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This is a list of people from the state of Colorado, whether they lived, were born, or were raised there.
Coloradans have been prominent in many fields, including literature, entertainment, art, music, politics, and business. This list attempts to maintain biographical notability of significant Coloradans, and to organize historically important men and women hailing from Colorado.
This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by adding missing items with reliable sources.
Amy Adams (raised in Castle Rock, alumna of Douglas County High School) – actress, nominated five times for an Academy Award for performances in Junebug, Doubt, The Fighter, The Master and American Hustle[1]
Baby Marie (real name Marie Osborne; born in Denver) – film actress and costumer, starred in numerous silent films as a child
Roseanne Barr (lived in Denver) – film and television actress, comedian; winner of a Golden Globe Award (1993, nominated five times), and a Primetime Emmy Award (1993, nominated four times);[3] starred in Roseanne and was host of The Roseanne Show
Earl W. Bascom (cowboyed in Northwest Colorado) – film and television actor in Hollywood western The Lawless Rider and in television commercials with Roy Rogers
Jessica Biel (lived in Boulder) – film and television actress, starred in 7th Heaven
Michael Boatman (born in Colorado Springs) – film and television actor, co-starred in such TV shows as Spin City, China Beach, Arliss
Sierra Boggess (born in Denver) – actress and singer, a Laurence Olivier Award and Drama Desk Award nominated Broadway and West End soprano; originated parts of Christine Daae in Love Never Dies and Ariel in The Little Mermaid, starred in The Phantom of the Opera's 25th anniversary performance
Tom Bower (born in Denver) – film and television actor, played Dr. Curtis Willard on The Waltons
"Baby" Lyssa Chapman (born 1987 Denver) – bounty hunter and television personality
Don Cheadle (alumnus of East High School) – actor, Academy Award nominee and two-time Golden Globe Award winner, four-time Emmy Award nominee; known for films such as Boogie Nights, Hotel Rwanda, Ocean's Eleven, The Rat Pack and Iron Man 2[4]
Ken Curtis (born in Las Animas, Colorado attended Colorado College in Colorado Springs) – actor, musician; starred in TV series Gunsmoke and western film The Searchers
Pat Day (born in Brush, Colorado) – Hall of Fame jockey, winner of 1992 Kentucky Derby
Big Jack Earle (born in Denver) – silent film actor, sideshow performer and tall man
Ralph Edwards (born in Merino) – television host and producer known for This Is Your Life and Truth or Consequences
Chris Eigeman (born in Denver) – actor best known for Whit Stillman films Metropolitan, Barcelona, and The Last Days of Disco; starred in ABC'sIt's Like, You Know... and played Jason Stiles on Gilmore Girls
Douglas Fairbanks (born in Denver, attended East High School and the Colorado School of Mines) – film actor, first president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (1927–1929), posthumous winner of an honorary Academy Award (1940)[5] and star of numerous films during the 1910s and 1920s
Michael "Ffish" Hemschoot (born in Parker) – director, animator and visual effects artist in films
Kelo Henderson (born in Pueblo) – co-starred in 1957–1959 syndicatedwestern television series 26 Men, based on case files of Arizona Rangers law-enforcement team
Neil Hopkins (lived in Aurora; attended Regis Jesuit High School) – film and television actor
Steve Howey (lived in Lakewood); attended Green Mountain High School – film and television actor, played Van on Reba television show and has been in various films, including Bride Wars
Olin Howland (born in Denver) – film and television actor
Daniel Junge (lives in Denver) – Academy Award-winning documentary filmmaker
Brandy Ledford (born in Denver) – actress, model, former Penthouse Pet of the Year; played Dawn Masterton on Baywatch and Doyle on Andromeda.
Sheryl Lee (grew up in Boulder, alumna of Fairview High School) – film and television actress, played Laura Palmer and Maddy Ferguson on Twin Peaks and Dr. Sarah Church on L.A. Doctors
Tracey Needham (grew up in Denver) – film and television actress, appeared as Paige Thatcher on Life Goes On, Lt. Meg Austin on JAG, and as Inspector Candace "C. D." DeLorenzo on The Division
Cyrus Nowrasteh (born in Boulder) – screenwriter and director for theatrical films, television films and shows; notable works include the miniseries The Path to 9/11, the drama The Stoning of Soraya M., and the television film The Day Reagan Was Shot
Peter O'Fallon (born in Denver) – film and television director, created NBC sci-fi/drama series Mysterious Ways, directed such films as Suicide Kings and A Rumor of Angels
Trey Parker (born in Conifer, alumnus of Evergreen High School, attended University of Colorado Boulder) – actor, animator, director, producer, musician, screenwriter; nominated for an Academy Award (2000) and winner of two Emmy Awards (2005 and 2007, nominated seven times);[6] co-creator of South Park
Antoinette Perry (born in Denver) – stage actress and director, co-founder of the American Theatre Wing, posthumous namesake of the Antoinette Perry Awards for Excellence in Theatre, better known as the Tony Awards[7]
Amanda Peterson (born in 1971 in Greeley) – film and television actress, starred in Can't Buy Me Love
Cassandra Peterson (also known as Elvira; lived in Colorado Springs, alumna of Palmer High School) – film and television actress, starred in Elvira, Mistress of the Dark
Joseph C. Phillips (born in Denver) – actor, played Lt. Martin Kendall on The Cosby Show
Sherry Stringfield (born in Colorado Springs) – actress, starred in TV series ER
Tom Tully (born in Durango) – film and television actor, nominated for an Academy Award in 1955, starred in CBS's police drama, The Lineup and co-starred in ABC'swestern TV series Shane in 1966
Jan-Michael Vincent (born in Denver) – film and television actor, played helicopter pilot Stringfellow Hawke on 1980s series Airwolf (1984–1986)
Robert Adams (lived in Colorado) – photographer of the western landscape; received two Guggenheim Fellowships, a MacArthur Fellowship; works are in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York[9]
Earl W. Bascom (lived in Colorado) – artist, sculptor, cousin of western artist Frederic Remington, lived and worked in Northwest Colorado during the late 1920s
John Fabian Carlson (lived in Colorado Springs) – painter, director and an instructor at the Broadmoor Academy, a precursor to the current Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center[10] and founder of the John F. Carlson School of Landscape Painting[11]
Barry Kooser (born in Wheat Ridge; alumnus of Arvada West High School) – Disney artist, fine art painter and CCO of Worker Studio
David Burroughs Mattingly (born in Fort Collins) – illustrator and painter known for book covers of science fiction and fantasy literature
Arthur Roy Mitchell (born in Trinidad) – specialized in western paintings and religious sculpture
Amanda Marie Ploegsma, known as Amanda Marie (born in the Netherlands, lives in Colorado) – artist, exhibits across the United States and Europe, alumna of Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design, stencilist of storybook imagery in contemporary murals and paintings
Robert Reid (lived in Colorado Springs) – painter, instructor at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, the Cooper Union, and the Broadmoor Academy[10]
Loren URLTHECLUTCH (born 1936) – mission specialist on STS-51-F
Jeffrey Ashby (born 1954) – pilot of STS-93 and STS-100; commander of STS-112
Patrick Baudry (born 1946) – payload specialist on STS-51-G
John E. Blaha (born 1942) – pilot of STS-29 and STS-33; commander of STS-43 and STS-58; Mission Specialist on STS-79 and STS-81 with four-month flight aboard Mir space station (1996–1997)
Michael J. Bloomfield (born 1959) – pilot of STS-86 and STS-97; commander of STS-110
Karol J. Bobko (born 1937) – pilot of STS-6; commander of STS-51-D and STS-51-J
Eric A. Boe (born 1964) – pilot of STS-126
Vance D. Brand (born 1931) – Mercury astronaut; Apollo docking module pilot on the Apollo–Soyuz Test Project; commander of STS-5, STS-41-B, and STS-35
Roy D. Bridges, Jr. (born 1943) – pilot of STS-51-F; director of the Kennedy Space Center (1997–2003); director of Langley Research Center (2003–2005)
Curtis Brown (born 1956) – pilot of STS-47, STS-66, and STS-77; commander of STS-85, STS-95, and STS-103
Scott Carpenter (1925–2013) – pilot of Mercury-Atlas 7 (Aurora 7); fourth human to orbit the Earth (1962)
Gerald P. Carr (born 1932) – commander of Skylab 4 (1973–1974)
John Casper (born 1943) – pilot of STS-36; commander of STS-54, STS-62, and STS-77
Kevin P. Chilton (born 1954) – pilot of STS-49 and STS-59; commander of STS-76
Mary L. Cleave (born 1947) – mission specialist on STS-61-B and STS-30
Gordon Cooper (1927–2004) – pilot of Mercury-Atlas 9 (Faith 7); command pilot of Gemini V
Richard O. Covey (born 1946) – pilot of STS-51-I and STS-26; commander of STS-38 and STS-61
Takao Doi (born 1954) – mission specialist on STS-87
B. Alvin Drew (born 1962) – mission specialist on STS-118
Brian Duffy (born 1953) – pilot of STS-45 and STS-57; commander of STS-72 and STS-92
Samuel T. Durrance (born 1943) – payload specialist on STS-35 and STS-67
James Dutton (born 1968) – pilot of STS-131
Martin J. Fettman (born 1956) – payload specialist on STS-58
Dale Gardner (born 1948) – mission specialist on STS-8 and STS-51-A
Guy Gardner (born 1948) – pilot of STS-27 and STS-35
Ronald J. Grabe (born 1945) – pilot of STS-51-J and STS-30; commander of STS-42 and STS-57
Frederick D. Gregory (born 1941) – pilot of STS-51-B; commander of STS-33 and STS-44
William G. Gregory (born 1957) – pilot of STS-67
Sidney M. Gutierrez (born 1951) – pilot of STS-40; commander of STS-59
James D. Halsell (born 1956) – pilot of STS-65 and STS-74; commander of STS-83, STS-94, and STS-101
L. Blaine Hammond (born 1952) – pilot of STS-39 and STS-64
Susan J. Helms (born 1958) – mission specialist on STS-54, STS-64, STS-78, STS-101, STS-102, and STS-105; flight engineer of International Space StationExpedition 2 (2001)
Terence T. Henricks (born 1952) – pilot of STS-44 and STS-55; commander of STS-70 and STS-78
John Herrington (born 1958) – mission specialist on STS-113
Richard Hieb (born 1955) – mission specialist on STS-39, STS-49, and STS-65
Joseph R. Tanner (born 1950) – mission specialist on STS-66, STS-82, STS-97, and STS-115
James van Hoften (born 1944) – mission specialist on STS-41-C and STS-51-I
Charles L. Veach (born 1944) – mission specialist on STS-39 and STS-52
Terry W. Virts (born 1967) – pilot of STS-130
James Voss (born 1949) – mission specialist on STS-44, STS-53, STS-69, STS-101, STS-102, and STS-105; flight engineer of International Space StationExpedition 2 (2001)
Earl W. Bascom (lived in Colorado) – rodeochampion and Hall of Famer, invented and made rodeo's first hornless bronc saddle and rodeo's first one-hand bareback rigging, called the "Father of Modern Rodeo," lived on the White Bear Ranch in Northwest Colorado in the late 1920s, married a cousin of Jack Dempsey[13]
Greg Bird (raised in Aurora; alumnus of Grandview High School) – First baseman for the New York Yankees
Jeremy Bloom (born in Loveland; alumnus of Loveland High School and the University of Colorado Boulder) – Olympic and world champion freestyle moguls skier, played football for the University of Colorado and in the NFL
Tony Boselli (raised in Boulder, Colorado; alumnus of Fairview High School in Boulder – NFL All Pro offensive tackle
Calais Campbell (born and raised in Denver, alumnus of South High School in Denver, Colorado) – defensive end for the Arizona Cardinals
Joe Barry Carroll (raised in Denver, alumnus of East High School in Denver) – NBA center and All Star
Tom Chambers (alumnus of Fairview High School in Boulder) – NBA All Star
E.H. "Dutch" Clark (born in Fowler); alumnus of Pueblo Central High School and Colorado College) – Colorado's first All-American football player; player and coach for the Detroit Lions in the 1930s; charter member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame
Jack Dempsey (born in Manassa) – professional boxer, nicknamed "the Manassa Mauler", regarded as boxing's World Heavyweight Champion from 1919 to 1926[14] Inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame (1990); author of two books relating to hand-to-hand combat
Reed Doughty (born in Greeley; alumnus of Theodore Roosevelt High School in Johnstown, Colorado) – safety for the Washington Redskins
Joel Dreessen (lived in Fort Morgan; alumnus of Fort Morgan High School) – Current free agent tight end who has played for the Houston Texans and most recently the Denver Broncos
John Elway (lives in Englewood) – quarterback in the National Football League (1984–1999) for the Denver Broncos, member of two NFL Super Bowl champion teams (Super Bowls XXXII and XXXIII), selected as NFL MVP (1987), MVP of Super Bowl XXXIII, twice as UPIAFC Offensive Player of the Year (1987 and 1993), five times for the AP NFL All-Pro team, and nine times for the NFL Pro Bowl; inducted into the Denver Broncos Ring of Fame (1999), College Football Hall of Fame (2000), and Pro Football Hall of Fame (2004), vice president and general manager of Broncos
Chase Headley (born in Fountain, Colorado; alumnus of Fountain-Fort Carson High School) – third baseman for the New York Yankees
Phil Heath (lives in Arvada) – bodybuilder, twice Mr. Olympia
Taryn Hemmings (born in Greeley) – professional soccer player for the Chicago Red Stars after two seasons with the Boston Breakers, played internationally in Japan for the Tepco Mareeze and in Australia for Canberra United, all-time leading Division 1 scorer for the University of Denver
Ryan Jensen (born in Rangely and reared in Fort Morgan; attended Fort Morgan High School and Colorado State University-Pueblo) – offensive lineman for the Baltimore Ravens, sixth-round pick of 2013 NFL Draft[15]
Brad Lidge (attended Cherry Creek High School in Greenwood Village and lives in Englewood) – relief pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies, Houston Astros
Phil Loadholt (lived in Fountain; alumnus of Fountain-Fort Carson High School) – offensive tackle for the Minnesota Vikings
Dave Logan (attended Wheat Ridge High School and University of Colorado) – drafted to three professional sports (football, basketball and baseball); wide receiver for the Cleveland Browns and Denver Broncos; radio personality on KOA; coached high school football teams for Arvada West High School, Chatfield Senior High School, and Mullen High School to state championships
Bill Musgrave (raised in Grand Junction), graduate of Grand Junction High School, football player for Dallas Cowboys, San Francisco 49'ers and Denver Broncos, offensive coordinator for Minnesota Vikings
Alina Popa (lives in Lakewood), IFBB professional bodybuilder
Michael Ray Richardson (raised in Denver, alumnus of Manual High School in Denver) – NBA All Star point guard
Ryan Max Riley (raised in Winter Park and Steamboat Springs, alumnus of the Lowell Whiteman School in Steamboat Springs) – national champion mogul skier on the US Ski Team
Gijon Robinson (born in Denver) – tight end and fullback for the Detroit Lions
Kevin Russo (born in West Babylon, New York, moved to Boulder; attended Fairview High School) – baseball player for the New York Yankees
Bob Sapp (born in Colorado Springs) – kickboxer, attended Mitchell High School
Bo Scaife (born and raised in Denver, alumnus of J.K. Mullen High School) – NFL tight end
Bobby Unser (born in Colorado Springs) – auto racing driver; two-time winner of USAC/CART Indy Car championship (1968 and 1974), three-time winner of Indianapolis 500 (1968, 1975 and 1981) and thirteen-time winner of the Open-Wheel Class at the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb; inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame (1990), Motorsports Hall of Fame of America (1994), and National Sprint Car Hall of Fame (1997)
Pat Valenzuela (born in Montrose – jockey, winner of the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Breeders' Cup
Amy Van Dyken (born in Denver, alumnus of Cherry Creek High School) – swimmer, winner of six Olympic gold medals (four in 1996, two in 2000), three FINA World Championship gold medals (1998) and three Pan American Games gold medals (1995)
LenDale White (born and raised in Denver, alumnus of South High School and Chatfield Senior High School) – NFL running back
William Bent (lived near present-day La Junta) – with his brothers, Bent established Bent's Fort trading post; became a peace negotiator between settlers and Native Americans[16]
Norman E. Brinker (born in Denver; died in Colorado Springs) – restaurateur responsible for new business concepts in the restaurant field, such as the salad bar
Margaret Brown (lived in Colorado) – socialite, philanthropist, and activist who became famous in the 1912 sinking of the RMS Titanic, The Unsinkable Molly Brown
James C. Collins (born in Boulder) – business consultant, author, and lecturer on the subject of company sustainability and growth
Adolph Coors (lived in Golden) – based in Golden, established what is now the nation's third largest brewing company; his family has been active in Colorado politics and philanthropy[17]
Charles Gates, Jr. (born in Denver) – longtime president of the Gates Corporation, the world's largest maker of automotive belts and hoses
Elliot Handler (raised in Denver) – co-founder of Mattel; helped develop some of the biggest-selling toys in American history, including Barbie dolls, Chatty Cathy, Creepy Crawlers and Hot Wheels
Ruth Handler (born in Denver) – businesswoman and inventor; served as the president of the toy manufacturer Mattel and is remembered for her role in designing and marketing the Barbie doll
Daniel M. Lewin (born in Denver) – mathematician and entrepreneur, known for co-founding the internet company, Akamai Technologies. Lewin was one of the murdered passengers on American Airlines Flight 11
James Smith McDonnell (1899–1980) (born in Denver) – aviation pioneer and founder of McDonnell Aircraft Corporation
Otto Mears (born in Russia, lived in Silverton) – entrepreneur, financier, and railroad builder; founder of the Rio Grande Southern and the Silverton railroads
David Halliday Moffat (1839–1911) – banker, financier, industrialist, and inspiration for the Moffat Tunnel, the world's-longest railway tunnel upon its completion
Texas Jack Omohundro (lived and died in Leadville) – frontier scout, actor, and cowboy
General William Jackson Palmer (lived in Colorado Springs) – founder of the town of Colorado Springs, developed the first narrow gauge railroad system, the Denver and Rio Grande, owned the Colorado Fuel and Iron Company in Pueblo.[18]
Winfield Scott Stratton (lived in Victor and Colorado Springs) – prospector, businessman and philanthropist; became a millionaire after he discovered and developed the Independence Mine; when he died he left all of his wealth for the construction of the Myron Stratton Home, for homeless and poor people
Horace Tabor (lived in Leadville) – prospector, businessman, and politician[19]
Robert Baer (raised in Aspen) – author and a former CIAcase officer assigned to the Middle East; wrote the books See No Evil and Sleeping with the Devil
Matthew Berry (born in Denver) – creator of The Man's League, inductee in the Fantasy Sports Trade Association Hall of Fame, and author (Fantasy Life)
Eugene Field (lived in Denver) – poet and journalist known for his work in children's literature, wrote such poems as Little Boy Blue and Wynken, Blynken, and Nod
Helen Hunt Jackson (lived in Colorado Springs) – wrote about the relationship between Coloradans and the Native Indian Tribes, and is often remembered for her brave stance in novels such as A Century of Dishonor and Ramona[22]
Louis H. Carpenter – recipient of the United States ArmyMedal of Honor for meritorious service in Colorado during the Indian Wars
Christopher Houston "Kit" Carson (1809–1868) – frontiersman, commander of Fort Garland (1866–1867), and negotiator of the 1867 peace treaty between the United States and the Ute tribe
Francis S. Dodge – recipient of the United States Army Medal of Honor for his service in Colorado during the Indian Wars
Dwight David Eisenhower (married in Denver) – 34th President of the United States; organized the temporary location of Lowry Air Force Base, Denver, for a new service academy, the United States Air Force Academy; in 1954, Colorado Springs won the location for the new United States Air Force Academy site; as president, his official airplanes, Lockheed Constellation were The Columbine, Colorado's state flower; Several times President Eisenhower was treated for cardiac events at Fitzsimmons Army Hospital
Edward P. Grimes – recipient of the United States Army Medal of Honor for his service in Colorado during the Indian Wars
William R. Grove (enlisted in Colorado) – recipient of the United States ArmyMedal of Honor for his service during the Philippine–American War
William P. Hall – recipient of the United States Army Medal of Honor for his service in Colorado during the Indian Wars
Henry Johnson – recipient of the United States Army Medal of Honor for his service as a "Buffalo Soldier" in Colorado during the Indian Wars
George Moquin – recipient of the United States Army Medal of Honor for gallant service in Colorado during the Indian Wars
Edward F. Murphy – recipient of the United States Army Medal of Honor for gallant service in Colorado during the Indian Wars
Wilhelm O. Philipsen – recipient of the United States Army Medal of Honor for his service in Colorado during the Indian Wars
John A. Poppe – recipient of the United States Army Medal of Honor for gallant service in Colorado during the Indian Wars
Hampton M. Roach – recipient of the United States Army Medal of Honor for his service in Colorado during the Indian Wars
George W. Wallace (enlisted in Colorado) – recipient of the United States Army Medal of Honor for his service during the Philippine–American War
Jacob Widmer – recipient of the United States Army Medal of Honor for his service in Colorado during the Indian Wars
3OH!3 (formed in Boulder) – electronica group; song "Don't Trust Me" from the album Want certified platinum by the RIAA
Laurie Anderson (lived in Boulder) – avant garde performer and musician, communications expert, writer
The Astronauts (formed in Boulder) – surfrock; first album along with the song "Baja" was number sixty-one in May 1963 on the Billboard 200 album chart[25]
Big Head Todd and the Monsters (formed at the University of Colorado Boulder) – rock band; two of the band's albums have reached Billboard's Top 40 Album charts (1993, 1994), with one (Sister Sweetly) certified platinum by the RIAA[28]
Tommy Bolin (lived in Boulder) – guitarist of Zephyr, James Gang, and Deep Purple
Breathe Carolina (born and raised in Denver) – electronica/screamo group; band consists of David Schmitt, Tommy Coops, Luis Bonet, Eric Armenta
Antonia Brico (lived in Denver) – conductor and pianist; was conductor of the Brico Symphony Orchestra and the Denver Symphony Orchestra[29]
John Denver (real name Henry Deutschendorf Jr.; lived in Aspen) – singer, guitarist, songwriter; winner of a Grammy Award (1997) and a posthumous Grammy Hall of Fame Award (1998); inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame (1996); named the official Poet Laureate of the State of Colorado (1977), with his song "Rocky Mountain High", which was named as one of the state's official songs[30]
Bryan Erickson (lives in Westminster) – singer, producer; member of the bands Velvet Acid Christ and Toxic Coma
Flobots (formed in Denver) – Hip hop band known for the song "Handlebars" from their album Fight with Tools; board members on the non-profit organization Flobots.org, a community organization; Flobots.org was founded before the band attained any fame[31]
India.Arie (born as India Arie Simpson in Denver) – singer, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, producer; winner of two Grammy Awards (2003, nominated sixteen times); three released albums have all hit Billboard's Top 40 Albums chart and have been certified by the RIAA as either platinum or multi-platinum sellers
Itchy-O (formed in Denver) – electronicaexperimental group; approximately 40 band members performing in the audience, with marching-band drums, taiko drums, electronics, dancers, and a Chinese Lion; all while masked, covered in LED lights, often with fireworks and other props such as giant puppets, flame throwers and the like
Ronnie Lane (lived and died in Trinidad) – singer, songwriter, bass guitarist; member of the bands Small Faces and Faces, and founder of his own backing band Slim Chance
C.W. McCall (lived in Ouray) – country singer known for the song "Convoy" in 1975; served six years as mayor of Ouray in 1986
Glenn Miller (full name Alton Glenn Miller; lived in Fort Morgan and Boulder; alumnus of Fort Morgan High School and the University of Colorado Boulder) – trombonist, band leader, leader of the Glenn Miller Orchestra and the United States Army Air Force Band; at the time of his death, one fifth of all music played on jukeboxes was a Glenn Miller creation[32]
Ronnie Montrose (born in Denver) – rock guitarist who led a number of his own bands as well as performing with a variety of musicians
Velvet Acid Christ (based in Denver) – electro-industrial band
Chuck E. Weiss (grew up in Denver) – musician and subject of the 1979 Rickie Lee Jones song "Chuck E.'s in Love"
Paul Whiteman (born in Denver) – considered by some the "King of Jazz"; after selling two million records with the song "The Japanese Sandman", Whiteman added to his fame by being one of the first nationally broadcast jazz musicians; remembered for his ability to fuse jazz and classical in hits like Rhapsody in Blue and "Whispering"[34]
Kip Winger (born in Denver) – singer and bassist for the 1980s hair metal band Winger, which had hit songs such as "Seventeen" and "Headed for a Heartbreak"; since band's breakup in 1994, Winger has continued as a solo artist
Yonder Mountain String Band (based in Nederland) – bluegrass jam band whose fan base has been fueled primarily through live performances since their inception in 1998; self-titled 2006 studio album was the band's first release with a major label[35]
See also: List of governors of Colorado, List of mayors of Denver, List of United States Representatives from Colorado, and List of United States Senators from Colorado
William B. Ebbert (lived in Rocky Ford, Pueblo and Cortez) – served in Colorado General Assembly, 1889–1890 (Republican); 1907–1908 (Democrat); 1911–1912 (Democrat); rancher, farmer, poet and American Civil War veteran
Irving Howbert (born in Columbus, Indiana) – one of the founders of Colorado Springs; donated the Colorado Springs Opera House from profits in his silver mine; member of the Colorado Senate (1882–1886)[37]
Chief Ouray (lived in Colorado) – Native American leader of the Uncompahgre band of the Ute tribe of southwestern Colorado[39]
Dana Perino (grew up in Denver, graduate of Colorado State University–Pueblo) – White House Press Secretary during the presidency of George W. Bush from September 14, 2007, to January 20, 2009
Lewis M. Branscomb (born 1926) – physicist; director of the National Bureau of Standards, founder of the Joint Institute for Laboratory Astrophysics (now known as JILA)
Mary Babnik Brown (1907–1991) – her hair was used for the Norden bombsight crosshairs
Louis George Carpenter - founder of the first Bachelor of Science degree in Irrigation Engineering in the Americas.
Margaret Mary Murnane (born 1959) – physicist and creator of ultra-high-speed lasers
Frank Friedman Oppenheimer (1912–1985) – nuclear physicist and educator
Tim Samaras (1957–2013) – engineer and storm chaser; starred on the Discovery Channel's documentary reality television series Storm Chasers; he died in Oklahoma City's EF3 wedge tornado on May 31, 2013, with his twenty-four-year-old son, Paul, and forty-five-year-old TWISTEX colleague Carl Young of South Lake Tahoe, California
Nikola Tesla (Никола Тесла) (1856–1943) – inventor and engineer; ran a laboratory in Colorado Springs between 1899 and 1900 to conduct high-voltage, high-frequency experiments
Emily Gibson Braerton (1884–1966) (lived in Denver) – historian; vice president general of the Daughters of the American Revolution (1950–1953)
John Lewis Dyer (lived in Denver and Castle Rock) – Methodist Episcopalcircuit rider in South Park mining camps from 1861 to 1877; one of sixteen with portraits in the Colorado State Capitol recognized as founders of Colorado
Anna Blythe Speas (c. 1869– 1898) – housewife in Park County cleared of accessory to murder; her life is featured in the book Historic Tales from Park County: Parked in the Past by Laura King Van Dusen
Department of English, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. "Allen Ginsberg's Life". Archived from the original on May 11, 2008. Retrieved June 2, 2006.