Famous actors from Michigan

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July 21, 2022
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Famous actors from Michigan

Admiring and envying the world's biggest stars is easy to do on Instagram. From A-list movie stars and major musicians to pro ball players and comedians who landed their own sitcoms, there's no shortage of evidence of just how good the good life is. They post pictures of themselves with other big shots on rooftop bars, at exclusive clubs, at backstage parties, and at restaurants where regular people can't get a reservation.

But the vast majority of these celebrities were born and raised outside of Hollywood, finding their way to the bright lights and big money of superstardom from obscure beginnings in regular small towns or cities across the country.

Stacker compiled a list of actors that were born in Michigan from IMDb's most popular list. For each actor, we included a movie poster image from a film he is known for (all movie poster images from OMDb). Keep reading to see which favorite actors are from your home state.

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Daniel Henney

- Born: Carson City, Michigan (11/28/1979)
- Known for:
--- Tadashi in "Big Hero 6" (2014)
--- Agent Zero in "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" (2009)
--- Agent Phil Hayes in "The Last Stand" (2013)

Geoff Stults

- Born: Detroit, Michigan (12/15/1977)
- Known for:
--- Craig in "Wedding Crashers" (2005)
--- Cam in "She's Out of My League" (2010)
--- Mike in "The Break-Up" (2006)

J.K. Simmons

- Born: Grosse Pointe, Michigan (1/9/1955)
- Known for:
--- Fletcher in "Whiplash" (2014)
--- Mac MacGuff in "Juno" (2007)
--- Bill in "La La Land" (2016)

Ernie Hudson

- Born: Benton Harbor, Michigan (12/17/1945)
- Known for:
--- Winston Zeddemore in "Ghostbusters" (1984)
--- L.C. Duncan in "The Family Business" (2018-2021)
--- Winston Zeddemore in "Ghostbusters II" (1989)

Brian d'Arcy James

- Born: Saginaw, Michigan (6/29/1968)
- Known for:
--- Matt Carroll in "Spotlight" (2015)
--- Shrek in "Shrek the Musical" (2013)
--- Husband in Restaurant in "Friends with Kids" (2011)

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Bruce Campbell

- Born: Birmingham, Michigan (6/22/1958)
- Known for:
--- Elvis Presley in "Bubba Ho-Tep" (2002)
--- Ash in "Army of Darkness" (1992)
--- Ashley 'Ash' J. Williams in "The Evil Dead" (1981)

Sinbad

- Born: Benton Harbor, Michigan (11/10/1956)
- Known for:
--- Myron Larabee in "Jingle All the Way" (1996)
--- Otto in "Coneheads" (1993)
--- Mr. Wheat in "Good Burger" (1997)

Matthew Lillard

- Born: Lansing, Michigan (1/24/1970)
- Known for:
--- Shaggy in "Scooby-Doo" (2002)
--- Stevo in "SLC Punk!" (1998)
--- Brian Speer in "The Descendants" (2011)

Tom Selleck

- Born: Detroit, Michigan (1/29/1945)
- Known for:
--- Frank Reagan in "Blue Bloods" (2010-2021)
--- Magnum in "Magnum, P.I." (1980-1988)
--- Peter Malloy in "In & Out" (1997)

Burt Reynolds

- Born: Lansing, Michigan (2/11/1936)
- Died: 9/6/2018
- Known for:
--- Jack Horner in "Boogie Nights" (1997)
--- Bandit in "Smokey and the Bandit" (1977)

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Paul Walter Hauser

- Born: Grand Rapids, Michigan (10/15/1986)
- Known for:
--- Shawn in "I, Tonya" (2017)
--- Ivanhoe in "BlacKkKlansman" (2018)
--- Richard Jewell in "Richard Jewell" (2019)

Steven Seagal

- Born: Lansing, Michigan (4/10/1952)
- Known for:
--- Forrest Taft in "On Deadly Ground" (1994)
--- Nico Toscani in "Above the Law" (1988)
--- Casey Ryback in "Under Siege" (1992)

Taylor Lautner

- Born: Grand Rapids, Michigan (2/11/1992)
- Known for:
--- Jacob Black in "Twilight" (2008)
--- Nathan in "Abduction" (2011)
--- Jacob Black in "The Twilight Saga: Eclipse" (2010)

Dax Shepard

- Born: Milford, Michigan (1/2/1975)
- Known for:
--- Yul Perrkins a.k.a. Charles Bronson in "Hit and Run" (2012)
--- Frito in "Idiocracy" (2006)
--- Jon in "CHIPS" (2017)

Robert Wagner

- Born: Detroit, Michigan (2/10/1930)
- Known for:
--- Dan Bigelow in "The Towering Inferno" (1974)
--- Number Two in "Austin Powers in Goldmember" (2002)
--- Number Two in "Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery" (1997)

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Tom Sizemore

- Born: Detroit, Michigan (11/29/1961)
- Known for:
--- Sergeant Horvath in "Saving Private Ryan" (1998)
--- McKnight in "Black Hawk Down" (2001)
--- Lt. Vincent D'Agosta in "The Relic" (1997)

Richard Kiel

- Born: Detroit, Michigan (9/13/1939)
- Died: 9/10/2014
- Known for:
--- Jaws in "Moonraker" (1979)
--- Mr. Larson in "Happy Gilmore" (1996)
--- Vlad in "Tangled" (2010)

Colin Egglesfield

- Born: Dearborn, Michigan (2/9/1973)
- Known for:
--- Dex in "Something Borrowed" (2011)
--- Tommy Rizzoli in "Rizzoli & Isles" (2011-2016)
--- Evan Parks in "The Client List" (2012-2013)

Tom Skerritt

- Born: Detroit, Michigan (8/25/1933)
- Known for:
--- Dallas in "Alien" (1979)
--- David Drumlin in "Contact" (1997)
--- Viper in "Top Gun" (1986)

Ken Jeong

- Born: Detroit, Michigan (7/13/1969)
- Known for:
--- Mr. Chow in "The Hangover" (2009)
--- Wye Mun Goh in "Crazy Rich Asians" (2018)
--- Mr. Chow in "The Hangover Part II" (2011)

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David Spade

- Born: Birmingham, Michigan (7/22/1964)
- Known for:
--- Joe Dirt in "Joe Dirt" (2001)
--- Richard in "Tommy Boy" (1995)
--- Richie in "The Benchwarmers" (2006)

Tom Hulce

- Born: Detroit, Michigan (12/6/1953)
- Known for:
--- Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in "Amadeus" (1984)
--- Quasimodo in "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" (1996)
--- Larry Kroger in "National Lampoon's Animal House" (1978)

Terry Crews

- Born: Flint, Michigan (7/30/1968)
- Known for:
--- President Camacho in "Idiocracy" (2006)
--- Earl Devereaux in "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2" (2013)
--- Hale Caesar in "The Expendables" (2010)

Sean Giambrone

- Born: St. Joseph, Michigan (5/30/1999)
- Known for:
--- Adam Goldberg in "The Goldbergs" (2013-2022)
--- Travis in "The Emoji Movie" (2017)
--- The Eboy in "Ralph Breaks the Internet" (2018)

Dean Cain

- Born: Mt. Clemens, Michigan (7/31/1966)
- Known for:
--- Marc Shelley in "God's Not Dead" (2014)
--- Chris Harrison in "Out of Time" (2003)
--- Clark Kent in "Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman" (1993-1997)

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Eric Allan Kramer

- Born: Grand Rapids, Michigan (3/26/1962)
- Known for:
--- Scott Miller in "Lodge 49" (2018-2019)
--- Bob Duncan in "Good Luck Charlie" (2010-2014)
--- Bear in "American Wedding" (2003)

David Patrick Kelly

- Born: Detroit, Michigan (1/23/1951)
- Known for:
--- Jerry Horne in "Twin Peaks" (2017)
--- T-Bird in "The Crow" (1994)
--- President Truman in "Flags of Our Fathers" (2006)

Keegan-Michael Key

- Born: Southfield, Michigan (3/22/1971)
- Known for:
--- Clarence Goobril in "Keanu" (2016)
--- Pupa in "Let's Be Cops" (2014)
--- Hugo in "Tomorrowland" (2015)

James Wolk

- Born: Farmington Hills, Michigan (3/22/1985)
- Known for:
--- Will in "You Again" (2010)
--- Bob Benson in "Mad Men" (2013-2014)
--- Charlie in "For a Good Time, Call..." (2012)

Curtis Armstrong

- Born: Detroit, Michigan (11/27/1953)
- Known for:
--- Miles Dalby in "Risky Business" (1983)
--- Charles De Mar in "Better Off Dead..." (1985)
--- Booger' in "Revenge of the Nerds" (1984)

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Terry O'Quinn

- Born: Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan (7/15/1952)
- Known for:
--- John Locke in "Lost" (2004-2010)
--- Jerry Blake in "The Stepfather" (1987)
--- Howard Hughes in "The Rocketeer" (1991)

Lee Majors

- Born: Wyandotte, Michigan (4/23/1939)
- Known for:
--- Col. Steve Austin in "The Six Million Dollar Man" (1974-1978)
--- Colt Seavers in "The Fall Guy" (1981-1986)
--- Lee Majors in "Scrooged" (1988)

Michael Raymond-James

- Born: Michigan (12/24/1977)
- Known for:
--- Linsky in "Jack Reacher" (2012)
--- Rene Lenier in "True Blood" (2008-2011)
--- Britt Pollack in "Terriers" (2010)

Matthew Glave

- Born: Saginaw, Michigan (8/19/1963)
- Known for:
--- Glenn Guglia in "The Wedding Singer" (1998)
--- Col. Charles W. Scott in "Argo" (2012)
--- Gordon Beech in "Girlfriends' Guide to Divorce" (2015-2017)

Barry Watson

- Born: Traverse City, Michigan (4/23/1974)
- Known for:
--- Matt Camden in "7th Heaven" (1996-2006)
--- Tim in "Boogeyman" (2005)
--- Dave in "Sorority Boys" (2002)

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Jeff Hephner

- Born: Sand Creek, Michigan (6/22/1975)
- Known for:
--- Chris North in "Peppermint" (2018)
--- Doctor in "Interstellar" (2014)
--- Ben Zajac in "Boss" (2011-2012)

Matt Letscher

- Born: Grosse Pointe, Michigan (6/26/1970)
- Known for:
--- Capt. Harrison Love in "The Mask of Zorro" (1998)
--- Charles in "Her" (2013)
--- Assistant District Attorney in "Identity" (2003)

Seamus Dever

- Born: Flint, Michigan (7/27/1976)
- Known for:
--- Kevin Ryan in "Castle" (2009-2016)
--- Trigon in "Titans" (2018-2019)
--- John Seed in "Far Cry 5" (2018)

David Alan Grier

- Born: Detroit, Michigan (6/30/1956)
- Known for:
--- Actor in "Joe Pickett" (2021)
--- Pops Dixon in "Dad Stop Embarrassing Me!" (2021)
--- The Cowardly Lion in "The Wiz Live!" (2015)

Courtney B. Vance

- Born: Detroit, Michigan (3/12/1960)
- Known for:
--- Seaman Jones in "The Hunt for Red October" (1990)
--- Roger Hines in "Space Cowboys" (2000)
--- Mr. George Grandey in "Dangerous Minds" (1995)

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David Ramsey

- Born: Detroit, Michigan (11/17/1971)
- Known for:
--- John Diggle in "Arrow" (2012-2020)
--- Sidney Parker in "Pay It Forward" (2000)
--- Thompson in "Draft Day" (2014)

Justin Bartha

- Born: West Bloomfield, Michigan (7/21/1978)
- Known for:
--- Doug in "The Hangover" (2009)
--- Riley Poole in "National Treasure" (2004)
--- Brian in "Gigli" (2003)

Verne Troyer

- Born: Sturgis, Michigan (1/1/1969)
- Died: 4/21/2018
- Known for:
--- Coach Punch Cherkov in "The Love Guru" (2008)
--- Dr. Phreak in "Bubble Boy" (2001)
--- Mini-Me in "Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me" (1999)

Grant Show

- Born: Detroit, Michigan (2/27/1962)
- Known for:
--- Brett in "The Possession" (2012)
--- Rick Hyde in "Ryan's Hope" (1984-1987)
--- Blake Carrington in "Dynasty" (2017-2021)

Kevin Nash

- Born: Detroit, Michigan (7/9/1959)
- Known for:
--- Tarzan in "Magic Mike XXL" (2015)
--- Francis in "John Wick" (2014)
--- The Russian in "The Punisher" (2004)

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