Well folks Seattle has been home to quite a few well-known individuals. But do you know them all? Sure, there are the really famous ones, the rich ones, and the ones that have reppin’ Seattle tied to their celebrity identity, but what about the others? You know, the ones that just might surprise you. With that in mind, here are 10 famous and noteworthy people that you might not know are from Seattle.
Kenny G
Yes, the extremely iconic soft jazz man. Kenny G is hard to miss and was born right here in Seattle. And he attended both Franklin High School as well as the University of Washington. So this is your reminder to listen to some smooth jazz today.
Rainn Wilson
The name almost gives it away, doesn’t it? The Office’s Dwight is from right here although he did live in Nicaragua during his early years. Regardless he too attended the University of Washington where he studied drama. No surprises here.
Bill Nye
Before you get mad, Bill isn’t actually from Seattle. But he did work at Boeing and of course, started Bill Nye The Science Guy for local station KCTS-TV. So we think it’s pretty safe to say that Bill is Seattleite. After all, that show had a big impact on a lot of our childhoods.
Sir Mix-a-Lot
This one was a toss-up to include because you either know or you don’t know. And now you do know. Sir Mix-a-Lot is in fact from Seattle, well from Auburn actually but same thing. Anyway, he attended Roosevelt High School and of course went on to create his hit “Baby Got Back”.
Judy Collins
You probably already know this but Seattle has a ton of music history. And Judy Collins goes way back. You’re probably familiar with her music and activism and it turns out she was born here. Not to mention she spent the first 10 years of her life here but then went on to become the star she is now.
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Jim Whittaker
We all know Seattleites and PNW residents love the outdoors. So it’s no surprise that Seattle’s Jim Whittaker was the first American to summit Mount Everest in 1963. And a fun fact about his trip is that it completely boosted REI’s public image to the world. So much so that “its gross income topped $1mil for the first time” in 1964.
Apolo Ohno
We had to include at least one athlete on here so we thought we might as well go with Apolo Ohno who happens to be the most decorated American Olympian at the Winter Olympics. And was also inducted into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame in 2019. Not bad at all!
Tan Lin
As Seattle is a huge literary city we also thought it was only appropriate that we include at least one author. So we’re going with Tan Lin who is known for his “ambient literature”. This means his work draws from the internet and popular culture. And he explores ideas like technology and copyright.
Lil Mosey
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Here’s another person that you either know or don’t know is from Seattle. And that is 19-year-old rapper Lil Mosey who is mainly known for his songs “Pull Up” and “Blueberry Faygo”. But due to his success, he’s left Seattle for LA. We totally get it.
Well folks that’s what we have when it comes to famous people that you might not know are from Seattle. And as you might have guessed there are many more. So if you feel inclined look up a full list because you’ll probably see at least a few names you recognize.JTNDZGl2JTIwaWQlM0QlMjJtb2JpbGUtYWQtb25seSUyMiUzRSUwQSUzQyUyMS0tJTIwU2VhdHRsZSUyMC0lMjBNb2JpbGUlMjAtLSUzRSUwQSUzQ2lucyUyMGNsYXNzJTNEJTIyYWRzYnlnb29nbGUlMjIlMEElMjAlMjAlMjAlMjAlMjBzdHlsZSUzRCUyMmRpc3BsYXklM0FibG9jayUzQndpZHRoJTNBMzIwcHglM0JoZWlnaHQlM0E1MHB4JTNCJTIyJTBBJTIwJTIwJTIwJTIwJTIwZGF0YS1hZC1jbGllbnQlM0QlMjJjYS1wdWItNTUyMTg1Njk1NTQ5NzQ1NiUyMiUwQSUyMCUyMCUyMCUyMCUyMGRhdGEtYWQtc2xvdCUzRCUyMjE2MjcxNzI5NDclMjIlM0UlM0MlMkZpbnMlM0UlMEElM0MlMkZkaXYlM0U=
