6 of the Most Famous Celebrities From Columbus, OH

Photo by Oz Seyrek on Unsplash

Columbus is a city that offers a lot to many people. Many people have called the city home over the years, including some pretty famous ones.

There is a decently long list to go through, but this will just be a quick look at some of the famous people who have called the city home at some point.

Some of these you may already know, and some may be a surprise. This will be in no particular order, but is meant to give you an idea of some of the talents from Columbus.

Beverly D'Angelo

If you're a fan of National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, you'll be happy to know that Ellen Griswold herself is from Columbus.

But D'Angelo is more than just a great character from one of the best Christmas movies ever. She's done some other significant acting work and has appeared in over 60 different films, and she started out as an animator for Hanna-Barbera.

She was in the movie Hair along with American History X. D'Angelo is also a recognized actress. She was nominated for a Golden Globe for her work in the movie Coal Miner's Daughter, and they nominated her for an Emmy for her work in A Streetcar Named Desire.

Jack Nicklaus

The greatest golfer of all time was born in Columbus on January 21, 1940. It's hard to know where to start with his legendary career as entire books have been devoted to him.

Over the course of 25 years, his accomplishments in golf are truly outstanding. He has won 117 professional tournaments, including a record 18 majors.

It's hard to tell if that record will continue to stand. Tiger Woods has got close, but it may be an unbreakable record.

Nicklaus also has several amateur wins that happened before he turned pro. He won the 1959 and 1960 U.S. Amatuer. Another incredible feat--that happened later in his career--was winning the 1986 Masters at age 46.

Nicklaus has stayed very active in golf and became a sought-after course designer. This turned into Nicklaus Designs, which is one of the biggest golf course design companies in the world.

Alexa Bliss

One of the most popular characters in professional wrestling, Alexis Joann-Louise Kaufman was born in Columbus in 1991. You may know her better by her in-ring name: Alexa Bliss.

Kaufman started out very active in sports. She went to Hilliard Davidson High School and played softball along with cheerleading.

This led her to the world of fitness where she competed in professional fitness competitions. She then caught the eye of the WWE and was signed to a developmental deal.

As the character of Alexa Bliss, she started in the NXT promotion before being called up to the main roster. She has become a favorite of fans all around the world and has become a key part of many prominent storylines.

Rascall Flatts

Not specifically a person, but the huge band was originally formed in Columbus, Ohio. Rascall Flatts began with Gary LeVox, Jay DeMarcus, and Joe Don Rooney.

Both LeVox and DeMarcus are from Ohio, with DeMarcus being right from Columbus. The band was formed in 1999. They signed their first record deal in 2000 that lasted until 2010. They put out six different studio albums during that time.

Over the course of their career, the band had forty singles that hit the charts. Of those, an astonishing 16 reached number on the Billboard Country charts.

Dwight Yoakam

Whether you like country music or not, it's impossible not to recognize the incredible career of Dwight Yoakam. Yoakam was born in Kentucky but grew up in Columbus.

He went to Northland High School and was drawn to both music and drama. He then went to The Ohio State University before deciding he wanted to head out to California.

Yoakam got to Los Angeles in 1977 to pursue a music career. Eventually, he would end up in Nashville. He created a unique style of country music that was dubbed "Urban Cowboy."

It wasn't until the mid-80s where his music started to catch on. Over the course of his career, Yoakam has recorded 20 studio albums and has had 30 different singles on the Billboard country charts.

Up to this point, he has sold 30 million albums, including 12 gold, and 9 platinum ones. His album "This Time" reached triple platinum status.

Simone Biles

Biles is considered one of the greatest gymnasts of all time. She is also one of the most decorated. Biles was born in Columbus on March 14th, 1997.

Biles started training gymnastics at a young age and would often train for up to 30 hours a week. She had intended to attend UCLA in 2014 but first went to the Olympic Games in Rio De Janeiro.

This began her incredible Olympic and World Championship career which has seen her win an astonishing 32 medals. She is tied with Shannon Miller with seven Olympic gold medals which is the most won by a female gymnast.

She also has 25 World medals including 19 gold. Another incredible feat is that Biles has won the most all-around World titles with five.

Final Thoughts

As mentioned, this list just scratches the surface of the amazing talent from Columbus. You may have your own favorites, but this list gives a good sample of the wide variety of talent that has called this city home.

Each of these individuals has had a major impact on their profession and has entertained and inspired people from around the world.