Famous People from New Jersey

James W. Marshall (1810 - 1885) Although he never struck it rich, James Marshall is linked forever to the story of the California gold rush as the man who set the whole world heading westward with his discovery of gold along the American River in northern California. Born in Hopewell Township, NJ (858)

William "Bud" Abbott (1895 - 1974) Comedian made famous in the popular team Abbott and Costello with routines such as "Who's on First". Born in Asbury Park, NJ (370)

Charles Addams (1912 - 1988) An American Cartoonist who created The Addams Family. Born in Westfield, NJ (371)

Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin (1930 - ) First astronaut to leave a spacecraft and walk in space, he later became the second person to walk on the moon. Born in Montclair, NJ (372)

William Count Basie (1904 - 1984) Was an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer. Widely regarded as one of the most important jazz bandleaders of his time, Basie led his popular Count Basie Orchestra for almost 50 years. Born in Red Bank, NJ (851)

Joan Geraldine Bennett (1910 - 1990) Was an American stage, film and television actress. Besides acting on the stage, Bennett appeared in more than 70 motion pictures from the era of silent movies well into the sound era. Born in Palisades Park, NJ (852)

Judy Blume (1938 - ) Fiction writer for youth with well-known books such as Superfudge and Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing. Born in Elizabeth, NJ (373)

Jon Bon Jovi (1962 - ) American musician, businessman, actor, and lead singer of the famous band Bon Jovi. Born in Perth Amboy, NJ (387)

Aaron Burr (1756 - 1836) 3rd Vice-President of the United States under Thomas Jefferson.He was also a well-known Revolutionary War hero and adventurer. Born in Newark, NJ (386)

Grover Cleveland (1837 - 1908) The 22nd and 24th President of the United States; The only president to serve 2 non-consecutive terms. Born in Caldwel, NJ (375)

Lloyd H. Conover (1923 - ) Invented the antibiotic tetracycline, which became the most prescribed broad spectrum antibiotic in the United States within three years and remains the drug of choice for a number of serious bacterial infections. Born in Orange, NJ (853)

James Fenimore Cooper (1789 - 1851) Was a prolific and popular American writer of the early 19th century. He is best remembered as a novelist who wrote numerous sea-stories and the historical novels known as the Leatherstocking Tales, featuring frontiersman Natty Bumppo. Among his most famous works is the Romantic novel The Last of the Mohicans, often regarded as his masterpiece. Born in Burlington, NJ (854)

David Copperfield (1956 - ) Born David Seth Kotkin; is an Emmy Award-winning American illusionist described by Forbes in 2006 as the most commercially successful magician in history. Born in Metuchen, NJ (855)

Lou Costello (1906 - 1959) Comedian made famous in the popular team Abbott and Costello with routines such as "Who's on First". Born in Paterson, NJ (376)

Stephen Crane (1871 - 1900) Author who is most famous for his novel The Red Badge of Courage. Born in Newark, NJ (377)

Murphree Eger Vaughan (1898 - 1962) Was an American chemist, best known for his co-invention of the process of fluid catalytic cracking. He worked at Exxon, and served from 1947 to 1962 as its VP of research and engineering. He was also briefly involved in the Manhattan Project. Among his awards were the Perkin Medal in 1950. Born in Bayonne, NJ (859)

Donald Fletcher Holmes (1910 - 1980) Was an American inventor. Holmes, along with Dr. William Edward Hanford, invented the process for making the multipurpose material polyurethane. Born in Woodbury, NJ (856)

Whitney Houston (1963 - 2012) Popular singer and actress that was the first to sell 10 million copies of her first two albums. Born in East Orange, NJ (379)

Linda Hunt (1945 - ) Is an American film, stage and television actress. She is perhaps best known for her Academy Award-winning role in 1982's The Year of Living Dangerously. Born in Morristown, NJ (927)

Ernie Kovacs (1919 - 1962) Born Ernest Edward Kovacs was an American comedian whose uninhibited, often ad-libbed, and visually experimental comic style came to influence numerous television comedy programs for years after his death in an automobile accident. Born in Trenton, NJ (857)

Jerry Lewis (1926 - ) Popular comedian during the 1950s and 1960s famous for The Nutty Professor and hosting the Jerry Lewis Telethon for Muscular Dystrophy. Born in Newark, NJ (380)

Raymond Liotta (1954 - ) Is an American actor, best known for his portrayal of Henry Hill in the crime-drama Goodfellas, and for his portrayal as Tommy Vercetti in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. He has won an Emmy Award and been nominated for a Golden Globe Award. Born in Newark, NJ (865)

Jack Nicholson (1937 - ) Actor and Academy Award winner for One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Chinatown and The Shining. Born in Neptune, NJ (381)

Dorothy Parker (1893 - 1967) Was an American writer and poet, best known for her wit, wisecracks, and sharp eye for 20th century urban foibles. Born in Long Branch, NJ (860)

Paul Robeson (1898 - 1976) The first black all-American football player. He was also a famous singer and actor. Born in Princeton, NJ (382)

Paul Simon (1941 - ) Popular singer in the 1960s made famous with songs like "Mrs. Robinson". Born in Newark Heights, NJ (383)

Frank Sinatra (1915 - 1998) Acclaimed jazz singer and Academy Award winning actor; Known for songs like "September of My Years" and "Strangers in the Night." Born in Hoboken, NJ (384)

Kevin Spacey (1959 - ) Is an American actor, director, screenwriter, producer, and crooner. Born in South Orange, NJ (861)

Bruce Springsteen (1949 - ) Singer made famous with album Born in the U.S.A.. Born in Freehold, NJ (378)

Meryl Streep (1949 - ) Born Mary Louise Streep Is an American Actress Born in Summit, NJ (804)

Dave Thomas (1932 - 2002) Was an American restaurant owner and philanthropist. Thomas was the founder and chief executive officer of Wendy's Old Fashioned Hamburgers, a fast-food restaurant chain specializing in hamburgers. Born in Atlantic City, NJ (862)

John Travolta (1954 - ) Actor who was made famous in Grease and Saturday Night Fever. Born in Englewood, NJ (385)

Sarah Vaughan (1924 - 1990) Was an American jazz singer, described by Scott Yanow as having "one of the most wondrous voices of the 20th century. Born in Newark, NJ (863)

Aaron Montgomery Ward (1844 - 1913) He was a business man most well-known for his invention of the mail order business. The company, Montgomery Ward, was begun in 1872, in Chicago. Born in Chatham, NJ (787)

Dionne Warwick (1940 - ) Dionne Warwick has, over an illustrious four-decade career, established herself as an international musical legend. Born in East Orange, NJ (864)