Famous New Jersey Natives

Before we count down New Jersey's Most Famous Natives, I just wanted to share that this lens donates to the Squidoo Charity Fund. We will providing some great selections from the works of each of these famous New Jersey natives. Consider it shopping for a cause if you pick one up, as part of the purchase goes towards helping Squidoo's many charities it benefits.

So are you ready to find out who are New Jersey's Most Famous Natives?

Both Abbott & Costello were born and grew up in the State of New Jersey.

Bud Abbott (1895-1974) was born William Abbott and came from Asbury Park. His partner, Lou Costello (1906-1959) hailed from Paterson.

The comic duo has a host of film credits to their name that is a pretty extensive list. They began performing as burlesque actors and later radio personalities. One of their most popular and well known skits is "Who's On First", a fast moving word play that gets jumbled and confused. It's comprehension confusion is comic genius that is still loved today.

The famous music band, Bon Jovi, was very popular during the 1980's and 1990's and much of it's music was created in Sayreville, New Jersey. They have gone on hiatus several times only to re-emerge with a new music album.

Jon Bon Jovi, the leader of the band and vocalist, was born in 1962 and lived in Perth Amboy.

Bad-Boy Guitarist Richie Sambora was born in 1959 and also resided in Perth Amboy. He also has two solo albums to his name. Richie Sambora was married to actress Heather Locklear for years and together they have a daughter Ava. They divorced in 2007 at which time Sambora was linked to actress Denise Richards (ex-wife of Charlie Sheen).

Frank Sinatra is a native of New Jersey and grew up in Hoboken. He was born in 1915 and died in 1998.

Frank Sinatra's music career was one of longevity as he began performing in the 1930's at a young age and his career spanned into the 1990's.

Frank Sinatra has a huge resume of hits and his music lives on today. History will always remember Frank Sinatra as an incredible performer.

Meryl Streep, the Academy Award winning actress, was born Mary Louise Streep in 1949. Her roots are in Summit, New Jersey.

She has won 2 Academy Awards but has been honored as a nominee 16 times. She has also won 7 Golden Globes but was nominated for that honor an impressive 25 times. Meryl Streep has numerous other honors to her name and a ton of movie credits on her resume. She is believed to be one of the most well-liked and respected actresses of the modern age.

Two of the Cosby Kids from the popular series, The Cosby Show are natives of New Jersey. This popular series was the creation of Bill Cosby who also starred in the series as Dr. Cliff Huxtable. His wife, Clair Huxtable, was portrayed by Phylicia Rashad. This popular television series ran for 8 seasons and can still be seen in reruns.

Malcolm-Jamal Warner played the only Huxtable son, Theo. He was born in 1970 and grew up in Jersey City.

Keisha Knight Pulliam often stole the show as the baby of the Huxtable clan, Rudy. She was born in 1979 and raised in Newark.

The Cosby Show was a favorite for many and was a great comedy television series.

John Travolta was born in 1954 and grew up in Englewood, New Jersey.

He is an extremely popular actor with tons of movies to his credit. His career began on television portraying the popular and funny Vinnie Barbarino in the series Welcome Back, Kotter.

After the Welcome Back, Kotter years, John Travolta's career skyrocketed with succeesful movies like Saturday Night Fever and Grease. After some quieter times in his career, it again took off with his parts in movies like Pulp Fiction and Get Shorty.

He is married to actress Kelly Preston and had two children. Their son, Jett, died in 2009.

John Travolta has tons of movie credits to his name and has played some very memorable characters like he portrayed in movies like Saturday Night Fever, Grease, Pulp Fiction and more.

Bruce Springsteen was born in 1949 in Long Branch, New Jersey but early on became a resident of Freehold, which is where he is really known as being from.

No one would need much of an introduction to Bruce Springsteen and his E Street Band. His music and performances span the decades. Much of his music has been used in films and he has received numerous awards. He has been a Super Bowl half time performer and so much more.

Bruce Springsteen's style is very Americana and often highlights the struggles of life. His most successful and well known albums, Born In The U.S.A. and Born To Run show that style with flair.

Bruce Springsteen is widely known as The Boss and is married to back up singer Patti Scialfa from his E Street Band. The couple has been together for over two decades and the relationship began as an affair. They are however a couple of endurance in the world of famous people although recently it's rumored that The Boss has had an extramarital affair. The couple denies those rumors as of this writing and says they are happily married and their relationship is flourishing.

Despite being a very famous musician and always in the public eye, Bruce Springsteen remains a Jersey Boy at heart and lives a very laid-back and low key life. He rarely grants interviews and manages to stay out of the limelight and away from the paparazzi for the most part.

Joe Pesci was born in 1943 in Newark, New Jersey. He is best known as an actor who has portrayed numerous funnymen and Mafia gangsters. His movie credits range from action films like Goodfellas, Casino and the Lethal Weapon series to funny children's comedies like Home Alone and Home Alone 2: Lost In New York.

He won an Academy Award for his role of Tommy DeVito in Goodfellas. Joe Pesci also starred in Michael Jackson's movie Moonwalker as Mr. Big under the Smooth Criminal segment (named after Michael Jackson's song by the same name).

Joe Pesci retired from acting and is now pursuing a music career and enjoying life away from the limelight. He co-produced the Broadway musical, Jersey Boys, based on the musical group Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons.

Whitney Houston was a singer with a beautiful voice who ran the full gamut image-wise. She had a good girl from the projects image during her rise to fame in the mid-late 1980's later to be amid allegations of substance abuse and a volatile marriage to singer Bobby Brown.

Sadly, Whitney Houston passed from this world at the young age of 48. Rumors of drug use, drinking and other things swirl around her mysterious death. While her life had it's ups and downs one thing is for sure: She could hit some high notes and had the voice of an angel.

Whitney Houston was born in 1963 and made her first home in the projects of Newark. She was the daughter of singer, Cissy Houston and the niece of Dionne Warwick. Aretha Franklin is also her godmother. Whitney Houston grew up in East Orange.

During the 1980's, Whitney Houston had a meteoric rise to fame as a wonderful female vocalist. One can not argue that she possessed a beautiful singing voice. Her awards and achievements are too numerous to list.

In the 1990's, Whitney Houston married Bobby Brown and together they had one daughter, Bobbi Kristina. The marriage was a roller coaster ride in the public eye and often there were stories of substance abuse and drug addiction. In 2009, Whitney Houston gave a very frank interview on the Oprah Winfrey show where she admitted her drug addiction and told of the abusive relationship between her and Bobby Brown.

During the 1990's, Whitney Houston also made several movies, produced a handful of projects for the big and little screen as well as appeared in several television commercials.

Following her frank interview about her drug use in 2006, she had been staging a comeback and worked on staying clean and sober. I find it sad that someone who had such a great career going succumbed to drugs as many other famous people have. Rest in peace Whitney!

Michael Douglas was born in 1944 and was raised in his early years in New Brunswick, New Jersey. He and his wife, Catherina Zeta Jones, are owners of a New Jersey home in Ridgewood today.

He is the son of actor Kirk Douglas and both a great actor and producer. His resume is extensive and includes many awards and honors.

Michael Douglas has starred in many movies as memorable characters. Probably one of his best known being Gordon Gecko of Wall Street, a role which he has reprised in the sequel Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps.

He has been married to actress Catherine Zeta Jones since 2000. She is 25 years his junior and they share the same birthday. Together, they have two children and starred together in the action movie Traffic.

Singer Frankie Valli was born in 1937 and grew up in Newark, New Jersey. He was inspired to pursue a singing career at the young age of 7 after seeing Frank Sinatra in concert.

He is known for his falsetto voice talents as the frontman and lead vocalist for the group The Four Seasons. Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons produced 29 Top 40 hit songs.

His career began in the 1950's and extended way into the 1970's. He also released several solo singles including the soundtrack to the movie Grease.

Danny DeVito is another well known actor, director and producer who has deep roots to the State of New Jersey. He was born in 1944 in Neptune and grew up in Asbury Park. Today, he still owns a vacation home in Interlaken.

Danny DeVito has an extensive list of movie credits to his name but got his start in television as Louie De Palma, the vociferous taxi company manager from the television series Taxi, which ran from 1978-1983.

He is married to actress Rhea Pearlman since 1982 and they have three children. He and his wife, Rhea, have starred in several movies together over the course of their careers.

Danny DeVito has also been involved in many movies with fellow New Jersey native, Michael Douglas.

Gloria Gaynor is a female singer best known for some popular music during the disco era. She was born in 1949 in Newark, New Jersey and still makes her home in the state in Green Brook.

She had several big hits during the disco era but is most well known for her single I Will Survive.

Actor Ed Harris was born in 1950 in Englewood, New Jersey and was raised in Tenafly.

He has been nominated for numerous Academy Awards and Golden Globes and has received numerous other honors. He is another actor who has quite a resume of movie roles.

One of my favorite movies with Ed Harris is Radio, in which he co-stars with Cuba Gooding Jr. It's touching and based on a true story. I recommend it to anyone who likes heartwarming movies.

The Jonas Brothers are a popular boy band that made famous by a guest appearance on the Hannah Montana show and later starred in their own Disney Channel releases.

The group consists of three brothers:

Paul Kevin Jonas II who was born in 1987.

Joseph Adam Jonas who was born in 1989, and,

Nicholas Jerry Jonas born in 1992.

The Jonas Brothers are natives of New Jersey and were raised in Wyckoff. They are known as a Jersey Shore band. They had a series on the Disney Channel and later starred in Disney Channel Movie releases.

To date, The Jonas Brothers have released 4 albums and won several awards. They still perform together and have several projects in the works.

Brian Keith was born in 1921 and was raised in Bayonne, New Jersey. He passed away in 1997.

His acting resume is also quite extensive and he had a host of movie roles throughout his career.

Brian Keith, the movie actor, is probably best known for his role in the Disney Movie, The Parent Trap in 1961 as well as a pretty impressive list of other movie credits.

Brian Keith starred in two well-loved television series:

Family Affair which ran from 1966-1971 for a total of 138 episodes. In the series, Brian Keith played the role of Uncle Bill Davis.

Hardcastle & McCormick which ran from 1983-1986 in which Brian Keith played the cranky retired judge, Milton Hardcastle, to Daniel Hugh Kelly's Mark McCormick, an ex-con. It was a fun crime drama with many comedy moments.

Brian Keith was the recipient of numerous awards and received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame posthumously.

While Ian Ziering is best known for his role as Steve Sanders in the popular television series Beverly Hills 90210, his real zip code is very far from there.

Ian Ziering (pronounced EYE-an with a long I) was born in 1964 in Newark, New Jersey. He was raised in West Orange thru his high school years.

In addition to his role on Beverly Hills 90210, Ian Ziering has starred in some other movies as well as provided voice talents for a Spiderman animated series. He appeared in Season 4 of Dancing With The Stars dancing with Cheryl Burke.

The very versatile Nathan Lane was actually born as Joseph Lane in Jersey City, New Jersey in 1956. He resided in Jersey City until he went off to college in Pennsylvania.

Nathan Lane has numerous Broadway performances to his credit as well as his roles in movies. Additionally, he lent his voice talents to a handful of successful children's movies. His most memorable voice roles would be as Timon in Disney's The Lion King series and as Snowbell in the Stuart Little series.

Nathan Lane is to me a very versatile actor and is great in both comedic or more serious roles.

We know her by her stage name. But she was born Dana Elaine Owens in Newark, New Jersey in 1970. She grew up in Newark, and then East Orange and still has a home in Colts Neck, New Jersey.

Queen Latifah has been a singer, rapper, television and movie actress, commercial spokesperson, talk show host, author and more. She has a pretty incredible resume and list of things she's done and accomplished.

We know him as legendary comedian Jerry Lewis of screen, television, radio and his hosting the Muscular Dystrophy Telethons for MDA. He was born Joseph Levitch in 1926. He made his home in both Newark and Irvington, graduating from high school there.

Early on in his career, Jerry Lewis is best known as sidekick of Dean Martin as the Martin & Lewis Comedy team. Their act began in a nightclub, then radio and finally to television and was well-loved.

Jerry Lewis has an extensive list of awards credited to his name and a host of movies he starred in and helped produce.

At 84 years old, Jerry Lewis is still actively involved in his main charity, the Muscular Dystrophy Association and is known for his many years of involvement and hosting their annual telethons.

Ray Liotta was born in New Jersey in 1954. His earlier years were spent in Newark and then he was raised thru his high school years in Union.

Most equate Ray Liotta with quite a few movies where overall he's played some pretty creepy parts. What many don't know is that he actually got his break into acting by appearing on a soap opera.

Ray Liotta played Joey Perrini on the soap Another World from 1978-1981. I remember him on there as Another World was one of my mother's favorite soaps. After leaving Another World, he got his break into films and since has appeared in quite a few and is still actively acting today.

Ray Liotta is probably best known for his role in Goodfellas, which he starred in along with fellow New Jersey native Joe Pesci.

Eva Marie Saint has been a television and screen star with a career spanning over 50 years. She was born Eva Marie Saint (not a stage name) in 1924 in Newark, New Jersey. She was named after her mother.

While she was born in New Jersey, she spent most of her childhood and teen years in New York.

Eva Marie Saint has received numerous awards and honors and has a television and film career that spans over 50 years. Her last screen appearance according to a record of her filmology was in 1996.

John Amos was born in Newark, New Jersey in 1939. He grew up in East Orange and graduated from high school there. From there, John Amos has a rather interesting story, beginning with college and a football career before his break into acting.

John Amos is probably best known on television as James Evans, the husband of Florida Evans, in the television series Good Times. He starred on the show for it's first 3 seasons (1974-76) but later left the show due to tensions and differences with it's producers. At the time, John Amos was 19 years Esther Rolle's junior, who portrayed his wife, Florida. When John Amos left the show, his character died in a car accident and the series continued without him.

John Amos has appeared in many movies over the years and has won many awards. most notably in his role as the adult Kunta Kinte in Roots.

Thanks for spending time with me today finding out about famous natives of my birth state! There are some more of note but for a complete list, you can visit the Wikipedia module at the beginning of this lens.

Count Basie (1904-1984), jazz pianist, organist, bandleader (Red Bank)
Philip Bosco (born 1930), actor (Jersey City)
Sandra Dee (1942-2005), actress (Bayonne)
Kirsten Dunst (born 1982), actress (Point Pleasant)
Greg Evigan (born 1953), actor, B. J. and the Bear, My Two Dads (South Amboy)
Vera Farmiga (born 1973), actress The Departed, The Manchurian Candidate (Irvington)
Connie Francis (born 1938), pop singer (Newark)
James Gandolfini (born 1961), actor (Westwood)
Derek Jeter (born 1974) baseball player (Pequannock, New Jersey)
Ernie Kovacs (1919-1962), comedian (Trenton)
Jane Krakowski (born 1969), actress (Parsippany)
Andrew McCarthy (born 1962), actor (Westfield)
Frankie Muniz (born 1985), actor (Wood-Ridge)
Ricky Nelson (1940-1985), singer/actor (Teaneck)
Bebe Neuwirth (born 1958), actress (Princeton)
Shaquille O'Neal (born 1972), professional basketball player (Newark)
Robert Pastorelli (1954-2004), actor, Murphy Brown, Cracker, Eraser (New Brunswick)
Elizabeth Peña (born 1961), actress, The Incredibles, Rush Hour (Elizabeth)
Danny Pintauro (born 1976) actor, Who's the Boss? (Milltown)
Joe Piscopo (born 1951), actor, Saturday Night Live, 100 Deeds for Eddie McDowd (Passaic)
Kelly Ripa (born 1970), actress/television host (Stratford)
Dennis Rodman (born 1961), former professional basketball player (Trenton)
Joel Silver (born 1952), film and television producer, the Matrix Trilogy, the Lethal Weapon movies (South Orange)
Martha Stewart (born 1941) lifestyle guide, entrepreneur (b. Jersey City, grew up in Nutley)