Famous People Born in Massachusetts a to z

The matriarch of the Kennedy clan, Rose Kennedy saw three of her sons, Robert, John, and Edward, elected to public office and two of them killed by assassins.

Known as the “Lion of the Senate,” Democrat Ted Kennedy was a staunch liberal who was elected to Congress 9 times, spearheading many legislative reforms.

Jack Kerouac was an American writer best known for the novel On the Road, which became an American classic, pioneering the Beat Generation in the 1950s.

Rufus King was an American lawyer and politician from Massachusetts best known as one of the framers and signers of the constitution.

Henry Knox was a bookstore owner who became a Major General under George Washington during the American Revolution and later Secretary of War.

Stanley Kunitz was an American poet who served as Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress (1974; 2000). He won the Pulitzer Prize for his work Selected Poems 1928-1958 (1958).

Emeril Lagasse is a celebrity chef best known as the host of the television show Emeril Live, his lines of products and restaurants, and his catchphrases.

Lewis Howard Latimer was an inventor and draftsman best known for his contributions to the patenting of the light bulb and the telephone.

Timothy Leary was an American psychologist and author who was a leading advocate for the use of LSD and other psychoactive drugs.

Matt LeBlanc is an American actor most famous for his role as Joey Tribbiani on the hit television series, Friends.

The winner of two Oscars, Jack Lemmon was one of Hollywood’s finest actors, known for his roles in films like Some Like it Hot and The Odd Couple.

American artist Jack Levine is best remembered for his American Social Realist paintings, including "Gangster Funeral," which satirized corruption in the modern world.

Henry Cabot Lodge was an American politician from Massachusetts and the first U.S. Senate majority leader.

James Longstreet was the principle general of the Confederate Army during the American Civil War, serving under Robert E. Lee.

Mary Lyon was an educator and founder of the first women's college, which is now known as Mount Holyoke College.

Mary Mahoney became the first black woman to complete nurse's training in 1879.

William Manchester was a historian who notably wrote about American president John F. Kennedy and Winston Churchill.

Horace Mann was an American politician and education reformer, best known for promoting universal public education and teacher training in "normal schools."

Actor, scriptwriter and improvisational comic Jason Mantzoukas has played Rafi on the FX show The League and co-starred with Sacha Baron Cohen in The Dictator.

American professional boxer and world heavyweight champion Rocky Marciano beat Jersey Joe Walcott for the title and won an unrivaled 49 straight fights.

High school teacher Christa McAuliffe was the first American civilian selected to go into space. She died in the space shuttle Challenger’s explosion in 1986.

James Abbott McNeill Whistler was a U.S.-born British painter who was highly influential in the late 19th century. His best-known work is "Whistler's Mother."

Anthony Michael Hall is a film and TV actor known for his roles in Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club and The Dead Zone.

Lucretia Mott was a leading social reformer of her time and helped to form the Free Religious Association.

Leonard Nimoy is an actor who has played Spock in both the 1960s TV series Star Trek and several movies based on the show.

Comedian and writer Conan O'Brien rose to fame as the host of the talk show Late Night and later the Tonight Show and Conan.

James Otis was a lawyer in colonial Massachusetts who is best remembered for the phrase, "Taxation without representation is tyranny."

Don Pardo is a velvet-toned television announcer known for his work over the years on such NBC shows as Saturday Night Live and The Price Is Right.

Frances Perkins was the first female to serve in the U.S. presidential cabinet. As secretary of labor, she helped with the New Deal and Social Security.

Sylvia Plath was a gifted, troubled poet, known for the confessional style of her work. She wrote the novel The Bell Jar.

George Arthur Plimpton expanded the educational publishing company Ginn & Co worldwide. He had a renowned collection of manuscripts and books.

American writer, critic and editor Edgar Allan Poe is famous for his tales and poems of horror and mystery, including The Raven.

Amy Poehler is an actress and comedian famous for her work on Saturday Night Live and Parks and Recreation.

American gymnast Aly Raisman won two gold medals and a bronze at the 2012 Summer Olympic Games, held in London.

Actress Lee Remick appeared with Andy Griffith in Elia Kazan's A Face in the Crowd and starred opposite Jack Lemmon in Days of Wine and Roses.

Silversmith Paul Revere took part in the Boston Tea Party and famously alerted the Lexington Minutemen about the approach of the British in 1775.

Chemist, sanitation engineer, and home economist Ellen Richards opened scientific education and professions to women when she started teaching at MIT in 1884.

Josephine St. Pierre Ruffin was an American community leader and women's rights activist who focused particularly on issues affecting African-American women.

Actor Kurt Russell has appeared in a number of film roles and is know as long-time romantic companion to actress Goldie Hawn, mother of actress Kate Hudson.

Olympic gymnast Alicia Sacramone has won dozens of World Championship and U.S. National Championship medals—competing with such teammates as Nastia Liukin and Shawn Johnson—and won a silver medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics.

Throughout his career, cartoonist and writer Dr. Seuss published 60 children's books, including The Cat in the Hat and Green Eggs and Ham. 

Actress Chloë Sevigny was nominated for an Academy Award for her role in the film Boys Don't Cry, and later played a polygamist on the HBO drama series Big Love.

Poet Anne Sexton wrote the collections To Bedlam and Part Way Back, as well as Live or Die, for which she won the Pulitzer Prize. She committed suicide in 1974.

Roger Sherman was an American government leader best known as a founding father that signed and drafted the Declaration of Independence and signed the U.S. Constitution.

Actor John Slattery played Julia Roberts's love interest in the film Mona Lisa Smile, and a government official in the World War II drama Flags of Our Fathers.

Lesley Stahl is an award-winning television journalist. She's served as co-editor of 60 Minutes and anchored the news program 48 Hours Investigates.

Lucy Stone was a leading activist and pioneer of the abolition and women's rights movements.

Anne Sullivan was a teacher who, at age 21, taught Helen Keller, who was deaf, mute, and blind, how to communicate and read Braille.

Louis H. Sullivan was an architect dubbed the "father of modern American architecture."

Donna Summer was a singer-songwriter who became the "Queen of Disco" in the 1970s with such hits as "Love to Love You Baby," "I Feel Love" and "Last Dance."

Charles Sumner was a U.S. Representative best known an anti-slavery advocate who authored the nation’s first civil rights legislation.

American essayist, poet, and practical philosopher, Henry David Thoreau was a New England Transcendentalist and author of the book Walden.

Educational psychologist E.L. Thorndike pioneered the fields of animal learning and behavioral psychology with his theory of connectionism.

Uma Thurman is an actress known for roles in such films as Kill Bill and its sequel and Pulp Fiction.

James Van Der Zee was a renowned, Harlem-based photographer known for his posed, storied pictures capturing African-American citizenry and celebrity.

Steven Van Zandt is best known as a founding member, guitarist and backup vocalist for Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band and an actor on the HBO TV series The Sopranos.

Lindsey Vonn is an American alpine skiier who has won numerous competitions, including four World Cup overall titles. She won a gold medal in the downhill event at the 2010 Olympics.

Mark Wahlberg got his start headlining the musical group Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch, later going on to a modeling career and acting success in Hollywood.

Mike Wallace is an interviewer and reporter who has been working in TV and radio since 1939. He joined the program 60 Minutes in 1968.

TV Journalist Barbara Walters was on the Today show for 11 years. She is also the first woman to co-anchor a network (ABC) evening news program.

Sam Waterston is an acclaimed actor known for his film, TV and stage work, including roles in Law & Order and Gore Vidal's Lincoln.

Dorothy West is a writer remembered for her sharp observations of varied issues within the African American community.

Eli Whitney was an American inventor who created the cotton gin and pushed the “interchangeable parts” mode of production.

John Greenleaf Whittier was an American poet and abolitionist who, in the latter part of his life, was a household name in both England and the United States.

Singer-filmmaker Rob Zombie has delighted and shocked audiences with his horror-rock music and his scary, violent films.