This is a list of people who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with the city of Boston, Massachusetts and its surrounding metropolitan statistical area.
0-9
A
- Joel Abbot (1776âÂÂ1826) â naval officer
- Amos Abbott (1786âÂÂ1868) â born in Westford, member of the United States House of Representatives from Massachusetts
- Austin Abbott (1831âÂÂ1896) â born in Boston; lawyer, novelist, and academic
- Benjamin Vaughan Abbott (1830âÂÂ1890) â born in Boston, lawyer and legal writer
- Joseph Carter Abbott (1825âÂÂ1882) â publisher of the Boston Bee
- Josiah Gardner Abbott (1814âÂÂ1891) â member of United States House of Representatives
- Abdul-Malik Abu (born 1995) â basketball player in the Israeli Premier Basketball League
- Edith Achilles (1892âÂÂ1989) â psychologist
- Abigail Adams (1744âÂÂ1818) â born in Weymouth, First Lady of the United States
- Abijah Adams (1754âÂÂ1816) â born in Boston, journalist, often embroiled in lawsuits against him
- Charles Francis Adams Sr. (1807âÂÂ1886) â born in Boston; son of Abigail Adams and John Adams; congressman; diplomat; writer
- Edwin Adams (1834âÂÂ1877) â born in Medford, 19th-century stage actor
- Eliphalet Adams (1677âÂÂ1753) â born in Medford, clergyman and missionary
- Hannah Adams (1755âÂÂ1831) â born in Medfield, famous Christian writer
- Henry Adams (1838âÂÂ1918) â born in Boston, journalist, historian, academic and novelist
- Jasper Adams (1793âÂÂ1841) â born in Medway, clergyman and college president
- Nehemiah Adams (1806âÂÂ1878) â clergyman and author
- Sammy Adams â musician
- Samuel Adams â American Revolution patriot, signer of the Declaration of Independence
- Aerosmith â band
- Ben Affleck â Academy Award-winning actor, screenwriter and director, brother of Casey
- Casey Affleck â Academy Award-winning actor, brother of Ben
- George Aiken (1830âÂÂ1876) â born in Boston, actor and playwright
- Amos T. Akerman (1821âÂÂ1880) â United States attorney general, born in Portsmouth, New Hampshire
- Akrobatik â hip hop artist, member of The Perceptionists
- Al B. Sure â singer
- Harriet Ryan Albee (1829âÂÂ1873) â born and died in Boston; social reformer and philanthropist
- Mildred Albert (1905âÂÂ1991) â fashion show producer and radio and television personality
- Louisa May Alcott â 19th-century author of Little Women
- Horatio Alger Jr. â author
- Fred Allen â radio comedian
- Frederick Lewis Allen â writer
- Joseph Allen (1749âÂÂ1827) â born in Boston, United States congressman
- Nathaniel M. Allen â soldier in Civil War, awarded Congressional Medal of Honor
- The Almighty RSO â rap group
- Stanley Alves â soccer player
- John Amaechi â basketball player
- American Hi-Fi â band
- American Nightmare â hardcore band
- Amerie â R&B artist
- Ed Ames â actor and singer
- Rich Amiri â rapper
- Tony Amonte â NHL player
- Leroy Anderson â composer for Boston Pops Orchestra
- Arthur L. Andrews â chief master sergeant of the Air Force
- Mary Antin â author
- Ashkanov Apollon â soccer player
- Apollo Sunshine â band
- Thomas Gold Appleton (1812âÂÂ1884) â writer
- Isabel Atkin â BritishâÂÂAmerican skier and Olympic medalist for Great Britain
- Oliver F. Atkins â photographer, served as the chief official White House photographer
- Crispus Attucks â American Revolution patriot
- Red Auerbach â Boston Celtics coach and president, Basketball Hall of Famer
- John Augustus (1785âÂÂ1859) â born in Boston, philanthropist and pioneer of probation
- James Trecothick Austin (1784âÂÂ1870) â born in Boston, member of Massachusetts General Court and Massachusetts attorney general
- Jonathan Loring Austin (1748âÂÂ1826) â born in Boston; officer in American Revolutionary War; Massachusetts state representative, senator, secretary, and treasurer
B
- Bad Rabbits â band
- Arthur Baker â rap DJ, music producer
- Bang Camaro â rock band
- Sasha Banks â WWE wrestler, former WWE Raw Women's Champion, former NXT Women's Champion
- Maria Barrett â US Army major general; older sister of US Army General Paula Lodi
- Dana Barros â former basketball player
- Zered Bassett â professional skateboarder
- Benjamin E. Bates â founder and namesake of Bates College
- Ruth Batson â civil rights and education activist
- Susan Batson â actress, author, and producer; daughter of Ruth Batson
- Peter D. Bear â Wisconsin State Senator
- Bell Biv DeVoe â music group
- Gaston Bell â stage and silent film actor
- Tobin Bell â actor (born in Queens, NY, raised in Weymouth)
- Mark Bellhorn â MLB player
- Cora Agnes Benneson â attorney, lecturer, and writer
- Frank Weston Benson â impressionist artist
- Rick Berlin â musician
- Leonard Bernstein â New York Philharmonic conductor, composer and pianist
- Big D and the Kids Table â band
- Big Shug â rapper
- Traci Bingham â actress, model
- Mike Birbiglia â comedian
- Molly Birnbaum â writer
- William Blackstone (also spelled Blaxton) â first European settler
- Arthur Blake â athlete
- Will Blalock â former basketball player
- David Blatt (born 1959) â Israeli-American basketball player and coach (most recently for the Cleveland Cavaliers)
- C. L. Blood â physician
- Matt Bloom â NFL player and professional wrestler, known for his time in WWE
- Michael Bloomberg â former mayor of New York City
- Bob and Ray â comedy team
- Ernie Boch Jr. â president of Boch Enterprises
- Ray Bolger â actor and dancer, Scarecrow in The Wizard of Oz
- Veda Ann Borg â film actress
- Boston â band
- Boys Like Girls â band
- Ron Brace â NFL player, New England Patriots
- Nathaniel Jeremiah Bradlee â architect
- William J. Bratton â chief of police for NYPD and LAPD
- Connie Britton â actress
- John Britton â abortion provider
- Edward W. Brooke â first African American elected by popular vote to United States Senate
- Bobby Brown â singer
- Carolyn Brown â dancer, writer, choreographer
- Earle Brown â composer
- Lexie Brown â basketball player for the Seattle Storm
- Sam Brown â comedian from IFC sketch comedy show The Whitest Kids U' Know
- Scott Brown â U.S. senator
- William B. Broydrick â Wisconsin state assemblyman
- Aimee Buchanan (born 1993) â American-born Olympic figure skater for Israel
- Buffalo Tom â band
- Charles Bulfinch â architect who designed Massachusetts State House, original United States Capitol dome and rotunda
- James "Whitey" Bulger â organized crime boss
- Ephraim Wales Bull â creator of the concord grape
- Chris Burden â sculptor/installation artist, performance artist
- Thomas Burke â sprinter
- Bill Burr â comedian
- Edwin C. Burt â shoemaker
- Bury Your Dead â band
- George H. W. Bush â 41st president of the United States
- Vannevar Bush â scientist
C
- C60 â band
- Louis C.K. â comedian and actor
- Will Calhoun â drummer for Living Colour (born in NY, lived in Boston)
- Steve Carell â actor and comedian, The Office, The Daily Show, The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Despicable Me
- The Cars â band
- Melnea Cass â community and civil rights activist
- Peggy Cass â actress and TV game show panelist
- John Cazale â actor, The Godfather, The Deer Hunter, Dog Day Afternoon
- John Cena â professional wrestler, known for his time in WWE
- Nicholas Raymond Cerio â founder of Nick Cerio's Kenpo
- Kevin Chapman â actor
- Julius Caesar Chappelle â Massachusetts legislator
- Simone Charley â soccer player
- Ken Cheeseman â actor
- Gary Cherone â singer (Extreme and Van Halen)
- Michael Chiklis â actor, The Shield
- Neil Cicierega â Internet personality, created Potter Puppet Pals
- Lenny Clarke â comedian and actor
- The Click Five â band
- Alex Cobb â baseball pitcher
- J. A. Coburn â blackface minstrel performer, troupe owner and manager
- John A. Collins â chief of chaplains of the U.S. Air Force
- Misha Collins â actor
- Jerry Colonna â entertainer
- Greg Comella â NFL fullback
- James Bryant Conant â chemist, 23rd president of Harvard University
- Dane Cook â comedian and actor
- Calvin Coolidge â 30th president of the United States
- Harriet Abbott Lincoln Coolidge â author, philanthropist, reformer
- Jennifer Coolidge â actress, American Pie, A Mighty Wind, Legally Blonde
- Miriam O'Leary Collins â actress
- Gerry Connolly â U.S. representative for Virginia and president of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly
- John Singleton Copley â artist
- Chick Corea â Grammy Award-winning jazz musician and composer
- Jeff Corwin â TV personality
- Aisha Cousins (born 1978) â artist/performance art score writer
- Lynne Cox â professional swimmer
- Charlie Coyle (born 1992) â hockey player
- Zach Cregger â actor, comedian, star of the IFC sketch comedy series WKUK
- Norm Crosby â comedian
- Marcia Cross â actress, Desperate Housewives
- James Michael Curley â mayor of Boston, Massachusetts governor, and U.S. representative
- Jane Curtin â actress and comedian
- Johnny Curtis â professional wrestler, known for his time in WWE
- Thomas Curtis (1873âÂÂ1944) â athlete
- Richard Cushing â archbishop of Boston and cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church
- Susan Webb Cushman (1822âÂÂ1859) â stage actress
- Jay Cutler â 4x IFBB Mr. Olympia, bodybuilder
D
- Joey Daccord â ice hockey goaltender
- Dick Dale â musician
- Matt Damon â actor and Oscar-winning screenwriter, Good Will Hunting, The Departed, Ocean's Eleven and Bourne Identity series
- Evan Dando â musician
- Duncan Daniels â Nigerian-American afropop and afrobeat musician, producer and songwriter
- Bette Davis â Academy Award-winning actress, Dark Victory, Jezebel, All About Eve
- Daniel Davis Jr. â nineteenth-century inventor
- Geena Davis â Academy Award-winning actress, The Accidental Tourist
- Margaret Bryan Davis â palynologist and paleoecologist
- Henry Dearborn â physician, general, and politician
- Henry Alexander Scammell Dearborn â lawyer, author, statesman, soldier, mayor of Roxbury; son of Henry Dearborn
- Death Before Dishonor â band
- Patrick DeCoste â musician
- Manny Delcarmen â MLB pitcher
- Becky DelosSantos â Playboy Playmate centerfold, April 1994
- Brad Delp â singer
- Tony DeMarco â boxer, welterweight champion, born 1932 in North End
- Paul Demayo â IFBB professional bodybuilder
- Joseph Dennie â writer
- Joe Derrane (1930âÂÂ2016) â accordion player
- Michael Dertouzos (1936âÂÂ2001) â computer scientist
- Albert DeSalvo â serial killer known as "The Boston Strangler"
- Jack DeSena â actor, played Sokka in '
- P. T. Deutermann â author
- Diamante â rock singer
- Dinosaur Jr. â band
- Rick DiPietro â NHL goaltender (from Boston suburbs)
- Tony Dize â reggaeton singer
- Ken Doane â professional wrestler, known for his time in WWE
- William P. Doyle â commissioner of the Federal Maritime Commission
- The Dresden Dolls â punk cabaret duo
- Robert Drinan â former U.S. congressman
- Drop Nineteens â band
- Dropkick Murphys â band
- Shem Drowne â America's first weathervane maker
- W. E. B. Du Bois â scholar, professor; first African American to receive a Ph.D. from Harvard; founder of NAACP
- Joseph Dudley â colonial governor of Massachusetts
- Michael Dukakis â Massachusetts governor, US presidential candidate in 1988
- Neal Dunn â representative for Florida
- William C. Durant â founder of General Motors
- Adam Duritz â singer-songwriter for Counting Crows (born in Baltimore, lived in Boston)
- Eliza Dushku â actress
- Mary Dyer â Quaker martyr
E
- Ed O.G. â hip hop artist
- Ayo Edebiri â actress
- Ryan Edell (born 1983) â professional baseball player
- Adam Edelman (born 1991) â American-born four-time Israeli National Champion in skeleton event, and Israeli Olympian
- Richard J. Egan â founder and chairman of EMC Corporation
- Charles H. Eglee â televisionàscreenwriter
- Jeremy Elbertson â livestreamer, YouTuber, and internet comedian
- Charles C. Eldredge â art historian and educator
- Louis C. Elson â music critic, music historian, composer, and professor of music theory
- Ralph Waldo Emerson â essayist, lecturer, poet
- Ernie and the Automatics â band
- Mike Eruzione â captain of USA's 1980 Winter Olympics hockey team (from Boston suburbs)
- Julius Erving â Basketball Hall of Famer, UMass, New York Nets, Philadelphia 76ers
- William Eustis â early American statesman, governor of Massachusetts
- Chris Evans â actor, known for role as "Captain America"
- Patrick Ewing â Basketball Hall of Famer, NCAA champion, center for New York Knicks
- Patrick Ewing Jr. â basketball player, New York Knicks, New Orleans Hornets
- Extreme â band
F
- Louis Farrakhan â head of Nation of Islam
- Charles Farrell â actor
- Spike Feresten â screenwriter and television personality
- John Ferruggio â led evacuation of Pan Am Flight 93, hijacked in 1970
- Arthur Fiedler â Boston Pops orchestra conductor
- John F. Fitzgerald â Boston mayor and grandfather of John F. Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy, and Edward M. "Ted" Kennedy
- Charles L. Fletcher â architect and interior designer; owner of Charles Fletcher Design
- Doug Flutie â Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback, Boston College; AFL, CFL, and NFL player, television commentator
- Robert Bennet Forbes â sea captain, China trader
- Ben Foster â actor (born in Boston)
- Dwight Foster â Massachusetts attorney general; associate justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court
- Jon Foster â actor (born in Boston)
- Toby Fox â composer and video game developer known best for creating Undertale
- Arlene Francis â actress, radio and TV personality (What's My Line?)
- Black Francis â of the band Pixies
- Benjamin Franklin â author, public servant, diplomat, signer of the Declaration of Independence
- Bettina Freeman â opera singer
- Robert Frost â iconic poet
G
- The G-Clefs â Top 40 soul group
- Tony Gaffney (born 1984) â basketball player in the Israeli Basketball Premier League
- Greg Gagne â MLB player
- Ryan Gallant â professional skateboarder (Plan B Skateboards, DC Shoes)
- Gang Green â band
- Gang Starr â rap group
- Erle Stanley Gardner â lawyer, author, creator of Perry Mason
- Kevin Garnett â retired professional basketball player
- Edmund H. Garrett â prolific 19th- and 20th-century book illustrator and artist
- Althea Garrison â politician and first known transgender member of a state legislature in the United States
- Peter Gerety â actor
- Tabitha St. Germain â voice actress
- Elbridge Gerry â signer of Declaration of Independence; governor of Massachusetts; vice president of the United States; gave his name to "gerrymandering"
- Kahlil George Gibran â sculptor
- Charles Dana Gibson â illustrator
- Joy Giovanni â professional wrestler, known for her time in WWE
- Paul Michael Glaser â actor and director, Starsky & Hutch
- Tom Glavine â Hall of Fame baseball pitcher for Atlanta Braves
- Sumner Jules Glimcher â professor, author and filmmaker
- Godsmack â band
- Jared Goldberg â Olympic skier
- Duff Goldman â star of Food Network TV show Ace of Cakes (born in Detroit, lived in MA)
- Ezekiel Goldthwait (1710âÂÂ1782) â prominent in town affairs in the years leading up to the American Revolution
- Benjamin Gould â astronomer
- Robert Goulet â Grammy Award-winning singer and Tony-winning actor (born in Lawrence)
- Paul Graham â hacker, painter, essayist, tech startup guru
- Kaz Grala â NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driver, youngest ever to win a NASCAR Touring Series race
- Geoffrey Gray (born 1997) â American-Israeli professional basketball player in the Israeli Basketball Premier League
- Jane Loring Gray â editor
- Ari Graynor â actress
- Clark Gregg â actor
- Justine Greiner â Playboy Playmate centerfold, February 1984
- Mike Grier â NHL player
- Tammy Grimes â actress, singer
- Hattie Tyng Griswold (1842âÂÂ1909) â author, poet
- Loyd Grossman â author, broadcaster, musician and businessman
- Matt Grzelcyk â NHL player
- Bill Guerin â NHL player
- Louise Gunning â musical actress
- Guru â rapper, member of Gang Starr
- Guster â band
- Jasmine Guy â actress and singer
H
I
J
- Shar Jackson â actress
- Jada â pop and R&B singing group signed to UniversalMotown
- Marie Jansen â musical actress
- Jerma â Twitch streamer, YouTuber
- Martin Johnson â lead singer of Boys Like Girls
- Thomas Johnston â engraver, organ builder, japanner, and heraldic painter
- JoJo â singer, actress
- John Pinette â actor, comedian
- Julia Jones â actress
- Sam Jones III â actor, Glory Road
- Darin Jordan â NFL player
- Rebecca Richardson Joslin â author, lecturer, benefactor, clubwoman
- Jujubee â drag queen
- Tom Jung â art director, graphic designer, illustrator, storyboard artist
K
- Madeline Kahn â actress, Blazing Saddles
- Mindy Kaling â actress, The Office
- Alex Karalexis â UFC, WEC fighter
- Karmin â musical group
- Robert Kelly â actor, comedian
- The Kennedy family
- Edward M. "Ted" Kennedy (1932âÂÂ2009) â longtime Massachusetts senator
- Eunice Kennedy Shriver (1921âÂÂ2009) â Special Olympics founder
- Jean Kennedy Smith (1928âÂÂ2020) â United States ambassador to Ireland
- John F. "Jack" Kennedy (1917âÂÂ1963) â Massachusetts senator and 35th president of the United States
- Joseph P. "Joe" Kennedy Jr. (1915âÂÂ1944) â fighter pilot
- Joseph P. Kennedy Sr. (1888âÂÂ1969) â family patriarch, United States ambassador to the United Kingdom
- Kathleen "Kick" Kennedy Cavendish (1920âÂÂ1948) â socialite and widow of the heir apparent of the Duke of Devonshire
- Patricia Kennedy Lawford (1924âÂÂ2006) â socialite
- Robert F. "Bobby" Kennedy (1925âÂÂ1968) â U.S. attorney general and New York senator
- Rose Kennedy (1890âÂÂ1995) â family matriarch, philanthropist, and socialite
- Myles Kennedy â singer, songwriter
- Jack Kerouac â beat poet and writer
- Alex Kerr â soccer player
- Nancy Kerrigan â Olympic figure skating silver medalist
- John Kerry â U.S. secretary of state, longtime Massachusetts senator (1985âÂÂ2013) and presidential candidate in 2004
- Keytar Bear â keytarist in a bear costume who commonly performs at MBTA stations
- Killswitch Engage â metalcore band
- Andy Kim â U.S. senator for New Jersey
- John King â CNN chief political correspondent
- Kori King (born 2000) â drag queen
- Kofi Kingston â professional wrestler, known for his time in WWE (born in Ghana, lived in Boston)
- Jonathan Knight â singer, dancer (New Kids on the Block)
- Jordan Knight â singer, dancer (New Kids on the Block)
- Henry Knox â first U.S. Secretary of War, Founding Father, senior general in the Continental Army under Washington
- Yitzhak Aharon Korff â Grand Rabbi, diplomat, international consultant
- Lauren Koslow â soap opera actress
- Walter "Killer" Kowalski â professional wrestler, teacher, photographer
- Bob Kraft â owner of the New England Patriots
- John Krasinski â actor (Jim Halpert in NBC's The Office)
- Sol Kumin â businessman, philanthropist and racehorse owner
L
- Philip Labonte â musician
- PJ Ladd â professional skateboarder
- Liz LaManche â public artist
- Jack Landrón â folk singer, songwriter
- Robert Lanza â medical doctor and scientist
- Lewis Howard Latimer â inventor
- Denis Leary â actor, comedian, writer and director
- Matt LeBlanc â actor, Friends
- Dennis Lehane â author
- Jack Lemmon â Academy Award-winning actor, Mister Roberts, Save the Tiger, The Odd Couple, Grumpy Old Men
- Jay Leno â comedian and television personality
- Letters to Cleo â rock band
- Elma Lewis â founder of National Center of Afro-American Artists (including a museum) and Elma Lewis School of Fine Arts
- Gary Russell Libby â art historian, museum director, curator
- Erica Lindbeck â voice actress
- William Linn â defender of the Alamo
- Henry Cabot Lodge â politician
- Paula Lodi â US Army brigadier general; younger sister of US Army General Maria Barrett
- Edward Lawrence Logan â military officer, jurist, politician
- Howie Long â NFL player
- Ted Kennedy (1932âÂÂ2009) â longtime Massachusetts senator
- Amy Lowell â Pulitzer Prize-winning poet
- Percival Lowell â established the Lowell Observatory in his search for what led to the discovery of the planet Pluto
- Robert Lowell â poet
- Joyner Lucas â rapper
- Stephen Lynch â U.S. congressman for Massachusetts
- Lyte Funky Ones â pop trio
M
- Aimee Mann â singer
- Jonathan Mann â HIV/AIDS researcher and World Health Organization administrator; killed on Swissair Flight 111
- Rob Mariano â Survivor contestant
- Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch â rap group
- Pedro MartÃÂnez â retired professional baseball player, member of National Baseball Hall of Fame
- Connie Martinson â talk show host
- Mike Matarazzo â professional bodybuilder
- Aaron Maund â Major League soccer player
- Masspike Miles â singer, songwriter, producer, Perfect Gentlemen (Maybach Music Group)
- Cotton Mather â Puritan minister and author
- Jonah Matranga â singer/songwriter
- Greg Mauldin â NHL player, Ottawa Senators
- John Mayer â singer-songwriter (born in Connecticut, lived in Boston)
- Charles Johnson Maynard â naturalist and ornithologist
- Christa McAuliffe â educator and astronaut
- Chris McCarron â jockey
- Tommy McCarthy â baseball player
- John P. McDonough â Chief of Chaplains of U.S. Air Force
- Neal McDonough â actor
- Sean McDonough â sports announcer
- Will McDonough â sportswriter
- Richard McGonagle â voice actor
- Joey McIntyre â singer, dancer, actor (New Kids on the Block)
- Amy Upham Thomson McKean â pianist, songwriter and composer
- Ed McMahon â television personality
- Peter McNeeley â boxer (born in Medfield)
- Michael McShane â actor
- Maria Menounos â actress, journalist, professional wrestler
- Nelson Merced â activist and politician, first Hispanic elected to Massachusetts General Court
- David Merkow â golfer
- The Mighty Mighty Bosstones â band
- Roger Miller â musician
- Wayne Millner â NFL Hall of Famer
- Mission of Burma â band
- Joe Moakley â congressman
- Leo Monahan (1926âÂÂ2013) â sports journalist
- William Monahan â screenwriter
- Morphine â band
- Van Morrison â singer, musician, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee in 1993 (born in Belfast, Northern Ireland, has lived in Boston for years)
- Robert Morse â actor
- Samuel F. B. Morse â inventor and painter, inventor of electric telegraph and Morse code
- Eddie Mottau â guitarist
- Mr. Lif â hip-hop artist, member of The Perceptionists
- Mark Mulvoy â journalist and writer for The Boston Globe and Sports Illustrated
- Randall Munroe â engineer, writer, and cartoonist; author of xkcd and What If?
- Helen Messinger Murdoch (1862âÂÂ1956) â photographer; pioneered use of autochromes in travel photography
- Connor Murphy â professional ice hockey player
N
- Jack Nance (1943âÂÂ1996) â actor, title character in Eraserhead
- Jason Nash (born 1973) â actor
- Packy Naughton (born 1996) â Major League Baseball pitcher
- William Cooper Nell (1816âÂÂ1874) â abolitionist
- Betty Jo Nelsen (born 1935) â member of Wisconsin State Assembly
- Victor Folke Nelson (1898âÂÂ1939) â author, prison reform advocate, and sensational prison escapist
- New Edition â music group
- New Kids on the Block â band
- Nicky Jam (born 1981) â reggaeton singer and songwriter, Latin Grammy winner
- Terry Nihen â Playboy Playmate
- Leonard Nimoy (1931âÂÂ2015) â actor, known as Mr. Spock from Star Trek
- Zack Norman (1940âÂÂ2024) â actor, producer, financier
- Edward Norton (born 1969) â actor, American History X, Fight Club, The Italian Job
- B. J. Novak (born 1979) â actor, writer for NBC's The Office (from Newton)
- Christopher Nowinski (born 1978) â professional wrestler, known for his time in WWE
O
P
Q
R
- Nicole Raczynski (born 1979) â pro wrestler known as Nikki Roxx, and as Roxxi in TNA Wrestling
- Aly Raisman (born 1994) â gymnast and Olympic gold medalist
- Lilly Reale (born 2003) â soccer player
- Sumner Redstone (1923âÂÂ2020) â chairman of the board and chief executive officer of Viacom
- Helen Leah Reed (1861/62âÂÂ1926) â writer
- Maia Reficco (born 2000) â actress and singer
- Arthur E. Reimer (1882âÂÂ1969) â two-time presidential candidate of Socialist Labor Party of America
- James Remar (born 1953) â actor, known for roles of Ajax in The Warriors and of Harry Morgan in Dexter
- Lee Remick (1935âÂÂ1991) â actress, Days of Wine and Roses, Anatomy of a Murder
- Jerry Remy (1952âÂÂ2021) â MLB player and sportscaster
- Patrick Renna (born 1979) â actor, known for role of Ham in The Sandlot
- Frank Renzulli (born 1958) â writer, actor
- Paul Revere (1735âÂÂ1818) â silversmith and American Revolution patriot
- Abbie Richards â TikToker
- Ellen Swallow Richards (1842âÂÂ1911) â "mother" of home economics and sewage treatment
- Jonathan Richman (born 1951) â musician
- Sam Rivers (1923âÂÂ2011) â jazz musician
- Alex Rocco (1936âÂÂ2015) â actor, known for role of Moe Greene in The Godfather
- Norman Rockwell (1894âÂÂ1978) â artist
- Jeremy Roenick (born 1970) â NHL player
- Jereme Rogers (born 1985) â professional skateboarder
- Mitt Romney (born 1947) â 70th governor of Massachusetts; 2012 U.S. presidential candidate
- Francis Rosa (1920âÂÂ2012) â sports journalist for The Boston Globe
- Eli Roth (born 1972) â director, writer, producer, actor
- Lillian Roth (1910âÂÂ1980) â actress, singer
- John Rowe (1715âÂÂ1787) â Boston resident merchant and diarist, original developer of Rowes Wharf
- Nathaniel Ruggles (1761âÂÂ1819) â U.S. representative
- Bill Russell (1934âÂÂ2022) â professional basketball player and coach, NBA champion and Olympic gold medalist
- Blanchard Ryan (born 1967) â actress
S
- Alicia Sacramone (born 1987) â gymnast, world champion and Olympic silver medalist
- Cosmo Sardo (1909âÂÂ1989) â actor
- Perry Saturn (born 1966) â pro wrestler
- Richard Scarry (1919âÂÂ1994) â author, illustrator
- Jeremy Scott (born 1975) â televangelist, nudist, poet
- Edward Seaga (1930âÂÂ2019) â former Jamaican politician and statesman; his parents returned to Jamaica with him when he was three months old
- Ebenezer Seaver (1763âÂÂ1844) â U.S. representative, chairman of Roxbury Board of Selectmen
- Anne Sexton (1928âÂÂ1974) â poet
- Dan Shaughnessy (born 1953) â Boston Globe sports columnist
- John H. Sherburne (1877âÂÂ1959) â U.S. Army brigadier general
- William E. Sheridan (1839âÂÂ1887) â actor
- Timothy Shriver (born 1959) â chairman of Special Olympic Committee
- Anthony T. Shtogren (1917âÂÂ2003) â U.S. Air Force general
- Fatima Siad (born 1986) â fashion model, third place on America's Next Top Model, Cycle 10
- Bill Simmons (born 1969) â sports columnist, "The Sports Guy" on ESPN.com
- Slaine (born 1982) â hip hop artist
- Slapshot â band
- Jenny Slate (born 1982) â actress, comedian, Saturday Night Live cast member
- Emily Goodrich Smith (1830âÂÂ1903) â newspaper correspondent
- Jean Kennedy Smith (1928âÂÂ2020) â sister of president John F. Kennedy; former United States ambassador to Ireland
- Samuel Francis Smith (1808âÂÂ1895) â composer
- Edward Dexter Sohier â lawyer
- Joseph B. Soloveitchik (1903âÂÂ1993) â rabbi
- Thankful Southwick (1792âÂÂ1867) â abolitionist, women's rights activist
- James Spader (born 1960) â actor, Boston Legal, The Blacklist
- Clinton Sparks (born 1975) â hip hop DJ, producer
- Statik Selektah (born 1982) â record producer and DJ
- Special Teamz â rap group
- Billy Squier (born 1950) â rock musician
- Lesley Stahl (born 1941) â television journalist, 60 Minutes
- Staind â band
- Larry Stark (born 1932) â theater critic
- Maurice Starr (born 1953) â musician, producer (New Edition and New Kids on the Block)
- Frederick Stevens (1861âÂÂ1923) â U.S. representative from Minnesota
- Jane Agnes Stewart (1860âÂÂ1944) â author, editor, and contributor to periodicals
- Sonny Stitt (1924âÂÂ1982) â jazz saxophonist
- Street Dogs â band
- John J. Sullivan (born 1959) â diplomat
- John L. Sullivan (1858âÂÂ1918) â first heavyweight champion of gloved boxing
- Louis Sullivan (1856âÂÂ1924) â architect
- Donna Summer (1948âÂÂ2012) â singer
- William H. Sumner (1780âÂÂ1861) â developer of East Boston
- John Sununu (born 1964) â junior U.S. senator from New Hampshire (born in Boston)
- William H. Swanson â chairman and CEO of Raytheon Company
T
U
V
W
- Philip Waggenheim (1915âÂÂc. 1989) â gangster
- Ashley Wagner (born 1991) â figure skater
- Donnie Wahlberg (born 1969) â actor, singer, producer (New Kids on the Block)
- Mark Wahlberg (born 1971) â actor, rapper, producer, Boogie Nights, The Perfect Storm, The Departed, The Fighter
- David Walker (1796âÂÂ1830) â abolitionist
- Jimmy Walker (1944âÂÂ2007) â NBA All-Star
- Mike Wallace (1918âÂÂ2012) â television journalist
- Marty Walsh (born 1967) â mayor of Boston
- Barbara Walters (1929âÂÂ2022) â television journalist
- An Wang (1920âÂÂ1990) â computer engineer and inventor, co-founder of Wang Laboratories
- Fiske Warren (1862âÂÂ1938) â paper manufacturer and philanthropist
- Gretchen Osgood Warren (1868âÂÂ1961) â poet and muse
- Joseph Warren (1741âÂÂ1775) â founding father and Son of Liberty who died at the Battle of Bunker Hill
- Sam Waterston (born 1940) â actor
- Barrett Wilbert Weed (born 1988) â actress and singer
- Jack Welch (1935âÂÂ2020) â businessman, CEO of General Electric
- Westbound Train â band
- Phillis Wheatley (c. 1753âÂÂ1784) â poet and former slave
- Colin White (born 1997) â ice hockey player
- Eli Whitney (1765âÂÂ1825) â inventor of the cotton gin
- Jermaine Wiggins (born 1975) â NFL player
- Alfred J. Wiggin (1823âÂÂ1883) â painter and society portraitist
- Tony Williams (1945âÂÂ1997) â jazz drummer
- Winter Williams (born 1984), actress
- Alan Wilson (1943âÂÂ1970) â singer, guitarist (Canned Heat)
- Oren Elbridge Wilson (1844âÂÂ1917) â mayor of Albany, New York, born in Boston
- Robert Scott Wilson (born 1987) â actor, first male model on The Price Is Right
- Clara Winthrop (1876âÂÂ1969) â philanthropist, art collector
- Danny Wood (born 1969) â singer (New Kids on the Block)
- Gene Wood (1925âÂÂ2004) â game show announcer
- George Wood (1858âÂÂ1924) â baseball player
- Brian Woods (born 1963) â documentary filmmaker
- Benjamin Edward Woolf (1836âÂÂ1901) â British-born composer, playwright, journalist for Boston Saturday Evening Gazette and Boston Globe
- Steven Wright (born 1955) â Academy Award-winning comedian, actor and writer
X
- Malcolm X (1925âÂÂ1965) â civil rights activist, Muslim minister (lived in Roxbury)
Y
- Donnie Yen (born 1963) â Hong Kong actor, martial artist
Z
See also
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References