List of people from the Lehigh Valley

Allentown, Pennsylvania, 2010

The following is a list of notable people who were born, or who have lived a significant portion of their lives, in the Lehigh Valley, around Allentown, Pennsylvania in the United States.

Athletics

Mario Andretti

Larry Holmes

Matt Millen

Andre Reed

• Chuck Amato, former head football coach, North Carolina State University
• Jeff Andretti, is an American race car driver
• John Andretti, professional race car driver, raced in NASCAR, and currently races in the IndyCar Series
• Mario Andretti, former professional race car driver
• Michael Andretti, professional racing team owner, former professional race car driver
• Afa Anoa'i, Jr., professional wrestler
• Steve Aponavicius, placekicker, Boston College
• Chuck Bednarik, former professional football player, Philadelphia Eagles, Pro Football Hall of Fame member
• Charlie Berry Sr., former professional baseball player, Union Association, and father of Charlie Berry
• Charlie Berry, former professional baseball and umpire, Major League Baseball
• Jim Booros, professional golfer, former PGA Tour player
• Tom Brennan, radio and television sportscaster and former men's basketball head coach, University of Vermont
• Ian "Rocky" Butler, professional football player, Canadian Football League
• Pete Carril, former professional and collegiate basketball coach
• Francesco Caruso, professional soccer player, Harrisburg City Islanders
• George Daniel, Deputy Commissioner and Chief Operating Officer, National Lacrosse League
• Parke H. Davis, football coach and lawyer
• Keith Dorney, former professional football player, Detroit Lions
• DC Drake (Don Drake), former professional wrestler, former World Champion for National Wrestling Federation and Heavyweight Champion for Tri-State Wrestling Alliance, later known as Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW)
• Slim Emmerich, former professional baseball player, New York Giants and St. Louis Cardinals
• Peter Gruner, professional wrestler known as Billy Kidman
• Bob Heffner, former professional baseball player, Boston Red Sox, California Angels and Cleveland Indians
• Larry Holmes, former boxing heavyweight champion (fought under nickname "The Easton Assassin")
• Brian Knobs, former professional wrestler
• Dan Koppen, professional football player, Denver Broncos
• Gary Lavelle, former professional baseball player, Oakland Athletics, San Francisco Giants and Toronto Blue Jays
• Ty Hildenbrandt, College Football Personality
• Varvara Lepchenko, professional tennis player
• Jonathan Linton, former professional football player, Buffalo Bills
• Kristen Maloney, gymnast, former Olympian
• Michelle Marciniak, co-founder of SHEEX, Inc.; former women's basketball coach, University of South Carolina; and former professional basketball player, WNBA's Portland Fire and Seattle Storm.
• Ed McCaffrey, former professional football player, Denver Broncos, New York Giants and San Francisco 49ers
• John Meister, former professional baseball player, New York Metropolitans
• Joe Milinichik, former professional football player, Detroit Lions, Los Angeles Rams and San Diego Chargers
• Matt Millen, former professional football player, Oakland Raiders, San Francisco 49ers and Washington Redskins, former President and General Manager, Detroit Lions and current broadcaster, NFL on Fox
• Jeff Mutis, former professional baseball player, Cleveland Indians and Florida Marlins
• Marty Nothstein, Olympic gold medal winner, track cycling
• Billy Packer, CBS basketball analyst
• Andre Reed, former professional football player, Buffalo Bills and Washington Redskins
• Matthew Riddle, professional UFC mixed martial fighter
• Jim Ringo, former professional football player, Green Bay Packers and Philadelphia Eagles, Pro Football Hall of Fame member
• Eddie Sachs, United States Auto Club driver
• Jerry Sags, former professional wrestler
• Jimmie Schaffer, former professional baseball player, Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, Cincinnati Reds, New York Mets, Philadelphia Phillies and St. Louis Cardinals
• Dave Schneck, former professional baseball player, New York Mets
• Brian Schneider, professional baseball player, Philadelphia Phillies
• Larry Seiple, former professional football player, Miami Dolphins
• Curt Simmons, former professional baseball player, California Angels, Chicago Cubs, Philadelphia Phillies and St. Louis Cardinals
• John Spagnola, former professional football player, Green Bay Packers, Philadelphia Eagles and Seattle Seahawks
• Tony Stewart, professional football player, Oakland Raiders
• Ryo Tokita, artist
• Carl van Horn, former dirt track racer
• Dave Van Horne, Major League Baseball Broadcaster, original voice of the Montreal Expos
• Cheryl Van Kuren, former Olympic field hockey player
• Bobby Weaver, 1984 Summer Olympics gold medal winner, freestyle wrestling
• Brant Weidner, former professional basketball player, San Antonio Spurs
• Bob Weiss, former professional basketball coach, Seattle SuperSonics
• Cindy Werley, former Olympic field hockey player
• Joe Wolf, former professional football player, Arizona Cardinals
• Jason Yeisley, professional soccer player, Dallas FC
• Dan Yochum, former professional football player, Montreal Alouettes and Edmonton Eskimos

Authors, journalists, playwrights and poets

Stephen Vincent Benét

• Christian Bauman, novelist
• Stephen Vincent Benét, author
• Charles Bierbauer, journalist
• H.D., writer, poet
• John Birmelin, Pennsylvania German dialect poet and playwright
• Katherine Boehret, technology journalist, The Wall Street Journal
• Russell Davenport, publisher and writer
• Solomon DeLong (pen name Obediah Grouthomel), Pennsylvania German language columnist for The Morning Call
• Michael F. Flynn, science fiction writer
• Matthew Giobbi, author
• Alfred Hassler, journalist and author
• J. Robert Lennon, novelist
• Randall Munroe, writer, XKCD comic series
• Alix Olson, spoken word artist
• Michael Pocalyko, business executive and financial novelist
• Marci Shore, author and historian
• Jennifer Storm, author
• Lauren Weisberger, author, The Devil Wears Prada

Business and politics

Michael Johns

• Roy C. Afflerbach, lobbyist and politician
• William F. Andrews, former member of Congress
• James Soloman Biery, former member of Congress
• William F. Birch, former member of Congress
• Joseph Force Crater, Associate Justice, New York Supreme Court
• James B. Cunningham, diplomat and current U.S. ambassador to Israel
• Charlie Dent, member of Congress
• Wayne Dumont, former New Jersey Senate Majority Leader and Senate President
• Charles L. Gerlach, former member of Congress
• Fred Benjamin Gernerd, former member of Congress
• Rick Glazier, Democratic member of the North Carolina House of Representatives
• Eugene Grace, industrialist, President of Bethlehem Steel, 1916–1945
• David W. Hess, Republican member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives
• Lee Iacocca, former chairman of Chrysler Corporation
• John Kline, member of Congress
• Marcus C.L. Kline, former member of Congress
• Fred Ewing Lewis, former member of Congress
• Norton Lewis Lichtenwalner, former member of Congress
• Helen Stevenson Meyner, former member of Congress
• Robert B. Meyner, former Governor of New Jersey
• Peter Newhard, former member of Congress
• Jerry Oberholtzer, current mayor of Snellville, Georgia
• Ed Pawlowski, current mayor of Allentown
• Andrew Horatio Reeder, former Governor of Kansas
• Donald L. Ritter, former member of Congress
• Charles M. Schwab, industrialist, former President of U.S. Steel (later incorporated as Bethlehem Steel)
• Charles Sitgreaves, former member of Congress and former Mayor of Phillipsburg
• Samuel Sitgreaves, former U.S. commissioner to Great Britain and former member of Congress
• Richard A. Snelling, former Governor of Vermont
• Andrea Tantaros, political analyst and commentator
• George Taylor, signator to the Declaration of Independence
• Charles A. Wikoff, most senior ranking U.S. Army officer killed in the Spanish-American War

Film, television, and stage

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson

Amanda Seyfried

• Lisa Ann, adult film actress
• Alexandra Chando, actress, As The World Turns
• Jack Coleman, actor, NBC's Heroes
• Michaela Conlin, actress, Fox's Bones
• Dane DeHaan, actor, In Treatment and Chronicle
• Devon, adult film actress
• Omar Doom, actor and musician
• Jonathan Frakes, actor, Star Trek: The Next Generation
• Tim Heidecker, actor and comedian, Cartoon Network's Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!
• Dwayne Johnson ("The Rock"), actor, former professional wrestler
• Mel Harris, actress, ABC's thirtysomething
• Daniel Dae Kim, actor, ABC's Lost
• Gelsey Kirkland, ballerina
• Carson Kressley, fashion consultant, Bravo's Queer Eye
• Christopher Lennertz, film, television, and video game music composer, Alvin and the Chipmunks and Supernatural
• Jayne Mansfield, 1950s-era actress and sex symbol
• William Marchant, playwright and screenwriter
• Michael McDonald, costume designer and 2009 Tony Award and Drama Desk nominee for Hair
• Kristen McMenamy, fashion model
• Kate Micucci, actress, comedian, artist, and singer-songwriter.
• Lara Jill Miller, voice actress, Cartoon Network's The Life and Times of Juniper Lee
• Aimee Mullins, model and actress
• Robert Newhard, cinematographer
• Sally Jessy Raphael, television talk show host
• Lou Reda, documentary filmmaker
• Daniel Roebuck, actor, ABC's Lost
• Amanda Seyfried, model and actress, The CW's Veronica Mars and HBO's Big Love
• Sheetal Sheth, actress, Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World
• Gary Mark Smith, artist, author, and global street photographer
• Dana Snyder, voice actor, Cartoon Network's Aqua Teen Hunger Force
• Sarah Strohmeyer, novelist, creator of Bubbles Yablonsky
• Christine Taylor, actress and wife of actor Ben Stiller
• Jonathan Taylor Thomas, actor, ABC's Home Improvement
• Yvonne Zima, actress, "Rachel Greene" on NBC's ER
• David Zippel, Tony-award winning lyricist, City of Angels

Music

Jimmy DeGrasso

Steve Kimock

• Rick Braun, Smooth Jazz trumpet player
• Lillian Briggs, former rockabilly musician
• Leon Carr, Broadway composer and television advertising songwriter
• Jimmy DeGrasso, drummer, Alice Cooper band, former drummer, Megadeth
• Omar Doom, actor and musician
• Fiona, rock music singer
• Walt Groller, Grammy-nominated polka musician
• George Hrab, rock and funk musician
• Chris Jarrett, pianist and composer
• Keith Jarrett, jazz musician
• Jay & the Techniques, sixties era pop/soul group
• Steve Kimock, rock musician
• Terry Kitchen, folk singer
• Ludwig Lenel, organist and composer
• Mulgrew Miller, jazz pianist
• Mike Portnoy, rock drummer
• Thom Schuyler, country music singer and songwriter
• Shadow Gallery, progressive metal band
• Donald Voorhees, Emmy-nominated orchestral conductor
• Jordan White, rock musician
• Stephanie Woodling, opera singer

Religion

• Frank N. D. Buchman, founder of the Oxford Group and Moral Re-Armament religious movement
• Timothy J. Keller, Christian pastor in of Redeemer Presbyterian Church, author of The Reason for God
• Nathan Homer Knorr, religious leader and 3rd president, Jehovah's Witnesses
• Barry W. Lynn, executive director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State

Science

James McKeen Cattell

• David A. Bader, Georgia Tech professor
• Michael Behe, biochemist at Lehigh University, advocate of intelligent design
• James McKeen Cattell, first United States psychology professor
• Richard Diehl, archaeologist, academic and Mesoamericanist scholar
• Edwin Drake, oil driller
• Terry Jonathan Hart, Space Shuttle astronaut
• Dennis Mammana, nationally-syndicated astronomy columnist, lecturer and sky photographer
• Francis March, academic
• Aaron D. O'Connell, created the world's first quantum machine
• Beth Shapiro, evolutionary biologist, MacArthur Fellow
• Walter O. Snelling, chemist and explosives expert who discovered propane gas

Visual arts

Boris Vallejo

• John E. Berninger, landscape painter and Pennsylvania impressionist, first curator of the Allentown Art Museum
• Karl Buesgen, landscape painter and Pennsylvania impressionist
• Mark Beyer, comic book artist
• Don Dixon, astronomical artist
• Peter Alfred Gross, landscape painter
• Ella Sophonisba Hergesheimer, illustrator, painter and printmaker
• Herman Leonard, photographer noted for jazz portraits
• Arlington Nelson Lindenmuth, landscape and portrait painter, photographer
• Grover Simcox, naturalist illustrator
• Boris Vallejo, fantasy artist
• Orlando Gray Wales, landscape painter and Pennsylvania impressionist

Other

• Karen Bausman, architect
• Thom Browne, fashion designer
• Frank Reed Horton, founder of Alpha Phi Omega service fraternity
• Jim Karol, magician and mentalist
• Sarah Knauss, supercentenarian recognized as the "world's oldest person" by Guinness World Records from April 16, 1998 until her death at age 119 in 1999
• Timothy Krajcir, serial killer
• Martin O. May, Medal of Honor recipient in World War II
• Harvey Miguel Robinson, serial killer
• Robert Sun, inventor of 24 Game
• Theo Tran, professional poker player

External links

• "Famous People from the Lehigh Valley", The Morning Call, August 15, 2008.