Famous People who have called Scottsdale or the Paradise Valley area home
Alice Cooper
Alice Cooper’s career has lasted over 50 years. He is an American rock singer and considered to be “The Godfather of Shock Rock.” Some of Cooper’s well-known songs include Schools out, I’m Eighteen, Welcome to My Nightmare and No More Mr. Nice Guy.
Dan Majerle
Nicknamed “Thunder Dan” is a former NBA professional player whose career lasted 14 years. He played with Phoenix Suns, Miami Heat and the Cleveland Cavaliers. Majerle formerly coached Division 1 Grand Canyon University (GCU) basketball team.
Kurt Warner
Kurt Warner is a former National Football League (NFL) Quarterback. He played for 12 years primarily with the St. Louis Rams and Arizona Cardinals. His professional accomplishments include 2 NFL Most Valuable Player awards a Super Bowl Championship along with Super Bowl Most Valuable Player. Warner’s story was featured in the movie American Underdog released in 2021.
Billy Mayfair
Mayfair was born in Phoenix, AZ. He attended Arizona State University and played for the golf team. Mayfair won a couple of US Amateur events and turned professional in 1988 where he won 5 professional tournaments on the PGA Tour.
Clive Cussler
Cussler is an American novelist who has written several thriller-novels. Many of his novels have reached the New York Times fiction best-seller list. He has authored more than 80 books. A couple of Cussler’s novel include What if Atlantis were real and What if Abraham Lincoln wasn’t assassinated but was kidnapped.
David Ellefson
Ellefson is an American musician and best known for his long tenure as the bassist for American thrash metal band Megadeth from 1983 to 2002 and again from 2010 to 2021. Ellefson also co-founded The Lucid in 2021.
Bret Michaels
Michaels is an American singer and musician. He became famous as the frontman for the rock band Poison. Poison has sold over 50 million albums worldwide and 15 million in the United States. Poison’s number-one single “Every Rose Has it’s Thorn” is known by most. Michaels also produced several solo albums one being “Rock My World” and has appeared in numerous films and TV shows.
Charles Barkley
Barkley is an American former professional basketball player. He played 16 years in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for three different teams. Barkley was drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers, then played for the Phoenix Suns and Houston Rockets. He competed in the 1992 and 1996 US Olympic teams and won two gold medals. Barkley has been recognized as on of the top 50 NBA players of all time. After retirement, Barkley has had a very successful NBA analyst career. He currently works for Turner Network Television (TNT) covering the NBA during the season. You can see him during half time and during the post-game show.
Dan Quayle
Dan Quayle is an American politician who served as the 44th Vice President of the United States under George H.W. Bush. Prior to that, he was a member of the US House of Representatives for Indiana’s 4th District. In 2000, Quayle sought the Republican nomination for President, but was unsuccessful.
David Spade
Spade is an American comedian, actor, and writer. He was a cast member of Saturday Night Live (SNL) in the 1990’s and began his successful acting career after that. Joe Dirt, Black Sheep, The Wrong Missy and Tommy Boy are a few films he starred in. Spade attended Scottsdale Community College and Arizona State University.
John Fogerty
Fogerty is an American singer, musician, and songwriter. He co-founded Cadence Clearwater Revival where he was lead singer, lead guitarist and principal songwriter. In 1993, the band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Frankie Muniz IV
Muniz is an American actor. It is safe to say he is best known for being in the sitcom Malcom in the Middle. His role earned him nominations for an Emmy Award and two Golden Globe Awards. During the height of his career, he was considered one of the most popular child actors.
Larry Fitzgerald
Fitzgerald is a former professional football player. He played 17 years in the National Football League (NFL) with one team, the Arizona Cardinals. Fitzgerald was the Cardinal’s wide receiver and is considered by most in the NFL to be one of the greatest receivers of all time.
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