Nebraska has turned out so many shining stars that we couldn’t fit them all into just one list – see part one here. In our second list of famous people from Nebraska, we look at 36 more folks who were born here or spent part of their lives here (and we’re claiming those partial-life residents because we’re pretty sure they all want people to know they lived in Nebraska).

311, Band, Formed in Omaha in 1988
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Grace Abbott, Pioneering Social Worker Who Fought for Child Welfare and Immigrants' Rights, Born in Grand Island in 1878
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Max Baer, Former Heavyweight Boxing Champion of the World, Born in Omaha in 1909
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John Beasley, Actor and Founder of the John Beasley Theater and Workshop, Born in Omaha in 1943
flickr/Huntington Theatre Company
Mildred Brown, Civil Rights Leader and Publisher of the Omaha Star, Lived in Omaha From 1937 Until Her Death in 1989
YouTube/Missiontan
William Jennings Bryan, Nebraska Politician, 41st U.S. Secretary of State and Three-Time Democratic Presidential Candidate, Lived in Nebraska 1887-Early 1900s
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Montgomery Clift, Film and Stage Actor, Born in Omaha in 1920
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James Coburn, Film and Television Actor, Born in Laurel in 1928
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Sandy Dennis, Tony Award-winning Theater and Film Actress, Born in Hastings in 1937
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John R. Dunning, Physicist Who Played a Key Role in Developing the Atomic Bomb, Born in Shelby in 1907
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(Pictured on the left.)
Harold Eugene "Doc" Edgerton, Inventor of the Strobe Light and Stroboscopic Photography, Born in Fremont in 1903
YouTube/ProjectEpiphany
Jorge Garcia, Actor and Comedian, Born in Omaha in 1973
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Alex Gordon, Kansas City Royals Left Fielder, Born in Lincoln in 1984
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Ahman Green, Former NFL Running Back For the Green Bay Packers and the Seattle Seahawks, Born in Omaha in 1977
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David Janssen, Film and Television Actor, Born in Naponee in 1931
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Chris Klein, Actor, Lived in Omaha in His Teens and Graduated from Millard West High School in 1998
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Ted Kooser, Pulitzer Prize Winner and Former Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress, Has Lived in Garland since the 1960s
YouTube/UNL Research
Dr. Susan La Flesche Picotte, First Female Native American Physician, Born on the Omaha Reservation in 1865
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Harold Lloyd, Silent Film Actor and Film Producer, Born in Burchard in 1893
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Preston Love, Musician, Born in Omaha in 1921
YouTube/bubblingminds
Randy Meisner, Founding Member of The Eagles, Born in Scottsbluff in 1946
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(Meisner is second from the left.)
Victor Mills, Inventor of the Modern Disposable Diaper, Born in Milford in 1897
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J. Sterling Morton, Former Secretary of Agriculture and Founder of Arbor Day, Lived in Nebraska from 1854 Until His Death in 1902
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Nick Nolte, Academy Award-Nominated Actor, Born in Omaha in 1941
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Kay Orr, Former NE Governor, First Female Republican Elected as Governor in the U.S., Moved to Lincoln in 1963
YouTube/Caffeinated Thoughts
Roscoe Pound, Legal Scholar and Dean of Harvard Law School, Born in Lincoln in 1870
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Red Cloud, Oglala Lakota Tribe Chief and Native American Activist, Born in What is Now Nebraska in 1822
Biography.com
Paul Revere, Popular Rock Musician, Born in Harvard in 1938
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Gale Sayers, Former Chicago Bears Running Back and Inspiration for the Movie Brian's Song, Raised in Omaha and Graduated from Omaha Central High School
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Bess Streeter Aldrich, Author, Lived in Nebraska From 1906 Until Her Death in 1954
flickr/ruzuzu
Brandon Teena, Murder Victim and Inspiration for the Movie "Boys Don't Cry," Born in Lincoln in 1972
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John Trudell, Author, Musician, Actor, and Native American Activist, Born in Omaha in 1946
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Gabrielle Union, Film and Television Actress, Born in Omaha in 1972
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Evan Williams, Inventor of Blogger and Former CEO of Twitter, Born in Clarks in 1972
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Malcolm X, Muslim Minister and Human Rights Activist, Born in Omaha in 1925
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Darryl Zanuck, Film Producer and Founder of 20th Century-Fox, Born in Wahoo in 1902
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Even with TWO lists – and a total of 66 names – we still haven’t named every single famous person from Nebraska. Who are some of your favorites?

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