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Here are some of the most notable ones.
Sandra Bullock (actor) — "Miss Congeniality" was born in Arlington before moving abroad with her family. She returned to the area as a teenager and graduated from what is now Washington-Liberty High School.
Dave Grohl (musician) — The former Nirvana drummer and Foo Fighters frontman is synonymous with the Seattle sound, but he's Virginian at heart. Grohl grew up in Springfield and matriculated to Annandale High School before dropping out to chase his punk rock dreams. His mom, Virginia Grohl, still lives in the Washington, D.C.-area.
Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson (actor) — It's hard to say Dwayne Johnson has any fixed address. The former wrestler-turned-actor spends most of his life on movie sets, but when he's not fighting bad guys or trading jabs with comedian Kevin Hart, Johnson loves the tranquility of rural Charlottesville, where he has a horse farm. He even sometimes trains at a gym in that area where fans will share snaps of him after a workout.
Ella Fitzgerald (musician) — The First Lady of Song was born in Newport News.
Julianne Moore (actor) — One of the best actresses of her generation, Julianne Moore spent time in Falls Church. She is a military brat, so she bounced around bases for most of his life. But she attended Justice High School for a few years before moving abroad with her folks.
Patton Oswalt (comedian, actor, writer) — Patton Oswalt wasn't born in Virginia, but the "Ratatouille" star spent his formative years in Sterling. He graduated from Broad Run High School in Ashburn and fell in love with film working as an usher at an area movie theater, which is now a Planet Fitness.
Katie Couric (journalist) — Katie Couric is one of the most notable reporters and anchors of the past 30 years, but she was just a normal kid at her alma mater Yorktown High School. She was born and raised in Arlington.
Warren Beatty & Shirley MacLaine (actors, director, writers) — Possibly the most powerful sibling couple in Hollywood history — step aside Hemsworths, Warren Beatty and sister Shirley MacLaine have 20 Oscar nominations and two wins between them. But before they moved to Hollywood, they grew up in Richmond and Arlington. Both graduated from what is now Washington-Liberty High School — the same as Sandra Bullock.
Sissy Spacek (actor) — Academy Award-winner Sissy Spacek grew up in rural Texas, where she fell in love with that life. She wanted to give her children a similar upbringing. That's why she purchased a 210-acre horse farm in Albermarle County that she's called home for nearly five decades.
Dave Matthews (musician) — Squeaky-voice jam-band icon Dave Matthews grew up in Charlottesville and still has deep roots in the community. While he now calls Seattle home, Matthews has a recording studio and winery in Virginia and donates to several charitable causes in the state.
Missy Elliott (musician) — The Portsmouth native is world-famous, but she still calls the Commonwealth home. The "Supa Dupa Fly" singer owns a massive 14,000-square-foot, 25-room mansion in Virginia Beach that she showed off on an episode of "MTV Cribs."
Pharrell Williams (musician, producer) — Prolific musician and producer Pharrell Williams grew up in Virginia Beach and often talks about his love of the 757 in interviews. His Something In the Water Festival drew in thousands every year, but the "Happy" singer moved the event to Washington, D.C., this year following a family tragedy that involved the Virginia Beach police.
Tom Wolfe (author) — One of the pioneers of New Journalism, Tom Wolfe grew up in Richmond and attended Washington and Lee University in Lexington. Wolfe would travel the world as a writer, but he longed for his childhood home. “To this day I dream about that house,” he wrote in 1991.
Rob Lowe (actor) — "Parks and Recreation" and "911" star Rob Lowe grew up in Charlottesville. He lives in the Hollywood Hills today, but he added a bit of the Commonwealth to the landscape. The architecture he saw growing up in Virginia inspired the design of the home he and his wife built.
Allen Iverson (athlete) — Allen Iverson was an artist off the dribble in NBA, but at his Hampton high school, he was also known for his deep passes on the football field. The future NBA Hall of Famer was a top-rated quarterback prospect. Bethel High School recently renamed the school's gym in Iverson's honor.
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