List of people from Wilmette, Illinois

The following list includes notable people who were born or have lived in Wilmette, Illinois. For a similar list organized alphabetically by last name, see the category page People from Wilmette, Illinois.

Academics and scientists
Name Image Birth Death Known for Association Reference
Ezekiel Emanuel 1957 Oncologist; developer of The Medical Directive: health policy adviser to the federal government
Roger Myerson March 29, 1951 2007 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics co-winner [1]

Acting and modeling
Name Image Birth Death Known for Association Reference
Ralph Bellamy June 17, 1904 November 29, 1991 Academy Award-nominated actor Grew up in Wilmette [2][3][4]
Beck Bennett October 1, 1984 Actor, Saturday Night Live cast member Born in Wilmette
Neal Brennan October 19, 1973 Comedian, writer, director, producer, actor Lived in Wilmette as a child between 1978 and 1986 [5]
Brian Doyle-Murray October 31, 1945 Actor Grew up in Wilmette
Charlton Heston October 4, 1923 April 5, 2008 Academy Award-winning actor Born in Wilmette [4][6]
Seana Kofoed August 13, 1970 Actress Born in Wilmette
Virginia Madsen September 11, 1961 Academy Award-nominated actress [7][8]
Crystal McCahill December 18, 1983 Model; Playboy Playmate of the Month [9]
Bill Murray September 21, 1950 Emmy-winning and Academy Award-nominated actor and comedian. Recipient of the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. Grew up in Wilmette
Joel Murray April 17, 1963 Actor Born in Wilmette
Hugh O'Brian April 19, 1925 September 5, 2016 Emmy-nominated and Golden Globe-winning actor Lived in Wilmette [4][10]
Ann-Margret Olsson April 28, 1941 Actress and entertainer, winner of five Golden Globe Awards and an Emmy Award, nominated for two Academy Awards, two Grammys and a SAG Award Lived in Wilmette [4]
Kevin Quinn May 21, 1997 Actor Grew up in Wilmette [11]
Jeri Ryan February 22, 1968 American actress best known for her role as the Borg drone, Seven of Nine, in Star Trek: Voyager, lived in Wilmette [7]
Frazier Thomas June 13, 1918 April 3, 1985 Chicago children's television personality, best known for Garfield Goose and Friends Lived in Wilmette [4]
Nico Tortorella July 30, 1988 Model and actor Born in Wilmette [12][13]
Rainn Wilson January 20, 1966 Emmy-nominated and SAG Award-winning actor; best known for role as Dwight Schrute on The Office. [7]

Architects
Name Image Birth Death Known for Association Reference
Jens Jensen September 13, 1860 October 1, 1951 Landscape architect. Served as the Superintendent of the Chicago Park District Lived in Wilmette [4][14]
Benjamin Marshall May 5, 1874 June 19, 1940 Designed such buildings as the Drake Hotel Lived in Wilmette [15]
Carol Ross Barney 1949 Principal architect at Ross Barney Architects Lived in Wilmette [16]

Business
Name Image Birth Death Known for Association Reference
Dennis H. Chookaszian September 19, 1943 Former chairman and CEO, mPower Advisors; former chairman and CEO, CNA Insurance Lives in Wilmette [17]
James Crown June 25, 1953 Businessman, son of Lester Crown and brother of Susan Crown, president of Henry Crown and Company, director of JPMorgan Chase, General Dynamics and Sara Lee Corporation, managing partner of Aspen Skiing Company Grew up in Wilmette [18]
Lester Crown June 7, 1925 Billionaire businessman, son of industrialist Henry Crown, father of James and Susan Crown Lives in Wilmette [17][19][20]
Susan Crown 1958 Businesswoman, daughter of Lester Crown and sister of James Crown, chairman and founder of Susan Crown Exchange (SCE), chairman and CEO of Owl Creek Partners, chairman of Crown Family Philanthropies and partner of Henry Crown & Co., executive at Illinois Tool Works, board member of Northern Trust Corporation, vice-chair of Rush University Medical Center, former Fellow of Yale Corporation and board member of Baxter International Grew up in Wilmette [18]
Ari Emanuel March 29, 1961 Co-founder of Endeavor Talent Agency Grew up in Wilmette
Christie Hefner November 8, 1952 Former CEO of Playboy, daughter of Hugh Hefner Born in Wilmette [4][7]
James L. Kraft December 11, 1874 February 16, 1953 Founder of Kraft Foods Inc Lived in Wilmette [21]
Cary Kochman
April 1965 Co-Head of Global Mergers and Acquisitions Group at Citigroup, Head of Chicago Citi office Lives in Wilmette [22]
Tony Rezko 1955 Restaurateur, political fundraiser convicted of fraud Lived in Wilmette [23]
Laura Ricketts December 15, 1967 Co-owner of Chicago Cubs; board member of Lambda Legal and Housing Opportunities for Women organization; daughter of TD Ameritrade founder Joe Ricketts Lives in Wilmette [24][25]
Thomas S. Ricketts May 23, 1963 Co-owner and Chairman of Chicago Cubs; CEO of Incapital; Director of TD Ameritrade Holding Company; son of TD Ameritrade founder Joe Ricketts Lives in Wilmette [17][24][25]
Penelope Trunk December 10, 1966 Businesswoman, blogger, writer Grew up in Wilmette

Chefs
Name Image Birth Death Known for Association Reference
Charlie Trotter September 8, 1959 November 5, 2013 Chef and restaurant-owner Born in Wilmette [4][26]

Music
Name Image Birth Death Known for Association Reference
Casey Abrams February 12, 1991 Singer and musician; finalist on American Idol season 10 Lived in Wilmette; attended McKenzie Elementary School
Kristine Flaherty

(a.k.a. K.Flay)

 June 30, 1985 Rapper Born in Wilmette
Robbie Fulks March 25, 1963 Alt-country singer and musician Moved to Wilmette from Lindenhurst in 2005 [27]
Sinéad O'Connor December 8, 1966 Singer-songwriter Lived in Wilmette for several months in 2016 [28][29]
Matt Walker May 1969 Drummer for Filter, The Smashing Pumpkins and Morrissey [30]
Wendy Warner Celloist Lived in Wilmette [31]
Pete Wentz June 5, 1979 Bassist and primary lyricist for the band Fall Out Boy Grew up in Wilmette [4][7]

Photography
Name Image Birth Death Known for Association Reference
Vivian Maier February 1, 1926 April 21, 2009 Street photographer Lived as a nanny in Wilmette from 1989 until 1993 [32]

Politics
Name Image Birth Death Known for Association Reference
Michael Cabonargi January 29, 1971 Commissioner of Cook County Board of Review from the 2nd district since 2011 Lives in Wilmette [33]
Rahm Emanuel November 29, 1959 55th Mayor of Chicago; White House Chief of Staff to President Barack Obama; Senior Advisor to President Bill Clinton, Democratic Caucus Chairman of the House of Representatives Grew up in Wilmette [7]
Roger Keats August 12, 1948 Former member of the Illinois House of Representatives Lived in Wilmette [34]
Dean A. Pinkert June 5, 1956 Served as a member of the International Trade Commission from 2007 until 2015 Grew up in Wilmette
Todd Ricketts September 23, 1969 Finance Chairman of the Republican National Committee. Was originally named by Donald Trump for nomination as the Deputy Secretary of Commerce but withdrew, unable to satisfy the U.S. Office of Government Ethics.

Ricketts is a co-owner of the Chicago Cubs; owner of the shuttered Higher Gear Bike Shops chain; CEO of Ending Spending Super PAC; member of the World Bicycle Relief board of directors; son of TD Ameritrade founder Joe Ricketts.

 Lives in Wilmette [17][24][25][35][36]
Michael S. Rogers October 31, 1959 Former Commander of the United States Cyber Command and Director of the National Security Agency Grew up in Wilmette [37]
Jack Ryan October 6, 1959 Candidate for the United States Senate Grew up in Wilmette
Dan Seals June 19, 1971 Candidate for the United States House of Representatives Lives in Wilmette
Sargent Shriver November 9, 1915 January 18, 2011 General manager of the Merchandise Mart; first head of the Peace Corps; vice presidential nominee for George McGovern's presidential campaign Lived in Wilmette

Sports
Name Image Birth Death Known for Association Reference
Jack Brickhouse January 24, 1917 August 6, 1998 Sportscaster for the Chicago Cubs Lived in Wilmette [4][38]
Grant Golden August 21, 1929 Tennis player Born in Wilmette [39]
Barry Horowitz March 24, 1960 Wrestler with WWE
Jamie Schroeder September 9, 1981 Olympic rower [40]
Mike Huff August 11, 1963 Major League Baseball player Grew up in Wilmette [41]
Bob Skelton June 25, 1903 June 25, 1977 Gold medalist Olympic swimmer Born in Wilmette
Charlie Tilson December 22, 1992 Major League Baseball player Born in Wilmette
Alexander K. Whybrow

(a.k.a. Larry Sweeney)

 February 18, 1981 April 11, 2011 Wrestler and manager
Tommy Wingels April 12, 1988 Center in National Hockey League Grew up in Wilmette [42]

Writing and journalism
Name Image Birth Death Known for Association Reference
Julia Allison February 28, 1981 Columnist Born in Wilmette
Mal Bellairs November 9, 1919 July 12, 2010 Radio personality Lived in Wilmette [43]
Robert Casey March 14, 1890 December 5, 1962 Newspaper journalist Lived in Wilmette [44]
Jamie Gilson July 4, 1933 Author Lives in Wilmette
Edward Gorey February 22, 1925 April 15, 2000 Writer/ illustrator Grew up in Wilmette [4]
Chester Gould November 20, 1900 May 11, 1985 Cartoonist; creator of Dick Tracy Lived in Wilmette [4][45][46][47]
Blair Kamin Pulitzer Prize-winning architecture critic for Chicago Tribune Lives in Wilmette [17][48]
Linda MacLennan May 25, 1956 Television news anchor and reporter (longtime personality on WBBM-TV) Lived in Wilmette [17][49]
Brant Miller February 8, 1950 Chief meteorologist at WMAQ-TV Lives in Wilmette [17]
Marianne Murciano Co-hosted Fox Thing in the Morning on WFLD Lives in Wilmette [17]
Jonathan Nolan British-American author and screenwriter
Dana Olsen Screenwriter Lives in Wilmette
Ian Punnett March 3, 1960 Radio broadcaster Born in Wilmette
Bob Sirott August 9, 1949 Radio broadcaster on WLS-AM, television news anchor Lives in Wilmette [17]
Clark Weber 1930 or 1931 Radio broadcaster Lives in Wilmette [17][50]
Donovan Webster January 13, 1959 Best-selling and award-winning journalist, author, film-maker, and humanitarian Grew up in Wilmette
Paul O. Zelinsky 1953 Best-selling children's author/illustrator Grew up in Wilmette [51]

Other
Name Image Birth Death Known for Association Reference
Stephen Baltz January 9, 1949 December 17, 1960 Sole survivor of the 1960 New York air disaster until dying a day later Born and lived in Wilmette
H. H. Holmes May 16, 1861 May 7, 1896 Serial killer Lived in Wilmette [52]
Antoine Ouilmette 1760 December 1, 1841 Fur trader who was among the earliest settlers of Chicago Lived in Wilmette and is a member of the town's namesake family

References
  1. Leavitt, Irv (October 18, 2007). "Nobel Prize winner stays on task". Wilmette Life. Pioneer Press/Sun-Times Media Group.
  2. "Ralph Bellamy Dies; Veteran Actor Won Fame for F.D.R. Role". www.latimes.com. Los Angeles Times. November 30, 1991. Retrieved June 1, 2017. Back in the Chicago suburb of Wilmette, he was expelled from high school in his senior year for smoking under the stage.
  3. Cohen, George (November 30, 1967). "TV Today: Went from New Trier High School to Role in Chautauqua Play". Chicago Tribune.
  4. Ingram, Bruce (June 27, 2016). "Get on board for trolley tour of Wilmette celebrity homes". www.chicagotribune.com. Chicago Tribune. Retrieved June 5, 2017.
  5. "Neal Brennan talks about his influences, writing race-sensitive material and the state of contemporary comedy". IFC.com. November 30, 2011. Retrieved August 5, 2016.
  6. Heston, Charlton: In The Arena, Simon & Schuster, 1995. ISBN 0-684-80394-1.
  7. Matt Pais (August 20, 2008). "Wilson's local roots". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved March 10, 2013.
  8. Smith-Sloman, Christy (March 2014). "Wilmette, Illinois Hometown Charm Close to the Windy City". www.chicagocooperator.com. Chicago Cooperator. Retrieved June 1, 2017. A number of high profile personalities hail from Wilmette including Chicago’s current mayor Rahm Emanuel, Oscar-nominated actress Virginia Madsen, actor Rainn Wilson, musician Pete Wentz and Playboy CEO Christie Hefner. Its hometown charm might just make you want to call it your hometown too.
  9. "Playboy's Crystal McCahill: Miss May goes to court on DUI charge". Chicago Tribune. March 20, 2009. Retrieved March 10, 2013.
  10. Jacoby, John (September 12, 2016). "A Word From The (Former) President: Hall of Fame (Hugh O'Brian)". www.wilmettebeacon.com. Wilmette Beacon (22nd Century Media). Retrieved June 5, 2017. Former Wilmette resident Hugh O’Brian, who died on Sept. 5, was a man whose philanthropic achievements arguably outshine his stellar acting career. He’s best known for playing the title role in the popular ABC-TV series, “The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp” (1955 to 1961).
  11. Sotonoff, Jamie; Gire, Dann (January 19, 2016). "For Disney star from Wilmette, business comes first in showbiz". Daily Herald. Arlington Heights, Illinois. Retrieved April 22, 2016.
  12. "Nico Tortorella". imdb. Retrieved March 10, 2013.
  13. Curt Wagner (February 17, 2013). "Nico Tortorella is killing it in 'The Following". redeye Chicago. Retrieved March 10, 2013.
  14. Fawcett, Adrienne (March 25, 2016). "Lecture: Jens Jensen". www.jwcdaily.com. JWC Media. Retrieved June 5, 2017. Jens Jensen, who lived in Wilmette for many years
  15. Castle, George (February 2, 2012). "The Great Depression Doomed Wilmette's Most Eccentric Mansion". patch.com. Patch. Retrieved April 23, 2016.
  16. Black, Lisa (August 18, 2005). "For trip back in time, road pavers pick brick". chicagotribune.com. Chicago Tribune. Retrieved June 5, 2017. Chicago architect Carol Ross Barney, who specializes in modern design and prefers sleek lines and shapes, lives on another block of Linden that has been restored to brick.
  17. Skolnik, Lisa (April 1, 2010). "Neighborhood Tour: Wilmette". www.michiganavemag.com. Michigan Avenue Magazine. Retrieved June 1, 2017. NEIGHBORS Cheryl Berman, Blair Kamin, Dennis Chookaszian, Hamilton Chang, Todd Ricketts, Tom Ricketts, Lester Crown, Brant Miller, Susan Noyes, Jennifer Woolford, Mark Falanga, Joanie Bayhack, Bob Sirott and Marianne Murciano, Meredith and Jonathan Sinclair, Linda MacLennan
  18. Noyes, Susan B. (December 13, 2013). "The Power of Business: Lester Crown Prioritizes Philanthropy". www.makeitbetter.net. Make It Better. Retrieved June 1, 2017. while raising seven children in Wilmette with his wife, Renee.
  19. Kusel, Robert F. (2017). "Defiant Requiem". www.chicagotribune.com. Chicago Tribune. Retrieved June 1, 2017. Renee and Lester Crown of Wilmette
  20. "Crown family". www.forbes.com. Forbes. n.d. Retrieved June 1, 2017.
  21. "James L. Kraft in the 1940 Census". www.archives.com. archives.com. n.d. Retrieved June 5, 2017.
  22. "Rahm Emanuel: The Unreformed, Reformer, Part One". stoneformayor.com. Retrieved April 23, 2016. Kochman, Cary Wilmette, IL
  23. Rodkin, Dennis (September 27, 2010). "Citadel Executive Is the New Owner of Rezko's Former Home". Chicago Magazine. Chicago: Tribune Publishing. Retrieved April 23, 2016. The 30-room Wilmette mansion where the now-imprisoned political wheeler-dealer Tony Rezko
  24. Rodkin, Dennis (February 23, 2016). "Cubs chairman building home on Wilmette lakefront". Chicago Business. Crain's Chicago Business. Retrieved May 31, 2016. Chicago Cubs Chairman Tom Ricketts is building a home on Wilmette's lakefront less than a mile north of the one his sister Laura built a few years ago. Ricketts and his wife, Cecelia, have owned a home in Wilmette since at least 1997, according to the Cook County Recorder of Deeds. They are behind a venture that bought a site on Michigan Avenue in Wilmette for $7 million in August 2013, according to people familiar with the property. Through a family spokesman, Tom Ricketts declined to comment. He became the chairman of the Cubs after a family group, including Tom, Todd and Laura Ricketts, bought the team in 2009. He is also CEO of a Chicago investment bank Incapital, which he founded in 1999.............Slightly south of the site, on Sheridan Road in Wilmette, Laura Ricketts and her wife, Brooke Skinner, live in a mansion built on a lakefront parcel near the Bahai'i Temple that Laura bought in 2010 for $6.5 million.
  25. Rodkin, Dennis (May 23, 2012). "Laura Ricketts Plans New Mansion on Wilmette Lakefront". Chicago Magazine. Chicago. Retrieved May 31, 2016. Laura Ricketts, a co-owner of the Chicago Cubs, and her partner, Heidi Grathouse, have filed plans with the Village of Wilmette for a new mansion to be built on the 1.2-acre lakefront site they bought two years ago.......Two Ricketts brothers, Tom and Todd, live within six blocks of the lakefront site in Wilmette; their homes are at opposite ends of the same block, though neither is more than one-third the size of what their sister has on the boards.
  26. Grimes, William (November 5, 2013). "Charlie Trotter Dies at 54; Chef Made Chicago a Must". The New York Times.
  27. Fulks, Robbie (February 22, 2011). "robbie and nora on the north shore-a". robbiefulks.com. Archived from the original on March 15, 2015. Retrieved August 8, 2013.
  28. Kaufman, Gil (May 17, 2016). "Sinead O'Connor Pens Vicious Open Letter to Ex Husband". Billboard. Billboard. Retrieved May 31, 2016. That same day, O'Connor reportedly left the Wilmette area on a bicycle and could not be found as of Monday morning, at which point an unidentified caller contacted police about her well-being. A music industry source told the Chicago Tribune that O'Connor had been living in Wilmette since late February, performing at a few low-key local shows.
  29. "Singer Sinead O'Connor found safe, according to Wilmette police". Chicago Tribune. Chicago Tribune. May 16, 2016. Retrieved May 31, 2016. Rebecca Cain, who lives on an east Wilmette block in the area where O'Connor reportedly was staying, said Monday afternoon that she didn't know how long the singer had been living nearby but that she had occasionally seen O'Connor out walking. A music industry source who asked not to be named said O'Connor has been living in Wilmette since at least late February. She last performed in the area March 4 at Metro with Sons of the Silent Age in a David Bowie tribute concert, singing "Sorrow" and "Life on Mars" to the accompaniment of a Chicago band.
  30. "Index of articles". Wilmette Life. Retrieved August 9, 2013.
  31. Delacoma, Wynne (July 11, 2001). "Wilmette native builds a career of note". www.highbeam.com. Chicago Sun-Times. Archived from the original on November 19, 2018. Retrieved May 25, 2017.
  32. O'Donnell, Nora (December 14, 2010). "The Life and Work of Street Photographer Vivian Maier". www.chicagomag.com. Chicago Magazine. Retrieved June 5, 2017. From 1989 to 1993, Maier cared for the disabled daughter of Federico Bayleander in his Wilmette home
  33. "Mike Cabonargi: Candidate profile". Daily Herald. February 11, 2020. Retrieved November 16, 2020.
  34. Rodkin, Dennis (March 28, 2011). "Cook County Republican Bound for Texas Sells in Wilmette". Chicago magazine. Retrieved June 16, 2020.
  35. Johnson, Eliana; Nussbaum, Matthew (November 24, 2016). "Chicago Cubs co-owner Todd Ricketts likely deputy commerce secretary". politico.com. Politico. Retrieved November 24, 2016.
  36. https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/803997374016167936
  37. "Director of the National Security Agency: Who Is Michael Rogers?". www.allgov.com. allgov.com. May 5, 2014. Retrieved June 5, 2017. Rogers, 54, was born in Chicago and grew up in the suburb of Wilmette
  38. Pick, Grant (August 14, 2013). "The Other Brickhouse". www.chicagoreader.com. Chicago Reader. Retrieved June 1, 2017. By the early 1950s Jack was on television, his reputation growing, and the family had moved to Wilmette
  40. "08.30.04". CNN.
  41. "Meet Mike Huff, Wilmette native and retired White Sox outfielder". www.wilmette.com. Village of Wilmette. 2017. Retrieved May 25, 2017.
  42. Dorfman, Daniel I. (May 27, 2013). "Wilmette's Tommy Wingels Reflects On NHL Debut". www.patch.com. Patch Media. Retrieved June 1, 2017. Hockey player Tommy Wingels, who grew up in Wilmette
  43. Eldeib, Duaa (July 13, 2010). "Chicago radio personality Mal Bellairs". www.chicagotribune.com. Chicago Tribune. Retrieved July 13, 2010. In 1969, Mr. Bellairs left WBBM and his Wilmette home and moved his family to Woodstock
  44. "Robert Casey, Newsman and Author, Dies". www.archives.chicagotribune.com. Chicago Tribune. December 5, 1962. Retrieved June 5, 2017. Robert J. Casey, noted Chicago newspaperman and author, died yesterday in St. Francis hospital, Evanston. Mr. Casey, who lived at 934 Linden av., Wilmette
  45. Pietrzyk, Richard (n.d.). "Wilmette House". www.dicktracymuseum.com. Dick Tracy Museum. Retrieved June 5, 2017. the house in Wilmette where Gould started his married life and his classic detective was created.
  46. Jacoby, John (November 5, 2016). "Local Hall of Fame: Chester Gould". www.wilmettebeacon.com. Beacon Press. Retrieved June 5, 2017.
  47. Gould O'Connell, Jean (2007). Chester Gould: A Daughter's Biography of the Creator of Dick Tracy. McFarland.
  48. Sweet, David (March 13, 2015). "Critic Builds a Pulitzer-Worthy Career". jwcdaily.com. JWC Daily. Retrieved May 25, 2017. Over squash bisque and a good-sized hamburger, the Wilmette resident talks about
  49. "Sunday Breakfast: Former News Anchor Thriving …". Daily North Shore.
  50. Zorn, Eric (March 25, 1997). "Walker Stepping On Club's Toes In Age-bias Protest". www.chicagotribune.com. Chicago Tribune. Retrieved June 1, 2017. Radio Advertising Consultants President Clark Weber, himself a Wilmette senior,
  51. "Paul Zelinsky". www.paulzelinsky.com. Paul Zelinsky. n.d. Retrieved May 25, 2017. Paul O. Zelinsky grew up in Wilmette, Illinois
  52. Schechter, Harold (1994). Depraved: The Definitive True Story of H. H. Holmes, Whose Grotesque Crimes Shattered Turn-of-the-Century Chicago. New York City, U.S.: Pocket Books. ISBN 9780671025441. OCLC 607738864, 223220639.
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