Five Famous People from Rhode Island

1. H.P. Lovecraft (1890–1937) – Master of cosmic horror; author of "The Call of Cthulhu," "At the Mountains of Madness." Born in Providence.
2. Gilbert Stuart (1755–1828) – Premier early American portraitist; painted the iconic Athenaeum portrait of George Washington (on the $1 bill). Born in Saunderstown.
3. John Chafee (1922–1999) – Governor (1963–1969), U.S. Senator (1976–1999), Secretary of the Navy; moderate Republican environmentalist. Born in Providence.
4. Claudine Gay (1970– ) – Economist, Harvard professor, and as of 2023, President of Harvard University. Born in Providence to Haitian immigrants.
5. James Woods (1947– ) – Acclaimed actor ("Salvador," "Once Upon a Time in America," "Casino"); two-time Oscar nominee. Born in Vernal, Utah but raised in Warwick, RI.

Other notables: novelist Cormac McCarthy (born in Providence), journalist Christiane Amanpour (grew up in RI), and composer George M. Cohan (Providence).