36 Celebrities You Didn't Know Are From the South
36 Celebrities You Didn't Know Are From the South
Before they were living lavish lives in Los Angeles and New York City, these celebrities were just everyday southerners. Curious about which celebrities are from your home state? Check out this list of A-listers who were born and bred in the South—there are some names that will definitely surprise you.
George Clooney
Although he's a major Hollywood star now, George was born in Lexington, Kentucky, to parents Nina Bruce and Nick Clooney. His mother Nina was both a beauty queen and a city councilwoman.
Julianne Moore
Julianne was born at the army base in Fort Bragg, North Carolina, because her dad, Peter Moore Smith, was stationed there as an army paratrooper. Due to her father's job, the Moore family moved a lot; Julianne also lived in Alabama, Georgia, Texas, and Virginia.
Quentin Tarantino
An only child, Quentin was born in Knoxville, Tennessee. Quentin's moniker is a tribute to his southern roots–and maybe a predictor for his future career in Hollywood–as he was named after Quint Asper, Burt Reynolds' character in the Western television series Gunsmoke.
Sandra Bullock
Maybe Sandra channeled her southern past when she portrayed the sassy Leigh Anne Tuohy in The Blind Side. Sandra was born in Arlington Virginia, but was raised in Nuremberg, Germany.
Steve Martin
Steve hails from Waco, Texas, hometown of Fixer Upper favorites Chip and Jonna Gaines. Although best known for his comedy and acting, Steve is also a talented banjo player. In 2002, he played the banjo in the Grammy Award winner for Best Country Instrumental Performance for the remake of "Foggy Mountain Breakdown."
Chrissy Metz
Not long after she was born in Homestead, Florida, Chrissy moved to Japan with her dad, Mark Metz, who was in the Navy. Chrissy later moved back to Florida with her family and grew up in Gainesville.
Jimmy Buffett
No, he's not from Margaritaville, but Jimmy is certainly a southern boy. Buffet was born in Pascagoula, Mississippi, grew up in Mobile, Alabama, lived in Fairhope, Alabama, and attended Auburn University and the University of Southern Mississippi. During his first job, as a writer for Billboard magazine, he lived in Nashville, Tennessee.
Jennifer Lawrence
Jennifer was born in Indian Hills, Kentucky, to Gary and Karen Lawrence, and grew up in Louisville, Kentucky. As she was working on her acting career in Los Angeles, she often returned to Louisville to help as an assistant nurse at her mother's summer camp.
Morgan Freeman
Morgan was born on June 1, 1937, in Memphis, Tennessee. When he was a baby, he moved to Charleston, Mississippi, to live with his grandmother. He went to high school in Greenwood, Mississippi.
Britney Spears
Located in the heart of the Bible Belt, Britney was born in McComb, Mississippi, and was raised in Kentwood, Louisiana. She even got her first big break in the south when she auditioned for the remake of The Mickey Mouse Club in Atlanta.
Owen Wilson
Owen, the middle child of three boys, was born in Dallas, Texas. He first attended the New Mexico Military Institute, but returned to his home state and graduated from the University of Texas at Austin–around the same time as proud Texan Matthew McConaughey!–with a bachelor's degree in English.
Tina Turner
Born in Nutbush, Tennessee, Tina started her singing career in church choirs. Tina has sometimes called herself a "Buddhist-Baptist" as she was raised as a Baptist but later converted to Buddhism.
Johnny Depp
From the time he was born in 1963 in Owensboro, Kentucky, Johnny and his family moved to more than 20 (!) different places until 1970, where they ended up in Miramar, Florida.
Jennifer Garner
Jennifer, the middle child of three girls, was born in Houston, but grew up in Charleston, West Virginia. It's part of Jennifer's job to get glammed up now for the red carpet, but it wasn't always that way. She grew up in a seemingly conservative Methodist family, and Jennifer and her sisters weren't allowed to wear makeup, dye their hair, paint their nails, or pierce their ears.
Harry Connick Jr.
Naturally, Harry, who started out his career as a jazz musician, was born and raised in New Orleans. He made his first recording with a local jazz band at just 10 years old.
Oprah Winfrey
Born to a teenage mother in Kosciusko, Mississippi, Oprah has been open about her difficult upbringing in poverty. She might have gotten the inspiration for her talkshow when she was just a little girl and lived with her grandmother. She was nicknamed "The Preacher" at her local church because she had a keen ability to memorize and deliver verses from the Bible.
Ryan Seacrest
Another Southern host with the most, Ryan was born and raised in Atlanta, where his mother said he always had a microphone in hand and would perform shows for the family. He attended the University of Georgia to study journalism, but left to begin his career at the age of 19.
Kristen Chenoweth
When she was five days old, Kristen was adopted by parents Junie Smith Chenoweth and Jerry Morris Chenoweth in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. Kristen stayed in her homes state to attend college at Oklahoma State University, where she graduated with a bachelor's in musical theatre in 1990.
Woody Harrelson
Before he was an actor on Cheers, Woody was an obedient son who was born in Midland, Texas. As a true southern boy, he told Playboy in 2009 that during his childhood, he "... was a real mama's boy and deeply mesmerized by the church."
Ellen DeGeneres
Another talk show host who opens up about her childhood is Ellen DeGeneres, who was born in Metairie, Louisiana. She stayed in the South for much of her youth and later moved to Texas and then back to Louisiana where she attended the University of New Orleans. Although she left school after just one semester, it certainly did not have an affect on her success.
James Earl Jones
Sorry Star Wars fans, James isn't really from a galaxy far, far away, he's actually from Arkabutla, Mississippi. Although he voiced one of the most recognizable movie characters of all time, he actually stuttered so severely during his childhood that he was mute for years.
Sarah Paulson
Although she was born in Tampa, Florida, Sarah moved to the east coast with her mom when she was five years old. She did make frequent trips to the South, however, as she spent the summers in Florida with her father.
Brad Pitt
Brad, whose real name is William Bradley Pitt, was born in Shawnee, Oklahoma, but his family soon after moved to Springfield, Missouri. Brad was raised in a Southern Baptist family, but has said that he is no longer religious.
Shirley MacLaine
Named after Shirley Temple, Shirley MacLaine was born in Richmond, Virginia, to a Baptist family. She moved around her home state throughout her childhood and also lived in Norfolk, Arlington, and Waverly. Although she spent many years in the South, Shirley isn't necessarily a southern belle—she was nicknamed "Powerhouse" for holding the home run record on an all-boys baseball team.
Eva Longoria
Everything is bigger in Texas–except for pint-sized actress Eva, who was born in Corpus Christi. She stayed in the longhorn state to graduate from Texas A&M University-Kingsville with a degree in kinesiology. During college in 1998, Eva was crowned Miss Corpus Christi USA.
Billy Bob Thorton
Angelina Jolie sure likes her southern boys! Billy Bob was born in Hot Springs, Arkansas, and also lived in Alpine, Malvern, and Mount Holly. His current celebrity lifestyle is different from his upbringing—he was raised in a shack that didn't have electricity or plumbing.
Farrah Fawcett
Another Corpus Christi girl, Farrah was born in Texas in 1947. Her beauty didn't go unnoticed by her peers–she was voted "Most Beautiful" by her class all four years at W.B. Ray High School. At the University of Texas, she was honored as one of the "Ten Most Beautiful Coeds on Campus" during her freshman year.
Justin Timberlake
Can you imagine Justin as a country singer? Justin, born in Memphis, Tennessee, knew that he was meant to be a musician from a young age. As a child, he'd perform country and gospel music and would listen to the music of Johnny Cash and Willie Nelson.
Beyoncé
Beyoncé met future Destiny's Child members Kelly Rowland and LaTavia Roberson in her hometown of Houston when she was a child. The group was originally called Girl's Tyme, and changed their name in 1996, which was inspired by a passage in the Book of Isaiah.
Rob Lowe
It's hard to believe, but Rob, who was born in Charlottesville, Virginia, says he was a "nerd" in high school. He was born a southern boy, but didn't stay in the region for long and moved to Dayton, Ohio, and Point Dume, California.
Diane Sawyer
Diane hails from Glasgow, Kentucky, and grew up in Louisville. She represented her home state in the 1963 America's Junior Miss Pageant and was crowned the winner due to her impressive interview and essay, a forecast for her future journalism career.
Julia Roberts
Julia, who comes from a family of actors, was born and raised in Smyrna, Georgia. She enrolled in classes at Georgia State University, but dropped out to move to New York City to launch her acting career.
Lionel Richie
Although Luke Bryan is the country star on American Idol, he's not the only southern judge on the show. Lionel once considered becoming a priest but decided on a career in music instead.
Renée Zellweger
Renée, born in Katy, Texas, has spent a good portion of her life in her home state. After growing up in Katy, she attended the University of Texas at Austin, and even began her acting career in commercials and low budget films in Texas.
Kathy Bates
Kathy Bates is another actress who spent significant time in the South: She was born and raised in Memphis, Tennessee, and graduated from Southern Methodist University in 1969 with a degree in theatre.
Selena Gomez
Singer and actress Selena Gomez was born and raised in Grand Prairie, Texas. She was inspired to go into the entertainment industry by her mom, former actress Amanda Dawn "Mandy" Cornett, who had Selena when she was just 16 years old.
The names will surprise you!