SYRACUSE, N.Y. (WSYR-TV) — Many prominent celebrities were either born or raised in Syracuse New York, and some of the names on this list may surprise you. According to IMDb.com and FamousBirthdays.com, these celebrities originate from Syracuse.
Tom Cruise
As one of the biggest stars in Hollywood, this one might shock you. IMDb says Tom was born right in Syracuse, to his mother Mary Lee (Pfeiffer) and father Thomas Cruise Mapother III, both from Louisville, Kentucky. His family moved from Syracuse when he was young, and he grew up a devout Catholic, originally wanting to join the priesthood. He later renounced his beliefs and joined the Church of Scientology.
Tom Kenny
If you don’t know his name, you might know his voice. This voice actor became famous as the voice of Spongebob Squarepants on the popular Nickelodeon show, and grew up in East Syracuse. He went on to pursue stand-up comedy in Boston and San Francisco, and made several TV appearances before landing his role on Spongebob and several other cartoons.
Robert De Niro (Sr.)
The ultra-famous Robert De Niro’s father, Robert De Niro Sr. was born right in Syracuse on May 3, 1922. He later married Virginia Holton Admiral, and had one child, the actor we all know as Robert De Niro.
Megyn Kelly
As one of the biggest names in news, Kelly was born in Syracuse and practiced law for several years before working for Fox News’s America Live and America’s Newsroom. She went on to host “Megyn Kelly Today” for NBC after leaving Fox News, and it ran for two years before her departure. She now hosts “The Megyn Kelly Show” radio show for SiriusXM, according to USATODAY.com.
Thom Filicia
Ever wondered where the Netflix show Queer Eye originated? Syracuse-born Thom Filicia got his B.A. in Interior Design from Syracuse University’s school of Art and Design in the college of Visual and Performing Arts. He went on to start his own design company, and made appearances on the original Emmy-award winning show “Queer Eye For The Straight Guy”. He is also a bestselling author.
Rod Serling
The late host and writer of “The Twilight Zone” was born on Christmas of 1924 in Syracuse. When he was two years old, his family moved to Binghamton, where he spent most of his childhood according to Wikipedia. He is credited for writing scripts for movies such as Patterns (1956), and was also a former boxer and paratrooper.
Siobhan Fallon Hogan
This film and television actress born in Syracuse in 1961 has credits in “Men In Black,” “Forrest Gump,” “SNL,” “Seinfeld, “Holes”, “New In Town,” and “Wayward Pines”, among others. She is a graduate of Le Moyne College in Syracuse, received her M.F.A. from Catholic University, and went on to be cast in “Saturday Night Live” in 1975 and appeared in the show “Bat Girl”.
Tammy Ly
You might recognize this famed reality star from shows like The Bachelor on ABC. She appeared on the show’s 24th season in 2020, and is a known Syracuse native, having grown up in the city. She has held countless job titles including real estate agent, real estate investor, house flipper, insurance agent, model, actress, and part-time bartender, according to BachelorNation.com.
Michael Coulthard
If you watch WWE, you might recognize Michael Coulthard, known as “Michael Cole” on the network. He has been nicknamed “The Voice of WWE” according to IMDb.com, and was not only born in Syracuse, he went to Syracuse University to study Broadcast journalism. Before WWE, he was hired at a local radio station in Texas, then CBS radio after that.
David Muir
This host of ABC’s World News Tonight and co-host of ABC’s 20/20 was born in Syracuse, and studied at Ithaca College. He worked at a local news station in CNY before working for ABC.
Post Malone
This popular artist known for hits such as “White Iversion”, “Rockstar”, and “Sunflower” was born in Syracuse and moved to Dallas, Texas at the age of 10. His music career was inspired by his love of the game Guitar Hero, and he later joined a hardcore band in high school. It was then that he recorded his mix tape, with songs that launched his fame.
