List of people from Bakersfield, California

This is a list of notable natives and residents of Bakersfield, California.

Notable natives and residents

A panoramic view of Bakersfield, taken from Stockdale Tower, the tallest building in the city, facing east-northeast

Law and politics

The Bush House: In 1949, George H. W. Bush (41st President of the U.S.) moved here to sell oil field equipment with son, George W. Bush (43rd President of the U.S.), who was three years old at the time. ^[1][2]

• General Edward Fitzgerald Beale — Superintendent of Indian Affairs for California and Nevada (1850s), Surveyor General of California and Nevada (1860s) U.S. Ambassador to Austria-Hungary (1870s), founder of Tejon Ranch
• Harvey Hall — mayor of Bakersfield
• Kevin McCarthy (California politician) — California Congressman, House Majority Leader
• Joe Shell — intraparty rival of Richard M. Nixon in the 1962 Republican gubernatorial primary; husband of Mary K. Shell
• Mary K. Shell — first woman mayor of Bakersfield, 1981–1985, member of the Kern County Board of Supervisors (1985–1997), Republican activist
• Earl Warren — Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court, former governor of California
• Walter W. Stiern — California Democratic State Senator

Science and medicine

• Hans Einstein — world's foremost authority on Valley Fever
• Carver Mead — pioneer in the field of VLSI design, inventor of the concept of neuromorphic computing

Arts and entertainment

• Amy Adams — singer, contestant on American Idol
• Adema — rock band (Tim Fluckey, Dave DeRoo, Kris Kohls, Mark Chavez, Mike Ransom)
• Ana Lily Amirpour — filmmaker, director, writer
• Noah Beery — actor
• Robert Beltran — actor
• Justin Berry — public speaker and former teenage webcam pornographer
• Frank Bidart — poet
• Big Poppa E — slam poet
• Billy Boyd — music, record producer
• Burning Image — deathrock band (Moe Adame, Tony Bonanno, Paul Burch, Anthony Leyva)
• Black Diamond — session musicians, cover band, funk musicians, dub musicians, hip hop musicians, soul music, Jazz music
• James Chapman — novelist and publisher
• Greg Colson — artist
• Brandon Cruz — punk musician and former child actor
• The Def Dames — female rap duo, hip hop musicians
• DJ Flash - DJ and record producer
• Ric Drasin — actor, author, designer of Gold's Gym and World Gym logos, retired professional wrestler
• Kelli Garner — actress
• Justin Gordon — actor, producer, artist
• Merle Haggard — singer, Country Music Hall of Fame inductee
• Gerald Haslam — author
• Fay Helm — actress
• Brian Hooks — actor, Soul Plane, Three Strike
• Nathan Jung — actor, martial artist, stunt coordinator
• Korn — Grammy Award-winning metal band (Jonathan Davis, Reginald "Fieldy" Arvizu, James "Munky" Shaffer, David Silveria, Brian "Head" Welch)
• Dalene Kurtis — model, former Playboy Playmate of the Year
• Joanne Linville - actress
• Michael Lockwood — guitarist and music producer
• Kareem Lopez — musician
• Guy Madison — actor
• Roger Mathey — theatrical director, actor, playwright, producer
• Derek Mears — actor and stuntman
• Alvaro Morfin Jr. — Soccer player
• Mary Osborne — jazz guitarist
• Buck Owens — singer, musician Country Music Hall of Fame inductee
• Gregory Porter — singer
• Prussian Blue — White Nationalist duo; lived in Bakersfield
• RIOT! — rock band
• Randy Stuart — actress, died in Bakersfield in 1996
• Lawrence Tibbett — baritone of the New York Metropolitan Opera

Sports

Rabobank Arena

Baseball

• Larry Barnes — California Angels first baseman (2001 and 2003)
• Johnny Callison — Philadelphia Phillies right fielder (1960s)
• Phil Dumatrait — Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher, first-round draft pick
• Jack Hiatt — MLB catcher (1960s-'70s)
• Leon Lee — Nippon Professional Baseball player and manager
• Colby Lewis — Texas Rangers pitcher, first-round draft pick
• Jarret Martin — Milwaukee Brewers pitcher
• William "Buckshot" May — Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher (1924)
• Brent Morel — Chicago White Sox third baseman
• Kurt Miller — pitcher for Florida Marlins and Chicago Cubs
• Steve Ontiveros — infielder for San Francisco Giants and Chicago Cubs (1970s)
• Dave Rader — catcher (1970s)
• Todd Walker — second baseman (1996–2007)
• Bruce Walton — pitcher for Montreal Expos, pitching coach for Toronto Blue Jays
• Jake Woods — Seattle Mariners pitcher

Basketball

• Nikki Blue — New York Liberty guard (WNBA)
• Fred Boyd — NBA player
• Chris Childs — NBA guard
• J. R. Sakuragi (formerly J.R. Henderson) — player for Memphis Grizzlies
• Lonnie Shelton — Seattle SuperSonics all-star
• Robert Swift — Tokyo Apache (Japan) center

Football

• Mike Ariey — former offensive tackle for Green Bay Packers
• Jon Baker — NFL and CFL player
• Theo Bell — former wide receiver for Pittsburgh Steelers, earned Super Bowl rings in 1979 and 1980
• Jeff Buckey — former starting offensive lineman for Miami Dolphins
• Vern Burke — former tight end for San Francisco 49ers, New Orleans Saints, and Atlanta Falcons
• David Carr — quarterback, first overall selection in 2002 NFL Draft (Houston Texans), won Super Bowl with New York Giants
• Frank Gifford — Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee, broadcaster
• Cory Hall — former Cincinnati Bengals, Atlanta Falcons, and Washington Redskins safety
• A.J. Jefferson — cornerback for Arizona Cardinals
• Rodney Leisle — defensive tackle for New Orleans Saints, member of 2009 Super Bowl winning team
• Bob McCaffrey — center for USC, drafted by Green Bay Packers in 1975
• Brent McClanahan — former Minnesota Vikings running back
• Ray Mansfield — center who played 14 seasons for Pittsburgh steelers in 1960s and 1970s
• Brock Marion — former Dallas Cowboys Super Bowl champion and Pro Bowl player
• Jerry Marion — former wide receiver drafted by Pittsburgh Steelers, father of Brock Marion
• Ryan Mathews — Philadelphia Eagles running back and former Fresno State University All-American
• Aaron Merz — former offensive lineman for University of California and Buffalo Bills
• Stephen Neal — New England Patriots lineman and Super Bowl champion player, former NCAA wrestling champion, world gold medalist, and U.S. Olympic wrestler
• Mark Nichols — wide receiver for Detroit Lions in 1981
• Larry Parker — former receiver for USC Trojans and Kansas City Chiefs
• Joey Porter — All-Pro and Pro Bowl outside linebacker, member of Pittsburgh Steelers Super Bowl champion team in 2006
• Rocky Rasley — guard drafted by Detroit Lions in 1969
• Randy Rich — defensive back for Detroit Lions, Denver Broncos, and Cleveland Browns
• Greg Robinson — defensive coordinator for Denver Broncos, University of Michigan
• Ken Ruettgers — former offensive tackle for Green Bay Packers
• Rashaan Shehee — former running back for Kansas City Chiefs
• L.J. Shelton — former NFL offensive tackle for Arizona Cardinals
• Jeff Siemon — Minnesota Vikings Pro Bowl linebacker (1972–1983), inducted to College Football Hall of Fame in 2006
• Kevin Smith — former tight end for UCLA, Oakland Raiders, and Green Bay Packers
• Jeremy Staat — former Pittsburgh Steelers defensive lineman, United States Marine
• Jason Stewart — defensive tackle, played for Indianapolis Colts in 1994
• Michael Stewart — former safety for Miami Dolphins
• John Tarver — running back for New England Patriots in 1970s
• Leonard Williams - defensive lineman for USC
• Dick Witcher — former San Francisco 49ers wide receiver
• Louis Wright — former All-Pro defensive back for Denver Broncos, member of 1970s NFL all-decade team
• Rodney Wright — former Fresno State and Buffalo Bills wide receiver

Motorsports

• Kevin Harvick — NASCAR driver, 2007 Daytona 500 winner and 2014 champion
• Casey Mears — NASCAR driver
• Rick Mears — 4-time Indianapolis 500 winner
• Roger Mears — Baja 1000 winner
• Ryan Reed — NASCAR driver
• Bruce Sarver — NHRA champion

Boxing

• Ruben Castillo — WBO and NABO lightweight champion, WBC featherweight and super featherweight contender
• Michael Dallas, Jr. — Golden Gloves silver medalist, light welterweight contender
• Jack Johnson — first African-American heavyweight champion, member of World Boxing Hall of Fame
• Jerry Quarry — national Golden Gloves champion, heavyweight professional boxer, won 53 pro bouts, fought Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier
• Mike Quarry — light-heavyweight professional boxer

Other sports

• Keith Franke — professional wrestler
• Jack LaLanne — fitness and nutrition expert, host of The Jack LaLanne Show, designed leg extension, Smith and pulley machines^[3]
• Hank Pfister — professional tennis player
• Dennis Ralston — professional tennis player
• Jake Varner — wrestler, 2009 and 2010 NCAA champion, 2012 Olympic gold medalist
• Gabe Woodward — swimmer, freestyle bronze medalist 2004 Olympics

• Richard Blick. — swimmer, freestyle relay gold medalist 1960 Rome Olympics

Miscellaneous

Crime

• Vincent Brothers — convicted murderer; shot and stabbed five members of his family to death
• Rodolfo Cadena — Rudy "Cheyenne" Cadena, one of the founders of the Mexican Mafia, basis of character played by Edward James Olmos in the film American Me

References

1. President Bush's one-time Bakersfield home to be museum, KGET, January 19, 2009, Accessed August 8, 2009.
2. The Bush House, thebushhouse.net, Accessed August 8, 2009.
3. Goldstein, Richard (2011-01-23). "Jack LaLanne, Father of Fitness Movement, Dies at 96". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2016-01-02.

External links

• City of Bakersfield official website
• Bakersfield Convention & Visitors Bureau
• Bakersfield Downtown Business and Property Owner's Association
• List of people from Bakersfield, California at DMOZ