time in the English language. His most notable works include The Waste Land (1922), Four Quartets (1943) and the play Murder in the Cathedral (1935). Everything came together when he came under the influence of his contemporary Ezra Pound, who recognized his poetic and assisted in the publication of his work in a number of magazines, most notably 鈥淭he Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock,鈥� which appeared in Poetry magazine in 1915. Eliot has been one of the most daring innovators of twentieth-century poetry.

Never compromising either with the public or indeed with language itself, he has followed his belief that poetry should aim at a representation of the complexities of modern civilization in language and that such representation necessarily leads to difficult poetry. Despite this difficulty, his influence on modern poetic diction has been immense. Eliot became a British citizen in 1927. In 1948, he received the Nobel Prize for Literature. Long associated with the publishing house of Faber & Faber, he published many younger poets and eventually became director of the firm.

To read about the 25 legendary poets in the world, CLICK HERE 

3.  John Goodman

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A native son of the Affton suburb in St. Louis County, John Goodman studied drama at Southwest Missouri State and later made his mark with distinctive, often hilarious character performances in films such as True Stories. He got involved in acting at Affton High School during his junior and senior years. G then I went to Meramac and started getting into the theatre program in his second semester. He made his mark with distinctive, often hilarious character performances in films such as True Stories and Raising Arizona. Drawing on his St. Louis roots for inspiration, Goodman starred from 1988-97 as Dan, the lovable, working-class husband on the acclaimed television series Roseanne. Also a talented stage actor, Goodman moved to lead roles in films such as The Babe and The Flintstones. The gifted actor is admired by his peers and immensely popular with his fans.

4.  Maya Angelou 鈥� Author

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Poet, dancer, singer, activist, and scholar Maya Angelou was a world-famous author. She was best known for her unique and pioneering autobiographical writing style. Angelou was born in St. Louis, Missouri and had a difficult childhood. Her parents split up when she was very young and she and her older brother, Bailey, were sent to live with their grandmother in Stamps, Arkansas. Angelou鈥檚 interest in the written word and the English language was evident from an early age. Throughout her childhood, she wrote essays, poetry and kept a journal. When she returned to Arkansas, she took an interest in poetry and memorized works by Shakespeare and Poe.

She was best known for her seven autobiographical books. In 1959, at the request of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Angelou became the northern coordinator for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. From 1964 to 1966 she was feature editor of the African Review in Accra, Ghana. She returned to the United States in 1974 and was appointed by Gerald Ford to the Bicentennial Commission and later by Jimmy Carter to the Commission for International Woman of the Year. She accepted a lifetime appointment in 1982 as Reynolds Professor of American Studies at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

5. Andy Cohen – Journalist

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Andy Cohen was born St. Louis, Missouri, United States and is a native of Clayton. He graduated from Clayton High School and Boston University and worked his way up through the ranks of the television industry to become the executive producer of The Real Housewives series. He is an Emmy Award-winning host, producer, and author best known as the host and executive producer of Emmy-Nominated Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen, Bravo鈥檚 late-night, interactive talk show.  The series is the only live show in late-night television and consistently makes headlines with bold interviews viewers don鈥檛 get anywhere else.

The openly gay Cohen began his career in television as an intern at CBS News. He spent 10 years at the network, eventually serving as senior producer of The Early Show, a producer for 48 Hours, and a producer for CBS This Morning.  joined the television network Trio in 2000, later becoming vice president of original programming at Bravo in 2004, when the network purchased Trio. Through his RadioAndy channel, he talks with and about celebrities on his Sirius XM. He has a memoir titled Most Talkative: Stories from the Front Lines of Pop Culture.

6.  Kimora Lee Simmons 鈥� Model & Entreprenuer

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Kimora Lee Simmons (n茅e Perkins) is an American model, businesswoman, fashion designer, venture capitalist, entrepreneur, TV personality, philanthropist and author. She grew up not exactly wealthy in Missouri. She was the child of an immigrant, a story that motivates a lot of fans. Kim then went to college, and during that time she blossomed into a modelling career that would prove to be quite lucrative. It made her lots of money, considering the prestigious Chanel company signed her as a model when she was 13 years old. She worked one-on-one with the iconic Karl Lagerfeld. Her next shot at success was she and  Russell Simmons started Baby Phat a company that innovated and led the diversification of the fashion industry, which is how Kimora has made the bulk of her $200* million net worth. After a long time away from the company, Kimora actually purchased Baby Phat in its entirety back in 2019.

Click Here to find out the 10  most talented fashion designers in New  York.

7.  Steven Chu – Scientist

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Steven Chu FREng ForMemRS HonFInstP born in St. Louis, Missouri is an American physicist and former government official. He is a Nobel laureate and was the 12th United States Secretary of Energy. He is currently the William R. Kenan Jr. Professor of Physics and Professor of Molecular and Cellular Physiology at Stanford. He has published over 280 papers in atomic and polymer physics, biophysics, biology, bio-imaging, batteries, and other energy technologies. Moreover, He holds 15 patents and an additional 9 patent disclosures or filings since 2015. The amazing Dr. Chu was the 12th U.S. Secretary of Energy from January 2009 until the end of April 2013. As the first scientist to hold a Cabinet position and the longest-serving Energy Secretary. He began several initiatives including ARPA-E (Advanced Research Projects Agency鈥揈nergy) and the Energy Innovation Hubs and was personally tasked by President Obama to assist BP in stopping the Deepwater Horizon oil leak. He is a member of numerous honorific societies including the National Academy of Sciences, the American Philosophical Society and the Royal Academy of Engineering to name but a few.

8.  Tina Turner 鈥� Music Legend

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Born Anna Mae Bullock in Nutbush, Tennessee, she moved to St. Louis at age 16. She was a student at Sumner High School when she joined Ike Turner and the Kings of Rhythm. With 1960 hit A Fool in Love, they became the Ike & Tina Turner Revue. In essence, Tina Turner started her music career in the city. It was in this city that she met Ike Turner who would become her husband and musical partner for over a decade before their divorce. Tina Turner is the most successful female entertainer in history, selling more concert tickets as a single artist than any other performer. Among her recognitions and awards: she is a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee and was named #63 on Rolling Stone magazine鈥檚 鈥�100 Greatest Artists of All Time鈥� list. In addition, she鈥檚 an Eleven-time Grammy Award Winner and Recipient of the Kennedy Center Honors Award for her lifetime contribution to American Culture.

Hit this hot link for the 10 remarkable facts about Tina Turner.

9. Nelly 鈥� Musician

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Nelly grew up in University City. Lives in St. Louis County. Nelly was a top-notch athlete but his forays in pro ball shifted to music when he and his group, the St. Lunatics, had their first regional hit. Scoring big on the music charts didn鈥檛 keep him from smashing a baseball. He is always proud to don St. Louis team jerseys and colours. The St. Louis product was honoured in the 2021 BET Hip Hop Awards with the 鈥淚 Am Hip Hop鈥� award for his 22 years in the music business. His singles are the soundtrack to a lot of people鈥檚 adolescence, with hits like Hot in Here, Dilemma (feat. Kelly Rowland), Country Grammar, Ride With Me, Just a Dream, among others living forever in movies, commercials and other forms of pop culture.

He is only one of eight hip-hop artists in history in the 鈥淒iamond Club,鈥� the exclusive group of people who鈥檝e sold a minimum of 10,000,000 units. His contribution to hip hop is monumental, from influencing a generation to wear Apple Bottom Jeans, and Air Force Ones to sticking band-aid patches under the eyelids.

10. Betty Grable – Actress

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The biggest box office star of the 1940s and the most desired WWII pin-up girl was born in St Louis, Missouri in 1916. The acting-singing-dancing triple-threat Betty Grable became the stuff of Hollywood legend after her studio reportedly insured her legs for $1 million with Lloyd’s of London. She came to prominence in the Broadway musical DuBarry Was a Lady (1939), which brought her to the attention of 20th Century Fox. Her 42 films during the 1930s and 1940s grossed more than $100 million. For 10 consecutive years, she reigned in the Quigley Poll’s top 10 box office stars; a feat only matched by Doris Day, Julia Roberts and Barbra Streisand and Mary Pickford. Betty Grable had a relatively short life. She succumbed to lung cancer at age 56. During her short life, she had a prolific film star career.