If you think chicken wings are the only things to call Buffalo home, you are in for a surprise! Check out these 23 famous people who hail from the Queen City.
- Wendie Malik
Red Carpet Report on Mingle Media TV Born in the Queen City in 1950, you may recognize this actress from sitcoms such as “Just Shoot Me!,” “Hot in Cleveland,” and several cartoon voiceovers.
- Nick Bakay
(By Nick Bakay (Transferred from en.wikipedia) [CC BY-SA 2.5 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5)], via Wikimedia Commons This Buffalo native is the voice of every 1990s girl’s favorite cat…you guessed it! Salem Saberhagen from “Sabrina the Teenage Witch!”
- David Boreanaz
Genevieve - Flickr While David grew up in Philly, he was born in Buffalo, thus making him one of us. Catch David on “Bones” or reruns of “Ange"l and “Buffy the Vampire Slayer.”
- Don Messick
Spadge6868 - Flickr Bet you didn’t know that several cartoons you watched during your childhood featured the voice of a Buffalonian. Don’s voice can be heard on “The Ruff and Reddy Show,” “The Smurfs”, “Scooby-Doo,” “Garfield,” “Tom & Jerry,” and many more!
- Chad Michael Murray
alacoold - Flickr Eat your heart out, ladies! CMM grew up in Buffalo and attended Clarence High School. His acting breakthrough was no doubt as Lucas on “One Tree Hill,” but catch him on “Agent Carter” and “Sun Records” to get a glimpse of present-day Chad.
- Christine Baranski
Dominick D - Flickr While we love this Buffalonian’s role in “The Good Wife” and as Leonard’s stern mom on the “Big Bang Theory,” I think we can all agree that we will remember Ms. Baranski best as Martha May Whovier.
- Sorrell Booke
Jim Ellwanger - Flickr Boss Hogg, we mean Sorrell Booke, called Buffalo home long before hitting it big on “The Dukes of Hazzard!”
- Rick James
Leach Entertainment Features [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons The King of Funk was born in Buffalo and called his birth city a “great town” but a “strange place.” James’ final resting place can be found in Forest Lawn Cemetery.
- Kyle Chandler
Disney | ABC Television Group Chandler was born in Buffalo, but grew up in Georgia. You may remember him as Coach Taylor on “Friday Night Lights” and Agent Patrick Denham (the one who had it out for Leo) in “The Wolf of Wall Street.”
- William Fichtner
Vanessa Lua - Flickr Born in Long Island and raised in Cheektowaga, Mr. Fichtner holds onto his Buffalo roots. An avid fan of the Sabres, William is known for his roles in “The Dark Knight,” “Armageddon,” and “As The World Turns.”
- Johnny Rzeznik
Nicole Abalde - Flickr Raised in the East Side of Buffalo, Johnny and fellow band members formed the Goo Goo Dolls, one of the top bands in 1985. Today. Johnny lives with his wife, Melina, and his daughter, who was born in December 2016.
- Cute Is What We Aim For
Dan Cox - Flickr The original band members of Cute Is What We Aim For hail from the Queen City and were childhood friends. While the band is currently under no record labels, their lyrics stray back into our emo-loving minds every now and then.
- Rob Gronkowski
WBEN-TV - Flickr We know it’s a cardinal sin to even come close to rooting for the Patriots when you’re from Buffalo, but a part of us still silently cheer when “Gronk” makes a big play. The New England tight end calls Williamsville home and is still involved in many fundraising initiatives in WNY.
- Jeremy Jacobs
slidingsideways - Flickr Named as the world’s 481st richest person, Boston Bruins owner and Delaware North Chairman Jeremy Jacobs grew up in Buffalo. Today, Jacobs supports several philanthropic efforts around Buffalo.
- Tim Russert
Charles LeBlanc - Flickr Best known as the moderator on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Mr. Russert served as a TV journalist and lawyer before his untimely death in 2008.
- George A. Hormel
theimpulsivebuy - Flickr Bean dip and corned beef hash lovers: take pride in knowing the founder of Hormel foods is one of us! Just more reassurance that the best foods come from our own backyard.
- Millard Fillmore
Political Graveyard - Flickr Millard Fillmore called Buffalo home in the late 1800s as a prominent attorney and politician before becoming the 13th President of the United States.
- Grover Cleveland
Opus Penguin - Flickr Before becoming Governor of New York and President of the United States, Grover Cleveland was Mayor of Buffalo, as well as a lawyer and sheriff.
- Mark Twain
FotoGuy 49057 - Flickr Mark Twain spent part of his life in Buffalo after buying part of the Buffalo Express and becoming editor. Today, you can find part of Twain’s original handwritten manuscript of Huckleberry Finn in the Buffalo Central Library.
- F. Scott Fitzgerald
Bastián Despreciable Cifuentes♡ - Flickr Fitzgerald wasn’t born in Buffalo, but he did spend part of his childhood in our city. He attended Nardin Academy while calling Allentown home, where he apparently had a really great English teacher.
- Brian McKnight
Focka - Flickr “One, you’re like a dream come true. Two, just wanna be with you…” That’s right: the singer of your favorite high school slow dance jam is a Buffalonian! (You’re welcome for getting that song stuck in your head.)
- Beverly Johnson
Automotive Rhythms - Flickr Beverly Johnson aspired to become a lawyer (she attended Northeastern University, where she studied criminal justice) and after trying out modeling on the side, became the first African-American model featured on the cover of Vogue. She is an author and successful businesswoman, and was named one of the 20th century’s most influential people in fashion by he New York Times.
- Wolf Blitzer
Denitsa Yotova - Flickr Wolf was born in Germany, but called Buffalo home during his childhood after his parents moved to America (they were survivors of the Holocaust). Today, Wolf is a lead political anchor on CNN and anchor of “The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer.”
Have you had any run-ins with famous Buffalonians? Share your stories with us!
Red Carpet Report on Mingle Media TV
Born in the Queen City in 1950, you may recognize this actress from sitcoms such as “Just Shoot Me!,” “Hot in Cleveland,” and several cartoon voiceovers.
(By Nick Bakay (Transferred from en.wikipedia) [CC BY-SA 2.5 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5)], via Wikimedia Commons
This Buffalo native is the voice of every 1990s girl’s favorite cat…you guessed it! Salem Saberhagen from “Sabrina the Teenage Witch!”
Genevieve - Flickr
While David grew up in Philly, he was born in Buffalo, thus making him one of us. Catch David on “Bones” or reruns of “Ange"l and “Buffy the Vampire Slayer.”
Spadge6868 - Flickr
Bet you didn’t know that several cartoons you watched during your childhood featured the voice of a Buffalonian. Don’s voice can be heard on “The Ruff and Reddy Show,” “The Smurfs”, “Scooby-Doo,” “Garfield,” “Tom & Jerry,” and many more!
alacoold - Flickr
Eat your heart out, ladies! CMM grew up in Buffalo and attended Clarence High School. His acting breakthrough was no doubt as Lucas on “One Tree Hill,” but catch him on “Agent Carter” and “Sun Records” to get a glimpse of present-day Chad.
Dominick D - Flickr
While we love this Buffalonian’s role in “The Good Wife” and as Leonard’s stern mom on the “Big Bang Theory,” I think we can all agree that we will remember Ms. Baranski best as Martha May Whovier.
Jim Ellwanger - Flickr
Boss Hogg, we mean Sorrell Booke, called Buffalo home long before hitting it big on “The Dukes of Hazzard!”
Leach Entertainment Features [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
The King of Funk was born in Buffalo and called his birth city a “great town” but a “strange place.” James’ final resting place can be found in Forest Lawn Cemetery.
Disney | ABC Television Group
Chandler was born in Buffalo, but grew up in Georgia. You may remember him as Coach Taylor on “Friday Night Lights” and Agent Patrick Denham (the one who had it out for Leo) in “The Wolf of Wall Street.”
Vanessa Lua - Flickr
Born in Long Island and raised in Cheektowaga, Mr. Fichtner holds onto his Buffalo roots. An avid fan of the Sabres, William is known for his roles in “The Dark Knight,” “Armageddon,” and “As The World Turns.”
Nicole Abalde - Flickr
Raised in the East Side of Buffalo, Johnny and fellow band members formed the Goo Goo Dolls, one of the top bands in 1985. Today. Johnny lives with his wife, Melina, and his daughter, who was born in December 2016.
Dan Cox - Flickr
The original band members of Cute Is What We Aim For hail from the Queen City and were childhood friends. While the band is currently under no record labels, their lyrics stray back into our emo-loving minds every now and then.
WBEN-TV - Flickr
We know it’s a cardinal sin to even come close to rooting for the Patriots when you’re from Buffalo, but a part of us still silently cheer when “Gronk” makes a big play. The New England tight end calls Williamsville home and is still involved in many fundraising initiatives in WNY.
slidingsideways - Flickr
Named as the world’s 481st richest person, Boston Bruins owner and Delaware North Chairman Jeremy Jacobs grew up in Buffalo. Today, Jacobs supports several philanthropic efforts around Buffalo.
Charles LeBlanc - Flickr
Best known as the moderator on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Mr. Russert served as a TV journalist and lawyer before his untimely death in 2008.
theimpulsivebuy - Flickr
Bean dip and corned beef hash lovers: take pride in knowing the founder of Hormel foods is one of us! Just more reassurance that the best foods come from our own backyard.
Political Graveyard - Flickr
Millard Fillmore called Buffalo home in the late 1800s as a prominent attorney and politician before becoming the 13th President of the United States.
Opus Penguin - Flickr
Before becoming Governor of New York and President of the United States, Grover Cleveland was Mayor of Buffalo, as well as a lawyer and sheriff.
FotoGuy 49057 - Flickr
Mark Twain spent part of his life in Buffalo after buying part of the Buffalo Express and becoming editor. Today, you can find part of Twain’s original handwritten manuscript of Huckleberry Finn in the Buffalo Central Library.
Bastián Despreciable Cifuentes♡ - Flickr
Fitzgerald wasn’t born in Buffalo, but he did spend part of his childhood in our city. He attended Nardin Academy while calling Allentown home, where he apparently had a really great English teacher.
Focka - Flickr
“One, you’re like a dream come true. Two, just wanna be with you…” That’s right: the singer of your favorite high school slow dance jam is a Buffalonian! (You’re welcome for getting that song stuck in your head.)
Automotive Rhythms - Flickr
Beverly Johnson aspired to become a lawyer (she attended Northeastern University, where she studied criminal justice) and after trying out modeling on the side, became the first African-American model featured on the cover of Vogue. She is an author and successful businesswoman, and was named one of the 20th century’s most influential people in fashion by he New York Times.
Denitsa Yotova - Flickr
Wolf was born in Germany, but called Buffalo home during his childhood after his parents moved to America (they were survivors of the Holocaust). Today, Wolf is a lead political anchor on CNN and anchor of “The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer.”
OnlyInYourState may earn compensation through affiliate links in this article.