Article Overview: Famous People from Alaska

Alaska is mostly known for its vast wilderness and breathtaking landscapes, but its also the birthplace and home to a bunch of really talented folks. Alaska is famous for numerous individuals who have made significant impacts on their various fields. From the world of entertainment and sports to politics and art, Alaskans have certainly made a contribution. In this article, we’ll go on a journey through the lives of the famous people that are from Alaska or have had a profound impact on the state.

Why Trust Us Regarding Famous people from Alaska

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Working in television has taken us all around the world, and no place more than Alaska. During our time here, we’ve documented countless stories from every corner and crevasse of the state. We’ve helped showcase the grandeur of this wild place for National Geographic, Discovery, Disney, Animal Planet, and more. Now, we want to share our knowledge and real-life experiences with you!

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Famous People from Alaska

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Here’s our list of famous people that were either born in Alaska or had strong ties to the state at some point. We’ve broken the list down into a couple categories to help showcase the broad spectrum of celebrity that comes from Alaska.

Famous People from Alaska: Athletes

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Carlos Boozer

While Carlos Boozer was born abroad in west Germany he grew up in Juneau, Alaska, where he lead his high school team, the Juneau-Douglas High Bears, to back to back state titles. He played college basketball at Duke University before having a successful NBA career with several teams, including the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Utah Jazz. He’s also a gold medalist, so yeah, this famous person from Alaska can ball!

Matt Carle

Matt Carle is probably the most famous Hockey player from Alaska. He was born in Anchorage and played in the Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with a minor ice hockey team from the state. Carle went on to play college hockey at the University of Denver before entering the NHL, where he had a very successful career with various teams, including the San Jose Sharks, Tampa Bay Lightning, and Philadelphia Flyers. The famous Alaskan made the Stanley cup finals twice and has since been inducted into the Alaska Sports Hall of Fame.

Mario Chalmers

Arguably the most famous person from Alaska, in terms of championships, Mario Chalmers was born in Anchorage. He gained prominence as the starting point guard for the University of Kansas, where his late game heroics won them a championship in 2008. During his time in the NBA, Chalmers played for the Miami Heat helped and them win two championships, in 2012 and 2013.

Mark Schlereth

Most people today recognize Mark Schlereth as a sports analyst for Fox or ESPN. But before he became one of the most famous people from Alaska, he was born and raised in Anchorage, Alaska and almost completely overlooked by scouts. Due to the states remoteness, he struggled to get much attention as a football prospect, but he took advantages of his opportunities and ended up having a very successful football career. He played 12 seasons in the NFL, primarily with the Washington Redskins where he won multiple super bowls.

Susan Butcher

Known for her bad ass skills and determination in long distance dog sled racing, Butcher played a massive role in women’s participation in sports. She became the first woman to win the Iditarod in 1986 and went on to secure additional victories in 1987, 1988, and 1990. While she was born in Massachusetts, her contribution to women in sports make her stand out on any list of famous people from Alaska.

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Famous People from Alaska: Musicians, Bands, and Singer Songwriters

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Jewl

Arguably Alaska’s most famous person, and certainly the states best known musical performer would have to be Jewel. She emerged from the small town of Homer to become a Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter. Along with her father, she sang the theme song for her family’s show on the Discovery Channel, “Alaska, the Last Frontier”. During long winter months of working on the show, I would frequently ask myself, “who will save my soul“?

Portugal. The Man (John Gourley)

Grammy winners and all around general badasses, Portugal. The Man is an alternative rock band that originated in Wasilla, Alaska. The bands origins can be traced back to 2001 when frontman John Gourley and Zachary Scott Carothers stated playing together at Wasilla high. Known for their eclectic sound and genre-blending approach, Portugal. The Man has shot many of their music videos in Alaska and continues to keep close ties to the state. These dudes have my vote for the coolest famous people from Alaska.

For a deeper dive into the bands history check out this recent Billboard.com article.

Lincoln Brewster

Lincoln Brewster, born in Fairbanks, Alaska, is a renowned American Christian musician and guitarist. Growing up he played for cruise ship tourists with his mother in Homer. He rose to fame at a young age when he toured with artists like Steve Perry. He transitioned into Christian music and its rumored that he still wears his hair like that.

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Famous People from Alaska: Actors/Actress

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Annie Parisse

Annie Parisse was born in Anchorage and is mostly known for her work on the hit television show “Law & Order”. After 279 seasons the production ran out of actors that hadn’t played a role on the show and the casting department traveled to Alaska in search for fresh talent. That a of course is not true, she is a fantastic actress and her film credits include “How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days” and “National Treasure.” A very famous Alaskan indeed.

James Morrison

James Morrison is another famous person that was raised but not born in Alaska. He is an accomplished theater actor, director, published poet, yoga teacher, and singer-songwriter. This multi talented famous person from Alaska has had an extensive television career that includes roles in series like “Law and Order SVU”, “The X-Files”, and a notable portrayal of CTU Director Bill Buchanan on “24”. Just look at that stare!

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Famous People from Alaska: Artists

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Bob Ross

While not originally from Alaska, Bob Ross spent much of his adult life in the state and in return the state molded him into the famous celebrity he was. While working in the military, he took an art class at the Anchorage U.S.O. club. He honed his skills, and made enough money to retire from the military by painting Alaskan landscapes on gold-mining pans. (I wonder how much those things go for!?) He eventually left Alaska and moved to Florida and became the tv celebrity we all know today. But the tranquility and beauty of the Alaskan wilderness always stayed with him, inspiring many of the “happy little trees” and serene landscapes that became his signature in the art world.

Ray Troll

Few artists are so iconic you that you can instantly recognize their work. Ray Troll is one of those guys, and he celebrates Alaska just as much as Alaska celebrates him. Though not originally from Alaska, Troll has become a staple within the state’s art scene. In the late 1970s, he moved to Ketchikan, and blended science, art, and humor to become one of the most famous people from Alaska. Check out his most iconic painting “Dive Bar”

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Famous People from Alaska: Politicians

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Sarah Palin

Always seemingly entangled in controversy, Sarah Palin would probably fit better under the category of “infamous people from Alaska”. She was the state’s ninth governor and gained national attention when she became the Republican nominee for vice president in the 2008 election. She is largely blamed for the Republicans loss that election cycle. Post-politics, Palin elected to be in a reality show “Sarah Palin’s Alaska”. Recently she stepped back into the political fold to run and lose the 2022 Alaska at-large congressional district special election.

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Famous People from Alaska: Historical

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Jimmy Doolittle

James “Jimmy” Doolittle was born in California, grew up in Nome, and was one of the first famous people from Alaska. He was a highly influential American aviator and military officer that played a crucial role in the state’s aviation history as a pioneering pilot. Doolittle received the Medal of Honor for leading the Doolittle Raid during World War II, a daring bombing mission on Tokyo in 1942. He also received The Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Wyatt Earp

Wyatt Earp was born in Illinois, but I like to include him on the famous people from Alaska list because he embodies the states gunslinger independent attitude. He was part of the Klondike Gold Rush era in the late 19th century and lived in Nome, where he ran a saloon. Although his time in Alaska was relatively short, Wyatt Earp’s mustache alone, left a presence on the state’s history.

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Famous People From Alaska: Honorable Mention

For good measure we’ve provided a list of some other notable famous people that are either form Alaska, were born here, or had an impact on the state or the state had an impact on them.

• Curt Shilling (Anchorage) – Hall of Fame Major League Baseball Player
• Douglas J. Eboch (Juneau) -American screenwriter, author and educator
• Colonel Archie Van Winkle (Juneau) – Medal of Honor
• Chris Kuper (Anchorage) – Offensive guard for the Denver Broncos
• Larry Sanger (Anchorage) – Co-Founder of Wikipedia (Thanks dude!)
• Holly Madison (Craig) – Boned Hugh Hefner
• Steve Smith (Anchorage) – NFL Wide Receiver
• Artis the Spoonman (Kodiak) – Street Performer
• Ted Stevens (Fairbanks) – U.S. Senator
• Rudy Pankow (Ketchikan) – Actor
• Mary Peltola (Yup’ik) – United States House of Representatives

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Our Experience with Famous People from Alaska

I’m not sure if the cast members on the reality shows we’ve done in Alaska are famous people, infamous, or somewhere in between. But being on television in front of millions of people has an effect on them, and some of them handle it better than others; and everyone has a bad day from time to time, famous or not. So suffice it to say, helping the people we film from Alaska become famous has been interesting. It doesn’t always happen, but if a show does well and gets multiple seasons, we have a front row seat to the strange social experiment that is, celebrity.

If I had to pick a favorite story about an experience I had with a famous person from Alaska, I’d have to say it was the time I tried to mic up Jewl. So part of my job on some of these tv shows is to mic up the talent. During one season of filming Discovery Channel’s Alaska the Last Frontier, Jewl came up to shot a couple episodes with her family; and it was my job to make sure she was mic’d up. Now most Alaskans don’t know how to work a lavaliere microphone, but famous grammy nominated Alaskans do. So needless to say I looked pretty silly trying to tell Jewl what to do with the mic I had in my hand. She kindly took the microphone from me, rigged it up under her shirt in less than 3 seconds, looked at me and said “thanks kid, I know how to mic myself”. I wish I had another mic to give to her so she could’ve dropped it.

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