25 Famous People You Didn’t Know Were From the Town of Brookhaven, New York

Aerial view of Port Jefferson Harbor and village in the Town of Brookhaven on Long Island’s North Shore. Photo: Wirestock Creators / Shutterstock

Covering about 531 square miles of land and water across central and eastern Suffolk County, the Town of Brookhaven is the largest town on Long Island by area. It stretches from Long Island Sound on the North Shore to the Atlantic Ocean on the South Shore and includes eight incorporated villages and about 50 hamlets, including Patchogue, Port Jefferson, Stony Brook, Setauket, Bellport, Medford, Shirley, Mastic, and Shoreham.

Because Long Islanders often identify first with their hamlet, village, or school district, it is easy to overlook how many nationally known people have roots inside the Town of Brookhaven. For this list, a person qualifies if they were born here, raised here, or spent meaningful formative years in a Brookhaven community. The group ranges from Revolutionary War figures and a signer of the Declaration of Independence to actors, musicians, athletes, writers, and military heroes.

1. William Floyd, Mastic

• Brookhaven Roots: William Floyd was born in 1734 at his family’s estate in Mastic. He managed the property and served as a Brookhaven Town trustee before the Revolutionary War. The William Floyd Estate in Mastic Beach is preserved today as part of Fire Island National Seashore.
• Claim to Fame: Floyd represented New York in the Continental Congress and signed the Declaration of Independence. He later served in the New York State Senate and represented New York in the First United States Congress.

2. LT Michael P. Murphy, Patchogue

• Brookhaven Roots: Michael P. Murphy was born in Smithtown in 1976 and grew up in Patchogue. He graduated from Patchogue-Medford High School in 1994 and worked summers as a lifeguard at a Brookhaven Town beach.
• Claim to Fame: Murphy became a United States Navy SEAL officer and was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions during Operation Red Wings in Afghanistan in 2005. The guided-missile destroyer USS Michael Murphy (DDG-112) was named in his honor.

3. Kevin James, Stony Brook

• Brookhaven Roots: Kevin James was born in Mineola, but his family moved to Stony Brook while he was young. He graduated from Ward Melville High School in 1983, where he competed in wrestling and was a teammate of future professional wrestler Mick Foley.
• Claim to Fame: James became a nationally known comedian and actor through his nine-season starring role as Doug Heffernan on the CBS sitcom The King of Queens. His film career includes Hitch, Paul Blart: Mall Cop, and Here Comes the Boom.

4. Kevin Connolly, Medford

• Brookhaven Roots: Kevin Connolly grew up in the Patchogue-Medford area and graduated from Patchogue-Medford High School in 1992. He had already begun working professionally in television commercials and acting roles while still young.
• Claim to Fame: Connolly became best known for playing Eric “E” Murphy on HBO’s Entourage. He also built a career as a director in television and film.

5. Biz Markie, Patchogue and Middle Island

• Brookhaven Roots: Born Marcel Theo Hall, Biz Markie spent part of his youth in Brentwood before living in Patchogue during his teenage years. He graduated from Longwood High School in Middle Island in 1982, giving him formative ties to two Brookhaven communities.
• Claim to Fame: Known as the “Clown Prince of Hip-Hop,” Biz Markie became a beloved rapper, DJ, beatboxer, and entertainer. His 1989 single “Just a Friend” became his signature crossover hit, and his work with the Juice Crew placed him inside one of hip-hop’s most influential early collectives.

6. Benjamin Tallmadge, Setauket

• Brookhaven Roots: Benjamin Tallmadge was born in Setauket in 1754 and grew up there before attending Yale. His Long Island friendships later became critical to the intelligence network he organized during the Revolutionary War.
• Claim to Fame: General George Washington placed Tallmadge in charge of military intelligence, and Tallmadge organized and directed the Culper Spy Ring. He recruited childhood acquaintances including Abraham Woodhull, Austin Roe, Caleb Brewster, and Anna Strong to help gather and move intelligence from British-occupied New York.

7. Abraham Woodhull, Setauket

• Brookhaven Roots: Abraham Woodhull was born in Setauket in 1750 and lived there as a farmer. His home and surrounding community became central to the intelligence network operating on Long Island during the Revolutionary War.
• Claim to Fame: Woodhull was a principal agent in the Culper Spy Ring and operated under the code name “Samuel Culper Sr.” He helped gather, evaluate, and relay intelligence concerning British forces in occupied New York.

8. Mick Foley, East Setauket

• Brookhaven Roots: Mick Foley was born in Indiana but moved with his family to East Setauket while young. He graduated from Ward Melville High School in 1983 and competed in wrestling and lacrosse.
• Claim to Fame: Foley became a WWE Hall of Fame professional wrestler famous for the Mankind, Cactus Jack, and Dude Love personas. He also became a bestselling author with books including Have a Nice Day!.

9. Marcus Stroman, Medford

• Brookhaven Roots: Marcus Stroman grew up in Medford and graduated from Patchogue-Medford High School in 2009. He starred as both a pitcher and shortstop before continuing his baseball career at Duke University.
• Claim to Fame: Stroman became a Major League Baseball All-Star and Gold Glove Award-winning pitcher. He was named Most Valuable Player of the 2017 World Baseball Classic after helping the United States win the tournament.

10. Steven Matz, Stony Brook

• Brookhaven Roots: Steven Matz was born in Stony Brook and attended Ward Melville High School in East Setauket. The New York Mets selected the left-handed pitcher in the second round of the 2009 MLB Draft.
• Claim to Fame: Matz reached the major leagues with the Mets in 2015 and produced one of the most memorable pitching debuts in franchise history, also driving in four runs at the plate. He later started Game 4 of the 2015 World Series and has continued a long major-league pitching career.

11. William Sidney Mount, Setauket and Stony Brook

• Brookhaven Roots: William Sidney Mount was born in Setauket in 1807 and spent much of his life in the Three Village area. His family’s Hawkins-Mount House in Stony Brook survives as an important part of the region’s cultural history.
• Claim to Fame: Mount became one of America’s best-known 19th-century genre painters, depicting music, work, rural life, and social interaction. His paintings brought him national recognition before the Civil War and remain an important part of American art history.

12. Randy Smith, Bellport

• Brookhaven Roots: Randy Smith was born in Bellport in 1948 and attended Bellport High School, where he excelled in multiple sports before continuing his athletic career in college.
• Claim to Fame: Smith played 12 NBA seasons and was named Most Valuable Player of the 1978 NBA All-Star Game. He also set an NBA record by appearing in 906 consecutive games, a mark that stood until A.C. Green surpassed it in 1997.

13. Sarah Drew, Stony Brook

• Brookhaven Roots: Sarah Drew was born and raised in Stony Brook and attended The Stony Brook School before studying drama at the University of Virginia.
• Claim to Fame: Drew became widely known for playing Dr. April Kepner on ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy. Earlier television roles included Hannah Rogers on Everwood and the voice of Stacy Rowe on Daria.

14. Chrisette Michele, Patchogue

• Brookhaven Roots: Chrisette Michele Payne grew up in Patchogue in a musical family and sang in church while young. She later studied vocal and jazz performance at Five Towns College.
• Claim to Fame: Michele became a Grammy Award-winning R&B and soul singer-songwriter. Her 2009 album Epiphany reached number one on the Billboard 200, and “Be OK” earned a Grammy Award for Best Urban/Alternative Performance.

15. Austin Roe, Setauket and Patchogue

• Brookhaven Roots: Austin Roe was born in the Setauket-Port Jefferson area in 1748 and spent much of his early life around Setauket. After the Revolutionary War, he and his family later settled in the Patchogue area.
• Claim to Fame: Roe served as one of the Culper Spy Ring’s principal couriers. He repeatedly traveled the roughly 55-mile route between Setauket and British-occupied New York City, carrying intelligence through checkpoints under the cover of ordinary business travel.

16. Caleb Brewster, Setauket

• Brookhaven Roots: Caleb Brewster was born in Setauket in 1747 and became an experienced sailor before the Revolutionary War.
• Claim to Fame: Brewster served as a Continental officer and a maritime courier for the Culper Spy Ring. He used whaleboats to move intelligence across Long Island Sound between Setauket and Connecticut, helping complete the secret communication route to Washington’s headquarters.

17. Brooke Ellison, Stony Brook and Setauket

• Brookhaven Roots: Brooke Ellison grew up in the Three Village area and graduated with honors from Ward Melville High School in 1996. She later returned to Stony Brook University as a professor and researcher.
• Claim to Fame: After being paralyzed from the neck down in a childhood traffic accident, Ellison became the first quadriplegic person to graduate from Harvard University. She became a disability-rights advocate, bioethicist, author, and associate professor at Stony Brook University.

18. Todd Sauerbrun, Setauket

• Brookhaven Roots: Todd Sauerbrun was born in Setauket and attended Ward Melville High School, where he excelled as both a football kicker and lacrosse player before attending West Virginia University.
• Claim to Fame: Sauerbrun played 13 seasons in the NFL as a punter. He was selected to three Pro Bowls and earned First-Team All-Pro honors twice during his professional career.

19. Paul O’Neill, Patchogue and Medford

• Brookhaven Roots: Paul O’Neill graduated from Patchogue-Medford High School in 1975 and maintained strong connections to the local community throughout his music career.
• Claim to Fame: O’Neill became a composer, lyricist, producer, and the founder of Trans-Siberian Orchestra. He developed the group’s fusion of progressive rock, classical music, theatrical storytelling, and large-scale arena production.

20. Sylvia Porter, Patchogue

• Brookhaven Roots: Sylvia Porter was born in Patchogue in 1913 and spent her early childhood there before her family moved to Brooklyn when she was nine. She later remembered Patchogue as home and retained vivid memories of the village and Great South Bay.
• Claim to Fame: Porter became one of America’s most widely read financial journalists and personal-finance authors. Her nationally syndicated columns and books helped bring economics, taxes, investing, and household finance to a mass audience for decades.

21. D.B. Sweeney, Shoreham

• Brookhaven Roots: Actor Daniel Bernard Sweeney was born in Shoreham, one of the Town of Brookhaven’s incorporated villages.
• Claim to Fame: Sweeney built a long career in film, television, theater, and voice acting. His major roles include Shoeless Joe Jackson in Eight Men Out, Doug Dorsey in The Cutting Edge, Travis Walton in Fire in the Sky, and Dish Boggett in the television miniseries Lonesome Dove.

22. Lauren Miller Rogen, Setauket

• Brookhaven Roots: Lauren Miller Rogen spent several early childhood years in Setauket and attended Nassakeag Elementary School before her family moved to Florida when she was eight.
• Claim to Fame: Miller Rogen became an actress, screenwriter, producer, and director. She co-wrote and starred in For a Good Time, Call… and directed the Netflix film Like Father. She also co-founded Hilarity for Charity with her husband, Seth Rogen, to support families affected by Alzheimer’s disease.

23. Paul Regina, Medford

• Brookhaven Roots: Paul Regina was born in Brooklyn but moved to Medford with his family. He graduated from Patchogue-Medford High School in 1974 and pursued acting after becoming involved with school theater.
• Claim to Fame: Regina became a television, film, and stage actor best known for playing Cliff Waters on Showtime’s Brothers. He also had prominent roles in L.A. Law and The Untouchables.

24. R.A. the Rugged Man, Port Jefferson Station and Stony Brook Area

• Brookhaven Roots: Rapper R.A. the Rugged Man grew up around the Port Jefferson Station-Stony Brook area and has described the local Long Island hip-hop scene, shopping centers, schools, and house parties as part of his formative years.
• Claim to Fame: Born Richard Andrew Thorburn, R.A. became a respected underground hip-hop artist known for dense rhyme schemes, rapid delivery, and a career that has included recording, producing, and music journalism.

25. Leila Kenzle, Patchogue

• Brookhaven Roots: Leila Kenzle was born in Patchogue in 1960 before spending later childhood years outside Long Island.
• Claim to Fame: Kenzle became best known for her long-running role as Fran Devanow on NBC’s Mad About You. Her acting career also included film and stage work before she later entered the field of clinical psychology.

Quick Reference: 25 Famous People From the Town of Brookhaven

Readers interested in more notable people and Long Island history can continue with our 25 Famous People You Didn’t Know Were From Suffolk County, New York, 25 Famous People You Didn’t Know Went to College on Long Island, 5 New York Signers of the Declaration of Independence and U.S. Constitution, and 10 Historic Long Island Towns Where Early American Charm Still Survives.