Famous Missoulians

Missoula is a western city in Montana state; it’s known for its blue-ribbon trout fishing and spectacular natural beauty. The second largest city in the state, Missoula is a university city that offers a surprisingly diverse range of cultural attractions and entertainment. For instance, there are 5 local casinos here, and you can legally get your portion of adrenaline at the Las Atlantis online casino as well. It is also a perfect base for exploring Montana’s most exciting landscapes.

However, the city does not come to mind in connection with Hollywood, actors, singers, or any other celebrities, yet it is home to many of them. In this article, we collected information and created a list of famous Missoulians you probably didn’t know about:

9 Famous Missoulians

1. David Lynch – Director

David Lynch is an American director, screenwriter, painter, musician, and philosopher. He is considered one of the most eccentric and controversial filmmakers of all time.

David Lynch was born in Missoula on January 20, 1946. As a child, the director dreamed of a career as an artist-painter. From 1970, Lynch attended the Center for Advanced Film Studies of the American Film Institute, where he made his first full-length film. As a mature artist, he was appreciated and recognized by the American film community very soon.

In Lynch’s individual style, the light, music, and characters play the most important role. On the screen, he shows a deep connection and a very narrow line between the human subconscious, intuition, instincts, and reality. The mood of his films is quite dark and gloomy, showing the “dark side of life”. David Lynch likes to unmask his heroes and depict scenes from their secret lives – this is what happens, among others, in “Blue Velvet ” or “Wild at Heart ”.

In his films, dreams often manifest themselves as a part of reality, and it is sometimes difficult to interpret the plot. The director is most famous for his television series Twin Peaks. However, earlier, he was recognized with an Oscar nomination for the film “The Elephant Man”.

2. Dana Carvey – Comedian

Dana Carvey was born in Missoula on June 2, 1955. He is an Emmy-winning American actor, writer, and comedian known for his work as a cast member on Saturday Night Live. Carvey is also known for his film roles in comedies such as The Tough Guys, Opportunity Knocks, Trapped in Paradise, and Master of Disguise, as well as reprising his role as Garth Algar in the SNL spin-off Wayne’s World and its sequel to “Wayne” World 2″.

In 1990 and 1991, he received the American Comedy Award for TV’s Funniest Supporting Male. In 1993 Dana Carvey won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program for his performance on Saturday Night Live (SNL). Lastly, he also gave his voice to some characters during the production of “Hotel Transylvania 2” and “Secret Life of Pets” movies.

3. Aimee Allen – Singer

Aimee Allen is a musician from Los Angeles, a songwriter popularly known as the lead singer of the American punk band The Interrupters. She was born on February 2, 1982, in Missoula.

Aimee Allen’s musical career began in 2002 after she was discovered by recording producer Randy Jackson. In 2009, the singer released her first solo album, Little Happiness, which ADA / Warner Brothers produced. The album was commercially successful, reaching number 27 on the Billboard Heatseekers charts and 49 on the Billboard Hot AC charts.

In 2011, Aimee Allen teamed up with Bivonabracia – Jesse, Justin, and Kevin Bivona to form a ska/punk band called The Interrupters. Since then, the group has released over three singles and studio albums and has gone on several tours in the United States. Some of their most popular albums include The Interrupters(2014), Say It Loud (2016), and Fight the Good Fight (2018). In addition to the group, Aimee also provides soundtracks for various films such as Hairspray (2007), Prom (2008), Sorority Government (2009), Lucky (2011), and 22 Jump Street (2014).

4. Olivia Somersille – Youtube star

Olivia Somersill is a young American social media phenomenon. Olivia Somersill was born on December 11, 2002, and is now 19 years old. She is originally from Missoula, Montana, but she grew up in California. She is famous on her YouTube channel of the same name and is also available on other platforms, including Tiktok, Twitch, Snapchat, Spotify, and Instagram.

Olivia posted her first YouTube video in May 2018, and very soon, she noticed that her YouTube audience had grown to over 380,000 subscribers. In her videos, she shares her lifestyle as a schoolgirl and creates videos by acquiring school supplies, routines, beauty posts, and personal stories. Now she has over 468,000 subscribers, and her fan base is growing daily.

Speaking of her family, Olivia has a brother named Austin – he has appeared in several of Olivia’s videos on Youtube. In addition, Olivia Somersill is considered a young social media personality for the profession.

5. Jesse Tyler Ferguson – TV actor

Jesse Tyler was born on October 22, 1975, in Missoula (Montana, USA). Jesse decided to become an actor at the age of 8, shortly after visiting the Albuquerque Children’s Theater, where he honed his acting skills for six years since then. After graduating from high school, he moved to New York to attend the American Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts.

In 2009, Jesse Tyler Ferguson played one of the leading roles in the comedy series Modern Family. His character is a  lawyer Mitchell Pritchett who is a homosexual, and with his husband Cameron (Eric Stonestreet), he decides to adopt a newborn girl from Vietnam. This TV series helped Jesse Tyler to earn five consecutive nominations for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series and four Screen Actors Guild Awards

for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series.

He also took part in such films as Scandal in the White House (2000), Stars in short films (2012), Griffin and Phoenix: At the Edge of Happiness (2006) and others, TV series: The Passion of the Betty (2006-2010), My American Family ( 2009-2014), Love Is All Around (2010-2015), and many others.

6. Jason Lamy-Chappuis – Sportsman, Olympic champion

Jason Lamy-Chappuis was born on September 9, 1986, in Missoula, Montana. He is considered a French biathlete, Olympic champion in 2010, and multiple times World champion. He came to France at the age of four with his family, who settled in Bois-d’Amont in the Jura, practiced alpine skiing and cross-country skiing, and then discovered ski jumping. In his youth, he excelled in regional and national competitions, joined the Pôle France de ski nordique de Prémanon, and then became a member of the French team.

In 2003, he won the Olympic Youth Festival of Europe, then the OPA Cup round – aimed at young runners,  to compete in the World Cup the following year. In 2006, he achieved his first podium and World Cup victory and was 4th in the Turin Olympics in the men’s sprint. Regularly winning consecutive seasons, he won two bronze medals at the World Championships in Liberec in 2009.

He was crowned Olympic champion in 2010 at the Olympics in Vancouver on a small hill. In the same year, he won six World Cups competitions and the General classification, thus starting his reign in the discipline. In 2011 and then in 2012, he won two new Crystal Globes and his first World Title in Oslo. In 2013, he lost his first position in the world but won three gold medals and a bronze medal at the World Championships in Val di Fiemme.

Jason Lamy-Chappuis has 27 victories in the World Cup, including 26 in individual competitions, ten world medals, five gold, three classifications in the overall World Cup, and the Olympic title, one of the most significant achievements of his sports career. In January 2019 became an airline pilot at Air France.

7. Hank Green – Vlogger, writer

Hank Green is an American video blogger, internet producer, musician, writer, entrepreneur, and CEO. He is known for producing the Vlogbrothers YouTube channel, where he and his older brother John Green regularly upload videos. The Youtuber and author was born in Alabama but attended the University of Montana and remains a Missoula resident.

Hank Green has also advocated for and organized social activism, created and hosted a number of other YouTube channels and podcasts, released music albums, and amassed a large following on TikTok. He is also the co-founder of merchandise company DFTBA Records, crowdfunding platform Subbable, game company DFTBA Games, and online video production company Pemberley Digital, which produces video blog adaptations of classic novels in the public domain.

Green is the founder of the environmental technology blog EcoGeek, which evolved into Complexly, an online video and audio production company of which he is the CEO. Green also hosts the podcasts Dear Hank & John and Delete.

Green’s debut novel, “An Absolutely Remarkable Thing“, was published on September 25, 2018; its sequel, “A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor“, saw the world on July 7, 2020. Both novels debuted as New York Times Best Sellers.

8. Tommy Moe – Sportsman, Olympic champion

US Olympic gold medalist in alpine skiing. US Olympic silver medalist in alpine skiing. An athlete from Missoula, Montana. Athlete in Anchorage, Alaska. American men’s skiing. Winter Olympic Games 1998. Snowboarder at the 1992 Winter Olympics. 1994 Winter Olympics medal winner.

Thomas Sven “Tommy” Moe is a former US Alpine Skiing World Championship racer. 1994 Olympic gold and silver medalist, specializes in downhill and super G races

– American skier, Olympic champion in 1994, winner of one stage of the World Cup. Specialized in speed disciplines.

Tommy Mo made his debut in the World Cup on March 17, 1990; in March 1994, he got his only World Cup victory in his career, in the super-G. In addition, he has 6 hits in the top three at the World Cup, 4 in the downhill, and 2 in the super-G. Moe’s best achievement in the World Cup was 8th place in the 1993/94 season; the following year he suffered a knee injury and no longer showed high results.

At the 1992 Albertville Olympics, he was 20th in the downhill, 28th in the super-G, and 18th in the combination. At the 1994 Olympic Games in Lillehammer, he won two medals, became the champion in the downhill and the silver medalist in the super-G, and also took 5th place in the combination. At the 1998 Olympics in Nagano, he was 12th in the downhill and 8th in the super G. During his career he participated in three world championships; his best result was 5th place in the downhill at the 1993 World Championships.

He retired from skiing in 1998 and was inducted into the US Skiing Hall of Fame in 2003. He is currently the co-owner of a ski resort in Alaska.

9. Troy Evans – Actor

Troy Evans, born February 16, 1948, in Missoula, is known as an actor working in supporting roles. His acting career began in the late 1960s, but his television debut in the 1980s in “Hill Street Blues”, and then in the 90s we saw him, among others in “The Practice: Bobby Donnell and Associates” and “Our Beautiful Family”.

In 2000, he became an operator of the headquarters of Frank Martin in “Emergency”, where he became a recurring character by the end of the series. We also saw him in “Cheers” (TV Series 1982–1993) as a police inspector. His film career began in 1984 with “Rhinestone“. His filmography includes “Ace Ventura: Pet Detective”, “Twin Peaks”, “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas”, and “The Lawnmower Man”. His last popular role is Detective Johnson (Barrel) in Amazon’s TV series “Bosch”.