Famous Mormons
I'm only going to reproduce here the names of famous Mormons that stood out to me. I'm quite a nerd, so I didn't recognize half the Mormon TV personalities, actors, punk rockers, etc., even though they may be well-known. I highly recommend the site Famous Mormon, from which I got most of this information and which is far more complete.Mormon Businessmen
- David Neeleman: CEO, JetBlue Airways
- Stewart Nelson: COO, Novell
- Ray Noorda: CEO, Novell
- Mitt Romney: Former CEO, Bain Capital
- Kevin B. Rollins: CEO, Dell Computer Corporation
- Lt. General Brent Scowcroft: Board of directors, Qualcomm
- Kay Whitmore (1932-2004): CEO, Eastman Kodak
Mormon Politicians
- Michael O. Leavitt: Secretary of Health and Human Services.
- Mitt Romney: Former governor of Massachusetts, possible upcoming presidential candidate.
- Terrel Bell (1921-1996): Secretary of Education.
- Angela "Bay" Buchanan: US Treasurer.
- David Matthew Kennedy (1905-1996): Secretary of the Treasury.
- Stewart Udall (1920-1998): US Secretary of the Interior.
- George W. Romney (1907-1995): Governor of Michigan.
- Ivy Baker Priest (1905-1975): US Treasurer.
- Ezra Taft Benson (1899-1994): US Secretary of Agriculture. He went on to become the worldwide leader of the LDS Church.
- William 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." Ide may be the only Mormon head of state in history, unless rumors about the King of Tonga (or is it Samoa?) are true...
- There are currently eight Mormon senators...kind of. Five U.S. senators, one Mexican senator (his great, great grandfather was the first Mormon missionary in Mexico), the delegate to the U.S. Congress from American Samoa (if Samoa were a state, he'd be a senator), and a member of the British parliament. The "senators" come from Utah, Nevada, Oregon, Idaho, American Samoa, Chihuahua state, and England.
- Harry Reid: Current U.S. Senate Majority Leader, a democrat from Nevada. He is the most powerful senator in the United States.
- Rex Lee (1935-1996): Former U.S. Solicitor General.
Mormon Educators
- 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.
- Dr. V. Lane Rawlins: President, Washington State University.
- Steven Charles Wheelwright: Senior associate dean, Harvard University.
- Wilford Gardner: Once served as dean at UC Berkeley.
Mormon Scientists
- Alan Ashton: Invented word processing (WordPerfect).
- Nolan Bushnell: Founded Atari and invented the game "Pong." He was also owner of Chuck E. Cheese's for a time.
- John Moses Browning (1855-1926): A famous gunsmith.
- William Clayton (1814-1879): Invented the odometer.
- Don Carlos Edwards: Invented fry sauce.
- Philo T. Farnsworth (1906-1971): Invented the television.
- Lester Wire (1887-1958): Invented the traffic light. The first one was in Salt Lake City!
- Henry Eyring (1901-1981): Pioneered the application of quantum mechanics to chemistry. Received the National Medal of Science.
- 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.
- William Hall: First to produce synthetic diamonds.
Mormon Actors/Musicians
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Donny and Marie Osmand: Singers, talk-show hosts.
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Gladys Knight: Singer from "Gladys Knight and the Pips."
- Jenny Jordan Frogley: Singer. If you play the "King Kong" video game, hers is the last voice you hear before you die.
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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. In a desperate attempt to be cool, teenagers in Utah have taken up calling the choir's music "MoTab," not to be confused with Motown. See also the Mormon Tabernacle Choir Official Page.
- SheDaisy: Country music singers.
- Ryan Benson: Recent winner of the reality show The Biggest Loser.
- Ashlee Ashby: Contestant, Survivor Palau
- Neleh Dennis: Contestant: Survivor Marquesas (2002). She brought scriptures as her luxury item.
- Ken Jennings: Contestant on Jeopardy. Holds the record for the most winnings 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 (tithing).
- Lena and Kristy Jensen: Contestants: The Amazing Race 6
- Jon Peter Lewis: Contestant: American Idol, Season 3 (2004)
- Shawn Nelson: Winner of the reality TV show Rebel Billionaire.
- Carmen Rasmusen: Contestant: American Idol, Season 2 (2003)
- Kelly Wiglesworth: Contestant: Survivor Borneo (Season 1, 2000)
- Corbin Allred: Robin Hood: Men in Tights (1993)
- Don Bluth: 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.
- Brady Bluhm: Voice of Christopher Robin one some of the Winnie the Pooh movies.
- Kevin J. Foxe: Producer: Blair Witch
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Jon Heder: The Napoleon Dynamite!!!
- Aaron Ruell: "Kipp" from Napoleon Dynamite
- Jared Hess: Writer and director of Napoleon Dynamite.
- Katherine Heigl: Actress on Grey's Anatomy (raised Mormon, but doesn't currently practice)
- Glen Larsen: Producer of The Six Million Dollar Man (1973), Battlestar Galactica (1978), B.J. and the Bear (1978), Buck Rogers in the 25th Century (1979), Magnm P.I. (1980), The Fall Guy (1981), and Knight Rider (1982)
- Kieth Merrill: Academy award-winning filmmaker.
- Gerald "Jerry" R. Molen: Producer of Schindler's List (Best Picture, 1993).
- 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."
- Robert Ray, MD, MPP: Cosmetic surgeon from Dr. 90210. He was brought to the U.S. by Mormon missionaries when he was a child.
Random People
- Orson Scott Card: An author, most famous for his Ender's Game trilogy.
- Lots of military and NASA people...who knew...
- Butch Cassidy (1866-1909): I bet he wasn't a practicing Mormon, though... :)
- Christina Aguilera: 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's not a practicing member any more...
- Elvis: I don't think he was baptized, but he did receive missionary discussions while filming Blue Hawaii, part of which was filmed at the Church's Polynesian Cultural Center.
- Jewel: Again, this singer was raised Mormon, but it's unclear if she was baptized.
- Larry King: No, not Larry. But his wife is Mormon.
- Roseanne Bar: She was a Mormon from age 6 to 16, but left the Church and is now critical of it.
47 Comments » Leave a comment
- Wolfcat
You should add more of the authors and artists! You have Orson Scott Card but forgot Dave Wolverton, M. Shayne Bell, Tracy Hickman, and many others. James C. Christensen is a famous artist. - Anonymous
Now I get the joke about Christina Aguilera being a Mormon on 'The Singles Ward'! I always just thought it was just a joke about people who think every famous person is Mormon. Interesting page! - J. Reddish
What about Mormon Athletes. Dale Murphy was one of the greatest baseball players of all time. - Anonymous
Cove Reber From the band Saosin is Mormon too. - Ross Pooley
6-23-2007, 04:23:48 AM
What about the British guitarist Mick Ronson who wrote many of David Bowies' songs and later played for Mott the Hoople? He was a member as a teenager from Hull before becoming a rock legend.
Terry Rooney is a member and also a Labour Party MP, representing Bradford in the UK.
Billy Casper, the golfer, is a member. - Anonymous
8-23-2007, 09:53:10 PM
For famous members:
M. Ben Couch, a Mormon, is a member of the New Zealand Parliament.
From Australia, David Gibson is the first LDS member of Parliament in Queensland.
There was also a member of Congress in Argentina who was LDS, Peronista party in 1991, but I can't find the reference for it yet. - Bethany
2-24-2007, 12:54:28 PM
Love you Donny that was great are you married if not I will marry you I saw you on when will I be famos and you got my vote by far if you are married the girl is lucky because you wrote a song called puppy love I am getting a puppy and I am calling it Donny after you you realy do rock I could just kiss you Donny even in Joseph where you had the long hair I even watch pyrmids. - rotabega
9-29-2007, 09:36:41 PM
Robert "Bert" McCracken from the rock band "The Used" was raised Mormon, although he no longer practices. - Brian
9-30-2007, 12:57:23 PM
Alaska-based cartoonist Nathan Reynolds is LDS. - Anonymous
10-5-2007, 12:43:11 PM
Brendan Urie of Panic! at the Disco was raised Mormon. - Anonymous
10-11-2007, 04:48:28 AM
Brian on "Fast and Furious" is Mormon, but doesn't practice. Also heaps of rugby players are Mormon. - Anonymous
10-28-2007, 10:00:37 PM
Stewart Peterson is another actor who is LDS. He was one of the main characters in "Seven Alone," a true account of a boy who leads his family on a 2,000 mile trek on the Oregon Trail. - Jan
12-4-2007, 06:05:17 AM
1940s and 50s truly awful actress Lorraine Day never missed a chance to tell an audience she was Mormon.
While you mentioned his father, former University of Utah President James Chipman Fletcher was more famous as Director of NASA - if memory serves he was in that position when astronauts landed on the moon. - Melinda Banks
12-21-2007, 10:42:06 PM
Why do you not have Glenn Beck on the list? See glennbeck.com for the details on the radio talk show host (3rd in the nation) who has his own show on headline news. - Anonymous
12-21-2007, 10:44:26 PM
Wasn't Stewart Peterson also in The Church's original film strip of "The First Vision" starring as Joseph Smith? - April
1-5-2008, 02:38:45 PM
A. J. Cook from Criminal minds (She plays J. J. Jareau) is also LDS. She has actually stated that she will not take a role if it goes against her faith. - Micah Slade
1-20-2008, 05:27:06 PM
Keri Russell was Mormon while growing up in Mesa, AZ. She left when she was about 15 and doubt she is Mormon still. But she was at one point. - L
2-27-2008, 01:39:34 AM
I didn't see arthur "killer" kane on the list. He was in the rock band the new york dolls. There is a movie called "New York Doll" that tells about his life in the band and then being converted after hearing the missionary discussions. - Anonymous
3-21-2008, 04:44:36 PM
I read that American Idol's David Archuleta is LDS... I am not sure of this fact, but if so... What a shining example of grace and dignified spirit, wrapped in a gifted, angelic voice... And also, of an obviously supportive nurturing family that carried his talent along until he matured enough for all of us to enjoy.
I think he is a rising super talent/star with much in store for the world. I look forward to buying/listening to his music for many years to come.
He is also a strong, shining example for youth, as well as a benevolent spirit from what I can tell.
[To note: I am not a teeny bopper fan... I am an artist, and know a truly gifted performer when I hear one!]
Webmaster: Actually, two of the top 10 American Idols are Mormon. Both David Archuleta and Brooke White are LDS. - Gina
3-22-2008, 03:04:37 PM
How about Ricky Schroder? He is LDS. Been through the temple even I think. (That's what I heard any way.)
Webmaster: The all-knowing wikipedia confirms that you speak the truth! :) - Anonymous
4-3-2008, 11:43:04 AM
I think American Idol stars David Archeleta and Brooke White are Mormons.
Webmaster: They are indeed! Thanks for your comment. - Anonymous
4-14-2008, 07:17:28 PM
Dude mormons are kick but all that not doing and stuff. Also the lead singer of the Killers. And the New York Doll best Mormon punk. - Anonymous
5-6-2008, 10:40:35 AM
There are a quite a few your missing if I may say, however, not too bad of a start.
Business men:
Robert C. Gay - huge business man, previous teacher at Harvard, vice president of GE, managing director of Bain Capital (with Mitt Romney), ect.
John Huntsman - another huge businessman, too many businesses to name.
Sports:
Mike Weir - very famous golfer
Steve Young - NFL hall of famer and superbowl MVP
Danny Ange - NBA hall of famer, works with Celtics right now
Authors:
Richard Paul Evans - famous children book writer
Stephan Covey - very famous business book writer
Jeff Benedict - well known buiness writer and businessman. - Anonymous
5-8-2008, 06:30:21 AM
Ken Dayley, MLB pitcher.... Actually played with Dale Murphy for a few seasons... Also LDS. - Anonymous
5-14-2008, 02:44:21 PM
You have to have Glenn Beck on there. Also, did you have Shawn Bradley? I might have missed him. But if not, you need him, too. Also, Kirby Heyborne was in movies like "The Last Chapter" and "Social Suicide" and TV shows like "Team" and "Free Ride." He plays Jonathan on TLC (I love the abbreviation for that movie, especially since it's a thriller movie) and Dillon on "Free Ride." That's all I know out of those 4. But he's in a lot of others.
Also, he is a musician with 3 or 4 CDs out right now. - Anonymous
5-20-2008, 02:19:55 PM
Elvis was not a Mormon... He was a Baptist!! Just because someone shares their belief system with you does not mean they embrace it. Please correct immediately!
Webmaster: No correction is necessary. The site explicitly says that Elvis was not baptized. He was not Mormon. He did have more than a passive interest in Mormonism, however. He read the Book of Mormon and wrote notes in the margins. One note said "I know this in my heart to be true." Another said, "My Daughter Lisa is 9 years old. She needs this church. Please help her." - Anonymous
6-14-2008, 08:52:49 PM
Isn't Andy Pettitte a mormon?
Webmaster: I don't think so... - Anonymous
7-13-2008, 09:11:26 AM
You forgot to add Linton and Burch of Jimmy Eat World, who are both Mormons from Arizona. - Anonymous
7-25-2008, 11:25:38 PM
What about the singer of The Killers? He was raised Mormon, I don't think he practices.
Webmaster: You're referring to Brandon Flowers. Actually, he is a practicing Mormon. He has described his personal [Mormon] faith as a "very important" part of his life. - Anonymous
7-28-2008, 12:34:18 AM
Is Jeff Kent mormon? He attends my friends ward in Houston.
Webmaster: Yes, Jeff Kent, a major league baseball second baseman for the Los Angeles Dodgers, is Mormon. - Anonymous
7-28-2008, 09:21:17 AM
Heck yes Brandon Flowers is a Mormon and a devout one. - Anonymous
8-2-2008, 08:31:59 PM
Darren Dalton of "The Outsiders" and "Red Dawn at Morning" was raised Mormon although he currently does not practice.
And you can't forget Stephanie Meyers of the "Twilight" trilogy.
Webmaster: I didn't know about Dalton. Can I ask what's your source? - Anonymous
8-18-2008, 02:52:36 AM
Perhaps if Roseanne and Christina had remained in the church their actions and activities would have been of good repute. I am not knocking them but am showing how living according to the principles and standards of the church makes a difference in character and example.
Webmaster: It is certainly true that Rosanne Barr is not an example of the best Mormonism has to offer! - Anonymous
8-19-2008, 06:44:57 PM
David Archuleta, the American Idol season 7 runner up is a mormon.
Webmaster: Thanks! I can't believe I missed him! :) - Debbie in AZ
9-14-2008, 10:45:14 PM
Just FYI, check out www.famousmormons.net. It has lots of interesting names listed (with pictures) - Anonymous
9-15-2008, 01:04:37 AM
Isn't Johnny Whitaker a Mormon?
WebmasterYes, I believe the American actor Johnny Whitaker is Mormon. It appears that he served his mission in Portugal. - TLo
10-7-2008, 04:30:16 PM
You can't leave off Aaron Eckhart... Harvey Dent/Two-Face in the Dark Knight. Graduated from BYU in 1994. Served mission in Europe.
Webmaster: In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, in regards to his Mormon faith, Eckhart revealed: "I'm sure people think I'm a Mormon, but I don't know that I'm a Mormon anymore, you know? To be honest, to be perfectly clear, I'd be a hypocrite if I did say that I was, just because I haven't lived that lifestyle for so many years." - Anonymous
10-10-2008, 09:28:32 PM
Sports: Peter Vidmar gymnist at UCLA and 1984 olympics. His uncle was my bishop and he was my home teacher when I was not active. - Anonymous
11-6-2008, 12:45:16 PM
I believe Gordon Jump (Arthur Carlson on WKRP in Cincinatti) is LDS. Also, is Dave Ramsey LDS, or is he (more or less) endorsed by church-realted groups because of his no-nonsense approach to personal finances?
Webmaster: Hi friend. Gordon Jump is Mormon, but I have seen no evidence that Dave Ramsey is LDS, nor is he endorsed by the Church. - Remartwork
11-16-2008, 11:36:44 AM
These are some very prominent Mormons: in golf, Billy Casper and Johnny Miller
One of most famous child actors Rick Schroerder. - Anonymous
11-18-2008, 10:38:52 PM
Aaron Eckhart is LDS. Not practicing though, last I heard. He served a mission in France and Switzerland and graduated from BYU.
Webmaster: You're right. Eckhart was raised Mormon but does not now practice. - Anonymous
12-28-2008, 12:17:43 PM
And you forgot Dr. Edwin Catmull co-founder of Pixar and current president of Disney-Pixar animation studio. How could you forget? Pixar is like the best animation studio ever. And Catmull did the amazing job and trumendous contribution to computer science. Gotta love Pixar, Wall-E is the best!: ] merry Christmas and happy new year.
Webmaster: Thanks! I had no idea! - Anonymous
1-18-2009, 04:55:08 PM
Matthew Kennedy from LDS Living is listed on the Associated Press executive biography. It says that he is related to the Kennedy family and is a graduate of Brigham Young University and then an MBA from Harvard. LDS Living won the National Addy Award and the New York Times "Park" Award. - Anonymous
5-8-2009, 11:04:52 PM
Grant Wilson from GhostHunters is a Mormon who served a mission in Italy. Also, I read below that someone wanted to know about Darren Dalton (Outsiders, Red Dawn). Darren was raised a Mormon in my ward -- knew him well. He is no longer a practicing Mormon however, but his mother and brother still are. - I Owe The Church My Life
6-10-2009, 09:01:28 PM
You do need to add Glen Beck. He's actively building a multi-media empire and has borne his testimony on the airwaves multiple times. Keep up the good work. Great site. - Anonymous
6-17-2009, 02:42:47 AM
Jay north aka Dennis the Mennis joined the Mormon church in the 1970's - Mormons Are the Best
6-26-2009, 07:27:13 PM
How could you forget Mr. Marriot CEO of Marriot hotels?
