List of people from New York City

This is a list of notable people from 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 an incomplete list, which may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by expanding it with reliably sourced entries.

A

• Abby Wambach – soccer player
• Aaliyah – (1979–2001) born in California; singer, dancer, actress and model.
• Kareem Abdul-Jabbar – basketball player
• George Abernethy – (1807–1877), first provisional Governor of Oregon
• 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 (aka Lord Stirling), (1726–1783), American major general in the American Revolutionary War
• Woody Allen – film director
• Rafer Alston – basketball player
• Charles Anthon, classical scholar
• Carmelo Anthony – basketball player
• Marc Anthony – singer and actor
• Diane Arbus (1923–1971) – photographer
• Kenneth J. Arrow – economist; Nobel laureate (Economics, 1972)
• 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
• Red Auerbach – basketball coach
• Hank Azaria
• ASAP Rocky  — rapper

B

• Edwin Burr Babbitt – U.S. Army major general
• Penn Badgley – actor
• Evan Baken – musician, drummer, record company executive
• William Bliss Baker – landscape artist
• Joseph Barbera (1911–2006) - Animator, producer, director, MGM and co-founded (of Hanna-Barbera)
• Moe Berg – Major League Baseball player and spy
• Henry Bogart – one of the first cinematographer’s w/Cinemascope
• Francis Bouillon – National Hockey League defenseman currently playing for the Nashville Predators
• Barbara Boxer – Senator from California
• James J. Braddock – boxer (aka 'Cinderella Man')
• Hermann Braun (1918–1945) – German film actor
• Abigail Breslin- actress, musician
• Matthew Broderick – actor
• Mel Brooks – film director
• Julia Brown – madam and prostitute
• Larry Brown – basketball player and coach
• Andrew Bryson (1822–1892), United States Navy rear admiral
• Steve Buscemi – actor

C

• James Caan – actor
• Adolph Caesar (1933–1986) – actor
• Leslie Cagan (b. 1947) – activist and writer
• James Cagney (1899–1986) – actor
• Eddie Cahill (b. 1978) – actor
• Edward L. Cahn (1899–1963) film director best known for 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
• Al Capone (1899–1947) – Prohibition gangster and boss of the Chicago Outfit
• Mae Capone (1897–1986) - wife of Al Capone.
• Francis Capra (b. 1983) - actor
• Nestor Carbonell (b. 1967) – actor
• Benjamin Cardozo – Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court
• Hugh Carey – Governor of New York
• Timothy Carey (1929–1994) – film and television actor
• George Carlin (1937–2008) – comedian
• Alan Carney (1909–1973) – actor and comedian
• Caleb Carr (b. 1955) – novelist and military historian
• Eric Carr – rock musician, songwriter
• Julian Casablancas- lead singer of NYC-based rock band the Strokes, musician.
• John Cassavetes – actor
• Vinnie Caruana – musician, singer
• Phoebe Cates – actress
• Jose Ceballos – trade unionist and political campaign manager
• Bennett Cerf (1898–1971) – publisher
• Jeff Chandler – actor
• Frank Chanfrau – actor
• Harry Chapin (1942–1981) – singer-songwriter
• Paddy Chayefsky – author
• Maury Chaykin -actor
• Julie Chen – anchorwoman
• Edmund A. Chester – executive at the CBS
• Jennie Jerome Churchill – mother of Winston Churchill
• Peter Cincotti – singer-songwriter
• George H. Cooper (1821–1891), United States Navy rear admiral
• Shaun Cooper – rock musician, bassist
• Margaret Colin – actress
• Freddie Crawford – basketball player
• Peter Criss – rock musician, songwriter
• George Cukor – film director
• Mario Cuomo – Governor of New York

D

• Charles Patrick Daly, judge
• Claire Danes – actress
• [[
• Rodney Dangerfield – comedian
• Ron Dante – singer-songwriter, and record producer
• 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
• Robert De Niro – actor
• Éamon de Valera – Taoiseach (prime minister) and President of Ireland
• Willy DeVille (born 1950), singer
• Kevin Devine – musician and songwriter
• Samuel R. Delany – author and critic
• Don DeLillo – author
• Jerry Denny, major league baseball player
• Neil Diamond – singer and composer
• P. Diddy – rap artist
• Vin Diesel – actor
• Vincent D'Onofrio – actor
• Phoebe Doty – prostitute and madam
• Kirk Douglas – actor
• Joseph Dunninger – mentalist
• Fran Drescher – actor
• Richard Dreyfuss – actor
• David Duchovny – actor
• Patty Duke – actress and activist for mental-health issues

E

• Gertrude Ederle – swimmer
• Mario Elie – basketball player
• Duke Ellington – jazz pianist
• Nora Ephron – director, screenwriter, author
• Eru – singer (Korea)
• Jesse Eisenberg – actor

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
• Richard Feynman – Nobel Prize-winning physicist
• 50 Cent – rap artist
• Harvey Fierstein – actor
• Joleigh Fioravanti – actress
• Hamilton Fish – Governor of New York and U.S. Secretary of State
• Jane Fonda – actress
• Peter Fonda – actor
• Malcolm Forbes – publisher
• Davy Force – major league baseball player
• Anthony Franciosa – actor
• Al Franken – comedian and radio host, Senator of Minnesota
• Ace Frehley – guitarist
• Milton Friedman – economist
• John Frusciante – musician, artist
• Bobby Flay – chef
• Whitey Ford – pitcher for the New York Yankees

G

• Lady Gaga – singer-songwriter
• Gus Gardella – American football player
• John Garfield – actor
• Art Garfunkel – singer-songwriter
• Lou Gehrig – baseball player
• George Gershwin – composer
• Ira Gershwin – lyricist
• Vitas Gerulaitis – tennis player
• Tiffany Giardina – singer-songwriter
• Ruth Bader Ginsburg – Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court
• Rudolph Giuliani – mayor of New York
• Jackie Gleason – comedian
• Whoopi Goldberg – comedian and actress
• William Goldberg – diamond dealer
• Daniel S. Goldin – NASA director
• Ben Goldwasser – member of MGMT
• Cuba Gooding Jr. – actor
• Doris Kearns Goodwin – author
• Victor Gotbaum – labor leader
• Elliott Gould – actor
• Topher Grace – actor
• Rocky Graziano – boxer (real name Thomas Rocco Barbella)
• Hank Greenberg – Hall of Fame baseball player
• Alan Greenspan – economist, former Federal Reserve Chairman
• Adrian Grenier – actor
• Melanie Griffith – actress
• Bob Guccione – publisher
• Peggy Guggenheim – art collector
• Steve Guttenberg – actor
• Maggie Gyllenhaal – actress

H

• Mortimer Halpern – Broadway stage manager
• Anne Hathaway – actress
• Armand Hammer – industrialist and philanthropist
• Oscar Hammerstein II – composer
• 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
• Marcia Haufrecht – actor, director, playwright
• Curt Hawkins – WWE wrestler
• Francis L. Hawks, reverend
• 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 – (Warrior) pro wrestler
• Lance Henriksen – actor
• Brian Henson – Muppeteer, director, producer
• Peter Cooper Hewitt (1861–1921) – inventor
• Hildegarde – American cabaret singer
• Paris Hilton – fashionista
• Gregory Hines – dancer and actor
• Judd Hirsch (b. 1935) – actor
• Lena Horne (1917–2010) – singer
• Edward Everett Horton – actor
• Richard Hunt – Muppeteer and TV director
• Tab Hunter (b. 1931) – actor
• Barbara Hutton (1912–1979) – socialite dubbed "Poor Little Rich Girl"
• Moe, Curly and Shemp Howard – the Three Stooges

I

• Washington Irving – author
• John Isaac – photographer

J

• Ja Rule (born 1976) – actor and rapper
• 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
• 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
• Billy Joel (born 1949) – singer-songwriter
• David Johansen (born 1950) – actor and singer-songwriter
• Scarlett Johansson (born 1984) – actress
• 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) American basketball player
• Tommy Lee Jones (born 1946) – actor and film director
• 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
• 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-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

• 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 (b. 1965) – actress
• Floria Lasky (1923–2007) – influential theater world lawyer
• Cyndi Lauper – singer
• Ralph Lauren – fashion designer
• Emma Lazarus – author and poet
• Steve Lawrence – singer
• Madeleine L'Engle – author
• Franz Leichter (b. 1930) – politician
• Joe E. Lewis (1902–1971) – comedian
• Roy Lichtenstein – artist
• John Lindsay – Mayor of New York City
• Peggy Lipton – actress
• Robert R. Livingston – U.S. Founding Father and diplomat
• Robert Loggia – actor
• Lindsay Lohan – actress and singer
• Vince Lombardi – American football coach
• Ki Longfellow – novelist
• Jennifer Lopez – actor
• Julia Louis-Dreyfus – actress
• Willie Lozado – baseball player
• Edna Luby – Broadway and vaudeville performer
• Lucky Luciano – gangster
• Sid Luckman – football player and coach
• Frankie Lyman – 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
• Soraida Martinez – artist, designer
• Constantine Maroulis – American Idol finalist
• Groucho, Harpo, Chico, Zeppo and Gummo Marx – the Marx Brothers
• James Maslow – actor and singer (Big Time Rush)
• 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 – NBC News Chief Foreign Affairs Correspondent, MSNBC host Andrea Mitchell Reports
• Paul Meltsner – WPA-era painter and muralist
• Herman Melville (1819–1891) – author
• Yehudi Menuhin (1916–1999) – violinist
• Ethel Merman (1908–1984) – singer and actress
• Robert Merrill (1917–2004) – singer
• Lea Michele - actress, singer
• Alyssa Milano – actress
• Adeline Miller – prostitute and madam
• Arthur Miller (1915–2005) – playwright
• Marcus Miller – bassist and composer
• Sienna Miller-Actress, fashion designer, model
• Harvey Milk – gay activist and politician
• Sal Mineo (1939–1976) – actor
• Nicki Minaj – rapper, singer, actress
• 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, songwriter, television personality, radio DJ
• Gouverneur Morris – U.S. founding father; U.S. Senator
• Zero Mostel – actor and comedian
• 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
• Dominic Napolitano (1930–1981) – Mafia caporegime
• Janet Napolitano (b. 1957) – 3rd US Sec. of Homeland Security
• Michael H. Nash (1946–2012) – labor historian, librairan, and archivist
• Tonie Nathan (b. 1923) – Libertarian Party political figure
• Oscar Neebe (1850–1916) – anarchist, labor activist, onr of the Haymarket bombing trial defendants.
• Howard Nemerov (1920–1991) – poet
• Sam Newfield (1899–1964) – American B-movie director
• John Philip Newman (1826–1899) – Methodist bishop
• Denise Nickerson (b. 1957) – actress
• Cynthia Nixon (b. 1966) – actress
• Jerry Nolan (1946–1992) – rock drummer
• John Nolan (b. 1978)  – musician and singer
• Charles Nordhoff (1830–1901) – journalist, descriptive and miscellaneous writer
• Dagmar Nordstrom – composer, pianist, one of The Nordstrom Sisters
• Nordstrom Sisters – sister act, international cabaret singers
• Ed Norris (b. 1960) – radio host
• Chris Noth (b. 1954) – actor
• Carrie Nye (1936–2006) – actress
• Naresh Goyal – chairman of Jet Airways based in Mumbai

O

• John Oates (b. 1949) – guitarist Hall & Oates
• Keith Olbermann – MSNBC anchor
• 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
• Christopher Poole - creator of 4chan
• Saul K. Padover – historian
• 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
• Lip Pike – major league baseball player, four-time home-run champion
• John Pleshette – actor
• Suzanne Pleshette – actress
• 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 specialist in Complex Regional Pain Syndrome and Neuromodulation
• Priscilla Presley – actress
• Tito Puente – band leader
• Mario Puzo – author

Q

• Q-Tip (rapper) – rapper

R

• Raekwon – rapper (Wu-tang Clan)
• Bill Rafferty – comedian
• Joey Ramone and Marky Ramone – punk-rock musicians
• Ray Ratkowski – football player
• Lou Reed – rock musician, songwriter
• Christopher Reeve – actor
• Paul Reiser – actor
• Ed Rendell – former Mayor of Philadelphia, Governor of Pennsylvania
• Brandon Reilly – musician, guitarist, singer
• Leah Remini – actress
• Lana Del Rey;- singer
• Charles E. Rice – legal scholar, university professor
• Buddy Rich – jazz drummer
• Burton Richter – Nobel Prize-winning physicist
• Thelma Ritter – actress
• Chris Rock – comedian
• Laurance Rockefeller – conservationist and philanthropist
• Winthrop Rockefeller – Governor of Arkansas
• Norman Rockwell – artist
• Alex Rodriguez – baseball player
• Sonny Rollins – jazz saxophonist
• Ray Romano – actor
• Igal Roodenko (1917–1991) – civil-rights activist, pacifist
• 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
• Julius Rosenberg – convicted spy
• Emmy Rossum - Actress
• Mercedes Ruehl – actress
• 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
• Adam Sandler – actor, comedian
• Claudio Sanchez – musician
• Francesco Scavullo – photographer
• Dick Schaap – journalist
• Vincent Schiavelli – actor
• Julian Schnabel – artist and director
• Mathieu Schneider – hockey player
• Sandra Schnur – disability-rights activist
• Rick Schroder – actor
• Charles Schumer – Senator
• Julius Schwartz – comic book editor
• Martin Scorsese – film director
• Vin Scully – sports radio announcer
• 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 the Sisters of Charity, first native-born US citizen canonized
• Tupac Shakur – rapper
• Artie Shaw (1910–2004) – band leader
• Judith Sheindlin (b. 1942)  – "Judge Judy"——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
• Carly Simon – singer-songwriter
• Neil Simon – playwright
• Richard L. Simon (1899–1960) – businessman and publisher
• 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 – songwriter
• Aaron Sorkin – playwright and screenwriter
• Mickey Spillane – author
• Eliot Spitzer – Governor of New York
• Sylvester Stallone – actor, director, screenwriter
• Paul Stanley – hard-rock guitarist, singer-songwriter
• Barbara Stanwyck (1907–1990) – actress
• Joe Start – major league baseball player
• Howard Stern – radio and television host
• John Stevens – delegate to Continental Congress for New Jersey
• 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
• Ed Sullivan (1901–1974) – TV 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
• Milton Terris (1915–2002) – public health physician and epidemiologist
• Roy M. Terry – Chief of Chaplains of the U.S. Air Force
• Irving Thalberg – film producer
• Johnny Thunders – rock musician
• Gene Tierney (1920–1991) – actress
• Harry Tietlebaum (b. 1889) – organized crime figure
• Louis Comfort Tiffany (1848–1933) – artist
• Matt Titus  – professional matchmaker
• James Toback (b. 1944) – screenwriter and director
• Isabella Tobias (b. 1991) – ice dancer
• Lola Todd (1904–1995) – silent film actress
• Bill Todman – game show producer
• Michael Tolkin (b. 1950) – filmmaker and novelist
• Marisa Tomei – actress
• Joe Torre – baseball player and coach
• Michelle Trachtenberg – actress
• Mary Travers – singer with Peter, Paul, and Mary
• Donald Trump – businessman
• Barbara Tuchman (1912–1989) – historian; author
• Richard Tucker (19134-1975) – opera tenor
• Gene Tunney – 1926–28 heavyweight boxing champion
• John V. Tunney – former U.S. Senator
• John Turturro – actor
• William Tweed (1823–1878) – politician
• Liv Tyler – actress
• Mike Tyson – professional 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
• George Vergara – NFL player

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
• Vera Wang – fashion designer
• Keenen Ivory Wayans -actor, director, producer, and writer
• Elvira Wayans -writer
• Damon Wayans -actor producer
• Kim Wayans -actress
• Nadia Wayans -actress
• Dwayne Wayans -director producer writer
• Shawn Wayans -actor producer
• Marlon Wayans -actor producer
• Sigourney Weaver – actress
• Steven Weinberg – Nobel Prize-winning physicist
• Leslie West – rock musician
• Mae West (1893–1980) – actress
• Nathanael West – author
• Edith Wharton – author
• 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 – founding member of the CPUSA
• Dean Winters -actor
• Charles Wuorinen – composer
• Christopher George Latore Wallace (The Notorious B.I.G.) – rapper

Y

• Tony Yayo – rap artist
• 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 an incomplete list, which may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by expanding it with reliably sourced entries.

A

• Samuel Adler, rabbi, born in Worms, Germany
• William Adams, born in Colchester, Connecticut, one of the founders and later the president of Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York
• Frederick Styles Agate, born in England, noted painter.
• Thomas Peter Akers, born in Knox County, Ohio, vice president of the gold board
• Jason Alexander – television actor, born in Newark, New Jersey
• Jennifer Aniston – comedienne, actress, born in Sherman Oaks, California
• Chester A. Arthur – U.S. President, born in Fairfield, Vermont
• Isaac Asimov – author, born in Russia
• John Jacob Astor – First multimillionaire of the US, born in Germany

B

• Lucille Ball – comedienne, actress, born in Jamestown, New York
• Count Basie – jazz pianist and band leader, born in Red Bank, New Jersey
• Irving Berlin – composer, lyricist, born in Russia
• 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
• Marlon Brando, Jr. – actor, born in Omaha, Nebraska
• Brandy – singer, born in Mississippi
• Tom Brokaw – television news anchor, born in Webster, South Dakota
• Orestes Brownson – writer, abolitionist, pro-labor reformer, Catholic apologist, born in Stockbridge, Vermont
• William F. Buckley, Jr. – author and conservative commentator, born in Mexico City, Mexico

C

• Mariah Carey – singer, born on Long Island, New York
• 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 – anchorwoman, born in Washington, D.C.
• Dick Clark – entertainer, born in Mount Vernon, New York
• DeWitt Clinton – Senator and Governor of New York, born in Napanoch, New York
• George M. Cohan – entertainer, born in Providence, Rhode Island
• Anthony Comstock – reformer, born in New Canaan, Connecticut
• Bill Cosby – actor/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
• 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
• "Emmy" Rossum (Emmanuelle Grey) – actress and musician born in New York City New York^{[citation needed]}

F

• 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
• 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
• Greta Garbo – actress, born in Stockholm, Sweden
• Dizzy Gillespie – jazz trumpet player, born in South Carolina

H

• Bobby Hackett – Jazz musician, born in Providence, Rhode Island
• Thomas S. Hamblin – actor, manager of the Bowery Theater
• Alexander Hamilton – U.S. Founding Father, born in the West Indies
• Townsend Harris – first US diplomat in Japan, one of the founders of CCNY, born in Sandy Hill, New York
• Randy Harrison (b. 1977) – gay actor born in New Hampshire and formerly of Alpharetta, Georgia
• Deborah Harry – singer, actress, born in Union City, New Jersey
• Carlton Hayes – history professor at Columbia University, ambassador to Spain, born at 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
• Langston Hughes – poet, born in Joplin, Missouri

J

• Jane Jacobs (1916–2006) – economist, urban theorist, activist
• Kevin James – actor, born on Long Island, New York
• Peter Jennings – television news anchor, born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada
• Derek Jeter – professional 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

• Janet Jackson singer,actress

K

• Gabriel Kahane – musician, born in Venice Beach, California
• Tim Keller – speaker, pastor, born in Lehigh, PA
• Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis – first lady, born in Southampton, New York
• Tom Kennedy – game show host
• Lisa Kudrow – actress, born in Encino, California

L

• Lachi – singer-songwriter, born in Towson, Maryland
• 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, born in Atlanta, Georgia
• John Lennon – singer-songwriter, born in Liverpool, England
• Ki Longfellow – novelist, etc., born on Staten Island
• Pierre Lorillard IV – businessman and founder of tobacco company, born in Westchester, 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 – professional baseball player, born in Spavinaw, Oklahoma
• Dean Martin – singer, 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
• John McCloskey – first American born cardinal, born in City of Brooklyn, New York
• Linda McCartney – photographer, wife of Beatle Paul McCartney
• John McEnroe – professional tennis player, born in Germany
• Zubin Mehta – orchestra conductor, born in Bombay, India
• Bette Midler – singer and actress, born in Honolulu, Hawaii
• 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-songwriter, born in Saint James, Trinidad and Tobago

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"

O

• Soledad O'Brien – journalist (including CNN anchorwoman), born in Saint James, New York
• John Joseph O'Connor – Roman Catholic Cardinal Archbishop of New York, born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
• Rosie O'Donnell – comedian, born on Long Island, New York
• Yoko Ono – artist and musician and singer-songwriter, born in Tokyo, Japan
• Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, born in Sherman Oaks, California

P

• Sarah Jessica Parker – actress, born in Nelsonville, Ohio
• Ronald Perelman – investor, owner of Revlon, born in Greensboro, North Carolina
• Itzhak Perlman (b. 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
• Alban W. Purcell, stage actor, born Wadsworth, Ohio c. 1843, died New York City 1913

R

• Johnny Ramone – born on Long Island, New York
• 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
• Babe Ruth – professional baseball player, born in Baltimore, Maryland

S

• Telly Savalas – actor, born on Long Island, New York
• 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
• Bobby Short – jazz musician, born in Danville, Illinois
• Paul Simon – singer-songwriter, born in Newark Heights, New Jersey
• Frank Sinatra – singer, born in Hoboken, New Jersey
• Upton Sinclair – author, born in Baltimore, Maryland
• Patti Smith – singer and poet, born in Chicago
• Regina Spektor – singer-songwriter, born in Moscow, Russia
• Francis Spellman – Roman Catholic Cardinal Archbishop of New York, born in Whitman, Massachusetts
• Wilhelm Steinitz – world chess champion, born in Prague, Czech Republic
• Sting – rock star, born in England
• Martha Stewart – home interior designer, born in Jersey City, New Jersey
• Lee Strasberg – 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

• Samuel J. Tilden – presidential candidate, born in New Lebanon, New York
• Daniel D. Tompkins – U.S. Vice President, born in Westchester County

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

W

• Rufus Wainwright – musician, born in Rhinebeck, New York
• Barbara Walters – journalist, writer, and media personality, born in Boston, Massachusetts
• Andy Warhol – artist, born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
• 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 Ritter, South Carolina

See also

• List of people from New York (state)
• Green-Wood Cemetery#Notable burials

Lists by New York City borough

• List of people from the Bronx
• List of people from Brooklyn, New York
• List of people from Queens
• List of people from Staten Island

External links

• City Lore's People's Hall of Fame