Today there are about 80,000 people living in the Keys. That’s not a lot of people, but the laid back atmosphere, fishing, diving, weather and beautiful sunsets attract many celebrities, at least for awhile. Although many of them have passed on, it’s entirely possible that the islands may have served them with the inspiration or relaxation, that allowed them to perfect their craft.
Here is a list of some of the Keys more famous residents, past and present…
Ernest Hemingway – (July 21, 1899 – July 2, 1961) was an American novelist, short story writer, and journalist. Hemingway produced most of his work between the mid-1920s and the mid-1950s, and won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1954. He published seven novels, six short story collections, and two non-fiction works. Additional works, including three novels, four short story collections, and three non-fiction works, were published posthumously. Many of his works are considered classics of American literature.
Tennessee Williams – (March 26, 1911 – February 25, 1983) was an American playwright. Along with Eugene O’Neill and Arthur Miller he is considered among the three foremost playwrights in 20th-century American drama.
Kelly McGillis – is an American actress. She has found fame for her acting roles in several films since the 1980s including: her role as Rachel Lapp in Witness (1985) with Harrison Ford, for which she received Golden Globe and BAFTA nominations, the role of Charlie in the huge blockbuster hit Top Gun (1986) with Tom Cruise, and the role of attorney Kathryn Murphy in The Accused (1988), with Jodie Foster.
Jimmy Buffet – is an American musician, songwriter, author, actor, and businessman. He is best known for his music, which often portrays an “island escapism” lifestyle. Together with his Coral Reefer Band, Buffett has recorded hit songs including “Margaritaville” (ranked 234th on the Recording Industry Association of America’s list of “Songs of the Century”) and “Come Monday”. He has a devoted base of fans known as “Parrotheads”.
David Allen Coe – is an American songwriter, outlaw country music singer, and guitarist who achieved popularity in the 1970s and 1980s. As a singer, his biggest hits were “Mona Lisa Lost Her Smile”, “The Ride”, “You Never Even Called Me by My Name”, “She Used to Love Me a Lot”, and “Longhaired Redneck”. His best-known compositions are the No. 1 successes “Would You Lay With Me (In a Field of Stone)” (which was also recorded by Tanya Tucker) and “Take This Job and Shove It” (which was later recorded by Johnny Paycheck and inspired a hit movie; both Coe and Paycheck had minor parts in the film).
Calvin Klein – is an American fashion house founded by the fashion designer.
Shel Silverstein – September 25, 1930 – May 10, 1999) was an American poet, singer-songwriter, cartoonist, screenwriter, and author of children’s books. He styled himself as Uncle Shelby in some works. Translated into more than 30 languages, his books have sold over 20 million copies. He was the recipient of two Grammy Awards, as well as a Golden Globe and Academy Award nominee. He wrote the famous children’s book The Giving Tree, first produced in 1973.
Judy Blume – is an American writer known for children’s and young adult fiction. Some of her best known works are Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret (1970), Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing (1972), Deenie (1973), and Blubber (1974). The New Yorker has called her books “talismans that, for a significant segment of the American female population, marked the passage from childhood to adolescence.”
Truman Capote – (September 30, 1924 – August 25, 1984) was an American novelist, screenwriter, playwright, and actor, many of whose short stories, novels, plays, and nonfiction are recognized as literary classics, including the novella Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1958) and the true crime novel In Cold Blood (1966), which he labeled a “nonfiction novel”. At least 20 films and television dramas have been produced of Capote novels, stories, and plays.
John James Audubon – (born Jean Rabin; April 26, 1785 – January 27, 1851) was an American ornithologist, naturalist, and painter. He was notable for his extensive studies documenting all types of American birds and for his detailed illustrations that depicted the birds in their natural habitats. His major work, a color-plate book entitled The Birds of America (1827–1839), is considered one of the finest ornithological works ever completed. Audubon identified 25 new species.
Mel Fisher – (August 21, 1922 – December 19, 1998) was an American treasure hunter best known for finding the 1622 wreck of the Nuestra Señora de Atocha in the waters off Key West, with cargo including gold, silver, emeralds and religious relics worth over 400 million dollars.
Harry Truman – (May 8, 1884 – December 26, 1972) was an American politician who served as the 33rd President of the United States (1945–53), assuming the office upon the death of Franklin D. Roosevelt during the waning months of World War II. He is known for launching the Marshall Plan to rebuild the economy of Western Europe, for leading the Cold War against Soviet and Chinese communism by establishing the Truman Doctrine and NATO, and for intervening in the Korean War.
Winslow Homer – (February 24, 1836 – September 29, 1910) was an American landscape painter and printmaker, best known for his marine subjects. He is considered one of the foremost painters in 19th-century America and a preeminent figure in American art.
Ralph Lauren – is an American fashion designer, philanthropist, and business executive, best known for the Ralph Lauren Corporation, a global multibillion-dollar enterprise. He has also become well known for his collection of rare automobiles, some of which have been displayed in museum exhibits. Lauren stepped down as Chief Executive Officer of the company in September 2015 but remains its Executive Chairman and Chief Creative Officer. As of October 2016, Forbes estimates his wealth at $5.5 billion, which makes Ralph Lauren the 233rd richest person in the world.
Robert Frost – (March 26, 1874 – January 29, 1963) was an American poet. His work was initially published in England before it was published in America. He is highly regarded for his realistic depictions of rural life and his command of American colloquial speech. His work frequently employed settings from rural life in New England in the early twentieth century, using them to examine complex social and philosophical themes. One of the most popular and critically respected American poets of the twentieth century, Frost was honored frequently during his lifetime, receiving four Pulitzer Prizes for Poetry.
David Robinson – is an American former professional basketball player, who played center for the San Antonio Spurs in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for his entire career. Based on his prior service as an officer in the United States Navy, Robinson earned the nickname “The Admiral”.
Kenny Chesney – is an American country music singer, songwriter and record producer. He has recorded 20 albums, 14 of which have been certified Gold or higher by the RIAA. He has also produced more than 40 top 10 singles on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs and Country Airplay charts, 29 of which have reached number one on the charts. Most of these have also charted high within the top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100 chart, making him one of the few successful crossover country artists. He has sold over 30 million albums worldwide.
Divine – (October 19, 1945 – March 7, 1988), was an American actor, singer and drag queen. Closely associated with the independent filmmaker John Waters, Divine was a character actor, usually performing female roles in cinematic and theatrical appearances, and adopted a female drag persona for his music career.
O.J. Simpson – nicknamed The Juice, O.J. is a former American football running back, broadcaster, actor, and notorious as a suspect in the murder of his former wife Nicole Simpson and a friend Ron Godberg. He has since been convicted of armed robbery and kidnapping, and is currently imprisoned.
Jimmy Johnson – is an American football broadcaster and former player, coach, and executive. He served as the head football coach at Oklahoma State University–Stillwater from 1979 to 1983 and the University of Miami from 1984 to 1988. Johnson then moved to the National Football League (NFL), serving as head coach of the Dallas Cowboys from 1989 to 1993, winning two Super Bowls with the team, both against the Buffalo Bills, and the Miami Dolphins from 1996 to 1999. As of 2016, he is an analyst for Fox NFL Sunday, the Fox network’s NFL pregame show for the NFL games and owns a popular restaurant and sport bar in Key Largo.
Tom Selleck – is an American actor and film producer. He is known for starring as private investigator Thomas Magnum in the television series Magnum, P.I. (1980–1988). He also plays Police Chief Jesse Stone in a series of made-for-TV movies based on Robert B. Parker novels. Since 2010, he has also been a primary cast member as NYPD Commissioner Frank Reagan in the drama Blue Bloods on CBS.
John Cougar Mellencamp – is an American musician, singer-songwriter, painter, and actor. He is known for his catchy, populist brand of heartland rock, which emphasizes traditional instrumentation. Mellencamp rose to superstardom in the 1980s while “honing an almost startlingly plainspoken writing style that, starting in 1982, yielded a string of Top 10 singles,” including “Hurts So Good,” “Jack & Diane,” “Crumblin’ Down,” “Pink Houses,” “Lonely Ol’ Night,” “Small Town,” “R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A.,” “Paper in Fire,” and “Cherry Bomb.”
Nolan Ryan – is a former Major League Baseball (MLB) pitcher and a previous chief executive officer (CEO) of the Texas Rangers. He is currently an executive adviser to the owner of the Houston Astros.
Ted Williams – (August 30, 1918 – July 5, 2002) was an American professional baseball player and manager. He played his entire 19-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career as a left fielder for the Boston Red Sox from 1939 to 1960, excepting service time during World War II and the Korean War. Nicknamed “The Kid”, “The Splendid Splinter”, “Teddy Ballgame”, “The Thumper” and “The Greatest Hitter Who Ever Lived”, Williams is regarded as one of the greatest players in baseball history.
Frank Gifford – (August 16, 1930 – August 9, 2015) was an American football player and television sports commentator. After a 12-year playing career as a halfback and flanker for the New York Giants of the National Football League (NFL), he was a play-by-play announcer and commentator for 27 years on ABC’s Monday Night Football.
Kathie Lee Gifford – is an American television host, singer, songwriter, comedian, and actress, best known for her 15-year run (1985–2000) on the talk show Live! with Regis and Kathie Lee, which she co-hosted with Regis Philbin. She has received 11 Daytime Emmy nominations and won her first Daytime Emmy in 2010 as part of the Today team.
