Known as the Sooner state, Oklahoma is a force to be reckoned with among US states. Well known for its college football team 'The Sooners' and an NBA team, Oklahoma has proven that they produce talents. But its not limited only to sports.
From legends like Jim Thorpe to modern day stars like Brad Pitt, many famous talented people call Oklahoma home. Below is a list of ten famous people who hail from Oklahoma.
Brad Pitt
Brad Pitt is clearly the most famous person to come out of Oklahoma. Born in Shawnee, OK, Brad has built a successful acting career that includes two Golden Globes and an Academy Award. He first gained recognition in the movie ‘Thelma and Louis’ and has gone over the years to star in hits like ‘Fight Club’, Mr. and Mrs. Smith’, World War Z’, ‘Ocean’s Eleven’ and ‘Troy’. Brad is also very active in social causes and regularly contributes to charities.
Dr. Phil
Phil McGraw is a well-known psychologist, author, and TV personality known for his show ‘Dr. Phil’. Born in Vinita, Oklahoma in 1950, Phil attended college at the University of Texas where he played football and majored in Psychology. After graduation, Phil started his own seminar company called Pathways which led to him starting his TV show called ‘Dr. Phil.’
Blake Griffin
Blake is a well known NBA star who hails from Oklahoma city. Over the last 10 years, Blake Griffin has had an outstanding basketball career. He played basketball for the Oklahoma Sooners before getting drafted by the Los Angeles Clippers in 2009. Since then, he has gone on to be an NBA All-Star five times and also NBA Rookie of the year.
Garth Brooks
Garth Brooks is one of the most popular and successful singers of all time. Birn in Tulsa Oklahoma, his mother Colleen Caroll was a country singer in the 1950s. Garth Brooks first started an an athlete, earning a track scholarship to Oklahoma State University where he graduated in 1984. From there, he went to start his music career, playing in small bars and clubs in Oklahoma and Nashville. Today he is ‘best-selling solo albums artist in the United States of all time’ and has become the face of country music.
Carrie Underwood
Hailing from small town Muskogee Oklahoma, Carrie Underwood has gone on to become a world famous country singer. She first gained prominence after winning a reality contest. From there she has gone on to become very successful in her career in music. Some of her awards include; ‘Grammy Awards,’ ‘Billboard Music Awards,’ ‘Academy of Country Music Awards,’ and ‘American Music Awards.’
Elizabeth Waren
Born in Oklahoma city, Elizabeth Warren is a well known US senator representing the state of Massachusetts since 2013. Before becoming a senator, Elizabeth Waren was a popular Harvard law professor and was very prominent in bankruptcy law. After serving in the Obama administration, she went on to contest for the senate and won, becoming the first female senator from Massachusetts.
Reba McEntire
Known as the queen of country music, Reba McEntire started at a young age. Growing up in Oklahoma, McEntire started singing and playing the guitar with her siblings. She was discovered by a country singer called Red Seagall who helped her get a record deal. At first, her career didn’t take off but later her album ‘My Kind of Country’ became a massive success. The success of this album prompted her to release several more albums and singles that went on to become super hits and cemented her position as the reigning queen of country music.
Blake Shelton
Blake is a well-known singer, songwriter and TV personality. He first gained prominence with his debut single called ‘Austin’ in 2001 which peaked at number 1 on the ‘Billboard Hot Country Songs’ chart. Over the years, Shelton has gone on to release over 11 studio albums with many hit singles. He’s also appeared as judge on TV shows such as ‘The Voice.’
Ron Howard
Ronald William Howard is a celebrated film and TV actor and director. Born in Duncan, OK in 1954, Ron first gained prominence as a child actor in the TV show ‘The Twilight Zone’. From there he went on to appear in movies such as ‘The American Graffiti’ and ‘The Shootist’. Ron Howard is also one of Hollywoods biggest film directors and has directed movies such as ‘Apollo 13’ and ‘The DaVinci Code’.
Bill Goldberg
William Scott Goldberg is a WWE hall of fame wrestler. Born in Tulsa Oklahma in 1966, he first started his career as a football player. He played for the Los Angeles Rams, Atlanta Falcons and Carolina Panthers. However, due to an injury, he started practicing mixed martial arts and then moved on the wrestling. He was one of WWEs biggest stars in the late 1990s and was inducted into WWE hall of fame in April 2018