Famous People from Winnetka, Illinois

Chicago, may be best known as the setting for the NBC television drama, Sisters, and for being one of director John Hughes' favorite towns for location shooting (Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Uncle Buck, The Breakfast Club, and Sixteen Candles were all shot in Winnetka), but Winnetka, the leafy residential town of 12,000, which takes it name from "Winnetka" (a Native American word meaning "beautiful land"), has also been the hometown of some very well known people.

Donald Rumsfeld (July 9, 1932) Born in Chicago, Illinois, Donald Rumsfeld was raised in Winnetka, Illinois and graduated from New Trier High School. At the age of thirty, Rumsfeld was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from the 13^th district in Illinois. He served four terms in the House before taking a post in the Nixon Administration. In the Ford Administration, Rumsfeld was first appointed White House Chief of Staff, and then in 1975, he was confirmed as the youngest Secretary of Defense in American history. Rumsfeld served in several executive positions at the pharmaceutical company, Searle & Company from 1977 to 1985. Rumsfeld is credited with getting FDA approval of the artificial sweetener NutraSweet, which was invented at Searle. During the 1990s, Rumsfeld was a board member of the Swiss engineering company ABB, which was involved in a controversy during Rumsfeld's tenure, when the company sold nuclear technology to North Korea. In 2001, Rumsfeld became the oldest Secretary of State under George W. Bush. Rumsfeld was one of the primary architects of the controversial war in Iraq. He was compelled to resign after the 2006 elections, which were popularly seen as a public referendum of his war policies.

Rock Hudson (November 17, 1925 - October 2, 1985) Born Leroy Scherer, Jr. in Winnetka, IL the man who would become Rock Hudson graduated from New Trier High School. After serving in the Navy during WWII, he moved to Southern California with the idea of becoming an actor. Combining the geographical place-names Rock of Gibraltar and the Hudson River, the new Rock Hudson made his Hollywood debut in 1948. He would go on to become one of the screen's leading stars during the 1950s and 60s. He is particularly remembered for a series of romantic comedies he did with Doris Day, which included the iconic Pillow Talk. During the 1970s, Hudson turned to television, and stared in the very successful crime drama, MacMillan and Wife, co-starring Susan Saint James. A life long closeted gay man, Hudson's death from the AIDS virus put a public spotlight on both his homosexuality and the deadly disease from which he and thousands of others have died.

Chris O'Donnell (June 26, 1970) Born and raised in Winnetka, Illinois, Chris O'Donnell attended Loyola Academy in nearby Wilmette, Illinois. O'Donnell is a popular film actor, best known for his portrayal of Robin in Batman Forever and Batman & Robin. His first broad exposure occurred when he was cast as a young man who serves Michael Jordan a meal in a McDonald's television commercial. His first real role was playing the son of Jessica Lange in Men Don't Leave. He was only seventeen at the time. O'Donnell then went on to Boston College where he earned his degree. He would appear in popular movies such as Fried Green Tomatoes, Scent of a Woman, Circle of Friends, and The Chamber.

William Christopher (October 20, 1932) Born in Evanston, Illinois, William Christopher grew up in Winnetka, Illinois and graduated from New Trier High School. Christopher is best known for his portrayal of Father Mulcahy on the multi-award winning television series, M*A*S*H. Christopher also had recurring roles on Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C., That Girl, and Hogan's Heroes. Interestingly, Christopher is a descendent of the Revolutionary hero, Paul Revere.

Bruce Dern (June 4, 1936) Born in Chicago, Illinois, Bruce Dern grew up in Winnetka, Illinois and graduated from New Trier High School. Dern's first significant role came in 1969 in They Shoot Horses, Don't They? Dern would never go on to become a leading man, but he would establish himself has one of Hollywood's best character actors, usually psychologically unbalanced or villainous characters. Interestingly, his grandfather, George Dern was both a Governor of Utah and the Secretary of War. His uncle was the pre-eminent poet Archibald MacLeish, and his godfather was the two-time Democratic nominee for the Presidency, Adlai Stevenson. Dern was once married to Diane Ladd, and the actress Laura Dern is his daughter.