List of people from Sarasota
The following is a list of notable people who were born or who live or formerly lived in the city of Sarasota, Florida.
- Carl Abbott, architect
- Erik Arroyo, former mayor of Sarasota and lawyer[1]
- Doug Band, assistant to Bill Clinton and businessman. Helped found the Clinton Global Initiative and assisted with the Clinton Foundation after his presidency
- Freddie Bartholomew, 1930s child actor
- Roy Basler (1906–1989), historian
- Dickey Betts (1943–2024), guitarist and founding member of The Allman Brothers Band
- Duane Betts, singer-songwriter, guitarist, and member of The Allman Betts Band
- Vern Buchanan (born 1951), U.S. representative[2]
- Daniel Bukantz (1917–2008), Olympic fencer
- Eugene A. Burdick, North Dakota Fifth Judicial District judge and surrogate judge for the North Dakota Supreme Court
- William J. Burns, Director of the Bureau of Investigation, later the Federal Bureau of Investigation
- Flossie M. Byrd, home economist and academic
- Lincoln Child, author of techno-thriller and horror novels
- Barber Conable, New York state senator, U.S representative from New York, and World Bank President under President Ronald Reagan
- Giorgio Berardi, Architect
- Marlow Cook, U.S. senator from Kentucky
- Eric Curran, racing driver
- Vincent D'Autorio, Two-time Olympic gymnast[3]
- Ian Desmond, professional baseball player for the Colorado Rockies
- Lois Duncan, writer, novelist, poet, and journalist
- Gil Elvgren, painter of pin-up models
- Richard Floethe, printmaker and illustrator
- Sonia Pressman Fuentes, lawyer; author and co-founder of National Organization for Women
- Jackie Gerlich, dwarf actor and circus entertainer
- Brian Gottfried (born 1952), tennis player, reached Nº3 in the world in 1977
- Carla Gugino (born 1971), actress
- Dalton Guthrie (born 1995), Major League Baseball player for the San Francisco Giants
- James A. Haley, U.S. representative from Florida and member of the Florida House of Representatives. Vice-president and later president of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. Delegate to the Democratic National Convention in 1952, 1956, and 1960[4]
- Denver David Hargis, U.S. representative from Kansas
- Forest Harness, U.S representative from Indiana and Sergeant at Arms of the Senate
- Ian Hornak, founding artist of the Hyperrealist and Photorealist fine art movements. Owned a winter home in Sarasota from 1985 to 2001.[5][6]
- Tim Jaeger, artist
- Brian Johnson, lead singer of AC/DC
- Mackinlay Kantor, Pulitzer Prize winning author
- Josh Kaufman, soul singer and singer-songwriter
- Margaret Kerry, actress, radio host, and model for Tinker Bell in the 1953 Walt Disney film Peter Pan[7]
- Stephen King, author
- David Lawrence, publisher; founded what would later become U.S. News & World Report
- La Norma Fox, trapeze artist in RBB Circus and Sarasotan from 1949 onwards
- Mirjana Lučić-Baroni, professional tennis player
- Victor Lundy, architect
- Jes Macallan, actress
- John D. MacDonald, crime novelist
- Marlon Mack, running back for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League
- Myka Meier, etiquette coach and writer
- Noelia Voigt, Miss USA 2023 winner
- Eric Minkin (born 1950), American-Israeli basketball player
- Daniel Myrick, director of horror films
- Bello Nock, daredevil and circus performer
- Carol Perkins, fashion model
- Jack Perkins, reporter, commentator, war correspondent, and anchorman
- Joe Perry, lead guitarist of Aerosmith
- Guy Peterson, architect
- Paul Reubens, actor known for creating and portraying Pee-wee Herman
- Michael Rey, abstract painter
- Charles Edward Ringling, one of the Ringling Brothers
- Stephen Root, actor, voice actor, and comedian
- Milton Rubenfeld (1919–2004), pilot and one of five founding pilots of Israeli Air Force
- Randy Savage (1952–2011), professional wrestler
- Tim Seibert, architect
- Monica Seles, former no.1 tennis player
- Sam Shields, cornerback in the National Football League
- George Snyder, Maryland state senator and majority leader
- Kyle Snyder, Tampa Bay Rays pitching coach
- Dick Smothers, actor, comedian, composer, and musician
- Syd Solomon, American artist
- Jerry Springer, television personality
- Ben Stahl (artist)
- Alex Steinweiss, graphic artist, credited with being the inventor of album cover art.[8]
- Greg Steube (born 1978), U.S. representative and former Florida senator and Florida representative[9]
- Mildred Ladner Thompson, journalist and writer
- Ralph Twitchell, architect
- Dick Vitale, college basketball coach and broadcaster
- Adrienne Vittadini, fashion designer
- Joseph Volpe, general manager of the Metropolitan Opera
- Nik Wallenda, tightrope walker
- Iain Webb, Director of The Sarasota Ballet and former dancer with The Royal Ballet
- Scott Weiss, venture capitalist
- Hoyt Wilhelm, MLB pitcher and Baseball Hall of Fame inductee
- George Howard Williams, U.S Senator from Missouri
- Geoff Wilson, entrepreneur, investor, and sports card collector
- Jack West, architect
- Robert Windom, former Assistant Secretary for Health and Human Services under President Ronald Reagan
- Linda Winikow, politician and New York State Senator
- Roger Zare, composer and pianist
- Bridgett Zehr, ballet dancer with the English National Ballet
References
- ^ "Former Mayors | City of Sarasota". www.sarasotafl.gov. Retrieved February 5, 2023.
- ^ "Sarasota representative James Buchanan gets Democratic opposition". WUSF. June 11, 2023. Retrieved June 18, 2025.
- ^ Zaloudek, Mark (September 11, 2008). "World War II postponed Olympic gymnast's dream". heraldtribune.com. Retrieved November 22, 2023.
- ^ Zines, Jeffrey. "Congressman James A. Haley: An Overview". Florida Southern College: Roux Library & McKay Archives.
- ^ Stephen Bennett Phillips, Eric Ian Hornak Spoutz, "Ian Hornak Transparent Barricades," exhibition catalogue, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, Fine Art Program, Washington D.C., 2012
- ^ Joan Adan, Eric Ian Hornak Spoutz, "Transparent Barricades: Ian Hornak, A Retrospective," exhibition catalogue, Forest Lawn Museum, Glendale, California, May 2012
- ^ Nichols, Chris (January 16, 2020). "The Real-Life Tinker Bell Reconnected with a Lost Love at 90 and It's Wonderful". LAMag.com. Los Angeles, CA. Retrieved February 17, 2020.
- ^ Heller, Steven (July 19, 2011). "Alex Steinweiss, Originator of Artistic Album Covers, Dies at 94". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved January 19, 2020.
- ^ "Steube wins reelection as Sarasota approves critical funding for schools". WUSF. November 6, 2024. Retrieved June 18, 2025.