List of people from New York City
Many notable people were either born or adopted in New York City.
People from New York City
0–9
- 50 Cent – businessman and rapper
- 6ix9ine – rapper
A
- Aaliyah – singer, actress, model
- Zaid Abdul-Aziz – professional basketball player
- Kareem Abdul-Jabbar – basketball player
- George Abernethy – first provisional Governor of Oregon
- Cecile Abish – sculptor
- Oday Aboushi – football player
- Ray Abruzzo – actor
- Garnett Adrain member of the United States House of Representatives from New Jersey
- Cornelius Rea Agnew ophthalmologist
- Eliza Agnew Presbyterian missionary
- Christina Aguilera – singer
- Danny Aiello – actor
- Marv Albert – sports announcer
- Alan Alda – actor
- Ira Aldridge stage actor
- William Alexander, Lord Stirling major general in the American Revolutionary War
- Nancy Allen – actress
- Woody Allen – film director, actor, screenwriter
- Vincent Alo – mobster
- Rafer Alston – basketball player
- Lee J. Ames – illustrator and writer; known for the Draw 50... learn-to-draw books
- Trey Anastasio – rock musician, member of the band, Phish
- Kenny Anderson – professional basketball player
- Natalie and Nadiya Anderson – twins, television personalities; contestants on The Amazing Race and winner of '''
- Charles Anthon classical scholar
- Carmelo Anthony – basketball player
- Marc Anthony – singer, actor
- Judd Apatow – producer, director, comedian, actor, screenwriter
- Fiona Apple – singer-songwriter
- Jacob Appel –, short story writer, bioethicist, born in New York City
- Diane Arbus – photographer
- Nate Archibald – professional basketball player
- Edward Arnold – actor
- Rosanna Arquette – actress
- Kenneth J. Arrow – economist; recipient, 1972 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences
- Beatrice Arthur – actress
- William H. Aspinwall – railroad promoter
- John Jacob Astor III – businessman, member of the Astor family
- Vincent Astor – businessman, philanthropist, member of the Astor family
- William Backhouse Astor, Sr. – businessman, member of the Astor family
- René Auberjonois – actor
- Jake T. Austin – actor, model, author
- Awkwafina – rapper, actress
- AZ – rapper, former member of the rap group The Firm
- Hank Azaria – actor
B
- Edwin Burr Babbitt – actor
- Johnny Bach – professional basketball player and coach
- William Bliss Baker – landscape artist
- Azealia Banks – rapper, singer-songwriter, actress
- Lloyd Banks – rapper
- Joseph Barbera animator, producer, director, MGM and co-founder of Hanna-Barbera
- Bryan Bautista – Dominican-American musician, singer, and contestant from NBC's The Voice season 10
- Earl Beecham – football player
- Harry Belafonte – singer-songwriter, activist, actor
- Bo Belinsky – Major League Baseball player
- Aisha Tandiwe Bell – mixed media artist
- Tony Bennett – jazz singer and musician
- Lillie Berg – musician, musical educator
- Moe Berg Major League Baseball player and spy
- Milton Berle – comedian
- Paul Berlenbach – light heavyweight boxing champion, 1925–1926
- Dellin Betances – Major League Baseball pitcher
- Acid Betty – drag queen
- Bipolar Explorer – dreampop band
- Joan Blondell – actress
- Humphrey Bogart – actor
- A Boogie wit da Hoodie -rapper
- William T. Bonniwell, Jr. – Wisconsin and Minnesota politician
- Joseph Borelli – politician, conservative commentator
- Francis Bouillon – National Hockey League defenseman playing for the Nashville Predators
- Kate Parker Scott Boyd – artist, journalist, temperance worker
- William Boylan –first President of Brooklyn College
- Barbara Boxer – U.S. Senator from California
- James J. Braddock – boxer
- Hermann Braun – actor
- Abigail Breslin actress, musician
- Jimmy Breslin – columnist
- Spencer Breslin – actor, musician
- Eben Britton – football player
- Matthew Broderick – actor
- Action Bronson – rapper
- Mel Brooks – film director, screenwriter, actor
- Julia Brown – madam and prostitute
- Larry Brown – basketball player and coach
- Quincy Brown – actor
- Tarell Brown – football player
- Andrew Bryson United States Navy rear admiral
- William F. Buckley, Jr. – author, conservative commentator
- Sidney Jonas Budnick, abstract artist
- George Burns – comedian
- Steve Buscemi – actor
- Barbara Bush – wife of George H. W. Bush
- Gene Byrnes – cartoonist
C
- James Caan – actor
- Adolph Caesar – actor
- Leslie Cagan – activist and writer
- James Cagney – actor
- Eddie Cahill – actor
- Edward L. Cahn film director known for the Our Gang comedies
- Sarth Calhoun – electronic musician
- Joseph A. Califano – Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare
- Maria Callas – Greek-American opera singer
- Richard Camacho – singer, musician, member of Latin music band CNCO, Dominican-origin
- Christian Camargo – actor
- Schuyler V. Cammann – anthropologist
- Chris Canty – football player
- Al Capone – Prohibition gangster, boss of Chicago Outfit
- Mae Capone – wife of Al Capone
- Francis Capra – actor
- Jennifer Capriati – tennis player
- Nestor Carbonell – actor
- Irene Cara – singer-songwriter, dancer, actress
- Cardi B – rapper
- Benjamin Cardozo – Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court
- Michael A. Cardozo — Corporation Counsel
- Hugh Carey – Governor of New York
- Timothy Carey – actor
- George Carlin – comedian
- Alan Carney – actor, comedian
- Caleb Carr – novelist, military historian
- Eric Carr – rock musician, songwriter
- John Carradine – actor
- Julian Casablancas – lead singer of rock band The Strokes; musician
- Colin Cassady – professional wrestler working for WWE
- John Cassavetes – actor
- DJ Cassidy – DJ, record producer, MC
- Luis Castillo – football player
- Vinnie Caruana – musician, singer
- Phoebe Cates actress
- Jose Ceballos – trade unionist, political campaign manager
- Bennett Cerf – publisher, TV personality
- Stanley Chais - investment advisor in the Madoff investment scandal
- Timothée Chalamet - actor
- Jeff Chandler – actor
- Frank Chanfrau – actor
- James S. C. Chao – Chinese-American entrepreneur, philanthropist
- Harry Chapin – singer-songwriter
- Roz Chast – cartoonist
- Paddy Chayefsky – author
- Maury Chaykin – actor
- Julie Chen – television personality
- Edmund A. Chester – executive at CBS
- Jennie Jerome Churchill – mother of Winston Churchill
- Peter Cincotti – singer-songwriter
- Robert Clohessy – actor
- Evan Cole – CEO of H.D. Buttercup
- Schuyler Colfax Jr. – former Vice President of the United States
- Margaret Colin – actress
- Willie Colón – salsa musician, social activist
- Irv Constantine – football player
- Hugh E. Conway – labor economist
- Terence Cooke – seventh archbishop of New York
- Anderson Cooper – television journalist
- George H. Cooper – United States Navy rear admiral
- Shaun Cooper – rock musician, bassist
- Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez - U.S. Representative
- William R. Cosentini – mechanical engineer and founder of Cosentini Associates
- Ann Coulter – conservative commentator, writer
- Freddie Crawford – basketball player
- Peter Criss – rock musician, songwriter
- Billy Crystal – comedian, actor, director
- George Cukor – film director
- Kieran Culkin – actor
- Kit Culkin – actor
- Macaulay Culkin – actor
- Rory Culkin – actor
- Jermaine Cunningham – football player
- Andrew Cuomo – Governor of New York
- Mario Cuomo – Governor of New York
- Quentin Curry – landscape painter
- Valerie Curtin – actress, screenwriter
- Tony Curtis – actor
D
- Alexandra Daddario – actress
- Matthew Daddario – actor
- Charles Patrick Daly – judge
- Al D'Amato – politician
- Claire Danes – actress
- Rodney Dangerfield – comedian
- Lloyd Daniels – basketball player
- Ron Dante – singer-songwriter, record producer
- Tony Danza – actor
- Bobby Darin – singer-songwriter, entertainer, actor
- Candy Darling actress and Warhol Superstar
- Larry David – actor, writer, comedian, producer
- Pete Davidson – actor, comedian
- Marion Davies – actress
- Al "Bummy" Davis – boxer
- Sammy Davis, Jr. – singer, entertainer
- Dawin – hip hop-R&B singer, musician, record producer
- Rosario Dawson – actress
- Clarence Day – author and humorist
- Dorothy Day – Catholic social activist
- Bill de Blasio – Mayor of New York City
- Robert De Niro – actor
- Éamon de Valera – Taoiseach and President of Ireland
- Philip DeFranco – YouTuber and video blogger
- Lana Del Rey model, singer-songwriter
- Samuel R. Delany – author and critic
- Don DeLillo – author
- Aaron T. Demarest – carriage manufacturer
- Derek Dennis – football player
- Jerry Denny Major League Baseball player
- Desiigner – rapper
- Willy DeVille singer
- Kevin Devine – musician, songwriter
- Neil Diamond – singer, composer
- Mobb Deep – rappers
- Vin Diesel – actor
- Vincent D'Onofrio – actor
- Shaun Donovan – former US Secretary of Housing and Urban Development and Director of the Office of Management and Budget, candidate in the 2021 New York City mayoral election
- Jim Dooley – composer
- Phoebe Doty – prostitute and madam
- Amanda Minnie Douglas – writer
- Kirk Douglas – actor
- Robert Downey Jr. – actor, producer, singer
- Ervin Drake – composer, producer, writer, musician
- Fran Drescher – actor
- Julia Louis-Dreyfus – actress
- Richard Dreyfuss – actor
- Eric Drooker artist, illustrator
- David Duchovny – actor
- Patty Duke – actress, activist for mental-health issues
- Lena Dunham – actress, screenwriter, producer, director
- Joseph Dunninger – mentalist
- Richard Dupont – artist
E
- Dominique Easley – football player
- Gertrude Ederle – swimmer
- Eddie Egan – police detective
- Gladys Egan – child actress
- Jesse Eisenberg – actor
- Billy Eichner – actor
- Ansel Elgort – actor, singer, dancer, DJ
- Lapo Elkann chief executive officer, Fiat
- Bill Elko – football player
- Etika – YouTuber, streamer
- Mario Elie – basketball player
- Duke Ellington – jazz pianist
- Abby Elliott – actress
- Nora Ephron – director, screenwriter, author
- Omar Epps – actor
- Theo Epstein – formerly the youngest general manager in MLB, currently President of Baseball Operations for the Chicago Cubs
- Eru – singer
F
- Peter Facinelliactor
- Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. – actor
- Edie Falco – actress
- Jonah Falconactor and writer; achieved fame in early 2000s for his penis size
- Jimmy Falloncomedian
- Doug E. Fresh – musician
- Peter Falkactor
- Louis Farrakhan – leader of the Nation of Islam
- Perry Farrell – musician
- Alice Faye – actress
- Charles Fazzino – pop artist
- Harry Feldman – Major League Baseball pitcher
- Jack Feldman – lyricist
- Morton Feldman – composer
- Julissa Ferreras – New York City Council Member, Finance Committee chair
- Richard Feynman theoretical physicist; recipient 1965 Nobel Prize in Physics
- Harvey Fierstein – actor and playwright
- Hamilton Fish – Governor of New York and U.S. Secretary of State
- Herbert Flam – tennis player
- Bobby Flay – chef
- Waka Flocka Flame - Rapper
- Jeffrey Flier – Dean of Harvard Medical School
- Jane Fonda – actress
- Peter Fonda – actor
- Hector Fonseca – DJ
- Malcolm Forbes – publisher
- Davy Force – major league baseball player
- Whitey Ford – pitcher for the New York Yankees
- Adam Fox – professional ice hockey defenseman for the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League
- Anthony Franciosa – actor
- David Frankel – film director
- Al Franken – comedian and radio host, U.S. Senator from Minnesota
- Michael Freeman – inventor, entrepreneur, author, and business consultant
- Ace Frehleyguitarist
- Milton Friedman – economist
- Eric Fromm – tennis player
- John Frusciante – musician, artist
G
- Jim Gaffigan – comedian, actor, writer, and author
- Gus Gardella – football player
- Eliza Ann Gardner – Abolitionist
- Art Garfunkel – singer-songwriter, actor
- Lou Gehrig – baseball player
- Sarah Michelle Gellar – actress
- Richard Genelle actor
- Stefani Germanotta aka Lady Gagasinger-songwriter, actor
- George Gershwin – composer
- Ira Gershwin – lyricist
- Tiffany Giardinasinger-songwriter
- Mel Gibson – American-born Australian/Irish actor and director
- Marie George – actress and singer
- Vitas Gerulaitis – tennis player
- Ruth Bader Ginsburg – Associate Justice of U.S. Supreme Court
- Rabbi Issamar Ginzberg – business strategist, rabbi, motivational speaker
- The GoStation – indie rock group
- Rudolph Giuliani – former Mayor of New York City
- Charles V. Glasco, New York City Police Sergeant, most well-known for his efforts to rescue John William Warde in 1938
- Jackie Gleason – comedian, actor
- James Gleason – actor
- Joel Glucksman – Olympic fencer
- Whoopi Goldberg – comedian, actress, TV personality
- William Goldberg – diamond dealer
- Daniel S. Goldin – NASA director
- Danielle Goldstein – American-Israeli show jumper
- Leon M. Goldstein – President of Kingsborough Community College, and acting Chancellor of the City University of New York
- Ben Goldwasser member of the psychedelic-rock band MGMT
- Richard Goode – classical pianist
- Cuba Gooding Jr. – actor
- Jared Gordon – mixed martial artist
- Joan Gould – author and journalist
- Doris Kearns Goodwin – author
- Leo Gorcey – film actor and comedian, leader of the Dead End Kids, East Side Kids, and Bowery Boys in several movies
- Robert A. Gorman – law professor at the University of Pennsylvania Law School
- Eydie Gorme – singer
- Victor Gotbaum – labor leader
- Elliott Gould – actor
- David C. Gowdey – politician
- Topher Grace – actor
- Sean Grande – television and radio sportscaster
- Rocky Graziano – boxer
- Hank Greenberg – Hall of Fame baseball player
- Alan Greenspan – economist, former Federal Reserve chairman
- Adrian Grenier – actor
- Bill Griffith – cartoonist
- Melanie Griffith – actress
- Bob Guccione – publisher
- Peggy Guggenheim – art collector
- Rajat Gupta – CEO of McKinsey & Company convicted of insider trading
- Steve Guttenberg – actor
- Maggie Gyllenhaal – actress
H
- Adelaide Hall – jazz singer, Broadway star, actress
- Huntz Hall – comedian, actor; co-starred in several Dead End Kids, East Side Kids and Bowery Boys movies
- Mortimer Halpern – Broadway stage manager
- Eddy Hamel – Jewish-American soccer player for Dutch club AFC Ajax who was killed by the Nazis in Auschwitz concentration camp
- Pete Hamill – journalist
- Marvin Hamlisch – composer
- Armand Hammer – industrialist and philanthropist
- Oscar Hammerstein II – composer
- Han Terra – polymath
- Frank Hankinson – major league baseball player
- Sean Hannity – television host, author, conservative political commentator
- Nelson Harding – editorial cartoonist
- Donald J. Harlin – Chief of Chaplains of the U.S. Air Force
- Lynn Harrell – cellist
- W. Averell Harriman – diplomat and Governor of New York
- Zelda Harris – actress
- Anne Hathaway – actress
- Marcia Haufrecht – actor, director, playwright
- Curt Hawkins – WWE wrestler
- Patrick Joseph Hayes – fifth archbishop of New York
- Susan Hayward – actress
- Rita Hayworth – actress
- Anthony Hecht – poet
- Carol Heiss – Olympic figure skater
- Joseph Heller – author
- Alvin Hellerstein – U.S. federal judge
- Lance Henriksen – actor
- Brian Henson – puppeteer, director, producer
- Bernard Herrmann – composer
- Robert Hess – sculptor, art educator
- Peter Cooper Hewitt – inventor
- William Hickey – actor
- Logan Hicks – artist
- Hildegarde – cabaret singer
- Paris Hilton socialite, actress
- Gregory Hines – dancer and actor
- Judd Hirsch – actor
- William E. Hoehle – member of the Wisconsin State Assembly
- Eric Holtz – Head Coach of the Israel National Baseball Team
- Lena Horne – singer
- Edward Everett Horton – actor
- Curly Howard actor of comedy team The Three Stooges
- Moe Howard actor of comedy team The Three Stooges
- Shemp Howard actor of comedy team The Three Stooges
- Tina Huang actress
- Richard Hunt – puppeteer and television director
- Tab Hunter – actor
- Cornelia Collins Hussey – philanthropist, writer
- Barbara Hutton – socialite dubbed "Poor Little Rich Girl"
I
- Scott Ian - guitarist for Anthrax
- Washington Irving – author
- John Isaac – photographer
J
- Wolfman Jack – radio personality
- Jane Jacobs – economist, urban theorist, activist
- Ken Jacobs – artist and filmmaker
- Marc Jacobs – fashion designer
- Henry James – writer
- William James – philosopher and psychologist
- Jaiquawn Jarrett – football player
- John Jay – diplomat, jurist and politician
- Jay-Z – businessperson and rapper
- Karine Jean-Pierre – political campaign organizer
- Charles Jenkins basketball player
- Max Jenkins actor and writer
- Ron Jeremy pornographic actor, filmmaker, actor, comedian
- Jessi – rapper
- Jipsta rapper
- MC Jin – rapper
- Billy Joel – singer-songwriter
- David Johansen – actor, singer-songwriter
- Scarlett Johansson – actress
- Daymond John – entrepreneur
- Crockett Johnson – cartoonist and children's writer
- Boris Johnson – American-born British politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, and former Mayor of London
- Nasir Jones – actor, rapper and former member of the rap group The Firm
- Norah Jones – actress, instrumentalist and singer-songwriter
- Julia Jones-Pugliese – national champion fencer and fencing coach
- Michael Jordan - American basketball player
- Colin Jost comedian, actor, and writer
- William Joyce – Nazi propaganda broadcaster
K
- Philip Mayer Kaiser – U.S. diplomat
- Andy Kaufman – comedian
- Charlie Kaufman – screenwriter
- Danny Kaye – actor and comedian
- Lenny Kaye – guitarist
- Thomas Kean – Governor of New Jersey
- Harvey Keitel – actor
- Bridget Kelly – singer
- George Kennedy – actor
- Jacqueline Kennedy – First Lady of the United States and editor
- Max Kennedy – author, lawyer
- Jerome Kern – composer
- Alicia Keys – R&B singer
- Robert Kibbee – Chancellor of the City University of New York
- Jimmy Kimmel – comedian and television talk-show host
- Carole King – singer-songwriter
- Keith Kinkaid – professional ice hockey player
- Nancy Kissinger – philanthropist
- Calvin Klein – fashion designer
- Christopher Knight – actor
- John "Julius" Knight – music producer, DJ
- Miss Ko – rapper
- Ed Koch – Mayor of New York City
- E. L. Konigsburg – writer
- Peter Koo – politician, pharmacist
- C. Everett Koop – physician
- Yaphet Kotto – actor
- Sandy Koufax – MLB pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers, perfect game pitcher
- Joey Kramer – drummer, Aerosmith
- Lenny Kravitz – singer-songwriter
- Barbara Kruger – feminist artist
- Stanley Kubrick – film director, screenwriter
- Bruce Kulick – guitarist
- William Kunstler – lawyer
- Tony Kushner – playwright, screenwriter
- Allan Kwartler – sabre and foil fencer, Pan American Games and Maccabiah Games champion
L
- David LaChapelle – photographer
- Lady Gaga – musician, actress
- Fiorello La Guardia – Mayor of New York City
- Jesse Lacey – musician and singer
- Bert Lahr – actor and comedian
- Veronica Lake – actress
- Jake LaMotta – boxer
- Burt Lancaster – actor
- Martin Landau – actor
- Diane Lane – actress
- Leo Laporte – founder/host of TWiT.tv
- Floria Lasky – theater world lawyer
- Cyndi Lauper – singer
- Ralph Lauren – fashion designer
- Emma Lazarus – author and poet
- Steve Lawrence – singer and actor
- Derek Lee – baseball player
- Jeanette Lee – professional pool player
- Stan Lee – comic-book writer, editor, film executive producer, actor, and publisher for Marvel Comics
- Madeleine L'Engle – author
- Franz Leichter – politician
- Melissa Leo – actress
- Princess Leonore, Duchess of Gotland fifth in line to the Swedish throne
- A. Leo Levin – law professor at the University of Pennsylvania Law School
- Huey Lewis musician and singer
- Joe E. Lewis – comedian
- Miranda Lichtenstein – artist
- Roy Lichtenstein – artist
- Joe Lieberman – former long-time U.S. Senator from Connecticut ; 2000 vice presidential nominee under Al Gore
- Lil' Kim – actress and rapper
- Lil Tjay - rapper
- John Lindsay – Mayor of New York City
- Liondub – DJ and Record Producer
- Deborah Lipstadt – historian and author
- Peggy Lipton – actress
- Lisa Lisa – freestyle singer; fronted Cult Jam; born Lisa Velez
- John Liu – American politician, 43rd New York City Comptroller
- Lucy Liu – actress
- Robert R. Livingston – U.S. founding father and diplomat
- Tommy Lockhart – Inductee into Hockey Hall of Fame, and United States Hockey Hall of Fame
- Robert Loggia – actor
- Lindsay Lohan – actress
- Vince Lombardi – football coach
- Ki Longfellow – novelist
- Jennifer Lopez – singer and actress
- Julia Louis-Dreyfus – actress
- Willie Lozado – baseball player
- Bennet Nathaniel "Nate" Lubell – Olympic fencer
- Edna Luby – Broadway and vaudeville performer
- Lucky Luciano – gangster
- Sid Luckman – football player and coach
- Frankie Lymon – singer
- Carol Lynley – actress
M
- Alice Foote MacDougall – coffee wholesaler, restaurateur, and business owner in the City
- Ruth Madoff – wife of Bernie Madoff
- Umber Majeed – visual artist
- Lil Mama – rapper and actress
- Bernard Malamud – author
- Melissa Manchester – singer
- Barry Manilow – singer-songwriter, musician
- Mike Mansfield – Senator from Montana
- Stephon Marbury – professional basketball player
- James Margolis – Olympic fencer
- Rose Marie – actress
- Ernest Martin – theatre director and manager
- Melanie Martinez – singer-songwriter, actress, director, photographer, screenwriter
- Soraida Martinez – artist, designer
- Sadie Martinot – singer, actress
- Constantine Maroulis – American Idol finalist
- Lee Marvin – actor
- Chico Marx member of the Marx Brothers
- Groucho Marx member of the Marx Brothers
- Gummo Marx member of the Marx Brothers
- Harpo Marx member of the Marx Brothers
- Zeppo Marx member of the Marx Brothers
- James Maslow actor and singer
- Jackie Mason comedian, actor
- John Massari – composer, sound designer
- Walter Matthau – actor
- Loretta Mazza – Sammarinese politician, Mayor of Acquaviva
- John McCloskey – Cardinal Archbishop of New York, 1864–1885
- Frank McCourt – author
- Malachy McCourtauthor
- Allie McGuireprofessional basketball player
- Kenneth McMillan – actor
- Andrea Mitchell journalist, NBC News
- Paul MeltsnerWPA-era painter and muralist
- Bob Melvin Major League Baseball player and manager
- Dave Meltzerpro wrestling journalist
- Herman Melville – author
- Grace Meng – lawyer and politician, Vice Chair of the Democratic National Committee
- Yehudi Menuhin – violinist
- Idina Menzel – singer, actress
- Ethel Merman – singer, actress
- Helen Merrill – jazz singer
- Robert Merrill – singer
- Stefano Miceli - pianist, conductor
- Lea Michele actress, singer
- Vera Michelena – actress, dancer and singer
- Nicki Minaj − rapper, actress
- Alyssa Milano – actress
- Adeline Miller – prostitute, madam
- Arthur Miller – playwright
- Marcus Miller – bassist and composer
- Sally Milgrim – fashion designer
- Stephanie Mills singer, former Broadway star
- Harvey Milk – gay activist, politician
- Andy Mineo – Christian rapper
- Sal Mineo – actor
- John Joseph Mitty – Roman Catholic Archbishop of San Francisco
- Isaac Mizrahi – fashion designer
- Eddie Money – singer
- Mary Tyler Moore – actress, producer
- Melba Moore – actress, singer
- Nancie Monelle – physician, missionary
- Tom Morello – guitarist
- Henry Morgan – radio and television personality
- Huey Morgan musician, radio DJ, songwriter, television personality
- Gouverneur Morris – U.S. founding father; U.S. Senator
- Zero Mostel – actor, comedian
- Tommy Mottola – music executive
- Maria Muldaur – folk and blues singer-songwriter
- John Mulholland – documentary filmmaker, film historian
- Gerry Mulliganmusician
- Richard Mulligan – actor
- Robert Mulligandirector
- Chris Mullin – basketball player
- Charlie Murphy – actor, comedian
- Chris Murphy – U.S. Senator from Connecticut since 2013
- Eddie Murphy – actor, comedian
N
- James M. Nack – deaf and mute poet
- Dominic Napolitano – Mafia caporegime
- Janet Napolitano – third US Secretary of Homeland Security
- Nas – rapper born Nasir Jones
- Michael H. Nash – labor historian, librarian, and archivist
- Russell Nash – antiques dealer on Hudson Street
- Debbie Nathan – American feminist journalist
- Tonie Nathan – Libertarian Party political figure
- Sarah Natochenny – voice actress
- Oscar Neebe – anarchist, labor activist, one of Haymarket bombing trial defendants
- Casey Neistat – film director, producer, designer
- Howard Nemerov – poet
- Sylvester Nevins – politician
- Sam Newfield – film director
- John Philip Newman – Methodist bishop
- Denise Nickerson – actress
- Harry Nilsson – singer-songwriter
- Cynthia Nixon – actress
- Joakim Noah – NBA center for the New York Knicks
- Jerry Nolan – rock drummer
- John Nolan – musician and singer
- Charles Nordhoff – journalist, descriptive and miscellaneous writer
- Dagmar Nordstrom – composer, pianist and singer; member of the cabaret singing duo the Nordstrom Sisters
- Siggie Nordstrom – actress, model and singer; member of the cabaret singing duo the Nordstrom Sisters
- Ed Norris – radio host
- Chris Noth – actor
- Geoffrey Notkin – TV science educator
- The Notorious B.I.G. – rapper
- Carrie Nye – actress
O
- Simon Oakland – actor
- Jerry O'Connell – actor and television personality
- Al Oerter – four-time Olympic champion in discus throw
- Kevin Ogletree – football player
- Garrick Ohlsson – classical pianist
- Keith Olbermann – television sportscaster and commentator
- Jon Oliva – Savatage singer and keyboardist
- Chris O'Loughlin – Olympic fencer
- Eugene O'Neill – playwright
- Paul O'Neill – music composer and producer
- Robert Oppenheimer – physicist; "father of the atomic bomb"
- Jerry Orbach – actor
- Bill O'Reilly – former Fox News anchor
- Adam Ottavino MLB pitcher for the New York Yankees
- Rick Overton – actor and comedian
P
- P. Diddy – rapper
- Al Pacino – actor
- Saul K. Padover – historian
- Joseph Papp – theater producer, impresario, founder of The Public Theater
- Rob Parker – sportswriter, TV analyst
- Lana Parrilla – actress
- Joe Paterno – football coach
- James Patterson – novelist
- Sarah Paulson – actress
- Josh Peck – actor
- Jan Peerce – opera tenor
- Amanda Peet – actress
- Richard Pelham – blackface performer
- Claiborne Pell – Senator from Rhode Island
- Caroline Pennell – singer-songwriter, musician, and contestant on NBC's The Voice season 5
- Sam Perkins – basketball player
- Bernadette Peters – actress, singer
- Regis Philbin – actor, entertainer, television personality, and former host of ABC's Who Wants to be a Millionaire? and Live! with Regis and Kelly
- Lip Pike – baseball player, four-time home-run champion
- John Pleshette – actor
- Suzanne Pleshette – actress from Bob Newhart Show
- Ethel McClellan Plummer – artist
- Christopher Poole – creator of websites 4chan and Canvas Networks
- Pop Smoke - rapper
- Ted Post – movie and TV director
- Neil Postman – author, cultural critic
- Chaim Potok – author
- Bud Powell – jazz pianist
- Colin Powell – U.S. Army general and U.S. Secretary of State
- Gary Powell – drummer
- Joshua Prager – physician
- Priscilla Presley – actress
- Prince Royce – singer-songwriter, actor
- Tito Puente – bandleader
- Mario Puzo – author
Q
- Q-Tip – rapper
R
- Renee Rabinowitz – psychologist and lawyer
- Raekwon – rapper
- Bill Rafferty – comedian
- Joey Ramone and Marky Ramone – punk-rock musicians
- Michael Rapaport – actor, comedian, director
- Ray Ratkowski – football player
- Remedy – rapper
- Ray Rice – football player
- Melissa Rauch – actress and comedian
- Lou Reed – rock musician, songwriter
- A$AP Rocky – rapper
- Christopher Reeve – actor
- Carl Reiner – comedian, actor, director, author
- Rob Reiner – actor and director
- Paul Reiser – actor
- Charlie Reiter – footballer
- Ed Rendell – former Mayor of Philadelphia, Governor of Pennsylvania
- Brandon Reilly – musician, guitarist, singer
- Leah Remini – actress
- Bebe Rexha – singer-songwriter
- Vincent Rey – football player
- Charles E. Rice – legal scholar, university professor
- Buddy Rich – jazz drummer
- Renée Richards – tennis player
- Terry Richardson – fashion photographer
- Burton Richter – Nobel Prize-winning physicist
- Don Rickles – comedian
- Kathleen Ridder – women's equal rights activist, writer, educator, philanthropist
- Robert Ridder – Ice hockey administrator and media mogul
- Robin Riker – actress and book author
- Thelma Ritter – actress
- Joan Rivers – comedian
- Chris Rock – comedian and actor
- Laurance Rockefeller – conservationist and philanthropist
- Winthrop Rockefeller – Governor of Arkansas
- Norman Rockwell – artist
- Alex Rodriguez – baseball player
- John Rogan – football player
- Sonny Rollins – jazz saxophonist
- Ray Romano – comedian and actor
- Saoirse Ronan – American-born Irish actress
- Igal Roodenko – civil-rights activist, pacifist
- Sean Rooks – basketball player and coach
- Mickey Rooney – actor
- Franklin Roosevelt – 32nd President of the United States
- Remy Ma – rapper
- Eleanor Roosevelt – U.S. First Lady and human-rights activist
- Theodore Roosevelt – 26th President of the United States
- Ethel Greenglass Rosenberg – convicted spy
- Beatrice Rosen – actress
- Julius Rosenberg – convicted spy
- Emmy Rossum – actress
- Veronica Roth – novelist
- Mercedes Ruehl – actress
- Vic Ruggiero – ska musician frontman of The Slackers
- Louis Rukeyser – business columnist, economic commentator
- Damien Russell – NFL player
- Art Rust Jr. – sportscaster
S
- Carl Sagan – physicist and astronomer
- Boris Said – NASCAR driver
- J. D. Salinger – author
- Jonas Salk – medical researcher
- John Salley – basketball player
- Jerry Saltz – art critic, art historian
- Claudio Sanchez – musician
- Bernie Sanders – politician and U.S. Senator from Vermont since 2007
- Adam Sandler – actor, comedian
- Romeo Santos – singer-songwriter, actor, record producer
- Dennis Sarfate – professional baseball player
- Dustin Satloff – boy entrepreneur
- Francesco Scavullo – photographer
- Dick Schaap – journalist
- Jeremy Schaap – journalist
- Vincent Schiavelli – actor and food writer
- Leonard Schleifer – scientist and business executive
- Julian Schnabel – artist and motion picture director
- Mathieu Schneider – hockey player
- Sandra Schnur – disability-rights activist
- Loretta Schrijver – Dutch television host
- Rick Schroder – actor
- Amy Schumer – actress and comedian
- Chuck Schumer – U.S. Senator from New York since 1999; cousin of Amy
- Julius Schwartz – comic book editor
- Martin Scorsese – film director
- Vin Scully – sportscaster
- Malik Sealy – basketball player
- Jon Seda – comedian
- Barney Sedran – Hall of Fame basketball player
- Jerry Seinfeld – comedian
- Julius Seligson – tennis player
- Edward Selzer – film producer, Warner Bros.
- Maurice Sendak – author and illustrator
- Peter Senercia - American radio personality, color commentator and retired professional wrestler
- John Serry, Sr. – accordionist, organist, composer, arranger
- Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton – founder of Sisters of Charity; first native-born US citizen canonized
- Cynthia Propper Seton – novelist
- Tupac Shakur – rapper and actor
- Gene Shalit – film critic; raised in New Jersey
- Frank Shannon – conservative political analyst, columnist, and candidate
- Artie Shaw – bandleader
- Judy Sheindlin – judge and television personality
- Brooke Shields – actress
- Kevin Shields – musician; member of the band My Bloody Valentine
- Daniel Sickles – Civil War general
- Bugsy Siegel – gangster
- Jules Siegel – author
- Maggie Siff – actress
- Beverly Sills – opera singer
- Lauren Silva – painter
- Ron Silver – actor, radio show host
- Robert Silverberg – author
- Dean Silvers – film producer
- Alan Silvestri – film music composer
- Carly Simon – singer-songwriter
- Neil Simon – playwright
- Richard L. Simon – businessman and publisher
- Kaseem Sinceno – football player
- John Slidell – Senator from Louisiana and Confederate diplomat
- Al Smith – Governor of New York and presidential candidate
- Will Smith – former football player
- Phoebe Snow – singer-songwriter
- James McCune Smith – Abolitionist
- Stephen Sondheim – musical theatre composer and lyricist
- Aaron Sorkin – playwright and screenwriter
- Sonia Sotomayor – United States Supreme Court Justice
- Mickey Spillane – author
- Eliot Spitzer – former Governor of New York
- Howard Spira
- Sylvester Stallone – actor, director, screenwriter
- Sebastian Stan – actor, MARVEL
- Paul Stanley – hard-rock guitarist, singer and songwriter
- Barbara Stanwyck – actress
- Joe Start – Major League Baseball player
- James Steen – football player
- Howard Stern – radio and television host
- John Stevens – delegate to Continental Congress for New Jersey
- Andrew Stewart – player of gridiron football
- Foley Stewart – musician
- Jon Stewart – writer, producer, political satirist, actor, television personality, comedian, and former host of The Daily Show ; born in New York City, raised in New Jersey
- Julia Stiles – actress
- Ben Stiller – actor
- Henry L. Stimson – politician and diplomat
- Oliver Stone – film director
- Larry Storch – actor, comedian
- Susan Strasberg – actress
- Robert Strassburg – composer, conductor, musicologist
- James Strauch – Olympic fencer
- Barbra Streisand – singer and actress
- Meryl Streep – actress
- Scott Stringer – New York City Comptroller and Borough President of Manhattan
- Jill Stuart – fashion designer
- Big Sue – shopkeeper and underworld figure
- Ed Sullivan – television variety show host
- Susan Sullivan – actress
- Kevin Sussman – actor
T
- Vic Tayback – actor
- Alma Tell – stage and screen actress
- Olive Tell – stage and screen actress
- Maurice Tempelsman – businessman
- Chloe Temtchine – singer-songwriter
- The Tenderloins – American comedy troupe currently composed of Joseph "Joe" Gatto, James "Murr" Murray, Brian "Q" Quinn, and Salvatore "Sal" Vulcano
- Studs Terkel – author and historian
- Milton Terris – public health physician and epidemiologist
- Roy M. Terry – Chief of Chaplains of the U.S. Air Force
- Vinny Testaverde – football player
- Teyana Taylor – singer-songwriter, actress, dancer, choreographer, director and model
- Irving Thalberg – film producer
- Leon Thomas III – actor
- Soren Thompson – two-time Olympic and team World Champion épée fencer
- Johnny Thunders – rock musician
- Gene Tierney – actress
- Harry Tietlebaum – organized crime figure
- Louis Comfort Tiffany – artist
- Matt Titus – professional matchmaker
- James Toback – screenwriter and director
- Isabella Tobias – ice dancer
- Lola Todd – silent film actress
- Bill Todman – game show producer
- Michael Tolkin – filmmaker and novelist
- Marisa Tomei – actress
- Joe Torre – baseball player and manager
- Douglas Townsend – composer and musicologist
- Michelle Trachtenberg – actress
- Mary Travers – singer with Peter, Paul, and Mary
- Payson J. Treat – Japanologist
- Alex Treves – Italian-born American Olympic fencer
- Donald Trump – 45th President of the United States, businessman
- Donald Trump Jr. – businessman
- Eric Trump – businessman
- Fred Trump – real estate developer and philanthropist
- Ivanka Trump – businesswoman
- Tiffany Trump – socialite
- Barbara Tuchman – historian; author
- Richard Tucker – opera tenor
- Gene Tunney – 1926–28 heavyweight boxing champion
- John V. Tunney – former U.S. Senator
- John Turturro – actor and director
- William Tweed – politician
- Liv Tyler – actress
- Steven Tyler – singer, Aerosmith
- Mike Tyson – boxer
- Neil deGrasse Tyson – astronomer, science communicator
U
- Leslie Uggams – singer, actress
- The Ultimate Warrior professional wrestler
- Louis Untermeyer – poet, anthologist, critic, and editor
- Hikaru Utada – singer, musician
V
- Andrew Vachss – lawyer and author
- Cornelius Vanderbilt – businessman
- Robert Vaughn – actor
- George Vergara – NFL player
- Jennifer von Mayrhauser – costume designer
W
- Michael Wachter – professor at the University of Pennsylvania Law School
- Stanley M. Wagner – rabbi and academic
- Josh Waitzkin – chess player, martial arts competitor, and author
- Christopher Walken – actor
- Adam Walker – football player
- Hezekiah Walker – bishop and gospel artist
- Jimmy Walker – Mayor of New York City
- Kemba Walker – basketball player
- Eli Wallach – actor
- Donald A. Wallance – industrial designer
- Fats Waller – jazz pianist
- Charles B. Wang – businessman, philanthropist
- Vera Wang – fashion designer
- Raees Warsi – poet, journalist, social and worker
- Kerry Washington – actress
- Damon Wayans – actor and producer
- Dwayne Wayans – director, producer and writer
- Keenen Ivory Wayans – actor, director, producer and writer
- Kim Wayans – actress
- Marlon Wayans – actor and producer
- Nadia Wayans – actress
- Shawn Wayans – actor and producer
- Michael Weatherly – actor
- Sigourney Weaver – actress
- Brian Wecht – musician, producer for Ninja Sex Party and Starbomb, and member of Game Grumps
- Steven Weinberg – Nobel Prize-winning physicist
- Malina Weissman – child actress
- Leslie West – rock musician
- Mae West – actress
- Nathanael West – author
- Edith Wharton – author
- Joss Whedon – screenwriter, film and television producer, author and composer
- Maggie Wheeler – actress
- White Light Motorcade –music group
- Billy Whitlock – blackface performer
- Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney – sculptor and art patron
- Edward W. Whitson – Wisconsin State Assemblyman
- Kristen Wiig – actress, comedian and writer
- Charles Wilkes – naval officer and explorer
- Lenny Wilkens – basketball player and coach
- Billy Dee Williams – actor
- Vanessa L. Williams – singer and actress
- Walter Winchell – newspaper and radio gossip commentator
- Harry Winitsky – political activist; founding member of the Communist Party USA
- Dean Winters – actor
- Mike Witteck – football player
- George Worth – born György Woittitz, Olympic medalist saber fencer
- James Hood Wright – businessman
- William H. H. Wroe – member of the Wisconsin State Assembly
- Jason Wu – fashion designer
- Charles Wuorinen – composer
Y
- Izzy Yablok – football player
- Tony Yayo – rapper
- Burt Young – actor
- Tony Young – actor
Z
- Charlotte Zucker – actress
Non-native New Yorkers
A
- William Adams – academic and clergyman; founder and president of the Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York; born in Connecticut
- Samuel Adler – rabbi; born in Worms, Germany
- Frederick Styles Agate – painter; born in England
- Thomas Peter Akers – vice president of the gold board; born in Knox County, Ohio
- Richard S. Aldrich – U.S. Representative from Rhode Island, practiced law in New York City
- Jason Alexander – actor; born in Newark, New Jersey
- Jennifer Aniston – actress; born in Sherman Oaks, California
- Chester A. Arthur – U.S. President; born in Fairfield, Vermont
- Isaac Asimov – author; born in Petrovichi, Russian SFSR
- John Jacob Astor – first multimillionaire of U.S.; born in Germany
B
- Lucille Ball – comedian, actress, born in Jamestown, New York
- Count Basie – jazz pianist and band leader, born in Red Bank, New Jersey
- William Basinski – avant-garde composter, born in Austin, Texas
- Laura Joyce Bell – contralto, wife of Digby Bell, born in London, England
- Irving Berlin – composer, lyricist, born in Russia
- Leonard Bernstein – conductor, born in Lawrence, Massachusetts
- Lewis Black – comedian, born in Silver Spring, Maryland
- Jon Blake – actor, model, born in Charlotte, North Carolina
- C. L. Blood – physician
- Michael Bloomberg – businessman and mayor, born in Boston, Massachusetts
- Mary Booze – first African-American woman to sit on the Republican National Committee, 1924–1948; moved to New York from Mound Bayou, Mississippi
- David Bowie – English musician, actor, artist, born in London, England
- Marlon Brando, Jr. – actor, born in Omaha, Nebraska
- Brandy – singer, born in McComb, Mississippi
- Lottie Briscoe – stage and silent film actress, born in St. Louis, Missouri
- Tom Brokaw – television journalist, born in Webster, South Dakota
- Orestes Brownson – writer, abolitionist, pro-labor reformer, Catholic apologist, born in Stockbridge, Vermont
C
- Sid Caesar – comedian and actor, born in Yonkers
- Antón Cabaleiro – visual artist born in Spain
- Mariah Carey – singer, born in Huntington, New York
- Wendy Carlos – musician, born in Pawtucket, Rhode Island
- Stokely Carmichael – political activist, born in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago
- Art Carney – actor, born in Mount Vernon, New York
- Enrico Caruso – opera tenor, born in Naples, Italy
- Willa Cather – author, born in Back Creek Valley, Virginia
- Connie Chung – television journalist, born in Washington, D.C.
- Madonna – singer, songwriter, actress, director, born in Bay City, Michigan
- Dick Clark – TV personality and producer, born in Mount Vernon, New York
- Chelsea Clinton – daughter of President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, born in Little Rock, Arkansas
- DeWitt Clinton – Senator and Governor of New York, born in Napanoch, New York
- George M. Cohan – entertainer and songwriter, born in Providence, Rhode Island
- J Cole – rapper, artist, born in Frankfurt, Germany
- Anthony Comstock – reformer, born in New Canaan, Connecticut
- Nanette Comstock – Broadway actress, born in Albany, New York
- Bill Cosby – actor and comedian, born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Billy Crawford – singer, born in Manila, Philippines
- Fanny Crosby – hymn writer, born in Southeast, New York
- Tom Cruise – actor, born in Syracuse, New York
- Bill Cullen – radio host, born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
D
- Lorenzo Da Ponte – librettist to Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and professor of Italian at Columbia University, born in Ceneda, Italy
- Varina Banks Howell Davis – wife of Confederate president, born in Mississippi
- Sylvia Day – author, born in Los Angeles, California
- Mike Dean – hip hop record producer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist, born in Houston, Texas
- Mac DeMarco – singer-songwriter, born in Duncan, British Columbia
- Thomas E. Dewey – Governor of New York
- Vin Diesel – actor
- Marlene Dietrich – actress, born in Berlin, Germany
- Joe DiMaggio – baseball player, born in California
- David Dinkins – former Mayor of New York City, born in Trenton, New Jersey
- George Washington Dixon – performer, newspaper editor
- Frederick Douglass – abolitionist, born in Cordova, Maryland
- Francis P. Duffy – priest, World War I chaplain to 69th New York, born in Canada
- Bob Dylan – singer-songwriter, born in Duluth, Minnesota
E
- Wilberforce Eames – bibliographer and librarian, born in Newark, New Jersey
- Edward Egan – Cardinal Archbishop of New York, born in Oak Park, Illinois
- Patrick Ewing – former NBA All-Star center, born in Jamaica
F
- Lee Falk – cartoonist, born in St. Louis, Missouri
- Barbara Feldon – retired actress; author and writer
- Millard Fillmore – U.S. President, born in Summerhill, New York
- Bobby Fischer – chess champion, born in Chicago, Illinois
- Ella Fitzgerald – jazz singer, born in Newport News, Virginia, lived in Yonkers, New York
- Barthold Fles – literary agent, born in Amsterdam, lived and worked in Manhattan
- Steve Forbes – publisher, born in Morristown, New Jersey
- Heather Foster – Jamaica-born American professional bodybuilder
- Felix Frankfurter – Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, born in Vienna, Austria
- Henry Clay Frick – businessman, born in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania
G
- Dave GahanDepeche Mode singer, born in Epping, Essex, UK
- Alberta Gallatin – stage and screen actress, born in Cabell County, West Virginia
- Greta Garbo – actress, born in Stockholm, Sweden
- Dizzy Gillespie – jazz trumpet player, born in Cheraw, South Carolina
- Miguel Gómez – photographer, born in Bogotá, Colombia
H
- Bobby Hackett – jazz musician, born in Providence, Rhode Island
- Thomas S. Hamblin – actor, manager of the Bowery Theater
- Alexander Hamilton – U.S. Founding Father, born in the West Indies
- Townsend Harris – first US diplomat in Japan, one of the founders of the City College of New York, born in Sandy Hill, New York
- Mariska Hargitay – actress, born in Santa Monica, California
- Randy Harrison – actor, born in New Hampshire and formerly of Alpharetta, Georgia
- Deborah Harry – singer, actress, born in Union City, New Jersey
- Francis L. Hawks politician; priest, Episcopal Church; born in New Bern, North Carolina
- Carlton Hayes – history professor at Columbia University, ambassador to Spain, born in Afton, New York
- O. Henry – author, born in Greensboro, North Carolina
- Tommy Hilfiger – fashion designer, born in Elmira, New York
- Herman Hollerith – inventor, born in Buffalo, New York
- Lester Holt – journalist and news anchor for the weekday edition of NBC Nightly News and Dateline NBC, born in San Francisco, California
- Ian Hornak – realist painter, born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Harry Houdini – legendary illusionist and escape artist; born in Budapest; made NYC his home from 1904 onwards
- Langston Hughes – poet, born in Joplin, Missouri
J
- Michael Jordan − basketball player, born in Brooklyn, New York, Raised in Wilmington, North Carolina
- Janet Jackson – singer, born in Gary, Indiana
- Jane Jacobs – economist, urban theorist, activist
- Jonathan Jafari – YouTube entertainer, co-creator of Game Grumps, born in Rancho Palos Verdes, California
- Kamara James – Olympic fencer, born in Kingston, Jamaica
- Kevin James – actor, born in Mineola, New York
- Peter Jennings – television journalist, born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Derek Jeter – baseball player, born in New Jersey
- Boris Johnson – Mayor of London, England and former MP for Henley, born in New York City
- Paddy Johnson – art critic
K
- Gabriel Kahane – musician, born in Venice Beach, California
- Tim Keller – speaker, pastor, born in Lehigh, Pennsylvania
- Robert F. Kennedy – U.S Attorney General and U.S Senator, born in Brookline, Massachusetts
- Tom Kennedy – game show host
- Kiesza – musician, dancer, and multi-instrumentalist, born in Calgary, Alberta, Canada
- Lisa Kudrow – actress, born in Encino, California
- Howard Kyle – actor and founding member of Actors' Equity, born in Shullsburg, Wisconsin
L
- Kirke La Shelle – playwright and theatrical producer, born in Wyoming, Illinois
- Lachi – singer-songwriter, born in Towson, Maryland
- Stephen Laughton – playwright, born in Stourbridge
- John Layfield – professional wrestler, born in Sweetwater, Texas
- Heath Ledger – actor, born in Perth, Western Australia
- Amy Lee – singer, born in Riverside, California
- Spike Lee – film director and actor, born in Atlanta, Georgia
- John Lennon – singer and songwriter, born in Liverpool, England
- Pierre Lorillard IV – tobacco mogul, born in Westchester, New York
- Sidney Lumet – film director, born in Philadelphia
- Mike Lupica – journalist, author, born in Oneida, New York
- Stan Lee – creator of Marvel Comics, born in Manhattan, New York
M
- Ralph Macchio actor, born on Long Island, New York
- Ali MacGraw – actress, born in Pound Ridge, New York
- Earl Manigault – basketball player, born in Charleston, South Carolina
- Mickey Mantle – baseball Hall of Famer, born in Spavinaw, Oklahoma
- Dean Martin – singer and actor, born in Ohio
- Ricky Martin – singer, born in Puerto Rico
- Jan Matulka – painter, born in Vlachovo Březí, Czech Republic
- Willie Mays – baseball Hall of Famer, born in Alabama
- Mike McAlary – Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, born in Honolulu
- John McCloskey – first American-born cardinal, born in Brooklyn
- Rue McClanahan – theater, television, and movie actress, born in Oklahoma
- Linda McCartney – photographer, wife of Beatle Paul McCartney
- John McEnroe – tennis player and TV commentator, born in Germany
- Zubin Mehta – orchestra conductor, born in Bombay, India
- Scott Mescudi – rapper, singer, songwriter, born in Cleveland, Ohio
- Seth Meyers – comedian, actor, and television personality, born in Evanston, Illinois
- Bette Midler – singer and actress, born in Honolulu, Hawaii
- Liza Minnelli – actress and singer, born in Hollywood, California
- The Misshapes – DJs and party hosts
- Moondog – eccentric street musician and poet, born in Kansas
- Garry Moore – television show host and producer, born in Baltimore, Maryland
- John Pierpont Morgan – businessman, born in Hartford, Connecticut
- Robert Moses – NYC urban planner and developer, born in New Haven, Connecticut
- Andrew M. Murstein – taxi executive, founder of Medallion Financial
N
- Joe Namath – professional football player, born in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania
- Thomas Nast – German-born American caricaturist and editorial cartoonist; "father of the American cartoon"
- Casey Neistat – YouTuber, entrepreneur, known for many of his projects based in New York
- Colette Nelson – IFBB professional bodybuilder
O
- Soledad O'Brien – television journalist, born in Saint James, New York
- John Joseph O'Connor – Roman Catholic Cardinal Archbishop of New York, born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Rosie O'Donnell – actress and television personality, born on Long Island, New York
- Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen actresses, born in Sherman Oaks, California
- Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis – First Lady of United States, born in Southampton, New York
- Yoko Ono – artist, musician, singer and songwriter, born in Tokyo, Japan
- Haley Joel Osment – actor, born in Los Angeles, California
- Ginny Owens – singer-songwriter, author and blogger, born in Jackson, Mississippi
P
- Sarah Jessica Parkeractress, born in Nelsonville, Ohio
- George A. Parkhurst – actor, witnessed Lincoln assassination
- Natalia Paruz – aka the "Saw Lady", subway musician, born in Givatayim, Israel
- James Patterson – author
- Kira Peikoff – novelist and journalist
- Ronald Perelman – investor, owner of Revlon, born in Greensboro, North Carolina
- Itzhak Perlman – violinist, born in Jaffa, Israel
- David Hyde Pierce – actor, born in Saratoga Springs, New York
- Alban W. Purcell stage actor, born in Wadsworth, Ohio
R
- Daniel Radcliffe – born in Fulham, London, England, United Kingdom
- Johnny Ramone – born on Long Island, New York
- Ayn Rand – novelist and philosopher, born in Saint Petersburg, Russian Empire
- Tony Randall – actor, born in Tulsa, Oklahoma
- Dan Rather – television news anchor, born in Wharton, Texas
- Ryan Reynolds – actor; born in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- Raven-Symonéactress and singer; born in Atlanta, Georgia
- John D. Rockefeller – businessman, born in Richford, New York
- Richard Rodgers – composer, born on Long Island, New York
- Andrew Rooney – CBS 60 Minutes commentator, born in Albany, New York
- Franklin D. Roosevelt – U.S. President, born in Hyde Park, New York
- Dräco Rosa – composer, singer, and actor, born on Long Island, New York
- Damon Runyon – journalist and playwright, born in Manhattan, Kansas
- Babe Ruth – professional baseball player, born in Baltimore, Maryland
S
- Telly Savalas – actor, born on Long Island, New York
- Menachem Mendel Schneersohn – rabbi, leader of Chabad hasidic movement, born in Nikolaiv, Russian Empire
- Patti Scialfa – singer-songwriter, and guitarist
- Amy Sedaris – actress, author and comedian
- Chloë Sevigny – actress, director, fashion icon, born in Darien, Connecticut
- Jean Shafiroff – philanthropist and socialite
- Elizabeth Shepley Sergeant – journalist and writer, born in Winchester, Massachusetts
- Fulton J. Sheen – Catholic bishop, author, TV show host, born in El Paso, Illinois
- Abraham Shiplacoff – Jewish-American trade union organizer and left wing political activist, born in Chernigov, Ukraine
- Alana Shipp – American/Israeli IFBB professional bodybuilder
- Bobby Short – jazz musician, born in Danville, Illinois
- Joel Siegel – film critic, born in Los Angeles
- Paul Simon – singer-songwriter, born in Newark Heights, New Jersey
- Frank Sinatra – singer and actor, born in Hoboken, New Jersey
- Upton Sinclair – author, born in Baltimore, Maryland
- Patti Smith – singer and poet, born in Chicago
- Kevin Spacey – actor, director, writer, producer, comedian
- Regina Spektor – singer-songwriter, born in Moscow, Russia
- Francis Spellman – Roman Catholic Cardinal Archbishop of New York, born in Whitman, Massachusetts
- Bruce Springsteen – singer-songwriter, guitarist, humanitarian
- Dylan Sprouse – actor, entrepreneur, born in Arezzo, Italy
- George Steinbrenner – New York Yankees owner, born in Bay Village, Ohio
- Wilhelm Steinitz – world chess champion, born in Prague, Czech Republic
- Martha Stewart – designer and TV personality, born in Jersey City, New Jersey
- Sting – musician, born in England
- Shontelle
- Emma Stone – actress, born in Scottsdale, Arizona
- Michael Strahan – retired football player, actor and television personality, born in Houston, Texas
- Lee Strasberg – actor and acting teacher, born in Budaniv, Ukraine
- Meryl Streep – actress, born in Summit, New Jersey
- Peter Stuyvesant – Governor of New Netherland, born in Peperga, Netherlands
- Taylor Swift – singer-songwriter
T
- Eva Tanguay – vaudeville singer and comedian, born in Quebec
- Samuel J. Tilden – presidential candidate, born in New Lebanon, New York
- Daniel D. Tompkins – U.S. Vice President, born in Westchester County
- Frederick Trump – German American businessman
- Melania Trump – 45th First Lady of the United States and model, born in Slovenia
U
- Johannes Urzidil – writer, born in Prague, Bohemia
V
- Martin Van Buren – U.S. President, born in Kinderhook, New York
- Andrew VanWyngardenmember of MGMT
- Gary Vaynerchuk serial entrepreneur and best-selling author
- Jon Voight – actor, born in Yonkers, New York
W
- Rufus Wainwrightmusician, born in Rhinebeck, New York
- John Evangelist Walsh – writer and historian, editor of the Reader's Digest Bible
- Barbara Walters – TV journalist and personality, born in Boston
- Dean Wareham – singer-songwriter, born in New Zealand
- Andy Warhol – artist, born in Pittsburgh
- Denzel Washington – actor, born in Mount Vernon, New York
- Walt Whitman – poet and author, born in West Hills, New York
- Olivia Wilde – actress
- Barney Williams Irish-American comedian
- Jayson Williams – basketball player, born in Ritter, South Carolina
- Christopher Woodrow – movie producer, born in Syracuse, New York
- Jason Wu - fashion designer
X
- Malcolm X – American Muslim, Civil human rights activist