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Jada Pinkett Smith in 2014 Photo sourced from

Top 10 Famous People from Baltimore 

Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, the fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic, and the 30th most populous city in the United States with a population of around 585,708. Baltimore was designated an independent city by the Constitution of Maryland in 1851. It is today the most populous independent city in the United States.

Before European colonization, the Baltimore region was used as hunting grounds by the Susquehannock Native Americans, who were primarily settled further northwest than where the city was later built. Let’s take a look at the most famous people from this wonderful city;

1. Michael Phelps (1985)

Michael Phelps in 2016 Photo sourced from

Michael Fred Phelps II is an American former competition swimmer, who was born on June 30, 1985. With a total of 28 medals, he is the most successful and decorated Olympian of all time. Phelps also holds the records for the most Olympic gold medals (23), individual Olympic gold medals (13), and individual Olympic medals (16).

He is one of the top talents that hails from Baltimore. Phelps was born in Baltimore, Maryland, and raised in the Rodgers Forge neighborhood of nearby Towson. He is widely regarded as the greatest swimmer of all time and is often considered to be one of the greatest athletes of all time. 

Read more about him in 10 Most Famous People from Maryland

2. Babe Ruth (1895-1948)

George Herman “Babe” Ruth Jr., an American professional baseball player, was born on February 6, 1895. His career in Major League Baseball (MLB) lasted 22 seasons, from 1914 to 1935. He was born at 216 Emory Street in the Pigtown section of Baltimore, Maryland.

He was known as “the Bambino” and “the Sultan of Swat,” and he began his Major League Baseball career as a star left-handed pitcher for the Boston Red Sox. However, it was as a slugging outfielder for the New York Yankees that he found his greatest fame. One of the most revered sports figures in American history is Ruth.

3. Frank Vincent Zappa (1940-1993)

Frank Vincent Zappa Photo sourced from

Another famous person from Baltimore is Frank Vincent Zappa who was born on December 21, 1940, and was an American musician, composer, and bandleader. His work is characterized by nonconformity, free-form improvisation, sound experiments, musical virtuosity, and satire of American culture.

In a career spanning more than 30 years, Zappa composed rock, pop, jazz, jazz fusion, orchestral and musique concrète works, and produced almost all of the 60-plus albums that he released with his band the Mothers of Invention and as a solo artist.

4. Thurgood Marshall (1908-1993)

Thurgood Marshall who was born on July 2, 1908, in Baltimore, Maryland was a civil rights attorney and jurist who served as an American associate judge of the Supreme Court from 1967 to 1991. He was the first African-American justice on the Supreme Court.

Before entering the judiciary, he practiced law and oversaw the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, a civil rights organization. Marshall played a key role in the effort to abolish racial segregation in educational institutions. Of the 32 civil rights cases he argued before the Supreme Court, he prevailed in 29 of them.

Read more about him here

5. Anna Faris (1976)

Anna Faris Photo sourced from

Anna Kay Faris born on November 29, 1976, is an American actress. She rose to prominence for her work in comedic roles, particularly the lead part of Cindy Campbell in the Scary Movie film series (2000–2006). She has appeared in several films, including The Hot Chick (2002), May (2002), Lost in Translation (2003), and Brokeback Mountain (2005).

Faris was born in Baltimore, Maryland, the second child of Jack, a sociology professor, and Karen Faris, a special education teacher. Her other top films include; Just Friends (2005), My Super Ex-Girlfriend (2006), Smiley Face (2007), The House Bunny (2008), and What’s Your Number? (2011), The Dictator (2012), and Overboard (2018).

6. Thomas Clancy ( 1947-2013)

Thomas Leo Clancy Jr. born on April 12, 1947, was an American novelist. He is best known for his technically detailed espionage and military-science storylines set during and after the Cold War. Seventeen of his novels have been bestsellers and more than 100 million copies of his books have been sold.

He was a part-owner of his hometown Major League Baseball team, the Baltimore Orioles of the American League. Clancy was born at Franklin Square Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland. He was raised in the Northwood district in northeastern Baltimore.

Read more about him in 35 Famous Male Authors We should all Know about

7. Julie Bowen

Julie Bowen in 2015 Photo sourced from

Julie Bowen Luetkemeyer born March 3, 1970, is an American actress, best known for starring as Claire Dunphy in the ABC sitcom Modern Family (2009–2020), which earned her critical acclaim and six nominations for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series, winning in 2011 and 2012.

Bowen was born in Baltimore, Maryland, the second of three daughters of Suzanne and John Alexander Luetkemeyer Jr., a commercial real estate developer. She is the sister of noted infectious disease specialist Annie Luetkemeyer and designer Molly Luetkemeyer.

8. David Hasselhoff

David Michael Hasselhoff, also known as “The Hoff,” is an American actor, singer, and television personality, who was born on July 17. He became the most-watched man on TV setting a Guinness World Record in the process. Dr. Snapper Foster was the character that initially brought Hasselhoff fame on The Young and the Restless (1975–1982).

His starring roles in Knight Rider (1982–1986) as Michael Knight and as Los Angeles County Lifeguard Mitch Buchannon in Baywatch served as the continuation of his career (1989–2000). He was born in Baltimore , Maryland.

9. 6lack

Ricardo Valdez Valentine Jr. born on June 24, 1992, known professionally as 6lack (stylized as 6LACK, pronounced “black”), is an American singer-songwriter and rapper. He earned world recognition for his single dubbed “Prblms”, which is one of the best songs from his debut album, Free 6lack, which was released in November 2016.

Born in Baltimore , Maryland, he moved to Atlanta. He is currently a member of the Atlanta-Baltimore music collective Spillage Village, founded by EarthGang and JID. 6lack has also received three Grammy Award nominations and has won an MTV Video Music Award.

Read more about him here

10. Jada Pinkett Smith

Jada Pinkett Smith in 2014 Photo sourced from

Jada Koren Pinkett Smith born September 18,  is an American actress and talk show host. She is co-host of the Facebook Watch talk show Red Table Talk, for which she has received a Daytime Emmy Award. She was born in Baltimore , Maryland.

She is married to actor Willy Smith and along with her husband, she has a production company and has producing credits in films, documentaries, and television series. In 2010, she earned a nomination for the Tony Award for Best Musical as a producer for the Broadway musical Fela!.