Top 5 Celebrities in Virginia

They are among the top five most famous people in Virginia, according to a recent survey conducted by the website Famous People.

In a nationally representative survey of the U.S. population conducted earlier this year, people were presented with a celebrity and asked whether they were familiar with that person. The poll was based on the state in which celebrities were born and the level of fame they achieved in that state.

While the birthplaces of some celebrities, such as journalist Katie Couric and singer Chris Brown, may be well known, the birthplaces of celebrities such as actors Sandra Bullock and Rob Lowe may be surprising. I don't know.

First, number 5 on the list is Shirley MacLaine, an actor from the Golden Age of Hollywood. MacLaine was born in Waverly in 1934, and his older brother actor Warren Beatty was born in Richmond.

Her family then moved to Norfolk and then to Arlington.

She made her film debut in Alfred Hitchcock's 1955 black comedy Harry's Trouble, for which she won the Golden Globe Award for Best Newcomer. McClain went on to appear in films such as Steel Magnolias, Terms of Endearment, and The Apartment.

R&B singer Chris Brown came in at number four on the list. Brown was born in Tappahannock in 1989. As a child, he appeared in local talent shows and sang in his church choir. At the age of 15, the future star signed with Jive Records and released his first chart-topping hit “Run It” in 2005.

Born in Arlington County in 1957 and No. 3 on the list, award-winning journalist Katie Couric began her newspaper writing career at Yorktown High School. She continued to write for the Cavalier Daily as a student at the University of Virginia, from which she graduated in 1979. In 1991, Couric became a co-host of the “Today Show.”

She became the first solo female anchor of a network evening news program in 2006 while at CBS Evening News. In 2009, Couric received the Walter Cronkite Award for Lifetime Achievement for her outstanding journalism.

In second place was actor Rob Lowe, who was born in Charlottesville in 1964 and raised in Dayton, Ohio.

Lowe has become a big-screen favorite with teen cult followings in films like The Outsiders and St. Louis. Elmo's fire. ” Lowe later appeared on television shows such as “The West Wing” and “Parks and Recreation.” He currently stars on “9-1-1: Lone Star.''

Virginia's No. 1 celebrity is “Miss Congeniality” star Sandra Bullock. Brock was born in Arlington County in 1964 and graduated from Washington Liberty High School, formerly known as Washington Lee High School, and then attended East Carolina University in North Carolina.

At ECU, Bullock starred in many productions, including “Peter Pan” and “Three Sisters,” while earning a degree in theater. After her college graduation, she moved to Manhattan to pursue her acting career. Some of her movies on her block include The Proposal, Speed, The Blind Side, and the Netflix thriller Bird Box.

Among the notable people from Virginia is Pharrell Williams, a music producer from Virginia Beach. Olympic champion Gabby Douglas was born in Newport News. Missy Elliott is a music icon from Portsmouth. and Allen Iverson, a basketball player from Hampton.