42 People From Abilene Texas Who Became Famous

You might be surprised to know there are a ton of people from the Abilene area that became a household name. Heck, just talking athletes alone there are over 30 people that became famous from our neck of the woods.

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A ton of these folks are athletes, but there are quite a few actors, musicians, and more who were able to get out of what I call "the black hole". I'm not saying that Abilene is bad, I'm simply saying that many people, including myself, have moved away only to come back. These famous people were able to punch their ticket into stardom, and not look back.

LOOK: Famous People From the Abilene Area

Even more famous people from the Abilene area:

Ann Wedgeworth

Ann has played in several TV roles. However, I'll always associate her with a show I used to watch called "Three's Company". She was on that show and played this older sexy type lady that always wanted "Jack". If you ever watched the show, you know she was a regular for a while but then disappeared without a trace. We still had Suzanne Somers though so I wasn't disappointed. It was later in life that I discovered she was like 50-something when she did that show. Ann was born in Abilene in 1935.

Megan Ewing

Megan was born in Abilene, Texas in 1984 and claims Brady as her hometown. She has been featured in Abercrombie & Fitch and as the Guess jeans girl.

Chuck Hughes

Born in Philly, but moved to Abilene and played for Abilene High. He is, to date, the only NFL player to die on the field during a game. Hughes played for the Eagles and Lions.

Bill Gilbreth

Bill grew up in Abilene and went to Abilene Christian Schools, but because they never had a baseball team, he didn't play in high school. Gilbreth went on to star at ACU then was eventually drafted by the Detroit Tigers. Gilbreth also played for the Angels.

Trey Forkerway

Trey was a three-sport athlete at Abilene High who went on to star at Texas Tech. He played baseball for the Chicago Cubs for four years before joining the club in other capacities.

Ray Berry

Ray went to Cooper and played football with another one on this list, Terry Orr. Following a stand-out college career, Berry went on to play in the NFL for the Vikings and Seahawks.

If you know of any famous people from the Abilene area not listed, shoot me an email and I'll get it on the list.

LOOK: The most famous actress born the same year as you

Many of the actresses in this story not only made a name for themselves through their collection of iconic performances, but also through the selfless, philanthropic nature with which many of them approached their stardom. In an age of flipping the script on societal norms, many of these actresses are using their voices and platforms to be advocates for those who are otherwise unheard.

Gallery Credit: Ben Wittstein