Who's The Best Actor From Every State?
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Williams was born in Chicago, though his family moved to Michigan when he was 12. He initially made a name for himself as a stand-up comedian in San Francisco, before landing a role on the TV show Mork & Mindy. He was nominated for four Oscars, including a win for Good Will Hunting.
- Birthplace: Chicago, Illinois, USA
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From Memphis, one of Freeman's earliest roles was Easy Reader on The Electric Company. He went on to earn five Oscar nominations, including a win for Million Dollar Baby.
- Birthplace: Memphis, Tennessee, USA
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California is a sprawling state with a huge population, but Concord, CA native Tom Hanks takes home the prize. His work as David S. Pumpkins speaks for itself, as does his Oscar wins for Philadelphia and Forrest Gump.
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From Arlington, VA, Sandra Bullock shot to stardom with 1994's Speed. She won an Oscar for The Blind Side and was nominated again for Gravity.
- Birthplace: Arlington County, Virginia
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Born in Milwaukee, Wilder is known for roles in The Producers, Young Frankenstein, and Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory. He also won an Emmy for a guest appearance on Will & Grace.
- Birthplace: Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
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Hailing from Scottsdale, Emma Stone's breakthrough role came when she played Jules in 2007's Superbad. Since then she's been in The Amazing Spider-Man and Birdman, and won an Oscar for La La Land.
- Birthplace: Scottsdale, Arizona, USA
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Matthew McConaughey was born in Uvalde, TX, and shot to fame with his role in Dazed and Confused. He won an Oscar for Dallas Buyers Club, and was nominated for an Emmy for his role on True Detective.
- Birthplace: Texas, USA, Uvalde
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Robert Duvall was born in San Diego, but grew up in Maryland. His illustrious career includes roles in The Godfather Part II, Network, and an Oscar win for Tender Mercies.
- Birthplace: San Diego, California, USA
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From his sitcom's theme song, you know that Will Smith was born and raised in Philadelphia. Since then, he's repeatedly proven his range as an actor, taking on roles in comedies, dramas and action films. He also has received two Oscar nominations for Ali and The Pursuit of Happyness.
- Birthplace: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
- 10
Amy Adams was born in Italy, but raised in Castle Rock, CO. In 2006, she broke through with her role in Junebug, which earned her an Oscar nomination. Since then, she's received four additional nominations — most recently for 2014's American Hustle — but has yet to win.
- Birthplace: Vicenza, Veneto, Italy
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Montgomery native Octavia Spencer began her career in the '90s by guest starring on several TV shows. In 2012, she won an Oscar for her role in The Help, and she has also been nominated for her work in Hidden Figures and The Shape of Water.
- Birthplace: Montgomery, Alabama
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Born in Manhattan, De Niro won Oscars for The Godfather Part II and Raging Bull. He also starred in Dirty Grandpa, but don't hold that against him.
- Birthplace: New York City, USA, New York, Greenwich Village
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From Albuquerque, Harris got his big break with Doogie Howser, MD. He went on to receive four Emmy nominations for How I Met Your Mother, and has been picked several times to host the Tony Awards.
- Birthplace: Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA
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From Summit, NJ, Meryl Streep's reputation speaks for itself. For the record, she's won three Oscars, most recently in 2012 for The Iron Lady.
- Birthplace: Summit, New Jersey, USA
- 15
One of Hollywood's biggest legends, Katharine Hepburn was born in Hartford, CT. She won her first Oscar in 1934 for Morning Glory. She went on to receive three more Oscars, the last one being for 1982's On Golden Pond.
- Birthplace: Hartford, Connecticut, USA
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One of Hollywood's biggest stars, Paul Newman was born in Cleveland, OH. He won an Oscar in 1987 for The Color Of Money, and was nominated nine other times.
- Birthplace: Shaker Heights, Ohio, USA
- 17
Born in Texas but raised in Charleston, Garner has received four Emmy nominations for her work on Alias. On the big screen, she's been featured in Juno and Dallas Buyers Club, most notably.
- Birthplace: Houston, Texas, USA
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- Birthplace: USA, Lexington, Kentucky
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Born in New York but raised in New Hampshire, Adam Sandler is unarguably a fan favorite, despite his penchant for questionable films like Grown Ups and Click. While not all his movies are great, he did get a Golden Globe nomination in 2003 for Punch-Drunk Love.
- Birthplace: Brooklyn, New York, USA
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From Cloquet, MN, Lange won an Oscar in 1983 for Tootsie, and another in 1995 for Blue Sky. She's also won three Emmy awards, including two for American Horror Story.
- Birthplace: Cloquet, Minnesota, USA
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From Omaha, Brando's list of accolades is nearly endless. In his lifetime, he won two Oscars for his roles in On The Waterfront and The Godfather.
- Birthplace: Omaha, Nebraska, USA
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Don Cheadle was born in Kansas City, MO (although he moved around frequently as a child). Cheadle is one of the most respected working actors in Hollywood, and has received an Oscar nomination for Hotel Rwanda, and seven Emmy nominations for The Rat Pack, House of Lies, and more.
- Birthplace: Kansas City, Missouri, USA
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From Fort Bragg, NC, Moore has received four Oscar nominations, including a win for Still Alice. She also won an Emmy in 2012 for Game Change, where she played Sarah Palin.
- Birthplace: Fayetteville, North Carolina, USA
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Viola Davis was born in South Carolina, but raised in Central Falls, RI. She won an Oscar in 2017 for Fences, and was also nominated for Doubt and The Help.
- Birthplace: Saint Matthews, South Carolina, USA
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Born in Dodge City, KS, Hopper became a movie star with his role in Easy Rider. He was nominated for an Oscar for Hoosiers, and received a Golden Globe nod for Blue Velvet.
- Birthplace: Dodge City, Kansas, USA
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From Hot Springs, AR, one of Billy Bob Thornton's first big roles was on the John Ritter/Markie Post sitcom Hearts Afire. However, it was his Oscar-winning performance in Slingblade (which he also wrote and directed) that cemented his celebrity status. Since then, he's been in Bad Santa, Friday Night Lights, and a slew of other popular movies and TV shows.
- Birthplace: USA, Hot Springs, Arkansas
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- Birthplace: San Diego, California, USA
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From Minot, ND, Duhamel got his start on All My Children, for which he won a Daytime Emmy. He moved on to a prominent role in the show Las Vegas, and played Lennox in the Transformers movies.
- Birthplace: Minot, North Dakota, USA
- 29
Paulson was born in Florida, but grew up in Maine. She rose to prominence with her various roles on American Horror Story, and won an Emmy for playing Marcia Clark in American Crime Story: The People v. O.J. Simpson.
- Birthplace: Tampa, Florida, USA
- 30
From Lowell, MA, Davis is one of the most celebrated film stars of all time. She won Oscars in 1936 and 1939 for Dangerous and Jezebel respectively, and is also known for All About Eve, and Whatever Happened To Baby Jane?.
- Birthplace: Lowell, Massachusetts, USA
- 31
From Honolulu, Midler made it big as singer before crossing over into the world of acting. Her filmography includes The Rose, Beaches, Ruthless People, and Hocus Pocus.
- Birthplace: Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
- 32
Born in 1926 in Des Moines, IA, Leachman has had an incredibly prolific career. She won an Oscar in 1972 for The Last Picture Show, and received several Emmys for series such as The Mary Tyler Moore Show and Malcolm in the Middle.
- Birthplace: Des Moines, Iowa, USA
- 33
From Emmett, ID, Paul is best known for his role as Jesse on Breaking Bad. He can also be seen on the TV series The Path, and he's the voice of Todd on Bojack Horseman.
- Birthplace: Emmett, Idaho, USA
- 34
Swank was born in Nebraska, but grew up in Spokane and Bellingham, WA. She's won two Oscars for Boys Don't Cry and Million Dollar Baby.
- Birthplace: Lincoln, Nebraska, USA
- 35
Born in Tulsa, Woodard is a four-time Emmy winner, including wins for Hill Street Blues and The Practice. She was also nominated for an Oscar in 1984 for Cross Creek.
- Birthplace: Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA
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Born in Fort Jackson, SC, Parker has been nominated for three Emmys for her leading role on Weeds. She also won an Emmy in 2004 for Angels in America.
- Birthplace: Fort Jackson, South Carolina, USA
- 37
From Detroit, MI, Lily Tomlin rose to fame on the sketch show Laugh-In in the 1960s. She's won numerous Emmys, received an Oscar nomination for Nashville, and stars in the Netflix series Grace & Frankie.
- Birthplace: Detroit, Michigan, USA
- 38
He doesn't have a stack of awards, but it's always a joy to see Salt Lake City's Wilford Brimley in any TV or movie role. His works include The Natural, The Firm, and Cocoon.
- Birthplace: Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
- 39
From Grants Pass, OR, Burrell has won two Emmys for his work on Modern Family. He was also in 2008's The Incredible Hulk and 2017's Rough Night.
- Birthplace: Grants Pass, Oregon, USA
- 40
Film legend Faye Dunaway was born in Bascom, FL. She garnered Oscar nominations for Bonnie and Clyde and Chinatown, and won an Oscar for Network in 1976.
- Birthplace: Bascom, Florida, USA
- 41
From Kalispell, MT, Williams first gained stardom on Dawson's Creek. She's gone on to earn four Oscar nominations for films such as Brokeback Mountain and Manchester by the Sea.
- Birthplace: USA, Kalispell, Montana
- 42
From Conyers, GA, Hunter broke through with 1987's Raising Arizona and won and Oscar for The Piano. She was also nominated for Broadcast News, The Firm, and Thirteen.
- Birthplace: Conyers, Georgia, USA
- 43
Born in New Orleans, Clarkson was nominated for an Oscar in 2004 for Pieces of April. She also won two Emmys for her guest appearances on Six Feet Under, and garnered acclaim for her roles in The Green Mile and The Station Agent.
- Birthplace: New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
- 44
From Wilmington, DE, Shue's first big role came as Ali in The Karate Kid. A few years later, she starred in Adventures in Babysitting, and in 1996 she was nominated for an Oscar for Leaving Las Vegas.
- Birthplace: Wilmington, Delaware, USA
- 45
From, Sioux Falls, SD, Jones skyrocketed to fame with her Emmy-nominated role on Mad Men. She also stars on the Fox comedy The Last Man On Earth.
- Birthplace: Sioux Falls, South Dakota, USA
- 46
Matthew Fox was born in Pennsylvania, but grew up in Crowheart, WY. He got his start on Party of Five, and was nominated for an Emmy for his work on Lost.
- Birthplace: Abington, Pennsylvania, USA
- 47
From Meridian, MS, Ladd is a three-time Oscar nominee, starting in 1975 with Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore. She was also nominated in 1991 for Wild At Heart, and again in 1992 for Rambling Rose.
- Birthplace: Meridian, Mississippi, USA
- 48
Veteran character actor Orson Bean hails from Burlington, VT. You might not know the name, but you know his face from Being John Malkovich, Desperate Housewives, Dr. Quinn: Medicine Woman, and countless other roles in film and TV.
- Birthplace: Burlington, Vermont, USA
- 49
From Las Vegas, Wesley is best known for starring in True Blood for six seasons. Since 2016, she's starred in OWN's Queen Sugar.
- Birthplace: Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
- 50
From Kodiak, AK, Stanchfield made several appearances on General Hospital, beginning in 2007. From there, she garnered regular roles on Mad Men and NCIS. Since 2012, she's played Abby Whelan on the hit show Scandal.
- Birthplace: Kodiak, Alaska, USA
