This is a list of notable people who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with the American city of

Midland, Texas Midland is a city in and the county seat of Midland County, Texas, United States. A small part of Midland is in Martin County. At the 2020 census, Midland's population was 132,524. It is the principal city of the Midland, Texas metropolitan ...

Armed forces

* Tommy Franks, retired General, United States Army *

George H. O'Brien Jr. George Herman O'Brien Jr. (September 10, 1926 – March 11, 2005) was a United States Marine Corps officer who received the Medal of Honor, the United States's highest military decoration, for his actions during the First Battle of the Hook in the ...

, Medal of Honor recipient

Arts

Film, television, and theater

* Michael Arden, actor * Kathy Baker, actress *

Jeannette Charles Jeannette Charles (born 15 October 1927) is a retired British actress who has often portrayed Queen Elizabeth II due to her resemblance to the monarch. Biography Charles appeared as an actress in repertory theatre in her twenties, but had diffi ...

, actress *

Ed Graczyk Edward Graczyk (born 1941/1942)is a playwright originally from Ohio. He wrote several children's plays early in his career, but became better known as the author of 1976's '' Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean''. In 1982, ...

, playwright * Woody Harrelson, actor * Tommy Lee Jones, actor * Bessie Love, actress *

Carolyn McCormick Carolyn Inez McCormick (born September 19, 1959) is an American actress who played Dr. Elizabeth Olivet in the ''Law & Order'' franchise. Life and career McCormick was born and raised in Midland, Texas, and graduated first in her class from ...

, actress * Douglas McGrath, film writer and director * Jackson Rathbone, actor and musician *

Journalism and literature

Raymond Benson Raymond Benson (born September 6, 1955) is an American author best known for being the author of the James Bond novels from 1997 to 2003. Benson was born in Midland, Texas and graduated from Permian High School in Odessa in 1973. In primary scho ...

, author of post-

Ian Fleming Ian Lancaster Fleming (28 May 1908 – 12 August 1964) was a British writer who is best known for his postwar ''James Bond'' series of spy novels. Fleming came from a wealthy family connected to the merchant bank Robert Fleming & Co., a ...

James Bond novels *

Marilyn Buck Marilyn Jean Buck (December 13, 1947 – August 3, 2010) was an American Marxist and feminist poet who was imprisoned for her participation in the 1979 prison escape of Assata Shakur, the 1981 Brink's robbery and the 1983 U.S. Senate bombi ...

, poet, translator,

revolutionary A revolutionary is a person who either participates in, or advocates a revolution. The term ''revolutionary'' can also be used as an adjective, to refer to something that has a major, sudden impact on society or on some aspect of human endeavor. ...

, and political prisoner *

Tracy Daugherty Tracy Daugherty is an American author. He is Distinguished Professor of English and Creative Writing at Oregon State University. He has held fellowships from the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, Guggenheim Foundation and the National End ...

, author and biographer *

John R. Erickson __NOTOC__ John Richard Erickson (born October 20, 1943) is an American cowboy and author, best known for his Hank the Cowdog series of children's novels. Born in Midland, Texas, he was reared in Perryton in the northern Texas Panhandle. He grad ...

, author of the

Hank the Cowdog ''Hank the Cowdog'' is a long-running, ongoing series of children's books written by John R. Erickson and illustrated originally by Gerald L. Holmes, and later by Nikki Earley. The books follow Hank, a dog that views himself as the "Head of Ra ...

book series *

Doyle Glass Doyle Glass (born January 22, 1962) is an American author, historian, and sculptor. He is a writer of fact-based narrative nonfiction works as well as historical nonfiction based on individual, first-hand accounts. As a sculptor, he designed a ...

, historian and sculptor * Stephen Graham Jones, writer *

Larry L. King Larry L. King (January 1, 1929 – December 20, 2012) was an American playwright, journalist, and novelist, best remembered for his 1978 Tony Award-nominated play ''The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas'', which became a long-runni ...

, author * Cathy Luchetti, writer *

Larry D. Thomas Larry D. Thomas (born 1947) is an American poet. He was the 2008 Texas Poet Laureate, and in 2009 was inducted into the Texas Institute of Letters. Early life and education Thomas was born in Haskell, Texas in 1947. He attended the Universit ...

, 2008 Texas State Poet Laureate *

Eileen Wilks Eileen Wilks is an American fiction writer living in Midland, Texas. Biography Eileen Wilks moved from West Texas to the town of Norman, OK in the summer of 2012, and has previously lived in Canada and Venezuela, as well as twelve U.S. cities ...

, romance and urban fantasy author

Music

* Kirk Covington, drummer with Tribal Tech * Explosions in the Sky, three of the four members of indie rock group hail from Midland (Mark Smith - guitar, synthesizer; Michael James -guitar, bass, keyboards; and Munaf Rayani – guitar, keyboards, percussion) * Susan Graham,

mezzo-soprano A mezzo-soprano or mezzo (; ; meaning "half soprano") is a type of classical female singing voice whose vocal range lies between the soprano and the contralto voice types. The mezzo-soprano's vocal range usually extends from the A below middle C ...

Happy-Tom Thomas Seltzer (born 27 July 1969 in Hamar, Norway) is a musician in the band Turbonegro, a television talk show host and documentary creator, and an author. Personal life Seltzer was born to an American father and a Norwegian mother. Althou ...

(Thomas Seltzer), bassist (originally drummer) and main songwriter in the band Turbonegro

Athletes

* Cedric Benson, NFL player * Mookie Blaylock, NBA player *

Hal Dean Hal Stone Dean (October 30, 1922 – February 12, 2011) was a left guard for the Los Angeles Rams in the National Football League (NFL), playing three seasons from 1947 to 1949. Early life Hal was born to Forest William Dean and Vernon Stone D ...

, NFL player * Antwan Goodley Jr., NFL player * Jim Hall, race car designer, owner, driver * Bobby Hillin, NASCAR driver *

Natalie Hinds Natalie Anisha Hinds is an American professional swimmer specializing in freestyle and butterfly events. She made her international championships debut at 27 years of age, winning a bronze medal in the 4×100 meter freestyle relay at the 2020 ...

Olympic Olympic or Olympics may refer to Sports Competitions * Olympic Games, international multi-sport event held since 1896 ** Summer Olympic Games ** Winter Olympic Games * Ancient Olympic Games, ancient multi-sport event held in Olympia, Greece b ...

swimmer Swimming is an individual or team racing sport that requires the use of one's entire body to move through water. The sport takes place in pools or open water (e.g., in a sea or lake). Competitive swimming is one of the most popular Olympic ...

* E. J. Holub, NFL player *

KC Jones K. C. Jones (May 25, 1932 – December 25, 2020) was an American professional basketball player and coach. He is best known for his association with the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA), with whom he won 11 of his 12 ...

, NBA player * Wahoo McDaniel,

AFL AFL may refer to: Sports * American Football League (AFL), a name shared by several separate and unrelated professional American football leagues: ** American Football League (1926) (a.k.a. "AFL I"), first rival of the National Football Leagu ...

player and wrestler *

Jayson Nix Jayson Truitt Edward Nix (born August 26, 1982) is an American former professional baseball utility player. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Colorado Rockies, Chicago White Sox, Cleveland Indians, Toronto Blue Jays, New York Ya ...

, MLB player * Laynce Nix, MLB player *

Max Muncy Maxwell Steven Muncy (born August 25, 1990) is an American professional baseball infielder for the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He played college baseball for the Baylor Bears. He was selected by the Oakland Athletics in t ...

, MLB player *

Judy Rankin Judy Rankin ( Torluemke; born February 18, 1945) is an American professional golfer and golf broadcaster. A member of the World Golf Hall of Fame, she joined the LPGA Tour in 1962 at age 17 and won 26 tour events. Since 2010, Rankin has served a ...

LPGA The Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) is an American organization for female golfers. The organization is headquartered at the LPGA International in Daytona Beach, Florida, and is best known for running the LPGA Tour, a series of weekl ...

all-time money winner * Doug Russell, 1968 Olympic gold medalist * Carson Smith, MLB player * Mike Stanton, MLB player *

Mike Timlin Michael August Timlin (; born March 10, 1966) is an American former professional baseball relief pitcher. Timlin played on four World Series championship teams in an 18-year career; the 1992 Toronto Blue Jays, 1993 Toronto Blue Jays, 2004 Bos ...

, MLB player *

Rex Tucker Rex Tucker (20 February 1913 – 10 August 1996) was a British television director in the 1950s and 1960s. He was born in March in the Isle of Ely, Cambridgeshire. Tucker joined the BBC in 1937 to work in radio where he remained for several ...

, NFL player * Ryan Tucker, NFL player *

Randy Velarde Randy Lee Velarde (born November 24, 1962) is an American former baseball infielder and utility player who played 16 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). He played the majority of his career for the New York Yankees, and also played for the ...

, MLB player * Spud Webb,

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...

player *

Eric Winston Eric Joseph Winston (born November 17, 1983) is a former American football offensive tackle. He played in college at the University of Miami and was drafted by the Houston Texans in the third round of the 2006 NFL Draft. Winston has also play ...

, NFL player * Tyler Young Nascar driver * James Zachery,

CFL The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a ci ...

player

Business

* Frederic C. Hamilton, businessman, philanthropist * J. Hugh Liedtke, founder of Pennzoil *

Clarence Scharbauer Clarence Scharbauer (August 17, 1879 – October 2, 1942) was an American rancher, oilman, banker and hotelier. He was the owner of large ranches in Texas and New Mexico. By the time of his death, Scharbauer was "one of West Texas' most prominent ...

(1879–1942), rancher, president of the First National Bank of Midland and the Midland Fair

Government and politics

* Ernest Angelo, Mayor of Midland, 1972–1980; Republican national committeeman, 1976–1996 * Barbara Bush, former First Lady of the United States * Barbara Pierce Bush, daughter of former President George W. Bush *

George H. W. Bush George Herbert Walker BushSince around 2000, he has been usually called George H. W. Bush, Bush Senior, Bush 41 or Bush the Elder to distinguish him from his eldest son, George W. Bush, who served as the 43rd president from 2001 to 2009; pr ...

, 41st President of the United States *

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...

, 43rd President of the United States * Jeb Bush, former Governor of Florida * Jenna Bush Hager, daughter of former President George W. Bush *

Laura Bush Laura Lane Welch Bush (''née'' Welch; born November 4, 1946) is an American teacher, librarian, memoirist and author who was First Lady of the United States from 2001 to 2009. Bush previously served as First Lady of Texas from 1995 to 2000. ...

, former First Lady of the United States *

Frank Kell Cahoon Frank Kell Cahoon (June 20, 1934 - January 30, 2013) was an American politician who served in the Texas House of Representatives from 1965 to 1969. Cahoon was born in Austin, Texas and grew up in Wichita Falls, Texas. Cahoon went to Colorado Schoo ...

, Midland oilman; the only Republican in the Texas legislature, 1965–1966; former Midland City Council member *

Mike Conaway Kenneth Michael Conaway (born June 11, 1948) is an American politician who was the U.S. representative for from 2005 to 2021. He is a member of the Republican Party. The district Conaway represented is located in West Texas and includes Midland ...

, United States Congressman *

Tom Craddick Thomas Russell Craddick (born September 19, 1943) is a Republican member of the Texas House of Representatives representing the 82nd district. Craddick was Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives from January 2003 to January 2009. He was t ...

, District 82 State Representative and former Speaker of the Texas House * Donald Evans, former US Secretary of Commerce * Deborah Fikes, executive advisor and representative to United Nations for World Evangelical Alliance * Kenn George, former state representative from

Dallas County Dallas County may refer to: Places in the USA: * Dallas County, Alabama, founded in 1818, the first county in the United States by that name * Dallas County, Arkansas * Dallas County, Iowa * Dallas County, Missouri * Dallas County, Texas, the nint ...

and unsuccessful candidate for Texas land commissioner * David J. Porter, Republican, Texas Railroad Commission member, 2010–2016 * Carol Schwartz, former member of the D.C. city council, raised in Midland * W. E. "Pete" Snelson, member of both houses of the Texas State Legislature from Midland; later an educational consultant in Austin * Clayton Williams, businessman and 1990 gubernatorial candidate * Michael L. Williams, Texas Railroad Commission member

Science and technology

* Leeon D. Davis, plane designer and builder * Jim Hall, race car designer and builder using aerodynamics ground effect to produce winning race cars

Other

* Bob Fu, pastor *

Jessica McClure Jessica McClure Morales (born March 26, 1986; widely known as "Baby Jessica" in 1987) fell into a well in her aunt's backyard in Midland, Texas, on October 14, 1987, at the age of 18 months. Over the next 56 hours, rescuers worked to succes ...

, "Baby Jessica" *

Kathleen Zellner Kathleen Zellner is an American attorney who has worked extensively in wrongful conviction advocacy. Notable clients Zellner has represented include Steven Avery (who was the subject of the 2015 and 2018 Netflix series ''Making a Murderer''), Ke ...

, attorney

References

{{Midland, Texas

Midland Midland may refer to: Places Australia * Midland, Western Australia Canada * Midland, Albert County, New Brunswick * Midland, Kings County, New Brunswick * Midland, Newfoundland and Labrador * Midland, Ontario India * Midland Ward, Kohima, Nagal ...