List of people from Yonkers, New York
This is a list of notable people who were born in or have been residents of Yonkers, a city in Westchester County, in the U.S. state of New York, in the United States.
Academia
[edit]- Herbert Benson (1935–2022), physician[1]
- Daniel Carleton Gajdusek (1923–2008), physician and medical researcher; co-recipient of 1976 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine[2]
- John Howard Northrop (1891–1987), co-recipient of 1946 Nobel Prize in Chemistry[3]
- Rudolph Schoenheimer (1898–1941), German-American biochemist
- Edwin Howard Armstrong (1890–1954), electronics pioneer[4]
Business
[edit]- Elisha Otis, inventor of the safety elevator and Otis Elevator Company
- Alexander Smith, founder of Alexander Smith & Sons Carpet Company
- Jay S. Walker founder of Priceline.com
Entertainment
[edit]- Amanda Ayala, singer and musician[5]
- Carlos Alazraqui (born 1962), actor, stand-up comedian and impressionist[6]
- Joseph Alfidi (1949–2015), classical pianist[7]
- Charlie Benante (born 1962), musician best known as the drummer for thrash metal band Anthrax, as well as crossover thrashband Stormtroopers of Death.[8]
- Mary J. Blige (born 1971), R&B singer and Academy Award-nominated actress[9]
- Sid Caesar, actor and comedian
- Cathy DeBuono, actress, psychotherapist, radio personality
- DMX (1970–2021), rapper, actor
- Ella Fitzgerald, singer
- Thomas Mikal Ford, actor
- Frances Foster, actress
- Michael Fox (1921–1996), character actor who played Saul Feinberg on the daytime soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful[10]
- Joe Howard, actor
- Immolation, Death metal band
- Jadakiss, rapper, member of The LOX
- Ekrem Jevrić, Montenegrin singer, rapper
- Gene Krupa (1909–1973), drummer[11]
- Clayton LeBouef (born 1954), actor[12]
- Stagga Lee (born 1977), musician[13]
- W.C. Handy, composer and musician
- Sheek Louch (born 1976), rapper, member of The LOX[14]
- Linda Lovelace (1949–2002), star of 1972 "porno chic" film Deep Throat[15]
- Richard Masur (born 1948), actor[16]
- Cathy Moriarty (born 1960), actress who appeared in Raging Bull[17]
- Outasight, singer, rapper
- Erik Palladino, actor
- Kevin Puts, Pulitzer Prize-winning composer
- Will Rahmer, musician
- Adam Rodriguez, actor
- Robert Shayne, actor
- Ice Spice, rapper[18]
- Avery Storm, R&B singer
- Christine D'Clario, Christian singer
- Styles P, Rapper, member of The LOX
- Chip Taylor, songwriter (brother of Jon Voight)
- Paul Teutul, Sr., founder of Orange County Choppers and reality television personality on American Chopper
- Steven Tyler, musician, member of Aerosmith
- Bill Tytla, animator
- Jon Voight, Oscar-winning actor[19]
- Tom Wolk, Hall & Oates session musician
Military
[edit]- Joseph Stilwell, U.S. Army General during World War I and World War II
Miscellaneous
[edit]- David Berkowitz (born 1953), serial killer known as the Son of Sam[20]
- Leo Baekeland (1863–1944), chemist, invented Bakelite at his "Snug Rock" home and laboratory in Yonkers in 1907
- Felix Alderisio (1912–1971), mobster, bagman, hitman and burglar (Chicago Outfit)
- James Comey, director of the FBI[21]
- Joan Donoghue (born 1956), American lawyer, President of the International Court of Justice[22]
- Rudolf Eickemeyer, Jr., photographer
- Ron Garan, astronaut
- Lewis Hine, photographer
- Ethel D. Jacobs, thoroughbred racehorse owner
- Henrietta Wells Livermore (1864–1933), women's suffragist leader[23]
- Michaela Odone (c. 1930–1992, née Murphy), mother of Lorenzo Odone, for whom Lorenzo's oil is named.[24]
- Sally Regenhard, community activist
- Joe Ruback, license plate guy
- Barbara Segal, artist and stone carver[25]
- Betty Shabazz, widow of civil rights leader Malcolm X
- Bernadette Thompson, American celebrity manicurist and nail artist
- Joel Steinberg (born 1941), attorney convicted of manslaughter
- Adriaen Cornelissen van der Donck, (c. 1618, 1655)
- Samuel Untermyer, Prominent lawyer and civic leader known for bequeathing his Yonkers, New York estate, now known as Untermyer Park and Gardens, to the people of Yonkers
- Melanie White, jewelry designer
Politics
[edit]- Antony Blinken, 71st United States Secretary of State[26]
- William F. Bleakley (1883–1969), attorney, judge and politician who was the first Westchester County Executive.[27]
- Alfred DelBello, former mayor of Yonkers
- Mike Spano, Mayor of Yonkers
- Samuel J. Tilden, former governor of New York and winner of the popular vote in the disputed Presidential Election of 1876
- Nick Wasicsko, mayor during low-income housing controversy, 1988–1989; John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award runner-up
- Malcolm Wilson, former Governor of New York
Sport
[edit]- Joe Avezzano, American football player and coach
- Rich Bisaccia, NFL coach
- James Blake (born 1979), tennis player[28]
- Billy Burch (1900–1950), professional hockey player who was the first American-born player to win the Hart Trophy[29]
- Dave Costa, NFL player, Saunders HS 1957–1959
- Jon Dalzell (born 1960), American-Israeli basketball player
- Doug DeWitt, professional boxer
- Tommy Dreamer, professional wrestler
- Ralph Goldstein (1913–1997), Olympic épée fencer[30]
- Nealon Greene, professional football player (CFL)
- Sean Kilpatrick, professional basketball player
- Eddie Kingston, professional wrestler
- Allan Kwartler (1917–1998), sabre and foil fencer, Pan American Games and Maccabiah Games champion[31]
- Joe Lapchick (1900–1970), basketball coach.[32]
- Ryan Meara (born 1990), professional soccer player[33]
- Larry Mann (1930–1952), NASCAR driver
- Joe Panik, professional baseball player
- Floyd Patterson, champion heavyweight boxer[34]
- Eulace Peacock, track and field athlete who defeated Jesse Owens in sprints
- Vincent Richards, professional tennis player
- Steve Ridzik, professional baseball player
- Bill Roth, gymnast
- Brian Sweeney, professional baseball player
- Salvatore Tripoli, Olympic boxer
- Trill Williams, cornerback for the Miami Dolphins
- George Wright, baseball pioneer
Writer/ journalist
[edit]- Mike Breen (born 1961), sports broadcaster[35]
- Mary Calvi, news anchor
- Robert Celestino, writer and director
- Tiziano Thomas Dossena, writer, editor
- Tawny Godin, Miss America 1976, TV journalist (Tawny Little)
- Patrick Quinlan, author, activist
- Patricia Vaccarino, writer
- Frederick Joseph (author), author, activist
- Elsie B. Washington, author
References
[edit]- ^ Marquard, Bryan (6 February 2022). "Dr. Herbert Benson, who documented and promoted meditation's health benefits, dies at 86". The Boston Globe. Archived from the original on 7 February 2022. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
- ^ Maugh, Thomas (December 18, 2008). "D. Carleton Gajdusek dies at 85; Nobel Prize winner identified exotic disease, was unrepentant pedophile". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on January 27, 2013. Retrieved May 12, 2012.
- ^ "Dr. John H. Northrop, Nobel Laureate, Dies". New York Times. July 16, 1987. Retrieved December 13, 2022.
Born in Yonkers, N.Y. in 1891, Dr. Northrop earned a B.S. degree from Columbia College in 1912.
- ^ "Edwin H. Armstrong papers, 1886-1982, bulk 1912-1954". Columbia University Libraries.
In 1902, the Armstrong family moved north, to 1032 Warburton Avenue, in Yonkers, New York.
- ^ Former “The Voice” Contestant Amanda Ayala Makes Impression on Yonkers Music Scene
- ^ De Rubio, Dave Gil. "Carlos Alazraqui Revisits Rocko’s Modern Life", Long Island Weekly, September 6, 2018. Accessed September 22, 2019. "In returning to this breakout role and being able to work with his friends again, the Yonkers native was quick to point out that no one missed a beat."
- ^ Kenneson, Charles. Musical Prodigies: Perilous Journeys, Remarkable Lives, p. 279. Hal Leonard Corporation, 1998. ISBN 9781574670462. Accessed September 22, 2019. "Thus wrote Michael Privitello, Joey Alfidi's music tutor, about the triple-threat musician who was pianist, composer, and conductor. Born in Yonkers, New York, on 28 May 1949, Joey was the son of American-born parents of Italian descent."
- ^ Knopper, Steve. "Anthrax still making rock intensely, dude", Chicago Tribune, May 16, 2003. Accessed September 22, 2019. "'The whole Public Enemy thing we did was way ahead of its time and we were on the cusp of something. It took a couple of years after that for people to actually digest it,' says Charlie Benante, the 22-year-old band's founding drummer, by phone from his home in Yonkers, N.Y."
- ^ Daniels, Karu F. "'Reminisce': 25 Years Later, Mary J. Blige, Queen of Hip-Hop Soul Reigns Supreme; The '411' On Mary J. Blige's Groundbreaking Debut", NBC News, September 5, 2017. Accessed September 22, 2019. "It’s been a long and winding — and yet triumphant — road since a street-savvy, aspiring singer from Yonkers’ Schlobohm housing projects came to the attention of Uptown Records executives via a karaoke style cassette tape of her singing Anita Baker’s ‘Caught Up in the Rapture.'... The young woman’s birth name was Mary Jane Blige and she had a look and sound that was quite a polarizing contrast to what the record industry grew comfortable with for a black R&B vocalist."
- ^ "Michael Fox, 75, An Actor in Film, TV and Theater", The New York Times, June 10, 1996. Accessed September 23, 2019. "He was born in Yonkers, and began acting in the theater, appearing on Broadway in the 1947 play "The Story of Mary Surratt," which starred Lillian Gish."
- ^ Wilson, John S. "Gene Krupa, Revolutionary Drummer, Dies", The New York Times, October 17, 1973. Accessed September 23, 2019. "Gene Krupa, who changed the drummer in jazz bands from a timekeeper to a soloist through his flamboyant performances in Benny Goodman's orchestra in the nineteenthirties, died yesterday at his home in Yonkers."
- ^ Chattin, Gena R. "Starring Clayton Lebouef", The Baltimore Sun, February 8, 2007. Accessed September 23, 2019. "LeBouef, 52 and a native of Yonkers, N.Y., is likely to stay in the Baltimore-Washington area, where he says great things are happening in film and television."
- ^ "Happy Birthday To Yonkers' Eric Newman", Yonkers Daily Voice, July 4, 2014. Accessed September 23, 2019. "Newman, who was born in Yonkers, turns 37 on Friday. Newman, a rapper, better-known by his stage name Stagga Lee, was born July 4, 1977."
- ^ Cohen, Ian. "Styles P would like us to live healthy lifestyles, please; One of the grimiest rappers ever to do it is on a mission to bring healthy food to New York’s overlooked neighborhoods.", The Outline (website), March 25, 2018. Accessed September 23, 2019. "As both a solo artist and a member of The LOX alongside his Yonkers compatriots Jadakiss and Sheek Louch, Styles P excelled at airing out his frustrations in his lyrics."
- ^ Martin, Douglas. "Linda Boreman, 53, Known For 1972 Film Deep Throat", The New York Times, April 24, 2002. Accessed September 23, 2019. "Linda Boreman was born in the Bronx on Jan. 10, 1949, and moved to Yonkers when she was 3."
- ^ Barron, Sam. "TV, Movie Star Richard Masur Now Leads Croton Democrats", Cortlandt Daily Voice, July 25, 2016. Accessed September 23, 2019. "Masur grew up in Yonkers and went to camp at Croton Point Park."
- ^ Bennetts, Leslie. "The Blond From The Bronx Returns", The New York Times, December 13, 1981. Accessed September 23, 2019. "The third of seven children, Miss Moriarty was born in the Bronx, the daughter of a warehouseman for National Cold Storage in Brooklyn. When Cathy was 5, the family moved to Yonkers, where she attended parochial schools."
- ^ "Ice Spice: Graduating from Yonkers to Hip-Hop Stardom".
- ^ Roberts, Jerry (5 June 2009). Encyclopedia of Television Film Directors. Scarecrow Press. p. 607. ISBN 978-0-8108-6378-1.
- ^ Kilgannon, Corey. "Yes, Son of Sam Slept Here", The New York Times, February 15, 2007. Accessed September 22, 2019. "Yonkers — The name has been changed. So has the address. But still, 30 years after 1977 — the so-called Summer of Sam — they still stop and stare."
- ^ "James Comey | Biography & Facts | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 14 March 2023.
- ^ https://www.icj-cij.org/sites/default/files/donoghue_en.pdf
- ^ Henrietta Wells Livermore Years, Hudson River Valley Institute. Accessed September 23, 2019. "Residence: Yonkers, NY"
- ^ Saxon, Wolfgang. "Michaela Odone, 61, the Lorenzo's Oi'l' Mother, The New York Times, June 13, 2000. Accessed September 23, 2019. "Michaela Murphy was born in Yonkers."
- ^ "Yonkers Arts Presents Talk with Artist Barbara Segal". 22 March 2017.
- ^ Hartman, Leigh (26 January 2021). "Meet America's new secretary of state: Antony Blinken". ShareAmerica. Bureau of Global Public Affairs. Retrieved 16 December 2021.
- ^ Brenner, Elsa. "The Law; Who Will Be the New Al Pirro?", The New York Times, January 7, 2001. Accessed September 22, 2019. "Bleakley Platt & Schmidt was founded in 1937 by William F. Bleakley of Yonkers and Livingston Platt of Rye."
- ^ Slater, Chuck. "For The Record; A Pro Tennis Player Who Began in Yonkers", The New York Times, March 10, 2002. Accessed September 22, 2019. "James Blake, who grew up in Yonkers, went to Harvard, he was nationally ranked as the No. 1 player in the United States Tennis Association’s 18 and under division."
- ^ Peters, Chris. "Patrick Kane becomes NHL's first MVP born and raised in the United States Kane was the overwhelming selection for the Hart Trophy after his 106-point season", CBS Sports, June 23, 2016. Accessed September 22, 2019. "The first American-born player to win the Hart was actually Billy Burch, who was born in Yonkers, N.Y., and won the award in 1925."
- ^ Associated Press. "Ralph Goldstein, 83, Olympian With Lasting Passion for Fencing", The New York Times, July 28, 1997. Accessed February 7, 2018. "Mr. Goldstein, who was born Oct. 6, 1913, in Malden, Mass., and grew up on the Lower East Side, attended Brooklyn College and had lived in Yonkers since 1948."
- ^ Allan Kwartler – Fencing, CIty of Yonkers. Accessed September 23, 2019. "In 1955 he was selected for the Pan American Team and was on the winning sabre squad. In 1958 he moved to Yonkers and the following year was again selected for the Pan American Team, winning the gold medal in the Pan American Sabre Championships."
- ^ Vecsey, George. "Joe Lapchick, St. John's and Knick Coach, Dies", The New York Times, August 11, 1970. Accessed August 23, 2019. "Joseph Bohomiel Lapchick was born on April 12, 1900, to a Czechoslovak immigrant family in Yonkers."
- ^ Draper, Matt. "Red Bulls Goalie Ryan Meara Talks Draft Night, Training Camp and Hazing", DNAinfo, February 6, 2012. Accessed September 23, 2019. "Ryan Meara, a Yonkers native, has made the leap from youth soccer leagues to Fordham Prep and Fordham University – and now all the way to the Red Bulls."
- ^ Floyd Patterson: A Boxer and a Gentleman By Alan H. Levy Google Books
- ^ Stewart, Larry. "Being Out of Spotlight Doesn’t Bother Breen", Los Angeles Times, June 16, 2006. Accessed September 22, 2019. "Growing up in Yonkers, N.Y., Breen, 45, played basketball and baseball in high school, but he went to Fordham to become a broadcaster."