Editor’s note: This article is the latest in a monthly series highlighting the personalities featured in the Exhibit Hall at the Orpheum Theater Center.

Many people know that John Wayne, Donna Reed and Ashton Kutcher hail from the Hawkeye state, and Marshalltown’s own Jean Seberg remains an international icon. But these are just a few of the many whose stories are on display at the Orpheum. Whether scripting a screenplay, designing sets for Broadway or starring in a Hollywood Blockbuster, Iowans have long made their mark on the stage and screen. This month we feature Kate Mulgrew, Buffalo Bill Cody and James Ellison.

Born in Dubuque in 1955, Kate Mulgrew was interested in acting from a very young age, attending summer workshops as an adolescent and leaving home at 17 to study acting at New York University. Her first “big break” came when cast as the beloved Mary Ryan on the soap opera “Ryan’s Hope” in the mid-1970s. This led to her starring role in the dramatic TV series “Mrs. Columbo” and a host of guest appearances on TV classics such as “Cheers,” “Murphy Brown,” “Murder She Wrote” and “St. Elsewhere.” In 1995, Kate began her turn as Capt. Janeway on the “Star Trek Voyager” TV series, a role for which she won critical and public acclaim. She has also starred in several feature films (“A Stranger is Watching,” “Throw Momma from the Train”) and has experience in live theatre including “Tea at Five” and “Equus.” Mulgrew recently authored her memoir “Born With Teeth” which highlights her 30-year journey to find the daughter she gave up for adoption and is currently starring in the award winning TV series, “Orange In The New Black.”

Commonly associated with the Western United States, “Buffalo Bil” was actually born in eastern Iowa, in 1846, in the town of Le Claire. Known in his lifetime as a man of many talents and a healthy dose of charisma, Buffalo Bill was perhaps the original “showman.” As a teenager he worked on a wagon train and took part in the gold rush as well as rode for the Pony Express. As a young man he scouted for the Union Cavalry in the Civil War. Later he was a husband, father of four, hunting guide to dignitaries and the subject and star of his travelling shows. “Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show” ran for 30 years and delighted crowds throughout Europe and the United States. He had long standing, sometimes complicated relationships with both the Pawnee and Sioux Indians and was consulted on”matters of the West” by every president from Ulysses S. Grant to Woodrow Wilson. Buffalo Bill was a real person who became a legend. He died in Denver, Colo. in 1917.

Born James Ellison Smith, in Guthrie Center in 1910, Ellison moved as a youth to Montana where he learned many of the cowboy and ranching skills that served him well in his acting career. Ellison appeared and/or starred in more than 50 films and is best remembered for his repeated portrayals of Johnny Nelson (Hopalong Cassidy’s sidekick) and his role as fellow Iowan, Buffalo Bill Cody, in Cecil B. DeMille’s “The Plainsman.” With the demise of Western movies in the 1950s, Ellison retired from acting and ran a successful home construction business in Beverly Hills which actually brought him far more financial success than had his acting. Ellison Drive in that city is named after him. James Ellison died in Montecito, Calif. in 1993.

Come visit the fabulous Orpheum to see memorabilia on display and learn more about these amazing Iowans. And while you’re there, why not take in a movie! The Orpheum Theatre Center is a member of the League of Historic American Theaters and is administered by Iowa Valley Community College District. It is located at 220 E. Main St. in Marshalltown. For more information call 641-844-5909, or visit www.OrpheumCenter.com.

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Nancy Adams is an associate professor of psychology and coordinator for the Student Assistance Program at Marshalltown Community College and the Orpheum Gallery curator.