Considering over 2 million people live in Queens, NY, it’s not surprising that a few famous faces call it home. That said, just how many actors, writers, musicians, and other notable figures have links to the borough might make your jaw drop. From Howard Stern to Don Rickles, Donald Trump to Ethel Merman, Queens has produced a staggering number of celebs over the years. Here are 20 of our favorite celebrities from Queens, NY.
20. Bernie Madoff
Calling him one of our “favorite” celebrities would be a stretch, but there’s no doubt that Bernie Madoff is one of Queen’s most famous (or should that be infamous?) former residents. Born on April 29, 1938, Madoff kickstarted his career in 1960 when he founded a penny stock brokerage. That brokerage grew into Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities, a company that, by the early 2000s, was the 6th largest market maker in S&P 500 stock. Madoff remained its chairman all the way up until 2008 when he was arrested for running a Ponzi scheme of $64.8 billion – the largest in history. Madoff died of kidney disease in 2021, 12 years into his 150-year sentence at the Federal Correctional Institution in Otisville, New York.
19. Bethenny Frankel
Bethenny Frankel was born in Queens on November 4, 1970. In 1992, she moved to LA to follow her dreams of becoming an actress. The acting never really worked out, but fortunately, she discovered a talent for business. Since then, she’s launched several successful companies, including a baking business called BethennyBakes and the Skinnygirl empire. When she’s not busy baking fat-free cookies, you can find her starring on reality TV shows like The Real Housewives of New York City, Bethenny Getting Married?, Skating with the Stars, and The Big Shot with Bethenny.
18. Scott Ian
Scott Ian was born in Queens on December 31, 1963. He’s best known as the co-founder and rhythm guitarist of Anthrax, one of the “Big Four” of the thrash metal scene along with Metallica, Megadeath, and Slayer. When he’s not performing with Anthrax, Ian serves as the rhythm guitarist for the metal band the Damned Things.
17. Dick Van Patten
Dick Van Patten was born in Queens on December 9, 1928. After getting his start as a child actor, Patten carved out a hugely successful career on stage, film, and TV, becoming best known for his role as Tom Bradford on the ABC television comedy-drama Eight Is Enough. He died in 2015, at age 86.
16. Ethel Merman
Ethel Merman was born in Queens in 1908, although later insisted it was actually 1912. Widely known as “the undisputed First Lady of the musical comedy stage,” she became a huge star thanks to her performances in musical theater productions of Annie Get Your Gun, Gypsy, and Hello, Dolly!. She was also an accomplished film actress, winning praise, awards, and armies of fans for her scene-stealing performances in movies like Anything Goes, Call Me Madam, There’s No Business Like Show Business, and It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World. Merman passed away at the age of 76 following a diagnosis of brain cancer.
15. Leslie Odom Jr.
Leslie Odom Jr. was born on August 6, 1981, in Queens. Since making his Broadway debut in 1988, he’s won huge critical acclaim for his performances in shows such as Hamilton, which in 2016 earned him both the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical and a Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album. His performance as Sam Cooke in the 2020 movie, One Night in Miami…, meanwhile, earned him Academy Award, BAFTA Award, Screen Actors Guild Award, Critics’ Choice Movie Award, and Golden Globe Awards nominations for Best Supporting Actor, together with Academy Award and Golden Globe Award nominations for Best Orginal Song.
14. Elizabeth Perkins
Actress Elizabeth Perkins was born in Queens on November 18, 1960. After honing her craft at the Goodman School of Drama, Perkins made her stage debut on Broadway in Neil Simon’s Brighton Beach Memoirs in 1984. Since then, she’s moved into TV and film, starring alongside Tom Hanks in Big, William Hurt in The Doctor, and stealing the show as Celia Hodes in the Showtime series, Weeds.
13. Jesse Eisenberg
Jesse Eisenberg was born in Queens on October 5, 1983. Since making his TV debut on the comedy-drama series Get Real in 1999, he’s built a hugely successful career in TV and film. Some of his most notable appearances have come in the films To Rome with Love, Rio, The Squid and the Whale, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Zombieland, and Now You See Me. For his performance as Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg in David Fincher’s The Social Network, Eisenberg earned nominations for a Golden Globe, a BAFTA, and an Academy Award.
12. Russell Simmons
Entrepreneur, record executive, and writer Russell Simmons is best known as the co-founder of Def Jam Recordings, the hip hop label responsible for artists such as Beastie Boys, Nas, Big Sean, Justin Bieber, LL Cool J, Public Enemy, Rihanna, Pusha T, and many, many others. In addition to his activities within the music industry, Simmons has also launched several other businesses, including the clothing lines Phat Farm, Argyleculture, and Tantris. In 2017, Simmons stepped down from his position at Def Jam following allegations of sexual misconduct and assault.
11. Howard Stern
Shock jock and Queens native Howard Stern began his career on radio while he was still studying at Boston University in the ’70s. After honing his radio personality at WRNW, WCCC and WWWW, Stern was offered a morning show at WXRK in New York City in 1985. He spent the next 20 years at the station, attracting 20 million listeners at the peak of the show’s popularity. Other credits include writing two New York Times Best Sellers (Private Parts (1993) and Miss America (1995)), hosting numerous late-night TV shows, and serving as a judge on America’s Got Talent. Despite his reputation for going places other broadcasters fear to tread, it turns out Stern is a big softie at heart – he and his wife Beth Ostrosky are big cat lovers and long-term feline fosterers, providing a temporary home to around 200 cats every year.
10. Lori Loughlin
Actress Lori Loughlin was born in Queens on July 28, 1964. After starting her career as a print model at the age of 11, she landed her first acting job when she was cast in the ABC soap opera The Edge of Night at the age of 15. In 1988, she hit the big time when she landed the role of Rebecca “Aunt Becky” Donaldson in the ABC sitcom Full House. After Full House ended, she picked up numerous roles in TV shows such as Birds of Prey, When Calls the Heart, Spin City, and 90210. In 2019, she hit the headlines for all the wrong reasons after becoming embroiled in the infamous college admissions bribery scandal, which temporarily derailed her career after she was ordered to serve 2 months in prison, complete 100 hours of community service, and stump up for a $150,000 fine.
9. Donald Trump
Love him or loathe him, there’s no denying that Donald Trump is one of the most famous people to ever come out of Queens. Raised in the Jamaica Estates neighborhood of the borough, Trump first made his name as the president of his father Fred’s real estate business. He later went into various side ventures, hosted the TV reality series The Apprentice, oversaw six of his business becoming bankrupt, and, in 2017, became the first U.S. president in history to enter office with no prior military or government experience.
8. 50 Cent
50 Cent was born in the South Jamaica neighborhood of Queens in July 1975. By the age of 12, he was selling drugs on the streets. After being caught, arrested, and sent to boot camp, he earned his GED and began turning his life around. His plans to get into music were temporarily derailed in 2000 when he was shot just days before the release of what was meant to be his debut album. Within two years, he was back with a new $1 million record contract and a debut album described by All Music as “probably the most hyped debut album by a rap artist in about a decade.” In 2014, the rapper paid tribute to his roots on a single called Queens.
7. Ray Romano
Actor Ray Romano was born in Queens on December 21, 1957. After getting his start in comedy by competing in the Johnnie Walker Comedy Search in 1989, he made his name in a series of hit TV shows. Some of his most popular credits include the CBS sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond, the comedy-drama Men of a Certain Age, NBC’s Parenthood, and the Epix comedy-drama series Get Shorty. He’s also starred in several high-profile films, including the Ice Age franchise and The Irishman.
6. Don Rickles
Don Rickles was born on May 8, 1926, in Queens. His first dream was to become a serious actor, but when he couldn’t get a job, he started performing around comedy clubs in New York, LA, and Miami. When his heckler put-downs started getting more laughs than his scripted material, he switched styles and soon became best known for his insult comedy. As well as being a popular live act, Rickles also forged a hugely successful career on TV and film, starring in projects such as C.P.O. Sharkey, The Don Rickles Show, Run Silent, Run Deep, Kelly’s Heroes, and Casino. In 2007, he was awarded a Primetime Emmy for his documentary, Mr. Warmth: The Don Rickles Project. Rickles died on April 6, 2017, at the age of 90.
5. Judd Apatow
Filmmaker Judd Apatow was born in Queens on December 6, 1967. An acclaimed director, producer, screenwriter, and comedian, he’s played a hand in numerous popular TV shows and films over his career, including cult favorites like Freaks and Geeks and Undeclared, and major movies like Knocked Up, The 40-Year-Old Virgin, The Cable Guy, Bridesmaids, and Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgund. For his efforts, he’s won two Primetime Emmy Awards from eleven nominations, a Golden Globe, a Grammy, and two Producers Guild of America Awards.
4. Christopher Walken
Christopher Walken (or Ronald Walken, as he used to be known) was born in the Astoria neighborhood of Queens in 1943. His mother was obsessed with showbiz, even naming her son after famous actor Ronald Colman. Soon enough, Walken caught the bug too. In 1953, he landed a regular role on the TV show Wonderful John Acton. Since then, he’s become a major movie star, picking up roles in prominent films such as A View to a Kill, The Deer Hunter, Annie Hall, Pulp Fiction, Vendetta, Catch Me if You Can, Irreplaceable You, and many, many more. According to Wikipedia, his films have grossed more than $1 billion in the United States alone.
3. Martin Scorsese
Martin Scorsese was born on November 17, 1942, in the Flushing area of Queens. An internationally renowned director, producer, and screenwriter, he’s won numerous awards over his illustrious career, including an Academy Award, a Grammy Award, two Directors Guild of America awards, three Golden Globe Awards, three Primetime Emmy Awards, and four British Academy Film Awards. Some of his most notable credits include Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, The King of Comedy, Goodfellas, The Age of Innocence, Casino, and The Irishman. Five of his films have been selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the National Film Registry as “culturally, historically or aesthetically significant”.
2. Cyndi Lauper
Cyndi Lauper may have been born in Brooklyn, but she was raised in the Ozone Park neighborhood of Queens. After discovering a love of performing at a young age, Lauper formed a band (Blue Angel) and landed a record album. The band’s subsequent album won positive reviews, but was a commercial flop, leading Blue Angel to break up and Lauper to go solo. She’s since put that early disappointment well and truly behind her, selling over 50 million records worldwide to become one of the best-selling artists of all time. She’s been inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, been given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, won more Grammys, Emmys, Tonys, MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs), Billboard Awards, and American Music Awards than anyone has time to count, and has generally been representing for Queens in the best possible way for 7 decades.
1. Tony Bennett
Tony Bennett was born on August 3, 1926, and raised in the Astoria neighborhood of Queens. Since landing his first number one hit with Because of You in 1951, he’s become known as one of the most popular and influential jazz singers of all time, enjoying the kind of lasting success that most artists can only dream of. Over the course of his career, he’s been awarded numerous honors, including a staggering 19 Grammy Awards and two Primetime Emmy Awards. After selling over 50 million records worldwide, Bennett retired from live performing in 2021 due to ill health.
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