Famous Mormons

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Artists

Authors

  • Larry Richman: authored over a dozen books, including LDS books "101 Ways to Hasten the Work Online" and "Learning Through Life's Trials." Publications by Larry Richman.
  • Richard L. Evans: Author, wrote The Christmas Box and other books.
  • Orson Scott Card: Author, most well-known for his Ender's series.
  • Shannon Hale, Newberry Award winning author of "The Goose Girl" and "Princess Academy"
  • Stephenie Meyer, New York Times Bestselling author of the "Twilight" series ("Twilight", "New Moon", and "Eclipse"; next sequel due out in 2008.)

Businessmen

Educators

  • Truman G. Madsen : Retired professor of religion and philosophy at Brigham Young University. He is a prolific author, a recognized authority on Joseph Smith, and a favorite lecturer of Latter-day Saints.
  • Kim Clark: President of BYU-Idaho. Former dean, Harvard Business School. He gave up his position at Harvard when the Church asked him to move to Idaho.
  • Gordon Gee: Chancellor, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee
  • V. Lane Rawlins: President, University of North Texas, retired
  • Steven Wheelwright: President, Brigham Young University-Hawaii
  • Wilford Gardner: Once served as dean at UC Berkley.

Entertainers

Includes both individuals and groups.

  • Christina Aguilera (1980-): Her parents met at BYU, but divorced when she was seven. Their Church activity after the divorce is unknown, although her mother was still receiving visits from Church members when Christina was nine. Could it be that Christina was baptized?

Regardless, she is no longer a practicing Mormon. (Sources:famousmormons.net, Internet Movie Database, and Pete Thunell, "Here's the Skinny on LDS Celebrity Urban Legends, BYU Newsnet, Nov 28, 2000.)

  • Thurl Bailey (1961-): Singer and former NBA Basketball player with the Utah Jazz and Minnesota Timberwolves.
  • Jenny Jordan Frogley: Singer. If you play the "King Kong" video game, hers is the last voice you hear before you die.
  • Jewel (1974-): This singer was raised Mormon, but it's unclear if she was baptized.
  • Arthur "Killer" Kane (1949-2004): Guitar player (bassist) for the punk band New York Dolls.
  • Gladys Knight (1944-): Singer from "Gladys Knight and the Pips."
  • Brendon Urie: Lead singer of Panic at the Disco. Raised Mormon, but left the Church following conflict with his family.
  • Mormon Tabernacle Choir: The radio program Music and the Spoken Word, which broadcasts Mormon Tabernacle Choir performances, has been a weekly tradition since 1929 and is the longest continuous network broadcast in history. The choir has won a Grammy and has earned two platinum and five gold albums.
  • Donny Osmond (1957-): Singer, entertainer.
  • Marie Osmond (1959-): Singer, entertainer, talk-show host.
  • SHeDAISY: Country music singers. Kelsi is in charge of the Young Women's organization in her ward.
  • Brandon Flowers (1981-): Lead singer of The Killers.
  • Benji Schwimmer, dancer
  • Laci Schwimmer, dancer
  • Brooke White, American Idol finalist
  • David Archuleta, American Idol finalist
  • Carmen Rasmusen, American Idol finalist, country singer
  • The 5 Browns, classical pianists

Military

  • Clinton Romesha: Clinton LaVor “Clint” Romesha is the fourth living Medal of Honor recipient for the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq (following Salvatore Giunta, Leroy Petry, and Dakota Meyer), and the eleventh overall for these campaigns.

Movies

  • Corbin Allred: Robin Hood: Men in Tights (1993)
  • Brady Bluhm: Voice of Christopher Robin one some of the Winnie the Pooh movies.
  • Don Bluth (1937-): Director and producer. The Rescuers (1977), Pete's Dragon (1977), The Secret of NIMH (1982), An American Tail (1986), The Land Before Time (1988), All Dogs Go to Heaven (1989), Rock-A-Doodle (1991), Thumbelina (1994), Anastasia (1997) and Titan A.E. (2000).
  • Wilford Brimley: Actor in The Thing (1981), Hotel New Hampshire (1984), The Natural (1984) and Cocoon (1986). Currently on television as the spokesperson for Liberty Medical Diabetic Supplies.
  • Kevin J. Foxe: Producer for The Blair Witch Project.
  • Jon Heder: Actor who played Napoleon Dynamite.
  • Jared Hess: Writer and director of Napoleon Dynamite and Nacho Libre.
  • Jerusha Hess: Writer of Napoleon Dynamite and Nacho Libre.
  • Kieth Merrill: Academy award-winning filmmaker.
  • Gerald "Jerry" R. Molen: Producer of Schindler's List (Best Picture, 1993).
  • Aaron Ruell: "Kip" from Napoleon Dynamite.

Politicians

Currently in office

  • Rob Bishop (1951-): US Representative, a republican from Utah
  • Mike Crapo (1951-): US Senator, a republican from Idaho
  • John Curtis (1960-): US Representative, a republican from Utah
  • Jim Gibbons (1944-): Governor of Nevada
  • Gary R. Herbert (1947-): Governor of Utah
  • Jon Huntsman, Jr. (1960-): diplomat and former governor of Utah, 2005-2009
  • Mike Lee (1971-): US Senator, a republican from Utah
  • Mitt Romney (1947-): US Senator, a republican from Utah, former governor of Massachusetts, 2008 and 2012 Republican presidential candidate
  • Mike Simpson (1950-): US Representative, a republican from Idaho
  • Chris Stewart (1960-): US Representative, a republican from Utah
  • Thomas Stewart Udall (1948-): New Mexico Senator

Past politicians

  • Terrel Bell (1921-1996): Secretary of Education
  • Bob Bennett (1933-2016): former US Senator, Chief Deputy Whip, a republican from Utah
  • Ezra Taft Benson (1899-1994): US Secretary of Agriculture. He went on to become the worldwide leader of the LDS Church.
  • Angela "Bay" Buchanan (1948-): former US Treasurer
  • Chris Cannon (1950-): former US Representative, a republican from Utah
  • Jason Chaffetz (1967-): US Representative, a republican from Utah
  • J. Reuben Clark (1871-1961): US diplomat, US undersecretary of State
  • John Doolittle (1950-): former US Representative, a republican from California
  • Marriner S. Eccles (1890-1977): former chairman of Federal Reserve Board
  • Larry EchoHawk (1948-): former assistant secretary for Indian Affairs for US Department of the Interior, former Idaho State Attorney General, former Idaho State Representative
  • Eni Faleomavaega (1943-2017): Delegate to the US House of Representatives, a democrat from American Samoa
  • Jeff Flake (1962-): US Representative, a republican from Arizona
  • Jake Garn (1932-): US Senator, a republican from Utah
  • Ralph R. Harding (1929-2006): US Representative, a democrat from Idaho
  • Orrin Hatch (1934-): US Senator, a republican from Utah
  • Paula Hawkins (1927-2009): US Senator, a republican from Florida
  • Dean Heller (1960-): US Representative, a republican from Nevada
  • Wally Herger (1945-): California Congressman
  • William B. Ide (1796-1852): President of the California Republic. “In 1846, he joined John C. Fremont in the Bear Flag Revolt. They took Sonoma and captured the Mexican Commandante of Northern California. They raised a new flag and declared the independence of the California Republic with Ide as president. When the U.S. declared war on Mexico, Ide and the others joined the U.S. forces thus ending California's independence.” (Quote from famousmormons.net as quoted from Wikipedia) Ide may be the only Mormon head of state in history, unless rumors about the King of Tonga (or is it Samoa?) are true...
  • Ernest James Istook (1950-): US Representative from Oklahoma
  • David M. Kennedy (1905-1996): Secretary of the Treasury
  • David S. King (1917-2009): US Representative, a democrat from Utah
  • Raul Labrador (1967-): US Representative from Idaho
  • Rex E. Lee (1935-1996): former U.S. Solicitor General
  • Michael O. Leavitt (1951-): Secretary of Health and Human Services and former governor of Utah
  • Mia Love (1975-): US Representative, a republican from Utah
  • Jim Matheson (1960-): US Representative, a democrat from Utah
  • Buck McKeon (1938-): US Representative, a republican from California
  • Wayne Owens (1937-2002): US Representative, a democrat from Utah
  • Ivy Baker Priest (1905-1975): US Treasurer
  • Harry Reid (1939-): Current U.S. Senate Majority Leader, a democrat from Nevada
  • George W. Romney (1907-1995): Former Governor of Michigan, US Secretary of Housing and Urban Development
  • Gordon Smith (1952-): Former US Senator, a republican from Oregon
  • Reed Smoot (1862-1941): US Senator, a republican from Utah
  • Stewart Udall (1920-1998): US Secretary of the Interior

Professional Athletes

In alphabetical order (by last name) in each sport area.

Baseball

  • Rick Aguilera (1961-): Former relief pitcher for the New York Mets, Minnesota Twins, Boston Red Sox, and Chicago Cubs.
  • Alan Ashby (1951-): Played for the Cleveland Indians, Toronto Blue Jays, and Houston Astros.
  • Barry Bonnell (1953-): Former outfielder and third baseman for teams such as the Atlanta Braves, Toronto Blue Jays, and Seattle Mariners. Introduced Dale Murphy to the Church.
  • John Buck (1980-): Major League Baseball player for the Kansas City Royals.
  • McKay Christensen (1975-): Outfielder for the Chicago White Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers, and New York Mets.
  • Dennis Eckersley: threw no-hitter for Cleveland Indians, member of Red Sox, A's.
  • Bruce Hurst: pitched for Boston Red Sox.
  • Wally Joyner (1962-): Former first baseman for the California Angels, Kansas City Royals, San Diego Padres, Atlanta Braves and California Angels.
  • Harmon Killebrew (1936-): Hall of Fame member of Minnesota Twins.
  • Vance Law (1956-): Former BYU Baseball coach and former third baseman for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Chicago White Sox, Montreal Expos, Chicago Cubs, and Oakland A's. Son of Vernon Law.
  • Vernon Law (1930-): Major League pitcher and Cy Young award winner.
  • Dale Murphy (1956-): Hall of Fame centerfielder for Atlanta Braves.
  • Jeff Kent (1968-): Second baseman for the Los Angeles Dodgers and a former MVP winner.

Basketball

  • Danny Ainge (1959-): Pro basketball player, and former NBA coach.
  • Thurl Bailey (1961-): played for Utah Jazz, Minnesota Timberwolves, and professional singer.
  • Shawn Bradley (1972-): Former center for the Dallas Mavericks.
  • Greg Kite (1961-): Former professional basketball player for the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Clippers.
  • Mark Madsen (1976-): Player for the Minnesota Timberwolves.
  • Dick Motta: Coached Washington Bullets to NBA championship.
  • Andy Toolson (1966-): Former Utah Jazz player and member of several foreign teams.

Football

  • Ty Detmer: Heisman Trophy winner at BYU, and NFL quarterback
  • Rob Morris: Linebacker for the Indianapolis Colts
  • Merlin Olsen: Hall of Famer from Los Angeles Rams, actor Father Murphy, and NFL analyst
  • Steve Young: Hall of Fame quarterback for San Francisco 49ers

Golf

Olympians

  • Krešimir Ćosić (1948-1995): Croatian basketball player for Yugoslavian Olympic team (1968, 1972, 1976, and 1980). Led team to gold medal in Moscow (1980).
  • Peter Vidmar: Gymnast, Olympic gold medalist, and member of the Olympic Hall of Fame.

Soccer

Other Sports

Radio

Scientists

  • John M. Browning (1855-1926): A famous gunsmith.
  • Nolan Bushnell: Founded Atari and invented the game "Pong." He was also owner of Chuck E. Cheese's (a pizza and recreation chain for children) for a time.
  • William Clayton (1814-1879): Invented the odometer.
  • Don Carlos Edwards: Invented fry sauce.
  • Henry Eyring (1901-1981): Pioneered the application of quantum mechanics to chemistry. Received the National Medal of Science.
  • Philo T. Farnsworth (1906-1971): Contributed to the invention of the television.
  • Harvey Fletcher (1884-1981): As in Millikan and Fletcher, discoverers of the charge on an electron. He also invented the hearing aid and was president of the American Physical Society.
  • H. Tracy Hall (1919-2008): First to produce synthetic diamonds.
  • Yukihiro Matsumoto (1965-): Computer scientist, creator of the Ruby programming language.
  • Lester Wire (1887-1958): Invented the traffic light. The first one was in Salt Lake City!

Television

  • Ashlee Ashby: Contestant on Survivor Palau.
  • Roseanne Barr: She was a Mormon from age 6 to 16, but left the Church and is now critical of it due to her father.
  • Glenn Beck, radio and TV (CNN) personality and author.
  • Ryan Benson: Recent winner of the reality show The Biggest Looser.
  • Neleh Dennis: Contestant on Survivor Marquesas (2002). She brought scriptures as her luxury item.
  • Katherine Heigl: Actress on Grey's Anatomy (raised as a member of the Church, but doesn't currently practice).
  • Ken Jennings: Contestant on Jeopardy. Holds the record for the most consecutive victories in Jeopardy history. The press have reported that 10% of his earnings will be donated to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as tithing.
  • Kristy Jensen: Contestant on The Amazing Race 6.
  • Lena Jensen: Contestant on The Amazing Race 6.
  • Mrs. Larry King: No, not Larry. But his wife ([Shawn Southwick King]) is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ.
  • Glen A. Larson: Producer of The Six Million Dollar Man (1973), Battlestar Galactica (1978), B.J. and the Bear (1978), Buck Rogers in the 25th Century (1979), Magnum P.I. (1980), The Fall Guy (1981), and Knight Rider (1982).
  • Jon Peter Lewis: Contestant on American Idol, Season 3 (2004).
  • Shawn Nelson: Winner of the reality TV show Rebel Billionaire.
  • Carmen Rasmusen: Contestant on American Idol, Season 2 (2003).
  • Robert Ray, MD, MPP: Cosmetic surgeon from Dr. 90210. Likely no longer an active member of the Church. He was brought to the U.S. by full-time missionaries.
  • Benji Schwimmer: Winner on So You Think You Can Dance?, Season 2 (2006).
  • Ellen Wheeler: "In 1986 she won the Daytime Award Emmy for 'Outstanding Ingénue in a Drama Series' for her work as Marley and Vicky Love on Another World. In 1988 she won another Daytime Emmy for 'Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series', for her work as Cindy Parker Chandler on All My Children. Ellen's character was one of the first AIDS patients on daytime television."
  • Kelly Wiglesworth: Contestant on Survivor Borneo, Season 1 (2000).

External Links

For sources, see AllAboutMormons.com.

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