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Top 10 Famous people from Arizona

Arizona is the 6^th largest state in the United States. This state is located in the southwestern region of the country.

It shares its boundaries with Utah to the north, New Mexico to the east, and California to the west. The state has one of the most beautiful landscapes in the country.

Famous for the Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona enjoys a desert climate. You will also find other monuments and landmarks in this beautiful state. 

Several Arizonians have made a name for themselves in the state, the country and globally.

These individuals have excelled in different fields such as athletics, science, acting, innovation, politics, entertainment, music among others.    

Read on to find the top 10 famous people from Arizona.

1. Emma Stone – Actress

Emma Stone is an actress who has received several prestigious awards including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and a Golden Globe Award.

Stone was the world’s highest-paid actress in 2017. Additionally, she was named by Time magazine as one of the 100 most influential people in the world.

Emma grew up in Scottsdale, Arizona. Her acting career began when she was still a child. Young Emma was part of a theatre production of The Wind in the Willows in 2000.

When she was a teenager, Emma moved to Los Angeles with her mother where she featured in several small television roles.

Her first leading role in the movie Easy A (2010). This role earned her nominations for the BAFTA Rising Star Award and the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress.

Other popular and leading roles were in Crazy, Stupid, Love (2011); The Help (2011); The Croods (2013 & 2020).

2. Jordin Sparks – Singer

Photo by D. Myles Cullen – Wikimedia

You know her from her hit songs No Air, Battlefield, Tattoo, and One Step at a Time. Jordin Sparks first shot to fame after featuring in the television reality show American Idol.

She started singing when she was still a child and took part in several reality shows. Jordin later auditioned for the American Idol but failed to impress the judges on her first try.

Determined, she auditioned for the second time. At 17, Jordin won the 2007 American Idol television singing contest, becoming the youngest ever winner of the coveted title.

Jordin has 6 albums: Jordin Sparks (2007), Battlefield (2009), ByeFelicia (2014), Right here Right Now (2015), Sounds Me Up (2020 EP) and Cider & Hennessy (2020).  

3. Kerri Strug – Gymnast

The next famous person from Arizona is the retired gymnast Kerri Strug.  Kerry was a member of the women’s gymnastics team that represented the USA in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.

Her team, the Magnificent Seven, won the gold medal. Strug was famous for excellently executing the vault even after having an ankle injury. In 1992, she had won the bronze medal at the Olympics too.

Other than gymnastics, Kerry has worked at the White House Office of Presidential Student Correspondence as a staff assistant.

She was also a presidential appointee at the Justice Department’s Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. Kerry also worked as a Yahoo! correspondent at the 2004 Summer Olympics.

4. Sandra Day O’Connor – Former Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States

Photo by The U.S. National Archives – Wikimedia

Sandra is a retired attorney and politician. She was the first female associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1981 to 2006.

O’Connor was the first woman nominated as well as the first woman confirmed as Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States.

Her nomination was done by President Ronald Reagan. The president had considered her the swing vote for the Rehnquist Court and the first few months of the Roberts Court.

Before working as an associate justice, Sandra worked as a judge and an elected official in Arizona. She was the first female majority leader of a state senate as the Republican leader in the Arizona Senate.

While she was still on active duty, O’Connor was named among the most powerful women in the world. She received the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama in 2009.

5. Diana Gabaldon – Author

Diana J. Gabaldon is famously known for the Outlander series of novels. Her books combine several genres that feature elements of historical fiction, romance, mystery, adventure and science fiction/fantasy.

The Outlander Novel was adapted into a television series and premiered on Starz in 2014.

She grew up in Flagstaff, Arizona and went to Northern Arizona University where she graduated with a bachelor of science in zoology.

Gabaldon then went to the University of California, San Diego, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, and later Northern Arizona University for her postgraduate studies respectively.

Her inspiration for the Outlander novel series was from watching an episode of Dr Who.  

6. Frankie Muniz – Actor

Photo by Carole Lowe – Wikimedia

Frankie is popularly known for his role as Malcolm in the Fox sitcom Malcolm in the Middle (2000–2006). He received an Emmy Award nomination and two Golden Globe Award nominations.

Muniz has also featured in Deuces Wild (2002), Agent Cody Banks (2003), and Racing Stripes (2005).

In the early 2000s, Frankie was considered one of the most popular child actors and subsequently one of Hollywood’s most bankable teens.

His love for speed and racing got him to pause his acting career. In 2008, Muniz competed in the open-wheel racing in the Atlantic Championship.

He is also a talented drummer who played for the indie rock and Kingsfoil between 2012 and 2014.

Frankie’s most recent race was in the 2022 ARCA Menards Series test at Daytona International Speedway, driving the No. 01 Ford for Fast Track Racing.

7. Don Frye – Mixed Martial Artist

Donald Frye is a former mixed martial artist, professional wrestler, and actor. Frye was one of MMA’s most skilled fighters and won the UFC 8.

Moreover, he won the Ultimate 96 tournaments and finished as runner-up UFC 10 in his first year of competition.

He had spent 4 years as one of Japan’s top gaijin wrestlers before returning to MMA with the Pride Fighting Championships in September 2001.

Frye fought with Ken Shamrock and Yoshihiro Takayama during his two years in Pride. His final Pride event was in 2007.

In 2016, Frye was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame.

8. Shawn Michaels – Wrestler

Shawn is a retired professional wrestler who is widely regarded as one of the greatest in-ring performers of all time.

Michaels is a four-time world champion. He has held the WWF Championship three times and WWE’s World Heavyweight Championship once.

His performance in the ring has earned him the nicknames Heartbreak Kid, The Showstopper, and Mr WrestleMania.

He first featured in the WWE in 1988 and had a successful career for a decade. It ended after he suffered a back injury.

In 2002, Shawn went back to wrestling in WWE and retired in 2010. He was then appointed as a trainer in 2016.

9. Chester Bennington – Musician

Photo by Stefan Brending – Wikimedia

Chester was the lead vocalist of the bands Linkin Park, Grey Daze, Dead by Sunrise, and Stone Temple Pilots.

He shot into fame after they released Linkin Park’s debut album, Hybrid Theory (2000). This album was a global success.

In 2005, the album was certified Diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America. It was the best-selling album of the decade.

That same year, Bennington formed his band Dead by Sunrise. They released their first album in 2009.

Behind his successful career, Bennington battled with depression and substance abuse. He died by suicide in 2017.  

10. Cesar Chavez – Civil Rights Activist

Photo by Warren K. Leffler – Wikimedia

Last on our list is Caesar Chavez who was a labour leader and civil rights activist. His first job was as a manual labourer before serving in the US Navy for 2 years.

He worked alongside Dolores Huerta and they co-founded the National Farm Workers Association (NFWA).

The association was later known as the United Farm Workers (UFW) labour union. His politics were infused with Roman Catholic social teachings.

Chavez moved to California and got married. Caesar worked with Community Service Organization (CSO) where he helped labourers register to vote.

Although he was considered to be a controversial figure by UFW critics, farmers saw him as revolutionary.

He was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1994.