OMDb
1 / 36Brad Dourif
- Born: Huntington, West Virginia (3/18/1950)
- Known for:
--- Billy Bibbit in "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" (1975)
--- Wormtongue in "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers" (2002)
--- Piter De Vries in "Dune" (1984)

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 West Virginia 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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OMDb
1 / 36- Born: Huntington, West Virginia (3/18/1950)
- Known for:
--- Billy Bibbit in "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" (1975)
--- Wormtongue in "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers" (2002)
--- Piter De Vries in "Dune" (1984)
OMDb
2 / 36- Born: Beckley, West Virginia (7/24/1942)
- Known for:
--- Jack Skellington in "The Nightmare Before Christmas" 1993
OMDb
3 / 36- Born: Wheeling, West Virginia (5/9/1961)
- Known for:
--- Ian Miller in "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" (2002)
--- Chris Stevens in "Northern Exposure" (1990-1995)
--- Burwell in "The Messengers" (2007)
OMDb
4 / 36- Born: Diana, West Virginia (2/6/1977)
- Known for:
--- CASE in "Interstellar" (2014)
--- Barsad in "The Dark Knight Rises" (2012)
--- Arkin in "The Collector" (2009)
OMDb
5 / 36- Born: Chesapeake, West Virginia (7/19/1983)
- Known for:
--- Rand Kleinsasser in "Big Sky" (2021)
--- Dime Bag in "Ray Donovan" (2017)
--- Earl in "Justified" (2015)
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OMDb
6 / 36- Born: Morgantown, West Virginia (2/5/1941)
- Known for:
--- Richard Channing in "Falcon Crest" (1982-1990)
--- Gage in "The Social Network" (2010)
--- Dean Buckley in "D3: The Mighty Ducks" (1996)
OMDb
7 / 36- Born: Parkersburg, West Virginia (2/22/1928)
- Known for:
--- Mr. Spritzer in "Hairspray" (2007)
--- Ray Stohler - Dad in "Breaking Away" (1979)
--- Wimpy in "Popeye" (1980)
OMDb
8 / 36- Born: Wheeling, West Virginia (3/9/1983)
- Known for:
--- Nick in "The Final Destination" (2009)
--- Yolo in "Justified" (2013)
--- Seth Branson in "Scream: The TV Series" (2015-2016)
OMDb
9 / 36- Born: Huntington, West Virginia (8/2/1980)
- Known for:
--- Cole Phelps in "L.A. Noire" (2011)
--- Ken Cosgrove in "Mad Men" (2007-2015)
--- John in "The Nanny Diaries" (2007)
OMDb
10 / 36- Born: Romney, West Virginia (5/10/1968)
- Known for:
--- Carter French in "A Million Little Things" (2018-2021)
--- Dale in "Dumplin'" (2018)
--- Patrick in "Search Party" (2020-2021)
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OMDb
11 / 36- Born: Welch, West Virginia (1/17/1957)
- Known for:
--- Producer in "The Steve Harvey Show" (1996-2002)
--- Mr. Rad in "You Got Served" (2004)
--- Self - Host in "Family Feud" (2010-2021)
OMDb
12 / 36- Born: Hinton, West Virginia (1/28/1935)
- Died: 2/16/2010
- Known for:
--- Bleak in "Adventures in Babysitting" (1987)
--- First Bounty Hunter in "The Outlaw Josey Wales" (1976)
--- Hymie Weiss in "Capone" (1975)
OMDb
13 / 36- Born: St. Albans, West Virginia (not available)
- Known for:
--- Ted Wheeler in "Stranger Things" (2016-2022)
--- David Schmidt in "21 Jump Street" (2012)
--- Lawrence in "Assassination Nation" (2018)
OMDb
14 / 36- Born: Wyco, West Virginia (6/8/1939)
- Died: 9/19/2017
- Known for:
--- Mr. Ryan in "Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure" (1989)
--- U.N. Jefferson in "Revenge of the Nerds" (1984)
--- Leiter in "Never Say Never Again" (1983)
OMDb
15 / 36- Born: Wheeling, West Virginia (1/23/1960)
- Died: 9/27/2019
- Known for:
--- Tommy in "The Karate Kid" (1984)
--- Tommy in "The Karate Kid Part II" (1986)
--- Sayer in "Prom Night" (1980)
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OMDb
16 / 36- Born: Bunker Hill, West Virginia (6/29/1973)
- Known for:
--- Alex Carlson in "13 Going on 30" (2004)
--- Kent Woodlands in "Pumpkin" (2002)
--- Duffy in "The Last Castle" (2001)
OMDb
17 / 36- Born: Parkersburg, West Virginia (1/26/1918)
- Died: 1/6/1998
- Known for:
--- Sheriff Sam Shaw in "High Plains Drifter" (1973)
--- Tank Murdock in "Every Which Way but Loose" (1978)
--- Porthos in "D'Artagnan contro i 3 moschettieri" (1963)
OMDb
18 / 36- Born: Bluefield, West Virginia (9/23/1954)
- Died: 3/16/1996
- Known for:
--- Tyrone in "D.C. Cab" (1983)
--- Neville 'Noogie' Lamont in "Miami Vice" (1984-1988)
--- Actor-Comedian-Educator in "Charlie Barnett's Terms of Enrollment" (1986)
OMDb
19 / 36- Born: West Virginia (12/15/1944)
- Died: 7/17/2012
- Known for:
--- Holden in "Blade Runner" (1982)
--- Captain Richard N. Jenson in "Patton" (1970)
--- Philip Wendell as Adult in "Centennial" (1979)
OMDb
20 / 36- Born: Charleston, West Virginia (11/20/1920)
- Died: 12/19/2015
- Known for:
--- Kenneth in "Rope" (1948)
--- Writer in "The Second Hundred Years" (1967-1968)
--- Reporter in "Bracken's World" (1970)
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OMDb
21 / 36- Born: Charleston, West Virginia (4/10/1958)
- Known for:
--- Dick Dickster in "Dick Dickster" (2018)
--- Officer Joe Vickers in "Psycho Cop Returns" (1993)
--- Krieger in "Stiletto" (2008)
OMDb
22 / 36- Born: Huntington, West Virginia (1/9/1979)
- Known for:
--- Reese in "The Dark Knight" (2008)
--- Bates in "Bridge of Spies" (2015)
--- John in "The Lifeguard" (2013)
OMDb
23 / 36- Born: Cabin Creek, West Virginia (9/26/1935)
- Died: 2/19/2013
- Known for:
--- Burt Weinberg in "The Wedding Planner" (2001)
--- Pastor Lake in "Volcano" (1997)
--- Clint in "Tin Cup" (1996)
OMDb
24 / 36- Born: West Virginia (not available)
- Known for:
--- Abel in "Outsiders" (2016)
--- Meth Guy in "Out of the Furnace" (2013)
--- Flat Nose Louis in "One for the Money" (2012)
OMDb
25 / 36- Born: Charleston, West Virginia (10/7/1952)
- Died: 9/24/1995
- Known for:
--- Mark in "Friday the 13th Part 2" (1981)
--- Jim' in Soap Opera in "Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins" (1985)
--- Pilot in "As the World Turns" (1989)
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OMDb
26 / 36- Born: Princeton, West Virginia (4/30/1972)
- Known for:
--- Michael Willard in "Chicago P.D." (2019)
--- Colonel Ryerson in "Timeless" (2018)
--- Anthony in "Fear the Walking Dead: Flight 462" (2015-2016)
OMDb
27 / 36- Born: Charleston, West Virginia (12/26/1932)
- Died: 12/1/2000
- Known for:
--- Abraham Lincoln in "Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure" (1989)
--- Additional Crew in "Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro" (1979)
--- Admiral in "Robotech" (1985)
OMDb
28 / 36- Born: Davis, West Virginia (11/17/1897)
- Died: 2/4/1968
- Known for:
--- Her father in "Rough on Romeo" (1922)
--- Orange Blossom - the boss in "Oranges and Lemons" (1923)
--- Director in "Turn Him Loose" (1929)
OMDb
29 / 36- Born: Elkins, West Virginia (3/30/1919)
- Died: 8/31/1997
- Known for:
--- Pa Peabody in "Back to the Future" (1985)
--- Grandpa in "Silent Night, Deadly Night" (1984)
--- Team Doctor in "Heaven Can Wait" (1978)
OMDb
30 / 36- Born: Elkins, West Virginia (6/12/1934)
- Died: 12/26/1999
- Known for:
--- Joe Waters in "The Andy Griffith Show" (1961-1963)
--- Brad Shelby in "Perry Mason" (1962)
--- Sud Pribble in "The Magical World of Disney" (1964)
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OMDb
31 / 36- Born: West Virginia (9/27/1903)
- Died: 11/22/1980
- Known for:
--- Shady Tree in "Diamonds Are Forever" (1971)
--- Burlesque House Comedian in "The Sting" (1973)
--- Soundtrack in "Gangster Story" (1959)
OMDb
32 / 36- Born: Charleston, West Virginia (5/16/1923)
- Died: 5/4/1982
- Known for:
--- Manager in "Columbo" (1974)
--- Joe Kienholz in "It! The Terror from Beyond Space" (1958)
--- Actor in "Tales of Tomorrow" (1952)
OMDb
33 / 36- Born: Myra, West Virginia (2/13/1923)
- Died: 12/7/2020
- Known for:
--- Fred in "The Right Stuff" (1983)
--- Party Guest in "Smokey and the Bandit II" (1980)
--- Actor in "Goodyear Playhouse" (1953)
OMDb
34 / 36- Born: West Virginia (5/5/1969)
- Died: 12/20/1993
- Known for:
--- Michael Jackson in "The Jacksons: An American Dream" (1992)
--- Wylie in "The Disappearance of Christina" (1993)
--- Dancer in "Red Shoe Diaries" (1994)
OMDb
35 / 36- Born: Fairmont, West Virginia (5/9/1901)
- Died: 2/23/1976
- Known for:
--- Bosco O'Toole in "Gunman's Code" (1946)
--- Stuff Oliver in "Horror Island" (1941)
--- Mortimer P. Rockabye Jones in "Bad Men of the Border" (1945)
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OMDb
36 / 36- Born: Central City [now part of Huntington], West Virginia (2/11/1903)
- Died: 1/3/1966
- Known for:
--- Eddie Haskins in "Troopers Three" (1930)
--- Ned Logan in "Cannonball Express" (1932)
--- Jerry Thornton in "The Speed Classic" (1928)