Hollywood may be a solid ~2,000 miles away, but our little city still manages to stay on the radar of many-a-celeb. It’s not just Hollywood stars who’ve had the privilege of calling Greenville home — from pro ball players to superheroes to astronauts, here are some of Greenville’s famous alumni:
Sandi Morris | Olympic Pole Vaulter
Sandi was born in Illinois but her hometown is Greenville. She attended Greenville High School before becoming an Olympic athlete. She won a silver medal in the 2016 Olympics + has taken home a handful of other medals.
John Casper | Known for: Astronaut
While this astronaut considers Gainesville, GA to be his hometown, he was born in Greenville. He’s been on four space flights + has spent a total of 34.41 days in space.
Peabo Bryson | Known for: R&B and soul singer-songwriter
Peabo Bryson, born in Greenville, grew up working on his grandfather’s farm in Mauldin. Now the artist has won two Grammys and is credited with twenty albums. You can see a mural honoring him at The Commons.
Jesse Jackson | Known for: Civil rights leader + baptist minister
Jesse Jackson was born + raised in Greenville. He worked with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., ran for president twice, and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2000.
Chadwick Boseman | Known for: “The Black Panther”
While he was technically born in neighboring Anderson, Chadwick Boseman is definitely an Upstate celebrity favorite. He’s also known for his roles in movies such as Jackie Robinson in 42, James Brown in Get on Up, and Thurgood Marshall in Marshall.
Josh White | Known for: Singer-songwriter, guitarist + civil rights activist
The musician + entertainer was born in Greenville and grew up singing in church choirs with his mom, as his dad was a preacher. Throughout his career Josh White played a wide range of blues, jazz + folk music. He even performed some on Broadway + became close friends with the Roosevelts.
Eugenia Duke | Known for: Duke’s Mayonnaise
Eugenia Duke, aka Mother Mayo, was a businesswoman who started selling sandwiches at Army canteens in Greenville and the rest, as they say, is history.
Marcus King | Known for: Singer-songwriter
Grammy nominee Marcus King is from right here in Greenville, and recently showed his love for his home town by performing the Marcus King Band Family Reunion in Simpsonville. In case you missed it, we asked him a few questions.
Kevin Garnett | Known for: NBA player
This pro ball player is from neighboring Mauldin + played in the NBA for 21 seasons — first for the Minnesota Timberwolves (1995-2007), then the Boston Celtics (2007-2013), then the Brooklyn Nets (2013-2015), and then back to Minnesota (2015-2016), before announcing his retirement.
Danielle Brooks | Known for: Actress
Danielle Brooks was born in Georgia, but she attended Greenville’s own S.C. Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities. Her breakout role was Taystee in “Orange is the New Black.” In 2015, she received a Tony Award Nomination for her role of Sofia in the Broadway Production, The Color Purple and in 2024, she received an Oscar nomination for reprising her role on the big screen.
Herman Lay | Known for: Lay’s potato chips
Lay was born in Charlotte in 1909 + his family moved to Greenville by 1920. He graduated from Greenville High School in 1926 before attending Furman University on an athletic scholarship. He started his career as a traveling salesman before starting the H.W. Lay Distributing Company in 1932. Frito-Lay merged with Pepsi Co. in 1965 to create the company we know today.
Edwin McCain | Known for: Singer/songwriter
While McCain is originally from Charleston, he’s certainly left his mark on Greenville. He’s a Christ Church Episcopal School graduate and co-founded euphoria, the annual Greenville food + drink festival (although McCain is no longer involved with the festival).
