List of people from New York City

Many notable people were either born or adopted in New York City.

Native New Yorkers

The following were born or adopted in New York City. Some became famous after they moved away.

This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by adding missing items with reliable sources.

A

• Aaliyah (1979–2001) – singer, dancer, actress and model
• Kareem Abdul-Jabbar – basketball player
• George Abernethy (1807–1877) – first provisional Governor of Oregon
• Cecile Abish – sculptor
• Oday Aboushi (born 1991) - football player
• Bella Abzug (1920–1998) – feminist activist and politician
• Garnett Adrain (1815–1878) – member of the United States House of Representatives from New Jersey
• Cornelius Rea Agnew (1830–1888) – ophthalmologist
• Eliza Agnew (1807–1883) – Presbyterian missionary
• Christina Aguilera – singer
• Danny Aiello – actor
• Marv Albert – sports announcer
• Ira Aldridge (1805–1867) – stage actor
• William Alexander, Lord Stirling (1726–1783) – American major general in the American Revolutionary War
• Woody Allen – film director, actor, screenwriter
• Rafer Alston – basketball player
• Lee J. Ames – illustrator and writer; known for the Draw 50... learn-to-draw books
• Judd Apatow - producer, director, comedian, actor and screenwriter
• Charles Anthon – classical scholar
• Carmelo Anthony – basketball player
• Marc Anthony – singer and actor
• Fiona Apple – singer-songwriter
• Diane Arbus (1923–1971) – photographer
• Kenneth J. Arrow – economist; recipient, 1972 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences
• Beatrice Arthur (1922–2009) – actress
• William H. Aspinwall – railroad promoter
• John Jacob Astor III (1822–1890) – businessman and member of the Astor family
• Vincent Astor (1891–1959) – businessman, philanthropist and member of the Astor family
• William Backhouse Astor, Sr. (1792–1875) – businessman and member of the Astor family
• Jake T. Austin   - Actor, model, writer

B

• Edwin Burr Babbitt - actor
• Evan Baken – musician, drummer and record company executive
• William Bliss Baker – landscape artist
• Azealia Banks – rapper
• Joseph Barbera (1911–2006) – animator, producer, director, MGM and co-founder of Hanna-Barbera
• Moe Berg Major League Baseball player and spy
• Milton Berle - comedian
• Paul Berlenbach (1901–1985) – light heavyweight boxing champion from 1925 to 1926
• Humphrey Bogart – actor
• William T. Bonniwell, Jr. – Wisconsin and Minnesota politician
• Francis Bouillon – National Hockey League defenseman playing for the Nashville Predators
• Barbara Boxer – U.S. Senator from California
• James J. Braddock – boxer (aka "Cinderella Man")
• Hermann Braun (1918–1945) – actor
• Abigail Breslin – actress and musician
• Jimmy Breslin - columnist
• Eben Britton - football player
• Matthew Broderick – actor
• Action Bronson – rapper
• Mel Brooks – film director, screenwriter and actor
• Julia Brown – madam and prostitute
• Larry Brown – basketball player and coach
• Tarell Brown (born 1985) - football player
• Andrew Bryson (1822–1892) – United States Navy rear admiral
• William F. Buckley, Jr. – author and conservative commentator
• George Burns - comedian
• Steve Buscemi – actor
• Gene Byrnes – cartoonist

C

• James Caan – actor
• Adolph Caesar (1933–1986) – actor
• Leslie Cagan (born 1947) – activist and writer
• James Cagney (1899–1986) – actor
• Eddie Cahill (born 1978) – actor
• Edward L. Cahn (1899–1963) – film director known for the Our Gang comedies
• Sarth Calhoun – electronic musician
• Joseph A. Califano – Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare
• Maria Callas – opera singer
• Christian Camargo – actor
• Schuyler V. Cammann – anthropologist
• Chris Canty (defensive lineman) - football player
• Al Capone (1899–1947) – Prohibition gangster, boss of Chicago Outfit
• Mae Capone (1897–1986) – wife of Al Capone
• Francis Capra (born 1983) – actor
• Nestor Carbonell (born 1967) – actor
• Benjamin Cardozo – Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court
• Hugh Carey – Governor of New York
• Timothy Carey (1929–1994) – actor
• George Carlin (1937–2008) – comedian
• Alan Carney (1909–1973) – actor and comedian
• Caleb Carr (born 1955) – novelist and military historian
• Eric Carr – rock musician, songwriter
• John Carradine (1906–1988)  - actor
• Julian Casablancas – lead singer of rock band The Strokes, musician
• John Cassavetes – actor
• Luis Castillo (American football) - football player
• Vinnie Caruana – musician, singer
• Phoebe Cates – actress
• Jose Ceballos – trade unionist and political campaign manager
• Bennett Cerf (1898–1971) – publisher, TV personality
• Jeff Chandler – actor
• Frank Chanfrau – actor
• Harry Chapin (1942–1981) – singer-songwriter
• Paddy Chayefsky – author
• Maury Chaykin – actor
• Julie Chen – television personality
• Edmund A. Chester – executive at CBS
• Jennie Jerome Churchill – mother of Winston Churchill
• Peter Cincotti – singer-songwriter
• Robert Clohessy – actor
• Margaret Colin – actress
• Hugh E. Conway – Labor economist
• Anderson Cooper – television journalist
• George H. Cooper (1821–1891) – United States Navy rear admiral
• Shaun Cooper – rock musician, bassist
• Freddie Crawford – basketball player
• Peter Criss – rock musician, songwriter
• Billy Crystal - comedian, actor, director
• George Cukor – film director
• Jermaine Cunningham - football player
• Valerie Curtin - actress and screenwriter
• Tony Curtis – actor
• Mario Cuomo – Governor of New York

D

• Alexandra Daddario – actress
• Charles Patrick Daly – judge
• Claire Danes – actress
• Lloyd Daniels – basketball player
• Rodney Dangerfield – comedian
• Ron Dante – singer-songwriter and record producer
• Tony Danza – actor
• Bobby Darin – singer, entertainer, actor, songwriter
• Larry David – actor, writer, comedian, producer
• Marion Davies – actress
• Al "Bummy" Davis – boxer
• Sammy Davis, Jr. – singer and entertainer
• Rosario Dawson – actress
• Al D'Amato – politician
• Clarence Day (1874–1935) – author and humorist
• Dorothy Day – Catholic social activist
• Bill de Blasio – Mayor of New York City
• Robert De Niro – actor
• Éamon de Valera – Taoiseach (prime minister) and President of Ireland
• Lana Del Rey – model and singer-songwriter
• Samuel R. Delany – author and critic
• Don DeLillo – author
• Jerry Denny – Major League Baseball player
• Willy DeVille (1950–2009) – singer
• Kevin Devine – musician and songwriter
• Neil Diamond – singer and composer
• P. Diddy – rapper
• Vin Diesel – actor
• Vincent D'Onofrio – actor
• Phoebe Doty – prostitute and madam
• Amanda Minnie Douglas (1831–1916) – writer
• Kirk Douglas – actor
• Robert Downey Jr. - actor, producer and singer
• Ervin Drake - composer, producer, writer, musician
• Fran Drescher – actor
• Richard Dreyfuss – actor
• Eric Drooker – artist and illustrator
• David Duchovny – actor
• Patty Duke – actress and activist for mental-health issues
• Lena Dunham;- actress, screenwriter, producer and director
• Joseph Dunninger – mentalist

E

• Dominique Easley - football player
• Gertrude Ederle – swimmer
• Eddie Egan -police detective
• Gladys Egan - child actress
• Ansel Elgort - actor, singer, dancer, DJ
• Bill Elko – football player
• Mario Elie – basketball player
• Duke Ellington – jazz pianist
• Abby Elliott – actress
• Nora Ephron – director, screenwriter, author
• Eru – singer
• Jesse Eisenberg – actor
• Lapo Elkann – chief executive officer, Fiat

F

• Peter Facinelli – actor
• Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. – actor
• Edie Falco – actress
• Jimmy Fallon – comedian
• Peter Falk – actor
• Louis Farrakhan – leader of the Nation of Islam
• Perry Farrell – musician
• Jack Feldman – lyricist
• Morton Feldman – composer
• Julissa Ferreras – New York City Council Member, Finance Committee chair
• Richard Feynman – theoretical physicist; recipient 1965 Nobel Prize in Physics
• Harvey Fierstein – actor and playwright
• Hamilton Fish – Governor of New York and U.S. Secretary of State
• Jeffrey Flier – Dean of Harvard Medical School
• Jane Fonda – actress
• Peter Fonda – actor
• Hector Fonseca – deejay
• Malcolm Forbes – publisher
• Davy Force – major league baseball player
• Anthony Franciosa – actor
• Al Franken – comedian and radio host, U.S. Senator from Minnesota
• Michael Freeman – inventor, entrepreneur, author, and business consultant
• Ace Frehley – guitarist
• Milton Friedman – economist
• John Frusciante – musician, artist
• Bobby Flay – chef
• Whitey Ford – pitcher for the New York Yankees

G

• Gus Gardella – football player
• Art Garfunkel – singer-songwriter, actor
• Lou Gehrig – baseball player
• Sarah Michelle Gellar – actress
• Richard Genelle – actor
• George Gershwin – composer
• Ira Gershwin – lyricist
• Tiffany Giardina – singer-songwriter
• Vitas Gerulaitis – tennis player
• Guy Gillette - photographer
• Ruth Bader Ginsburg – Associate Justice of U.S. Supreme Court
• Rabbi Issamar Ginzberg – business strategist, rabbi, motivational speaker
• Rudolph Giuliani – former Mayor of New York City
• Jackie Gleason – comedian, actor
• Whoopi Goldberg – comedian, actress, TV personality
• William Goldberg – diamond dealer
• Daniel S. Goldin – NASA director
• Ben Goldwasser – member of the psychedelic-rock band MGMT
• Cuba Gooding Jr. – actor
• Doris Kearns Goodwin – author
• Leo Gorcey- film actor and comedian, Leader of the Dead End Kids, East Side Kids, and Bowery Boys in several movies.
• Victor Gotbaum – labor leader
• Elliott Gould – actor
• David C. Gowdey – politician
• Topher Grace – actor
• Rocky Graziano (born Thomas Rocco Barbella) – boxer
• Hank Greenberg – Hall of Fame baseball player
• Alan Greenspan – economist, former Federal Reserve chairman
• Adrian Grenier – actor
• Bill Griffith – cartoonist (Zippy)
• Melanie Griffith – actress
• Bob Guccione – publisher
• Peggy Guggenheim – art collector
• Steve Guttenberg – actor
• Maggie Gyllenhaal – actress

H

• Mortimer Halpern – Broadway stage manager
• Adelaide Hall – Jazz singer, Broadway star, actress
• Huntz Hall - comedian, actor. Co-Starred in several Dead End Kids, East Side Kids & Bowery Boys movies.
• Pete Hamill -journalist
• Marvin Hamlisch – composer
• Armand Hammer – industrialist and philanthropist
• Oscar Hammerstein II – composer
• Sean Hannity - television host, author, conservative political commentator
• Frank Hankinson – major league baseball player
• Nelson Harding (1879–1944) – editorial cartoonist
• Donald J. Harlin – Chief of Chaplains of the U.S. Air Force
• W. Averell Harriman – diplomat and Governor of New York
• Zelda Harris - actress
• Anne Hathaway - actress
• Marcia Haufrecht – actor, director, playwright
• Curt Hawkins – WWE wrestler
• Susan Hayward (1917–1975) – actress
• Rita Hayworth – actress
• Anthony Hecht – poet
• Carol Heiss – Olympic figure skater (silver 1956, gold 1960)
• Joseph Heller – author
• Jim Hellwig (better known as Warrior) – professional wrestler
• Lance Henriksen – actor
• Brian Henson – puppeteer, director, producer
• Bernard Herrmann (1911–1975) – composer
• Peter Cooper Hewitt (1861–1921) – inventor
• William Hickey – actor
• Hildegarde – American cabaret singer
• Paris Hilton – socialite, actress
• Gregory Hines – dancer and actor
• Judd Hirsch (born 1935) – actor
• Lena Horne (1917–2010) – singer
• Edward Everett Horton – actor
• Curly Howard – actor of comedy team The Three Stooges
• Moe Howard – actor of comedy team The Three Stooges
• Shemp Howard – actor of comedy team The Three Stooges
• Tina Huang – actress
• Richard Hunt – puppeteer and television director
• Tab Hunter (born 1931) – actor
• Barbara Hutton (1912–1979) – socialite dubbed "Poor Little Rich Girl"

I

• Washington Irving – author
• John Isaac – photographer

Ish

J

• Wolfman Jack (also known as Robert Weston Smith; 1938–1995) – radio personality
• Jane Jacobs (1916–2006) – economist, urban theorist, activist
• Ken Jacobs (born 1933) – artist and filmmaker
• Marc Jacobs (born 1963) – fashion designer
• Henry James (1843–1916) – writer
• William James (1842–1910) – philosopher and psychologist
• Jaiquawn Jarrett (born 1989) - football player
• John Jay (1745–1829) – diplomat, jurist (including Chief Justice of the United States) and politician (including Governor of New York)
• Jay-Z (born 1969) – businessperson and rapper
• Charles Jenkins (born 1989) – basketball player
• Max Jenkins (born 1985) – actor and writer
• Billy Joel (born 1949) – singer and songwriter
• David Johansen (born 1950) – actor, singer and songwriter
• Scarlett Johansson (born 1984) – actress
• Boris Johnson (born 1964) Mayor of London
• Kimberly Denise Jones (also known as Lil' Kim; born 1976) – actress and rapper
• Nasir Jones (born 1973) – actor and rapper
• Norah Jones (born 1979) – actress, instrumentalist and singer-songwriter
• Michael Jordan (born 1963) – basketball player
• William Joyce (also known as Lord Haw-Haw; 1906–1946) – Nazi propaganda broadcaster

K

• Philip Mayer Kaiser (1913–2007) – U.S. diplomat
• Danny Kaye (1913–1987) – actor and comedian
• Lenny Kaye (born 1946) – guitarist
• Thomas Kean (born 1935) – Governor of New Jersey
• Harvey Keitel (born 1939) – actor
• Bridget Kelly (born 1986) – singer
• Jacqueline Kennedy (1929–1994) – First Lady of the United States and editor
• Jerome Kern (1885–1945) – composer
• Alicia Keys (born 1981) – R&B singer
• Jimmy Kimmel (born 1967) – comedian and television talk-show host
• Keith Kinkaid (born 1989) - professional ice hockey player
• Calvin Klein (born 1942) – fashion designer
• Ed Koch (1924–2013) – Mayor of New York City
• E. L. Konigsburg (born 1930) – writer
• C. Everett Koop (1916–2013) – physician
• Lenny Kravitz (born 1964) – singer and songwriter
• Stanley Kubrick (1928–1999) – film director and screenwriter
• Bruce Kulick (born 1953) – guitarist
• William Kunstler (1919–1955) – lawyer
• Tony Kushner (born 1956) – playwright and screenwriter

L

• Lady Gaga – singer and songwriter
• Fiorello La Guardia (1882–1947) – Mayor of New York City
• Jesse Lacey – musician and singer
• Bert Lahr (1895–1967) – actor and comedian
• Veronica Lake – actress
• Jake LaMotta – boxer
• Burt Lancaster (1913–1994) – actor
• Martin Landau – actor
• Diane Lane (born 1965) – actress
• Floria Lasky (1923–2007) – theater world lawyer
• Cyndi Lauper – singer
• Ralph Lauren – fashion designer
• Emma Lazarus – author and poet
• Steve Lawrence – singer and actor
• Jeanette Lee (born 1971) – professional pool player
• Madeleine L'Engle – author
• Franz Leichter (born 1930) – politician
• Melissa Leo (born 1960) - actress
• Princess Leonore, Duchess of Gotland (born 2014) – fifth in line to the Swedish throne
• Huey Lewis – musician and singer
• Joe E. Lewis (1902–1971) – comedian
• Roy Lichtenstein – artist
• John Lindsay – Mayor of New York City
• Peggy Lipton – actress
• Lisa Lisa - Freestyle singer fronted Cult Jam born Lisa Velez 1966
• Robert R. Livingston – U.S. Founding Father and diplomat
• Robert Loggia – actor
• Lindsay Lohan – actress
• Vince Lombardi – football coach
• Ki Longfellow – novelist
• Jennifer Lopez – actor and singer
• Julia Louis-Dreyfus – actress
• Willie Lozado – baseball player
• Edna Luby – Broadway and vaudeville performer
• Lucky Luciano – gangster
• Sid Luckman – football player and coach
• Frankie Lymon – singer
• Derek Lee – baseball player
• Andy LoCascio – television personality

M

• Bernard Malamud – author
• Melissa Manchester – singer
• Barry Manilow – singer, songwriter, musician
• Mike Mansfield – Senator from Montana (raised in Montana)
• Stephon Marbury – professional basketball player
• Ernest Martin – theatre director and manager
• Soraida Martinez – artist, designer
• Sadie Martinot  – singer, actress
• Constantine Maroulis – American Idol finalist
• Chico Marx – member of the Marx Brothers
• Groucho Marx – member of the Marx Brothers
• Gummo Marx – member of the Marx Brothers
• Harpo Marx – member of the Marx Brothers
• Zeppo Marx – member of the Marx Brothers
• James Maslow – actor and singer (raised in California)
• John Massari – composer, sound designer
• Walter Matthau – actor
• John McCloskey – Cardinal Archbishop of New York 1864–1885
• Frank McCourt – author (raised in Ireland, returned later in life)
• Malachy McCourt – author (raised in Ireland, returned later in life)
• Linda McCartney – photographer, late wife of Beatle Paul McCartney
• Allie McGuire – professional basketball player
• Andrea Mitchell – journalist, NBC News
• Paul Meltsner – WPA-era painter and muralist
• Herman Melville (1819–1891) – author
• Yehudi Menuhin (1916–1999) – violinist
• Idina Menzel (1971–) – singer and actress
• Ethel Merman (1908–1984) – singer and actress
• Robert Merrill (1917–2004) – singer
• Lea Michele – actress, singer
• Vera Michelena (1885–1961) – actress, dancer and singer
• Alyssa Milano – actress
• Adeline Miller – prostitute and madam
• Arthur Miller (1915–2005) – playwright
• Eleanor Miller member of the Chipettes
• Marcus Miller – bassist and composer
• Sienna Miller – actress, fashion designer, model
• Stephanie Mills – singer and former Broadway star
• Harvey Milk – gay activist and politician
• Andy Mineo - Christian rapper
• Sal Mineo (1939–1976) – actor
• John Joseph Mitty – Roman Catholic Archbishop of San Francisco
• Isaac Mizrahi – fashion designer
• Eddie Money – singer
• Mary Tyler Moore – actress and producer
• Melba Moore – actress and singer
• Tom Morello – guitarist
• Henry Morgan – radio and television personality
• Huey Morgan – musician, radio DJ, songwriter, television personality
• Gouverneur Morris – U.S. founding father; U.S. Senator
• Zero Mostel – actor and comedian
• Maria Muldaur - Folk & Blues singer-songwriter
• Gerry Mulligan – musician
• Richard Mulligan – actor
• Robert Mulligan – director
• Chris Mullin – basketball player
• Charlie Murphy – actor and comedian
• Eddie Murphy – actor and comedian

N

• James M. Nack (1809–1879) – deaf and mute poet
• Casey Neistat – Film director, producer, designer
• Dominic Napolitano (1930–1981) – Mafia caporegime
• Janet Napolitano (born 1957) – third US Secretary of Homeland Security
• Nas (born 1973) - rapper born Nasir Jones
• Michael H. Nash (1946–2012) – labor historian, librairan, and archivist
• Russell Nash (1518–2002) – Antiques dealer down on Hudson Street
• Tonie Nathan (born 1923) – Libertarian Party political figure
• Oscar Neebe (1850–1916) – anarchist, labor activist, one of Haymarket bombing trial defendants
• Howard Nemerov (1920–1991) – poet
• Sam Newfield (1899–1964) – film director
• John Philip Newman (1826–1899) – Methodist bishop
• Denise Nickerson (born 1957) – actress
• Harry Nilsson (1941–1994) - singer-songwriter
• Cynthia Nixon (born 1966) – actress
• Jerry Nolan (1946–1992) – rock drummer
• John Nolan (born 1978)  – musician and singer
• Charles Nordhoff (1830–1901) – journalist, descriptive and miscellaneous writer
• Dagmar Nordstrom – composer, pianist and singer; member of the cabaret singing duo the Nordstrom Sisters
• Siggie Nordstrom – actress, model and singer; member of the cabaret singing duo the Nordstrom Sisters
• Ed Norris (born 1960) – radio host
• Chris Noth (born 1954) – actor
• Carrie Nye (1936–2006) – actress
• Naresh Goyal – chairman of Jet Airways based in Mumbai

O

• John Oates (born 1949) – guitarist Hall & Oates
• Al Oerter (1935–2007)- four-time Olympic champion in discus throw
• Kevin Ogletree - football player
• Keith Olbermann – television sportscaster and commentator
• Eugene O'Neill – playwright
• Robert Oppenheimer – physicist; "father of the atomic bomb"
• Bill O'Reilly – Fox News anchor
• Jerry Orbach – actor

P

• Al Pacino – actor
• Joseph Papp —theater producer, impresario and founder of The Public Theater
• Lana Parrilla - actress
• Christopher Poole - creator of websites 4chan and Canvas Networks
• Saul K. Padover – historian
• Rob Parker – sportswriter and TV analyst
• Joe Paterno – football coach
• James Patterson – novelist
• Josh Peck – actor
• Jan Peerce (1904–1984) – opera tenor
• Amanda Peet – actress
• Richard Pelham – blackface performer
• Claiborne Pell – Senator from Rhode Island
• Sam Perkins – basketball player
• Bernadette Peters – actress and singer
• Regis Philbin – entertainer and TV personality
• Lip Pike – baseball player, four-time home-run champion
• John Pleshette – actor
• Suzanne Pleshette – actress
• Snake Plissken  – Former soldier
• Ted Post – movie and TV director
• Neil Postman – author and cultural critic
• Chaim Potok (1929–2002) – author
• Bud Powell – jazz pianist
• Colin Powell – U.S. Army general and U.S. Secretary of State
• Joshua Prager – physician
• Priscilla Presley – actress
• Tito Puente – bandleader
• Mario Puzo – author

Q

• Q-Tip – rapper

R

• Raekwon – rapper (Wu-tang Clan)
• Bill Rafferty – comedian
• Joey Ramone and Marky Ramone – punk-rock musicians
• Michael Rapaport – actor, comedian, director
• Ray Ratkowski – football player
• Lou Reed – rock musician, songwriter
• A$AP Rocky - rapper
• Christopher Reeve – actor
• Carl Reiner - comedian, actor, director, author
• Paul Reiser – actor
• Ed Rendell – former Mayor of Philadelphia, Governor of Pennsylvania
• Brandon Reilly – musician, guitarist, singer
• Leah Remini – actress
• Vincent Rey - football player
• Charles E. Rice – legal scholar, university professor
• Buddy Rich – jazz drummer
• Terry Richardson – fashion photographer
• Burton Richter – Nobel Prize-winning physicist
• Thelma Ritter – actress
• Joan Rivers - comedian
• Chris Rock – comedian and actor
• Laurance Rockefeller – conservationist and philanthropist
• Winthrop Rockefeller – Governor of Arkansas
• Norman Rockwell – artist
• Alex Rodriguez – baseball player
• John Rogan – football player
• Sonny Rollins – jazz saxophonist
• Ray Romano – comedian and actor
• Igal Roodenko (1917–1991) – civil-rights activist, pacifist
• Sean Rooks – basketball player and coach
• Mickey Rooney – actor
• Franklin Roosevelt – U.S. President
• Eleanor Roosevelt – U.S. First Lady and human-rights activist
• Theodore Roosevelt – U.S. President
• Ethel Greenglass Rosenberg – convicted spy
• Beatrice Rosen – actress (raised in Paris)
• Julius Rosenberg – convicted spy
• Emmy Rossum – actress
• Veronica Roth - novelist
• Vic Ruggiero - Ska musician frontman of The Slackers
• Mercedes Ruehl – actress
• Damien Russell, NFL player
• Art Rust Jr – sportscaster
• Louis Rukeyser – business columnist, economic commentator

S

• Carl Sagan – physicist and astronomer
• Dustin Satloff – boy entrepreneur
• Brooke Shields – actress
• J. D. Salinger – author
• Jonas Salk – medical researcher
• John Salley – basketball player
• Jerry Saltz – art critic, art historian
• Jason Saltzman – businessperson
• Adam Sandler – actor, comedian
• Claudio Sanchez – musician
• Francesco Scavullo – photographer
• Dick Schaap – journalist
• Jeremy Schaap - journalist
• Vincent Schiavelli – actor
• Julian Schnabel – artist and director
• Mathieu Schneider – hockey player
• Sandra Schnur – disability-rights activist
• Loretta Schrijver – Dutch television host
• Rick Schroder – actor
• Charles Schumer – U.S. Senator
• Julius Schwartz – comic book editor
• Martin Scorsese – film director
• Vin Scully – sportscaster
• Jerry Seinfeld – comedian
• Edward Selzer (1893–1970) – film producer, Warner Bros.
• Maurice Sendak (1928–2012) – author and illustrator
• Malik Sealy – basketball player
• John Serry, Sr. – accordionist, organist, composer, arranger
• Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton – founder of Sisters of Charity, first native-born US citizen canonized
• Tupac Shakur – rapper
• Gene Shalit - film critic; raised in New Jersey
• Frank Shannon- conservative political analyst, columnist, and candidate.
• Artie Shaw (1910–2004) – bandleader
• Judith Sheindlin ("Judge Judy") (born 1942) – judge and television personality
• Daniel Sickles – Civil War general
• Bugsy Siegel – gangster
• Jules Siegel – author
• Beverly Sills (1929–2007) – opera singer
• Ron Silver – actor, radio show host
• Robert Silverberg – author
• Dean Silvers – film producer
• Carly Simon – singer-songwriter
• Neil Simon – playwright
• Richard L. Simon (1899–1960) – businessman and publisher
• Kaseem Sinceno  – football player
• John Slidell – Senator from Louisiana and Confederate diplomat
• Al Smith (1873–1944) – Governor of New York and presidential candidate
• Phoebe Snow – singer-songwriter
• Stephen Sondheim – musical theatre composer and lyricist
• Aaron Sorkin – playwright and screenwriter
• Sonia Sotomayor - United States Supreme Court Justice
• Mickey Spillane – author
• Eliot Spitzer – former Governor of New York
• Sylvester Stallone – actor, director, screenwriter
• Paul Stanley – hard-rock guitarist, singer and songwriter
• Barbara Stanwyck (1907–1990) – actress
• Joe Start – major league baseball player
• James Steen – American football player
• Howard Stern – radio and television host
• John Stevens – delegate to Continental Congress for New Jersey
• Andrew Stewart – American player of gridiron football
• Foley Stewart – musician
• Jon Stewart – comedian; born in New York City, raised in New Jersey
• Julia Stiles – actress
• Henry L. Stimson – politician and diplomat
• Oliver Stone – film director
• Susan Strasberg – actress
• Robert Strassburg – composer, conductor, musicologist
• Barbra Streisand – singer and actress
• Meryl Streep - actress
• Jill Stuart – fashion designer
• Jon Stuart - writer, producer, political satirist, television host, stand-up comedian
• Ed Sullivan (1901–1974) – television variety show host
• Susan Sullivan – actress

T

• Vic Tayback (1930–1990) – actor
• Alma Tell (1898–1937) – stage and screen actress
• Olive Tell (1894–1951) – stage and screen actress
• Maurice Tempelsman – businessman
• Studs Terkel (1912–2008) – author and historian
• Milton Terris (1915–2002) – public health physician and epidemiologist
• Roy M. Terry – Chief of Chaplains of the U.S. Air Force
• Vinny Testaverde - football player
• Irving Thalberg – film producer
• Johnny Thunders – rock musician
• Gene Tierney (1920–1991) – actress
• Harry Tietlebaum (born 1889) – organized crime figure
• Louis Comfort Tiffany (1848–1933) – artist
• Matt Titus – professional matchmaker
• James Toback (born 1944) – screenwriter and director
• Isabella Tobias (born 1991) – ice dancer
• Lola Todd (1904–1995) – silent film actress
• Bill Todman – game show producer
• Michael Tolkin (born 1950) – filmmaker and novelist
• Marisa Tomei – actress
• Joe Torre – baseball player and manager
• Douglas Townsend (1921–2012) - composer and musicologist
• Michelle Trachtenberg – actress
• Mary Travers – singer with Peter, Paul, and Mary
• Donald Trump – businessman
• Barbara Tuchman (1912–1989) – historian; author
• Richard Tucker (1913–1975) – opera tenor
• Gene Tunney – 1926–28 heavyweight boxing champion
• John V. Tunney – former U.S. Senator
• John Turturro – actor and director
• William Tweed (1823–1878) – politician
• Liv Tyler – actress
• Mike Tyson – boxer

U

• Leslie Uggams – singer; actress
• Louis Untermeyer (1885–1977) – poet, anthologist, critic, and editor
• Hikaru Utada – musician

V

• Andrew Vachss – lawyer and author
• Cornelius Vanderbilt – businessman
• Joan Van Ark – actress
• Luther Vandross – singer
• Robert Vaughn (born 1932) – actor
• George Vergara – NFL player
• Jennifer von Mayrhauser – costume designer

W

• Josh Waitzkin (born 1976) – chess player, martial arts competitor, and author
• Christopher Walken – actor
• Adam Walker – football player
• Hezekiah Walker – bishop and gospel artist
• Jimmy Walker (1881–1946) – Mayor of New York City
• Christopher Wallace – rapper
• Eli Wallach – actor
• Donald A. Wallance – industrial designer
• Fats Waller – jazz pianist
• Abby Wambach – soccer player
• Vera Wang – fashion designer
• Kerry Washington - actress
• Damon Wayans – actor and producer
• Dwayne Wayans – director, producer and writer
• Elvira Wayans – writer
• Keenen Ivory Wayans – actor, director, producer and writer
• Kim Wayans – actress
• Marlon Wayans – actor and producer
• Nadia Wayans – actress
• Shawn Wayans – actor and producer
• Michael Weatherly – actor
• Sigourney Weaver – actress
• Steven Weinberg – Nobel Prize-winning physicist
• Leslie West – rock musician
• Mae West (1893–1980) – actress
• Nathanael West – author
• Edith Wharton – author
• Joss Whedon - screenwriter, film and television producer, author and composer
• Billy Whitlock – blackface performer
• Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney – sculptor and art patron
• Edward W. Whitson – Wisconsin State Assemblyman
• Charles Wilkes – naval officer and explorer
• Lenny Wilkens – basketball player and coach
• Vanessa L. Williams – singer and actress
• Walter Winchell (1897–1972) – newspaper and radio gossip commentator
• Harry Winitsky – political activist; founding member of the Communist Party USA
• Dean Winters – actor
• Mike Witteck – football player
• Charles Wuorinen – composer
• Christopher George Latore Wallace (The Notorious B.I.G.) – rapper

Y

• Tony Yayo – rapper
• Tony Young – actor

Z

• Z-Trip – disc jockey and producer

Non-native New Yorkers

These people were not born or adopted in New York City but are or were well known for living there.

This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by adding missing items with reliable sources.

A

• William Adams – academic and clergy; founder and president of the Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York; born in Connecticut
• Samuel Adler – rabbi; born in Worms, Germany
• Frederick Styles Agate – painter; born in England
• Thomas Peter Akers – vice president of the gold board; born in Knox County, Ohio
• Richard S. Aldrich – U,S. Representative from Rhode Island, practiced law in New York City
• Jason Alexander – actor; born in Newark, New Jersey
• Jennifer Aniston – actress; born in Sherman Oaks, California
• Chester A. Arthur – U.S. President; born in Fairfield, Vermont
• Isaac Asimov – author; born in Petrovichi, Russian SFSR
• John Jacob Astor – first multimillionaire of U.S.; born in Germany

B

• Lucille Ball – comedienne, actress, born in Jamestown, New York
• Lloyd Banks – rapper, born in New Carrollton, Maryland
• Count Basie – jazz pianist and band leader, born in Red Bank, New Jersey
• Laura Joyce Bell  – contralto, wife of Digby Bell, born London, England
• Irving Berlin – composer, lyricist, born in Russia
• Leonard Bernstein - conductor, born in Lawrence, Massachusetts
• Lewis Black – comedian, born in Silver Spring, Maryland
• Jon Blake – actor, model, born in Charlotte, North Carolina
• Michael Bloomberg – businessman and mayor, born in Boston, Massachusetts
• Mary Booze - first African-American woman to sit on the Republican National Committee, 1924-1948; moved to New York from Mound Bayou, Mississippi
• Marlon Brando, Jr. – actor, born in Omaha, Nebraska
• Brandy – singer, born in Mississippi
• Lottie Briscoe – stage and silent film actress, born in St. Louis, Missouri
• Tom Brokaw – television journalist, born in Webster, South Dakota
• Orestes Brownson – writer, abolitionist, pro-labor reformer, Catholic apologist, born in Stockbridge, Vermont

Nathan Buckley- Baseball Player Pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodger Graduated 1st in his class at UCLA Born in Brooklyn

C

• Sid Caesar - comedian and actor, born in Yonkers
• Mariah Carey – singer, born on Long Island
• Wendy Carlos – musician, born in Pawtucket, Rhode Island
• Stokely Carmichael – political activist, born in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago
• Art Carney – actor, born in Mount Vernon, New York
• Enrico Caruso – opera tenor, born in Naples, Italy
• Willa Cather – author, born in Back Creek Valley, Virginia
• Connie Chung – television journalist, born in Washington, D.C.
• Madonna Ciccone – singer, songwriter, actress, director, born in Bay City, Michigan
• Dick Clark – TV personality and producer, born in Mount Vernon, New York
• DeWitt Clinton – Senator and Governor of New York, born in Napanoch, New York
• George M. Cohan – entertainer and songwriter, born in Providence, Rhode Island
• Anthony Comstock – reformer, born in New Canaan, Connecticut
• Nanette Comstock  – Broadway actress, born in Albany, New York
• Bill Cosby – actor and comedian, born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
• Billy Crawford – singer, born in Manila, Philippines
• Fanny Crosby – hymn writer, born in Southeast, New York
• Tom Cruise – actor, born in Syracuse, New York
• Bill Cullen – radio host, born in Pennsylvania

D

• Lorenzo Da Ponte – librettist to Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and professor of Italian at Columbia University, born in Ceneda, Italy
• Mac DeMarco – singer-songwriter, born in Duncan, British Columbia
• Thomas E. Dewey – Governor of New York
• Marlene Dietrich – actress, born in Berlin, Germany
• Joe DiMaggio – baseball player, born in California
• George Washington Dixon – performer, newspaper editor
• David Dinkins – former Mayor of New York City, born in Trenton, New Jersey
• Frederick Douglass – abolitionist, born in Maryland
• Francis P. Duffy – priest, World War I chaplain to 69th New York, born in Canada
• Bob Dylan – singer-songwriter, born in Duluth, Minnesota
• Dean Wareham – singer-songwriter, born in New Zealand

E

• Edward Egan – Cardinal Archbishop of New York, born in Oak Park, Illinois
• Patrick Ewing – former NBA All-Star center, born in Jamaica

F

• Lee Falk – cartoonist (The Phantom), born in St. Louis, Missouri
• Millard Fillmore – U.S. President, born in Summerhill, New York
• Bobby Fischer – chess champion, born in Chicago, Illinois
• Ella Fitzgerald – jazz singer, born in Virginia, lived in Yonkers, New York
• Barthold Fles – literary agent, born in Amsterdam, lived and worked in Manhattan
• Steve Forbes – publisher, born in Morristown, New Jersey
• Heather Foster – Jamacian-born American professional bodybuilder
• Felix Frankfurter – Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, born in Vienna, Austria
• Henry Clay Frick – businessman, born in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania

G

• Dave Gahan – Depeche Mode singer
• Alberta Gallatin  – stage and screen actress, born in Cabell County, West Virginia
• Greta Garbo – actress, born in Stockholm, Sweden
• Dizzy Gillespie – jazz trumpet player, born in South Carolina
• Guy Gillette - photographer, born in Minneapolis, Minnesota

H

• Thomas S. Hamblin – actor, manager of the Bowery Theater
• Bobby Hackett – jazz musician, born in Providence, Rhode Island
• Alexander Hamilton – U.S. Founding Father, born in the West Indies
• Townsend Harris – first US diplomat in Japan, one of the founders of the City College of New York, born in Sandy Hill, New York
• Randy Harrison (born 1977) – actor born in New Hampshire and formerly of Alpharetta, Georgia
• Deborah Harry – singer, actress, born in Union City, New Jersey
• Francis L. Hawks – politician; priest, Episcopal Church; born in New Bern, North Carolina
• Carlton Hayes – history professor at Columbia University, ambassador to Spain, born in Afton, New York
• O. Henry – author, born in North Carolina
• Tommy Hilfiger – fashion designer, born in Elmira, New York
• Herman Hollerith – inventor, born in Buffalo, New York
• Ian Hornak – realist painter, born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
• Harry Houdini (1874-1926) - legendary illusionist and escape artist. Born in Budapest made NYC his home from 1904 onwards.
• Langston Hughes – poet, born in Joplin, Missouri

J

• Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson – businessman and rapper
• Janet Jackson -singer, born in Gary, Indiana
• Jane Jacobs (1916–2006) – economist, urban theorist, activist
• Kamara James, Olympic fencer, born in Kingston, Jamaica
• Kevin James – actor, born on Long Island, New York
• Peter Jennings – television journalist, born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada
• Derek Jeter – baseball player, born in New Jersey
• Boris Johnson – Mayor of London, England and former MP for Henley, born in New York City

• Paddy Johnson – art critic

K

• Gabriel Kahane – musician, born in Venice Beach, California
• Tim Keller – speaker, pastor, born in Lehigh, Pennsylvania
• Tom Kennedy – game show host
• Beyonce Knowles – singer and songwriter, born in Houston, Texas
• Lisa Kudrow – actress, born in Encino, California

• Howard Kyle, actor and founding member of Actors' Equity, born in Shullsburg, Wisconsin

L

• Lachi – singer-songwriter, born in Towson, Maryland
• Kirke La Shelle – playwright and theatrical producer, born in Wyoming, Illinois
• John Layfield – professional wrestler, born in Sweetwater, Texas
• Heath Ledger – actor, born in Perth, Western Australia
• Amy Lee – singer, born in Riverside, California
• Spike Lee – film director and actor, born in Atlanta, Georgia
• John Lennon – singer and songwriter, born in Liverpool, England
• Ki Longfellow – novelist, etc., born on Staten Island
• Pierre Lorillard IV – tobacco mogul, born in Westchester, New York
• Sidney Lumet – film director, born in Philadelphia
• Mike Lupica - journalist, author, born in Oneida, New York

M

• Ralph Macchio – actor, born on Long Island, New York
• Ali MacGraw – actress, born in Pound Ridge, New York
• Earl Manigault – basketball player, born in Charleston, South Carolina
• Mickey Mantle – baseball Hall of Famer, born in Spavinaw, Oklahoma
• Dean Martin – singer and actor, born in Ohio
• Ricky Martin – singer, born in Puerto Rico
• Jan Matulka – painter, born in Vlachovo Březí, Czech Republic
• Willie Mays – baseball Hall of Famer, born in Alabama
• Mike McAlary -Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, born in Honolulu
• John McCloskey – first American-born cardinal, born in City of Brooklyn
• Rue McClanahan – theater, television, and movie actress, born in Oklahoma
• Linda McCartney – photographer, wife of Beatle Paul McCartney
• John McEnroe – tennis player and TV commentator, born in Germany
• Zubin Mehta – orchestra conductor, born in Bombay, India
• Bette Midler – singer and actress, born in Honolulu, Hawaii
• Liza Minnelli – actress and singer, born in Hollywood, California.
• The Misshapes – DJs and party hosts
• Moondog (born Louis Hardin) – eccentric street musician and poet, born in Kansas
• Garry Moore – television show host and producer, born in Baltimore, Maryland
• John Pierpont Morgan – businessman, born in Hartford, Connecticut
• Robert Moses – NYC urban planner and developer, born in New Haven, Connecticut
• Nicki Minaj – rapper, singer and songwriter, born in Saint James, Trinidad and Tobago

• Andrew M. Murstein taxi executive, founder of Medallion Financial

N

• Joe Namath – professional football player, born in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania
• Thomas Nast (1840–1902) – German-born American caricaturist and editorial cartoonist "Father of the American Cartoon"
• Colette Nelson – IFBB professional bodybuilder

O

• Soledad O'Brien – television journalist, born in Saint James, New York
• John Joseph O'Connor – Roman Catholic Cardinal Archbishop of New York, born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
• Rosie O'Donnell – actress and television personality, born on Long Island, New York
• Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis – First Lady of United States, born in Southampton, New York
• Yoko Ono – artist, musician, singer and songwriter, born in Tokyo, Japan
• Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen – actresses, born in Sherman Oaks, California

P

• Sarah Jessica Parker – actress, born in Nelsonville, Ohio
• George A. Parkhurst (1841–1890) – actor, witnessed Lincoln assassination (born New York State, died New York City)
• James Patterson - author
• Ronald Perelman – investor, owner of Revlon, born in Greensboro, North Carolina
• Itzhak Perlman (born 1945) – violinist, born in Jaffa, Israel
• David Hyde Pierce – actor, born in Saratoga Springs, New York
• Natalia Paruz – a.k.a. the 'Saw Lady', subway musician, born in Givatayim, Israel
• Kira Peikoff – novelist and journalist
• Alban W. Purcell (c. 1843 – 1913) – stage actor, born Wadsworth, Ohio

R

• Johnny Ramone – born on Long Island, New York
• Ayn Rand – novelist and philosopher, born in Saint Petersburg, Russian Empire
• Tony Randall – actor, born in Tulsa, Oklahoma
• Dan Rather – television news anchor, born in Wharton, Texas
• Chris Rock – comedian, born in Andrews, South Carolina
• John D. Rockefeller – businessman, born in Richford, New York
• Richard Rodgers – composer, born on Long Island, New York
• Andrew Rooney – CBS 60 Minutes commentator, born in Albany, New York
• Franklin D. Roosevelt – U.S. President, born in Hyde Park, New York
• Dräco Rosa – composer, singer, and actor, born on Long Island, New York
• Damon Runyon -journalist and playwright, born in Manhattan, Kansas
• Babe Ruth – professional baseball player, born in Baltimore, Maryland

S

• Telly Savalas – actor, born on Long Island, New York
• Menachem Mendel Schneersohn, rabbi, leader of Chabad hasidic movement, born in Nikolaiv, Russian Empire
• Amy Sedaris – actress, author and comedian
• Jean Shafiroff – philanthropist and socialite
• Elizabeth Shepley Sergeant – journalist and writer, born in Winchester, Massachusetts
• Fulton J. Sheen – Catholic bishop, author, TV show host, born in El Paso, Illinois
• Abraham Shiplacoff – Jewish-American trade union organizer and left wing political activist, born in Chernigov, Ukraine
• Alana Shipp – American/Israeli IFBB professional bodybuilder
• Bobby Short – jazz musician, born in Danville, Illinois
• Joel Siegel - film critic, born in Los Angeles
• Paul Simon – singer-songwriter, born in Newark Heights, New Jersey
• Frank Sinatra – singer and actor, born in Hoboken, New Jersey
• Upton Sinclair – author, born in Baltimore, Maryland
• Patti Smith – singer and poet, born in Chicago
• Kevin Spacey actor, director, writer, producer, comedian
• Regina Spektor – singer-songwriter, born in Moscow, Russia
• Francis Spellman – Roman Catholic Cardinal Archbishop of New York, born in Whitman, Massachusetts
• Bruce Springsteen - singer, songwriter, guitarist, humanitarian
• George Steinbrenner - New York Yankees owner, born in Bay Village, Ohio
• Wilhelm Steinitz – world chess champion, born in Prague, Czech Republic
• Sting – musician, born in England
• Martha Stewart – designer and TV personality, born in Jersey City, New Jersey
• Lee Strasberg – actor and acting teacher, born in Budaniv, Ukraine
• Meryl Streep – actress, born in Summit, New Jersey
• Emma Stone – actress, born in Scottsdale, Arizona
• Peter Stuyvesant – Governor of New Netherland, born in Peperga, Netherlands
• Raven-Symoné – actress and singer; born in Atlanta, Georgia

T

• Eva Tanguay (1878-1947) - Outrageous, bold, outspoken Vaudeville singer & comedienne. born in Quebec
• Samuel J. Tilden – presidential candidate, born in New Lebanon, New York
• Daniel D. Tompkins – U.S. Vice President, born in Westchester County

Aaron Tveit- Actor born in Middletown, New York

U

• Johannes Urzidil – writer, born in Prague, Bohemia

V

• Martin Van Buren – US President, born in Kinderhook, New York
• Andrew VanWyngarden – member of MGMT
• Jon Voight – actor, born in Yonkers, New York
• Vin Diesel – actor

W

• Rufus Wainwright – musician, born in Rhinebeck, New York
• Barbara Walters – TV journalist and personality, born in Boston
• Andy Warhol – artist, born in Pittsburgh
• Denzel Washington – actor, born in Mount Vernon, New York
• Walt Whitman – poet and author, born in West Hills (Long Island), New York
• Olivia Wilde – actress
• Barney Williams – Irish-American comedian
• Jayson Williams – basketball player, born in South Carolina
• Christopher Woodrow – movie producer, born in Syracuse, New York

See also

• List of people from New York
• By borough:
  • List of people from the Bronx
  • List of people from Brooklyn
  • List of people from Queens
  • List of people from Staten Island

External links

• City Lore's People's Hall of Fame