It is no secret that Boston is famous for delicious food. But it’s always more interesting to find out the celebrities who hail from our beloved home city. Some famous folks are loud and proud about their birthplace, while others keep personal info to themselves. Here are 13 famous people from Boston, and a few of them might be surprising to you.

1. Taylor Schilling
Fanpage.-/Flickr
Schilling is best known for playing the lead on the Netflix show "Orange Is the New Black." She grew up in West Roxbury and Wayland.
2. Uzo Aduba
The Huntington/Flickr
Uzo Aduba's breakout role was also on "Orange Is the New Black." She plays Suzanne Warren. She was born in Boston and grew up in Medfield.
3. Chris Evans
Flickr/ Gage Skidmore
Boston-born Chris Evans grew up around acting - his mother worked at the Concord Youth Theater. Early in his career he played a murder suspect on the television show "Boston Public," followed by performances in several teen movies. Since then, he has played Captain America in multiple Marvel films.
4. Jennifer Coolidge
Flickr/Thibault
Boston-born Jennifer Coolidge became a household name thanks to the movie "American Pie." Stifler's mom went on to score parts in the "Legally Blonde" franchise and on the television show, "2 Broke Girls."
5. Uma Thurman
Flickr/Alexandra (Sasha) Lerman
Everyone knows who Uma Thurman is, but few people are aware that she was born in Boston and raised in Amherst. Thurman's father is one of the country's pre-eminent Buddhist scholars and, when she was a child, the Dalai Lama sometimes visited her house!
6. James Spader
Flickr/Thibault
James Spader has appeared in the movie "Sex, Lies, and Videotape," along with TV shows like "The Practice," "Boston Legal," and "The Blacklist." Two interesting facts about Spader are that he has a photographic memory and won't watch any movie in which he's acted.
7. Edward Norton
Flickr/Dilia Oviedo
Although Edward Norton spent his childhood in Maryland, he was actually born in Boston. Norton's been in numerous films with cult followings, the most notable of which was "Fight Club."
8. Eliza Dushku
Flickr/Streamy Awards
To many fans, Eliza Dushku will forever be Faith from "Buffy the Vampire Slayer." However, the actress has also starred in the TV shows "Tru Calling" and "Dollhouse." She was born in Boston.
9. Connie Britton
Flickr/United Nations Development Programme
Britton lived in Boston until she was seven, when her family relocated to Virginia. She is famous for her performances in "Friday Night Lights" and "Nashville."
10. John Slattery
Flickr/Peabody Awards
Bostonian John Slattery worked as a successful character actor for years before he landed his role on "Mad Men." One of his hobbies is surfing!
11. Lisa Edelstein
Flickr/Arnold Gatilao
Although Edelstein has worked on shows such as "Ally McBeal" and "The West Wing," she is most famous for her role on "House."
12. Leonard Nimoy
Flickr/Gage Skidmore
This guy needs no introduction. Nimoy grew up in Boston, where his father owned a barber shop.
13. Conan O'Brien
Flickr/Gage Skidmore
O'Brien worked on "The Simpsons" and "SNL," before becoming the host of "Late Night with Conan O'Brien." He was born in Boston and later attended Harvard.

Any surprises on that list? Did you know of all these famous people from Boston? We wouldn’t have guessed that Connie Britton was a Bostonian.

Here are some more celebrities who come from Massachusetts.

OnlyInYourState may earn compensation through affiliate links in this article.

More to Explore

FAMOUS PEOPLE FROM BOSTON & RELATED INFO

Melanie Johnson | December 17, 2022

Who are the most famous people from Boston?

It is safe to say that there are a lot of famous people from Boston. Many of them have starred in the biggest Blockbuster movies and/or have been nominated for prestigious awards. They include:

  • Matt Damon is arguably one of the highest-grossing actors of all time, and winner of the Academy Award as well as the Golden Globe Awards.
  • Mark Wahlberg is a former rapper turned actor who has been nominated for countless awards including two Academy Awards, three Golden Globe Awards, nine Emmy Awards, and three Screen Actors Guild Awards. 
  • Barbara Walters is not a movie star but instead is a world-famous broadcast journalist and television personality. She was inducted into the TV Hall of Fame, and received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.

 

Here’s an article about some more famous people from Massachusetts.

Who is the most famous person from Boston Massachusetts?

While there are no shortages of famous Bostonians, by far, the most famous person from Boston Massachusetts is President John F. Kennedy. He was the youngest person to be elected to the office of the presidency of the United States. Unfortunately, he was ultimately assassinated in the third year of office. Another notable political figure who is from Boston is Benjamin Franklin. As one of the Founding Fathers of the United States, he was credited for his role in the Declaration of Independence and the American Constitution. 

Besides celebrities, what is Boston famous for?

There are many famous people from Boston, but the city is famous for many other things. They include:

 

And here’s an article discussing more about what Boston is famous for.

Related Articles

Featured Addresses
Boston, MA, USA