FAIRMONT — When I finally got around to seeing Woody Allen’s Oscar-nominated film “Midnight in Paris,” in which Owen Wilson plays a character who has the ability to travel back to the 1920s in Paris when the likes of Hemingway and Fitzgerald held court at Gertrude Stein’s, my ears perked up when the Zelda Fitzgerald character urged everyone to go to a club called Bricktop’s.

“That’s a West Virginian,” I said.

I looked her up to be sure. Ada “Bricktop” Smith was born in Alderson, a small town in Greenbrier and Monroe counties, and eventually became a jazz singer and nightclub owner in Paris.

I also discovered that the actual Bricktop had appeared in another Woody Allen movie, his 1983 mockumentary “Zelig,” in which she played a version of herself reminiscing about the fictional Leonard Zelig. Bricktop died a year later.

Clearly, Allen, a jazz clarinetist himself who fills his movies with the syncopated swing music, has at least a passing fascination for Bricktop. And the fact that Allen, well-known for his love of the city — usually New York — is familiar with someone from my state piqued my interest.

As a reporter who has worked mainly in West Virginia, I tend to keep the Mountaineers who have gone on to do interesting things on my radar.

In honor of West Virginia Day, here are some other natives who have made a name for themselves outside the state.

Pearl S. Buck — Born in Hillsboro to missionary parents, Buck’s book, “The Good Earth,” won both the Pulitzer Prize and the Nobel Prize for Literature.

Robert C. Byrd — Byrd was the longest-serving U.S. senator and the longest-serving member of Congress. He served two terms as Senate Majority Leader.

Gray Barker — A native of Braxton County who spent much of his adult life in Clarksburg, Barker wrote books about UFOs and contributed the idea of “Men in Black,” men who dress in black suits and threaten witnesses to aliens in order to keep them quiet. He was friends with John Keel, author of “The Mothman Prophecies.”

Phyllis Curtin — The Clarksburg native was an opera singer who sang with the New York City Opera and the Metropolitan Opera.

Ted Cassidy — Although born in Pittsburgh, the actor who played Lurch on the TV show “The Addams Family” grew up in the Philippi area.

John Corbett — The Wheeling native has appeared in TV shows and movies, including “Northern Exposure,” “Sex & the City” and “My Big Fat Greek Wedding.”

Joyce DeWitt — Also a Wheeling native, DeWitt played Janet on “Three’s Company,” which meant that when Morgantown native Don Knotts took over after the Norman Fell building owner character left, half of the cast hailed from the Mountain State.

Paul Dooley — The Parkersburg native, perhaps best known as Molly Ringwald’s sage father in “Sixteen Candles” as well as the dad in “Breaking Away,” also appeared in the critically acclaimed TV show “My So-Called Life” with another Parkersburg native, Devon Odessa.

Brad Dourif — A native of Huntington, this character actor’s most famous role just might be the voice of the evil Chucky doll in the cult films “Child’s Play,” which also starred Beckley native Chris Sarandon.

Ed Etzel — The WVU rifle coach won a gold medal in the 50-meter rifle prone event at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, the same games in which Fairmont native Mary Lou Retton was the breakout gold medal winner.

Conchata Ferrell — You may not know her name, but you’ve undoubtedly seen this Charleston native character actress in a movie or a TV show, opposite Julia Roberts in “Mystic Pizza” and “Erin Brockovich” and currently in “Two and a Half Men” as housekeeper Berta.

Jennifer Garner — A graduate of George Washington High School in Charleston, the same as Ferrell and actress Ann Magnuson, Garner’s breakout hit TV show “Alias” made her a star, and her marriage to Ben Affleck raised her profile even more.

Henry Louis “Skip” Gates — The director of the W. E. B. Du Bois Institute for African and African American Research has a high profile from his public television specials in which he journeyed to Africa as well as researched the genealogy of such famous individuals as Oprah Winfrey, Yo-Yo Ma and Eva Longoria.

Davis Grubb — The Moundsville native who also lived in Clarksburg wrote “The Night of the Hunter,” which was turned into a classic film starring Robert Mitchum.

Homer H. Hickam Jr. — His bestseller, “Rocket Boys,” about his pursuit of launching small rockets that earned him a ticket out of McDowell County and into a career at NASA, was made into a film starring a then-unknown Jake Gyllenhaal playing the young Homer.

Sam Huff — The Farmington native played football at WVU and then went on to a career with the New York Giants and Washington Redskins. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, in 1982.

Gen. Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson — The native of Clarksburg grew up at what is now called Jackson’s Mill in Lewis County. He was one of the better-known commanders of the Confederate Army after Gen. Robert E. Lee and today is still studied internationally for his battle strategies.

Anna Jarvis — The Webster native is largely credited with founding Mother’s Day in Grafton.

Lawrence Kasdan — Born in Florida, Kasdan was raised in Morgantown. In addition to writing and directing well-known movies such as “The Big Chill” and “The Bodyguard,” he wrote the screenplays for such films as “The Empire Strikes Back” and “Raiders of the Lost Ark.”

Don Knotts — Barney Fife on “The Andy Griffith Show,” which also featured another West Virginian, Jean Carson of Charleston, who played one of the “Fun Girls from Mount Pilot.”

John Knowles — The Fairmont native wrote “A Separate Peace,” a mainstay of high school reading lists.

John Kruk — Born in Charleston and raised in Keyser, Kruk played baseball for the San Diego Padres and the Philadelphia Phillies, but perhaps is better known for his broadcasting career, which included “The Best Damn Sports Show Period.”

Jessica Lynch — Her rescue from an Iraqi hospital where she was being treated after her 2003 capture gave her international fame, but her humble attitude upon returning home and disputing the account of her actions that had been circulated made her a hero.

Ann Magnuson — A native of Charleston, she appeared in “Desperately Seeking Susan” with Madonna and “Panic Room” with Jodie Foster, and she also is a performance artist.

Peter Marshall — The host of “Hollywood Squares” was born in Huntington and raised in Clarksburg. His sister, actress Joanne Dru, appeared in “Red River” and “All the King’s Men.”

Kathy Mattea — The Cross Lanes native broke into the Nashville scene with her hit song, “Eighteen Wheels and a Dozen Roses.”

Randy Moss — The native of Rand in Kanawha County had an interesting football career as a wide receiver with the Minnesota Vikings and the New England Patriots.

John Forbes Nash Jr. — The winner of the 1994 Nobel Prize in Economics for his work on the concept of game theory was the subject of the book and film, “A Beautiful Mind,” the latter directed by Ron Howard, that profiled the genius’ struggle with schizophrenia. He was born and raised in Bluefield.

Brad Paisley — Currently one of Nashville’s biggest stars, the Glen Dale native is know for hits such as “Who Needs Pictures” and the humorous “I’m Gonna Miss Her (The Fishin’ Song),” as well as getting stars such as William Shatner, Jim Belushi and Jason Alexander to make cameos in his music videos.

Francis Pierpont — Called “the father of West Virginia,” Pierpont was the governor of the Restored State of Virginia from 1863 to 1865 and then the governor of Virginia from 1865 to 1868. His wife, Julia, is often credited with being one of the founders of Memorial Day, which originated as Decoration Day following the Civil War.

Mary Lou Retton — The Fairmont native won the All-Around gold medal at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic games and was the first female athlete to appear on the Wheaties box.

Nick Saban — The Marion County native has been called “The Most Powerful Coach in Sports” by Forbes Magazine. He now helms the Alabama Crimson Tide team, which he led to win the 2009 and 2011 BCS National Champion football title. He also coached the 2003 LSU National Championship team.

Chris Sarandon — The Beckley native was nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for “Dog Day Afternoon” and also starred in such movies as “The Princess Bride” and “Child’s Play.”

Sam Snead — The legendary golfer also served as the golf pro at The Greenbrier in White Sulphur Springs.

Morgan Spurlock — Born in Parkersburg and raised in Beckley, Spurlock was nominated for an Oscar for Best Documentary for “Super Size Me,” which chronicles what happened when he ate only food from McDonald’s for one year.

Sam Trammell — The Charleston-raised actor stars in the HBO vampire series “True Blood.”

Cyrus Vance — The Clarksburg native served as President Jimmy Carter’s Secretary of State and later also worked as a diplomat who tried to solve international conflicts.

Booker T. Washington — Washington was born a slave in southwestern Virginia, but after he was emancipated as a young boy, he moved to West Virginia with his mother, living in Malden. Later, he made a name for himself as an educator and author, and served as principal of what is now the Tuskeegee Institute from 1881 to 1951.

Jerry West — Born in Cabin Creek in Kanawha County, West had a standout basketball career at WVU before first playing and then managing the Los Angeles Lakers. He co-captained the U.S. men’s basketball team that won a gold medal at the 1960 Rome Olympic Games and his image is the one used for the NBA logo.

Bill Withers — The native of Slab Fork in Raleigh County’s hit songs include “Lean on Me” and “Ain’t No Sunshine.”

Chuck Yeager — The Lincoln County native was the first person to break the sound barrier as a test pilot.

Email Mary Wade Burnside at mwburnside@timeswv.com.