There are famous Mormons who have stood out for their leadership, ideas, charisma or for being known for being political singers, actors or writers.
The Mormons, or the Latter-day Saint Movement, was born in the United States. The basis of his doctrine is the Bible and the Book of Mormon. This religious movement was founded by Joseph Smith in 1830. They prefer to be called"Latter-day Saints"instead of"Mormon".
Joseph Smith claims to have received visions of God and Jesus and in them they told him that the creeds of the rest of Christian churches were all false and that they had to be changed and that he was the chosen one for that transcendental mission. He had a"first vision"in 1820. In 1823 he said he had the second vision, this time of the angel Moroni. There he was told that he would find some stones with the message sent in a secret language that he could decipher.
Mormons practice polygamy, although there was a split within the church and there are groups that have abandoned this practice.
The main center of American Mormons is now in the state of Utah, especially in the city Salt Lake City. The number of Mormons has increased significantly in the last decades, due to many conversions, to their high birth rate and, above all, to polygamy. A single man can beget dozens of children and his children will do the same.
Top 39 Famous Mormons
From left to right: Brandon Flowers Mitt Romney and Anne Perry
1- Brandon Flowers
Vocalist of the well-known group"The Killers". His song"Human"is internationally known.
2- Stephenie Meyer
Writer of the saga"Twilight"and many other fantastic novels that have been adapted to the cinema.
3- Mitt Romney
Businessman, governor of Massachusetts and Republican candidate to the White House. His ascendants were also, all, Mormons. He was missionary and bishop of the church between 1981 and 1986.
4- Reg Wilkins
Professional photographer. This Londoner has worked in the world of fashion and publishing.
5- Glen Hopkinson
Famous American painter known for his motifs of the American"Far West"of the 19th century.
6- Martine Leavitt
Canadian writer of novels for young people and teacher of writing workshops.
7- Fabrizio Poli
Writer, pilot, entrepreneur and author of the famous book"Your attitude determines your altitude".
8- Anne Perry
Popular author of mystery novels set in Victorian London. More than seven million of his books have been published.
9- Brenda Novak
He writes a contemporary novel at his home in the city of Sacramento, California.
10- Samuel W. Taylor
Descendant of President John Taylor. Writer of many stories and newspaper articles for the newspapers: Saturday Evening Post, Colliers, Adventure and Squire. He also wrote books on Mormons, such as"The Last Pioneer."
From left to right: James Fletcher, Alan Sparhawk and Brooke White
eleven- James Fletcher
Director of NASA who obtained the approval to develop the project to send the man to the space.
12- David Archuleta
Young singer who has recently stopped his musical career to serve in the Christian Church of Latter-day Saints in Chile.
13- Julianne Hough
A member of the church, he does not strictly follow his norms. She is a writer, actress, singer and dancer.
14- Dean Jagger
Baptized in the Mormon Church in 1972, this American actor and professor joined the church in the last stage of his life.
15- Jon Peter
Singer born in 1950 in Nebraska. It is known as"La Voz".
16- Alan Sparhawk
A singer, guitarist and songwriter for film, this young Seattle artist recognizes that our spiritual beliefs influence everything we do in life, in knowing who we are and where we are headed.
17- Brooke White
Born in Arizona 32 years ago, is a famous American actress and singer, active member of the church.
18- Harry Reid
A 76-year-old lawyer and politician, he is now a senator in the United States.
19- Todd Christensen
Famous American football player in the 70's and 80's. He's been a Mormon since childhood.
From left to right: Jack Dempsey, Torah Bright and Brigham Young
Jack Dempsey
Famous professional boxer, born in 1895 in Manassa, Colorado. He was baptized in the Mormon faith at the age of eight. Dempsey wrote,"I'm proud to be a Mormon, but I'm ashamed to be the Mormon Jack that I am,"accusing himself of not following the Mormon principles with fervor.
21- Danny Ainge
Very well known basketball player of the NBA. He is currently a coach.
22- Shawn Bradley
Another famous player of the NBA, born in Landstuhl, Germany.
23- Larry Scott
One of the best professional bodybuilders in history. This New Yorker won the prestigious title of Mr. Olympia in 1965 and 1966. He was known as"The Legend". Scott was a devout Mormon. He studied electronics at California Air College. He won many national and international titles as a bodybuilder. In his later years, he lived in Salt Lake City (Utah).
24- Peter Vidmar
Olympic gymnast who participated in the North American team.
25- Torah Bright
Australian snowboarder, born in Cooma. He currently practices in Salt Lake City.
Bruce Hurst
Famous baseball player and devout Mormon.
Bryce Harper
Professional baseball player.
28- Brigham Young
Second prophet and seer of the Mormon church. It is known as the"American Moses"since, like the Biblical Moses, it led the first members of the Church of Jesus Christ during the difficult exodus by the United States to reach their promised land. The route to the northwest was called: The Mormon Way.
He is also known as"The Lion of the Lord"because of his strong personality. He was first Methodist; Was converted to Mormonism after reading the"Book of Mormon." He joined the faith in 1832 and traveled to Canada as a missionary. He was an apostle.
Joseph Smith
29- Joseph Smith
Founder of Mormonism. He published"The Book of Mormon." He was born in Sharon, Vermont. He had a series of visions where he said he saw"two characters"(which he interpreted as God the Father and Jesus Christ) and several others. In 1830, Smith reported that he found some gold tablets. He translated them thanks to the help of an angel. The translation was done in English.
That same year he organized the Church of Christ, saying that it was only the restoration of the church of the ancient Christians of origin.
In 1831, Smith and his followers moved west. They settled first in Kirtland, Ohio. Then they moved to Missouri. There were disturbances due to the teachings of his church and they had to move to Nauvoo, Illinois, where it became political and spiritual leader.
In this city, non-Mormons were infuriated by the burning of a newspaper where Smith's power and the practice of polygamy had been criticized. Smith was imprisoned in Carthage, Illinois. While there, in prison, an angry mob entered the jail and killed him.
He left many published revelations. His teachings include unique visions of God's nature, cosmology, family structure, political organization, and religious collectivism. His followers consider him a prophet comparable to the biblical Moses and Elijah.
The impact of his doctrine has drawn thousands and then millions of followers in the United States. His first wife, Emma Hale, gave him nine children during the marriage.
From left to right: Gladys Knight, Lindsey Stirling and Kelly Packard
30- Kaskade
Ryan Raddon, 41-year-old DJ who broke stereotypes of dance music. Many DJs create their music under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Kaskade, on the other hand, claims to have never proved, as a Mormon, any psychotropic substance.
31- Win and Will Butlery
Win and Will Butlery, from the group"Arcade Fire". Awarded a Grammy, they recognize being Mormons from childhood, although they say they do not feel the religion as when they were children. They thank their parents for allowing them that freedom.
32- Gladys Knight
The"empress of soul". Recognized Mormon who entered the Church of the Saints of the Last Days in 1997, after divorcing her third husband. From there, the music of his choirs would have letters of Mormon theme.
33- Orrin Hatch
American senator with prominent positions in the church, having served as bishop at times.
34- Lindsey Stirling
Violinist from Santa Ana, California.
35- A.J. Cook
Known Canadian actress famous for her role in the series"Criminal Minds".
36- Ricky Schroder
He has been part of the entertainment world for the rest of his life. He married the Mormon Andrea Bernard in 1992. Ricky was reluctant to the Mormon Church, not interested in being a part of it.
In 2008 he confessed in an interview the following:"I was convinced that I did not need religion in my life. I thought the people of the church wanted to be my friend because of my fame, that classic paranoia that we have always famous. I could not understand that they were happy, for no other reason, nor that they sincerely care for my well-being.
He surprised his wife one day, after eight years of marriage, when he told her that he wanted to be baptized. His father-in-law baptized him in April 2000. Later he would say:
"It was the best decision I ever made in my life apart from marrying Andrea. The transcendent question I asked myself was whether Jesus was the son of God, whether He was real, and whether the Book of Mormon was true."
37- Gordon Jump
Known for his role as"Big Guy"in the TV series of the WKRP chain. He began to wonder about religion when he had to play a role on Mormons at Nathan and Ruth Hale's Californian theater.
The Hale son-in-law, Alan Dietlein, gave Jump a copy of the book"A Wonderful Work and a Prodigy"by Mormon LeGrand Richards. After reading it, Jump would enter the Mormon Church in the 1960s.
38- Kelly Packard
American actress and mother of four children. She started in Hollywood very young, as a guest actress for cameos or with supporting roles in television shows like"The Wonder Years"or"Blossom". He is known for his role in"California Dreams"as Tiffany Smith.
Kelly entered the Mormon church as a teenager and, in 1997, married a Mormon temple with Darrin Privett. In an interview he talked about his habits of life in the home:
"We do not allow anything alcohol, coffee, tea or tobacco at home. We have rules. We limit television hours to children and monitor the programs they watch. We also control your dress. I want them to grow up as children, and I do not want them to be exposed to certain influences ahead of time."
39- Arthur Kane
Rock band"New York Dolls". One day, watching TV, he saw his bandmate who had a role in the movie he was watching. A fit of jealousy came on him so hard that he was in uncontrolled anger.
The crisis ended in suicide attempt. He threw himself out the window. I lived on a third floor. But he could not kill himself because an awning saved his life.
While recovering from minor injuries in a hospital, he saw an ad offering a free copy of the Book of Mormon. He asked the nurses, who took him away. He read it and he became.
He was baptized in 1989 and left drugs and rock.
References
- 15 famous Mormons (mormon.sud.org)
- Ranker (Inside Mormonism)
- LSD Living (8 Famous People Who Became Mormons)