Westbury House at Old Westbury Gardens in Old Westbury, Long Island, one of the Gold Coast estates used in numerous major films. Photo by James Kirkikis / Shutterstock.com.
Long Island has played a much larger role in movie history than many people realize. Its Gold Coast mansions, Atlantic beaches, suburban neighborhoods, racetracks, airports, old estates, working harbors, and small towns have given filmmakers an enormous variety of settings within a short distance of New York City. Some movies used Long Island to portray itself, while others transformed the island into places as different as Gotham City, Chesapeake Bay, Connecticut, and the private estates of fictional millionaires.
The surprise is how many major films used real locations across Nassau and Suffolk counties. Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola, Alfred Hitchcock, Spike Lee, Michel Gondry, and many other directors have brought their cameras to Long Island. From mob classics and romantic dramas to superhero films and Hollywood blockbusters, these are twenty-five famous movies that filmed at least part of their productions on Long Island.
The Godfather (1972)
Filming Locations: Falaise at Sands Point Preserve, Sands Point; Mitchel Field, Uniondale and Garden City area
The Scene: Francis Ford Coppola used two unforgettable Long Island settings in The Godfather. A bedroom inside Falaise, the Harry F. Guggenheim estate at Sands Point Preserve, was used for the notorious scene in which movie producer Jack Woltz awakens to find the severed head of his prized horse in his bed. The tollbooth where Sonny Corleone is assassinated was constructed on an abandoned runway at Mitchel Field, where the production built tollbooths, guardrails, and signs specifically for the sequence.
Goodfellas (1990)
Filming Locations: Catalina Beach Club, Atlantic Beach; Lawrence and other Nassau County locations
The Scene: Martin Scorsese brought Goodfellas to Long Island for scenes depicting the leisure side of Henry Hill’s mob world. The Catalina Beach Club in Atlantic Beach was used for the vacation and beach club sequences, providing the sort of upscale private club setting associated with the families and friends surrounding Henry and Karen. Additional Long Island scenes were shot in Lawrence.
The Wolf of Wall Street (2013)
Filming Locations: Sands Point, Bayville, Mill Neck, and other Long Island locations
The Scene: Long Island became a natural backdrop for Jordan Belfort’s world of wealth and excess in Martin Scorsese’s The Wolf of Wall Street. The production filmed the wild beach house party in Sands Point, portions of the outdoor wedding sequence in Bayville, and scenes at a Mill Neck equestrian estate. The North Shore’s mansions, waterfront properties, and private grounds fit seamlessly into the movie’s portrait of extravagant suburban wealth.
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
Filming Locations: Montauk, Wainscott, and the Montauk Long Island Rail Road station
The Scene: Long Island’s East End is essential to the mood of Michel Gondry’s Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Joel Barish, played by Jim Carrey, impulsively rides the train to Montauk, where he encounters Clementine, played by Kate Winslet. The bleak winter beach, the Montauk station, and a beach house in Wainscott became some of the film’s most memorable images and helped give the story its lonely, dreamlike atmosphere.
Meet the Parents (2000)
Filming Locations: Old Brookville, Port Washington, Oyster Bay, and Greenvale
The Scene: Although Greg Focker’s disastrous weekend feels like the ultimate suburban nightmare, much of it was filmed in real Nassau County communities. The exterior of Jack and Dina Byrnes’ home was a private residence in Old Brookville. Port Washington supplied several local businesses and street scenes, while Oyster Bay and Greenvale were also used during the production. Long Island’s affluent North Shore setting became an important part of the film’s identity.
Cruel Intentions (1999)
Filming Locations: Old Westbury Gardens, Old Westbury
The Scene: Old Westbury Gardens supplied the grand exterior setting for the Valmont family mansion in Cruel Intentions. The formal gardens, expansive lawns, and imposing Westbury House gave the film exactly the old money atmosphere needed for Sebastian Valmont and Kathryn Merteuil’s privileged world. Interior scenes were filmed at several other locations, but the Long Island estate gave the mansion its unmistakable exterior identity.
Men in Black II (2002)
Filming Locations: Fire Island, Suffolk County
The Scene: After Agent K has his memory erased, he is living a quiet civilian life when Agent J tracks him down at the postal facility where he works. Fire Island was used for the post office sequence, with the island’s distinctive coastal setting providing a deliberately peaceful contrast to the alien chaos waiting for K back in New York City.
Love Story (1970)
Filming Locations: Old Westbury Gardens, Old Westbury
The Scene: Old Westbury Gardens stood in for the Barrett family estate in the 1970 romantic drama Love Story. The grand mansion and grounds convey the old money background of Oliver Barrett IV, played by Ryan O’Neal, and provide the setting for the strained relationship between Oliver and his wealthy father. The Long Island estate was one of several locations used to create the film’s world of elite East Coast institutions and families.
Scent of a Woman (1992)
Filming Locations: Hempstead House at Sands Point Preserve, Sands Point
The Scene: The imposing Hempstead House at Sands Point Preserve was used as part of the setting for the elite preparatory school attended by Charlie Simms, played by Chris O’Donnell. The Tudor style mansion and its grand interior spaces helped establish the privileged environment surrounding Charlie before his Thanksgiving weekend with Frank Slade, played by Al Pacino. Other major scenes were filmed in Manhattan and Troy, but Long Island supplied an important part of the school setting.
The Age of Innocence (1993)
Filming Locations: Old Westbury Gardens, Old Westbury
The Scene: Martin Scorsese’s adaptation of Edith Wharton’s The Age of Innocence used Old Westbury Gardens to help recreate the carefully controlled world of nineteenth century New York society. The estate’s Florida Garden was used for the scene in which Newland Archer, played by Daniel Day-Lewis, proposes to May Welland, played by Winona Ryder. The manicured grounds perfectly matched the film’s atmosphere of wealth, ceremony, and social restraint.
The Manchurian Candidate (2004)
Filming Locations: Northport, Suffolk County
The Scene: Jonathan Demme’s remake of The Manchurian Candidate used Northport to stand in for a Chesapeake Bay community. The harbor village’s waterfront, streets, and coastal character allowed the filmmakers to create a setting far from Long Island without leaving Suffolk County. The movie was filmed throughout the New York region, but Northport provided one of its most distinctive location doubles.
North by Northwest (1959)
Filming Locations: Old Westbury Gardens, Old Westbury
The Scene: Alfred Hitchcock brought Cary Grant to Long Island for one of the early turning points in North by Northwest. Old Westbury Gardens was used as the Townsend estate, where Roger Thornhill is taken after being kidnapped from the Plaza Hotel. It is there that the men holding him attempt to force bourbon down his throat before staging what they hope will look like a fatal drunken driving accident.
American Gangster (2007)
Filming Locations: Old Westbury Gardens; Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale
The Scene: Ridley Scott’s American Gangster filmed at several locations beyond New York City, including major sites in Nassau County. Old Westbury Gardens provided the production with the kind of grand estate setting associated with money and power, while interiors at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum were also used during filming. Long Island became one piece of the movie’s much larger recreation of the New York region during the Frank Lucas era.
She’s the One (1996)
Filming Locations: Sun and Surf Beach Club, Atlantic Beach
The Scene: Edward Burns, a filmmaker whose work is deeply connected to New York and Long Island, brought She’s the One to Atlantic Beach. The Sun and Surf Beach Club was among the Long Island locations used for the film, adding an authentic coastal setting to Burns’ story of two brothers navigating relationships, family tensions, and adult life around New York.
Sabrina (1995)
Filming Locations: Salutation House, Glen Cove; Locust Valley; Planting Fields and other North Shore locations
The Scene: Sydney Pollack’s remake of Sabrina used the real Gold Coast landscape that the story demands. Salutation House on West Island in Glen Cove became the Larrabee family mansion, with both exterior and interior scenes filmed there. Locust Valley supplied village scenes, and other North Shore locations were used throughout the production. The result gave the fictional Larrabee estate a genuine Long Island setting rather than a studio approximation.
Pollock (2000)
Filming Locations: Pollock-Krasner House and surrounding Springs and East Hampton locations
The Scene: Ed Harris brought the story of Jackson Pollock back to the East Hampton landscape where much of the artist’s most important work was created. Pollock filmed at the real Pollock-Krasner House and on surrounding roads and locations in Springs. The actual property, including Pollock’s studio, gave the film a remarkable connection to the artist’s life that no recreated set could have duplicated.
Batman Forever (1995)
Filming Locations: Webb Institute, Glen Cove
The Scene: Bruce Wayne’s mansion in Batman Forever was not in Gotham City at all. Exterior scenes of Wayne Manor were filmed at Stevenson Taylor Hall on the Webb Institute campus in Glen Cove. The former Gold Coast estate, once known as The Braes, provided the massive stone facade, lawns, and waterfront grandeur needed for the home of Val Kilmer’s Bruce Wayne.
Salt (2010)
Filming Locations: Caumsett State Historic Park Preserve, Republic Airport, Merrick, Hicksville, Oyster Bay, and Bethpage
The Scene: Angelina Jolie’s spy thriller Salt used a wide range of Long Island locations during production. Shooting took place at the former Marshall Field estate at Caumsett, Republic Airport in East Farmingdale, and locations in Merrick, Hicksville, Oyster Bay, and Bethpage. The film is a good example of how Long Island can supply filmmakers with airports, historic estates, suburban streets, and large production facilities within a relatively compact region.
The Irishman (2019)
Filming Locations: Williston Park, Hempstead, Huntington Station, Farmingdale, Great Neck, Upper Brookville, and Atlantic Beach
The Scene: Martin Scorsese returned repeatedly to Long Island while making The Irishman. Production locations included Willis Avenue in Williston Park, Washington Street in Hempstead, Huntington Station, the American Airpower Museum in Farmingdale, Great Neck, the La Selva estate in Upper Brookville, and Atlantic Beach. Hildebrandt’s in Williston Park was also used, giving the film a genuine old Long Island setting that fit its decades-spanning story.
The Greatest Showman (2017)
Filming Locations: Caumsett State Historic Park Preserve, Lloyd Harbor
The Scene: Caumsett’s shoreline was used for beach scenes featuring P. T. Barnum and his wife Charity in The Greatest Showman. The historic Marshall Field estate contains woods, meadows, shoreline, and old estate buildings, allowing the production to create a nineteenth century coastal setting while filming in Suffolk County.
No Hard Feelings (2023)
Filming Locations: Montauk, Point Lookout, Port Washington, Carle Place, and other Long Island locations
The Scene: Jennifer Lawrence’s comedy No Hard Feelings is set in Montauk and made extensive use of real Long Island locations. George’s Lighthouse Cafe was used for the Montauk Point sequence where Maddie and Percy share their first kiss, while the Montauk Yacht Club supplied marina scenes. The production also filmed at Point Lookout, Port Washington, and Carle Place, making Long Island much more than a background for the story.
Hitch (2005)
Filming Locations: Old Westbury Gardens, Old Westbury
The Scene: Old Westbury Gardens appears near the end of Hitch, when Albert Brennaman, played by Kevin James, marries Allegra Cole, played by Amber Valletta. The formal lawns and gardens provide the romantic setting for the wedding celebration, giving the film one of its most elegant Long Island locations.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2014)
Filming Locations: Jones Beach State Park, Wantagh; Sands Point Preserve
The Scene: The 2014 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles production brought its motion capture performers and large scale action filmmaking to Long Island. Jones Beach State Park was one of the movie’s principal New York locations, and Sands Point Preserve was also used. The contrast between a famous public beach and a Gold Coast estate demonstrates the range of settings available to filmmakers across the island.
Annie Hall (1977)
Filming Locations: Amagansett and Dune Road in Westhampton Beach
The Scene: One of Annie Hall‘s funniest sequences was filmed in the Hamptons. The famous scene in which Annie and Alvy struggle with live lobsters in the kitchen was shot at an Amagansett house facing Gardiners Bay. Beach scenes were filmed along Dune Road in Westhampton Beach, placing part of Woody Allen’s quintessential New York movie firmly on Long Island’s East End.
Arthur (1981)
Filming Locations: Knole Estate and Old Westbury; Caumsett State Historic Park Preserve; Manhasset and other Long Island locations
The Scene: The original Arthur, starring Dudley Moore and Liza Minnelli, made extensive use of Long Island’s Gold Coast landscape. The Knole Estate in Old Westbury represented Arthur’s family home, while Caumsett was used for estate and stable scenes connected to Arthur’s engagement. The production also filmed in Manhasset and elsewhere on Long Island, using real estates to reinforce the absurd scale of Arthur Bach’s inherited wealth.
Long Island’s role in film history reaches far beyond these twenty-five movies. The island has repeatedly given filmmakers something difficult to manufacture on a soundstage: genuine Gold Coast mansions, working harbors, old villages, suburban streets, Atlantic beaches, historic estates, and the unmistakable landscapes of Nassau and Suffolk counties. Sometimes Long Island plays itself; sometimes it becomes another state, another country, or even Gotham City. Either way, millions of moviegoers have seen Long Island on screen without ever realizing it.
For more New York film history, read our Top 15 Essential New York Movies, visit the locations in Famous Movies Filmed in Central Park and Where to Find the Scenes Today, look back at 10 Lost Long Island Drive-In Theaters We Grew Up With, and revisit our coverage of the Stony Brook Film Festival.
