Hollywood, athletes, 'The Simpsons' and Fort Liberty: Famous connections to Army post
April marks the Month of the Military Child, and with Fort Liberty being the most populated military installation in the world, multiple people who've gone to achieve fame have lived here or had parents who served here.
From rapper J. Cole to golfer Tiger Woods and a “Simpsons” animator, here’s a look at the celebrities who’ve had a connection to the local Army post.
Michael Blake
Michael Blake, a writer and director known for the 1990 movie “Dances with the Wolves,” was born on then-Fort Bragg on July 5, 1945, according to the Internet Movie Database.
Chris and Doug Brochu
Chris Brochu, known for the Disney Channel’s original movie “Lemonade Mouth,” and his brother Doug Brochu, known for Disney shows “Sonny with a Chance,” and “So Random!” moved to Fayetteville as children, according to a 2010 interview with LA Teen Festival The Magazine.
The brothers said their father was in the military and that they lived in North Carolina for the longest amount of time, before moving to Florida.
Jeff Capel III
Jeff Capel III is a college basketball coach who’s coached at the University of Pittsburg, Duke University, Virginia Commonwealth University and the University of Oklahoma. Capel’s father, Jeff Capel II, served in the Army from 1971-1975 and was also a college basketball coach for Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia, N.C. A&T University in Greensboro and Fayetteville State University, before coaching the National Basketball League team the Fayetteville Patriots, according to a 2015 NBA article.
FROM THE ARCHIVES: Famous people who have visited Fort Liberty over the years
J. Cole
Rapper Jermaine Lamarr Cole, known as J. Cole, grew up in Fayetteville, after his Army veteran mother, Kay Cole, moved here, according to a 2016 Fayetteville Observer article.
J. Cole, who was born on a military base in Frankfurt, West Germany, told allhiphop.com in 2009 that both his parents served in the Army.
Affion Crockett
Affion "Flex" Crockett is a comedian, actor, dancer, writer, rapper and music producer who’s appeared in HBO's "Def Comedy Jam and MTV's "Wild 'n Out."
In a 2015 interview with blackamericaweb.com, Crockett described himself as an “Army brat,” and said his father served at then-Fort Bragg.
Theresa “Terri” DeWitt
Olympian Theresa “Terri” DeWitt, was born April 15,1963, at then-Fort Bragg, according to her Team USA profile. DeWitt later joined the Army in the 1980s and served at then-Fort Benning, Georgia, before earning fourth place in the 1996 Olympics’ double trap shooting competition.
Cortland Finnegan
NFL cornerback Cortland Finnegan, who’s played for the St. Louis Rams, Miami Dolphins, Carolina Panthers and New Orleans Saints, played football as a student at Anne Chesnutt Middle School, according to a February 2016 Fayetteville Observer article.
An NFL profile for Finnegan states that his mother served in the Army for 20 years.
Raymond Floyd
Professional golfer Raymond Floyd, who was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1989, was born Sept. 4, 1942, on then-Fort Bragg.
According to the Carolinas Golf Hall of Fame, Floyd’s father, L.B. Floyd, retired from the Army from Fort Bragg and later became a manager of the installation’s Stryker Golf Course.
Gallagher
The late comedian and actor Gallagher was born Leo Anthony Gallagher on July 24, 1946, at then-Fort Bragg, according to a November 2022 New York Times article.
Joshua Gorczyca
Joshua David Gorczyca, an animator for “The Simpsons” television series, the 2007 "Simpsons" movie and “SpongeBob SquarePants” movie, was born Nov. 10, 1982, at then-Fort Bragg, according to his Internet Movie Database profile.
Chris Hanburger
NFL linebacker Chris Hanburger, who played for the then-Washington Redskins, was born to an Army colonel at Fort Bragg, according to a 2021 article in the Canton, Ohio, Repository. He later joined the the Army for two years before going to college.
Sterling Hitchcock
Sterling Hitchcock, who was a pitcher for the New York Yankees and San Diego Padres, was born in Fayetteville in 1971 to an Air Force officer, according to a Fine Magazine article.
An April 2023 obituary for his late father, Don Hitchcock, states that the elder Hitchcock spent his earlier military career years in North Carolina, Maryland, New York, Mississippi, Hawaii and Florida, as he rose through the ranks as a master sergeant, was a radio operations supervisor for the Air Force and flew 92 combat missions in Southeast Asia.
Mike Lane
Hollywood sound director Mike Lane, whose work has been in the films “Minority Report,” “John Carter,” and “Avatar” was born Oct. 9, 1951, at then-Fort Bragg, according to his Internet Movie Database profile.
Ernie Logan
NFL defensive tackle Ernie Logan, who’s played for the New York Jets, Jacksonville Jaguars, Atlanta Falcons and Cleveland Browns, was born May 18, 1968, at then-Fort Bragg, according to his ESPN profile.
Lane McCray
Lane McCray, a rapper and singer known for starting the pop group La Bouche, was born at then-Fort Bragg and later served in the Air Force, according to a 2018 interview with WECT.
LeCharls McDaniel
NFL cornerback and coach LeCharls McDaniel, who’s played for the then-Washington Redskins, and New York Giants and was a member of Washington’s Super Bowl XVII champion team, was born Oct. 15, 1958, at then-Fort Bragg, according to his University of California biography.
Mark Mercer
Mark Mercer, who was an MLB pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates and Texas Rangers, was born May 22, 1954, at then-Fort Bragg, according to his MLB profile.
Julianne Moore
Actress Julianne Moore, an Emmy, Academy and Golden Globe winner known for appearing in the movies “Boogie Nights,” “The Lost World: Jurassic Park,” The Big Lebowski,” and “Hunger Games” film series, was born Dec. 3, 1960, at then-Fort Bragg.
Her father, Peter Moore Smith, was an Army paratrooper, colonel and military judge, according to Moore’s Internet Movie Database profile.
Joe, Larry and Jamie Morris
Joe Morris, Calvin “Larry” Morris and Jamie Morris are all former NFL running backs, with Larry Morris and Joe Morris each born at then-Fort Bragg.
Their father Earl Morris was a former Green Beret master sergeant during the Vietnam War, according to The New York Times.
Joe Morris, the eldest Morris brother, played for the New York Giants and was part of the Giants’ 1986 Super Bowl championship team.
Middle brother Larry Morris played for the Green Bay Packers.
Youngest brother Jamie Morris played for the then-Washington Redskins.
Adrian and Marques Murrell
Adrian Murrell is a former NFL running back for the New York Jets, Arizona Cardinals, then-Washington Redskins, Carolina Panthers and Dallas Cowboys.
His younger brother Marques Murrell is a former NFL linebacker for the Philadelphia Eagles, New York Jets and New England Patriots.
According to the American Overseas Historical Society, the Murrells brothers' father was Command Sgt. Maj. Angelo Murrell, identified in a 1990 field artillery bulletin as the senior enlisted leader for the 18th Field Artillery Brigade.
Xavier Nixon
Xavier Nixon is a former NFL offensive tackle who played for the then-Washington Redskins and Indianapolis Colts.
According to a 2009 Gainesville Sun article, Nixon’s mother Fotini Nixon was a master sergeant assigned to then-Fort Bragg, while his father Kenneth Nixon was a command sergeant major.
Marvin Powell
Marvin Powell Jr. was an NFL offensive tackle for the New York Jets and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
According to an October 2022 obituary posted on the Jets website, Powell was born Aug. 30, 1955 on then-Fort Bragg to Marvin Powell Sr., a retired sergeant and combat medical specialist who fought during the World War II Normandy invasion and Korean and Vietnam Wars.
Powell told the Chicago Tribune in 1987 that his father served with the 82nd Airborne Division.
Passion Richardson
Passion Richardson received the bronze medal for the 100-meter relay in the 2000 Olympics. She was born Jan. 25, 1975, on then-Fort Bragg. According to worldfit.org, her father served in the Army for 22 years.
LaToya Sanders
LaToya “Lara” Sanders is a WNBA forward-center for the Washington Mystics.
According to the Raleigh News & Observer, both her parents were in the Army.
Judith Scott
Actress Judith Scott has had roles in TV shows “Castle,” “CSI,” and “Dexter” and “Snowfall.” She was born Dec. 22, 1965, at then-Fort Bragg, according to her Internet Movie Database profile.
Sandi Shackelford
Sandi Shackelford is an actress who has been in the movie “Sleeping with the Enemy,” and TV shows “Eastbound & Down” and “Army Wives.”
She was born Nov. 5, 1950, according to her Internet Movie Database profile.
Earl Wolff
Earl Wolff is a Hoke County High School graduate and former NFL safety for the Philadelphia Eagles, Jacksonville Jaguars, then-Washington Redskins and Indianapolis Colts. According to a May 2013 Philadelphia Eagles article, Wolff’s mother, Sharon Davis, was a master sergeant in the Army National Guard.
He told Sports Illustrated in August 2016 that his mother retired after 31 years of service.
Tiger Woods
According to a 2004 Fayetteville Observer article, professional golfer Tiger Woods’ father was in Special Forces.
A June 2004 U.S. Special Operations Command article identified Woods’ father, retired Lt. Col. Earl Woods, as serving with the now-deactivated 6th Special Forces Group that used to be based at Fort Bragg.
According to a May 2020 Golf Digest article, Earl named his son after Lt. Col. Nguyen Phong, who Earl Woods served with in Vietnam and nicknamed “Tiger.”
Staff writer Rachael Riley can be reached at rriley@fayobserver.com or 910-486-3528.
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Celebrities whose parents served at Fort Liberty
