Designers

• Marc Davis - animator and one of Disney's Nine Old Men, born in Bakersfield ^{[1] [2]}
• Poy Gum Lee - architect, died in Bakersfield ^[3]

Visual artists

• Greg Colson - visual artist ^{[4] [5]}
• Tyrus Wong - calligrapher, artist, animator, married in 1937 in Bakersfield ^{[6] [7] [8]}

Film, television, actors, models

• Ana Lily Amirpour - filmmaker, director, writer ^{[13] [14]}
• Noah Beery - actor
• Robert Beltran - actor ^{[15] [16]}
• Justin Berry - former teenage webcam pornographer and public speaker ^{[17] [18] [19]}
• Kelli Garner - actress ^{[20] [21]}
• Frank Gifford - television sportscaster, college and professional football player ^{[22] [23]}
• Justin Gordon - actor, producer, artist ^{[24] [25]}
• Fay Helm - actress
• Brian Hooks - actor, Soul Plane, Three Strike
• Nathan Jung - actor, martial artist, stunt coordinator ^{[26] [27]}
• Dalene Kurtis - model, former Playboy Playmate of the Year
• Joanne Linville - actress ^{[28] [29]}
• Guy Madison - actor ^{[30] [31]}
• Wayne Mallory - actor
• Roger Mathey - theatrical director, actor, playwright, producer
• Derek Mears - actor and stuntman
• Michelle St. John - actress, singer, director, producer
• Sigrid Valdis - actress ^[32]
• Anjelika Washington - actress, Stargirl, Tall Girl ^[33]

Musicians

• David Benoit - jazz pianist ^{[34] [35]}
• Jo Ann Castle - pianist, The Lawrence Welk Show ^[36]
• Brandon Cruz - punk musician and former child actor ^{[37] [38]}
• Merle Haggard - singer, Country Music Hall of Fame inductee ^{[39] [40]}
• Michael Lockwood - guitarist and music producer
• Kareem Lopez - musician
• Mary Osborne - jazz guitarist ^{[41] [42]}
• Buck Owens - singer, musician Country Music Hall of Fame inductee ^{[43] [44]}
• Gregory Porter - singer ^{[45] [46]}
• Gloria Roe - composer, pianist and singer ^[47]
• Sheléa - singer-songwriter ^{[48] [49]}
• Lawrence Tibbett - baritone of the New York Metropolitan Opera ^{[50] [51]}
• Grant Whitson - drummer for Arlington ^[52]

Olympics

• Kamren Larsen - Pan American Games gold medalist BMX racing at 2023 Pan American Games ^{[87] [88]}
• Jake Varner - Olympic gold medalist wrestler at 2012 London Games ^{[89] [90]}
• Gabe Woodward - Olympic bronze medalist 4 × 100 relay at 2004 Athens Games ^{[91] [92]}

Baseball

• Larry Barnes - California Angels first baseman
• Corbin Burnes - Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher ^{[93] [94]}
• Johnny Callison - Philadelphia Phillies right fielder ^{[95] [96]}
• Phil Dumatrait - Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher, first-round draft pick ^{[97] [98]}
• Jack Hiatt - catcher
• Leon Lee - Nippon Professional Baseball player and manager
• Colby Lewis - Texas Rangers pitcher, first-round draft pick ^{[99] [100]}
• William "Buckshot" May - Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher ^{[101] [102]}
• Brent Morel - Chicago White Sox third baseman
• Kurt Miller - pitcher for Florida Marlins and Chicago Cubs ^[103]
• Steve Ontiveros - infielder for San Francisco Giants and Chicago Cubs
• Dave Rader - catcher
• Rick Sawyer - pitcher for the New York Yankees and San Diego Padres ^{[104] [105]}
• Todd Walker - second baseman
• Bruce Walton - pitcher for Montreal Expos, pitching coach for Toronto Blue Jays ^{[106] [107]}
• Allan Winans - pitcher ^{[108] [109]}
• Jake Woods - Seattle Mariners pitcher ^{[110] [111]}

Basketball

• Nikki Blue - New York Liberty guard (WNBA) ^{[112] [113]}
• Fred Boyd - NBA player ^{[114] [115]}
• Chris Childs - ABA/NBA guard (1989–2003; New Jersey Nets, New York Knicks, Toronto Raptors)
• Erica McCall - WNBA player
• J. R. Sakuragi (formerly J.R. Henderson) - player for Memphis Grizzlies ^{[116] [117]}
• Lonnie Shelton - Seattle SuperSonics all-star ^{[118] [119]}
• Robert Swift - Tokyo Apache (Japan) center ^{[120] [121]}
• Tyrone Wallace - Los Angeles Clippers guard ^{[122] [123]}

Football

Motorsports

• Kevin Harvick - NASCAR driver, 2007 Daytona 500 winner and 2014 Sprint Cup Series champion ^{[124] [125]}
• Casey Mears - NASCAR driver ^{[126] [127]}
• Rick Mears - 4-time Indianapolis 500 winner ^{[128] [129]}
• Roger Mears - Baja 1000 winner
• Blaine Perkins - NASCAR driver
• Ryan Reed - NASCAR driver ^{[130] [131]}
• Bruce Sarver - NHRA champion ^{[132] [133]}
• George Snider - 22-time competitor, Indianapolis 500 ^{[134] [135]}

Boxing

• Ruben Castillo - WBO and NABO lightweight champion, WBC featherweight and super featherweight contender ^[136]
• Michael Dallas, Jr. - Golden Gloves silver medalist, light welterweight contender ^{[137] [138]}
• Jack Johnson - first African-American heavyweight champion, member of World Boxing Hall of Fame
• Jerry Quarry - national Golden Gloves champion, heavyweight professional boxer, fought Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier
• Mike Quarry - light-heavyweight professional boxer ^{[139] [140]}

Track & field

• Lonnie Spurrier - middle-distance runner, Olympian (1956), set world's record in the half-mile run in 1955 ^{[141] [142]}

Soccer

• Quincy Amarikwa - forward ^{[143] [144]}
• Esteban Arias - defender ^{[145] [146] [147]}
• Cami Privett - former NWSL soccer player for the Houston Dash ^{[148] [149]}