List of people from New York (state)

The following is a list of prominent people who were born in/lived in or around the U.S. state of New York, or for whom New York is a significant part of their identity.

Government and politics

Presidents

Chester A. Arthur, 20th Vice President and 21st President of the United States – Schenectady
Martin Van Buren, 8th Vice President and 8th President of the United States – Kinderhook
Grover Cleveland, 22nd and 24th President of the United States – Fayetteville
Millard Fillmore, 12th Vice President and 13th President of the United States – Moravia
Theodore Roosevelt, 25th Vice President and 26th President of the United States – Manhattan
Franklin D. Roosevelt, 32nd President of the United States – Hyde Park
Donald Trump, 47th President of the United States – Queens

Vice presidents

Governors

DeWitt Clinton, 6th Governor of New York, built the Erie Canal
Andrew Cuomo, 56th Governor of New York, praised for his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, but forced into resigning amid sexual harassment allegations
Mario Cuomo, 52nd Governor of New York, father of Andrew Cuomo
Howard Dean, former Governor of Vermont, and 2004 Democratic candidate for president
Thomas E. Dewey, 47th Governor of New York, Republican nominee for president in 1944 and 1948
Charles Evans Hughes, 36th Governor of New York, Secretary of State, 11th Chief Justice of the United States and 1916 Republican presidential nominee
Kathy Hochul, 57th Governor of New York, and first woman to hold that position
John Jay, 1st Chief Justice of the United States, 2nd Governor of New York, and 8th President of the Continental Congress
David Paterson, 55th Governor of New York, first African American governor and lieutenant governor of New York
George Pataki, 53rd Governor of New York, governor during the 9/11 attacks
L. Bradford Prince, Governor of New Mexico Territory and member of New York's state assembly and state senate
Horatio Seymour, 18th Governor of New York and 1868 Democratic presidential nominee
Al Smith, 42nd Governor of New York and 1928 Democratic presidential candidate
Samuel J. Tilden, 25th Governor of New York and 1876 Republican presidential candidate

Senators

Barbara Boxer, longtime [List of United States senators from California|United States United States Senate|Senator from California] – New York City
Hillary Clinton, former United States Secretary of State, New York Senator, and former First Lady, 2016 Democratic nominee for president – Chappaqua
Roscoe Conkling, New York Senator and leader of the Stalwart faction of the Republican Party – Albany
Al Franken, Minnesota Senator – New York City
Kirsten Gillibrand, New York Senator since 2009 – Albany
Bob Menendez, New Jersey Senator – New York City
Chris Murphy, former Congressman and current Connecticut Senator since 2013 – White Plains
Bernie Sanders, Vermont Senator since 2007, former Mayor of Burlington, Vermont and 2016 and 2020 Democratic presidential candidate – Brooklyn
Chuck Schumer, Democratic Leader of the United States Senate since 2017 and long-time New York Senator since 1999 cousin of comedian Amy Schumer – Brooklyn
Robert F. Wagner, New York Senator – Manhattan

Mayors

Eric Adams, 110th Mayor of New York City
Bill de Blasio, 109th Mayor of New York City
Michael Bloomberg, 108th Mayor of New York City
Rudy Giuliani, 107th Mayor of New York City, mayor during the 9/11 attacks
David Dinkins, 106th Mayor of New York City, first African-American Mayor of New York City
Ed Koch 105th Mayor of New York City
Fiorello La Guardia, 99th Mayor of New York City
John Lindsay, 103rd Mayor of New York City
Stephanus Van Cortlandt, 17th, and first native-born, mayor of New York City
Robert Anderson Van Wyck, 91st Mayor of New York City, first Mayor post-consolidation
Robert F. Wagner Jr., 102nd Mayor of New York City
Jimmy Walker, flamboyant 97th Mayor of New York City forced into resigning by the Seabury Commission

Other politicians

Parmenio Adams, sheriff and US congressman
Alan Bersin - President Obama's "Border Czar," US Attorney for the Southern District of California, California Secretary of Education, Commissioner of US Customs and Border Protection, US Department of Homeland Security Secretary for International Affairs, and INTERPOL vice president
Alessandra Biaggi, New York State Senator
Mario Biaggi, decorated policeman and US congressman
Shirley Chisholm, US congresswoman and 1972 Democratic presidential candidate
Éamon de Valera, 3rd President of Ireland
John "J.J." Dewey, territorial legislator in Minnesota
August Dietrich, member of the Wisconsin State Assembly
William H. Donaldson, 27th Chairman of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission
Asaph Elston, member of the Wisconsin State Assembly
Geraldine Ferraro, US congresswoman from New York and first female vice presidential candidate of a major political party in 1984
Alexander Hamilton, first US secretary of the treasury
Zach Iscol, US Marine Corps veteran, entrepreneur, candidate in the 2021 New York City Comptroller election
Boris Johnson, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
Lazarus Joseph, NY state senator and New York City Comptroller
Jack Kemp, NFL football player for the Buffalo Bills, secretary of housing under President George H. W. Bush, and 1996 Republican nominee for vice president under Bob Dole
Caroline Kennedy, former U.S. ambassador to Japan, and daughter of former president John F. Kennedy and former First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis
William Loeb Jr., secretary to President Theodore Roosevelt
Joseph McGoldrick, NYC comptroller and NY state residential rent control commissioner, lawyer, and professor
Harvey Milk, first openly gay person to be elected to public office in California
Mazi Melesa Pilip, Ethiopian-born American politician
William M. Tweed, known as "Boss" Tweed; Grand Sachem of Tammany Hall

First Ladies

Barbara Bush, First Lady of the United States as the wife of George H. W. Bush
Rose Cleveland, First Lady of the United States as the wife of Grover Cleveland
Abigail Fillmore, First Lady of the United States as the wife of Millard Fillmore
Mary Arthur McElroy, acting First Lady of the United States as the sister of Chester A. Arthur
Elizabeth Monroe, First Lady of the United States as the wife of James Monroe
Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, First Lady of the United States as the wife of John F. Kennedy
Frances Cleveland, First Lady of the United States as the wife of Grover Cleveland
Nancy Reagan, First Lady of the United States as the wife of Ronald Reagan
Eleanor Roosevelt, First Lady of the United States as the wife of Franklin D. Roosevelt
Julia Gardiner Tyler, First Lady of the United States as the wife of John Tyler
Priscilla Cooper Tyler, First Lady of the United States as the wife of John Tyler

Entertainment

Film, television, theater, and dance

George Abbott, stage producer
Eva Allen Alberti, dramatics teacher
Gia Allemand, actress
Woody Allen, actor, director, and writer
June Allyson, actress
Tyler Alvarez, actor
Michael Angarano, actor
Diane Arbus, photographer
Moisés Arias, actor
Alan Arkin, actor
Alison Arngrim, actress and comedian
Rosanna Arquette, actress
Jean Arthur, actress
Jake T. Austin, actor
Awkwafina, actress, rapper, and comedian
Lauren Bacall, actress
Morena Baccarin, Brazilian-born actress
Alec Baldwin, actor, producer, and comedian
Daniel Baldwin, actor, director, and producer
Stephen Baldwin, actor, author, and producer
William Baldwin, actor, producer, and writer
Lucille Ball, actress
Anne Bancroft, actress
Joseph Barbera, animator, producer, and director
Mikhail Baryshnikov, ballet dancer
Frances Bavier, actor
Barbara Bel Geddes, actress
William Bendix, actor
Constance Bennett, actress
Matt Bennett, actor
Mabelle Biggart, dramatic reader, preacher
Yasmine Bleeth, actress
Corbin Bleu, actor, model, singer-songwriter, dancer, and film producer
Joan Blondell, actress
Nikki Blonsky, actress
Ann Blyth, actress
Humphrey Bogart, actor
Shirley Booth, actress
Clara Bow, actress
Abigail Breslin, actress
Spencer Breslin, actor
Richard Bright, actor
Matthew Broderick, actor
Adrien Brody, actor
Mel Brooks, actor, producer, and director
Steve Buscemi, actor, comedian, and director
Edd Byrnes, actor
James Caan, actor
James Cagney, actor
Jeanne Cagney, actress
William Cagney, actor
Néstor Carbonell, actor and director
Richard S. Castellano, actor
David Castro, actor
Raquel Castro, actress, singer, and songwriter
Harrison Chad, actor and voice actor
Timothée Chalamet, actor
Jeff Chandler, actor
Chevy Chase, actor and comedian
Ruth Chatterton, actress
James Coco, actor
Claudette Colbert, actress
Jennifer Connelly, actress and model
Elizabeth Marney Conner, dramatic reader
Kevin Conroy, actor and voice actor
Francis Ford Coppola, film director, producer, and screenwriter
Kevin Corrigan, actor
Billy Crudup, actor
Tom Cruise, actor
Jon Cryer, actor, screenwriter, television director, and film producer
Billy Crystal, actor
Kieran Culkin, actor
Macaulay Culkin, actor, Kevin McAllister from Home Alone
Rory Culkin, actor
Tony Curtis, actor
Alexandra Daddario, actress
Matthew Daddario, actor
Claire Danes, actress
Rodney Dangerfield, comedian and actor
Marion Davies, actress
Sammy Davis Jr., actor and singer
Agnes de Mille, dancer and choreographer
Robert De Niro, actor
Willy DeVille, singer
Don Diamont, actor
Guillermo Díaz, Cuban-American actor
Vin Diesel, actor, producer, director, and screenwriter
Ella Dietz, actress, poet
Taye Diggs, actor
Matt Dillon, actor
Troy Donahue, actor
Kether Donohue, actress and singer
Kirk Douglas, actor and father of Michael Douglas
Michael Douglas, actor, producer, and son of Kirk Douglas
Robert Downey Jr., actor
Robert Downey Sr., actor, filmmaker, and father of Robert Downey Jr.
Fran Drescher, actress
Lena Dunham, actress, filmmaker, and writer
Jimmy Durante, entertainer, actor, singer, and comedian
Jesse Eisenberg, actor
Omar Epps, actor
Peter Falk, actor
Alice Faye, actress
Jane Fonda, actress
Spencer Fox, actor
James Gandolfini, actor and producer
John Garfield, actor
Alex Garfin, actor
Ben Gazzara, actor
Sarah Michelle Gellar, actress
Richard Genelle, actor
Mel Gibson, American-born Australian/Irish actor and filmmaker
Jackie Gleason, actor
Paulette Goddard, actress
Whoopi Goldberg, actress, comedian, and co-host of ABC's The View
Cuba Gooding Jr., Academy Award-winning actor
Elliott Gould, actor
Jennifer Grey, actress
Jason Griffith, voice actor
A. R. Gurney, playwright
Maggie Gyllenhaal, actress
Estelle Harris, actress, voice actress, and comedian
Jonathan Harris, actor
Hurd Hatfield, actor
Anne Hathaway, actress
Maya Hawke, actress, model and singer-songwriter
Susan Hayward, actress
Rita Hayworth, actress
Kathleen Herles, voice actress
Philip Seymour Hoffman, actor
Judy Holliday, actress
Whitney Houston, singer, actress, producer, and model
Sarah Hyland, actress
Skai Jackson, actress
Rick Jason, actor
Scarlett Johansson, actress, model, and singer
Jason Harris Katz, voice actor and television host
Danny Kaye, actor, singer
Jack Kelly, actor
Moira Kelly, actress
Morgana King, singer and actress
Wayne Knight, actor, voice artist, and comedian
Ricki Lake, actress, talk-show host
Veronica Lake, actress
Adam Lamberg, actor
Burt Lancaster, actor
Michael Landon, actor
Linda Larkin, actress and voice actress
Fredric Lebow, screenwriter
Peyton Elizabeth Lee, actress
Spike Lee, director, producer
Melissa Leo, actress
Laura Linney
John Lithgow, actor, comedian
Aliana Lohan, actress, singer and sister of actors Lindsay and Michael Lohan Jr.
Lindsay Lohan, actress, singer and sister of actors Ali and Michael Lohan Jr.
Kristanna Loken, actress
Seth MacFarlane, actor, writer, producer, and creator of Family Guy
Steele MacKaye, playwright and actor
John Marley, actor
Vincent Martella, actor
John Martino, actor
Lee Marvin, actor
James Maslow, actor, singer, and dancer
Alanna Masterson, actress
Christopher Masterson, actor
Danny Masterson, actor
Walter Matthau, actor
Al Matthews, actor and singer
Julianna Rose Mauriello, actress and dancer
Eaddy Mays, actress
Jesse McCartney, actor, singer-songwriter
Thomas McDonell, actor
Michael McKean, comedian, actor and musician
Caleb McLaughlin, actor
Ethel Merman, actor and singer
Lea Michele, actress and singer
Arthur Miller, playwright
Lenny Montana, actor and professional wrestler
Robert Montgomery, actor
Charlie Murphy, actor and comedian
Chad Michael Murray, actor
Jack Nicholson, actor and filmmaker
Dylan O'Brien, actor
Cameron Ocasio, actor
Jerry O'Connell, actor
Eugene O'Neill, playwright
Lane Shi Otayonii, musician
Al Pacino, actor
Hayden Panettiere, actress, model, singer, and activist
Jansen Panettiere, actor and voice actor
Connor Paolo, actor
Corey Parker, actor
George A. Parkhurst, actor
Josh Peck, actor
Amanda Peet, actress and writer
Nicola Peltz, actress
Will Peltz, actor
Anthony Perkins, actor
Regis Philbin, actor, singer, and television personality
Priscilla Presley, actress and business magnate
Fátima Ptacek, actress and voice actress
Bill Pullman, actor
Mae Questel, actress
George Raft, actor
Gene Anthony Ray, actor
Nancy Reagan, actress and former First Lady of the United States
Alan Reed, actor and voice artist
Christopher Reeve, actor
Tara Reid, actress
Leah Remini, actress
Alfonso Ribeiro, actor, television director, dancer, and television personality; host of America's Funniest Home Videos and season 19 winner of Dancing with the Stars
Thelma Ritter, actress
Emma Roberts, actress and singer
Edward G. Robinson, actor
Ray Romano, actor, comedian
Saoirse Ronan, American-born Irish actress
Mickey Rooney, actor
Emmy Rossum, actress, singer-songwriter
Mickey Rourke, actor, screenwriter, and retired boxer
Paul Rudd, actor, comedian, writer, and producer
Gianni Russo, actor, singer, and restaurateur
Talia Ryder, actress
Ernie Sabella, actor and voice actor
Zoe Saldaña, American-Dominican actress and dancer
Ruben Santiago-Hudson, actor and playwright
Ben Schwartz, actor, comedian, and writer
Martin Scorsese, director
George Segal, actor
Matthew Senreich, screenwriter
Charlie Sheen, actor
Talia Shire, actress
Sylvia Sidney, actress
Christian Slater, actor
Jamil Walker Smith, actor
Kevin Spacey, actor, film director, producer, screenwriter, and singer
Sylvester Stallone, actor, screenwriter, producer, and director
Barbara Stanwyck, actor
Rod Steiger, actor
Howard Stern, actor, radio and television personality, author, and photographer
Ben Stiller, actor, comedian, and filmmaker
Oliver Stone, director
Beatrice Straight, actress
Lee Strasberg, Polish-born actor, director, and theatre practitioner
Meryl Streep actress
David Strickland, actor
Kevin Sussman, actor and comedian
Veronica Taylor, voice actress
Benj Thall, actor
Leon Thomas III, actor
Charlotte Thompson, actress
Gene Tierney, actress
Ashley Tisdale, actress, singer, and producer
Michelle Trachtenberg, actress
Claire Trevor, actress
John Turturro, American-Italian actor, writer, and filmmaker
Abe Vigoda, actor
Denzel Washington, Academy Award-winning actor
Kerry Washington, actress
Michael Weatherly, actor and director
Scott Weinger, actor, voice actor, writer, and producer
Tuesday Weld, actress
Tom Welling, actor, director, producer, and model
Ming-Na Wen, Macau-born actress and model
Mae West, actor
Kristen Wiig, actress
Olivia Wilde, actress
Tylen Jacob Williams, actor
Tyler James Williams, actor
Tyrel Jackson Williams, actor
Zelda Williams, actress; daughter of late comedian and actor Robin Williams
Lanford Wilson, playwright
April Winchell, actress
Paul Winchell, actor and comedian
Alex Wolff, actor, musician, and composer
Nick Zano, actor

Comedians, entertainers, and humorists

Pamela Adlon, actress, voice actress, producer, and director
Carlos Alazraqui, actor and comedian
Woody Allen, comedian, screenwriter, director, actor, author, playwright, and musician
Desmond Amofah, YouTuber better known as Etika
Alec Baldwin, actor, comedian, and producer
Lucille Ball, comedian, actress
Mike Bocchetti, stand-up comedian and radio personality
Zach Braff, actor, comedian, director, screenwriter, and producer
Alyson Cambridge, operatic soprano and classical music, jazz, and American popular song singer
Michael Carbonaro, actor and magician
Eddie Carmel, born Oded Ha-Carmeili, Israeli-born entertainer with gigantism and acromegaly, popularly known as "The Jewish Giant"
George Carlin, comedian and actor
Michael Cole, WWE announcer
Pete Davidson, comedian and actor
Philip DeFranco, YouTuber and video blogger
Danny DeVito, comedian, actor, producer, and director
John DiMaggio, actor and comedian
Jimmy Fallon, comedian, actor, and television host
Nika Futterman, actress, voice actress, comedian, and singer
Curly Howard, comedian, vaudevillian actor, and member of The Three Stooges
Moe Howard, actor, comedian, and member of the Three Stooges
Kevin James, comedian, actor, screenwriter, and producer
Colin Jost, comedian, actor and writer
JWoww, reality television personality
Daniel Keem, YouTuber better known as Keemstar
Tom Kenny, actor, comedian, voice of SpongeBob SquarePants
Jimmy Kimmel, comedian, producer, voice actor, musician, and television personality
Jay Leno, comedian, former host of The Tonight Show
Demetri Martin, comedian
Chico Marx, vaudeville comedian with the Marx Brothers
Groucho Marx, vaudeville comedian with the Marx Brothers
Gummo Marx, vaudeville comedian with the Marx Brothers
Harpo Marx, vaudeville comedian with the Marx Brothers
Zeppo Marx, vaudeville comedian with the Marx Brothers
Jackie Mason, comedian and actor
Kate McKinnon, comedienne, actress, and voice actress
Eddie Murphy, comedian, actor, writer, singer, producer, and voice actor
Rosie O'Donnell, comedian, actress, and television personality
Jordan Peele, comedian, actor, film director, and screenwriter
Melissa Rauch, comedian and actress
Kevin Michael Richardson, actor and voice actor
Adam Richman, television personality
Don Rickles, comedian
Joan Rivers, actress and comedian
Chris Rock, comedian and actor
Adam Sandler, comedian, actor, screenwriter, film producer, and musician
Adam Savage, co-host of MythBusters
Amy Schumer, stand-up comedian and actress
Jerry Seinfeld, comedian and actor
Judy Sheindlin, lawyer and television personality
Rowena Granice Steele, performer, writer
Martha Stewart, businesswoman, writer, chef, and television personality
Jon Stewart, comedian, actor, writer, producer, director, media critic, and television personality; former host of The Daily Show
Fred Tatasciore, voice actor
John Valby, comedian and musician

Singers and instrumentalists

Aaliyah, singer, actress, model, and dancer
Christina Aguilera, singer-songwriter, and actress
Vinnie Amico, drummer
Fiona Apple, singer
Arcángel, reggaeton singer
Harold Arlen, composer
Ashanti, singer
Adrienne Bailon, singer
David Baker, singer
Chris Barnes, musician
Count Basie, jazz musician
Bryan Bautista, Dominican-American pop singer and contestant on NBC's The Voice season 10
Jay Beckenstein, saxophonist
Madison Beer, singer
Pat Benatar, singer
Tony Bennett, jazz singer
Mary J. Blige, singer-songwriter, and actress
Jon Bon Jovi, singer-songwriter, record producer, philanthropist, and actor
Laura Branigan, singer
Keith Buckley, musician
Clem Burke, musician and drummer
Maria Callas, opera singer
Mariah Carey, pop and R&B singer-songwriter
Vanessa Carlton, pop singer-songwriter
Blue Ivy Carter, singer
Peter Case, singer-songwriter
Peter Cincotti, singer-songwriter, and pianist
Coko, singer
John Coltrane, jazz musician
Aaron Copland, composer
Warren Cuccurullo, rock guitarist
Vic Dana, singer
Dawin, hip hop-R&B singer-songwriter and record producer
Blossom Dearie, jazz singer and pianist
Lana Del Rey, singer-songwriter
Rob Derhak, bass guitarist
Lance Diamond, singer
Neil Diamond, singer-songwriter
Ani DiFranco, singer-songwriter
Jonathan Donahue, rock musician
JoAnn Falletta, classical guitarist and orchestral conductor
Morton Feldman, composer
Ella Fitzgerald, singer
John Flansburgh, singer-songwriter
Brendan Fletcher, pop singer-songwriter and contestant on NBC's The Voice season 11
Lukas Foss, composer and orchestral conductor
Sawyer Fredericks, contemporary folk singer-songwriter, and winner of NBC's The Voice season 8
Dave Fridmann, producer
Lady Gaga, singer-songwriter
Art Garfunkel, folk rock singer, poet, and actor
Chuck Garvey, guitarist
George Gershwin, composer
Kim Gordon, bass guitarist, guitarist, singer-songwriter, and visual artist
Lesley Gore, singer-songwriter, actress, and activist
Andy Grammer, singer-songwriter and record producer
Grasshopper, rock musician
Jim Hall, jazz guitarist
Debbie Harry, singer-songwriter, actress, and lead singer of Blondie
Alan Heatherington, orchestral conductor
Ray Henderson, songwriter
Lauryn Hill, singer-songwriter, rapper, record producer, and actress
Joel Hirschhorn, songwriter
Billie Holiday, jazz and blues singer
Bob Holz, drummer and composer
Lena Horne, singer and actress
Whitney Houston, singer, actress, producer, and model
Freddie Jackson, singer
Rick James, singer
Billy Joel, pianist, singer-songwriter
Joe Jonas, singer-songwriter, actor, former member of the Jonas Brothers, brother of Nick, and current lead singer of DNCE
Nick Jonas, singer-songwriter, producer, actor, brother of Joe, and former member of the Jonas Brothers
Jerome Kern, composer
Alicia Keys, singer-songwriter
Carole King, singer-songwriter
Linda Király, American-born Hungarian pop singer-songwriter and sister of Viktor
Viktor Király, American-born Hungarian pop singer and contestant on NBC's The Voice season 9
Cyndi Lauper, singer
Jacquie Lee, pop singer and contestant on NBC's The Voice season 5
Mel Lewis, drummer
John Linnell, singer-songwriter
Joe Locke, jazz artist
John Lombardo, musician and songwriter
Jennifer Lopez, singer, actress, and dancer
David Lucas, composer
Gary Mallaber, drummer
Barry Manilow, singer-songwriter and musician
Constantine Maroulis, singer
Melanie Martinez, singer-songwriter, and music/video director
Brian McKnight, R&B singer
Don McLean, singer
Don Menza, saxophonist
Idina Menzel, singer-songwriter, actress, and voice of Elsa in Frozen
Natalie Merchant, singer-songwriter
Stephanie Mills, singer
Janelle Monáe, musician, model, and actress
Gurf Morlix, musician
Hani Naser, Jordanian-American musician
Josh Newton, bassist
Willie Nile, singer-songwriter
Laura Nyro, singer-songwriter
Colby O'Donis, pop-R&B singer-songwriter, guitarist, producer, and actor
Olivia, R&B singer known for contributing vocals to the 50 Cent song "Candy Shop"
Jack Owen, guitarist
Tina Parol, singer-songwriter
J.N. Pattison, pianist and composer
Caroline Pennell, singer-songwriter and contestant on NBC's The Voice season 5
Alisan Porter, retired actress, singer-songwriter, and winner of NBC's The Voice season 10
Charlie Puth, pop singer-songwriter and record producer
Joey Ramone, punk rock singer-songwriter and musician
Mary Ramsey, musician
Sharon Redd, singer
Lou Reed, singer-songwriter, and guitarist
Bebe Rexha, singer-songwriter
Neil Rosenshein, operatic singer and lyric tenor
Rahzel, beatboxer
Kevin Rudolf, pop/indie rock singer, musician, and record producer
Jason Sebastian Russo, rock musician
Justin Russo, rock musician
John Rzeznik, musician
Romeo Santos, singer
Adam Schlesinger, musician, songwriter, producer, and arranger
Al Schnier, guitarist
John Serry Sr., concert accordionist, organist, composer, arranger, and educator
Billy Sheehan, bass guitarist
Kevin Shields, musician, singer-songwriter and record producer
Paul Simon, folk rock musician, guitarist, singer-songwriter, and actor
Frank Sinatra, iconic jazz/pop singer, actor, and producer
Justine Skye, singer
Lonnie Smith, jazz organist
Dee Snider, singer-songwriter; front man of the heavy metal band Twisted Sister
Ronnie Spector, singer
John Stevens, singer
Stevie J, musician
Barbra Streisand, singer, actress
Stan Szelest, musician
Robby Takac, musician
George Tutuska, musician
Steven Tyler, Hard rock musician, singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, former television music competition judge, and lead singer of the rock band Aerosmith
Sal Valentinetti, Italian-American jazz singer and contestant on America's Got Talent season 11
Grace VanderWaal, singer-songwriter, ukuleleist, and winner of America's Got Talent season 11
Luther Vandross, singer
Jeremy Wall, jazz musician
Luke Walter Jr., Belgian musician
Grover Washington Jr., saxophonist
Gerard Way, pop punk-alternative/punk/emo rock musician, singer-songwriter, comic book writer, actor, and former lead singer of My Chemical Romance
Alex Webster, bassist
Mary Weiss, singer
Cory Wells, singer
Patrick Wilson, drummer
Jack Yellen, lyricist, composer

Rappers

2Pac, rapper, record producer, actor, and poet
50 Cent, rapper, actor, businessman, and actor
6ix9ine, rapper, songwriter
Amil, rapper and singer
ASAP Rocky, rapper, record producer, director, actor, and model
Cardi B, rapper
Azealia Banks, rapper
Moses Michael Levi Barrow, better known by his stage name Shyne, Belizean rapper and politician
Beastie Boys, hip hop/hardcore punk band
Big L, hip-hop recording artist
Action Bronson, rapper and television presenter
Lola Brooke, rapper
Foxy Brown, rapper
Busta Rhymes, hip hop recording artist, actor, record producer, and record executive
Cam'ron, rapper, actor, and entrepreneur
Sean Combs, rapper, singer-songwriter, actor, record producer, and entrepreneur
Desiigner, rapper, singer-songwriter, record producer, record executive, and actor
DMX, rapper, record producer, and actor
DreamDoll, rapper
Dusty Locane, rapper
Fabolous, rapper
Fat Joe, rapper
Fivio Foreign, rapper
Freaky Tah, rapper
Havoc, rapper and record producer, member of Mobb Deep
Ice Spice, rapper
Ja Rule, rapper
Jadakiss, rapper
Jay-Z, rapper, businessman, investor, and actor
Jim Jones, hip-hop recording artist
MC Jin, rapper and actor
Joey Badass, rapper
KRS-One, rapper and occasional producer
Lil' Kim, rapper, songwriter, record producer, model, and actress
LL Cool J, rapper, actor, and host of Spike TV's Lip Sync Battle
Lil Mama, rapper and singer
Biz Markie, rapper, DJ, and record producer
Matisyahu, rapper, reggae vocalist, beatboxer, and alternative rock musician
Travie McCoy, rapper singer, co-founder and lead singer of Gym Class Heroes
Darryl "DMC" McDaniels, rapper, member of Run-DMC
MF Doom, rapper and record producer
Mr. Cheeks, rapper, member of Lost Boyz
Mos Def, hip hop recording artist, actor, and activist
Post Malone, rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer
Nicki Minaj, rapper, singer, songwriter, and actress
Nas, hip hop recording artist, record producer, actor, and entrepreneur
The Notorious B.I.G., rapper and actor
Onyx
Princess Nokia, rapper
Pop Smoke, rapper
Prodigy, rapper, member of Mobb Deep
Rakim, rapper
Remedy, rapper
Remy Ma, rapper
Rich the Kid, rapper
Royal Flush, rapper
Russ, rapper, singer-songwriter, and record producer
Juelz Santana, rapper and actor
ScarLip, rapper
Bobby Shmurda, rapper
Diggy Simmons, rapper
Joseph "Run" Simmons, rapper, member of Run-DMC
A Tribe Called Quest
Sheck Wes, rapper
Wu-Tang Clan
Adam Yauch, rapper, singer-songwriter, musician, director, and film distributor
Young M.A, rapper

Bands

AJR, indie pop band
American Authors, pop rock band
Aventura, bachata group
Beastie Boys, hip hop/hardcore punk band
Blondie, new wave-punk rock band
Cobra Starship, dance-pop band
Blue Öyster Cult, rock band
Foreigner
Goo Goo Dolls, alternative-pop rock band
Gym Class Heroes, rap rock band
KIϟϟ, hard rock band
Naturally 7, a cappella band
Ramones, punk rock band
Steely Dan, jazz rock band
Twisted Sister, heavy metal band
Vampire Weekend
X Ambassadors, alternative/pop rock band

Hip-Hop Groups

Art, literature, journalism, and philosophy

Lois Bryan Adams, writer, newspaper editor/proprietor
Samuel Hopkins Adams, muckraker; born in Dunkirk
Scott Adams, cartoonist and creator of Dilbert
George Worsley Adamson, illustrator and cartoonist
Nancy H. Adsit, art educator
Marv Albert, basketball announcer on TNT
Esther Saville Allen, author
Lavilla Esther Allen, writer, poet, reader
Estelle Mendell Amory, author
Susan B. Anthony, women's rights activist
Cory Arcangel, post-conceptual artist
Tore Asplund, painter
Emma Whitcomb Babcock, litterateur, author
William Bliss Baker, landscape painter
James Baldwin, writer and civil rights activist
Mary E. C. Bancker, author
Josephine Cushman Bateham, reformer, editor, writer
Lydia Baxter, poet, hymnist
Lauren Belfer, author
J. Bowyer Bell, historian, artist and art critic
Timothy D. Bellavia, artist and illustrator
Emma Lee Benedict, author, editor
Louise Blanchard Bethune, architect
Jennie M. Bingham, author
Suessa Baldridge Blaine, writer of temperance pageants
Wolf Blitzer, CNN journalist, host of The Situation Room
Lawrence Block, author
Howard Bloom, author
Sophia Braeunlich, journalist
Joseph Brodsky, Russian-American poet
Dale Brown, author
Phoebe Hinsdale Brown, hymnist
William F. Buckley Jr., conservative writer, public intellectual, political commentator and novelist
Gordon Bunshaft, architect
Charles E. Burchfield, artist
Caroline Chesebro', writer, publisher
Charles Clough, artist
Jane Elizabeth Conklin, journalist, writer
Frances Augusta Conant, journalist, editor
Anderson Cooper, CNN journalist and television personality
Howard Cosell, ABC Sports broadcaster from 1953 until 1985
Bob Costas, longtime broadcaster for NBC Sports and television host of 12 Olympic Games
Burton Crane, journalist
Robert Creeley, poet
Jasper Francis Cropsey, artist
Arthur B. Davies, artist
Helen Aldrich De Kroyft, author
Don DeLillo, author
Melvil Dewey, originator of Dewey Decimal System
Amy Dickinson, Chicago Tribune advice columnist
Anna Bowman Dodd, author
Amanda Minnie Douglas, writer
Frederick Douglass, editor and publisher of abolitionist newspapers such as The North Star
Arthur Dove, artist
E. J. Eames, writer, poet
Philip Evergood, artist
Emma Pike Ewing, educator, author
Mary Galentine Fenner, poet, litterateur
Laura Dayton Fessenden, author
Leslie Fiedler, literary critic
Steve Fiorilla, artist
Ira Joe Fisher, author and weatherman; born and raised in Little Valley
F. Scott Fitzgerald, author; raised in Buffalo
Edith Willis Linn Forbes, poet, writer
Helen Frankenthaler, artist
Kelly Freas, artist
Anna Katharine Green, author
E.B. Green, architect
Julia Boynton Green, poet
Terry Gross, radio host of Fresh Air
Caren Gussoff, author
Alex Haley, poet, author
Sean Hannity, radio and television talk show host
Alfred Harvey, writer and publisher; founder of Harvey Comics
Richard Hofstadter, author and philosopher
Paul Horgan, author
Roni Horn, artist
Elbert Hubbard, philosopher and writer
Sibyl Marvin Huse, author and teacher
Idil Ibrahim, director
Marilla Baker Ingalls, missionary, writer
Washington Irving, author of Rip Van Winkle and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
Florence Carpenter Ives, journalist
Henry James, author
William James, philosopher
Sally Jenkins, sports columnist and feature writer for The Washington Post, and author
Electa Amanda Wright Johnson, philanthropist, writer
James A. Johnson, architect
Mary Catherine Judd, educator, author, peace activist
Frank Judge, poet and translator
Michael Kay, play-by-play announcer for the New York Yankees
Ellsworth Kelly, artist
Megyn Kelly, political commentator
John Kessel, author
Maria Brace Kimball, elocutionist, writer
Larry King, television and radio host
Verlyn Klinkenborg, member of The New York Times writer and farmer; editorial board
Nancy Kress, author
Matt Lauer, anchor for The Today Show
Zoe Leonard, photographer and visual artist
Martha D. Lincoln, author and journalist
Robert Longo, artist
Mabel Dodge Luhan, writer and patron
Bill Maher, host of HBO political talk show Real Time with Bill Maher
Norman Mailer, author
Francis A. Mallison, journalist and helped organize the Great Civil War Gold Hoax; from Rome
Helen A. Manville, poet, litterateur
Brice Marden, artist
Herman Melville, author of Moby-Dick
Jenny B. Merrill, educator, writer
Magdalene Merritt, poet
Al Michaels, longtime sportscaster for both NBC Sports and ABC Sports; play-by-play announcer on Sunday Night Football
Nettie Leila Michel, magazine editor, writer
Marion Juliet Mitchell, poet
Aja Monet, American contemporary poet, writer, lyricist and activist from Brooklyn, New York.
Morilla M. Norton, author, poet
David Muir, ABC journalist and anchor
Ogden Nash, poet
Minerva Brace Norton, educator, author
Emily S. Oakey, poet, hymnist
Joyce Carol Oates, author
Jessie Fremont O'Donnell, writer, lecturer
Elizabeth M. Olmsted, poet
Bill O'Reilly, host of The O'Reilly Factor on Fox News
Anna Campbell Palmer, author
Fanny Purdy Palmer, writer, poet
Jane Marsh Parker, author, historian, clubwoman
William Ordway Partridge, sculptor
Jane Lippitt Patterson, writer, editor
Margaret B. Peeke, lecturer, author
Sarah Maria Clinton Perkins, minister, social reformer, editor, author
Tim Powers, author
Thomas Pynchon, author
Harriet Newell Ralston, poet
Ishmael Reed, poet
John Reed, author of Snowball's Chance
Emma May Alexander Reinertsen, writer
Seymour Reit, writer and cartoonist
Helen Hinsdale Rich, poet
E. J. Richmond, author
Norman Rockwell, painter
Spain Rodriguez, cartoonist
Milton Rogovin, photographer
Charles Rohlfs, craftsman
Al Roker, weather anchor for NBC's Today
Christopher Ross, sculptor
Tim Russert, host of NBC's Meet the Press
Vin Scully, longtime broadcaster for the Los Angeles Dodgers
David Sedaris, humorist and author
Mary Alice Seymour, music critic
Emma Augusta Sharkey, journalist, writer
Al Sharpton, civil rights activist and radio talk show host
Emma L. Shaw, magazine editor
Grace Carew Sheldon, journalist, writer, editor
Tony Sisti, painter
Jeanie Oliver Davidson Smith, poet, romancist
Lura Eugenie Brown Smith, journalist, newspaper editor, writer
Harriet Mabel Spalding, poet, litterateur
Eugene Speicher, painter
Stephen A. Smith, television personality, radio host, and sports analyst
Amelia M. Starkweather, educator, author
Esther Baker Steele, educator, author, editor, philanthropist
Cynthia Morgan St. John, Wordsworthian, book collector, and author
Baby Storme, alt-pop singer
Fran Striker, creator of the Lone Ranger and Green Hornet
Elizabeth Swados, author
Susie Forrest Swift, editor
Jake Tapper, news anchor for CNN
Dorothy Thompson, journalist and radio broadcaster
Louis Comfort Tiffany, artist
Mike Tirico, sportscaster
Tom Toles, cartoonist
Sojourner Truth, slave and civil rights activist
Israel Tsvaygenbaum, Russian-American artist
Mark Twain, author
Andrew Vachss, author, activist, and lawyer
Mary Crowell Van Benschoten, author, newspaper publisher/editor
Emily Elizabeth Veeder, author
Richard A. Waite, architect
J. Alden Weir, painter
Jane Meade Welch, journalist
Edith Wharton, author
Walt Whitman, poet
Marion Wiesel, Austrian-American Holocaust survivor, humanitarian, and translator
Brian Williams, anchor of NBC Nightly News
Jeneverah M. Winton, author, poet
Julia McNair Wright, author
Marie Robinson Wright, writer
Julia Ditto Young, novelist, poet
John Zogby, pollster and blogger

Sportspeople

Baseball

Harrison Bader, Major League Baseball outfielder
Moe Berg, Major League Baseball catcher and spy for the Office of Strategic Services
Dellin Betances, baseball pitcher
Craig Biggio, Baseball Hall of Famer
Bobby Bonilla, baseball player
Ralph Branca, baseball pitcher
Ken Brett, baseball pitcher
Dan Brouthers, Baseball Hall of Famer
Alexander Cartwright, "father of modern baseball", founding member of the New York Knickerbockers Base Ball Club
Eddie Collins, Baseball Hall of Famer
Jimmy Collins, Baseball Hall of Famer
Bill Dahlen, baseball player
George Davis, Baseball Hall of Famer
Harry Eisenstat, baseball player
Mike Epstein, Major League Baseball first baseman
Johnny Evers, Baseball Hall of Famer
Whitey Ford, Baseball Hall of Famer
John Franco, baseball pitcher
Frankie Frisch, Baseball Hall of Famer
Lou Gehrig, Baseball Hall of Famer
Sid Gordon, two-time All-Star major league baseball player
Hank Greenberg, Baseball Hall of Famer
Bucky Harris, baseball manager
Orel Hershiser, baseball player and announcer
Waite Hoyt, Baseball Hall of Famer
Joe Kehoskie, baseball executive; born in Auburn
Willie Keeler, Baseball Hall of Famer
King Kelly, Baseball Hall of Famer
Sandy Koufax, Baseball Hall of Famer
Tim Locastro, baseball player; born in Syracuse
Rob Manfred, MLB commissioner; born in Rome
Jason Marquis, Major League Baseball All-Star pitcher
Edgar Martínez, baseball player
John McGraw, baseball manager; born in Truxton
Bid McPhee, Baseball Hall of Famer
Bob Melvin, baseball player and manager
Sam Nahem, Major League Baseball pitcher
Joe Nathan, baseball player, Minnesota Twins; born in Pine Bush
Jim Palmer, Baseball Hall of Famer
A. J. Pierzynski, baseball player ; born in Bridgehampton
Lipman Pike, Major League Baseball player; two-time home run champion
Old Hoss Radbourn, Baseball Hall of Famer
Phil Rizzuto, Baseball Hall of Famer
Alex Rodriguez, Major League Baseball player
Saul Rogovin, Major League Baseball pitcher
Richie Scheinblum, Major League Baseball All-Star outfielder
Norm Sherry, catcher, manager, and coach in Major League Baseball
Mose Solomon, the "Rabbi of Swat", Major League Baseball player
Warren Spahn, Baseball Hall of Famer
Joe Torre, baseball player, manager, and executive
Mickey Welch, Baseball Hall of Famer
Lou Whitaker, baseball player
Deacon White, Baseball Hall of Famer
Carl Yastrzemski, Baseball Hall of Famer

Basketball

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, NBA Hall of Fame player
Rawle Alkins, basketball player in the NBA and Israeli Basketball Premier League
Carmelo Anthony, professional basketball player for the New York Knicks
Nate Archibald, NBA Hall of Fame basketball player
Red Auerbach, basketball coach
Desi Barmore, basketball player
David Bernsley, American-Israeli basketball player
Sue Bird, Women's National Basketball Association point guard; two-time Olympic champion; four-time All-Star
Antonio Blakeney, basketball player in the Israeli Basketball Premier League
Harry Boykoff, professional basketball player for the Boston Celtics
Larry Brown, professional All Star basketball player and coach
Isaiah Cousins, basketball player in the Israeli Basketball Premier League
Bob Cousy, professional basketball player for the Boston Celtics
Billy Cunningham, basketball coach
Jon Dalzell, basketball player
John DiBartolomeo, basketball player in the Israeli Basketball Premier League
Billy Donovan, basketball coach
Shay Doron, professional basketball player
Bryant Dunston, basketball player
Julius Erving, NBA player
Mickey Fisher, basketball coach
Marty Friedman, Hall of Fame pro basketball player and coach
Marcus Gaither, basketball player
Jimmy Hall, basketball player in the Israeli National League.
Sidney Hertzberg, professional basketball player
Art Heyman, professional basketball player
Nat Holman, Hall of Fame basketball player
Red Holzman, NBA Hall of Fame basketball player and coach
Lamont Jones, basketball player
Michael Jordan, iconic NBA Hall of Fame basketball player, businessman and owner/chairman of the Charlotte Hornets; considered the best basketball player of all time
Sean Kilpatrick, basketball player in NBA and for Hapoel Jerusalem of the Israeli Basketball Super League
Ken Labanowski, basketball player
Christian Laettner, former professional basketball player
Sylven Landesberg, basketball player
Rudy LaRusso, professional basketball player
Barry Leibowitz, American-Israeli basketball player in the American Basketball Association and the Israeli Basketball Premier League
Ivan Leshinsky, American-Israeli basketball player
Nancy Lieberman, WNBA Hall of Fame basketball player, general manager, and coach
Chris Mullin, NBA Hall of Fame basketball player
Boris Nachamkin, professional basketball player
Joakim Noah, professional basketball player
Lamar Odom, former professional basketball player
Bernard Opper, professional basketball player
Donna Orender, college basketball player and Women's Professional Basketball League All-Star; WNBA president
Rick Pitino, basketball coach
Tubby Raskin, basketball player and coach
Pat Riley, basketball player, coach, and executive; born in Rome
Danny Schayes, college and professional basketball player; son of Dolph Schayes
Dolph Schayes, NBA Hall of Fame player and coach
Ossie Schectman, basketball player; scored the first basket in NBA history
Barney Sedran, NBA Hall of Fame basketball player
Adam Silver, NBA commissioner
Lou Silver, basketball player
Russ Smith, former NBA player, currently plays in the Israeli Basketball Premier League
Alex Sobel, basketball player in the Israeli Basketball Premier League
Sid Tannenbaum, professional basketball player
Mark Turenshine, basketball player
Jim Valvano, basketball coach
Kemba Walker, professional basketball player for the Charlotte Hornets
Isaiah Whitehead, player for the Brooklyn Nets, now in the Israeli Basketball Premier League
World Peace, former professional basketball player
Max Zaslofsky, professional basketball player
Adam Kemp,, professional basketball player

Boxing

Abe "The Little Hebrew" Attell, boxer, World Featherweight Champion
Riddick "Big Daddy" Bowe, World Heavyweight Champion
Shannon Briggs, boxer, World Heavyweight Champion
Al "Bummy" Davis, professional boxer
Abe Goldstein, boxer, World Bantamweight champion
Zab Judah, boxer, World Lightweight Champion
Solly Krieger, boxer, World Middleweight Champion
Jake LaMotta|Jake "Raging Bull" LaMotta, boxer, World Middleweight Champion
Boyd Melson, boxer, World Military Boxing Champions in the 69 kg. weight class
Samuel Mosberg, boxer, Olympic light heavyweight champion
Floyd Patterson, boxer, World Heavyweight Champion
Sugar Ray Robinson, boxer, World Middleweight Champion
Maxie "Slapsie Maxie" Rosenbloom, World Light Heavyweight Champion
Charlie Phil Rosenberg, boxer, World Bantamweight Champion
Barney Ross, boxer, world champion in three weight divisions: lightweight, light welterweight, and welterweight
Isadore "Corporal Izzy" Schwartz, boxer, World Flyweight Champion
Al "The Bronx Beauty" Singer, boxer, World Lightweight Champion
Gene Tunney, boxer, World Heavyweight Champion
Mike Tyson, former professional boxer, World Heavyweight Champion

Fencing

Norman C. Armitage, Olympic medalist saber fencer, 6x Olympian
Albert Axelrod, Olympic medalist foil fencer, 5x Olympian
Cliff Bayer, 2x Olympic foil fencer
Robert Blum, 2x Olympic saber fencer
Daniel Bukantz, 4x Olympic foil fencer
Herbert Cohen, 2x Olympic foil fencer
Gene Glazer, 2x Olympic foil fencer
Hal Goldsmith, 3x Olympic foil fencer
Ralph Goldstein, 2x Olympic épée fencer
Julia Jones-Pugliese, national champion fencer and fencing coach
Allan Kwartler, 3x Olympic sabre and foil fencer, Pan American Games and Maccabiah Games champion
Ivan Lee, Olympic saber fencer; banned for life
Nate Lubell, 3x Olympic foil fencer
Tim Morehouse, Olympic medalist saber fencer, 3x Olympian
Soren Thompson, 2x Olympian, NCAA épée champion, world team champion

American football

Doc Alexander, football player and coach
Lyle Alzado, football All Pro player
Russ Brandon, football executive
Jim Brown, Hall of Fame football player
Tom Coughlin, football coach
Jordan Dangerfield, NFL football player
Boomer Esiason, former football player
D'Brickashaw Ferguson, NFL offensive tackle
Jay Fiedler, NFL football quarterback
Brian Flores, football coach
Roger Goodell, NFL commissioner; born in Jamestown
Rob Gronkowski, former football player
Thomas Hennessy, football player
Arthur Jones, football player
Chandler Jones, NFL outside linebacker
Brett Kern, NFL punter
Vince Lombardi, football coach
Sid Luckman, football player, inducted into Hall of Fame in 1965
John Mackey, football player, inducted into Hall of Fame in 1992
Ali Marpet, football player
Doug Marrone, football coach
Josh Miller, football player and football analyst
Art Monk, former football player, inducted into Hall of Fame in 2008
Ed Newman, All-Pro football player
Joe Paterno, football coach
Matt Patricia, football coach
Adam Podlesh, football player
Ray Rice, former football player
Herb Rich, 2x All-Pro football player
Aaron "Rosy" Rosenberg, 2x All-American college football player, and film and television producer
Allie Sherman, National Football League player and head coach
Will Smith, football player
Alan Veingrad, NFL football player
Pop Warner, football coach

Ice hockey

Gary Bettman, NHL commissioner
Dustin Brown, NHL ice hockey player
Ryan Callahan, NHL ice hockey player
Tim Erixon, American-born Swedish ice hockey player
Joel Farabee, NHL ice hockey player
Adam Fox, NHL ice hockey defenseman
Brian Gionta, NHL ice hockey player
Patrick Kane, NHL ice hockey player
Seymour H. Knox III, co-founder of the Buffalo Sabres
Alex "Mine Boy" Levinsky, American-born Canadian NHL player
Eric Nystrom, NHL ice hockey player
Marty Reasoner, NHL ice hockey player, NHL ice hockey player

Soccer

Jordan Cila, Major League Soccer midfielder
Benny Feilhaber, soccer midfielder
Shep Messing, Olympic soccer goalkeeper and current broadcaster
Charlie Reiter, soccer player
Timothy Weah, professional soccer player in Ligue 1 and member of the United States men's national soccer team
Sara Whalen, Olympic soccer player

Swimming

Ryan Lochte, competitive swimmer, gold medalist at the 2004, 2008, 2012, and 2016 Summer Olympics, and contestant on Dancing with the Stars season 23
Lia Neal, competitive swimmer, silver and bronze Olympic medalist
Ashley Twichell, Olympic swimmer

Tennis

Marilyn Aschner, tennis player
Irvin Dorfman, tennis player
Herbert Flam, tennis player
Jim Grabb, tennis player
Jim Gurfein, tennis player
Ladislav Hecht, tennis player
Scott Lipsky, tennis player
Jamie Loeb, tennis player
Bruce Manson, tennis player
John McEnroe, tennis player
Larry Nagler, tennis player
Renée Richards, tennis player
Noah Rubin, tennis player
Ed Rubinoff, tennis player
Julius Seligson, tennis player
Bill Tilden, tennis player

Track and field

Andy Bloom, Olympic shot putter
Lillian Copeland, Olympic discus champion; set world records in discus, javelin, and shot put
Caitlyn Jenner, retired decathlete, gold medalist at the 1976 Montreal Olympics, and television personality
Judy Shapiro-Ikenberry, long-distance runner

Other sports

Charles Ackerly, Olympic gold medalist in freestyle wrestling
Carl Adams, two-time NCAA wrestling champion, coach, and businessman
Ed Banach, Olympic gold medalist in freestyle wrestling
Lou Banach, Olympic gold medalist in freestyle wrestling
Herman Barron, professional golfer
Jeff Blatnick, Olympic gold medalist in Greco-Roman wrestling
Benjamin Bradshaw, Olympic gold medalist in freestyle wrestling
Kareem Campbell professional skateboarder
Glenn Cowan, table tennis player
Robert Curry, Olympic gold medalist in freestyle wrestling
Kyle Dake, Olympic freestyle wrestler, four-time World Champion, and four-time NCAA wrestling champion in four different weight classes
Yianni Diakomihalis, four-time NCAA wrestling champion, World medalist in freestyle wrestling
Tommy Dreamer, professional wrestler
Jim Drucker, former Commissioner of the Continental Basketball Association, former Commissioner of the Arena Football League, and founder of NewKadia Comics
Mick Foley, professional wrestler and author
Danielle Goldstein, American-Israeli show jumper
Nick Gwiazdowski, two-time NCAA wrestling champion and two-time World medalist in freestyle wrestling
Carol Heiss, figure skater, 1960 Olympic champion, five-time World Champion
Laurie Hernandez, artistic gymnast, gold medalist at the 2016 Rio Olympics, and winner of Dancing with the Stars season 23
Jon Jones, UFC light heavyweight champion
Kristie Marano, two-time World champion and nine-time World medalist in women's freestyle wrestling
Colette Nelson, professional bodybuilder
Troy Nickerson, NCAA wrestling champion, collegiate wrestling head coach
Isidor Niflot, Olympic gold medalist in freestyle wrestling
Beth Phoenix, professional wrestler
Damian Priest, professional wrestler
Otto Roehm, Olympic gold medalist in freestyle wrestling
Aljamain Sterling, UFC Champion
Chris Weidman, former UFC Middleweight Champion
Claire Weinstein, Olympic silver medalist freestyle swimmer
Zelina Vega, professional wrestler

Business

John Jacob Astor,fur trader and company founder
Nicholas F. Brady, former CEO of Dillon Read and 68th United States Secretary of the Treasury
Helen Gilman Noyes Brown, philanthropist, clubwoman
Dimies T. Stocking Denison, businesswoman, philanthropist and clubwoman
C. Douglas Dillon, CEO of Dillon Read, United States Ambassador to France, and 57th United States Secretary of the Treasury
George Eastman, founder of Eastman Kodak
Joseph Ellicott, surveyor and city planner
William Fargo, co-founder of American Express Company and Wells Fargo; Mayor of Buffalo
Reggie Fils-Aimé, president and chief operating officer of Nintendo of America
Debra Fox, founder of Fox Learning Systems
Alexander Snow Gordon, silversmith
Scott Greenstein, president and chief content officer of Sirius XM Satellite Radio
E. H. Harriman, errand boy, broker, railroader
George A. Hormel, founder of Hormel
Jeremy Jacobs, owner of Delaware North and Boston Bruins
John J. Kennedy, financier and 45th New York State Treasurer
Harriette A. Keyser, industrial reformer
Seymour H. Knox I, businessman and co-founder of F. W. Woolworth Company
Seymour H. Knox II, philanthropist and former director of Marine Midland Bank
Reginald Lenna, CEO and philanthropist
Jon L. Luther, food service executive
Sherman J. Maisel, economist
Jeremiah Milbank, banker, co-founder of Borden Milk Co.
Jacquelyn Ottman, marketing consultant
Henry Paulson, former CEO of Goldman Sachs and United States Secretary of the Treasury
Nelson Peltz, billionaire businessman and investor
Joseph R. Perella, financier
Jeffry Picower, investor and noted philanthropist involved in the Madoff investment scandal
Pat Powers, movie producer
Donald Regan, CEO of Merrill Lynch and 66th United States Secretary of the Treasury
Robert E. Rich Sr., inventor and foodservice executive
David Rockefeller, banker
John D. Rockefeller, philanthropist and founder of Standard Oil
John D. Rockefeller Jr., philanthropist and financier
William Rockefeller, co-founder of Standard Oil
Alan Rosen, restaurant and bakery owner, and author
Jeffrey Rosen, billionaire businessman
Robert Rubin, former CEO of Goldman Sachs and 70th United States Secretary of the Treasury
Scott Rudin, movie producer
Frank Russek, Polish-born American co-founder of the Russeks department store chain
Jacob Schiff, Wall Street executive and banker
Edward Selzer, movie producer
Ellsworth Milton Statler, hotelier
Stuart Sternberg, owner of the Tampa Bay Rays
Jill Stuart, fashion designer
Whitney Tilson, hedge fund manager, philanthropist, author, and Democratic political activist
Donald Trump Jr., businessman; eldest son of Donald Trump and brother of Eric, Ivanka, and Tiffany
Eric Trump, philanthropist and businessman; son of Donald Trump and brother of Ivanka, Tiffany, and Donald Jr.
Ivanka Trump, businesswoman, writer, and former fashion model; daughter of Donald Trump and sister of Eric, Donald Jr., and Tiffany
Tiffany Trump, daughter of Donald Trump and sister of Ivanka, Eric, and Donald Jr.
Cornelius Vanderbilt, ferry and tugboat captain, company founder, and railroader
Sanford Weill, former CEO of Citigroup
Henry Wells, businessman
Bob Weinstein, movie producer and co-founder of Miramax Films and The Weinstein Company
Harvey Weinstein, movie producer and co-founder of Miramax Films and The Weinstein Company
John G. Wickser, businessman and New York State Treasurer
Robert G. Wilmers, CEO of M&T Bank
Christopher Woodrow, movie producer and founder of Worldview Entertainment
Mark Zuckerberg, founder and CEO of Facebook

Fashion, beauty, and modeling

Keith Carlos, fashion model, former football player, and winner of America's Next Top Model season 21
Nyle DiMarco, model, actor, deaf activist, and winner of Dancing with the Stars season 22 and America's Next Top Model season 22
Barbie Ferreira, actress and model
Tom Ford, fashion designer, film director, screenwriter, and film producer
Mary Therese Friel, beauty queen, model, businesswoman, and winner of Miss USA 1979
Marc Jacobs, fashion designer and former creative director of Louis Vuitton
Scarlett Johansson, actress, model, and singer
Calvin Klein, fashion designer and founder of Calvin Klein Inc
Michael Kors, sportswear fashion designer; founder and CEO of Michael Kors Holdings
Ralph Lauren, fashion designer, philanthropist, business executive, and founder of the Ralph Lauren Corporation
Stacy London, stylist, fashion consultant
Jackie Loughery, actress, beauty queen, and inaugural winner of Miss USA
Erica Mena, model and television personality
Sienna Miller, actress, model, and fashion designer
Sarah Natochenny, actress, film editor, fashion model, and voice actress
Rachel Nichols, actress and model
Hayden Panettiere, actress, model, singer, and activist
Kimberly Pressler, model, reality television star, and first runner-up at Miss USA 1995
Tanya Roberts, actress, model
Alexis Skyy, model and television personality
Carmen Marc Valvo, evening-wear and high-end cocktail dress designer

Lawyers and jurists

Nicholas Allard, Dean and President of Brooklyn Law School
Benjamin N. Cardozo, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States
Alan Dershowitz, Harvard Law School professor and scholar of United States constitutional law and criminal law
Linda Fairstein, prosecutor and author
Gerrit Forbes, Justice of the Supreme Court of New York
Felix Frankfurter, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States
Henry Friendly, judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
Kumiki Gibson, lawyer
Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States
Arthur Goldberg, United States Secretary of Labor, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, and United States Ambassador to the United Nations
Edith Julia Griswold, in her day, she was the only woman patent expert
Alvin Hellerstein, United States federal judge
John Jay, first Chief Justice of the United States
Elena Kagan, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States
A. Leo Levin, law professor at the University of Pennsylvania Law School
John Roberts, Chief Justice of the United States
Antonin Scalia, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States
Sonia Sotomayor, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States
Amy Wax, Robert Mundheim Professor of Law at the University of Pennsylvania Law School

Religious leaders

Marilla Baker Ingalls, missionary to Burma for 51 years
Ella May Bennett, American Universalist minister.; first woman to be ordained to the ministry on Long Island
Mary E. Norton, Congregational minister and home missionary worker
Avraham Qanaï, leader of one of the first Karaite Jewish congregations in the United States
Emanuel Rackman, Modern Orthodox rabbi; President of Bar-Ilan University
Menachem Mendel Schneerson, Orthodox Jewish rabbi

Science and medicine

Richard Axel, scientist and Nobel Prize winner
Cora Belle Brewster, physician, surgeon, medical writer, editor
Flora A. Brewster, physician, surgeon, editor
Mandy Cohen, physician and Director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Anna Manning Comfort, physician
Mary Gage Day, physician, medical writer
Gertrude B. Elion, biochemist, pharmacologist and Nobel Prize winner
Richard P. Feynman, physicist and Nobel prize winner
Murray Gerstenhaber, mathematician and lawyer
Carl Sagan, astronomer
Jonas Salk, scientist and developed first polio vaccine
George Herman Babcock, inventor
William Martin Beauchamp, ethnologist and clergyman. Born in Orange County, he served an Episcopal parish in Baldwinsville for 35 years while also performing archæological research, particularly concerning the Haudenosaunee, and publishing his findings in eight books between 1892 and 1908.
Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell, abolitionist, women's rights activist, and the first female doctor in the United States, studied medicine at Geneva College.
Willis Carrier, inventor
Cornelius Cooper, African-American physician, famous for his lawsuit to separate from the U.S. Army as an objector to the war while attending West Point Military Academy
Dr. Asa Fitch of Salem, first occupational entomologist in the United States. In 1838 he began to collect and study insects for New York state. In 1854 he became the first professional Entomologist of New York State Agricultural Society, commissioned by the State of New York.
Dr. George Franklin Grant, born in Oswego, he was the first African-American professor at Harvard. He was also a Boston dentist, and the inventor of the golf tee.
James Hall (paleontologist)
Professor Joseph Henry, scientist who advanced the understanding of electricity, and who served as the first Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution.
Franklin B. Hough
Irving Langmuir, chemist and physicist, Nobel laureate and resident of Schenectady.
Eben Jenks Loomis, born at Oppenheim, was an astronomer. He was assistant in the Harvard American Ephemeris and Nautical Almanac office from 1850 until his retirement in 1900. During this time he also held the position of special assistant at the United States Naval Observatory in Washington, DC. He was a member of the United States eclipse expedition to Africa of 1889.
Lewis Henry Morgan of Aurora and Rochester, ethnologist, anthropologist, writer and attorney. Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels relied on his accounts of the evolution of indigenous peoples to fill in their own account of the development of capitalist society.
Roger Tory Peterson, naturalist, ornithologist, writer and educator, born in Jamestown.
Henry Rowe Schoolcraft, geographer, geologist, and ethnologist, born in Guilderland.
Dr. Edward Livingston Trudeau, established the Adirondack Cottage Sanitarium at Saranac Lake for treatment of tuberculosis.
Charles Doolittle Walcott, paleontologist
Dr. Mary Edwards Walker of Oswego, feminist, abolitionist, prohibitionist, suffragist, alleged spy, prisoner of war, surgeon, and the only woman to receive the Medal of Honor.
Henry Augustus Ward

Foreign-born New Yorkers

Moses Michael Levi Barrow, better known by his stage name Shyne, Belizean rapper and politician
Andrulla Blanchette, British-born professional bodybuilder
Maksim Chmerkovskiy, Ukrainian-born Latin ballroom dancer, choreographer, and instructor from ABC's Dancing with the Stars; brother of Val
Valentin Chmerkovskiy, Ukrainian-born professional dancer from ABC's Dancing with the Stars; brother of Maks
Laura Creavalle, Guyanese-born Canadian/American professional bodybuilder
Lisa Cross, British-born professional bodybuilder
Steven Derounian, Bulgarian-born politician and former United States Representative of New York
Heather Foster, Jamaican-born American professional bodybuilder
Bev Francis, Australian-born professional bodybuilder, powerlifter, and national shot put champion
Carolina Herrera, Venezuelan-born fashion designer; dress designer of First Ladies from Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis to Michelle Obama
Kyrie Irving, Australian-born American professional basketball player for the Brooklyn Nets
John Kneller, English-American professor and fifth President of Brooklyn College
John Leguizamo, Colombian-born actor, voice actor, producer, and stand-up comedian
Sean Patrick Maloney, Canadian-born politician and U.S. Representative of New York since 2013
Joel McHale, Italian-born actor, comedian, writer, television producer, and television host
Nicki Minaj, Trinidadian-born rapper and singer
Edward Mosberg, Polish-American Holocaust survivor, educator, and philanthropist
Pelé, Brazilian-born iconic soccer player and honorary president of the New York Cosmos; considered the best soccer player of all time
Keanu Reeves, Lebanese-born Canadian/American actor, producer, and musician
Alana Shipp, Barbadian-born Israeli/American professional bodybuilder
Gene Simmons, Israeli-born musician, singer-songwriter, record producer, entrepreneur, actor, television personality, and lead singer of the band Kiss
Albio Sires, Cuban-born politician and United States Representative of New Jersey since 2006
Snooki, Chilean-born reality television personality from Jersey Shore
Amelie Veiller Van Norman, French-born American educator and civic reformer
Bruce Willis, German-born American actor, producer, and singer
Jason Wu, Taiwanese-born Canadian/American fashion designer and designer of First Lady Michelle Obama's dresses

Infamous New Yorkers

David Berkowitz, serial killer
Billy the Kid, notorious wild west criminal
Al Capone, gangster; co-founder and boss of the Chicago Outfit
Frank Costello, Italian-American Mafia gangster
Robert Garrow, spree killer
David Hampton, actor and impostor; posed as Poitier's son "David" in 1983, which inspired a play and film
Steven Hoffenberg, CEO and fraudster
GypsyCrusader, far-right political commentator, streamer, white supremacist, former Muay Thai fighter and convicted felon
Lucky Luciano, mobster; considered the father of modern organized crime in the United States
Timothy McVeigh, convicted terrorist responsible for the Oklahoma City bombing
Eugene Palmer, murderer and fugitive
Larry Ray, criminal convicted of sex trafficking, extortion, forced labor, and other offenses, sentenced to 60 years in prison
Theodore Rinaldo, convicted child sex offender
Shirley Winters, convicted arsonist and accused serial killer
Joseph James DeAngelo serial killer

Other

Mary Jane Aldrich, social reformer
Elnora Monroe Babcock, suffragist
Helen Morton Barker, social reformer
Emily Montague Mulkin Bishop, suffragist, writer
Catharine Paine Blaine, suffragist, teacher
Lina Beecher, roller coaster designer and inventor
Margaret McDonald Bottome, reformer, author
William Boylan, first President of Brooklyn College
Grace Brown, murder victim
Kai Cenat, streamer
Lucinda Banister Chandler, social reformer
Cordelia Throop Cole, social reformer, writer, editor
Emily Parmely Collins, suffragist, activist, writer
Julia Colman, social reformer
Daniel Daly, United States Marine, received Medal of Honor twice
Rhoda A. Esmond, philanthropist, temperance leader
Frances Elizabeth Fryatt, specialist in household applied arts
Mary Ninde Gamewell, missionary, author
Harry Gideonse, President of Brooklyn College, and Chancellor of The New School for Social Research
Harriet Newell Kneeland Goff, reformer, author
Wilson Greatbatch, inventor
Katherine Van Allen Grinnell, social reformer, author
Ada Van Stone Harris, educator
Annabel Morris Holvey, social reformer, writer
Cornelia Collins Hussey, philanthropist, suffragist
Clarissa Caldwell Lathrop, social reformer
Jennie Phelps Purvis, suffragist, reformer, writer
Ellen Sergeant Rude, writer, poet, and temperance reformer
Frances Shimer, founder of Shimer College
Jane Slocum, educator, lecturer
Richard Stallman, programmer of Emacs and founder of GNU
Emily Pitts Stevens, activist, editor
Katharine Lent Stevenson, reformer, missionary
Josephine Terranova, criminal defendant
Mary Evalin Warren, social reformer, author
Charlotte Fowler Wells, phrenologist
Mary Traffarn Whitney, minister, reformer, philanthropist
Margaret E. Winslow, activist, editor, writer