Sandra Bullock, Rob Lowe, Katie Couric, Chris Brown, Shirley MacLaine: what do these stars have in common?
A recent survey by the website Famous People ranked them among the top five most famous people in Virginia.
A national survey of Americans conducted earlier this year introduced people to celebrities and asked if they knew them based on the state in which the celebrity was born and how much fame they gained there.
While the hometowns of some celebrities, such as singer Chris Brown and journalist Katie Couric, may be well known, for others, such as actors Rob Lowe and Sandra Bullock, the hometowns may be surprising.
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First up, at number 5 on our list, is actress Shirley MacLaine from Hollywood's Golden Age. MacLaine was born in Waverly in 1934; her brother, actor Warren Beatty, was born in Richmond. The family later moved to Norfolk and then to Arlington. MacLaine made her film debut in Alfred Hitchcock's 1955 dark comedy The Trouble with Harry, for which she won a Golden Globe Award for Best Newcomer. MacLaine went on to star in such films as 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, Brown performed in local talent shows and sang in his church choir. At age 15, the future star signed with Jive Records and released his first hit, “Run It,” in 2005, which topped the charts.
Born in Arlington County in 1957 and ranked third on the list, award-winning journalist Katie Couric began her career as a newspaper reporter at Yorktown High School. She later contributed to the Cavalier Daily while attending the University of Virginia, graduating in 1979. In 1991, Couric became co-host of the Today Show. In 2006, while at the CBS Evening News, she became the first female solo anchor of a network evening news program. In 2009, Couric received the Walter Cronkite Award for Lifetime Achievement for Excellence in Journalism.
Coming in second is actor Rob Lowe. Lowe was born in Charlottesville in 1964 and grew up in Dayton, Ohio. Lowe became a teen idol and big screen personality in films like “The Outsiders” and “St. Elmo's Fire.” Lowe later appeared in TV shows like “The West Wing” and “Parks and Recreation.” He currently stars in “9-1-1: Lone Star.”
Virginia's most famous celebrity is Sandra Bullock, star of “Miss Congeniality.” Bullock was born in Arlington County in 1964 and graduated from Washington-Lee High School before attending East Carolina University in North Carolina. At ECU, she earned a degree in theater, appearing in many productions, including “Peter Pan” and “Three Sisters.” After college, she moved to Manhattan to pursue an acting career. Bullock's filmography includes “The Proposal,” “Speed,” “The Blind Side” and the Netflix thriller “Bird Box.”
Other famous people from Virginia include music producer Pharrell Williams, who was born in Virginia Beach; Olympic champion Gabby Douglas, who was born in Newport News; music icon Missy Elliott, who was born in Portsmouth; and basketball player Allen Iverson, who was born in the Hamptons.
