These 7 Celebrities Hail From Some Of Greater Cleveland's Most Charming Small Towns
There’s something about Northeast Ohio that just results in incredible, noteworthy human beings. Aside from friendly, intuitive individuals like you and me, this area has also produced some big-time celebrities. Seriously! Even before the Jazz Age introduced the world to the first talkies, celebrities from Cleveland have been keeping the world entertained. Today, we’re going to look at some of the biggest names past and present to come out of small towns in and around the Greater Cleveland area. How many do you recognize?

Catherine Bach was born in Cleveland, Ohio, and she grew up just beyond the metropolitan area in Warren. Despite this, she spent much of her childhood in South Dakota, but her Northern Ohio roots weren't forgotten. She brought a classically Great Lakes attitude to the screen, and she famously brought her own outfit to the set for her first moments as Daisy Duke. While the production team was reluctant to let her wear the super-short denim shorts, they became an iconic piece of media history.

You may be wondering why Hughes came to Cleveland. It's because his family had far-reaching roots in the area, and they, too, contribute to Northeast Ohio's rich history. His maternal grandmother, Mary Patterson, attended Oberlin College (one of the first women to do so), and his maternal grandfather, Charles Henry Langston, was active in the Ohio Anti-Slavery Society. Before Patterson and Hughes met, she was actually married to a man who was fatally wounded John Brown's raid on Harpers Ferry. This well-educated and politically active family was bound to produce someone as eloquent as Langston Hughes!

Despite her over-the-top persona, Hamilton also operated a nursery at the Cleveland Heights Presbyterian Church while she lived in town. From a goodly churchgoer and kindergarten teacher to the Wicked Witch of the West, Margaret Hamilton is arguably the most interesting Clevelander ever.

What many do not know, however, is that Watterson was a Chagrin Falls resident. In fact, the Chagrin Falls Popcorn Shop has been featured in the comics. The ambiance of his hometown sets the scene for the adventures of Calvin and Hobbes, and the character names are a nod to Watterson's studies at Kenyon College in Ohio. (He majored in political science, and the characters' names celebrate the impact of college's poli-sci department.) Today, Watterson calls Cleveland Heights home, but he's media shy and rarely makes public appearances or statements. Nonetheless, we Clevelanders are happy to have this iconic illustrator as one of our own!

An immigrant from Piacenza, Italy, Boiardi came to the United States with one thing in mind: cooking! He'd had an apprenticeship in the kitchen at just 11 years of age, but he eventually found his way to the Hotel Winton in Cleveland. There, he fell in love with Helen Wroblewski, and the pair opened a restaurant together at East 9th Street and Woodland Avenue. Their food was so popular that it exploded into an internationally-beloved brand. What a true Cleveland success story!

In his professional career, Grohl has played in Nirvana, Scream, Foo Fighters, and other iconic projects. When the David Grohl Alleyway was unveiled in Warren, he even appeared at the celebration to perform. Famously, he took out a page in the local newspaper to thank the locals of Warren for making him an iconic part of the community.

Brown was born in East Cleveland, and she graduated from Warrensville Heights High School. Her big break in Hollywood came around 2000, and since then, she's been in various entrancing films and television series. While her signature brand of Cleveland sass makes her an iconic figure on the big screen, one of her proudest achievements was likely being inducted into the Warrensville Heights High School hall of fame in 2009. What a true Cleveland success story!
These celebrities from Cleveland have long kept us entertained, but this list is just barely scratching the surface when it comes to famous Clevelanders. The list could be expanded to include past icons like Alan Freed — who coined the term “rock ‘n roll” right here in town — and John D. Rockefeller, but we’d be here all day! Which of these famous Clevelanders were you most surprised to learn about?
Love learning about Cleveland history? Explore the region’s lineup of incredible Ohio-based inventors to learn more about locals who never failed to shoot for the stars.
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