Jump to content

List of people from Buffalo, New York: Difference between revisions

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous editNext edit →
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
Cbreeze2 (talk | contribs)
97 edits
Added names to the list of people from Buffalo.
Line 229: Line 229:


Other scientists of note include Nobel laureate [[Herbert Hauptman]] and [[Wilson Greatbatch]], inventor of the [[Artificial pacemaker|Pacemaker]].
Other scientists of note include Nobel laureate [[Herbert Hauptman]] and [[Wilson Greatbatch]], inventor of the [[Artificial pacemaker|Pacemaker]].

Attorney and author [[Rami Hanash]] was born and raised in Buffalo and attended the State University of New York at Buffalo.


==Sports==
==Sports==

Revision as of 20:56, 22 February 2008

Many Buffalonians have found fame and fortune in their careers.

Artists

Authors and Journalists

Several well known authors emerged from here, including Paul Horgan and playwrights Ruben Santiago-Hudson (Lackawanna Blues) and A.R. Gurney (The Dining Room and Love Letters).

Charles Baxter did his graduate work at the University at Buffalo, as did Gary Barwin and Ishmael Reed. See University page for other notable alumni. Notable faculty include Tony Conrad, Robert Creeley, and Lejaren Hiller.

John Barth

William Wells Brown, the nation's first African-American novelist and historian, lived in Buffalo in the 1840s and was active in the Underground Railroad.

Taylor Caldwell

Nobel laureate J.M. Coetzee

Leslie Fiedler

F. Scott Fitzgerald

Anna Katharine Green, America's first writer of detective fiction, spent her adult life here.

Elbert Hubbard was an executive with the Larkin Soap Company in Buffalo before moving to nearby East Aurora, founding the Roycroft arts and crafts community, and publishing several books and periodicals.

John Kessel, science fiction author

Mabel Dodge Luhan was born and raised here.

Mark Twain lived in Buffalo as a part-owner and managing editor of The Buffalo Express from 1869 to 1871 . While not technically a Buffalonian, he's remembered by his readers for his time in Buffalo due to his stories A Day at Niagara Falls and The Diaries of Adam and Eve, the latter being a humorous play set in the nearby town of Eden.

Christian music expert/author/celebrity interviewer/ journalist Mark Weber was born, raised and currently lives here. His website is here [1]

Playwright Lanford Wilson based his play Hot L Baltimore on the Hotel Lafayette, where he stayed as an artist in residence at Studio Arena theater in Buffalo.

Television news hosts Tim Russert and Wolf Blitzer were raised in the greater Buffalo area (Blitzer subsequently attended SUNY University at Buffalo). Political satirist Mark Russell was born there as was sports commentator Don Criqui.

NPR's Terry Gross and Ira Flatow began their radio careers in Buffalo. In addition, Joey Reynolds, Bill Mazer, Buffalo Bob Smith and Foster Brooks got their careers started on Buffalo radio stations. The late George "Hound Dog" Lorenz is considered one of the pioneer radio disc jockeys of early rock 'n' roll in the mid-1950s.

Buffalo has also long been a popular setting for fiction and short stories of all kinds.

Composers and musicians

Entertainers and actors

Buffalo has a thriving theater and music scene that has spawned several national acts worth noting. Historical musicians of note include Jazz saxophonists Grover Washington Jr. and Don Menza, seminal 1940s harmonic group The Modernaires, all graduates of Lafayette High School (the city's oldest public high school), singer-songwriter Willie Nile, and songwriters Harold Arlen and Jack Yellen. (Arlen's career was recently commemorated in Buffalo's twenties-era theater, Shea's Buffalo Theater), and Nino Tempo & April Stevens.

Popular modern musicians from Buffalo include funk singer Rick James, Three Dog Night founding member Cory Wells, keyboardist Stan Szelest- Stan and the Ravens, bassist Billy Sheehan (with Mr. Big, Talas and currently Steve Vai), folk singer/songwriter Ani DiFranco, Lucinda Williams' producer and bandleader Gurf Morlix (now a country star in his own right), 90s new jack swing group Joe Public, "American Idol" finalist and recording artist John Stevens, The Goo Goo Dolls (colloquially known as "The Goos"), singer/songwriter Teddy Geiger was born and raised in Buffalo until the age of eight, 10,000 Maniacs (Natalie Merchant is from nearby Jamestown). Spyro Gyra started here and included many natives in its original lineup. Jazz composer Morton Feldman lived and taught here in the latter part of his career. The Last Conservative a band from Lancaster (town), New York, they are a national band.

Other artists include the jamband moe., as well as: Cannibal Corpse, hardcore scenesters Snapcase, Every Time I Die, The Leftovers, Three Man, One Foot In Heaven, Tina Marie Williams, Relevant Worship, Elektromat, Sons of Thunder,It Dies Todayas well as local jazz great Barney Blair Perry SR.who is an acoustic guitar master, who has recorded several hits for the hit funk group the blackbyrds as well as going solo in 1978. his hits include "walking in rhythm" and "hot day today" as well as the Blair "Night Life" LP in 78.among many others.

Musical theater director and choreographer Michael Bennett is also from here. His most famous work, "A Chorus Line" features the locally infamous line, "To commit suicide in Buffalo is redundant." William Christie, founder of the classical musical ensemble Les Arts Florissants, is from Buffalo. Another Buffalonian, Vincent Gallo, cast a jaundiced eye on the city and its sports obsession in his film Buffalo 66. Patrick Gallo, a graduate of Lafayette High School is an actor who has been on NYPD Blue and a lead in the Broadway show Mamma Mia! as well as many other successful artistic endeavors as a filmmaker. The Filmmakers page: [2]

Buffalonian, Joe Dinki, Executive Producer and Reality TV show creator (Cover Shot on TLC) was born on Buffalo's East Side and attended Bishop Timon High School.

Singer Ani DiFranco grew up in here and is a graduate of the Buffalo Academy for the Visual and Performing Arts.

Indie rock band Mercury Rev formed here and many of its founding members were born and raised here.

Artist, musician and film score composer Paul Santa Maria was born in Buffalo and moved to Florida where he currently resides. He is the composer of over 700 music spots for Television for WPBT Ch. 2 in Miami, Fl for the KidVision team (which has won multiple Emmy awards)and two feature films. [3]

Rhyson Hall, a college radio chart topping Hip hop artist, was born and raised in Buffalo, and still records for Buffalo based label DeepThinka Records.

General Spade is the first Buffalo-born Hip Hop artist to have a hip hop track played on "The edge" rock radio station with his song "Welcome To Buffalo."

The Character Waylan Smithers from the popular television series The Simpsons is based on Colin Gallagher, a longtime resident of Buffalo.

Lucille Ball hailed from nearby Jamestown.

Dick Shawn was born in Buffalo.

Howdy Doody host Buffalo Bob Smith was a Buffalo native.

Ron Silver attended University at Buffalo, The State University of New York.

Sorrell Booke - actor best known for role as Boss Hogg on The Dukes of Hazzard, born in Buffalo on January 4, 1930.

Kyle Chandler, who starred on "Early Edition," was born in Buffalo, NY on September 16, 1965.

Andrew Dan-Jumbo, the carpenter from TLC's While You Were Out lives in Buffalo and has a business there.

Aretha Franklin lived briefly in Buffalo in her childhood.

Jesse L. Martin, currently starring in TV's "Law & Order," is a Buffalo native and graduate of the Buffalo Academy For The Visual And Performing Arts. Noted TV writers Tom Fontana ("Oz") and David Milch ("NYPD Blue") also hail from here.

Diane English, creator of Murphy Brown is a Buffalo native.

Edward Summer, producer of Conan the Barbarian and founder of The Buffalo International Film Festival was born in the city.

Calypso/Gospel artist Oral Roberts lives here.

Gospel artist Nathan Salter recorded his live CD/DVD, "Breakthrough In His Presence" at Greater Refuge Temple on Jefferson Ave. here in 2006.

Actress Katharine Cornell, for whom a theater is named at her alma mater, the University of Buffalo, was born in Berlin but raised here.

R&B singer Brian McKnight was raised in Buffalo and began his career in his father's Seventh Day Adventist church on Buffalo's East Side.

Hip Hop producer Ill Tone born and raised in Buffalo NY and started his career there

Holy Hip Hop Artist D Brown was born and raised in Buffalo NY and is a graduate of Hutch-Tech high school Gary Mallaber, drummer for Raven (U.S. band), The Steve Miller Band, also recorded with Van Morrison, Eddie Money and Bruce Springsteen, was born in Buffalo.

Joe Dinki reality show creator of the series Cover Shot (TLC) grew up on Buffalo's Eastside.

Silky voiced Raleigh morning show radio personality Mike Maniscalco grew up and spent his early radio career in Buffalo. He is also the pre- and postgame radio host for the Carolina Hurricanes.

Producers Bob and Harvey Weinstein were raised in Buffalo and attended the University of Buffalo. They are the co-chairmen of The Weinstein Company, which launched in 2005. Prior to forming The Weinstein Company, the Weinsteins founded and ran Miramax Films, one of the most successful film companies in history. During the Weinsteins’ tenure, Miramax films were nominated for 249 Oscars and won 60, including three for Best Picture. In addition to The Producers, the Weinsteins have produced several award-winning shows on Broadway, in the West End and around the world, including The Real Thing, 2000 Tony Award winner for Best Revival of a Play; the Broadway revival of Gypsy; the London and New York productions of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang; the revival of Wonderful Town; Baz Luhrmann’s production of La Bohème; Dirty Rotten Scoundrels; and All Shook Up.

Amanda Blake and John Schuck were graduates of nearby Amherst High School.

Singer Brian McKnight has an older brother Claude McKnight. One of the founding members of the Gospel Sextet "Take 6" along with Brothers Mark and Joe Kibble attended the Seventh Day Adventist Church on Buffalo's East Side.

Marty Angelo, former manager of Buffalo based rock/blues band, Raven (U.S. band), producer, Disco Step-by-Step Television Show, former manager of popular Top 40 band, Rob Grill and The Grass Roots, author of Once Life Matters: A New Beginning, and prison evangelist.

Several prominent actors and actresses also hail from the Buffalo area, including:

Politics and Law

The anti-slavery Free Soil Party held its first convention here in 1848.

The Workers World Party was founded here.

The service organization Optimist International started here.

President Millard Fillmore was a long-term resident of Buffalo and he is buried here in Forest Lawn Cemetery with his two wives: Abigail Fillmore, and Caroline Fillmore.

President Grover Cleveland was sheriff of Erie County, mayor of Buffalo, and governor of New York state. He married Buffalo native Frances Folsom Cleveland. He is the only US president to have personally presided over executions, a duty he held as sheriff.

Col. John B. Weber was sheriff of Erie County, one of the youngest colonels of the Civil War, congressman, and first Commissioner of Ellis Island was born in Buffalo.

Henry J. Nowak was a sports hero, and represented Buffalo in the House of Representatives from 1975 to 1993.

Shirley Chisholm lived outside Buffalo in suburban Amherst, NY, in her later years and is buried in Buffalo's Forest Lawn cemetery.

William Joseph Donovan, the founder of the office that became the CIA, was born and raised here.

Jack Kemp was a sports hero and the Republican candidate for the Vice Presidency in the 1996 election. He represented Buffalo in the House of Representatives from 1971 to 1989. Also he spent time as a Buffalo Bills player.


Political cartoonist Tom Toles resided here for many years.

Political satirist Mark Russell tapes his PBS specials in the city.

John Roberts, the Chief Justice of the United States, was born here.

Science and technology

Astronaut Edward Gibson, astronaut support crew, a capcom for the Apollo 12 lunar landing, science-pilot of Skylab 4.

Astronaut James Pawelczyk, STS-90 Neurolab mission aboard space shuttle Columbia.

Astronauts Gregory Jarvis and Ellen S. Baker, while not from the area, graduated from University at Buffalo.

Joseph Dart invented the steam-powered grain elevator here in 1842.

Alfred Southwick invented the electric chair here.

Herman Hollerith, who lent his name to the IBM punch card was born here.

Researchers Carl Ferdinand Cori and Gerty Cori conducted their Nobel-prize winning work on cancer at the Roswell Park Cancer Institute.

Willis Carrier, known as the father of modern air conditioning, started a large branch of Carrier Corporation here.

Author and astronomer Cliff Stoll grew up here and attended the University at Buffalo.

Researcher Craig Venter was a professor at the University at Buffalo, founder of Celera Genomics, responsible for accelerating the sequencing of the Human Genome.

Other scientists of note include Nobel laureate Herbert Hauptman and Wilson Greatbatch, inventor of the Pacemaker.

Attorney and author Rami Hanash was born and raised in Buffalo and attended the State University of New York at Buffalo.

Sports

Buffalo was the home to Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher Warren Spahn, who won the 1957 National League Cy Young Award while pitching for the Milwaukee Braves and amassed 300 wins in his illustrious 25-year career. Another famous former pitcher who hails from here is Orel Hershiser, who won the 1988 NL Cy Young Award, as well as the 1988 World Series MVP Award while pitching for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Buffalo's best known athlete was the NBA Hall of Famer Bob Lanier, who attended Bennett High, Fillmore Junior High and nearby St. Bonaventure University. NBA player and Duke star Christian Laettner grew up in nearby Angola and attended Nichols high school in Buffalo. Long time Power Forward for the Portland Trailbazers and as of 2007 with the New Jersey Nets, Clifford Ralph Robinson was born and raised in Buffalo.

Several National Hockey League players have emerged from the Buffalo area over the years. Current & Retired NHL players from Buffalo include AAron Miller of the Kings ,Jack Brownschidle retired Blues player,Nick Foligno Of The Senators,Philippe Sauve Of the Bruins,Patrick Kaleta of the Sabres, Brooks Orpik of the Penguins, Lee Stempniak Of The Blues,Todd Marchant of the Anaheim Ducks and Kevyn Adams of the Chicago Blackhawks as well as Patrick Kane, First overall pick for the Chicago Blackhawks. Before Patrick Kane the most successful NHL player from Buffalo/Ft Erie area was 15 year NHL veteran & All star Randy Burridge.

In the early 20th century, Buffalo was a boxing mecca, and spawned world champions including light-heavyweight Jimmy Slattery and lightweight [4] Jimmy Goodrich.Professional wrestling legends Dick "THE DESTROYER" Beyer, Mark Lewin, Donn Lewin and Don Curtis were from Buffalo, NY. They held various world singles and tag team championship titles in the USA and Japan.Dick Wipperman Western Ny Boxing Hall Of Famer also hailed from Buffalo.Modern wrestling star & Ex NFL PlayerLex LugerLarry Pfohl was born here.

Buffalo was one of the leading cities to host wrestling events including the once defunct and revived Extreme Championship Wrestling.

"Baby" Joe Mesi, the Ex-world famous boxer, grew up in Tonawanda, a suburb of Buffalo.

Former tennis player Jimmy Arias who reached the nº5 spot in the world in 1984 was born in Buffalo.

Basketball player Clifford Robinson attended Riverside High School.

Former Olympic swimmer Roy Saari was born in Buffalo, New York.

The first overall pick in the 2007 NBA Draft, by the Portland Trail Blazers, Greg Oden, was born in Buffalo, New York. As was Patrick Kane, the first overall pick in the 2007 NHL Draft by the Chicago Blackhawks

Amateur golfer, businessman, and Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame inductee Ward Wettlaufer lived in Buffalo and East Aurora into his 70s.

Other residents

Jonathan Bingel is renowned "Small Boy" of Buffalo.

Christopher J Colby of the United States Marine Corps

Noted twentieth-century architect Gordon Bunshaft was born here, attending the same high school (Lafayette) as famed science-fiction cover artist Kelly Freas, Fran Striker, the creator of the radio serial "The Lone Ranger", and Bruce Shanks, Pulitzer Prize-winning political cartoonist for the "Buffalo Evening News".

Anthropologists Marvin Opler and Morris Opler were born here. Marvin Opler later taught at the University at Buffalo.

Architect Louise Blanchard Bethune opened her own practice in Buffalo in 1881, making her the nation's first professional woman architect.

Painter Charles E. Burchfield spent his career in the Buffalo area.

William G. Fargo, mayor of Buffalo in 1862-63 and 1864-65, and Henry Wells, founded American Express, followed in 1851 by the famous Wells, Fargo & Company, which established of a line of overland mail and passenger coaches before the construction of the Pacific railways. It included the well-remembered Pony Express, which carried letters and messages between Missouri and California in a week's time before the construction of telegraph lines. The company also assisted commerce throughout the early American west through its network of savings banks.

Mary Burnett Talbert, civil rights activist, suffragist, co-founder of the Niagara Movement, and the first woman to win the Spingarn Medal, the highest honor awarded by the NAACP, spent her adult life here.

In 1910, Cornelia Bentley Sage was appointed the director of the Albright Art Gallery, making her the nation's first female director of a major art gallery.

Isaac Klein was a well-known author of rabbinic law.

John Neumann, America's first bishop saint, had an early mission here.

Jeff Hannon, America's first radiologist began his career in Buffalo.

Seneca leader Red Jacket lived on the Buffalo Creek reservation and is buried in Forest Lawn Cemetery.

Sister Karen Klimczak was a well known nun who worked with the city's poor and recently imprisoned. She was murdered in April, 2006.

Yippie Pie Thrower Aron Kay attended Schools 86 and 66 while living in North Buffalo in the late 50's-early 60's.

Buffalo companies

Present:

Past:

Infamous Buffalo people and events

Other events and trivia

External links

See also


1950 - 1960's Singer Joanie Sommers was born in Buffalo and Jesse White the Maytag Repairman (the first one) the character actor who was also Cagy Calhoun in the Private Secretary TV Show with Ann Sothern was born here.

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_people_from_Buffalo,_New_York&oldid=193347689"