List of people from Stamford, Connecticut

This is a list of notable people in the past and present associated with Stamford, Connecticut .

This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by editing the page to add missing items, with references to reliable sources.

Art

Gutzon Borglum at the White House, 1924

• Gutzon Borglum (1867–1941), sculptor of Mount Rushmore, lived in Stamford ^[1] 1910–1920
• Paul Calle (1928–2010), artist who created the 1969 stamp commemorating the first crewed Moon landing ^[2]
• J.A. Ten Eyck III (1893–1932), ^[3] painter and etcher
• Helen Ross(1928–2011), artist, had a home in the Shippan section of town
• Joe Harris((1928–2017), commercial illustrator and storyboard artist, creator of Underdog and the Trix™️ Rabbit. ^[4] aka Joe Harris III
• Hildreth Meière (1892–1961), artist and designer, lived in North Stamford ^[5]
• Alex Raymond (1909–1956), creator of the Flash Gordon comic strip, lived in North Stamford
• Kevin Salatino, art curator and former director of Huntington Library and Bowdoin College Museum of Art ^[6]
• Alexander Rummler (c.1867–1959), painter, lived in the city

Business

• Ralph Bahna (1942–2014), CEO of Cunard Line, chairman of Priceline.com, founder of Club Quarters ^[7]
• Jeph Loeb (born 1958), comic book writer, film and television writer, producer, former head of Marvel Television
• Vince McMahon (born 1945) and Linda McMahon (born 1948), founders of World Wrestling Entertainment

Entertainers

• Christopher Abbott (born 1986), American actor
• Elizabeth Crocker Bowers (1830–1895), stage actress and theatrical manager, also known professionally as Mrs. D. P. Bowers
• Michael Dante (born 1931), actor and professional baseball player, born in the city ^[8]
• Dana Delany (born 1956), actress, grew up in Stamford
• Kenny Delmar (1910–1986), actor, died in the city
• Kim Greist (born 1958), actress, was born in the city ^[9]
• Eileen Heckart (1919–2001), Oscar-winning actress and city resident ^[10]
• John Henson (born 1967), comedian, was born in the city
• Earl Hindman (1942–2003), actor, died in the city
• Harry Houdini (1874–1926), escape artist, had a summer home in Stamford ^[11]
• Alan Kalter (1943–2021), announcer on Late Show with David Letterman , lived in the city ^[12]
• Christopher Lloyd (born 1938), actor, born in Stamford
• Antonio Macia, screenwriter and actor
• Don Morrow (1927–2020), actor, announcer and voiceover artist
• Bill Moseley (born 1951), horror film actor, was born in the city
• Chris Noth (born 1954), actor
• Louise Platt (1915–2003), theatre and film actress, was born in the city
• Bruce Prichard (born 1963), professional wrestling executive
• Gilda Radner (1946–1989), comedian, actress, wife of Gene Wilder, lived in the city
• Katherine Reback (1950/51–2010), screenwriter ( Fools Rush In ), was a native of Stamford ^[13]
• Rosemary Rice (1925–2012), actress ( Mama ), voice-over artist and children's musician ^[14]
• Dan Sileo (born 1963), athlete, radio host, was born in the city
• Henry Simmons (born 1970), actor, was born in the city
• Stephen Sondheim (1930–2021), composer, lived in North Stamford when he was a boy ^[15]
• Grant Tinker (1926–2016), former husband of Mary Tyler Moore and former chairman and CEO of NBC (1981–1986), was born in the city
• Mark Tinker (born 1951), producer, director, and writer, was born in the city
• Vivian Vance (1909–1979), actress who starred as Ethel Mertz in I Love Lucy
• Fredi Washington (1903–1994), actress, died in the city
• Marc Weiner (born 1955), Jewish comedian, clown, puppeteer, and television producer, lives in the city
• Gene Wilder (1933–2016), actor and director, lived and died in the city ^[16]
• Peggy Wood (1892–1978), actress and a member of the Algonquin Round Table, died in the city

Government and politics

French Premier Georges Clemenceau by Nadar

Homer Cummings

• Andrew P. Bakaj (born 1982), former Department of Defense and CIA Official; lead counsel for the Whisteblower during the Impeachment Inquiry and the subsequent Impeachment of President Donald Trump, born and raised in Stamford
• J. Cofer Black (born 1950), former United States Department of State Coordinator for Counterterrorism with the rank of Ambassador at Large (2002–2004); born in Stamford^{[ citation needed ]}
• Georges Clemenceau (1841–1929), French Premier during World War I; one of the major voices behind the Treaty of Versailles; taught in a girls' school in Stamford; married one of his pupils, Mary Plummer, in 1869^{[ citation needed ]}
• Homer Stille Cummings (1870–1956), United States Attorney General, 1933–1939; in 1900, 1901, and 1904, he was elected mayor of Stamford; helped found the Cummings & Lockwood law firm in 1909
• Charles A. Duelfer, chief U.S. weapons inspector in Iraq; raised in Stamford^{[ citation needed ]}
• Joe Lieberman (born 1942), U.S. Senator and 2000 Democratic nominee for vice president; born in Stamford ^[17]
• Dan Malloy (born 1955), Governor of Connecticut
• John J. McCloy (1895–1989), prominent adviser to President Franklin D. Roosevelt and President Ronald Reagan; died in Stamford
• William T. Minor (1815–1889), 39th Governor of Connecticut, Consul-General to Havana, Cuba and judge on the Connecticut Superior Court; born in Stamford ^[18]
• Candace Owens (born 1989), conservative commentator and political activist
• Jen Psaki (born 1978), former White House Press Secretary
• Chris Shays (born 1945), Fourth District U.S. representative; former resident of Stamford ^[19]

Literature, writing, journalism

• Christopher Buckley (born 1952), novelist, editor, William F. Buckley's son, partly grew up in the Cove section
• William F. Buckley, Jr. (1925–2008), founder of National Review magazine, longtime resident in the Cove section
• Albert K. Dawson (1885–1967), photojournalist and film correspondent in World War I. His firm "Brown & Dawson" was based in Stamford between 1912 and 1919
• Eric Jay Dolin (born 1961), author of numerous books on American history, including "Black Flags, Blue Waters: The Epic History of America's Most Notorious Pirates"; "Leviathan: A History of Whaling in America"; and "Rebels at Sea: Privateering in the American Revolution." Lived in Stamford from 1971 to 1979 ^[20]
• Greg Farshtey (born 1965), author, editor at Lego, known for his work on Bionicle, grew up in Stamford ^[21]
• Estelle Feinstein (1923–2002), University of Connecticut professor, local historian, lived 45 years in Stamford ^[22]
• Chris Hansen (born 1959), television journalist, lives in the city
• Harry Harrison (born Henry Maxwell Dempsey, 1925–2012), science-fiction author, was born in the city
• John Hawkes (1925–1998), novelist, was born in the city
• Carol Iovanna (born 1952), newscaster on Fox News, is a resident of the city
• Jeph Loeb, comic book, screen, and television writer, and television and motion picture producer, grew up in Stamford ^{[23] [24]}
• J. D. Salinger (1919–2010), author of The Catcher in the Rye, lived in north Stamford briefly in the late 1940s ^[25]
• Chuck Scarborough (born 1943), television news anchor, lives in North Stamford
• Anthony Julian Tamburri (born 1949), professor, scholar, publisher (Bordighera Press); writes on literature and cinema
• Dana Tyler (born 1958), news anchor for WCBS-TV in New York City, lives in Stamford ^[26]
• Mort Walker (1923–2018), comic artist, lived in Stamford ^[27]

Music

• Dave Abbruzzese (born 1968), Pearl Jam's drummer, 1991–1994, was born in the city
• Michael Bolton (born 1953), singer, lived in North Stamford ^[1]
• Henry "Harry" Thacker Burleigh (1866–1949), singer who made "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot," a nineteenth-century spiritual, popular (in a 1917 compilation); died in the city
• Michael Cuscuna (1948-2024) Jazz record producer and founder of Mosaic Records
• Willy DeVille (1950–2009), R&B singer and composer, was born in Stamford in 1950
• Dorothy Fields (1905–1974), lyricist, rented Buttonwood Manor in North Stamford from William E. Stevens during World War II ^[28]
• Benny Goodman (1909–1986), the 'King of Swing', lived the last 20 years of his life in Stamford; buried in Long Ridge Cemetery ^[29]
• Jimmy Ienner (born 1945), music producer ^[30]
• Jim Koplik, concert promoter, city resident since 1981 ^[31]
• Jim Kweskin(born 1940), the person who sang “Ladybugs Picnic”, was born in Stamford Went to school at Brunswick School.
• Cyndi Lauper (born 1953), singer, has a home in North Stamford ^{[1] [32]}
• Michael Lee Aday (Meat Loaf) (born 1947), rock singer and songwriter, lived in Stamford 1979–1982, coached Babe Ruth League and Little League baseball, born in Dallas, Texas
• Moby (born 1965), recording artist, previously lived in the South End
• Ezio Pinza (1892–1957), a star of the Metropolitan Opera, lived in the West Side ^[1]
• Rakim (born 1968), rapper, lives in the city
• Chris Risola (born 1958), musician and songwriter, lead guitarist of Steelheart, was born in the city
• Sasha Sokol (born 1970), Mexican singer, has a home in Stamford
• Andrew Sterling (1874–1955), lyricist, died in the city
• Rida Johnson Young (1869–1926), lyricist, died in the city ^[33]

Religion

• Job Bishop (1760–1831), Shaker leader and community founder, born and raised in Stamford
• James Davenport (1716–1757), clergyman and itinerant preacher noted for often controversial actions during the First Great Awakening, born in Stamford
• Frederick Dibblee (1753–1826), Canadian Church of England clergyman ^[34]
• Lubomyr Husar (1933–2017), major Archbishop of the Ukrainian Greek Major-Archdiocese of Lviv, was educated at St. Basil's College in Stamford
• Cardinal Ignatius Pin-Mei Kung (1901–2000), Roman Catholic Bishop of Shanghai, China from 1950 until his death, lived his final years in Stamford
• Robert Lombardo (1957-), Auxiliary Bishop of Chicago
• Thaddeus F. Malanowski (1922–2020), Deputy Chief of Chaplains of the U.S. Army
• Harriet Bradford Tiffany Stewart (1798–1830), missionary

Sports

Jackie Robinson in his now-retired number 42 jersey

• Semyon Belits-Geiman (born 1945), Olympic medal-winning swimmer^{[ citation needed ]}
• Keith Bennett (born 1961), American-Israeli basketball player
• Andy Bloom (born 1973), Olympic shot putter^{[ citation needed ]}
• Matt Brennan (1897–1963), NFL player ^[35]
• Garry Cobb (born 1957), NFL football player ^[30]
• David Cone (born 1963), former MLB pitcher^{[ citation needed ]}
• Michael Dante (born 1931), former professional baseball player and later a television and film actor, was born in the city ^[8]
• Chris Dudley (born 1965), former NBA basketball player for teams including the Cleveland Cavaliers and New York Knicks; born in Stamford ^[36]
• Fred Dugan (1933–2018), NFL player with SF 49ers, Dallas Cowboys and Washington Redskins
• Gigi Fernández (born 1964), member of the International Tennis Hall of Fame ^[37]
• Jane Geddes (born 1960), winner of 11 LPGA Tour events ^[37]
• Ryan Haggerty (born 1993), NHL hockey player on the Pittsburgh Penguins ^[38]
• J. Walter Kennedy (1912–1977), NBA commissioner (1963–1975) and former athletic director at St. Basil's Preparatory School in Stamford; born in Stamford^{[ citation needed ]}
• Parker Kligerman (born 1990), NASCAR driver, born in Stamford
• Dick Mayer (1924–1989), professional golfer, born in Stamford^{[ citation needed ]}
• Dave Puzzuoli (born 1961), NFL football player
• Andy Robustelli (1925–2011), member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame; born and raised in Stamford ^[39]
• Alex Rodriguez (born 1975), MLB player, has a home in Stamford
• Boris Said (born 1962), NASCAR driver, raised in Stamford^{[ citation needed ]}
• Dan Sileo (born 1964), former NFL player and currently a radio personality in Los Angeles on The Mighty 1090, born and raised in Stamford ^[40]
• William E. Stevenson (1900–1985), 1924 Olympic gold medal winner in track; president of Oberlin College; bought Buttonwood Manor in North Stamford in 1937 ^[28]
• Gene Tunney (1897–1978), boxing champion; interred in Long Ridge Union Cemetery in Stamford ^[41]
• Bobby Valentine (born 1950), former baseball player and former manager of the Boston Red Sox, owner of downtown sports bar "Bobby V's", a downtown sports bar, the city's Director of Public Health and Safety, born in Stamford ^[42]
• Herb Williams (born 1958), former NBA player and current New York Knicks assistant coach, has a home in Stamford^{[ citation needed ]}

Other

• Sandra Diaz-Twine (born 1974), two-time winner of Survivor ( Pearl Islands and Heroes vs. Villains )
• Dennis Gabor (1900–1979), worked at the CBS Research Lab in Stamford and won a Nobel Prize in Physics
• Ina Garten (born 1948), cooking author, grew up in the city
• Esther A. Hopkins (1926–2021), chemist, environmental attorney and Framingham's first African-American selectwoman, born in Stamford
• Robert Jaffe (born approx. 1946), physicist, grew up in Stamford
• Robert Jarvik (born 1946), inventor of the first artificial heart, was reared in Stamford ^{[43] [44]}
• Harold June (1895–1962), U.S. Navy test pilot and Antarctic aviator
• F. N. Monjo (1875–1929), Arctic fur trader
• C.Henry Phillips (1820–1882), inventor of magnesium hydroxide, lived in and had a factory making the product in town ^{[ citation needed ]}
• Martha Pollack (born 1958), president of Cornell University
• Barry Preedom (1940–2025), physicist
• Thomas H. Ruger (1833–1907), Union general in the Civil War and superintendent of West Point, died in the city
• Will Shortz (born 1952), puzzle editor of The New York Times , current resident and organizer of the annual World Puzzle Championship which was held in Stamford in 2000
• Mort Walker (1923–2018), cartoonist for Beetle Bailey and Hi and Lois

See also

• List of people from Connecticut
• List of people from Bridgeport, Connecticut
• List of people from Brookfield, Connecticut
• List of people from Darien, Connecticut
• List of people from Greenwich, Connecticut
• List of people from Hartford, Connecticut
• List of people from New Canaan, Connecticut
• List of people from New Haven, Connecticut
• List of people from Norwalk, Connecticut
• List of people from Redding, Connecticut
• List of people from Ridgefield, Connecticut
• List of people from Westport, Connecticut

References

1. "If You're Thinking of Living In/North Stamford, Conn.; In a Bustling City, a Rural Haven" an article by Eleanor Charles in The New York Times Real Estate section, February 1, 1998, accessed September 10, 2006
2. Fox, Margalit (December 31, 2010). "Paul Calle, Postage Stamp Designer, Is Dead at 82". The New York Times . Retrieved December 31, 2010.
3. "John A. Ten Eyck Dead, Painter and Etcher. Artist Was Widely Known for His Landscapes and Studies of Still Life". The New York Times . October 22, 1932. Retrieved July 11, 2008. ... died today at his home on Shippan Point of a heart affection that ended an illness ...
4. Joe Harris, illustrator who created the Trix rabbit and Underdog, dies
5. Durrell, Brad. "Famously Unknown". pressreader. Greenwich Time (Hearst). Retrieved January 23, 2022.
6. Boehm, Mike (February 10, 2012). "Huntington picks Kevin Salatino to head its art collections". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 14, 2022.
7. Arnold, Laurence (February 28, 2014). "Ralph Bahna, Innovator Who Led Cunard, Priceline, Dies at 71". Bloomberg News . Retrieved March 22, 2014.
8. Lee, Natasha, "A reel cowboy: Actor doesn't forget Stamford Roots", article in The Advocate of Stamford, Connecticut, October 22, 2006, page 1, article confirms he was born and grew up in Stamford
9. "News - Entertainment, Music, Movies, Celebrity".
10. Costagregni, Susie, "Director grabs a coffee before daughter's wedding" the June 24, 2006 "The Dish with susie" column in The Advocate of Stamford, page A2
11. Parry, Wynne, "Vaudeville and Beyond: Before the heyday of movies and television, stages offered a cavalcade of acts", article, The Advocate of Stamford, Connecticut, December 24, 2007, pp 1, A4, Norwalk and Stamford editions (article states: "Houdini wrote in some notes that he spent summers in his 'country home in Stamford, Connecticut', according to the book, Houdini: The Man Who Walked Through Walls")
12. Costagregni, Susie, "Food, wine and star power featured at Darien benefit", headline for "The dish with susie" column in The Advocate of Stamford, Connecticut, May 6, 2007, page 2
13. Dore, Shalini (May 26, 2010). "Screenwriter Katherine Reback dies". The Hollywood Reporter . Archived from the original on June 5, 2010. Retrieved June 11, 2010.
14. "Obituary: Rosemary Rice Merrell, 87, started in TV and radio". New Canaan Advertiser . August 21, 2012. Archived from the original on May 22, 2013. Retrieved August 26, 2012.
15. "From the Archives" feature in The Advocate of Stamford, Connecticut, July 23, 2007, "25 years ago", "July 25, 1982" item; page A7
16. Costagregni, Susie, "Mary Tyler Moore focuses on new home", headline for "The dish with susie" column in The Advocate of Stamford, Connecticut, April 15, 2007, page 2
17. "LIEBERMAN, Joseph I. (born 1942)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved December 3, 2012.
18. "Connecticut Governor William Thomas Minor". National Governors Association. Retrieved December 3, 2012.
19. "SHAYS, Christopher H. (born 1945)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved December 3, 2012.
20. "Author | Eric Jay Dolin". www.ericjaydolin.com. Retrieved September 21, 2025.
21. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=im0PXs8AwGE 2013 Interview
22. Wills, J. Clyde (November 5, 2002). "Feinstein, Noted Stamford Historian, Dies at 78". Stamford Historical Society. Retrieved November 11, 2021.
23. "WWLA: Cup o' Jeph". March 14, 2008.
24. "WWC: Civil War & Remembrance Panel -Updated!". Comic Book Resources. August 11, 2007.
25. Kim, Elizabeth (January 30, 2010). "Salinger's lost years in Stamford - Author lived, wrote in North Stamford home in 1940s". The Stamford Advocate.
26. Costagregni, Susie, "Director grabs a coffee before daughter's wedding," "The Dish with susie" column in The Advocate of Stamford, June 24, 2006, page A2
27. Quinn, Anna (October 21, 2017). "'Beetle Bailey' creator joins Boy Scout camping weekend". newstimes. Hearst Media Services Connecticut, LLC. Retrieved October 23, 2017.
28. Nova, Susan, "Manor is rich with history: Offer has been accepted to buy 5,300-square-foot (490 m²) home", news article in the Real Estate section of The Advocate of Stamford (daily newspaper), Friday, April 20, 2007, pp R1, R4
29. Charles, Eleanor (August 20, 1989). "If You're Thinking of Living in: Stamford". The New York Times.
30. "Stamford High School - Wall of Fame". Archived from the original on August 22, 2006. Retrieved August 22, 2006.
31. Lockhart, Brian, "Promoter praised for keeping the music playing: Jim Koplik honored as one of state's finest", news article, The Advocate of Stamford, Connecticut, March 10, 2007, pages 1, A6
32. Lee, Natasha, "Highest honor: Stamford police remember fallen colleagues", news article in The Advocate of Stamford, May 15, 2007, p 1, A4, Stamford Edition, picture caption (page 1): "Cyndi Lauper, a Stamford resident, sings the national anthem at the memorial ceremony [...]"
33. "Rida Johnson Young". IMDb.
34. "List of people from Stamford, Connecticut". Dictionary of Canadian Biography (online ed.). University of Toronto Press. 1979–2016.
35. "Matt Brennan Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Draft, College". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 14, 2022.
36. "Chris Dudley". databaseBasketball.com. Retrieved December 3, 2012.
37. "Ex-LPGA golfer Jane Geddes now working for WWE". Newsday.
38. "Ryan Haggerty". NHL.com.
39. "Andrew Richard Robustelli". databaseFootball.com. Archived from the original on September 27, 2012. Retrieved December 3, 2012.
40. "Dan Sileo". Pro-Football-Reference.Com. Retrieved December 3, 2012.
41. Stamford Advocate
42. "Pavia names Bobby Valentine Stamford's public safety director". Stamford Advocate. January 14, 2011.
43. "About Connecticut". Archived from the original on October 29, 2013. Retrieved September 7, 2006.
44. Webster, Bayard (December 3, 1982). "Men in the News; A Pair of Skilled Hands to Guide an Artificial Heart: Robert Kiffler Jarvik". The New York Times.

External links

• Media related to People of Stamford, Connecticut at Wikimedia Commons