List of people from New York City
Many notable people were either born in New York City or adopted it as their home.
People from New York City
0–9
A
- Aaliyah – singer, actress and 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
- J. J. Abrams – film director and producer
- Jon Abrahams – actor
- Ray Abruzzo – actor
- Bella Abzug – congressional representative
- Brooke Adams – actress
- Eric Adams – former mayor of New York City
- Pamela Adlon – actress
- Garnett Adrain – member of the United States House of Representatives from New Jersey
- Cornelius Rea Agnew – ophthalmologist
- Eliza Agnew – Presbyterian missionary
- Chris Agoliati – soccer player
- Christina Aguilera – singer
- Danny Aiello – actor
- AJR – indie pop trio and multi-instrumentalists
- Marv Albert – sports announcer
- Eva Allen Alberti – dramatics teacher
- Alan Alda – actor
- Beatrice Alda – actress
- Robert Alda – actor
- Anne Reeve Aldrich – writer
- Ira Aldridge – stage actor
- Flex Alexander – actor and comedian
- William Alexander, Lord Stirling – major general in the American Revolutionary War
- Davi Alexandre – soccer player
- Sadam Ali – boxer
- Nancy Allen – actress
- Woody Allen – film director, actor and screenwriter
- Vincent Alo – mobster
- Rafer Alston – basketball player
- Fernando Álvarez – soccer player
- Hamisi Amani-Dove – soccer player
- Lee J. Ames – illustrator and writer; known for the Draw 50... learn-to-draw books
- Nicholas Ammeter – soccer player
- 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 Survivor: San Juan del Sur
- Charles Anthon – classical scholar
- Carmelo Anthony – basketball player
- Kiyan Anthony – basketball player
- La La Anthony – actress and television personality
- Marc Anthony – singer, actor
- Judd Apatow – producer, director, comedian, actor and screenwriter
- Jacob Appel – short story writer, bioethicist, born in New York City
- Fiona Apple – singer-songwriter
- Diane Arbus – photographer
- Arcángel – rapper, singer-songwriter
- Nate Archibald – professional basketball player
- Luis Argudo – soccer player
- Chris Armas – soccer player
- Edward Arnold – actor
- Rosanna Arquette – actress
- Kenneth J. Arrow – economist; recipient, 1972 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences
- Ron Artest III – basketball player
- Beatrice Arthur – actress
- Marilyn Aschner – professional tennis player
- William H. Aspinwall – railroad promoter
- John Jacob Astor III – businessman, member of the Astor family
- John Jacob Astor VI – socialite and businessman, member of the Astor family
- Vincent Astor – businessman and philanthropist, member of the Astor family
- William Backhouse Astor, Sr. – businessman, member of the Astor family
- William Backhouse Astor Jr. – businessman, racehorse owner, and yachtsman, member of the Astor family
- René Auberjonois – actor
- Jake T. Austin – actor, model and writer
- Awkwafina – rapper and actress
- Hassan Ayari – soccer player
- AZ – rapper, former member of the rap group The Firm
- Hank Azaria – actor
B
- Edwin Burr Babbitt – actor
- Lauren Bacall – actress
- Morena Baccarin – Brazilian-born actress
- Johnny Bach – professional basketball player and coach
- Joey Badass – rapper
- Mohamed Bahi – American-Algerian former chief liaison of New York City Mayor Eric Adams to the Muslim community
- Emma Bailey – auctioneer and author
- Scott Baio – actor
- Nicholson Baker – novelist and essayist
- William Bliss Baker – landscape artist
- Folarin Balogun – soccer player who represented the United States national team and England at a youth level
- Martin Balsam – actress
- Talia Balsam – actress
- Azealia Banks – rapper, singer-songwriter, and actress
- Lloyd Banks – rapper
- Joseph Barbera – animator, producer, director, MGM and co-founder of Hanna-Barbera
- Iran Barkley – boxer
- Saquon Barkley – NFL player
- Salvatore Barone – soccer player
- Anna Baryshnikov – actress
- Jean-Michel Basquiat – artist
- Angela Bassett – actress
- Arun Basuljevic – soccer player
- Bryan Bautista – Dominican-American musician, singer, and contestant
- Abraham Beame – mayor of New York City
- Daniel Bedoya – soccer player
- Earl Beecham – football player
- Zazie Beetz – actress
- Francesca Beghe – singer-songwriter
- Harry Belafonte – singer-songwriter, activist, actor
- Bo Belinsky – Major League Baseball player
- Aisha Tandiwe Bell – mixed media artist
- Lake Bell – actress
- Frank Bello – musician, member of Anthrax
- Charlie Benante – musician, member of Anthrax
- Pat Benatar – singer
- Wilfred Benítez – boxer
- Tony Bennett – jazz singer and musician
- Michael Bentt – boxer and actor
- Lillie Berg – musician, musical educator
- Moe Berg – Major League Baseball player and spy
- Milton Berle – comedian
- Paul Berlenbach – light heavyweight boxing champion, 1925–1926
- Pavel Bermondt-Avalov – Russian-Georgian military officer and warlord
- Walter Berry – basketball player
- Dellin Betances – Major League Baseball pitcher
- Gary Bettman – commissioner of the NHL
- Acid Betty – drag queen
- Mario Biaggi – decorated policeman and US congressman
- Peter Billingsley – actor and filmmaker
- Bipolar Explorer – dreampop band
- Raymond Ward Bissell – art historian
- Rolando Blackman – basketball player
- William Peter Blatty – author and filmmaker
- Mary J. Blige – singer
- Henry H. Bliss – first recorded person to be killed by a traffic collision in the United States
- Joan Blondell – actress
- Richard Blumenthal – U.S. senator for Connecticut
- Humphrey Bogart – actor
- Sheila Bond – actress and singer
- Bobby Bonilla – MLB player
- William T. Bonniwell Jr. – Wisconsin and Minnesota politician
- A Boogie wit da Hoodie – rapper
- Murray Bookchin philosopher, historian, activist
- Joseph Borelli – politician, conservative commentator
- Michelle Borth – actress
- Francis Bouillon – NHL player
- John Boulos – soccer player and National Soccer Hall of Fame inductee
- Matthew Bouraee – soccer player
- Anthony Bourdain – chef, author and television host
- Riddick Bowe – boxer
- Barbara Boxer – [List of United States men's national soccer team|United States Senators from California|U.S. senator from California]
- Kate Parker Scott Boyd – artist, journalist, temperance worker
- Terrence Boyd – soccer player
- William Boylan – first president of Brooklyn College
- Lucy Boynton – actress
- Lorraine Bracco – actress
- James J. Braddock – boxer
- Hermann Braun – actor
- Sam Breadon – president and owner of the St. Louis Cardinals
- Mark Breland – boxer
- Abigail Breslin – actress and musician
- Jimmy Breslin – columnist
- Spencer Breslin – actor and musician
- Richard Bright – actor
- Danielle Brisebois – actress and singer
- Eben Britton – football player
- Matthew Broderick – actor and singer
- Action Bronson – rapper
- Larry Brooks – sports journalist
- Mel Brooks – film director, screenwriter, actor
- Dario Brose – soccer player, coach, and 1992 Olympian
- Helen Gilman Noyes Brown – philanthropist
- 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 and conservative commentator
- Sidney Jonas Budnick – abstract artist
- Daniel Bukantz – four-time Olympic fencer
- David Bullock – serial killer known as "The.38 Caliber Killer"
- Cara Buono – actress
- Kareem Burke – record executive, co-founder of Roc-A-Fella Records
- Robert John Burke – actor and firefighter
- George Burns – comedian
- Steve Buscemi – actor
- Benjamin Busch – U.S. Marine lieutenant colonel and actor
- Jon Busch – soccer player
- Barbara Bush – wife of George H. W. Bush
- James Butler – boxer
- Red Buttons – actor and comedian
- Tom Byer – soccer player, coach, and writer
- Gene Byrnes – cartoonist
C
- James Caan – actor
- Flávio Cabral – muralist
- 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
- Bobby Caldwell – singer
- Sarth Calhoun – electronic musician
- Joseph A. Califano – Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare
- Maria Callas – Greek-American opera singer
- Cher Calvin – journalist
- Richard Camacho – singer, musician, member of Latin music band CNCO, Dominican-origin
- Anthony Camal – judo practitioner
- Christian Camargo – actor
- Brandon Cambridge – soccer player
- Knox Cameron – soccer player
- Sean Cameron – soccer player who represented the Guyana national team
- Schuyler V. Cammann – anthropologist
- Cam'ron – rapper
- Jeimer Candelario – baseball player
- Dina Cantin – television personality
- Chris Canty – football player
- Capone – rapper
- Al Capone – Prohibition gangster, boss of Chicago Outfit
- Mae Capone – wife of Al Capone
- Francis Capra – actor
- Jennifer Capriati – tennis player
- Irene Cara – singer-songwriter, dancer, actress
- Nestor Carbonell – actor
- 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
- Máximo Carrizo – soccer player
- Vinnie Caruana – musician, singer
- Julian Casablancas – lead singer of rock band The Strokes; musician
- Desiree Casado – actress
- Colin Cassady – professional wrestler working for AEW
- John Cassavetes – actor
- Katherine Cassavetes – actress
- Nick Cassavetes – actor and filmmaker
- DJ Cassidy – DJ, record producer, MC
- Santiago Castaño – soccer player
- Richard S. Castellano – actor
- Luis Castillo – football player
- Phoebe Cates actress
- Chris Cattaneo – soccer player
- Jose Ceballos – trade unionist, political campaign manager
- Marie Celeste – soprano, actress, socialite, and philanthropist
- Kai Cenat – YouTuber
- Bennett Cerf – publisher, TV personality
- Billy Cesare – American football player
- Stanley Chais – investment advisor in the Madoff investment scandal
- Pauline Chalamet – actress
- Timothée Chalamet – actor
- Jeff Chandler – actor
- Frank Chanfrau – actor
- Stockard Channing – actress
- James S. C. Chao – Chinese-American entrepreneur, philanthropist
- Harry Chapin – singer-songwriter
- Roz Chast – cartoonist
- Paddy Chayefsky – author
- Maury Chaykin – actor
- Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick – U.S. representative for Florida
- Edmund A. Chester – executive at CBS
- Dominic Chianese – actor
- Chino XL – rapper
- Robert Christgau – music journalist
- Thom Christopher – actor
- Andreas Chronis – soccer player
- Jennie Jerome Churchill – mother of Winston Churchill
- Hansol Vernon Chwe – singer
- Michael Cimino – film director, film producer and screenwriter
- Peter Cincotti – singer-songwriter
- Lou Cioffi – soccer player
- Andre Cisco – NFL safety for the Jacksonville Jaguars
- Karen Civil – music Executive and marketing strategist
- Felicia Buttz Clark – writer
- Yvette Clarke – U.S. representative for New York
- Andrew Dice Clay – actor and comedian
- Jill Clayburgh – actress
- Ellen Cleghorne – actress and comedian
- Robert Clohessy – actor
- Donald Cogsville – soccer player who represented the United States national team
- Evan Cole – CEO of H.D. Buttercup
- Kim Coles – actress
- Schuyler Colfax Jr. – former vice president of the United States
- Margaret Colin – actress
- Willie Colón – salsa musician, social activist
- King Combs – rapper and model, son of Sean Combs
- Sean Combs – rapper
- Elvis Comrie – soccer player who represented the United States national team
- Jeff Conaway – actor
- Didi Conn – actress
- Jennifer Connelly – actress
- Irv Constantine – football player
- Evan Conti – American-Israeli basketball player and coach
- Hugh E. Conway – labor economist
- Terence Cooke – seventh archbishop of New York
- Gerry Cooney – boxer
- Anderson Cooper – television journalist
- George H. Cooper – United States Navy rear admiral
- Shaun Cooper – rock musician, bassist
- Lillian Copeland – Olympic discus champion; set world records in discus, javelin, and shot put
- Francis Ford Coppola – film director, screenwriter, and producer
- Catherine Corcoran – actress
- Karla Cornejo Villavicencio – writer
- Kevin Corrigan – actor
- Howard Cosell – sportscaster
- William R. Cosentini – mechanical engineer and founder of Cosentini Associates
- Richard Cottingham – serial killer known as "The Torso Killer" and "The Times Square Ripper"
- Ann Coulter – conservative commentator, writer
- Freddie Crawford – basketball player
- Elvis Crespo – singer
- Peter Criss – rock musician, songwriter
- Randy Cross – NFL player
- Jon Cryer – actor
- Billy Crystal – comedian, actor, director
- George Cukor – film director
- Kieran Culkin – actor
- Kit Culkin – actor
- Macaulay Culkin – actor
- Rory Culkin – actor
- Anthony Cumia – radio personality, host of Opie and Anthony
- Jermaine Cunningham – football player
- Andrew Cuomo – governor of New York
- Mario Cuomo – governor of New York
- Lee Curreri – actor and musician
- Quentin Curry – landscape painter
- Valerie Curtin – actress, screenwriter
- Tony Curtis – actor
- Ann Cusack – actress
- Dick Cusack – actor and filmmaker
- Joan Cusack – actress
D
- Nia DaCosta – film director and writer
- Yaya DaCosta – actress and model
- Alexandra Daddario – actress
- Matthew Daddario – actor
- Chester Dale – banker
- Robert Dalva – filmmaker, editor
- Charles Patrick Daly – judge
- Al D'Amato – politician
- Claire Danes – actress
- Rodney Dangerfield – comedian
- Lloyd Daniels – basketball player
- William Daniels – actor
- Paul Dano – actor
- Ron Dante – singer-songwriter, record producer
- Tony Danza – actor
- Bobby Darin – singer-songwriter, entertainer, actor
- Candy Darling – actress and Warhol superstar
- Tony Darrow – actor
- Damon Dash – record executive, co-founder of Roc-A-Fella Records
- Keith David – actor
- Jim David – comedian, actor, playwright
- Jonathan David – soccer player who represented the Canada national team
- Larry David – actor, writer, comedian, producer
- Pete Davidson – actor, comedian
- Marion Davies – actress
- Aaron Davis – boxer
- Al Davis – boxer
- Larry Davis – convicted murderer who was infamously acquitted of a shootout with the New York City Police Department
- Sammy Davis Jr. – singer, entertainer
- Dawin – hip hop-R&B singer, musician, record producer
- Rosario Dawson – actress
- Charlie Day – actor
- Clarence Day – author and humorist
- Dorothy Day – Catholic social activist
- Lillian Day – author and playwright
- Hal de Becker – dancer and dance writer
- Bill de Blasio – mayor of New York City
- De La Ghetto – singer, rapper, songwriter, model,
- Robert De Niro – actor
- Éamon de Valera – taoiseach and president of Ireland
- Laura Dean – actress
- Philip DeFranco – YouTuber and video blogger
- Lana Del Rey – singer-songwriter
- Samuel R. Delany – author and critic
- Don DeLillo – author
- Dom DeLuise – actor and comedian
- Aaron T. Demarest – carriage manufacturer
- Travis Demeritte – MLB player
- Derek Dennis – football player
- Jerry Denny Major League Baseball player
- Desiigner – rapper
- Willy DeVille singer
- Kevin Devine – musician, songwriter
- Artie Diamond – boxer
- Neil Diamond – singer, composer
- John DiBartolomeo – American-Israeli basketball player in the Israeli Basketball Premier League
- Carola Dibbell – music journalist
- Vin Diesel – actor
- August Dietrich – member of the Wisconsin State Assembly
- Maximilian Dietz – professional soccer player
- Chris Distefano – comedian
- DJ Envy – DJ and radio personality
- Byron Donalds – U.S. representative for Florida
- Meg Donnelly – actress, singer, dancer
- Richard Donner – filmmaker
- 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 Democratic mayoral primary
- Jim Dooley – composer
- Irvin Dorfman – tennis player
- Phoebe Doty – prostitute and madam
- Doug E. Doug – actor
- Amanda Minnie Douglas – writer
- Kirk Douglas – actor
- Robert Downey Jr. – actor, producer, singer
- Ervin Drake – composer, producer, writer, musician
- DreamDoll – rapper, singer, songwriter
- Fran Drescher – actor
- Richard Dreyfuss – actor
- Eric Drookerartist, illustrator
- Jim Drucker – former commissioner of the Continental Basketball Association, former commissioner of the Arena Football League, and founder of NewKadia Comics
- Jack Drury – NHL player
- David Duchovny – actor
- Patty Duke – actress, activist for mental-health issues
- Allen B. DuMont – electronics engineer, scientist, inventor, and founder of the DuMont Television Network
- Lena Dunham – actress, screenwriter, producer, director
- Griffin Dunne – film producer
- Joseph Dunninger – mentalist
- Bryant Dunston – American-Armenian basketball player
- Richard Dupont – artist
- Jimmy Durante – actor and pianist
- Jakob Dylan – singer
- Alexis Dziena – actress
E
- Dominique Easley – football player
- Gertrude Ederle – swimmer
- Dean Edwards – comedian and actor
- Steve Edwards – news anchor
- Eddie Egan – police detective
- Gladys Egan – child actress
- Billy Eichner – actor
- Rich Eisen – sportscaster and radio host
- Jesse Eisenberg – actor
- Ned Eisenberg – actor
- Ansel Elgort – actor, singer, dancer, DJ
- Arthur Elgort – photographer
- Sophie Elgort – photographer
- Paula Eliasoph – painter, printmaker
- Mario Elie – basketball player
- Lapo Elkann – chief executive officer, Fiat
- Bill Elko – football player
- Duke Ellington – jazz pianist
- Abby Elliott – actress
- Margaret Dye Ellis – social reformer, lobbyist
- Velena G. Ellis – attorney and police officer
- Albert Elsen – art historian
- Nora Ephron – director, screenwriter, author
- Omar Epps – actor
- Mark Epstein – property developer, brother of Jeffrey Epstein
- Jeffrey Epstein – financier and convicted child sex offender
- Theo Epstein – formerly the youngest general manager in MLB, currently president of Baseball Operations for the Chicago Cubs
- Eru – singer
- Giancarlo Esposito – actor
- Emilio Estevez – actor
- Ramon Estevez – actor
- Renée Estevez – actress
- Etika – YouTuber, streamer
F
- Peter Facinelli actor
- Douglas Fairbanks Jr. – actor
- Edie Falco – actress
- Jonah Falcon actor and writer; achieved fame in early 2000s for his penis size
- Peter Falk actor
- Jimmy Fallon comedian
- Tali Farhadian – former federal prosecutor; candidate for New York County district attorney
- Louis Farrakhan – leader of the Nation of Islam
- Perry Farrell – musician
- Joey Fatone – singer, member of NSYNC
- Alice Faye – actress
- Charles Fazzino – pop artist
- Harry Feldman – Major League Baseball pitcher
- Jack Feldman – lyricist
- Morton Feldman – composer
- Abel Ferrara – filmmaker
- Jerry Ferrara – actor
- Barbie Ferreira – actress
- Julissa Ferreras – New York City Council Member, Finance Committee chair
- Lou Ferrigno – bodybuilder and actor
- Richard Feynman theoretical physicist; recipient 1965 Nobel Prize in Physics
- Kim Fields – actress
- Harvey Fierstein – actor and playwright
- Bill Finger – comic book writer, co-creator of Batman
- Hamilton Fish – governor of New York and U.S. Secretary of State
- Dominique Fishback – actress
- Langston Fishburne – actor
- Laurence Fishburne – actor
- Mickey Fisher – basketball coach
- Greg Fitzsimmons – comedian
- Herbert Flam – tennis player
- Waka Flocka Flame – rapper
- Bobby Flay – chef
- Chuck Fleischmann – U.S. representative for Tennessee
- Jeffrey Flier – dean of Harvard Medical School
- Kay Flock – rapper
- 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
- Andrew Form – film producer
- Virginia Foxx – U.S. representative for North Carolina
- Nikolai Fraiture – bassist of rock band The Strokes, musician
- Anthony Franciosa – actor
- Frankee – singer
- Aerin Frankel – professional ice hockey goaltender for the Boston Fleet
- David Frankel – film director
- Lois Frankel – U.S. representative for Florida
- Al Franken – comedian and radio host, U.S. senator from Minnesota
- Michael Franzese – former mobster, internet personality
- Michael Freeman – inventor, entrepreneur, author, and business consultant
- Ace Frehley guitarist
- Doug E. Fresh – musician
- Laura Friedman – U.S. representative for California
- Milton Friedman – economist
- Eric Fromm – tennis player
- John Frusciante – musician, artist
G
- Luis García – baseball player
- Gus Gardella – football player
- Eliza Ann Gardner – abolitionist
- Alex Garfin – actor
- Art Garfunkel – singer-songwriter, actor
- Julia Garner – actress
- Lexa Gates – musician and rapper
- Joe Gatto – comedian
- David Geffen – record executive and film producer
- Lou Gehrig – MLB player
- Sarah Michelle Gellar – actress
- Natalie Gelman – singer/songwriter
- Richard Genelle actor
- Marie George – actress and singer
- George Gershwin – composer
- Ira Gershwin – lyricist
- Vitas Gerulaitis – tennis player
- Tiffany Giardina singer-songwriter
- Mel Gibson – American-born Australian/Irish actor and director
- Justin Gignac – artist
- Betty Gilpin – actress
- Ruth Bader Ginsburg – associate justice of U.S. Supreme Court
- Issamar Ginzberg – business strategist, rabbi, motivational speaker
- Greg Giraldo – comedian
- Rudolph Giuliani – mayor of New York City
- Charles V. Glasco – New York City police sergeant, 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
- Minetta Good – painter and printmaker
- Richard Goode – classical pianist
- Cuba Gooding Jr. – actor
- Cuba Gooding Sr. – singer
- 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
- Jared Gordon – mixed martial artist
- Kyle Gordon – comedian, singer, and YouTuber
- Robert A. Gorman – law professor at the University of Pennsylvania Law School
- Eydie Gorme – singer
- Karen Lynn Gorney – actress
- Louis Gossett Jr. – actor
- The GoStation – indie rock group
- Victor Gotbaum – labor leader
- Gilbert Gottfried – comedian and actor
- Irv Gotti – record executive and producer
- John Gotti – crime boss
- Elliott Gould – actor
- Joan Gould – author and journalist
- David C. Gowdey – politician
- Leslie Grace – singer
- Topher Grace – actor
- Sean Grande – television and radio sportscaster
- Sammy "The Bull" Gravano – mobster, former underboss of the Gambino crime family
- Rocky Graziano – boxer
- Benny Green – pianist
- Hank Greenberg – Hall of Fame baseball player
- Milton H. Greene – fashion and celebrity photographer, film and television producer
- Ariana Greenblatt – actress
- Alan Greenspan – economist, Federal Reserve chairman
- Sheila Greenwald – author
- Adrian Grenier – actor
- Bill Griffith – cartoonist
- Melanie Griffith – actress
- Alfred Grossman – writer and novelist
- Alex Guarnaschelli – chef and television personality
- Bob Guccione – publisher
- Richie Guerin – NBA player and coach
- Peggy Guggenheim – art collector
- Grace Gummer – actress
- Mamie Gummer – actress
- Rajat Gupta – CEO of McKinsey & Company convicted of insider trading
- Jim Gurfein – tennis player
- Steve Guttenberg – actor
- Luis Guzmán – actor
- Maggie Gyllenhaal – actress
H
- Joan Hackett – actress
- Ilfenesh Hadera – actress
- Aaron Hall – singer
- 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
- Jimmy Hall – basketball player in the Israeli National League
- 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
- Edward W. Hardy – composer, musician and producer
- Maurice Harkless – basketball player
- Donald J. Harlin – chief of chaplains of the U.S. Air Force
- Andre Harrell – record executive
- Lynn Harrell – cellist
- W. Averell Harriman – diplomat and governor of New York
- Andy Harris – U.S. representative for Maryland
- Zelda Harris – actress
- Anne Hathaway – actress
- Marcia Haufrecht – actor, director, playwright
- Levon Hawke – actor
- Maya Hawke – actress, singer-songwriter and model
- Curt Hawkins – WWE wrestler
- Patrick Joseph Hayes – fifth archbishop of New York
- Susan Hayward – actress
- Rita Hayworth – actress
- Shari Headley – actress
- Anthony Hecht – poet
- Ladislav Hecht – Czechoslovak-American tennis player
- Jamie Hector – actor
- Carol Heiss – Olympic figure skater
- Joseph Heller – author
- Alvin Hellerstein – U.S. federal judge
- Susan Hendl – ballet dancer and répétiteur
- Lance Henriksen – actor
- Nelson H. Henry – member of the New York State Assembly, [Adjutant General of New York|adjutant general (United States)|general of New York]
- Brian Henson – puppeteer, director, producer
- Jean-Noël Herlin – archivist, antiquarian bookseller, curator
- Jason Hernandez – soccer player who represented the Puerto Rico national team and general manager
- Elinore Morehouse Herrick – labor–relations specialist
- Bernard Herrmann – composer
- Robert Hess – sculptor, art educator
- Peter Cooper Hewitt – inventor
- William Hickey – actor
- D'atra Hicks – actress and singer
- Taral Hicks – actress and singer
- Hildegarde – cabaret singer
- Paris Hilton socialite, actress
- Gregory Hines – dancer and actor
- Judd Hirsch – actor
- Jack Hirschman – poet and social activist
- Camomile Hixon – visual artist
- William E. Hoehle – member of the Wisconsin State Assembly
- Steven Hoffenberg – businessman and convicted fraudster
- Robert Hofstadter – physicist and Nobel laureate
- Eric Holtz – head coach of the Israel National Baseball Team
- Megan Hollingshead – actress, singer, broadway star
- Shaheen Holloway – basketball coach and former player, current head coach of the St. Peter's Peacocks
- Eli Holzman – writer, producer, and television executive
- Rio Hope-Gund – soccer player
- Lena Horne – singer
- Edward Everett Horton – actor
- Jay Horwitz – New York Mets executive
- 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
- Steny Hoyer – U.S. representative for Maryland and House Majority leader
- Tina Huang actress
- Jon Huertas – actor
- Gregg "Opie" Hughes – radio personality, host of Opie and Anthony
- Richard Hunt – puppeteer and television director
- Harold Hunter – professional skateboarder and actor
- Tab Hunter – actor
- Cornelia Collins Hussey – philanthropist, writer
- Barbara Hutton – socialite dubbed "Poor Little Rich Girl"
- Sarah Hyland – actress and singer
I
- David Iacono – actor
- Scott Ian – guitarist, member of Anthrax
- Raúl Ibañez – MLB player
- Carl Icahn – financier and a special advisor during the Trump administration
- Ice Spice – rapper
- Tonya Ingram – author, poet, and disability rights activist
- Jimmy Iovine – record executive and media proprietor
- Washington Irving – author
- John Isaac – photographer
J
- Wolfman Jack – radio personality
- Aziel Jackson – soccer player
- Jane Jacobs – economist, urban theorist, activist
- Ken Jacobs – artist and filmmaker
- Lawrence Hilton Jacobs – actor
- Marc Jacobs – fashion designer
- Mark Jackson – basketball player and coach
- Troy "Escalade" Jackson – basketball player
- Jam Master Jay – DJ and producer, member of Run-DMC
- Henry James – writer
- William James – philosopher and psychologist
- Brenda Janowitz – writer and attorney
- Jaiquawn Jarrett – football player
- John Jay – diplomat, jurist and politician
- Jay-Z – businessperson and rapper
- Karine Jean-Pierre – political campaign organizer
- Hakeem Jeffries – U.S. representative for New York and Democratic leader in the House
- Charles Jenkins basketball player
- Max Jenkins actor and writer
- Ron Jeremy pornographic actor, filmmaker, and comedian
- Ty Jerome – professional basketball player
- Jack Jersawitz Marxist Activist and Television Host
- Jessi – rapper
- Jipsta rapper
- Billy Joel – singer-songwriter
- David Johansen – actor and singer-songwriter
- Scarlett Johansson – actress, singer, and producer
- Daymond John – entrepreneur
- Boris Johnson – British politician, prime minister of the United Kingdom, and former mayor of London
- Crockett Johnson – cartoonist and children's writer
- Jim Jones – rapper and record executive
- Norah Jones – singer-songwriter and actress
- Julia Jones-Pugliese – national champion fencer and fencing coach
- Spike Jonze – actor and filmmaker
- Michael Jordan – basketball player
- Lazarus Joseph – New York state senator and New York City Comptroller
- Colin Jost comedian, actor, and writer
- William Joyce – Nazi propaganda broadcaster
- Francine Justa – activist and affordable housing advocate in New York City
K
- Qurrat Ann Kadwani – actress and playwright
- Marilyn Kagan – actress and psychotherapist
- Philip Mayer Kaiser – U.S. diplomat
- Bob Kaliban – actor, voice actor, and former president of SAG-AFTRA
- Bob Kane – comic book writer and artist, creator of Batman
- Elias Kane – served as the first Illinois Secretary of State 1818–1822 and a United States senator for Illinois 1825–1835
- Chris Kanyon – professional wrestler
- Kangol Kid – rapper
- Gabe Kaplan – actor
- Abraham Katz – diplomat, United States Ambassador to the OECD
- Jeffrey Katzenberg – media proprietor and film producer
- Andy Kaufman – comedian
- Charlie Kaufman – screenwriter
- Danny Kaye – actor and comedian
- Lenny Kaye – guitarist
- Thomas Kean – governor of New Jersey
- Diane Keaton – actress
- Harvey Keitel – actor
- Max Kellerman – sports analyst
- Kevin Kelley – boxer
- Bridget Kelly – singer
- Robin Kelly – U.S. representative for Illinois
- Alexa Kenin – actress
- George Kennedy – actor
- Jacqueline Kennedy – First Lady of the United States and editor
- Max Kennedy – writer and lawyer
- Tom Kenny – voice actor and comedian
- Jerome Kern – composer
- Alicia Keys – singer-songwriter and actress
- Robert Kibbee – Chancellor of the City University of New York
- Lil' Kim – actress and rapper
- Jimmy Kimmel – comedian and television talk-show host
- King Princess – singer-songwriter
- Carole King – singer-songwriter
- Larry King – television talk-show and radio host
- Morgana King – singer and actress
- Keith Kinkaid – professional ice hockey player
- Bruce Kirby – actor
- Bruno Kirby – actor
- Jack Kirby – comic book artist, co-creator of Avengers, Hulk and X-Men
- Sally Kirkland – actress
- Nancy Kissinger – philanthropist
- Calvin Klein – fashion designer
- Diana Kleiner – art historian
- 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 and pharmacist
- C. Everett Koop – physician
- Yaphet Kotto – actor
- Sandy Koufax – MLB pitcher
- Martin Kove – actor, known for The Karate Kid franchise as John Kreese in Cobra Kai
- Joey Kramer – drummer, Aerosmith
- Lenny Kravitz – singer-songwriter
- Gary Kreps – health and risk communication scholar
- KRS-One – rapper
- Barbara Kruger – feminist artist
- David Krumholtz – actor
- Stanley Kubrick – film director and screenwriter
- Bob Kulick – guitarist
- Bruce Kulick – guitarist
- William Kunstler – lawyer
- Ray Kurzweil – author, inventor, and futurist
- Tony Kushner – playwright and screenwriter
- Kienast quintuplets – set of quintuplets
- Allan Kwartler – sabre and foil fencer, Pan American Games and Maccabiah Games champion
L
- Fiorello La Guardia – mayor of New York City
- Casey LaBow – actress
- Jesse Lacey – musician and singer
- David LaChapelle – photographer
- Sophia Laforteza – singer, dancer and member of girl group Katseye
- Lady Gaga – musician and actress
- Bert Lahr – actor and comedian
- Veronica Lake – actress
- Jake LaMotta – boxer
- Burt Lancaster – actor
- Martin Landau – actor
- Diane Lane – actress
- Don Lane – talk show host
- Meyer Lansky – gangster
- Leo Laporte – founder/host of TWiT.tv
- Floria Lasky – theater world lawyer
- Cyndi Lauper – singer
- Ralph Lauren – fashion designer
- Emma Lazarus – author and poet
- Gracie Lawrence – actress and singer
- Marc Lawrence – filmmaker
- Steve Lawrence – singer and actor
- NeNe Leakes – television personality
- Ivan Lee – Olympic saber fencer; banned for life by SafeSport
- Jeanette Lee – professional pool player
- Stan Lee – comic-book writer, editor, film executive producer, actor, and publisher for Marvel Comics
- John Leguizamo – actor
- Franz Leichter – politician
- Madeleine L'Engle – author
- Melissa Leo – actress
- Téa Leoni – actress
- A. Leo Levin – law professor at the University of Pennsylvania Law School
- Shlomo Levinger – magician and mentalist
- Huey Lewis musician and singer
- Joe E. Lewis – comedian
- Miranda Lichtenstein – artist
- Roy Lichtenstein – pop artist
- Larry Lieber – comic book artist and writer
- Joe Lieberman – former long-time U.S. senator from Connecticut ; 2000 vice presidential nominee under Al Gore
- Chris Lighty – record executive
- John Lindsay – mayor of New York City
- Hamish Linklater – actor and playwright
- John Linnell – musician, one half of alternative rock duo They Might Be Giants
- Laura Linney – actress
- Liondub – DJ and record producer
- Deborah Lipstadt – historian and author
- Peggy Lipton – actress
- Lisa Lisa – freestyle singer; fronted Cult Jam; born Lisa Velez
- Havana Rose Liu – actress
- John Liu – politician, 43rd New York City Comptroller
- Lucy Liu – actress
- Robert R. Livingston – U.S. founding father and diplomat
- LL Cool J – rapper and actor
- Daniel Lobell – stand-up comedian and podcaster
- Tommy Lockhart – inductee into Hockey Hall of Fame, and United States Hockey Hall of Fame
- Robert Loggia – actor
- Lindsay Lohan – actress and singer
- Vince Lombardi – football coach
- Mike Longabardi – NBA assistant coach
- Ki Longfellow – novelist
- Jennifer Lopez – singer and actress
- Lori Loughlin – actress
- Julia Louis-Dreyfus – actress
- Tina Louise – actress
- Evelyn Lozada – model and TV personality
- Willie Lozado – baseball player
- Bennet Nathaniel "Nate" Lubell – Olympic fencer
- Edna Luby – Broadway and vaudeville performer
- Charles "Lucky" Luciano – gangster
- Sid Luckman – football player and coach
- Sidney Lumet – film director, producer, and screenwriter
- Frankie Lymon – singer
- Carol Lynley – actress
- Natasha Lyonne – actress
M
- Remy Ma – rapper
- Peter Maas – author and journalist
- Lil Mabu – rapper
- Alice Foote MacDougall – coffee wholesaler, restaurateur, and business owner in the city
- John F. Mackie – Medal of Honor recipient
- Lukas MacNaughton – soccer player who represented the Canada national team
- Bernie Madoff – financier and financial criminal
- Ruth Madoff – wife of Bernie Madoff
- Bill Maher – comedian and TV host
- Umber Majeed – visual artist
- Bernard Malamud – author
- Romany Malco – actor
- Nicole Malliotakis – U.S. representative for New York
- Lil Mama – rapper and actress
- Zohran Mamdani – mayor of New York City
- Paloma Mami – singer
- Sandro Mamukelashvili – professional basketball player for the San Antonio Spurs
- Melissa Manchester – singer
- Barry Manilow – singer-songwriter
- Dinah Manoff – actress
- Mase – rapper
- Mike Mansfield – senator from Montana
- Bruce Manson – tennis player
- John Mara – businessman, co-owner of the New York Giants
- Stephon Marbury – professional basketball player
- James Margolis – Olympic fencer
- Rose Marie – actress
- John Marley – actor
- Dean Marlowe – safety for the Buffalo Bills
- Constantine Maroulis – American Idol finalist
- Garry Marshall – filmmaker and screenwriter
- Penny Marshall – actress and filmmaker
- Diane Martel – music video director
- Christopher "Play" Martin – rapper and actor
- Darnell Martin – filmmaker
- Ernest Martin – theatre director and manager
- Alpo Martinez – drug lord
- Angie Martinez – radio personality
- Melanie Martinez – singer-songwriter, actress, director, photographer, and screenwriter
- Soraida Martinez – artist and designer
- John Martino – actor
- Sadie Martinot – singer, actress
- Lee Marvin – actor
- Chico Marx – comedian
- Groucho Marx member of the Marx Brothers
- Gummo Marx member of the Marx Brothers
- Harpo Marx member of the Marx Brothers
- Louis Marx – founder of Louis Marx and Company
- Zeppo Marx member of the Marx Brothers
- James Maslow actor and singer
- John Massari – composer, sound designer
- Ashley Massaro – professional wrestler
- Samantha Mathis – actress
- Walter Matthau – actor
- Sam Mattis – Olympic discus thrower
- Loretta Mazza – Sammarinese politician, mayor of Acquaviva
- Margherita Wood McCandlish – American former First Lady of Guam, born in New York City
- Joe McCarthy – rugby union player
- John McCloskey – cardinal archbishop of New York, 1864–1885
- Frank McCourt – author
- Malachy McCourt author
- Darryl "DMC" McDaniels – rapper, member of Run-DMC
- Ralph McDaniels – radio and television personality, host of Video Music Box
- Oisin McEntee Irish soccer player
- Allie McGuire professional basketball player
- Triston McKenzie – MLB pitcher
- Kenneth McMillan – actor
- Gregory Meeks U.S. representative for New York
- Paul MeltsnerWPA-era painter and muralist
- Dave Meltzer pro wrestling journalist
- Herman Melville – author
- Bob Melvin Major League Baseball player and manager
- Daniel Menaker – writer and editor
- Bob Menendez – U.S. senator for New Jersey; the first sitting member of Congress to be convicted of being a foreign agent
- Grace Meng – lawyer and politician, Vice Chair of the Democratic National Committee
- Yehudi Menuhin – violinist
- Idina Menzel – singer and actress
- Ethel Merman – singer and actress
- Helen Merrill – jazz singer
- Jenny B. Merrill – educator, author
- Robert Merrill – singer
- Dan Meuser – U.S. representative for Pennsylvania
- Robert Miano – actor
- Stefano Miceli – pianist and conductor
- Lea Michele actress and singer
- Vera Michelena – actress, dancer, and singer
- Alyssa Milano – actress
- Sally Milgrim – fashion designer
- Adeline Miller – prostitute and madam
- Arthur Miller – playwright
- Dick Miller – actor
- Marcus Miller – bassist and composer
- Sienna Miller – actress
- Stephanie Mills singer, former Broadway star
- Andy Mineo – Christian rapper
- Sal Mineo – actor
- Rachel Miner – actress
- Lin-Manuel Miranda – musical theatre writer and performer
- Andrea Mitchell journalist, NBC News
- John Joseph Mitty – Roman Catholic Archbishop of San Francisco
- Isaac Mizrahi – fashion designer
- Gerald Mohr – actor
- Nancie Monelle – physician, missionary
- Aja Monet – poet
- Eddie Money – singer
- Lenny Montana – actor and professional wrestler
- Julie Chen Moonves – television personality
- Davey Moore – boxer
- Indya Moore – actress
- Mary Tyler Moore – actress, producer
- Melba Moore – actress, singer
- Nicholas Montemarano – writer
- Tom Morello – guitarist
- Rita Moreno – actress
- Henry Morgan – radio and television personality
- Huey Morgan musician, radio DJ, songwriter, television personality
- Cathy Moriarty – actress
- Erin Moriarty – actress
- Gouverneur Morris – U.S. founding father; U.S. senator
- Vic Morrow – actor
- Zero Mostel – actor, comedian
- Tommy Mottola – music executive
- DJ Muggs – record producer and DJ, member of Cypress Hill
- Eddie Mustafa Muhammad – boxer
- Maria Muldaur – folk and blues singer-songwriter
- John Mulholland – documentary filmmaker, film historian
- Brian Mullen – NHL player
- Joe Mullen – NHL player
- Gerry Mulligan musician
- Richard Mulligan – actor
- Robert Mulligan director
- Thom Michael Mulligan – actor
- Chris Mullin – basketball player
- Charlie Murphy – actor, comedian
- Chris Murphy – U.S. senator from Connecticut since 2013
- Eddie Murphy – actor, comedian
- James Murray – comedian, actor, author
- Yunus Musah – soccer player
- Bess Myerson – actress, model and politician
N
- James M. Nack – deaf and mute poet
- Jerry Nadler – U.S. representative for New York
- Larry Nagler – tennis player, 1960 NCAA Tennis Singles Champion and Doubles Champion
- Dominic Napolitano – Mafia caporegime
- Janet Napolitano – third US Secretary of Homeland Security
- Nas – rapper, songwriter, and entrepreneur
- Michael H. Nash – labor historian, librarian, and archivist
- Tonie Nathan – Libertarian Party political figure
- Sarah Natochenny – voice actress
- Lia Neal – Olympic swimmer
- Oscar Neebe – anarchist, labor activist, one of Haymarket bombing trial defendants
- Casey Neistat filmmaker, producer, YouTuber
- Haywood Nelson – actor
- Howard Nemerov – poet
- Sylvester Nevins – politician
- Sam Newfield – film director
- John Philip Newman – Methodist bishop
- Pete Nice – rapper, member of 3rd Bass
- Mike Nichols – comedian, film and theatre director
- Denise Nickerson – actress
- Harry Nilsson – singer-songwriter
- Nine – rapper
- 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
- Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez – U.S. representative for New York
- Charlie O'Connell – actor
- Jerry O'Connell – actor and television personality
- Susan Louise O'Connor – film, television and stage actress
- Lamar Odom – NBA player
- Al Oerter – four-time Olympic champion in discus throw
- Kevin Ogletree – NFL player
- Adewale Ogunleye – NFL player
- Garrick Ohlsson – classical pianist
- Keith Olbermann – television sportscaster and commentator
- Jon Oliva – Savatage singer and keyboardist
- Olivia – singer
- Chris O'Loughlin – Olympic fencer
- Gregory Olsen – entrepreneur
- Patrice O'Neal – comedian
- 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
- John Ortiz – actor
- Lisa Ortiz – actress
- Lane Shi Otayonii – musician and interactive multimedia performer
- Adam Ottavino – MLB pitcher for the Boston Red Sox
- Rick Overton – actor and comedian
P
- Al Pacino – actor
- Saul K. Padover – historian
- Josh Pais – actor
- Alan J. Pakula – film director, screenwriter, and producer
- Joe Palma – actor and comedian
- Chazz Palminteri – actor
- Fanny Purdy Palmer – author, lecturer, activist
- Joseph Papp – theater producer, impresario, founder of The Public Theater
- Rob Parker – sportswriter, TV analyst
- Smush Parker – NBA player
- Cheyenne Parker-Tyus – WNBA player
- Lana Parrilla – actress
- Jason Patric – actor
- Glenn Patrick – NHL player
- Pastel Ghost – musician, singer, songwriter, and producer
- Joe Paterno – football coach
- James Patterson – novelist
- J.N. Pattison – pianist, composer
- Sarah Paulson – actress
- Alan Robert Pearlman – engineer, synthesizer manufacturer
- Lou Pearlman – music manager and scam artist, founder of Backstreet Boys and NSYNC
- 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 – NBA player
- Ron Perlman – actor
- 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
- Todd Phillips – filmmaker
- Fafà Picault – soccer player who represented the United States national team and Haiti national team
- Justin Pierce – actor
- Lip Pike – baseball player, four-time home-run champion
- Ed Pinckney – NBA player
- Rick Pitino – basketball coach
- Stacey Plaskett – delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives for the U.S. Virgin Islands
- Galo Plaza – President of Ecuador
- 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
- Harold Pressley – NBA player
- L. Bradford Prince – politician who was governor of New Mexico Territory
- Prince Royce – singer-songwriter, actor
- Freddie Prinze – comedian and actor
- Tito Puente – bandleader
- Mario Puzo – author
Q
- Q-Tip – rapper
- Rainey Qualley – actress
- Joe Quesada – comic book artist and writer
R
- Lily Rabe – actress
- Renee Rabinowitz – psychologist and lawyer
- Raekwon – rapper
- Bill Rafferty – comedian
- Manny Ramirez – MLB player
- Joey Ramone and Marky Ramone – punk-rock musicians
- Alex Ramos – boxer
- Michael Rapaport – actor, comedian, director
- Condola Rashad – actress
- Tubby Raskin – basketball player and coach
- Ray Ratkowski – football player
- Devin Ratray – actor
- Larry Ray – criminal convicted of sex trafficking, extortion, forced labor, and other offenses, sentenced to 60 years in prison
- Melissa Rauch – actress and comedian
- Lihie Raz – American-born Israeli Olympic artistic gymnast
- Karlie Redd – television personality, model and actress
- Alan Reed – actor
- Lou Reed – rock musician, songwriter
- Robert I. Rees – US Army brigadier general, AT&T executive
- Christopher Reeve – actor
- Christopher "Kid" Reid – rapper and actor
- Kareem Reid – basketball player
- Brandon Reilly – musician, guitarist, singer
- Carl Reiner – comedian, actor, director, author
- Rob Reiner – actor and director
- Estelle Reiner – actress and singer
- Paul Reiser – actor
- Charlie Reiter – footballer
- Ed Rendell – former mayor of Philadelphia, governor of Pennsylvania
- Remedy – rapper
- Leah Remini – actress
- Peter Revson – race car driver
- Bebe Rexha – singer-songwriter
- Vincent Rey – football player
- Ving Rhames – actor
- Alfonso Riberio – actor, comedian, singer, television host
- Charles E. Rice – legal scholar, university professor
- Buddy Rich – jazz drummer
- Renée Richards – tennis player
- Terry Richardson – fashion photographer
- DJ Richie Rich – DJ and record producer, member of 3rd Bass
- Kadary Richmond – college basketball player for the Seton Hall Pirates
- 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
- Joel Rifkin – serial killer
- Robin Riker – actress and book author
- Thelma Ritter – actress
- Joan Rivers – comedian
- Melissa Rivers – actress and TV personality
- Leon Robinson – actor
- Chris Rock – comedian and actor
- Tony Rock – comedian and actor
- Laurance Rockefeller – conservationist and philanthropist
- Winthrop Rockefeller – governor of Arkansas
- Norman Rockwell – artist
- A$AP Rocky – rapper
- Nile Rodgers – musician, songwriter and record producer, member of Chic
- 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
- Eleanor Roosevelt – U.S. First Lady and human-rights activist
- Franklin Roosevelt – 32nd president of the United States
- Theodore Roosevelt – 26th president of the United States
- Alan Rosen – restaurant and bakery owner, and author
- Beatrice Rosen – actress
- Jeffrey Rosen – billionaire businessman
- Robert Rosen – theoretical biologist
- Sam Rosen – sportscaster
- Aaron "Rosy" Rosenberg – two-time "All-American" college football player, and film and television producer
- Ethel Greenglass Rosenberg – convicted spy
- Julius Rosenberg – convicted spy
- David H. Rosenbloom – author
- Christopher Ross – sculptor, designer and collector
- Nicole Ross – Olympic foil fencer
- Emmy Rossum – actress
- Veronica Roth – novelist
- Mercedes Ruehl – actress
- Vic Ruggiero – ska musician frontman of The Slackers
- Maelo Ruiz – salsa singer
- Louis Rukeyser – business columnist, economic commentator
- Frank Russek – Polish-born American co-founder of the Russeks department store chain
- Damien Russell – NFL player
- Gianni Russo – actor, singer, and restaurateur
- James Russo – actor
- Art Rust Jr. – sportscaster
- Amy Ryan – actress
S
- Josh Safdie - filmmaker
- Benny Safdie - filmmaker and actor
- Carl Sagan – physicist and astronomer
- Boris Said – NASCAR driver
- Zoe Saldaña – actress
- J. D. Salinger – author
- Jonas Salk – medical researcher
- John Salley – basketball player
- Jerry Saltz – art critic and art historian
- Jennifer San Marco – mass murder
- Claudio Sanchez – musician
- Bernie Sanders – U.S. senator for Vermont and major two-time presidential candidate
- Metta Sandiford-Artest – NBA player
- Adam Sandler – actor, comedian
- Saundra Santiago – actress
- Romeo Santos – singer-songwriter, actor, and record producer
- Dennis Sarfate – professional baseball player
- Dustin Satloff – entrepreneur
- Francesco Scavullo – photographer
- Dick Schaap – journalist
- Jeremy Schaap – journalist
- Dolph Schayes – NBA player and coach
- Vincent Schiavelli – actor and food writer
- Harvey Schiller – sports and business executive
- Lawrence Schiller – photojournalist and film producer
- Leonard Schleifer – scientist and business executive
- Julian Schnabel – artist and motion picture director
- Mathieu Schneider – hockey player
- Sandra Schnur – disability-rights activist
- Andy Schor – member of the Michigan House of Representatives
- Loretta Schrijver – Dutch television host
- Rick Schroder – actor
- Debbie Wasserman Schultz – U.S. representative for Florida
- Freddy Schuman – superfan of the New York Yankees
- Amy Schumer – actress and comedian
- Chuck Schumer – U.S. senator for New York and House minority leader; cousin of Amy Schumer
- Ben Schwartz – actor and comedian
- Julius Schwartz – comic book editor
- David Schwimmer – actor
- Annabella Sciorra – actress
- Catherine Scorsese – actress; mother of Martin Scorsese
- Charles Scorsese – actor; father of Martin Scorsese
- Francesca Scorsese – actress; daughter of Martin Scorsese
- Martin Scorsese – film director
- Lauren Scruggs – Olympic fencer
- Vin Scully – sportscaster
- Dante Sealy – soccer player who represented the Trinidad and Tobago national team
- Malik Sealy – basketball player
- Heriberto Seda – serial killer who copied The Zodiac Killer
- Jon Seda – comedian, actor
- Barney Sedran – Hall of Fame basketball player
- Jerry Seinfeld – comedian and actor
- Julius Seligson – tennis player
- Edward Selzer – film producer, Warner Bros.
- Maurice Sendak – author and illustrator
- MC Serch – rapper and record executive, member of 3rd Bass
- Frank Serpico – retired NYPD detective and whistleblower
- John Serry Sr. – accordionist, organist, composer, and arranger
- Cynthia Propper Seton – novelist
- Elizabeth Ann Seton – founder of Sisters of Charity; first native-born US citizen canonized
- Ruth Seymour – broadcasting executive
- Tupac Shakur – rapper and actor
- Gene Shalit – film critic
- God Shammgod – NBA player and coach
- Frank Shannon – conservative political analyst, columnist, and candidate
- Judy Shapiro-Ikenberry – long-distance runner
- Al Sharpton – civil rights and social justice activist, founder of the National Action Network, Baptist minister, and radio and television personality
- Artie Shaw – bandleader
- Leonard Shecter – journalist and author
- Ally Sheedy – actress
- Emmet Sheehan – Major League Baseball pitcher
- Charlie Sheen – actor
- Jerry Sheindlin – judge and television personality
- Judy Sheindlin – judge and television personality
- Art Sherman – horse trainer and jockey
- Norm Sherry – catcher, manager, and coach in Major League Baseball
- Brooke Shields – actress and model
- Kevin Shields – musician, member of the band My Bloody Valentine
- Shyne – Belizean rapper and politician
- Daniel Sickles – Civil War general
- William James Sidis – mathematician, rumored to have had an IQ of 250
- Bugsy Siegel – gangster
- Jules Siegel – author
- Maggie Siff – actress
- George Silides – politician and businessman, Alaska senator
- Beverly Sills – opera singer
- Lauren Silva – painter
- Ron Silver – actor and 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
- Danny Simmons – artist
- Diggy Simmons – rapper
- Joseph "Run" Simmons – rapper, member of Run-DMC
- Russell Simmons – record executive, founder of Def Jam Recordings
- Kaseem Sinceno – football player
- Robert Sirico – Catholic priest, founder of Acton Institute
- Tony Sirico – actor
- John Slidell – senator from Louisiana and Confederate diplomat
- Lindsay Sloane – actress
- Elissa Slotkin – U.S. senator for Michigan
- Sherrod Small – comedian
- Al Smith – governor of New York and presidential candidate
- James McCune Smith – abolitionist
- Kenny Smith – NBA player and commentator
- Patty Smyth – singer
- Russ Smith – basketball player
- Stephen A. Smith – sports analyst and TV personality
- Will Smith – former football player
- Dee Snider – singer-songwriter; front man of the heavy metal band Twisted Sister
- Wesley Snipes – actor
- Phoebe Snow – singer-songwriter
- Jesse Lee Soffer – actor
- Stephen Sondheim – musical theatre composer and lyricist
- Barry Sonnenfeld – filmmaker
- Aaron Sorkin – playwright and screenwriter
- Mira Sorvino – actress
- Paul Sorvino – actor
- Sonia Sotomayor – United States Supreme Court justice
- Aries Spears – comedian and actor
- Phil Spector – record producer
- Mickey Spillane – author
- Joe Spinell – actor
- Howard Spira – gangster and gambler
- Eliot Spitzer – former governor of New York
- Marina Squerciati – actor
- Sylvester Stallone – actor, director, screenwriter
- Sebastian Stan – actor
- Paul Stanley – hard-rock guitarist, singer and songwriter
- Barbara Stanwyck – actress
- Joe Start – Major League Baseball player
- Peter Steele – singer and songwriter
- James Steen – football player
- Jacob Steinmetz – baseball player
- David Stern – lawyer and business executive, 4th commissioner of the NBA
- Howard Stern – radio and television host
- John Stevens – delegate to Continental Congress for New Jersey
- Alex Stewart – boxer
- Andrew Stewart – player of gridiron football
- 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 and comedian
- Henry L. Stimson – politician and diplomat
- Oliver Stone – film director
- Larry Storch – actor, comedian
- Steve Stoute – record executive
- Lee Strasberg – Polish-born actor, director, and theatre practitioner
- Susan Strasberg – actress
- Robert Strassburg – composer, conductor, musicologist
- James Strauch – Olympic fencer
- Barbra Streisand – singer and actress
- Rod Strickland – NBA player
- 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
- Tika Sumpter – actress
- B. J. Surhoff – MLB player
- Rich Surhoff – MLB player
- Bruce Sussman - lyricist and librettist
- Kevin Sussman – actor
- Alexa Swinton – actress
T
- Shannon Tavarez – actress
- Vic Tayback – actor
- Teyana Taylor – singer-songwriter, actress, dancer, choreographer, director and model
- Veronica Taylor – actress, Pokémon
- Tazz – radio personality, color commentator and retired professional wrestler
- Sebastian Telfair – NBA player
- Alma Tell – stage and screen actress
- Olive Tell – stage and screen actress
- Maurice Tempelsman – Belgian-American businessman
- Chloe Temtchine – singer-songwriter
- The Tenderloins – comedy troupe currently composed of Joseph "Joe" Gatto, James "Murr" Murray, Brian "Q" Quinn, and Salvatore "Sal" Vulcano
- Studs Terkel – author and historian
- Richard Termini – musician
- Milton Terris – public health physician and epidemiologist
- Roy M. Terry – Chief of Chaplains of the U.S. Air Force
- Mark Texeira – comic book artist
- Vinny Testaverde – NFL player
- Irving Thalberg – film producer
- Eddie Kaye Thomas – actor
- Ianthe Thomas – author
- Leon Thomas III – actor
- Soren Thompson – two-time Olympic and team World Champion épée fencer
- Dominique Thorne – actress
- Johnny Thunders – rock musician
- Gene Tierney – actress
- Harry Tietlebaum – organized crime figure
- Louis Comfort Tiffany – artist
- Whitney Tilson – hedge fund manager, philanthropist, author, and Democratic political activist
- Dennis Tito – engineer, entrepreneur, and first space tourist
- Matt Titus – professional matchmaker
- Lil Tjay – rapper
- James Toback – screenwriter and director
- Isabella Tobias – Israeli ice dancer
- Lola Todd – silent film actress
- Bill Todman – game show producer
- Michael Tolkin – filmmaker and novelist
- Marisa Tomei – actress
- Frank Torre – baseball player
- Joe Torre – baseball player and manager
- Ritchie Torres – U.S. representative for New York
- 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
- Bernard Trink – columnist
- R-Kal Truluck – NFL player
- Donald Trump – 45th and 47th 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
- Constance Tsang – filmmaker
- Michael Tucci – actor
- Barbara Tuchman – historian and author
- Richard Tucker – opera tenor
- Gene Tunney – 1926–28 heavyweight boxing champion
- John V. Tunney – U.S. senator
- Joe Turkel – actor
- Aida Turturro – actress
- John Turturro – actor and director
- Nicholas Turturro – actor
- William Tweed – politician
- Liv Tyler – actress
- Steven Tyler – singer, Aerosmith
- Cicely Tyson – actress
- Mike Tyson – boxer
- Neil deGrasse Tyson – astronomer, science communicator
U
- Leslie Uggams – singer, actress
- Louis Untermeyer – poet, anthologist, critic, and editor
- Jimmy Urine – singer, musician, songwriter
- Hikaru Utada – singer, musician
V
- Andrew Vachss – lawyer and author
- Xavier Valdez – soccer player who represented the Dominican Republic national team
- Jim Valentino – comic book artist and writer
- Nick Valensi – lead guitarist of rock band The Strokes, musician
- Margaret Newton Van Cott – first woman licensed to preach in the Methodist Episcopal Church
- Jeff Van Drew – U.S. representative for New Jersey
- Dick Van Patten – actor
- Grace Van Patten – actress
- Joyce Van Patten – actress
- Tim Van Patten – actor, television director and producer
- Cy Vance – New York County district attorney
- Cornelius Vanderbilt – businessman
- Gloria Vanderbilt – actress, fashion model, heiress and socialite
- CoCo Vandeweghe – tennis player
- Luther Vandross – singer
- Kia Vaughn – WNBA player
- Robert Vaughn – actor
- Zelina Vega – professional wrestler
- Lauren Vélez – actress
- Lorraine Vélez – actress and singer
- George Vergara – NFL player
- Justyn Vicky – bodybuilder
- Idara Victor – actress
- Tommy Victor – musician
- Lisa Vidal – actress
- Abe Vigoda – actor
- 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
- Jimmie Walker – actor and comedian
- Jimmy Walker – mayor of New York City
- Kemba Walker – NBA player
- Eli Wallach – actor
- Donald A. Wallance – industrial designer
- Fats Waller – jazz pianist
- Rudolf Wanderone – professional pool player
- Charles B. Wang – businessman and philanthropist
- Vera Wang – fashion designer
- Bree Warren – model
- Raees Warsi – poet, journalist, and social 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
- Dave Waymer – NFL player
- Timothy Weah – soccer player
- 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
- Bob Weinstein – film producer
- Harvey Weinstein – film producer and convicted sex offender
- Gabriel P. Weisberg – art historian
- Malina Weissman – child actress
- Tuesday Weld – actress
- T. Tileston Wells – attorney and the Romanian Consul General
- Sheck Wes – rapper
- Leslie West – rock musician
- Mae West – actress
- Nathanael West – author
- Yael Averbuch West – soccer player and sports executive
- Edith Wharton – author
- Joss Whedon – writer, director, producer, and composer
- Maggie Wheeler – actress
- Sahvir Wheeler – basketball player
- Sheldon Whitehouse – U.S. senator for Rhode Island
- Billy Whitlock – blackface performer
- Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney – sculptor and art patron
- Edward W. Whitson – Wisconsin state assemblyman
- Marion Wiesel – Austrian-American Holocaust survivor, humanitarian, and translator
- Matthew Wilder – singer and musician
- Lenny Wilkens – basketball player and coach
- Charles Wilkes – naval officer and explorer
- Billy Dee Williams – actor
- Hype Williams – music video and film director
- Michael K. Williams – actor
- Vanessa E. Williams – actress
- Vanessa L. Williams – singer and actress
- Walter Winchell – newspaper and radio gossip commentator
- Harry Winitsky – political activist; founding member of the Communist Party USA
- Henry Winkler – actor
- Irwin Winkler – film producer and director
- Dean Winters – actor
- Mike Witteck – football player
- Ira Wolfert – war correspondent and writer
- Matthew Wolff – graphic designer
- Lorande Loss Woodruff – biologist
- George Worth, born György Woittitz – Olympic medalist saber fencer
- James Hood Wright – businessman
- Michael Wright – actor
- N'Bushe Wright – actress
- Tanisha Wright – former WNBA player and WNBA head coach
- William H. H. Wroe – member of the Wisconsin State Assembly
- Jason Wu – fashion designer
- Charles Wuorinen – composer
X
- X1 – rapper
- Xaviersobased – rapper, producer
Y
- Izzy Yablok – football player
- Tony Yayo – rapper
- Elizabeth Yeampierre – attorney and environmental activist
- Janet Yellen – former U.S treasury secretary and economist
- Burt Young – actor
- Tony Young – actor
- Ramy Youssef – actor and comedian
Z
- William Zabka – actor known for his role as Johnny Lawrence in Cobra Kai
- Andrew Zimmern – chef, restauranteur and television personality
- William Zinsser – writer, journalist, and professor
- Charlotte Zucker – actress
Non-native New Yorkers
These people were not born or adopted in New York City, and were raised elsewhere, but are well known for living in New York City.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
- Reytory Angola – woman from Angola brought to New Amsterdam as a slave, later became a free landowner
- Jennifer Aniston – actress; born in Sherman Oaks, California
- Lisa Ann – pornographic actress, born in Pennsylvania
- 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
- Drew Barrymore - actress and host of The Drew Barrymore Show, born in Culver City, California
- 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
- 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
- Ruth Buzzi, actress, comedian, singer, born in Westerly, Rhode Island
- David Byrne – musician, born in Dumbarton, Scotland
C
- Antón Cabaleiro – visual artist born in Spain
- Sid Caesar – comedian and actor, born in Yonkers
- 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.
- Dick Clark – TV personality and producer, born in Mount Vernon, New York
- Kelly Clarkson – singer and host of The Kelly Clarkson Show, born in Fort Worth, Texas
- 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
- Mark Consuelos - actor and host of Live with Kelly and Mark born in Zaragoza, Spain
- Bill Cosby – actor and comedian, born in Philadelphia
- 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
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
- Mike Dean – hip hop record producer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist, born in Houston
- Mac DeMarco – singer-songwriter, born in Duncan, British Columbia, Canada
- 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 Infantry Regiment, born in Canada
- Kevin Durant – basketball player, born in Washington D.C.
- 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
- Adriano Espaillat – U.S. representative from New York, former New York state senator and New York state assemblyman
- Patrick Ewing – former NBA All-Star center, born in Jamaica
F
- Lee Falk – cartoonist, born in St. Louis
- Barbara Feldon – writer and retired actress
- Millard Fillmore – U.S. president, born in Summerhill, New York
- Bobby Fischer – chess champion, born in Chicago
- Carrie Fisher – actress, born in Burbank, California
- Ella Fitzgerald – jazz singer, born in Newport News, Virginia
- Barthold Fles – Dutch-born literary agent
- Jake Flores – comedian
- Steve Forbes – publisher, born in Morristown, New Jersey
- Heather Foster – Jamaican-born professional bodybuilder
- Felix Frankfurter – associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, born in Vienna, Austria
- Morgan Freeman – actor, producer, narrator, born in Memphis, Tennessee
- Henry Clay Frick – businessman, born in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania
G
- Dave Gahan Depeche Mode singer, born in Epping, Essex, United Kingdom
- Alberta Gallatin – stage and screen actress, born in Cabell County, West Virginia
- Greta Garbo – actress, born in Stockholm, Sweden
- Teri Garr – actress, born in Lakewood, Ohio
- Dizzy Gillespie – jazz trumpet player, born in Cheraw, South Carolina
- Mark Goddard – actor, attended American Academy of Dramatic Arts, played Derek Barrington on General Hospital, born in Lowell Massachusetts
- Dan Goldman – U.S. representative from New York
- Miguel Gómez – photographer, born in Bogotá, Colombia
- Roger Grimsby – news anchor for KMOX-TV, KGO-TV, WABC-TV, WNBC-TV, and KUSI, born in Butte, Montana
- Savannah Guthrie – anchor for Today show on NBC, born in Sandringham, Victoria, Australia
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
- Albert Hammond Jr – rhythm guitarist of rock band The Strokes, musician, born in Los Angeles
- Mariska Hargitay – actress, born in Santa Monica, California
- Townsend Harris – first U.S. diplomat in Japan, one of the founders of the City College of New York, born in Sandy Hill, New York
- Harry Harrison – radio jockey host for WMCA, WABC, and WCBS-FM, born in Chicago, Illinois
- Randy Harrison – actor, born in New Hampshire
- 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
- Ashton Hayward – former mayor of Pensacola, born in Pensacola, Florida
- O. Henry – author, born in Greensboro, North Carolina
- Tommy Hilfiger – fashion designer, born in Elmira, New York
- Hal Hirshorn – painter and photographer, born in Philadelphia
- 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
- Ian Hornak – realist painter, born in Philadelphia
- Harry Houdini – legendary illusionist and escape artist; born in Budapest, Hungary
- Matt Hoyle – photographer, previously lived in Los Angeles and Australia
- Langston Hughes – poet, born in Joplin, Missouri
I
- Kyrie Irving – basketball player, born in Australia, grew up in New Jersey
J
- Janet Jackson – singer, born in Gary, Indiana
- Jane Jacobs – economist, urban theorist, and activist
- 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
- Weijia Jiang – reporter for WCBS-TV, now at CBS News in Washington, born in Xiamen, Fujian, China
- Paddy Johnson – art critic
- JonTron – YouTuber, co-creator of Game Grumps, born in Rancho Palos Verdes, California
K
- Gabriel Kahane – musician, born in Venice Beach, California
- Tim Keller – speaker, pastor, born in Lehigh, Pennsylvania
- Grace Kelly – actress, born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Robert F. Kennedy – U.S. attorney general and U.S. senator, born in Brookline, Massachusetts
- Tom Kennedy – game show host
- Jack Kerouac – writer associated with the Beat movement
- 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
- John Layfield – professional wrestler, born in Sweetwater, Texas
- Fran Lebowitz – author and public speaker, born in Morristown, New Jersey
- Heath Ledger – Australian actor
- Amy Lee – singer, born in Riverside, California
- Spike Lee – film director and actor, born in Atlanta
- John Lennon – singer, songwriter, activist; has a memorial in New York's Central Park
- Pierre Lorillard IV – tobacco mogul, born in Westchester, New York
- Mike Lupica – journalist, author, born in Oneida, New York
M
- Ralph Macchio actor, born on Long Island
- Ali MacGraw – actress, born in Pound Ridge, New York
- John Madden – NFL head coach and color commentator on CBS Sports, born in Austin, Minnesota
- Madonna – singer-songwriter, actress, director, born in Bay City, Michigan
- Earl Manigault – basketball player, born in Charleston, South Carolina
- Yisroel Mantel – Orthodox rabbi, born in Antwerp, Belgium
- 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
- Jackie Mason – comedian and actor, born in Sheboygan, Wisconsin
- 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
- Linda McCartney – photographer, wife of Beatle Paul McCartney
- Rue McClanahan – theater, television, and movie actress, born in Oklahoma
- John McCloskey – first American-born cardinal, born in Brooklyn
- 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
- Seth Meyers – comedian, actor, and television personality, born in Evanston, Illinois
- Adi Meyerson – jazz bassist, born in San Francisco, California
- Bette Midler – singer and actress, born in Honolulu
- Nicki Minaj − rapper and actress, born in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago
- Liza Minnelli – actress and singer, born in Hollywood, Los Angeles
- The Misshapes – DJs and party hosts
- Miyawaki – singer-songwriter musician
- Moondog – eccentric street musician and poet, born in Kansas
- Garry Moore – television show host and producer, born in Baltimore
- Rita Moreno – actress, singer, dancer, born in Humacao, Puerto Rico
- Fabrizio Moretti – drummer of rock band The Strokes, musician, born in Brazil
- John Pierpont Morgan – businessman, born in Hartford, Connecticut
- Michele Moses – philosopher of education, academic administrator
- 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"
- Debbie Nathan – feminist journalist, born in Houston, Texas
- Casey Neistat – YouTuber and entrepreneur, known for many of his projects based in New York
- Colette Nelson – IFBB professional bodybuilder
- Richard Nixon – former vice president and 37th president of the United States
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
- Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen actresses and fashion designers, born in Sherman Oaks, California
- Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis – First Lady of United States, born in Southampton, New York
- Yoko Ono – artist and singer-songwriter, born in Tokyo, Japan
- Haley Joel Osment – actor, born in Los Angeles
- Hassan Ouakrim – dancer, choreographer and art collector
- Ginny Owens – singer-songwriter, author and blogger, born in Jackson, Mississippi
P
- Charlie Parker – musician in jazz, considered one of the greatest musicians of all time
- Sarah Jessica Parker actress, 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
- Pauley Perrette – actress and singer, acted on NCIS, later owned Donna Bells Bake Shop in New York City, born in New Orleans, Louisiana
- David Hyde Pierce – actor, born in Saratoga Springs, New York
- Mihajlo Pupin physicist, born in Idvor, Austrian Empire
- 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
- Ayn Rand – Russian-born novelist and philosopher
- Tony Randall – actor, born in Tulsa, Oklahoma
- Susan Wu Rathbone – Chinese-born community leader
- Dan Rather – television news anchor, born in Wharton, Texas
- Raven-Symoné actress and singer; born in Atlanta
- Ryan Reynolds – actor; born in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- Kelly Ripa - actress and host of Live with Kelly and Mark, born in Stratford, New Jersey
- John D. Rockefeller – businessman, born in Richford, New York
- Richard Rodgers – composer, born on Long Island
- 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
- Damon Runyon – journalist and playwright, born in Manhattan, Kansas
- Babe Ruth – professional baseball player, born in Baltimore
- Winona Ryder – actress, born in Winona County, Minnesota
S
- Samia – musician
- Telly Savalas – actor, born on Long Island
- 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
- David Sedaris – comedian and author
- Chloë Sevigny – actress, director, and fashion icon, born in Darien, Connecticut
- Jean Shafiroff – philanthropist and socialite
- Fulton J. Sheen – Catholic bishop, author, TV show host, born in El Paso, Illinois
- Elizabeth Shepley Sergeant – journalist and writer, born in Winchester, Massachusetts
- Abraham Shiplacoff – Jewish-American trade union organizer and left wing political activist, born in Chernihiv, Ukraine
- Alana Shipp – American/Israeli IFBB professional bodybuilder
- Shontelle – singer and songwriter
- Ryan Shore – composer, songwriter, and conductor
- Bobby Short – jazz musician, born in Danville, Illinois
- Joel Siegel – film critic, born in Los Angeles
- Gene Simmons – musician, born in Haifa, Israel
- 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
- Patti Smith – singer and poet, born in Chicago
- Joe Solomon – cricketer, born in Port Mourant, Berbice, British Guiana
- Kevin Spacey – actor, director, writer, producer, and 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, and humanitarian
- Dylan Sprouse – actor, entrepreneur, born in Arezzo, Italy
- Elaine Steinbeck, actress, stage manager, born in Austin, Texas
- John Steinbeck, novelist, american writer, born in Salinas, California
- 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
- Emma Stone – actress, born in Scottsdale, Arizona
- Michael Strahan – actor, television personality, and retired football player, born in Houston
- 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
- Nikola Tesla – inventor, engineer and futurist, born in Smiljan, Austrian Empire
- Pankit Thakker – actor
- Samuel J. Tilden – presidential candidate, born in New Lebanon, New York
- Daniel D. Tompkins – U.S. vice president, born in Westchester County, New York
- Frederick Trump – German-born businessman
- Melania Trump – 45th and 47th First Lady of the United States and model, born in Novo Mesto, Yugoslavia
U
- Johannes Urzidil – writer, born in Prague, Bohemia
V
- Martin Van Buren – U.S. president, born in Kinderhook, New York
- Andrew VanWyngarden member of MGMT
- Gary Vaynerchuk serial entrepreneur and best-selling author
- Nydia Velázquez – U.S. congresswoman and former New York City councilor
- Jon Voight – actor, born in Yonkers, New York
- Kurt Vonnegut – writer, born and raised in Indianapolis
- Sal Vulcano – actor and comedian
W
- Rufus Wainwright musician, 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
- Franklin W. Ward – Adjutant General of New York
- Dean Wareham – singer-songwriter, born in New Zealand
- Andy Warhol – artist, born in Pittsburgh
- Denzel Washington – actor, born in Mount Vernon, New York
- Debbie Weems – actress and singer notably on Captain Kangaroo, born in Houston, Texas
- Raquel Welch – actress and model, born in Chicago, Illinois
- Tahnee Welch – actress and model, born in San Diego, California
- Walt Whitman – poet and author, born in West Hills, New York
- Olivia Wilde – actress
- Barney Williams Irish-born comedian
- Jayson Williams – basketball player, born in Ritter, South Carolina
- Wendy Williams – media personality, host of The Wendy Williams Show, born in Asbury Park, New Jersey
- Kate Winslet – actress, born in Reading Berkshire, England
- Christopher Woodrow – movie producer, born in Syracuse, New York
- Jason Wu – fashion designer
X
- Malcolm X – American Muslim, civil rights activist
Z
- Zohran Mamdani – Mayor of New York City, born in Kampala, Uganda