25 of the Biggest Hollywood Stars from New England
Saturday, March 07, 2015
GoLocalWorcester Lifestyle Team
Hollywood may be the place of make believe and celebrity superstars, but some of New England's smallest towns are the launching pads of the biggest stars.
Check out our slideshow of some New Englanders who ended up being of the brightest stars in Hollywood, below.
Related Slideshow: 25 Hollywood Stars from New England
Mark Wahlberg
Hometown: Boston, MA
Wahlberg got his start as a rapper with his group "Marky Mark & The Funky Bunch" in 1991, but transititioned to acting in the nineties. He's gone on to star in such hits as "Boogie Nights," "The Fighter," "The Departed, and "Ted".
His brothers operate the popular "Wahlburger" restaurant in Hingham, MA.
Amy Poelher
Hometown: Burlington, MA
Born in Newton and raised in Burlington, MA, Amy Poelher came to national prominance as "Weekend Update" co-host on Saturday Night Live, before launching her own popular series, Parks and Recreation.
She attended Burlington High School and Boston College.
Viola Davis
Hometown: Central Falls, RI
Viola Davis was raised in Central Falls, RI. She stars in the popular TV series How To Get Away With Murder, and was nominated for Academy Awards for her work in The Help and Doubt.
When Central Falls seemed to be at its lowest ebb, Davis stepped forward with donations, appearances and helped to bring the involvement and donations of other high profile Hollywood stars such as Meryl Streep and Alec Baldwin.
Chris Evans
Hometown: Sudbury, MA
Evans, who stars as Steve Rogers/Captain America in several Marvel fims including The Avengers, also starred on the popular TV show Boston Public.
Evans was born in Boston and raised in newarby Sudbury, MA where he attended Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School.
Richard Belzer
Hometown: Bridgeport, CT
The star of the popular Law and Order franchises is a graduate of Bridgeport's Central High School, and had a successful career as a standup comic before appearing as Detective John Munch on several TV series.
His portrayal of Munch was the only fictional character to appear on ten different television shows, including Homicide: Life on the Street, Law and Order: SVU, The X-Files, The Wire, and Arrested Development.
Charlie Day
Hometown: Middletown, RI
The star of "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" and "Horrible Bosses" spent most of his childhood in Middletown, RI. His mother, Mary, was a piano teacher at The Pennfield School in Portsmouth. His father, Dr. Thomas Charles Day, is retired and was a professor of Music History and Music Theory at Salve Regina University in Newport.
Seth Meyers
Hometown: Bedford, NH
The Host of NBC's Late Night and former Saturday Night Live head writer and "Weekend Update" anchor was raised in Bedford, NH, where he attended Manchester High School West.
His parents, who he refers to often on his program, still reside in New Hampshire.
Ben Affleck
Hometown: Cambridge, MA
Affleck moved to Falmouth, MA when he was two, and his father is a native of Rhode Island. The family eventually moved to Cambridge.
Affleck won the Best Original Screenplay award in 1997 for cowriting "Good Will Hunting" with Matt Damon. He received an honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts from Brown University in 2013.
Glenn Close
Hometown: Greenwich, CT
Emmy and Tony Award winner and 6 time Academy Award nominee Glenn Close, most famous for her roles in The Big Chill and Fatal Attraction, was born and raised in Greenwich, CT, where she was raised in a stone cottage and attended Choate Rosemary Hall in Wallingford.
Mark Wahlberg
Amy Poelher
Viola Davis
Chris Evans
Linda Lavin
Richard Belzer
John Krasinski
Charlie Day
Sarah Silverman
Seth MacFarlane
Dylan McDermott
Anna Kendrick
Damon Wayans, Jr
Seth Meyers
James Spader
Justin Long
Michaela McManus
Robert Capron
James Woods
Ben Affleck
Mandy Moore
Joanna ‘JoJo’ Levesque
Sam Lloyd
Matt Damon
Glenn Close
Related Articles
- Leonardo Angiulo: How Hollywood Misses the Mark with its Portrayal of Lawyers in the Movies
- Hollywood A-List Filming in Downtown Worcester
- Worcester Academy to Host Hollywood Royalty Cass Warner
- New England’s Biggest Hollywood Stars
- Tom Finneran: Gywneth and Eva: Two Hollywood Ninnies
Follow us on Pinterest Google + Facebook Twitter See It Read It