25 Famous People From Upstate New York

Aerial view of Bolton Landing and Lake George in Upstate New York. Photo by TW Farlow Media / Shutterstock.com.

Upstate New York covers an enormous landscape, stretching from the Hudson Valley and Capital District through the Mohawk Valley, Central New York, the Southern Tier, Finger Lakes, Adirondacks, and North Country. Its cities, small towns, farms, industrial centers, mountain communities, and canal corridors have produced an extraordinary range of actors, musicians, writers, athletes, presidents, inventors, and reformers whose influence reached far beyond New York State.

For this article, the standard is the same one used throughout our famous New Yorkers series: these are people who were born in Upstate New York, were raised there, or spent a substantial part of their formative childhood there. Simply moving upstate later in life or working there as an adult is not enough. The result is a list that reaches from Syracuse, Rochester, and Binghamton to Jamestown, Amsterdam, Cortland, Saugerties, Hyde Park, Kinderhook, Johnstown, Chittenango, and the Adirondacks.

1. Tom Cruise

Tom Cruise was born Thomas Cruise Mapother IV in Syracuse in 1962. His family moved frequently during his childhood, eventually taking him far from Central New York, but Syracuse remains the birthplace of one of the most successful movie stars of the modern era. Cruise broke through in the early 1980s with films including Risky Business and Top Gun and later built the Mission: Impossible series into one of Hollywood’s most enduring action franchises. His career has also included acclaimed dramatic performances in films such as Born on the Fourth of July, A Few Good Men, and Magnolia.

2. Lucille Ball

Lucille Ball was born in Jamestown in 1911 and spent important parts of her childhood in nearby Celoron and Jamestown. Long before she became one of television’s greatest stars, Ball dreamed of a career in entertainment and eventually left Western New York to study and work in New York City. Her extraordinary success with I Love Lucy transformed television comedy, while Desilu Productions made her one of the most powerful women in the early television industry. Jamestown continues to celebrate her legacy through the Lucille Ball Desi Arnaz Museum and the National Comedy Center.

3. Rod Serling

Rod Serling was born in Syracuse in 1924, but his family moved to Binghamton when he was very young, and Binghamton became the hometown that remained closest to his heart. He attended Binghamton Central High School before serving as a paratrooper during World War II. Serling later became one of television’s most important writers and created The Twilight Zone, using science fiction and fantasy to explore prejudice, war, conformity, loneliness, and the darker sides of human nature. His memories of Binghamton directly inspired some of his most personal writing, including the classic episode “Walking Distance.”

4. Richard Gere

Richard Gere was born in Philadelphia in 1949 but was raised in the Syracuse area and graduated from North Syracuse Central High School in 1967. He excelled in gymnastics and music before pursuing acting. Gere became one of the biggest film stars of the 1980s and 1990s through movies including American Gigolo, An Officer and a Gentleman, Pretty Woman, and Primal Fear. His career eventually took him around the world, but his formative school years belonged to Central New York.

5. Kristen Wiig

Kristen Wiig was born in Canandaigua in 1973. Her family moved to Pennsylvania when she was young, but Wiig returned to the Rochester area as a teenager and graduated from Brighton High School. After years of improvisational comedy in Los Angeles, she joined Saturday Night Live and became one of the show’s defining performers of her era. Wiig later co-wrote and starred in Bridesmaids, earning an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay and establishing a major film career.

6. Kirk Douglas

Kirk Douglas was born Issur Danielovitch in Amsterdam, New York, in 1916, the son of poor Jewish immigrants from the Russian Empire. He grew up in difficult circumstances and worked numerous jobs before earning a place at St. Lawrence University and later studying acting. Douglas became one of Hollywood’s great stars through films including Champion, Paths of Glory, and Spartacus. His rise from an impoverished Mohawk Valley childhood to international fame remains one of the most remarkable stories associated with Upstate New York.

7. Philip Seymour Hoffman

Philip Seymour Hoffman was born in Fairport in 1967 and grew up in the Rochester suburb. He became interested in acting as a teenager and pursued theater seriously before studying at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. Hoffman developed into one of the most acclaimed actors of his generation, appearing in films including Boogie Nights, Magnolia, Doubt, and The Master. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance in Capote. His remarkable career began in Monroe County.

8. Viggo Mortensen

Viggo Mortensen was born in Manhattan in 1958 and spent much of his early childhood outside the United States. After his parents divorced, he returned to New York with his mother and brothers and spent the remainder of his childhood in Watertown. Mortensen graduated from Watertown High School in 1976 and later attended St. Lawrence University. He became internationally famous as Aragorn in The Lord of the Rings trilogy and later earned Academy Award nominations for performances including Eastern Promises, Captain Fantastic, and Green Book.

9. Jimmy Fallon

Jimmy Fallon was born in Brooklyn in 1974, but his family moved to Saugerties when he was very young. He grew up there, attended Saugerties High School, and developed an obsession with comedy, music, and Saturday Night Live. Fallon later attended the College of Saint Rose in Albany before leaving to pursue comedy professionally. He eventually achieved his childhood dream by joining Saturday Night Live and later became the host of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.

10. Tom Kenny

Tom Kenny was born and raised in Syracuse and became interested in comedy, drawing, records, and performance while he was still young. He attended Bishop Grimes High School and began performing comedy with childhood friend Bobcat Goldthwait. Kenny eventually built an enormous career as a voice actor, most famously becoming the voice of SpongeBob SquarePants. His work has also appeared throughout animated television in series including Rocko’s Modern Life, The Powerpuff Girls, and Adventure Time.

11. Grace Jones

Grace Jones was born in Jamaica but moved to the Syracuse area at age thirteen to join her parents, who had settled there earlier. Her teenage years in Central New York became part of the transformation from a strictly raised child into the fiercely independent performer the world later knew. Jones studied in the Syracuse area before moving into modeling, music, and acting. Her groundbreaking career combined disco, reggae, new wave, fashion, performance art, and an androgynous visual style that made her one of the most distinctive cultural figures of the late twentieth century.

12. Post Malone

Post Malone was born Austin Richard Post in Syracuse in 1995 and spent the first years of his childhood in Central New York. His father worked as a DJ and introduced him to a wide range of music before the family moved to Texas when Post was around nine or ten years old. He later emerged as one of the biggest recording stars of his generation, blending hip-hop, pop, rock, and country influences across hits including “Congratulations,” “Rockstar,” and “Circles.” His musical career developed elsewhere, but his story began in Syracuse.

13. Ronnie James Dio

Ronnie James Dio was born Ronald James Padavona in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, but grew up in Cortland, New York. He was already performing trumpet and cornet in school ensembles during the 1950s before turning toward rock and roll and forming local bands. Dio spent years playing clubs, schools, colleges, and regional venues throughout Central New York before reaching international fame with Rainbow, Black Sabbath, and his own band, Dio. His powerful voice and fantasy-driven lyrics helped define heavy metal, while Cortland remained an important part of his identity.

14. Lou Gramm

Lou Gramm was born in Rochester in 1950 and grew up in a musical family. He began performing in Rochester-area bands while still young and eventually became the frontman of Black Sheep. That work led to his partnership with guitarist Mick Jones and the formation of Foreigner. Gramm’s unmistakable voice powered hits including “Cold as Ice,” “Hot Blooded,” “Juke Box Hero,” and “I Want to Know What Love Is.” One of arena rock’s most recognizable voices came directly out of Rochester’s local music scene.

15. Natalie Merchant

Natalie Merchant was born in Jamestown in 1963 and entered the Western New York music scene as a teenager. She became the lead singer and principal lyricist of 10,000 Maniacs, the Jamestown-based band that developed from local clubs into one of the most respected alternative-rock groups of the 1980s and early 1990s. Merchant later launched a highly successful solo career with albums including Tigerlily. Her songwriting, activism, and distinctive voice have remained closely connected to New York State throughout her career.

16. Pat Riley

Pat Riley was born in Schenectady in 1945 and became a standout basketball and football player at Linton High School. His basketball team famously defeated a Power Memorial squad led by Lew Alcindor, the future Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Riley went on to play college basketball at Kentucky and professionally in the NBA before becoming one of the league’s legendary coaches and executives. He won championships with the Los Angeles Lakers and later built championship teams with the Miami Heat, carrying lessons from his Schenectady athletic upbringing into one of basketball’s greatest careers.

17. Rachael Ray

Rachael Ray was born in Glens Falls in 1968 and raised in the Lake George area in a family deeply involved in the restaurant business. Food and hospitality were part of her childhood long before television made her famous. Ray later developed her “30 Minute Meals” concept while working in the food industry in the Albany region. The idea eventually led to Food Network programs, cookbooks, magazines, and her nationally syndicated daytime television show. Her career grew from the food culture she knew while growing up in Upstate New York.

18. Abby Wambach

Abby Wambach was born in Rochester in 1980 and developed into a soccer star while attending Our Lady of Mercy High School. She later played at the University of Florida before joining the United States women’s national team. Wambach won two Olympic gold medals and the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup and finished her international career with 184 goals. Her physical style, heading ability, and clutch performances made her one of the greatest players in the history of women’s soccer.

19. Johnny Podres

Johnny Podres was born in the small Adirondack community of Witherbee in 1932. The left-handed pitcher reached the major leagues with the Brooklyn Dodgers and became permanently linked to one of the greatest moments in Brooklyn sports history. In Game 7 of the 1955 World Series, Podres shut out the New York Yankees 2-0, delivering the only World Series championship the Dodgers ever won while based in Brooklyn. He was named the first World Series Most Valuable Player and remained a beloved figure in Dodgers history.

20. Franklin D. Roosevelt

Franklin Delano Roosevelt was born at his family’s Springwood estate in Hyde Park in 1882 and spent his formative years along the Hudson River. He maintained a deep attachment to the property throughout his life and political career. Roosevelt served as governor of New York before becoming the 32nd president of the United States. Elected to four terms, he led the nation through the Great Depression and most of World War II. His presidential library and burial place remain at Hyde Park, connecting one of America’s most consequential presidencies directly to the Hudson Valley.

21. Martin Van Buren

Martin Van Buren was born in Kinderhook in 1782 and grew up in the Dutch-speaking community there. His father’s tavern exposed him to travelers, lawyers, politicians, and political debate at an early age. Van Buren became a skilled political organizer, served as governor of New York, secretary of state, and vice president, and was elected the eighth president of the United States. After leaving the White House, he returned to Kinderhook and his estate, Lindenwald, remaining closely tied to his Columbia County roots.

22. Sojourner Truth

Sojourner Truth was born Isabella Baumfree around 1797 in Ulster County and spent her childhood enslaved in the Hudson Valley. Dutch was her first language, reflecting the culture of the communities where she grew up. After gaining her freedom, she eventually adopted the name Sojourner Truth and became one of the nineteenth century’s most powerful voices for abolition and women’s rights. Her speeches and activism carried her throughout the country, but her remarkable life began in Upstate New York.

23. Elizabeth Cady Stanton

Elizabeth Cady Stanton was born in Johnstown in 1815 and grew up in the Mohawk Valley before attending the Troy Female Seminary. Her exposure to the law through her father’s legal practice helped make her aware of the unequal legal status of women. Stanton later moved to Seneca Falls, where she helped organize the 1848 Woman’s Rights Convention and co-authored the Declaration of Sentiments. Her partnership with Susan B. Anthony helped shape the national women’s rights movement for decades.

24. L. Frank Baum

Lyman Frank Baum was born in Chittenango in 1856. He pursued a remarkable assortment of careers as a young man, including theater, journalism, publishing, and business, before finding lasting success as a writer for children. In 1900, Baum published The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, creating a story and group of characters that became permanent parts of American popular culture. His birthplace in Madison County gives Central New York a direct connection to one of the most famous fantasy stories ever written.

25. George Eastman

George Eastman was born in Waterville in 1854 before his family moved to Rochester. After leaving school as a teenager to help support his family, Eastman became fascinated with photography and began experimenting with ways to simplify the difficult photographic process of the era. He founded the company that became Eastman Kodak and helped make roll film and portable cameras available to ordinary consumers. His innovations transformed photography and helped turn Rochester into an international center of imaging technology.

For more history from across Upstate New York, read History of the Erie Canal, History of New York’s Empire State Express Train, History of the Great New York State Fair, History of Saratoga Racetrack, and History of the Battle of Plattsburgh.