List of people from Naperville, Illinois

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

Authors and academics

Andrea Beaty, author
Emily Giffin, author
Louise Huffman, teacher and educator on US Antarctic programs ^[1]
Fazlur Rahman Malik, author, scholar
Paul Sereno, paleontologist
Luis Alberto Urrea, author
Jasmine Warga, children's and young adult author
May Theilgaard Watts, naturalist and author; led efforts to establish the Illinois Prairie Path

Media and arts

Dave Allen, actor
Andrew Baggarly, baseball journalist
Dave Bickler, singer for Survivor
Paul Brittain, actor and comedian
Steve Cochran, radio talk personality, WGN-AM; lives in Naperville
David Eigenberg, actor
Gina Glocksen, American Idol finalist
Adrian Holovaty, journalist and web developer; creator of Django web framework
James Holzhauer, Jeopardy all-time record-holder for one-day winnings^[2]
P. J. Hyett, software developer and co-founder of GitHub
Harry Kalas, sportscaster, voice of Philadelphia Phillies from 1971 to 2009
Alan Krashesky, news anchor, WLS-TV
Dick Locher, editorial writer and Dick Tracy cartoonist
Gary Miller, sportscaster
Marisol Nichols, actress, mostly known for her role as Hermione Lodge on Riverdale
Matthew Prozialeck Musician, blues harmonica player, recording artist, music producer
Bill Odenkirk, comedy writer, The Simpsons^[3]
Bob Odenkirk, actor, comedian, writer, director, producer, star of Better Call Saul^[3]
Danielle Panabaker, actress most notable for her role as Dr. Caitlin Snow on The Flash. She spent her teenage years in Naperville.^[4]
Kay Panabaker, child actress (Phil of the Future, No Ordinary Family). She was raised in Naperville.^[4]
Chris Redd, cast member on Saturday Night Live^[5]
Alene Robertson, musical theatre actress, winner of nine Joseph Jefferson Awards and 2014 Sarah Siddons Award^[6]
Andrew Santino, Actor, comedian, and podcaster
Hillary Scott, pornographic actress
Jim Sonefeld, drummer for Hootie and the Blowfish
Kim Spencer, founder of the WorldLink direct broadcast satellite channel, producer of Space Bridge live TV broadcasts simultaneously connecting audiences and presenters on multiple continents
Darling Squire, dancer and choreographer
John Summit, music producer and DJ, born in Naperville
Trevor Wallace, Comedian and Content Creator
Doug Walker, web reviewer, Nostalgia Critic^[7]
Paula Zahn, newscaster and television personality

Politics

Mary Lou Cowlishaw, politician
S. Fitzgerald Haney, diplomat and businessman
Dick Locher, syndicated cartoonist^[8]
Joseph Naper, shipbuilder, businessman, politician, settler, founder of Naperville
A. George Pradel, longest-serving mayor in city's history
J. Glenn Schneider, educator and politician
Lauren Underwood, U.S. Representative from Illinois's 14th congressional district
Robert Zoellick, former president of the World Bank Group

Sports

Baseball

Nick Solak, second baseman and outfielder
Ryan Bukvich, relief pitcher
Bert Haas, first baseman; all-star for the Cincinnati Reds
Jerry Hairston Jr., infielder and outfielder; World Series champion with the New York Yankees
Ian Krol, pitcher for the Saraperos de Saltillo of the Mexican League
Nicky Lopez, second baseman for the Chicago White Sox
Collin McHugh, relief pitcher; World Series champion with the Houston Astros

Basketball

John Clawson, small forward for the University of Michigan and Oakland Oaks; Olympic gold medalist
Drew Crawford, shooting guard and small forward in the Israeli Basketball Premier League
Porter Moser, head coach of the University of Oklahoma men's basketball team
Anthony Parker, general manager of the Orlando Magic; shooting guard and small forward in the Israeli Super League and EuroLeague
Candace Parker, power forward for the Los Angeles Sparks, Chicago Sky, and Las Vegas Aces; three-time WNBA champion; two-time WNBA MVP; two-time Olympic gold medalist

Football

Jayden Reed, wide receiver and punt returner for the Green Bay Packers
Matt LaCosse, tight end for the New York Giants and New England Patriots
Cameron Brate, tight end for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and New Orleans Saints
Chris Brown, running back for the Tennessee Titans and Houston Texans
Owen Daniels, tight end for the Houston Texans and Denver Broncos
Justin McCareins, wide receiver for the Tennessee Titans and New York Jets
Babatunde Oshinowo, defensive lineman for the Cleveland Browns
Sean Payton, head coach for the Denver Broncos

Gymnastics

Bridgette Caquatto, gymnast on U.S national team World silver medalist
Mackenzie Caquatto, gymnast on U.S national team
Nia Dennis, gymnast on U.S. national team

Ice skating

Evan Lysacek, figure skater; Olympic gold medalist (2010), 2-time national champion

Mountain climbing

Lucy Westlake, youngest American Woman to summit Mount Everest^[9]

Prize fighting

Curtis Blaydes, UFC fighter
Jordan Johnson, RFA World Champ, UFC fighter
Steve Kozola, MMA fighter

Soccer

Brittany Bock, midfielder for Sky Blue FC, Houston Dash, and Chicago Red Stars
Vanessa DiBernardo, midfielder for Kansas City Current
Derek Dodson, wing-back for Minnesota United
Aidan Liu, defender for Viktoria Berlin
Megan Montefusco, defender for Orlando Pride
Casey Short, defender for Washington Spirit and U.S. national women's team

Swimming

Kevin Cordes, Olympic gold medalist in 4x100-meter medley relay, American record holder in 100- and 200-meter breaststroke (short course), as well as 100- and 200-yard breaststroke

Track and field

Chris Derrick, distance runner at Stanford, held junior record in 5000m
Tom Petranoff, javelin thrower, former world record holder, Olympian

Volleyball

Jordyn Poulter, Olympic gold medalist for the United States national indoor volleyball team & professional volleyball player

References

^ "Empowering Educators at the School of Ice". antarcticsun.usap.gov. Antarctic Sun. 2015. Retrieved August 21, 2016.
^ Baker, Sue (April 9, 2019). "Naperville native sets new 'Jeopardy!' record for 1-day winnings with $110,914; 4-day streak continues". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved April 15, 2019.
^ ^a ^b Parsi, Novid (March 17, 2010). "Bad boy". Time Out Chicago. Retrieved March 17, 2010.
^ ^a ^b "Danielle Panabaker Super Star". Chicago Sun-Times. November 14, 2014. Archived from the original on November 17, 2014. Retrieved November 17, 2014.
^ Hegarty, Erin (September 27, 2017). "New 'SNL' cast member attended Naperville schools". Chicago Tribune.
^ "You are being redirected..." www.positivelynaperville.com. March 23, 2012.
^ Spirrison, Brad (July 7, 2009). "Naperville man finds way to make Web pay". Naperville Sun. Retrieved December 10, 2010.
^ Wilson, Marie (August 7, 2017). "Naperville, art world mourn loss of 'Dick Tracy' cartoonist Dick Locher". Daily Herald. Retrieved August 25, 2019.
^ "Naperville's Lucy Westlake climbs into record books as the youngest U.S. female to summit Everest". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved May 13, 2022.