There’s no shortage of celebrities from West Virginia, and many of them (like Don Knotts and Jennifer Garner, for example) are from some of the Mountain State’s bigger cities. But what about celebrities that were born in small town West Virginia? There are plenty of those, too.
1. Steve Harvey (Welch)
Steve Harvey wears many hats: husband, father, award winning American television host, producer, actor, comedian, and native West Virginian. That’s right, this celebrity was born in Welch, West Virginia — the son of a coal miner. Now, he’s got a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
2. Michael W. Smith (Kenova)
Three Grammys. An American Music Award. Forty-five Dove Awards. Named the “Cornerstone of Christian Music”. Those are some accolades! And they all belong to Michael W. Smith, a native of Kenova, West Virginia. His father worked for an oil refinery just over the river into Kentucky; his mother was a caterer. Smith got his start as a child, singing in church. For college, he attended Marshall University before heading off to Nashville and making it big.
3. Brad Paisley (Glen Dale)
Famous country singer Brad Paisley was born in Glen Dale in Marshall County, West Virginia. His father worked for WVDOT; his mother was a teacher. His grandfather, Warren Jarvis, gave him his first guitar at 8 years old; he sang his first solo (in church) soon after. Now, he’s got three Grammys, 14 Academy of Country Music Awards, 14 Country Music Association Awards, and two American Music Awards to his name. He holds the record for most consecutive #1 Billboard hits. He’s snagged a coveted spot as a member of the Grand Ole Opry.
4. Little Jimmy Dickens (Bolt)
Also a member of the Grand Ole Opry, and on the Country Music Hall of Fame, Little Jimmy Dickens wrote and performed country songs beginning in the 1930s … and he was born in the little community of Bolt, West Virginia (located a dozen miles west of Beckley).
5. Chris Sarandon (Beckley)
You’ll recognize Chris Sarandon if you’ve ever seen “The Princess Bride” — he plays Prince Humperdinck. He also stars as Jerry Dandrige in “Fright Night”, Jack Skellington in “The Nightmare Before Christmas,” and others. And he was born right here in Beckley, the son of the owners of The Eatwell Cafe. He made his first theater appearance at Grandview’s Honey In The Rock, and he is still on the Greenbrier Valley Theater Board as an advisor.
6. Joanne Dru (Logan)
Joanne Dru appeared in multiple films in the 1940s and 50s, some of the most famous being Westerns like “Red River” and “She Wore A Yellow Ribbon.” But before making it to the big screen, this actress got her start in West Virginia — she was born in Logan.
There you have it: six celebrities who were born in small town West Virginia. And we didn’t even mention Homer Hickam! Or Katherine Johnson!
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