Renowned residents
Staff reports
Many influential people have come from or live in Cobb
County.
TV & Film
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson became a Cobb County homeowner
when he closed on a 46-acre estate near Powder Springs
in October 2019. Johnson rose to fame as a WWE wrestler after
a back injury in the mid-1990s ended his NFL career, according
to IMDb.com. He has starred in movies including the 2017
“Baywatch,” 2016’s “Moana” and is attached to a number of
other projects in pre-production. Johnson’s estate was listed for
sale in early 2021.
“America’s sweetheart” Julia Roberts hails from Smyrna, while
another Academy Award-winning actress, Joanne Woodward,
moved to Marietta when she was in second grade and attended
Marietta High School. Woodward would go on to marry actor
Paul Newman.
Actress and comedian Brett Butler, best known for starring in
the sitcom “Grace Under Fire,” is a Marietta native.
Actor Lucas Till, who played superhero Havok in Marvel’s
X-Men series and the titular secret agent in the “MacGyver” TV
remake, is a graduate of Kell High School and lived in Kennesaw.
West Cobb meteorologist Jen Carfagno, better known as the
“dewpoint diva” appears on The Weather Channel, which has its
headquarters in Cumberland.
Food guru and TV personality Alton Brown lives in Marietta
and shot in town for the “Good Eats” comeback “Good Eats:
The Return.”
Alan Ball, an award-winning writer, director and producer
perhaps best known for writing “American Beauty” and creating
“Six Feet Under” and “True Blood,” was born in Marietta. So
was Robert Patrick, an actor best known for his villainous roles,
such as the T-1000 in “Terminator 2.”
Lennon Parham, an actress and comedian from the Upright
Citizens Theater, was born in Marietta. She is best known for her
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roles in “Horrible Bosses 2” and “Confessions of a Shopaholic.”
Ty Pennington, best known as the host changing people’s
houses and lives on “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition,” attended
Sprayberry High School in east Cobb before studying at
Kennesaw State University.
Filmmaker Chris Wyatt, best known for producing the
comedy “Napoleon Dynamite,” is a graduate of Marietta’s
Walker School.
Jeff Small, co-chief executive officer and president of Amblin
Partners and Dreamworks, is a Marietta native.
Arts & Culture
Country superstar and Marietta native Travis Tritt began
writing music while attending Sprayberry High School. His
family has deep Cobb roots — Post Oak Tritt Road and Tritt
Elementary School, both in east Cobb, were named for his
grandfather, Will Tritt.
Budding country music star Zach Seabaugh got his start in
Marietta before attaining fame on “The Voice.” In 2019, Cobb
native Carter Horne, a graduate of Sprayberry High School,
competed on “The Voice” and in the next season later that year,
Alex Guthrie of Marietta appeared on the show.
Pop singer and songwriter Jennifer Paige also got her
start in her hometown of Marietta, where she sang in local
restaurants and coffee shops. Guitarist Robin Finck started
in Marietta and went on to play with bands including Nine
Inch Nails and Guns N’ Roses.
Lil Nas X, or Montero Lamar Hill, grew up for much of his
childhood in Austell with his dad. The rapper known for the
country rap hit “Old Town Road” worked at Six Flags while he
was developing his music career.
Rapper Miles Parks McCollum, better known as Lil Yachty,
hails from Mableton.
Music producer Michael Len Williams II, better known as
Mike Will Made It, was born in Marietta and went on to produce
records by acts including Kendrick Lamar, Beyonce and
Miley Cyrus.
COMMUNITY
Julia Roberts
photo: Dale Robinette
Alan Ball
photo: HBO/Getty Images/TNS
Travis Tritt
photo: AP Photo/Mark Humphrey
Lil Naz X
photo: Myung J. Chun/Los Angeles Times/TNS
Mac Powell
photo: Robb D. Cohen/Invision/AP
/IMDb.com