Linda McMahon confirmed by Senate for Education secretary
The Senate confirmed GOP donor and former wrestling executive Linda McMahon to head the Department of Education with a 51-45 vote.
From singers to athletes, Connecticut has produced a number of big-name celebrities.
There are plenty of famous people with ties to the state — the likes of Richard Gere and Ivan Lendl have previously owned real estate here, while Meryl Streep and her former husband have owned an estate in Salisbury for decades.
However, only some celebrities got their start in Connecticut before finding fame.
Some famous names are known for their Connecticut roots, while others may surprise you. Here’s a list of 20 living celebrities who grew up in Connecticut.
Bolton is a two-time Grammy Award-winning singer whose career has spanned five decades.
The “When a Man Loves a Woman” singer is from New Haven and still lives in Connecticut.
The musician known for popular songs like “Gravity” and “Your Body Is a Wonderland” was born in Bridgeport and grew up in Fairfield.
Mayer attended Brien McMahon High School in Norwalk before going to Berklee College of Music.
The “When Harry Met Sally…” and “Sleepless in Seattle” actress was born and raised in Fairfield.
Before her foray into acting, she went to high school in Bethel and attended the University of Connecticut for a short time.
Close is an actress known for films like “Fatal Attraction” and “Hillbilly Elegy.” Her accolades include three Emmy Awards and three Tony Awards.
She grew up in Greenwich and graduated from what is now Choate Rosemary Hall in 1965.
The creator of “Family Guy,” MacFarlane is also known for starring in “Ted” and “A Million Ways to Die in the West.”
He was born and raised in Kent and graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design.
An actor known as the titular character on the teen drama show “Dawson’s Creek,” Van Der Beek got his start in Connecticut. He grew up in Cheshire and graduated from Cheshire Academy.
He has appeared in several movies, including “Varsity Blues” and “The Rules of Attraction.” He has also had television roles in “Don’t Trust the B—- in Apartment 23” and “Pose.” Van Der Beek also competed on season 28 of “Dancing with the Stars.”
Leibovitz is a photographer known for portraits of celebrities like John Lennon and Yoko Ono. The Library of Congress named her a Living Legend.
She was born in Waterbury and later moved to Maryland.
An actor and singer most well known for his role on “Stranger Things,” Matarazzo was born in New London.
His family later moved to New Jersey, where he spent most of his childhood.
Long is an actor who is known for roles in films like “Dodgeball” and “He’s Just Not That Into You.”
He grew up in Fairfield and went to Fairfield College Preparatory School. His father is also a retired professor at Fairfield University.
Before her viral TikTok career, D’Amelio grew up in Norwalk. Nowadays, she is starring on Broadway and her family is featured on the reality show “The D’Amelio Show.”
She also attended King School in Stamford before her online fame.
Charli D’Amelio’s elder sister Dixie also rose to fame on TikTok.
Also a Norwalk native, Dixie D’Amelio has expanded into acting and singing and is known for the song “Be Happy.”
Boston Red Sox fans listened to Castiglione for more than 40 years as the team’s radio play-by-play announcer.
Castiglione, who retired last year, is originally from Hamden.
Duxbury is a content creator and model with more than 20 million followers on social media who was named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 list in 2024.
She was born in England and grew up in Hadlyme, a neighborhood in Lyme. She also graduated from Southern Connecticut State University in New Haven.
A former ESPN journalist known for breaking major NBA stories that fans call “Woj bombs,” Wojnarowski is from Bristol.
He grew up miles from the ESPN campus and now works at St. Bonaventure University.
A Connecticut native and Harvard University alum, Corrigan made history at the Paris Olympics when him and his team won the first gold medal in men’s four rowing for the United States since 1960.
Corrigan, who grew up in Old Lyme, won gold in the 2,000 meter men’s four final in rowing alongside teammates Michael Grady, Justin Best and Nick Mead.
A two-time FIFA Women’s World Cup gold medalist, Naeher is a professional soccer goalkeeper.
Born in Bridgeport, Naeher also won both an Olympic gold medal and bronze medal with the women’s national team before retiring last year.
Grant is an actress who notably plays Cleo in the Netflix show “Outer Banks.”
She grew up in New Haven before moving to Florida.
A Hartford native, Briney is known for roles in “The Summer I Turned Pretty” and the musical film adaptation of “Mean Girls.”
He also attended Waterbury Arts Magnet School.
Known professionally as Cassie, Ventura is a singer, dancer and actress.
She was born in New London and attended The Williams School at Connecticut College.
McMahon is the daughter of Vince and Linda McMahon.
She is a former professional wrestler and worked for WWE in various roles, including briefly its CEO.
Melina Khan is a trending reporter for the USA TODAY Network – New England, which serves more than a dozen affiliated publications across New England. She can be reached at MKhan@gannett.com.
