Notable & Notorious New Yorkers

no·ta·ble

• Adjective: worthy of attention or notice; remarkable
• noun: a famous or important person.

no·to·ri·ous

• Adjective: famous or well known, typically for some bad quality or deed.

Please add the profiles of prominent people who were born in the U.S. City of New York, lived in New York, or for whom New York is a significant part of their identity.

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
• Felix Adler - founder of Ethical Culture Society
• 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
• Lauren Bacall - actress and model
• Evan Baken – musician, drummer and record company executive
• Lucille Ball - iconic comedienne
• William Bliss Baker – landscape artist
• Azealia Banks – rapper
• Joseph Barbera (1911–2006) – animator, producer, director, MGM and co-founder of Hanna-Barbera
• Sydney Barrows - known as the Mayflower Madam
• Abraham Beame - mayor of New York City from 1974 to 1977
• Moe Berg - Major League Baseball player and spy
• Milton Berle - comedian
• Paul Berlenbach (1901–1985) – light heavyweight boxing champion from 1925 to 1926
• Bill de Blasio – Mayor of New York City
• Joan Blondell - actress
• 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
• Aaron Burr - 3rd Vice President of the US
• 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
• Bill Clinton - 42nd President of the USA
• Chelsea Clinton - former first daughter, news correspondent
• Robert Clohessy – actor
• Margaret Colin – actress
• Frank Conroy (1936-2005) - writer, director of the Iowa Writer's Workshop
• 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
• Countee Cullen - poet
• 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
• Varina Banks Howell Davis (1826–1906), wife of Confederate president
• 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
• Lana Del Rey – model and singer-songwriter
• Samuel R. Delany – author and critic
• Don DeLillo – author
• Jerry Denny – Major League Baseball player[5]
• 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
• Avery Fisher - businessman, philanthropist
• 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[5]
• Anthony Franciosa – actor
• Al Franken – comedian and radio host, U.S. Senator from Minnesota
• Bethenny Frankel - reality television star, entrepeneur
• Robert Frankel - race horse trainer
• 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

• Carlo Gambino - gangster
• Gus Gardella – football player
• Art Garfunkel – singer-songwriter, actor
• William Gaynor - politician
• Barbara Bel Geddes - actress, artist, children's author
• Lou Gehrig – baseball player
• Sarah Michelle Gellar – actress
• Richard Genelle – actor
• Jordan Gerber - businessman, entrepeneur
• Rande Gerber - businessman
• George Gershwin – composer
• Ira Gershwin – lyricist*Tiffany Giardina – singer-songwriter
• Vitas Gerulaitis – tennis player
• 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
• Topher Grace – actor
• Rocky Graziano (born Thomas Rocco Barbella) – boxer
• Hetty Green female stock investor before her time
• 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

• Clara McBride Hale - social activist & childcare worker
• Dr. Lorraine E. Hale - child development expert
• 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[5]
• 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)
• Andrew Heiskell - a former Chairman of Time Inc., civic leader
• 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
• 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

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 – businessperson and rapper
• Charles Jenkins (born 1989) – basketball player
• Max Jenkins (born 1985) – actor and writer
• Billy Joel – singer and songwriter
• David Johansen (born 1950) – actor, singer and songwriter
• Scarlett Johansson – actress
• Boris Johnson (born 1964) Mayor of London
• Grace Johnson - advocate for social change
• 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
• Eliza Jumel - 18th century socialite

K

• Jeffrey Katzenberg - film producer
• 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 Onassis (1929–1994) – First Lady of the United States, editor
• John F. Kennedy-Jr. - attorney, journalist, socialite
• 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
• John W. Kluge (1914-2010) -- media mogul
• Samantha Kluge-- heiress, socialite
• 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
• Louise Lasser - actress
• Cyndi Lauper – singer
• Ralph Lauren – fashion designer
• Emma Lazarus – author and poet
• Steve Lawrence – singer and actor
• Denis Leary - comedian
• Jeanette Lee (born 1971) – professional pool player
• Madeleine L'Engle – author
• Franz Leichter (born 1930) – politician
• John Lennon musician, songwriter
• Seán Lennon Only son of John Lennon & Yoko Ono
• Melissa Leo (born 1960) - actress
• Princess Leonore, Duchess of Gotland (born 2014) – fifth in line to the Swedish throne
• George Morton Levy - attorney,known as father of harness racing
• Huey Lewis – musician and singer
• Joe E. Lewis (1902–1971) – comedian
• Roy Lichtenstein – artist
• John Lindsay – Mayor of New York City
• Peggy Lipton – actress
• Malcolm Little (Malcolm X) - activist
• 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

• Norman Mailer - novelist
• Bernard Malamud – author
• Mary Mallon - AKA "Typhoid Mary"
• 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
• Nancy Vincent McClelland (1877-1959) - author, interior designer
• 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
• 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
• Leslie Moonves
• 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
• Robert Morgenthau - former NY District Attorney
• Gouverneur Morris – U.S. founding father; U.S. Senator
• Robert Parris Moses-- Civil Rights activist
• 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
• 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
• 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
• Virginia O'Hanlon - American folk figure
• 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-Q

• Al Pacino – actor
• Lana Parrilla - actress
• Christopher Poole - creator of websites 4chan and Canvas Networks
• Saul K. Padover – historian
• Rob Parker – sportswriter and TV analyst
• Sarah Jessica Parker - actress
• 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[5]
• John Pleshette – actor
• Suzanne Pleshette – actress
• Martha Plimpton - actress
• Ted Post – movie and TV director
• Neil Postman – author and cultural critic
• Chaim Potok (1929–2002) – author
• Adam Clayton Powell, Jr - pastor & politician
• Adam Clayton Powell, Sr. - religious leader, social reformer, 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-Tip – rapper

R

• Carole Radziwill - writer, journalist, reality tv personality
• 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
• 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
• Nelson Rockefeller - 41st Vice President of the US
• Stephen Rockefeller - philanthropist, educator
• Winthrop Rockefeller – Governor of Arkansas
• Norman Rockwell – artist
• Alex Rodriguez – baseball player
• John Rogan – football player
• Kelis Rogers - singer
• Al Roker - meterologist, morning show personality
• Sonny Rollins – jazz saxophonist
• Ray Romano – comedian and actor
• Igal Roodenko (1917–1991) – civil-rights activist, pacifist
• Sean Rooks – basketball player and coach[7]
• 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
• Caroline Bouvier Schlossberg-Kennedy - author, attorney, Ambassador to Japan.
• 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
• Hazel Scott - musician
• 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
• Burt Shavitz (1935-2015) - beekeeper
• 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
• Joseph Ward Simmons - Run of Run-DMC
• Russell Simmons - bussinessman, record label owner
• Carly Simon – singer-songwriter
• Neil Simon – playwright
• Richard L. Simon (1899–1960) – businessman and publisher
• Paul Simon - Singer-songwriter
• Kaseem Sinceno – football player
• John Slidell – Senator from Louisiana and Confederate diplomat
• Alan Slifka - investor, philanthropist
• 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
• Tony Spargo - drummer
• 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
• Howard Stern – radio and television host
• Leonard Stern - businessman, philanthropist
• 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
• Michael Strahan - football player
• 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-U

• 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
• Jean Toomer - poet and novelist, an important figure of the Harlem Renaissance
• Joe Torre – baseball player and manager
• Douglas Townsend (1921–2012) - composer and musicologist
• Michelle Trachtenberg – actress
• Donald Trump - real estate developer, entrepreneur, reality television personality
• 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
• James VanDerZee - photographer
• Luther Vandross – singer
• Robert Vaughn (born 1932) – actor
• Carl van Vechten - writer, photographer, patron of the Harlem Renaissance
• 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[8]
• Fats Waller – jazz pianist
• Abby Wambach – soccer player
• Vera Wang – fashion designer
• Andy Warhol - artist
• 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
• Olivia Wilde - actress, fashion model
• 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
• George Wolf - attorney
• Charles Wuorinen – composer
• Christopher George Latore Wallace (The Notorious B.I.G.) – rapper

X-Y-Z

• Tony Yayo – rapper
• Tony Young – actor
• Z-Trip – disc jockey and producer
• Ezra Zilkha (born 1925) -- financier, philanthropist

Resources

• List of People from New York
• Bill's Brownstone: Notorious New Yorkers
• Permanently New Yorkers: Final Digs of the Notable and Notorious
• Notorious and Notable: 20th Century Women of Style
• Ephemeral New York: famous New York murders
• Columbia University Libraries Notable New Yorkers
• Famous People from New York - Birthdays
• Famous People from New York