A DEED History Reference

Famous People
of Savannah

A carefully sourced register of notable figures connected to Savannah, Georgia. Each entry distinguishes born in, raised in, and lived in — preserving the exact wording of authoritative sources.

5 Confirmed grew up
in Savannah
10 Total records
in this register
3 Born only —
raised elsewhere
Showing 10 of 10
Film & Television / Actress
Dianna Agron
Actress best known as Quinn Fabray on the Fox TV series Glee (2009–2015). Also appeared in I Am Number Four (2011) and Burlesque (2010).
● Born in Savannah ● Grew up in Savannah ● Lived in Savannah
Born in Savannah Yes
"Dianna Elise Agron was born in Savannah, Georgia to Mary and Ronald Agron and grew up in a middle-class family in Savannah before moving to Texas and, later, San Francisco, California, because her father was a general manager for Hyatt."
IMDB Biography  ·  open source ↗
Grew Up / Raised in Savannah Yes
"grew up in a middle-class family in Savannah before moving to Texas"
IMDB Biography  ·  open source ↗
Editor's note. IMDB explicitly uses the phrase "grew up in a middle-class family in Savannah." She attended Burlingame High School in California, indicating the family departed Savannah during childhood or early adolescence.
DEED Research Status: Address unconfirmed · Census and city directory research pending
Film & Theater / Actor
Charles Coburn
Character actor. Academy Award winner for Best Supporting Actor, The More the Merrier (1943). Appeared in over 70 films. Co-founder of the Coburn Shakespearean Players (1905). Born in Macon, Georgia — not Savannah.
● Not born in Savannah ● Grew up in Savannah ● Lived in Savannah
Born in Savannah No
"Charles Douville Coburn was born in Macon on June 19, 1877, to Emma Louise Sprigman and Moses Douville Coburn."
New Georgia Encyclopedia — Charles Coburn (1877–1961)  ·  open source ↗
Editor's note. Born in Macon, Georgia. Some popular sources erroneously list him as born in Savannah — this is incorrect per the New Georgia Encyclopedia.
Grew Up / Raised in Savannah Yes
"Coburn grew up in Savannah and as a young boy handed out programs in a local theater, where he received his first role, a bit part in the stage performance of The Mikado. Failing to win other parts for which he auditioned, Coburn worked briefly as a house manager until, at the age of nineteen, he left Georgia for New York City and the lure of Broadway."
New Georgia Encyclopedia — Charles Coburn (1877–1961)  ·  open source ↗
DEED Research Status: Address unconfirmed · 1880s–1890s era · Census records likely exist · High priority
Film & Television / Actor
Desmond Harrington
Actor known for Quinn on Dexter (Showtime, 2006–2013), The Neon Demon (2016), and Ghost Ship (2002). Born in Savannah — raised in the Bronx, New York.
● Born in Savannah ● Did not grow up in Savannah ● Did not live in Savannah
Born in Savannah Yes
"Born: October 19, 1976 · Savannah, Georgia, USA"
IMDB Biography — Desmond Harrington  ·  open source ↗
Grew Up / Raised in Savannah No
"Desmond Harrington was raised in the Bronx New York."
IMDB Biography — Desmond Harrington  ·  open source ↗
Editor's note. IMDB provides a clear distinction — born in Savannah, raised in the Bronx. No childhood or adult connection to Savannah beyond birth.
Film & Television / Actor
J.G. Hertzler
Actor best known as General/Chancellor Martok across four seasons of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993–1999). One of only four actors to have played seven different characters in the Star Trek franchise.
● Born in Savannah ● Grew up — unknown
Born in Savannah Yes
"J.G. Hertzler was born on 18 March 1950 in Savannah, Georgia, USA."
IMDB — J.G. Hertzler  ·  open source ↗
Grew Up / Raised in Savannah Unknown
Editor's note. His father was Career Air Force, which typically involves frequent relocations. No authoritative source uses "grew up," "raised," or "childhood in Savannah." Adult life documented in upstate New York. Cannot confirm Savannah childhood without primary source research.
DEED Research Status: Ambiguous · Primary source research needed to confirm childhood residence
Music / Hip-Hop
Big Boi (Antwan André Patton)
Rapper and record producer. One half of the Grammy Award-winning duo OutKast with André 3000. OutKast released landmark albums including Stankonia (2000) and Speakerboxxx/The Love Below (2003, Album of the Year Grammy). Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as part of OutKast (2025).
● Born in Savannah ● Did not grow up in Savannah ● Lived in Savannah
Born in Savannah Yes
"Patton, a native of Savannah, met as tenth graders at Tri-Cities High School in the East Point area of Atlanta."
New Georgia Encyclopedia — OutKast  ·  open source ↗
Grew Up / Raised in Savannah No
"Born in Savannah, Georgia, and raised in Atlanta, he was one half of the Southern hip-hop duo Outkast along with rapper André 3000. Patton was born and spent the first half of his childhood in Savannah, Georgia, attending Herschel V. Jenkins High School, before moving to Atlanta with his aunt Renee."
Wikipedia — Big Boi  ·  open source ↗
Editor's note. Wikipedia is explicit: "raised in Atlanta." He spent "the first half of his childhood in Savannah" before relocating. He attended Herschel V. Jenkins High School in Savannah. His adult and professional identity is Atlanta-based.
DEED Research Status: Partial childhood connection · Herschel V. Jenkins High School address confirmed · First half of childhood in Savannah documented
Literature / Author
Flannery O'Connor
Author of Wise Blood (1952) and the short story collection A Good Man Is Hard to Find (1955). One of the most important voices in American Southern Gothic literature. Her childhood home at 207 East Charlton Street is now a museum.
● Born in Savannah ● Grew up in Savannah (ages 0–13) ● Lived in Savannah
Grew Up / Raised in Savannah Qualified Yes
"O'Connor spent the first thirteen years of her life in Savannah."
Georgia Historical Society — Flannery O'Connor in Savannah
Editor's note. Lived in Savannah from birth to age 13, then moved to Milledgeville. GCSU's library guide states she was "raised in Milledgeville." The Georgia Historical Society writes she "spent the first thirteen years of her life in Savannah." Counted as grew-up with the qualification that her formative teen years were in Milledgeville. Her Savannah address — 207 East Charlton Street — is confirmed and now a museum.
DEED Research Status: Address confirmed by museum — 207 East Charlton Street · Story pending
History / Civic Leader
Juliette Gordon Low
Founder of the Girl Scouts of the USA (1912). Born, raised, and died in Savannah. Her birthplace at 10 Oglethorpe Avenue is a National Historic Landmark.
● Born in Savannah ● Grew up in Savannah ● Lived in Savannah
Grew Up / Raised in Savannah Yes
"raised in a prominent Savannah family"
Juliette Gordon Low Birthplace — official site of the National Historic Landmark  ·  open source ↗
DEED Research Status: Address confirmed — 10 Oglethorpe Avenue · Story pending
Music / Songwriter
Johnny Mercer
Lyricist and songwriter. Co-wrote Moon River, Days of Wine and Roses, and over 1,500 songs. Four-time Academy Award winner. Fourth generation Savannah family. Buried in Savannah's Bonaventure Cemetery.
● Born in Savannah ● Grew up in Savannah ● Lived in Savannah
Grew Up / Raised in Savannah Yes
"Mercer's family had lived in Savannah for four generations...Mercer attended school in Savannah, socialized there, and maintained ties to the city throughout his life. He is buried at Bonaventure Cemetery in Savannah."
New Georgia Encyclopedia — Johnny Mercer  ·  open source ↗
DEED Research Status: Address unconfirmed · Fourth-generation family · Census records likely rich · High priority
Literature / Poet
Conrad Aiken
Pulitzer Prize-winning poet and author. Born in Savannah in 1889. Left at age 11 following the deaths of his parents. Returned to live in Savannah in the 1960s until his death in 1973. His childhood home at 228 East Oglethorpe Avenue is now the Conrad Aiken House.
● Born in Savannah ● Left at age 11 ● Returned — lived in Savannah 1960s–1973
Born in Savannah Yes
Editor's note. Born in Savannah 1889. Left at age 11 after the deaths of both parents — his father killed his mother then himself. He was raised by relatives in Massachusetts. He returned to Savannah in the 1960s and lived there until his death in 1973. His early childhood home is documented. Complex connection — early childhood in Savannah, formative years elsewhere, returned as an elder.
DEED Research Status: Childhood home confirmed — 228 East Oglethorpe Avenue · Story pending · Extraordinary personal history
Journalism / Publisher
Robert Sengstacke Abbott
Founder and publisher of the Chicago Defender, one of the most influential Black newspapers in American history. Born on St. Simons Island. Raised in the Savannah suburbs of Yamacraw and Woodville. Attended Beach Institute in Savannah.
● Born St. Simons Island ● Grew up in Savannah area ● Lived in Savannah
Grew Up / Raised in Savannah Area Yes
Editor's note. Born on St. Simons Island — not Savannah. Raised in the Savannah suburbs of Yamacraw and Woodville, which connects directly to the Yamacraw Burial Ground documented in DEED History story 017. Attended Beach Institute in Savannah. Included as a Savannah-area figure. His Yamacraw connection to DEED's existing research is significant.
DEED Research Status: Yamacraw connection confirmed · Address research pending · Connects to DEED story 017 — Yamacraw Burial Ground
Methodology & Source Hierarchy

This page applies a deliberately conservative standard. "Born in" alone does not count as "grew up in." To qualify as grew up in Savannah, an entry needs either explicit childhood or youth language — "raised in," "grew up in," "spent his childhood in" — from an authoritative source, or documentation of a substantial childhood residence in Savannah confirmed by primary sources.

Where a source uses ambiguous language, an Editor's note explains the determination. All source quotations are preserved exactly as written.

Source Hierarchy
  1. Primary authoritative — New Georgia Encyclopedia, official museums (Flannery O'Connor Childhood Home, Juliette Gordon Low Birthplace), Girl Scouts of the USA, university library guides.
  2. Reference works — Britannica, Wikipedia (used for cross-reference), official foundation biographies.
  3. Secondary / industry — IMDB biographies, TCM, AllMusic, tourism-board pages.
Compiled for deedhistory.com  ·  Source quotations are reproduced for editorial reference; copyrights remain with their respective publishers.  ·  Last reviewed May 2026.