10 Celebrities That Are From Boston
When you think of celebrities born and bred in Boston, names like Mark Wahlberg, Jay Leno, Aly Raisman, and other luminaries instantly come to mind. But dig a little deeper and you will find several more well-known folks who formerly tramped the sidewalks of Newbury Street and called Boston their home.
So here, I present to you 10 celebrities originally from Boston - some you may have known are OG Bostonians, but others might surprise you…
Photo Courtesy: vulture.com
Conan O’Brien
When you hear about this jack-of-all-trades American host, you would think that he were from the golden state of California, but he was actually born in Brookline. Born and raised in the Boston area, he went to Brookline High School and Harvard University before getting his first gig in Los Angeles for HBO’s Not Necessarily the News, eventually coming back to the East Coast as a write for Saturday Night Live. From there, the rest is history.
Photo Courtesy: IMDb.com
Amy Poehler
Who would have thought a Massachusetts native would be part of such an iconic show? Born in Newton, Poehler resided in Burlington, where she attended Burlington High School and Boston College, where she studied improvisation in college, eventually taking it professionally.
Fun fact: Amy Poehler appeared on Late Night with Conan O’Brien as early as 1997 into the early 2000s.
Photo Courtesy: Wikipedia
Matt LeBlanc
There are two things I love doing on the weekends: drinking coffee and watching Friends. Portraying Joey Tribbiani in Friends and the spinoff Joey, LeBlanc was born in Newton, where he attended Newton North High School and Wentworth Institute of Technology, before leaving his second semester. Prior to his role as Joey, LeBlanc appeared in numerous television ads with prominent companies such as Heinz, Levi’s and Coca-Cola. Yet it was going to an acting class with a girl that kick started his career to what we know it as today.
Photo Courtesy: vulture.com
Ellen Pompeo
I’m sure I’m not the only surprised with this. Known for playing Meredith Grey on Grey’s Anatomy, Pompeo was born and raised in Everett where he attended Everett High School until she moved out to Florida to work as a bartender. It was there when she was approached by an agent asking if she wanted to be starred in commercials. Pompeo worked her way up from there to eventually landing her first major role as Grey in 2005, where she continues to amaze viewers with her acting abilities 16 years as the same character she started with.
Fun Fact #2: Pompeo starred in Friends in various episodes, most notably in season eight, episode eight as Missy Goldberg. Outside this episode, she played as Chandler’s and Ross’ old college roommates
Photo Courtesy: Refinery29
Mindy Kaling
Spoiler alert, everything coming up will make your head explode. Assuming the role of Kelly Kapoor for television’s most iconic show, Karling grew up and attended high school in Cambridge at Buckingham Browne & Nichols. In 2001, she graduated from Dartmouth College with a major in screenwriting and got an internship to work on Late Night with Conan O’Brien. While in New York, she took on stand up comedy and went under the name Chokalingam, and even toured with Craig Robinson (Daryl) before they both starred in The Office. We all know what she brought to The Office (if you don’t know what I’m talking about I highly recommend you watch the show), but it was what she did after that really elevated her status as an all star. Since the show ended, she has became a serial actor, writer and producer. So well that Ryan would fall in love with Kelly again.
Fun Fact #3: Karling produced the later end of The Office. She produced the season six, episode 123 “Body Language” season seven, episode 147 “Michael’s Last Dundies”
Photo Courtesy: ESPN Press Room
Matt Hasselbeck
Known as “Mr. August” for his exceptional play in the preseason, Hasselbeck grew up in the Boston area, where he attended Xaverian Brothers High School and Boston College, earning his marketing degree. Following college, Hasselbeck was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in 1998 to backup Brett Favre, where he was traded to the Seattle Seahawks in 2001, leading the team to six playoff appearances and one Super Bowl in his 10 years with the team. Following this, Hasselbeck signed with the Tennessee Titans for two years and the Indianapolis Colts for his final three years before retiring at the end of the 2014-2015 season. The following year, Hasselbeck joined ESPN as an analyst, and continues to do so.
Oh I forgot to mention: Hasselbeck went to three Pro Bowls with the Indianapolis Colts.
Photo Courtesy: WWE.com
John Cena
If you’re like me, you know John Cena as a wrestler, but there is more a book than its cover, as he is also an accomplished actor and television presenter (smart move Hefty). Cena, who was born in West Newbury, attended Central Catholic High School, before transferring to Cushing Academy, and Springfield College, where he got his degree in exercise physiology and body movement. After graduation, Cena packed his bags and moved to California, where he pursued a career in bodybuilding, only to take his athletic ability to wrestling. Even after his first official debut with the WWF (WWE) in 2000, Cena has captured the title of greatest professional wrestler of all time, with 16 world title wins, two Royal Rumble victories and many other accomplishments, all that cement his career.
Photo Courtesy: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Joe Perry
Music has been part of my life and this would not be complete without suggesting local Bostonian musicians, specifically Joe Perry. Born in Lawrence, Perry was not the most studious student at his young age, yet it was his time at Vermont Academy that helped jumpstart his music career. With his knowledge and experience of playing the guitar at a young age, Perry formed the infamous band known as Aerosmith with Tom Hamilton, Steven Tyler, Brad Whitford and Joey Kramer in the 1960s that would shake up the rock and roll industry to what it is today. During his time as a guitarist, Perry cemented his legacy, as he got himself onto the Rolling Stone 100 Greatest Guitarists at No. 84. But Perry’s career doesn’t end there, as he is currently part of the Hollywood Vampires that features Johnny Depp and Alice Cooper.
Photo Courtesy: Godsmack’s website
Godsmack
I saved the best for last. Short story: I stumbled across this group when I was looking for some good workout music and this was the best decision I ever made. When I learned that this group was from the Mass, I knew this would surprise a lot of people. With most of the group from the Greater Boston area (with the exception being drummer Shannon Larkin), the band was a smash hit, as it racked up three consecutive No. 1 albums on the Billboard 200s, sold over 20 million albums worldwide, won four Grammys and won “Rock Artist of the Year” at the Billboard Music Awards in 2001. Anyone want to go to a Godsmack concert with me?
Fun fact #4: Mayor Marty Walsh declared August 6 as “Godsmack Day” in the city of Boston