Famous People From Massachusetts

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Updated April 24, 2020 41.0K views990 items

List of famous people from Massachusetts, including photos when available. The people below are listed by their popularity, so the most recognizable names are at the top of the list. Some of the people below are celebrities born in Massachusetts, while others are simply notable locals. If you're from Massachusetts you might already know that these prominent figures are also from your hometown, but some of the names below may really surprise you. This list includes people who were born and raised in Massachusetts, as well as those who were born there but moved away at a young age.

Paul Theroux and Henry Cabot Lodge are a great starting point for your to rank your favorites on this list

If you want to answer the questions, "Which famous people are from Massachusetts?" or "Which celebrities were born in Massachusetts?" then this list is a great resource for you.
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  • Eliza Dushku
    • Birthplace: Boston, Massachusetts, USA
    Eliza Patricia Dushku (; born December 30, 1980) is an American actress, model and producer, primarily known for her television roles. She starred as Faith on Buffy the Vampire Slayer and its spinoff series Angel, as well as two Fox series, Dollhouse, for which she was also a producer, and Tru Calling. She is also known for her roles in films, including True Lies, Bye Bye Love, The New Guy, Bring It On, Wrong Turn, and Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, as well as her voice work on video games.
  • Uma Thurman
    • Birthplace: Boston, Massachusetts, USA
    Uma Karuna Thurman (born April 29, 1970) is an American actress and model. She has performed in a variety of films, ranging from romantic comedies and dramas to science fiction and action movies. Following her appearances on the December 1985 and May 1986 covers of British Vogue, Thurman starred in Dangerous Liaisons (1988). She rose to international prominence with her performance in Quentin Tarantino's 1994 film Pulp Fiction, for which she was nominated for the Academy Award, the BAFTA Award, and the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress. Often hailed as Tarantino's muse, she reunited with the director to play the main role in Kill Bill: Volume 1 and 2 (2003, 2004), which brought her two additional Golden Globe Award nominations.Established as a leading Hollywood actress, her other notable films include Henry & June (1990), The Truth About Cats & Dogs (1996), Batman & Robin (1997), Gattaca (1997), Les Misérables (1998), The Producers (2005), My Super Ex-Girlfriend (2006), and Lars von Trier's Nymphomaniac (2013) and The House That Jack Built (2018). In 2011, Thurman was a member of the jury for the main competition at the 64th Cannes Film Festival, and in 2017, she was named president of the 70th edition's "Un Certain Regard" jury. Thurman made her Broadway debut in The Parisian Woman (2017–2018). For her performance in the made-for-HBO film Hysterical Blindness (2002), Thurman won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Television Film, and for her five-episode role in the NBC musical series Smash (2012), she received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series. Thurman has starred in the miniseries The Slap (2015) and the series Imposters (2017–2018).
  • Rob Mariano
    • Birthplace: Hyde Park, Boston, USA, Massachusetts
    Robert Carlo Mariano (born December 25, 1975), known by the nickname Boston Rob, is an American television personality, widely known for appearing in several reality shows, including Survivor and The Amazing Race. In 2011, he won Survivor: Redemption Island and the $1,000,000 prize in his fourth appearance on Survivor following previous appearances on Survivor: Marquesas, Survivor: All Stars and Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains. He appeared on The Amazing Race 7 and The Amazing Race 11: All-Stars with his wife Amber (Brkich) Mariano, who was a contestant on Survivor: The Australian Outback and the winner of Survivor: All Stars. On May 15, 2019, during the live reunion show of Survivor: Edge of Extinction, it was revealed fellow Survivor contestant Sandra Diaz-Twine and he would be permanent mentors on Survivor: Island of the Idols.
  • Mark Wahlberg
    • Birthplace: Dorchester, Massachusetts, USA
    Mark Robert Michael Wahlberg (born June 5, 1971) is an American actor, producer, restaurateur and former rapper. He is also known by his former stage name Marky Mark from his career with the group Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch, with whom he released the albums Music for the People (1991) and You Gotta Believe (1992). Wahlberg transitioned from music to acting, with his screen debut in Renaissance Man (1994) and his first starring role in Fear (1996). He received critical praise for his performance as porn actor Dirk Diggler in Boogie Nights. In the early 2000s, he ventured into big budget action-oriented movies, such as The Perfect Storm (2000), Planet of the Apes (2001), and The Italian Job (2003). He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for playing a police officer in the crime drama The Departed (2006). He was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor for the biographical sports drama The Fighter (2010), in which he starred as Micky Ward. In the 2
  • Geena Davis
    • Birthplace: Wareham, Massachusetts, USA
    Virginia Elizabeth "Geena" Davis (born January 21, 1956) is an American actress and activist. Davis has received numerous accolades for her acting work in both film and television, and is noted for her portrayals of strong and authentic female characters as well as her involvement in advocacy for women in the industry. Having graduated with a bachelor's degree in drama from Boston University in 1979, Davis signed with New York's Zoli modeling agency and started her career as a model. She made her acting debut in the film Tootsie (1982), in 1984 she starred in the thriller The Fly (1986), which proved to be one of her first box office hits. While the fantasy comedy Beetlejuice (1988) brought her to international prominence, the drama The Accidental Tourist (also 1988) earned her the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. That same year, she also starred in Earth Girls are Easy, which was not a box office success. She cemented her leading actress status with her performance in the road film Thelma & Louise (1991), receiving a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress. Davis's roles in the box office failures Cutthroat Island (1995) and The Long Kiss Goodnight (1996), both directed by then-husband Renny Harlin, were followed by a lengthy break and downturn in her career. Davis starred as the adoptive mother of the titular character in the Stuart Little franchise (1999–2005) and as the first female president of the United States in the television series Commander in Chief (2005–2006), winning the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Drama for her role in the latter. Her later films include Accidents Happen (2009) and Marjorie Prime (2017). She has portrayed the recurring role of Dr. Nicole Herman in Grey's Anatomy (2014–2015, 2018), and also starred as Regan MacNeil-Angela Rance in the first season of the horror television series The Exorcist (2017). In 2004, Davis launched the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media, which works collaboratively with the entertainment industry to dramatically increase the presence of female characters in media. Through the organization, she launched the annual Bentonville Film Festival in 2015, and executive produced the documentary This Changes Everything in 2018. In 2019, in recognition of her work for gender equality, Davis will receive the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
  • Matthew Perry
    • Birthplace: Williamstown, Massachusetts, USA
    Matthew Langford Perry (born August 19, 1969) is a Canadian-American actor, comedian and playwright who gained worldwide recognition for his role as Chandler Bing on the NBC television sitcom Friends, which ran from 1994 to 2004. By 2002, due to the vast popularity of the sitcom, the cast, including Perry, was each making $1 million per episode. Along with starring in the short-lived television series Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, Perry has appeared in a number of films, including Fools Rush In (1997), The Whole Nine Yards (2000), and 17 Again (2009). In 2010, he expanded his resume to include both video games and voice-over work when he voiced Benny in the video game Fallout: New Vegas.Perry was the co-creator, co-writer, executive producer, and star of the ABC sitcom Mr. Sunshine, which ran from February to April 2011. In August 2012, Perry began starring as Ryan King, a sportscaster, on the NBC sitcom Go On. The series was canceled on May 10, 2013. Perry co-developed and starred in the 2015 CBS sitcom The Odd Couple portraying Oscar Madison. The series was renewed for a second season on May 11, 2015 and for a third season on May 16, 2016.