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Famous actors from West Virginia

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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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1 / 36

Brad 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)

2 / 36

Chris Sarandon

- Born: Beckley, West Virginia (7/24/1942)
- Known for:
--- Jack Skellington in "The Nightmare Before Christmas" 1993

3 / 36

John Corbett

- 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)

4 / 36

Josh Stewart

- 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)

6 / 36

David Selby

- 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)

7 / 36

Paul Dooley

- 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)

8 / 36

Bobby Campo

- 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)

9 / 36

Aaron Staton

- 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)

11 / 36

Steve Harvey

- 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)

12 / 36

John Davis Chandler

- 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)

13 / 36

Joe Chrest

- 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)

14 / 36

Bernie Casey

- 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)

16 / 36

Sam Ball

- 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)

17 / 36

Walter Barnes

- 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)

18 / 36

Charlie Barnett

- 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)

19 / 36

Morgan Paull

- 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)

21 / 36

Robert R. Shafer

- 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)

22 / 36

Joshua Harto

- 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)

23 / 36

Lou Myers

- 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)

24 / 36

Jack Erdie

- 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)

26 / 36

Kevin Sizemore

- 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)

27 / 36

Robert V. Barron

- 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)

28 / 36

Eddie Baker

- 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)

29 / 36

Will Hare

- 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)

31 / 36

Leonard Barr

- 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)

32 / 36

Thom Carney

- 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)

33 / 36

Chuck Yeager

- 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)

34 / 36

Wylie Draper

- 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)

36 / 36

Rex Lease

- 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)

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