List of people from Boston

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

• 7L & Esoteric – rap group

A

• Abiel Abbot (1770–1828), born in Andover, clergyman and author^[1]
• Benjamin Abbot (1762–1849), born in Andover, teacher at the Phillips Exeter Academy^[1]
• Ezra Abbot (1819–1884), biblical scholar, taught at Harvard Divinity School^[1]
• Joel Abbot (1776–1826), naval officer^[1]
• Amos Abbott (1786–1868), born in Westford, member of the United States House of Representatives from Massachusetts^[1]
• Austin Abbott (1831–1896), born in Boston, lawyer, novelist, and academic^[1]
• Benjamin Vaughan Abbott (1830–1890), born in Boston, lawyer and legal writer^[1]
• Joseph Carter Abbott (1825–1882), publisher of the Boston Bee^[1]
• Josiah Gardner Abbott (1814–1891), member of United States House of Representatives^[1]
• Abigail Adams (1744–1818), born in Weymouth, First Lady of the United States^[1]
• Abijah Adams (1754–1816), born in Boston, journalist, often embroiled in lawsuits against him^[1]
• Charles Francis Adams, Sr. (1807–1886), born in Boston; son of Abigail Adams and John Adams; Congressman; diplomat; writer^[1]
• Edwin Adams (1834–1877), born in Medford, 19th-century stage actor^[1]
• Eliphalet Adams (1677–1753), born in Medford, clergyman and missionary^[1]
• Hannah Adams (1755–1831), born in Medfield, famous Christian writer^[1]
• Henry Adams (1838–1918), born in Boston, journalist, historian, academic and novelist^[1]
• Jasper Adams (1793–1841), born in Medway, clergyman and college president^[1]
• John Adams – Second President of the United States, signer of the Declaration of Independence^[2]
• John Quincy Adams – Sixth President of the United States^[3]
• Nehemiah Adams (1806–1878), clergyman and author^[1]
• Samuel Adams – American Revolution patriot, signer of the Declaration of Independence^[4]
• Samuel Adams Wisner – musician^[5]
• Aerosmith – band^[6]
• Ben Affleck – Academy Award-winning actor, screenwriter and director^[7]
• Casey Affleck – actor^[8]
• George Aiken (1830–1876), born in Boston, actor and playwright^[1]
• Amos T. Akerman (1821–1880), United States Attorney General, born in Portsmouth, New Hampshire^[1]
• Akrobatik – hip hop artist, member of The Perceptionists^[9]
• Al B. Sure – singer^[10]
• Louisa May Alcott – 19th-century author of Little Women^[11]
• Horatio Alger, Jr. – author^[12]
• Fred Allen – radio comedian^[13]
• Frederick Lewis Allen – writer^[14]
• Joseph Allen (1749–1827), born in Boston, United States Congressman^[1]
• Nathaniel M. Allen - soldier in Civil War, awarded Congressional Medal of Honor^[15]
• The Almighty RSO – rap group
• John Amaechi – NBA player^[16]
• American Hi-Fi – band
• Amerie – R&B artist
• Ed Ames – actor and singer
• Tony Amonte – NHL player^[17]
• Anarchy Club – band
• Leroy Anderson – composer for Boston Pops Orchestra^[18]
• Mary Antin – author^[19]
• Apollo Sunshine – band
• Thomas Gold Appleton (1812–1884), writer^[1]
• Crispus Attucks – American Revolution patriot^[20]
• Red Auerbach – Boston Celtics coach and president, Basketball Hall of Famer^[21]
• John Augustus (1785–1859), born in Boston, philanthropist and pioneer of probation^[1]
• James Trecothick Austin (1784–1870), born in Boston, member of Massachusetts General Court and Massachusetts Attorney General^[1]
• Jonathan Loring Austin (1748–1826), born in Boston; officer in American Revolutionary War; Massachusetts state representative, senator, secretary, and treasurer^[1]

B

• Bad Rabbits - band
• Algernon Sidney Badger - government official in New Orleans during and after Reconstruction^[22]
• Arthur Baker – rap DJ, music producer
• Bang Camaro – rock band
• Sasha Banks - WWE diva
• Dana Barros – NBA player^[23]
• Erinn Bartlett – actress
• Zered Bassett – professional skateboarder^[24]
• Benjamin E. Bates – founder and namesake of Bates College^[25]
• Ruth Batson – civil rights and education activist^[26]
• Susan Batson – actress, author, and producer; daughter of Ruth Batson
• Peter D. Bear – Wisconsin State Senator^[27]
• Alexander Graham Bell – inventor^[28]
• Bell Biv DeVoe – music group
• Gaston Bell - stage and silent film actor
• Tobin Bell – actor (born in Queens, NY, raised in Weymouth)
• Mark Bellhorn – MLB player^[29]
• Asher Benjamin – architect and author^[30]
• Frank Weston Benson – Impressionist artist^[31]
• Rick Berlin – musician
• Leonard Bernstein – New York Philharmonic conductor, composer and pianist^[32]
• Travis Best – NBA player
• Big D and the Kids Table – band
• Big Shug – rapper^[33]
• Traci Bingham – actress, model
• Mike Birbiglia – comedian
• William Blackstone (also spelled Blaxton) – first European settler
• Will Blalock – NBA player for Detroit Pistons^[34]
• C. L. Blood – physician^[35]
• Matt Bloom – NFL player and professional wrestler, known for his time in WWE
• Michael Bloomberg – Mayor of New York City^[36]
• Bob and Ray – comedy team^[37]
• Ernie Boch, Jr. – president of Boch Enterprises^[38]
• Ray Bolger – actor and dancer, Scarecrow in The Wizard of Oz
• Boston – band
• Boys Like Girls – band
• Ron Brace – NFL player, New England Patriots^[39]
• Nathaniel Jeremiah Bradlee - architect^[40]
• William J. Bratton – chief of police for NYPD and LAPD^[41]
• John Britton - abortion provider^[42]
• Edward W. Brooke – first African American elected by popular vote to United States Senate^[43]
• Bobby Brown – singer
• Carolyn Brown – dancer, writer, choreographer
• Earle Brown – composer
• Rob Brown – actor (born in Harlem, New York, attended Amherst College)
• Sam Brown – comedian from IFC sketch comedy show Whitest Kids U' Know
• Scott Brown - US Senator^[44]
• William B. Broydrick - Wisconsin State Assemblyman^[45]
• Charles Bulfinch – architect who designed Massachusetts State House, original United States Capitol dome and rotunda^[46]
• James "Whitey" Bulger – organized crime boss
• Edwin C. Burt – shoemaker
• Bury Your Dead – band
• George H.W. Bush – 41st President of The United States
• Vannevar Bush – scientist

C

• C60 – band
• Will Calhoun – drummer for Living Colour (born in NY, lived in Boston)
• Steve Carell – actor and comedian, The Office, The Daily Show, The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Despicable Me
• The Cars – band
• Peggy Cass – actress and TV game show panelist
• John Cazale – actor, The Godfather, The Deer Hunter, Dog Day Afternoon
• John Cena – professional wrestler, known for his time in WWE
• Nicholas Raymond Cerio – founder of Nick Cerio’s Kenpo^[47]
• Kevin Chapman - actor^[48]
• Julius Caesar Chappelle - Massachusetts legislator^[49]
• Ken Cheeseman – actor
• Gary Cherone – singer (Extreme and Van Halen)
• Michael Chiklis – actor, The Shield^[50]
• Neil Cicierega - Internet personality, created Potter Puppet Pals
• Louis C.K. – comedian and actor
• Lenny Clarke – comedian and actor
• The Click Five – band
• John A. Collins – Chief of Chaplains of the U.S. Air Force^[51]
• Misha Collins – actor
• Jerry Colonna – entertainer^[52]
• Greg Comella – NFL fullback^[53]
• Dane Cook – comedian and actor^[54]
• Calvin Coolidge – 30th President of the United States
• Jennifer Coolidge – actress, American Pie, A Mighty Wind, Legally Blonde^[55]
• John Singleton Copley – artist^[56]
• Chick Corea – Grammy Award-winning jazz musician and composer
• Jeff Corwin – TV personality
• Charlie Coyle (born 1992) - hockey player
• Lynne Cox - professional swimmer^[57]
• Zach Cregger – actor, comedian, star of the IFC sketch comedy series WKUK
• Norm Crosby – comedian^[58]
• Marcia Cross – actress, Desperate Housewives
• James Michael Curley – Mayor of Boston, Massachusetts governor, and US Representative^[59]
• Jane Curtin – actress and comedian^[60]
• Johnny Curtis – professional wrestler, known for his time in WWE
• Richard Cushing – Archbishop of Boston and Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church
• Susan Webb Cushman (1822–1859), stage actress^[61]

D

• Dick Dale – musician^[62]
• Matt Damon – actor and Oscar-winning screenwriter, Good Will Hunting, The Departed, Ocean's Eleven and Bourne Identity series^[63]
• Evan Dando – musician^[64]
• Bette Davis – Academy Award-winning actress, Dark Victory, Jezebel, All About Eve
• Geena Davis – Academy Award-winning actress, The Accidental Tourist
• Henry Dearborn – physician, general, and politician
• Henry Alexander Scammell Dearborn – lawyer, author, statesman, soldier, Mayor of Roxbury; son of Henry Dearborn
• Death Before Dishonor – band
• Patrick DeCoste – musician
• Manny Delcarmen – MLB pitcher
• Becky DelosSantos – Playboy Playmate centerfold, April 1994
• Brad Delp – singer
• Tony DeMarco – boxer, welterweight champion, born 1932 in North End
• Joseph Dennie – writer
• Joe Derrane (born 1930) – accordion player
• Michael Dertouzos (1936–2001) – computer scientist
• Albert DeSalvo – serial killer known as "The Boston Strangler"
• Jack DeSena – actor, played Sokka in Avatar: The Last Airbender
• P. T. Deutermann – author
• Sara Diamond – Scientologist and attorney
• Dinosaur Jr. – band
• Rick DiPietro – NHL goaltender (from Boston suburbs)
• Ken Doane – professional wrestler, known for his time in WWE
• Dresden Dolls – punk cabaret duo
• Dropkick Murphys – band
• Shem Drowne – America's first weathervane maker
• W. E. B. Du Bois – scholar, professor; first African American to receive a Ph.D. from Harvard; founder of NAACP
• Joseph Dudley – Colonial Governor of Massachusetts
• Michael Dukakis – Massachusetts governor, US Presidential candidate in 1988
• William C. Durant – founder of General Motors
• Adam Duritz – singer/songwriter for Counting Crows (born in Baltimore, lived in Boston)
• Eliza Dushku – actress
• Mary Dyer – martyr

E

• Ed O.G. – hip hop artist
• Richard J. Egan – founder and Chairman of EMC Corporation
• Ralph Waldo Emerson – essayist, lecturer, poet
• Ernie and the Automatics – band
• Mike Eruzione – captain of USA's 1980 Winter Olympics hockey team (from Boston suburbs)
• Julius Erving – Basketball Hall of Famer, UMass, New York Nets, Philadelphia 76ers
• William Eustis – early American statesman, Governor of Massachusetts
• Chris Evans – actor, known for role as "Captain America"
• Patrick Ewing – Baskeball Hall of Famer, NCAA champion, center for New York Knicks
• Patrick Ewing, Jr. – NBA player, New York Knicks, New Orleans Hornets
• Extreme – band

F

• Tyler Faith – adult film actor
• Louis Farrakhan – head of Nation of Islam
• Charles Farrell – actor
• Spike Feresten – screenwriter and television personality
• John Ferruggio – led evacuation of Pan Am Flight 93, hijacked in 1970^[65]
• Arthur Fiedler – Boston Pops orchestra conductor
• Charles L. Fletcher – architect and interior designer; owner of Charles Fletcher Design
• Doug Flutie – Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback, Boston College; AFL, CFL, and NFL player, television commentator
• Robert Bennet Forbes – sea captain, China trader
• Ben Foster – actor (born in Boston)
• Jon Foster – actor (born in Boston)
• Dwight Foster - Massachusetts Attorney General; Associate Justice on the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court^[66]
• Arlene Francis – actress, radio and TV personality (What's My Line?)
• Black Francis - of the band Pixies
• Benjamin Franklin – author, public servant, diplomat, signer of the Declaration of Independence
• Robert Frost – iconic poet
• Cindy Fuller-Martino – Playboy Playmate centerfold, May 1959

G

• The G-Clefs – Top 40 soul group
• Greg Gagne – MLB player
• Ryan Gallant – professional skateboarder (Plan B Skateboards, DC Shoes)
• Gang Green – band
• Gang Starr – rap group
• Erle Stanley Gardner – lawyer, author, creator of Perry Mason
• Edmund H. Garrett – prolific 19th- and 20th-century book illustrator and artist
• Peter Gerety – actor
• Elbridge Gerry – signer of Declaration of Independence; Governor of MA; Vice President of United States; gave his name to "gerrymandering"
• Kahlil George Gibran – sculptor
• Charles Dana Gibson – illustrator
• Joy Giovanni – professional wrestler, known for her time in WWE
• Paul Michael Glaser – actor and director, Starsky & Hutch
• Tom Glavine – Hall of Fame baseball pitcher for Atlanta Braves
• Godsmack – band
• Duff Goldman – star of Food Network TV show Ace of Cakes (born in Detroit, lived in MA)
• Benjamin Gould – astronomer
• Robert Goulet – Grammy Award-winning singer and Tony-winning actor (born in Lawrence)
• Paul Graham – hacker, painter, essayist, tech startup guru
• Clark Gregg – actor
• Justine Greiner – Playboy Playmate centerfold, February 1984
• Mike Grier – NHL player
• Tammy Grimes – actress, singer
• Bill Guerin – NHL player
• Louise Gunning – musical actress
• Guru – rapper, member of Gang Starr
• Guster – band
• Jasmine Guy – actress and singer

H

• Edward Everett Hale – author
• Jack Haley – actor, known as Tin Man in The Wizard of Oz
• Anthony Michael Hall – actor, The Breakfast Club, The Dead Zone
• Marc-André Hamelin – pianist, composer
• John Hancock – statesman, signer of Declaration of Independence
• Kay Hanley – musician
• Bob Hansen – MLB player
• Hannah Hanson Kinney – alleged serial killer
• Matt Hasselbeck – NFL quarterback for the Tennessee Titans
• Tim Hasselbeck – NFL quarterback for the Arizona Cardinals
• Juliana Hatfield – musician
• Have Heart – hardcore band
• Roy Haynes – jazz musician
• Heads of State – music group
• Ed Healey – NFL Hall of Fame player for Chicago Bears
• Ed Herlihy – radio and television announcer
• Rich Hill – MLB pitcher
• Karl Hobbs – George Washington University basketball coach
• Oliver Wendell Holmes – physician and author
• Winslow Homer – artist
• Michelle Hoover – author
• Allen Hoskins – actor
• G Hannelius – actress

I

• Isis – music group

J

• Shar Jackson – actress
• Jada – pop and R&B singing group signed to UniversalMotown
• Doug Janik – NHL player
• Marie Jansen – musical actress^[67]
• Martin Johnson – lead singer of Boys Like Girls
• JoJo – singer, actress
• Sam Jones III – actor, Glory Road
• Darin Jordan – NFL player
• Tom Jung – art director, graphic designer, illustrator, storyboard artist

K

• Madeline Kahn – actress, Blazing Saddles
• Mindy Kaling – actress, The Office
• Alex Karalexis – UFC, WEC fighter
• Karmin - musical group
• Frankie Kazarian – TNA wrestler (lived in MA)
• John F. Kennedy – Massachusetts senator and 35th President of the United States
• Joseph P. Kennedy, Sr. – ambassador, father of John F. Kennedy, Robert Kennedy, and Edward Kennedy
• Myles Kennedy - singer, songwriter
• Robert Kennedy – US Attorney General and New York senator
• Ted Kennedy – US Senator
• Jack Kerouac – beat poet and writer
• Nancy Kerrigan – Olympic figure skating silver medalist
• John Kerry – US Secretary of State, US Senator and Presidential candidate in 2004
• Killswitch Engage – metalcore band
• John King – CNN chief political correspondent^[68]
• Kofi Kingston – professional wrestler, known for his time in WWE (born in Ghana, lived in Boston)
• Jonathan Knight – singer, dancer (New Kids on the Block)
• Jordan Knight – singer, dancer (New Kids on the Block)
• Yitzhak Aharon Korff - Grand Rabbi, diplomat, international consultant
• Walter "Killer" Kowalski – professional wrestler, teacher, photographer
• Bob Kraft – owner of the New England Patriots
• John Krasinski – actor (Jim Halpert in NBC's "The Office")

L

• Phil Labonte – musician
• PJ Ladd – professional skateboarder
• Jack Landron – folk singer, songwriter
• Robert Lanza – medical doctor and scientist
• Lewis Howard Latimer – inventor
• Denis Leary – actor, comedian, writer and director
• Matt LeBlanc – actor, Friends
• Dennis Lehane – author
• Jack Lemmon – Academy Award-winning actor, Mister Roberts, Save the Tiger, The Odd Couple, Grumpy Old Men
• Jay Leno – comedian and television personality
• Letters To Cleo – rock band
• Elma Lewis – founder of National Center of Afro-American Artists (including a museum) and Elma Lewis School of Fine Arts
• William Linn – defender of the Alamo
• Henry Cabot Lodge – politician
• Edward Lawrence Logan – military officer, jurist, politician
• Howie Long – NFL player
• Amy Lawrence Lowell – Pulitzer Prize-winning poet
• Robert Lowell – poet
• Adam Lundquist – radio DJ
• Lyte Funky Ones – pop trio

M

• Aimee Mann – singer
• Jonathan Mann – HIV/AIDS researcher and World Health Organization administrator; killed on Swissair Flight 111
• Rob Mariano – Survivor contestant
• Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch – rap group
• Connie Martinson – talk show host
• Masspike Miles – singer, songwriter, producer, Perfect Gentlemen (Maybach Music Group)
• Cotton Mather – Puritan minister and author
• Jonah Matranga – singer/songwriter
• Greg Mauldin – NHL player, Ottawa Senators
• John Mayer – singer/songwriter (born in Connecticut, lived in Boston)
• Charles Johnson Maynard – naturalist and ornithologist
• Chris McCarron – jockey
• Jack McCarthy – poet
• Tommy McCarthy – baseball player^[69]
• John P. McDonough – Chief of Chaplains of U.S. Air Force
• Neal McDonough – actor
• Sean McDonough – sports announcer
• Will McDonough – sportswriter
• Joey McIntyre – singer, dancer, actor (New Kids on the Block)
• Ed McMahon – television personality
• Peter McNeeley – boxer (born in Medfield)
• Michael McShane – actor
• Nelson Merced – activist and politician, first Hispanic elected to Massachusetts General Court
• David Merkow – golfer
• The Mighty Mighty Bosstones – band
• Roger Miller – musician
• Wayne Millner – NFL Hall of Famer
• Mission of Burma – band
• Mr. Lif – hip-hop artist, member of The Perceptionists
• Joe Moakley – congressman
• William Monahan – screenwriter
• Morphine – band
• Van Morrison – singer, musician, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee in 1993 (born in Belfast, Northern Ireland, has lived in Boston for years)
• Robert Morse – actor
• Samuel F. B. Morse – inventor and painter, inventor of electric telegraph and Morse code
• Eddie Mottau – guitarist
• Helen Messinger Murdoch (1862–1956), photographer: pioneered use of autochromes in travel photography

N

• Jack Nance – actor, title character in Eraserhead
• Betty Jo Nelsen – member of Wisconsin State Assembly
• New Edition – music group
• New Kids on the Block – band
• Terry Nihen – Playboy Playmate
• Leonard Nimoy – actor, known as Mr. Spock from Star Trek
• Zack Norman – actor-producer-financier
• Edward Norton – actor, American History X, Fight Club, The Italian Job
• B.J. Novak – actor, writer for NBC's The Office [from Newton]
• Christopher Nowinski – professional wrestler, known for his time in WWE

O

• Conan O'Brien – television personality
• On Broken Wings – band
• Patrice O'Neal – actor, comedian
• Thomas "Tip" O'Neill – U.S. Congressman, Speaker of the House
• James Otis, Jr. – patriot

P

• Robert Treat Paine – signer of Declaration of Independence
• Amanda Palmer – songwriter and performer
• Evelyn Parnell – opera singer
• George Patton IV – US Army General; son of famed World War II General George S. Patton III
• The Perceptionists – rap group
• Esther Petrack – contestant on America's Next Top Model, Cycle 15
• John Pinette – actor and comedian
• The Pixies – band
• Sylvia Plath – poet and author
• Edgar Allan Poe – poet and writer
• Ellen Pompeo – actress
• Tom Poti – NHL player, Washington Capitals
• Powerman 5000 – metal band
• Seth Putnam – musician

Q

• John Quinlan – pro wrestler

R

• Nicole Raczynski – pro wrestler known as Nikki Roxx, and as Roxxi in TNA Wrestling
• Sumner Redstone – Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Viacom
• Kevin P. Reilly, Sr. – CEO of Lamar Advertising Company in Baton Rouge; member of Louisiana House of Representatives
• Arthur E. Reimer – two-time Presidential candidate of Socialist Labor Party of America
• James Remar – actor, known for role of Ajax in The Warriors
• Lee Remick – actress, Days of Wine and Roses, Anatomy of a Murder
• Jerry Remy – MLB player and sportscaster
• Patrick Renna – actor, known for role of Ham in The Sandlot
• Frank Renzulli – writer, actor
• Paul Revere – silversmith and American Revolution patriot
• Ellen Swallow Richards – "mother" of home economics and sewage treatment
• Jonathan Richman – musician
• Sam Rivers – jazz musician
• Alex Rocco – actor, known for role of Moe Greene in The Godfather
• Norman Rockwell – artist
• Jeremy Roenick – NHL player
• Jereme Rogers – professional skateboarder
• Mitt Romney – 70th Governor of Massachusetts; 2012 US presidential candidate
• Eli Roth – director, writer, producer, actor
• Lillian Roth – actress, singer
• John Rowe (1715–1787), Boston resident merchant and diarist, original developer of Rowes Wharf^[70]
• Nathaniel Ruggles – U.S. Representative
• Bill Russell – professional basketball player and coach, NBA champion and Olympic gold medalist
• Blanchard Ryan – actress

S

• Alicia Sacramone – gymnast, world champion and Olympic silver medalist
• Perry Saturn – pro wrestler
• Richard Scarry – author, illustrator
• Jeremy Scott – televangelist, nudist, poet
• Ebenezer Seaver - U.S. Representative, chairman of Roxbury Board of Selectmen
• Anne Sexton – poet
• Dan Shaughnessy – Boston Globe sports columnist
• William E. Sheridan – actor
• Anthony T. Shtogren — U.S. Air Force general
• Fatima Siad – fashion model, third place on America's Next Top Model, Cycle 10
• Bill Simmons – sports columnist, "The Sports Guy" on ESPN.com
• Slaine – hip hop artist
• Slapshot – band
• Jenny Slate – actress, comedian, Saturday Night Live cast member
• Samuel Francis Smith – composer
• Edward Dexter Sohier – lawyer
• James Spader – actor, Boston Legal, The Blacklist
• Clinton Sparks – hip hop DJ, producer
• Special Teamz – rap group
• Lesley Stahl – television journalist, 60 Minutes
• Staind – band
• Larry Stark – theater critic
• Maurice Starr – musician, producer (New Edition and New Kids on the Block)
• Frederick Stevens — U.S. Representative from Minnesota^[71]
• Sonny Stitt – jazz saxophonist
• Street Dogs – band
• John L. Sullivan – first heavyweight champion of gloved boxing
• Louis Sullivan – architect
• Donna Summer – singer
• William H. Sumner – developer of East Boston
• John Sununu – junior U.S. Senator from New Hampshire (born in Boston)
• William H. Swanson – Chairman and CEO of Raytheon Company

T

• Edmund C. Tarbell – painter
• Lofa Tatupu – NFL linebacker
• James Taylor – folk singer
• That Handsome Devil – band
• John Thomas – first man to clear 7 feet (2.1 m) in high jump
• Thomas W. Thompson – United States Representative and United States Senator^[72]
• Henry David Thoreau – iconic poet, novelist
• Uma Thurman – actress, Pulp Fiction, Kill Bill
• Maura Tierney – actress
• 'Til Tuesday – band
• Jimmy Tingle – stand-up comedian, actor
• Eve Torres – professional wrestler
• John Tortorella – NHL coach, head coach of the Vancouver Canucks
• Touré – writer, TV host
• Ralph Tresvant – singer
• Kevin Trudeau – author, pocket billiards promoter, salesman
• Jen Trynin – musician
• Jonathan Tucker – actor
• John Tudor – MLB pitcher, St. Louis Cardinals
• Charles Tufts – founder of Tufts University

U

• Unearth – band
• Hezekiah Usher – first bookseller in the 13 colonies

V

• Steven Van Zandt – musician with Bruce Springsteen band and actor, The Sopranos
• Vanna - band
• Brian Viglione – musician

W

• Donnie Wahlberg – actor, singer, producer (New Kids on the Block)
• Mark Wahlberg – actor, rapper, producer, Boogie Nights, The Perfect Storm, The Departed, The Fighter
• Jimmy Walker – NBA All-Star
• Mike Wallace – television journalist
• Barbara Walters – television journalist
• Casey Walters – actor, Harbor Command
• An Wang – computer engineer and inventor, co-founder of Wang Laboratories
• Fiske Warren – paper manufacturer and philanthropist
• Gretchen Osgood Warren – poet and muse
• Sam Waterston – actor
• Jack Welch – businessman, CEO of General Electric
• Westbound Train – band
• Phillis Wheatley – poet and former slave
• Eli Whitney – inventor of the cotton gin
• Jermaine Wiggins – NFL player
• Tony Williams – jazz drummer
• Alan Wilson – singer, guitarist (Canned Heat)
• Robert Scott Wilson – actor, first male model on The Price Is Right
• Danny Wood – singer (New Kids on the Block)
• Gene Wood – game show announcer
• George Wood – baseball player^[69]
• Brian Woods – documentary filmmaker
• Benjamin Edward Woolf – British-born composer, playwright, journalist for Boston Saturday Evening Gazette and Boston Globe
• Steven Wright – Academy Award-winning comedian, actor and writer

X

• Malcolm X – civil rights activist, Muslim minister (lived in Roxbury)

Y

• Donnie Yen – Hong Kong actor, martial artist

Z

• Rob Zombie – musician, director, producer

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