The following list includes notable people who were born or have lived in Evanston, Illinois. For a similar list organized alphabetically by last name, see the category page People from Evanston, Illinois.

Academia Harrison Hayford, Melville scholar, professor at Northwestern University

Oliver Marcy, two-time president of Northwestern University Dale T. Mortensen, Nobel Prize winner in economics, faculty of Northwestern University Gail Thain Parker, scholar of American literature, president of Bennington College Dwight H. Perkins, economist, Harvard University Edmund Phelps, Nobel Prize winner in economics and professor Ernest Samuels, Northwestern faculty, Pulitzer Prize winner Morton O. Schapiro, 16th president of Northwestern University, and 16th president of Williams College Stuart Vyse, psychologist and author; specialist on superstitions John Carrier Weaver, professor of geography, and college administrator for several major universities in the United States John Henry Wigmore, dean of Northwestern Law School

Business William Liston Brown, director of American Ship Building Company James Cayne, former CEO of Bear Stearns Lester Crown, son of Chicago financier Henry Crown and controls family holdings John Donahoe, president and CEO of eBay, born in Evanston Bob Galvin, former CEO of Motorola Hecky Powell, restaurateur Robert Sampson, disability rights activist born in Evanston Gordon Segal, founder and CEO of Crate & Barrel Gwynne Shotwell, businesswoman, engineer, president and chief operating officer of SpaceX John C. Whitehead, banker, chairman of Goldman Sachs, U.S. deputy secretary of state 1985–89, board member of World Trade Center Memorial Foundation (WTC Memorial Foundation)

Entertainment

Kate Baldwin, actress and singer Viola Barry, silent film actress William Bassett, actor Carlos Bernard, actor Marlon Brando, actor Tamara Braun, actress Heather Burns, actress Ronnie Burns, actor Timothy Carhart, actor William Christopher, actor, charity spokesperson Joan Cusack, actress John Cusack, actor John Dickson, poet and short story writer Sean Evans, host of Hot Ones Robert Falls, director Richard Fancy, actor Pat Finn, actor Julie Fulton, actress Zach Gilford, actor Alicia Goranson, actress Seth Gordon, director, producer, editor Laura Harrier, actress Barbara Harris, actress Charlton Heston, actor Anders Holm, comedian and co-creator of Workaholics James Jewell, voice actor, producer and director for radio shows The Lone Ranger and The Green Hornet Jake Johnson, actor Amanda Jones, Miss Illinois USA 1973 & Miss USA 1973 Tim Kazurinsky, actor and writer, Saturday Night Live Walter Kerr, drama critic Lauren Lapkus, actor and comedian Jeffrey Lieber, writer and co-creator of the television series Lost Richard Long, actor Michael Madsen, actor John Lee Mahin, Oscar-nominated screenwriter Jeff McCracken, actor, director, producer Elizabeth McGovern, Oscar-nominated actress Patrick Melton, screenwriter Josh Meyers, actor and comedian Seth Meyers, actor and comedian John Moffatt, producer Jessie Mueller, actress and singer Bill Murray, actor and comedian Ajay Naidu, actor and singer Christopher Nolan, director, screenwriter, and producer Jonathan Nolan, screenwriter, producer and director James Olson, actor Geeta Patel, film and TV director D.A. Pennebaker, documentary filmmakerD.A. Pennebaker biography William Petersen, actor Steve Pink, director, screenwriter, and producer Jeremy Piven, actor Shira Piven, director David Schwimmer, actor Anna D. Shapiro, award-winning director Martin Sherman, actor Jerry Springer Debra Stipe, actress Hope Summers, actress, founder of Evanston's Showcase Theater Daniel Sunjata, actor Dave VanDam, voice actor Lori Voornas, radio personality Ruby Wax, comedian Jenniffer Weigel, actress, writer Rafer Weigel, actor, television personality

Music

Steve Albini, music producer Fred Anderson, saxophonist Benjamin Bagby, singer, performer of medieval music Stuart D. Bogie, musician and arranger David Burge, pianist Kenneth C. Burns, Jethro of Homer and Jethro Kevin Cronin, of REO Speedwagon Patti Drew, 1960s soul singer Alexander Frey, conductor, pianist, organist, harpsichordist, composer and recording artist Ezra Furman, of Ezra Furman and the Harpoons Steve Goodman, songwriter and musician Greg Graffin Nancy Gustafson, opera singer David Ryan Harris, musician Stafford James, musician, composer Josh Kantor, organist Howard Levy, harmonica musician Junior Mance, jazz pianist and composer Jason Narducy, musician Michael Omartian, pianist, keyboard player and producer Julianne Phillips, model and actress Matthew Polenzani, opera singer Ryan Raddon, producer known as Kaskade Frank Rosenwein, classical oboist Joe Rushton, jazz bass saxophonist Natalie Sleeth, composer Grace Slick, of Jefferson Starship Patrick Stump, of Fall Out Boy Eddie Vedder, of Pearl Jam Loraine Wyman, early 20th-century performer and fieldworker in folk song

Politics, government, and military

W. Russell Arrington, Illinois state legislator and lawyer Alan E. Ashcraft Jr., Illinois state representative and judge'Illinois Blue Book 1943-1944,' Biographical Sketch of Alan E. Ashcraft, Jr., pg. 376-377 George Wildman Ball, undersecretary of state for Presidents Kennedy and Johnson James J. Barbour, Illinois lawyer and state legislator, practiced law in Evanston'Illinois Blue Book 1941-1942,' Biographical Sketch of James J. Barbour, pg. 162-163 John Lourie Beveridge, 16th governor of Illinois Charles E. Browne, Wisconsin territorial legislator'The Convention of 1846,' Milo Milton Quaife, Wisconsin Historical Society: 1919, Biographical Sketch of Charles E. Browne, pg. 762-753 Marguerite S. Church, U.S. representative 1951–1963 Ralph E. Church, U.S. representative 1935–1941, 1943–1950 James M. Cole, U.S. deputy attorney general Burton C. Cook, U.S. representative 1865–1871 Charles Gates Dawes, vice president of the United States, 1925–1929; Nobel Peace Prize winner, 1925 Henry M. Dawes, U.S. Comptroller of the Currency 1923–1924 Frances L. Dawson, Illinois state representative and educatorIllinois Blue Book 1969-1970, Biographical Sketch of Frances L. Dawson, pg. 10-191 Thomas C. Foley, U.S. ambassador to Ireland, 2010 Republican gubernatorial candidate in Connecticut Robert Gettleman, federal judge James William Good, U.S. Secretary of War 1929 Nathaniel M. Gorton, federal judge Mary Jeanne Hallstrom, nurse and politician Julian J. Hook, Minnesota state legislator and lawyerMinnesota Legislators: Past & Present-Julian J. Hook Jim Kolbe, congressman Lynn Morley Martin, Secretary of Labor under President George H.W. Bush Catherine Waugh McCulloch, lawyer, suffragist, first woman to be elected justice of the peace in Illinois H.H.C. Miller, colonel to Illinois Governor Richard Yates, Jr., three-time mayor of Evanston Lenora Moragne (1931–2020), nutritionist Lorraine H. Morton, mayor of Evanston, Illinois 1993–2009; Evanston's longest serving mayor, first Democratic mayor and first African-American mayor John Porter, congressman Donald Rumsfeld, U.S. Secretary of Defense, congressman Jan Schakowsky, U.S. representative 1999–Pres Andrew Shuman, lieutenant governor of Illinois 1877–1881 Joseph A. Strohl, Wisconsin state senator Leroy D. Thoman, U.S. Civil Service Commissioner 1883–1885 Julius White, American Civil War brigadier general Roger Williams, U.S. representative for Texas

Scientists

Isabella Garnett, pioneering African-American female physician and founder of Community Hospital J. Allen Hynek, astronomer, professor, and ufologist Peter Shirley, computer scientist and computer graphics researcher

Sports figures

Mike Adamle, NFL running back and sports broadcaster Cornelia Wicker Armsby, golfer Bessie Anthony, golfer Elmer Bennett, ACB basketball player Dave Bergman, MLB player for the New York Yankees, Houston Astros, San Francisco Giants and Detroit Tigers Pete Burnside, MLB pitcher for the New York Giants, San Francisco Giants, Washington Senators, Detroit Tigers and Baltimore Orioles John Castino, MLB infielder for the Minnesota Twins Jack Cooley, basketball player for the University of Notre Dame Yu Darvish, baseball player for the Chicago Cubs Kate Del Fava, NWSL player for the Utah Royals Luke Donald, professional golfer Paddy Driscoll, Hall of Fame football player Caleb Durbin, MLB infielder for the Milwaukee Brewers Lindsey Durlacher, wrestler Kevin Foster, MLB pitcher for the Chicago Cubs, Philadelphia Phillies, and Texas Rangers Pat Fitzgerald, head football coach for the Northwestern Wildcats Tim Floyd NBA and college basketball coach Clint Frank, college football halfback, 1937 Heisman Trophy winner Kevin Frederick, MLB pitcher for the Minnesota Twins and Toronto Blue Jays Timothy Goebel, Olympic figure skater Dov Grumet-Morris (born 1982), ice hockey player Jim Hart, NFL quarterback Robert Jeangerard, Olympic basketball gold medalist Damon Jones, NFL tight end Brandon Hyde, coach for the Chicago Cubs Mike Kenn, offensive tackle for the Atlanta Falcons, Pro Bowl selection Bob Lackey, Marquette and ABA basketball player Jim Lindeman, MLB player for the St. Louis Cardinals, Detroit Tigers, Philadelphia Phillies, Houston Astros and New York Mets Freddie Lindstrom, Hall of Fame baseball player Billy Martin, tennis player and coach Brian McBride, soccer player J. J. McCarthy, NFL quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings Bob Mionske, Olympic and professional bicycle racer Emery Moorehead, tight end for Super Bowl XX champion Chicago Bears Steve Parker, NFL player Wes Parker, MLB first baseman for the Los Angeles Dodgers Josh Paul, MLB catcher for the Chicago White Sox, Chicago Cubs, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and Tampa Bay Devil Rays Dan Peterson, basketball coach Mike Quade, baseball player, coach and manager of Chicago Cubs Dewey Robinson, MLB pitcher for the Chicago White Sox Mike Rogodzinski, MLB outfielder for the Philadelphia Phillies Clarke Rosenberg (born 1993), American-Israeli basketball player in the Israel Basketball Premier League Erik Spoelstra, head coach, Miami Heat Everette Stephens, player for the Indiana Pacers and Milwaukee Bucks Dick Strahs, MLB pitcher for the Chicago White Sox Peter Ueberroth, sixth commissioner of Major League Baseball, chairman of the United States Olympic Committee Ed Weiland, MLB pitcher for the Chicago White Sox Aaron Williams, NBA basketball player Tommy Wingels, NHL player for the Chicago Blackhawks

Visual artists, designers Jane Fulton Alt, photographer George Bloom, television director and visual effects artist John Dilg, painter and educator Edie Fake, fine artist and comic/zine author Karen Finley, performance artist Margaret Burnham Geddes, architect Martha Nessler Hayden, painter Kysa Johnson, painter Albert Henry Krehbiel, art teacher; impressionist painter and muralist; married to Dulah Marie Evans; died in Evanston Allison Miller, abstract painter Eugene Montgomery, painter Gertrude O'Brady, artist Jay Ryan, illustrator and screen-printer, working professionally as The Bird Machine, musician Robert Slimbach, typeface designer, author of Myriad, Adobe Garamond, Adobe Jenson, Utopia, Cronos Adrian Smith, architect of the tallest building in the world Alan Wanzenberg, architect and designer Gahan Wilson, cartoonist for The New Yorker, Playboy Erik Winquist, visual effects artisthttps://www.imdb.com/name/nm0935445/

Writers, playwrights, journalists

Mildred L. Batchelder, namesake of the ALA award given to the publisher of a translated children's book Beatrice Bruteau, contemplative, philosopher and author Algis Budrys, science fiction author Carolyn Crimi, writer of children's books