Famous actors from Tennessee
Famous actors from Tennessee
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 Tennessee 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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James Denton
- Born: Nashville, Tennessee (1/20/1963)
- Known for:
--- Mike Delfino in "Desperate Housewives" (2004-2012)
--- Buzz in "Face/Off" (1997)
--- Superman in "All-Star Superman" (2011)
Morgan Freeman
- Born: Memphis, Tennessee (6/1/1937)
- Known for:
--- Somerset in "Se7en" (1995)
--- Nelson Mandela in "Invictus" (2009)
--- Lucius Fox in "The Dark Knight" (2008)
Anson Mount
- Born: White Bluff, Tennessee (2/25/1973)
- Known for:
--- Ben in "Crossroads" (2002)
--- Alex Rosen in "Safe" (2012)
--- Cullen Bohannon in "Hell on Wheels" (2011-2016)
DJ Qualls
- Born: Nashville, Tennessee (6/10/1978)
- Known for:
--- Rat in "The Core" (2003)
--- Shelby in "Hustle & Flow" (2005)
--- Dizzy in "The New Guy" (2002)
Justin Timberlake
- Born: Memphis, Tennessee (1/31/1981)
- Known for:
--- Branch in "Trolls" (2016)
--- Sean Parker in "The Social Network" (2010)
--- Will Salas in "In Time" (2011)
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Brad Renfro
- Born: Knoxville, Tennessee (7/25/1982)
- Died: 1/15/2008
- Known for:
--- Mark Sway in "The Client" (1994)
--- Young Michael in "Sleepers" (1996)
--- Todd Bowden in "Apt Pupil" (1998)
Chris Parnell
- Born: Memphis, Tennessee (2/5/1967)
- Known for:
--- Jerry Smith in "Rick and Morty" (2013-2022)
--- Garth Holliday in "Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy" (2004)
--- Theo in "Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story" (2007)
Michael Jeter
- Born: Lawrenceburg, Tennessee (8/26/1952)
- Died: 3/30/2003
- Known for:
--- Percy in "Open Range" (2003)
--- Eduard Delacroix in "The Green Mile" (1999)
--- Udesky in "Jurassic Park III" (2001)
Leslie Jordan
- Born: Memphis, Tennessee (4/29/1955)
- Known for:
--- Mr. Blackly in "The Help" (2011)
--- Shelby in "Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday" (1993)
--- Earl 'Brother Boy' Ingram in "Sordid Lives" (2000)
Steven Williams
- Born: Memphis, Tennessee (1/7/1949)
- Known for:
--- Creighton Duke in "Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday" (1993)
--- Trooper Mount in "The Blues Brothers" (1980)
--- Mr. X in "The X-Files" (1994-2002)
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Chord Overstreet
- Born: Nashville, Tennessee (2/17/1989)
- Known for:
--- Sam Evans in "Glee" (2010-2015)
--- Adam in "The Hole" (2009)
--- Dupree in "A Warrior's Heart" (2011)
Colin Ford
- Born: Nashville, Tennessee (9/12/1996)
- Known for:
--- Dylan Mee in "We Bought a Zoo" (2011)
--- Young Nick in "Push" (2009)
--- Joe McAlister in "Under the Dome" (2013-2015)
Clark Middleton
- Born: Bristol, Tennessee (4/13/1957)
- Died: 10/4/2020
- Known for:
--- Schutz in "Sin City" (2005)
--- Ernie in "Kill Bill: Vol. 2" (2004)
--- Painter in "Snowpiercer" (2013)
George Hamilton
- Born: Memphis, Tennessee (8/12/1939)
- Known for:
--- Don Diego Vega in "Zorro: The Gay Blade" (1981)
--- Count Dracula in "Love at First Bite" (1979)
--- B.J. Harrison in "The Godfather: Part III" (1990)
Michael Beck
- Born: Memphis, Tennessee (2/4/1949)
- Known for:
--- Swan in "The Warriors" (1979)
--- Sonny Malone in "Xanadu" (1980)
--- Dallas in "Megaforce" (1982)
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Luke Benward
- Born: Franklin, Tennessee (5/12/1995)
- Known for:
--- Bo in "Dumplin'" (2018)
--- Billy in "How to Eat Fried Worms" (2006)
--- 14 Years Old Alan in "Dear John" (2010)
William Sanderson
- Born: Memphis, Tennessee (1/10/1944)
- Known for:
--- J.F. Sebastian in "Blade Runner" (1982)
--- Joe Monday in "Last Man Standing" (1996)
--- E.B. Farnum in "Deadwood" (2004-2006)
Marshall R. Teague
- Born: Newport, Tennessee (4/16/1953)
- Known for:
--- Jimmy in "Road House" (1989)
--- Ta'Lon in "Babylon 5" (1994-1998)
--- Colonel Davis in "Armageddon" (1998)
Johnny Knoxville
- Born: Knoxville, Tennessee (3/11/1971)
- Known for:
--- Writer in "Bad Grandpa" (2013)
--- Luke Duke in "The Dukes of Hazzard" (2005)
--- Leonardo in "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" (2014)
Ben Browder
- Born: Memphis, Tennessee (12/11/1962)
- Known for:
--- John Crichton in "Farscape" (1999-2003)
--- John Crichton in "Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars" (2004)
--- Lt. Colonel Cameron Mitchell in "Stargate SG-1" (2005-2007)
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David Keith
- Born: Knoxville, Tennessee (5/8/1954)
- Known for:
--- Sid Worley in "An Officer and a Gentleman" (1982)
--- O'Malley in "Behind Enemy Lines" (2001)
--- Boone in "The Indian in the Cupboard" (1995)
Richard Speight Jr.
- Born: Nashville, Tennessee (9/4/1970)
- Known for:
--- Gabriel in "Supernatural" (2007-2020)
--- Warren H. (Skip) Muck in "Band of Brothers" (2001)
--- Richard Slate in "Kings of Con" (2006-2017)
Lane Smith
- Born: Memphis, Tennessee (4/29/1936)
- Died: 6/13/2005
- Known for:
--- Jim Trotter III in "My Cousin Vinny" (1992)
--- Mayor Bates in "Red Dawn" (1984)
--- Coach Reilly in "The Mighty Ducks" (1992)
Dennis Haskins
- Born: Chattanooga, Tennessee (11/18/1950)
- Known for:
--- Mr. Richard Belding in "Saved by the Bell" (1989-1992)
--- Senator Stevens in "Abstruse" (2019)
--- Snake Oil Salesman in "A Million Ways to Die in the West" (2014)
Bill McKinney
- Born: Chattanooga, Tennessee (9/12/1931)
- Died: 12/1/2011
- Known for:
--- Mountain Man in "Deliverance" (1972)
--- Kern in "First Blood" (1982)
--- Engineer in "Back to the Future Part III" (1990)
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Jake Thomas
- Born: Knoxville, Tennessee (1/30/1990)
- Known for:
--- Martin Swinton in "A.I. Artificial Intelligence" (2001)
--- Matt in "The Lizzie McGuire Movie" (2003)
--- Young Carl Stargher in "The Cell" (2000)
Isaac Hayes
- Born: Covington, Tennessee (8/20/1942)
- Died: 8/10/2008
- Known for:
--- The Duke in "Escape from New York" (1981)
--- Zook in "Reindeer Games" (2000)
--- Composer in "Shaft" (1971)
Jeremy Ray Taylor
- Born: Bluff City, Tennessee (6/2/2003)
- Known for:
--- Ben Hanscom in "It" (2017)
--- Sonny in "Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween" (2018)
--- Director in "Unarmed Divide"
Wyatt Nash
- Born: Nashville, Tennessee (10/2/1988)
- Known for:
--- Kurt Fletcher in "Dear White People" (2017-2019)
--- Phil in "GLOW" (2018)
--- Charles Smith in "Riverdale" (2019-2021)
Lewis Smith
- Born: Chattanooga, Tennessee (8/1/1956)
- Known for:
--- Perfect Tommy in "The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension" (1984)
--- Stuckey in "Southern Comfort" (1981)
--- Curly Bill Brocius in "Wyatt Earp" (1994)
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Frank McRae
- Born: Memphis, Tennessee (3/18/1941)
- Died: 4/29/2021
- Known for:
--- Capt. Doyle in "Loaded Weapon 1" (1993)
--- Sharkey in "Licence to Kill" (1989)
--- Eclipse in "Lock Up" (1989)
John Cullum
- Born: Knoxville, Tennessee (3/2/1930)
- Known for:
--- Holling Vincoeur in "Northern Exposure" (1990-1995)
--- Edward Rutledge (SC) in "1776" (1972)
--- Harry in "Before We Go" (2014)
Olan Rogers
- Born: Nashville, Tennessee (6/11/1987)
- Known for:
--- Gary Goodspeed in "Final Space" (2018-2021)
--- Self - Guest in "Conan" (2018)
--- Virgil Grey in "Pop Rocket" (2012)
Red West
- Born: Memphis, Tennessee (3/8/1936)
- Died: 7/18/2017
- Known for:
--- Red Webster in "Road House" (1989)
--- Roger in "Safe Haven" (2013)
--- Buddy Black in "The Rainmaker" (1997)
Miles O'Keeffe
- Born: Ripley, Tennessee (6/20/1954)
- Known for:
--- Ator in "The Blade Master" (1982)
--- Ator in "Ator, the Fighting Eagle" (1982)
--- Sir Gawain in "Sword of the Valiant" (1984)
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Robert Baker
- Born: Memphis, Tennessee (10/15/1979)
- Known for:
--- M.P. Sergeant in "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" (2008)
--- Navarro in "The Lone Ranger" (2013)
--- Tony Dalton in "Out of Time" (2003)
John Laughlin
- Born: Memphis, Tennessee (4/3/1956)
- Known for:
--- General Peterson in "The Rock" (1996)
--- Woody in "Footloose" (1984)
--- Bobby Grady in "Crimes of Passion" (1984)
Wayne Wilcox
- Born: Knoxville, Tennessee (12/11/1978)
- Known for:
--- Gordon in "Rent" (2005)
--- Marty in "Gilmore Girls" (2003-2006)
--- Ray in "Only Children" (2018)
John Early
- Born: Nashville, Tennessee (1/21/1988)
- Known for:
--- Elliott Goss in "Search Party" (2016-2022)
--- Gabe in "Other People" (2016)
--- Reynolds in "Late Night" (2019)
Frank Sutton
- Born: Clarksville, Tennessee (10/23/1923)
- Died: 6/28/1974
- Known for:
--- Sgt. Vince Carter in "Gomer Pyle: USMC" (1964-1969)
--- Sgt. Chuck Snyder in "Town Without Pity" (1961)
--- Billy Maharq in "The Witness" (1961)
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James Westerfield
- Born: Nashville, Tennessee (3/22/1913)
- Died: 9/20/1971
- Known for:
--- Big Mac in "On the Waterfront" (1954)
--- Judge Parker in "True Grit" (1969)
--- Prisoner in "Hang 'Em High" (1968)
Benjamin Flores Jr.
- Born: Memphis, Tennessee (7/23/2002)
- Known for:
--- Dariush in "Rim of the World" (2019)
--- Atticus in "Happy Feet Two" (2011)
--- Morris the Kid in "Ride Along" (2014)
Jason Liles
- Born: Memphis, Tennessee (7/4/1987)
- Known for:
--- Additional Crew in "Godzilla: King of the Monsters" (2019)
--- George in "Rampage" (2018)
--- Ryuk in "Death Note" (2017)