Jazz Age Stars:
Famous People in the 1920s

Famous people in the 1920s were the brightest stars of a changing world of celebrity

Louise Brooks Reading

With the rise of the mass media, the attraction of the silver screen, books, sports, and Broadway shows, for some fame was byproduct of living life in the 1920s.

With the rapid social change and the rise of popular fashion and culture, the fabric of the United States became more diverse and interesting.

Beautiful stars like Louise Brooks, Clara Bow, and Gloria Swanson graced the silver screens and the golden stages of Broadway Shows like the queens of a “New Age”.

All became the legends of Hollywood, style, and modern fashion, as much for their intelligence and vibrancy as their beauty.

Famous Women of the 1920s

They also gave women new role models: the strong independent woman who is capable of taking care of herself, asserting her sexuality, and making a living at the same time.

With the spread of notoriety and fame, women like:

• Louise Brooks -- Dancer and Movie Star
• Gloria Swanson -- Movie Star
• Coco Chanel -- Celebrity Fashion Designer
• Zelda Sayre -- Famous Flapper (wife of F. Scott Fitzgerald)
• Josephine Baker -- Entertainer

Josephine Baker Entertaining

These were the “IT” girls: the most famous people in the 1920s.

At the same time, many men were becoming famous for their exploits around the globe. . . from sports to music, people were making names for themselves.

From the baseball diamond to the science lab, men were becoming famous for their accomplishments.

Some of the famous men of the 1920s:

• Charles Lindbergh -- Famous Aviator and adventurer
• Al Capone -- Famous Gangster
• F. Scott Fitzgerald -- Self-proclaimed "Flapper King" & Author of The Great Gatsby
• Jack Dempsey -- Boxer
• Babe Ruth -- Baseball Player and unofficial King of New York
• Albert Einstein -- Famous Scientist
• Al Jolson -- Entertainer and Movie Star
• Charlie Chaplin -- “The most famous person who ever lived” (at least in the 1920s)
• Duke Ellington -- Musician and band leader at “The Cotton Club”

Charlie Chaplin - Known as "the Most Famous Man Who Ever Lived"

From Lindbergh’s “Spirit of Saint Louis”, Ruth’s 60 homeruns in 1927, to Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, the jazz age was a proverbial superstar's playground and a new and exciting world for the exploits of famous people in the 1920s.

The diversity of why these men and women became famous is staggering.

Capone became famous for being the most visible, powerful, and flashy gangster of all time; Louise Brooks for her flapper look, beauty, wit, and brashness, Einstein for his intelligence and ability to overcome obstacles, and Ellington for his immense talent and his ability to encapsulate the sound of the 1920s.

Yet these famous people all have something in common: The drive and vision it takes to become famous.

The 1920s are important because they really focused the concept and possibility of becoming a “self made man” (or woman) -the twenties distill the “American Dream” and reinforce that anything is possible if you have the passion and drive to fulfill your vision for the future.

There are many lessons to be learned by watching the famous people of the 1920s.

Go to the top of this Famous People in the 1920s Page

Read much more about the 1920s on our Homepage

Doing research on the 1920s? Check out this great site with articles from the Roaring 1920s!