I've been doing some research about famous Witnesses. Some were raised and eventually left, while others came in as adults. They range from sports players, musicians, and entertainers. I wonder how many other Witnesses there are that make good money. Maybe there are some young ones that have talent in one area or another. Doctors, scientists, etc. I like to see some that develop their talent and don't let others sway them or condemn them to lead lives that they wouldn't be truly content with. Balance is the key.
Famous Witnesses
by startingover13 28 Replies latest jw friends
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Terry
The first so-called celebrity I heard about when I was about 13 and just starting to attend the Kingdom Hall was
a pulp detective writer named Mickey Spillane whose first bestseller ends with Mike Hammer shooting a woman in the stomach.
My first thought was, "Hmmm, cool!"
The next celebrity I heard was a JW was David Nelson of the Ozzie and Harriet show.
Then, there was a dry spell for a long while until a black actress who had a TV show named Teresa Graves, Get Christy Love.
Here is a pretty extensive list pulled from Danny Haszard's site:
- LIST by Lady Lee
- Gregg Alexander - The New Radicals' lead singer; raised by mother
- Papa Dee Allen of the 70s-80s rock group War. Passed away during a concert
- Peter Andre - Inactive - Singer raised in Australia, presently living in London with wife pin up model *Jordan
- George Benson - Active - musician
- Maurizio Bianchi - Musician
- Cheryl Bradley - Executive Housekeeper
- Ivana Brkic - Croatian Musician
- Richard Cameron- Dutch Musician
- Naomi Campbell - Inactive - Model -
- Valerie Campbell - Active - model - Mother of Naomi Campbell
- Tom Edur - Former NHLice hockey player.
- Ida Eisenhower mother of Dwight President of USA - Inactive - Politician Meetings were held in his family home. It makes sense that he probably attended some of those. He was never baptized as a JW. His father stopped attending around 1914/1915 when Dwight was about 24 or 25. Dwight graduated from West Point in 1915.
- Kid Gavilan - welterweight champion boxer; elected to boxing Hall of Fame in 1990 (convert to JWs)
- Larry Graham - Active - Musician - Sly & the Family Stone
- Danny Granger - professional basketball player (Indiana Pacers)
- Teresa Graves - actress, star of TV movie and TV series "Get Christie Love!" (convert to JWs)
- Gary Gygax - Co-creator of Dungeons & Dragons.
- Geri Halliwell - Inactive - Musician - Spice Girls
- Roy Harper - songwriter, musician (raised)
- Anthony Henderson - Famous quick tongued rap artist
- Dave Hill - musician, Lead Guitarist and back vocals for Slade (convert)
- Kim Holland - Dutch porn star (former JW)
- Terrence Howard - actor; Ray, Hustle & Flow, etc.
- The Jackson Family-- We all know about the Jackson family. I think the only ones who are still JW is the mother, oneof the older sisters, Rebbie. Mother/grandmother Katherine has been seen taking Michael's 3 kids to the hall.
- Lord Jamar of the band Nubians - Inactive - Musician
- JaRule - Inactive - Musician
- Scott Johnson - Actor
- K-os - Canadian R&B artist ; Raised Jehovah's Witness
- Margaret Keane - Artist who said converting "changed her life."[1]
- Peter Knowles - Famous soccer player in England who quit his football career in 1970 aged 24 to join the Jehovah's Witnesses.
- Krazyzie Bone - Inactive - Musician
- La Lupe - Cuban salsa singer (convert)
- Phillip Landry - Musican
- Chet Lemon - professional baseball player (Detroit Tigers)
- Brian Locking - Bass guitarist with The Shadows for eighteen months, but left to Jehovah's Witnesses activities.
- Evelyn Mandela - first wife of South African president Nelson Mandela (convert to JWs)
- Hank Marvin - Active - Musician
- Mark McCumber - professional golfer
- Jerry Lee Merrit, Rockabilly Hall Of Fame member
- Dave Meyers - professional basketball player (Los Angeles Lakers in 1970s and later for the Milwaukee Bucks)
- Thelonius Monk: Musician
- Rene Montes de Oca Martija - dissident human-rights activist in Cuba (son of JW)
- Van Morrison. He was taken to the Kingdom Hall as a child by his mother.
- Miki Nakatani - Japanese Actress, Raised as a Jehovah's Witness
- Dave Mustaine of the band Megadeth - Inactive - Musician
- Gloria Naylor - novelist, author of The Women of Brewster Place (1982, American Book Award)
- Viv Nicholson - famous London lottery winner in 1961. She then became a devout JW.
- Evelyn Ntoko (first wife of Nelson Mandela
- Mark O'Meara,golfer
- Rustom Padilla - Filipino movie star
- Angelo Palego - leader of team searching for Noah's Ark
- Dave Pear - NFL professional football player for Colts, Buccaneers, and Raiders (convert)
- Shont'e Peoples - professional football player (Saskatchewan Roughriders); convert to JWs
- Selena Quintanilla Perez - Tejano singer; raised Jehovah's Witnesses
- Prince - Active or inactive? - Musician
- Nemesis Rising - Jacob and Joshua - Inactive
- Herman Pizzanelli - leading Uruguayan concert guitarist in the 1960s (convert to JWs)
- Ken Richmond - The man who banged the gong in the Rank Organisation film logo from 1955 onward.
- Michelle Rodriguez - Inactive actress, Lost
- Solveig Romero - Mexico and Switzerland, Actress and wife of Martin Campbell, the director of James Bond Casino RoyaleMiu Sakamoto - Japanese Singer,
- John Salley raised a JW
- Travis Scott - NFL football player for Rams (raised JW)
- Jill Scott - R&B/neo-soul singer-poet raised a JW
- Selena - Tejano singer (Selena Quintanilla)
- Maher Shalal Hash Baz - Japanese musician, name comes from the Book of Isaiah
- Sherri Shepherd - Inactive - TV presenter on The View
- Patti Smith - punk rock star
- Richard Sohl? Pianist. Died. with Patti Smith's group
- Mickey Spillane - best-selling crime novelist (convert to JWs)
- Damo Suzuki (Converted in the 1970s, current membership status uncertain)
- Carol M. Swain - political scientist; professor at Vanderbilt University; author; left the Witnesses at the age of 20, in 1975
- Bobby Tambling - English footballer
- Phil Terry - member of the 60's R&B group The Intruders.
- Jean Terrell - Replaced Diana Ross in the Supremes in 1970.
- David Thomas - songwriter/vocalist for Pere Ubu (convert to JWs)
- Akira Toriyama - Japanese Mangaka(Cartoonist), Author of Dragon Ball (Manga)
- Yoshito Usui - Japanese Mangaka, Author of Crayon Shin-chan
- Carmina Villarroel - Filipino actress
- Leo J. Volpe (1916–13 April 2000) was a draft resister and conscientious objectoras a JW during World War 2. In 1973, after leaving the Jehovah's Witnesses, he founded The Restored Israel of Yahweh, whose members believe that Volpe is the prophet Jeremiah resurrected
- Reena Virk - Canadian child murder victim
- Lark Voorhies - TV/movie actress Saved by the Bell
- Wayan Brothers and Sisters: Damon, Dwayne, Keenen, Ivory, Kim, Nadia, Marlon, Shawn - Mostly Inactive - Actors
- Lou Whitaker - professional baseball player (Detroit Tigers)
- Venus and Serena Williams - Active - tennis -- really???? active???
- Chuck Winfield - Former Trumpet player for Blood, Sweat, and Tears.
- Willie Wise - NBA professional basketball player for Seattle Super Sonics and Denver Nuggets
- Akiko Yano - Japanese Singer, Former wife of Ryuichi Sakamoto
- Hinano Yoshkawa - Inactive - Japanese Model
- XZibit - Inactive – Musician
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rebel8
I remember hearing a story about a female actress. I was told this story in the early 1980s. I thought it was about "Christie Love". I do not remember that actress, which is weird because I was so into detective shows and Laugh-In.
She had done some racy stuff in her career, not befitting a jw, which she later regretted. She began studying and was already in love with her manager or a cameraman (?) who said nothing when she talked about jws. Finally, she wanted to get baptized and told him she needed to know where he stood on the religion. He then disclosed he was into spiritism and the demons told him not to tell her. My memory is fuzzy on this so I might have the story wrong.
This story was in writing (book? interview? ragazine?).
I just did a search to see if she had written a biography or something, but I found nothing. Anyone remember this?
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Apognophos
I think that list is about 50% BS.
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NewYork44M
Rebel8
You are talking about Theresa Graves. She had her bio in the Awake and was a big deal in the black JW community.
I remember a brother stating that he saw her at a convention and that she was not nearly as pretty in real life.
Very sadly she died in a house fire.
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bigmac
i'd already heard of---years ago--most of those on the list who are UK based---so --on the balance of probabilty i'd say that list is pretty accurate. so few of them still are jw though.
Ken Richmond ( dec'd )---the man who banged the gong on Rank movies---was a circuit sevant in the UK in the late 60's. he and his wife sometimes stayed at my parents house. i met him a few times.
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cantleave
Dave Hill was never baptised but his Mrs was / is.
He still performs Merry Christmas Everyone live.
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rebel8
Thanks, NY. I just found the Awake article.
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fulano
Loesch is quite famous here.
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eva luna
Tim Burton has made a new film on Margaret Keane.
She is a noted US artist
My Mum always said she was a JW..True
She is known for the big haunted eyes of girls.
edit...I see Terry got her .
also her story is interesting