List of people from Norwalk, Connecticut

Norwalk, Connecticut, has been home to numerous notable people, residents and others, past and present:

Artie Shaw, Big Band leader

Authors, writers

Faith Baldwin (1893–1978), novelist and worked with the Famous Writers School, lived in the Silvermine neighborhood and died in Norwalk.
Brian Basset (b. 1957), Seattle-based cartoonist, was born in the city.
A. Scott Berg (b. 1949), an award-winning biographer, was born in Norwalk.
Philip Caputo (b. 1941), author.
Peter De Vries (1910–1983), writer, editor, novelist, worked on The New Yorker magazine for many years.
Johnny Gruelle (1880–1938), artist and author, creator of Raggedy Ann, lived in town.
Alyse Gregory (1884–1967), suffragist, journalist, and novelist was born in Norwalk.
Bob Grumman (b. 1941) minimalist poet
Steven Kellogg (b. 1941), author and illustrator of children's books was born in Norwalk.
Sheila Lukins (1942–2009), cook and food writer.^[1]
Warren E. Preece (1921–2007), was editor of Encyclopædia Britannica 15th edition.
Andy Rooney (1919–2011), commentator on 60 Minutes television newsmagazine on CBS.
Stephen W. Sears (b. 1932), a Civil War historian, lives in Norwalk.
Peter St. John, poet during the American Revolution.
Sloan Wilson (1920–2003), author, was born in the city.
Wayne Winsley (b. 1963), broadcaster and author is a former resident.^[2]

Actors, musicians, entertainers

Frances Dee in Becky Sharp

Chris Webby (b. 1988), a rapper, was born in Norwalk.
Roger Bart (b. 1962), Broadway actor, was born in Norwalk.
Jesse Bradford (b. 1979), a film actor, was born in Norwalk.
Dave Brubeck (1920–2012), musician, died in the city.
Aynsley Bubbico, film and television actress, was born in Stamford and raised in Norwalk.^[3]
Ruth Chatterton (1892–1961), actress, writer and aviatrix, died in the city in 1961.
D.J. Caruso (b. 1965), a movie and television director, was born in the city and attended Norwalk High School.
Violet Englefield (1881-1946), actress and singer, lived in Norwalk 1930-39.
Chris Webby (Christian Webster), Rapper, grew up in Norwalk.
Robin de Jesús (b. 1984), film and theatre actor.
Frances Dee (1909–2004), an actress, died in the city.
Mat Devine (b. 1974), lead singer of Kill Hannah.
Ellen Hanley (1926–2007), musical theater performer.
Eileen Heckart (1919–2001), actress, died at her home in the city.
Clegg Hoyt (1910-1967), actor of film and television, was born in Norwalk.
Sarah Jacobson (1971–2004), independent filmmaker, was born in Norwalk.
Mitch Longley (b. 1965), television actor and graduated from Brien McMahon High School.
Forrest McClendon (b. ?), Tony Award-nominated actor (The Scottsboro Boys)^[4]
Vince Mendoza (b. 1961), a music arranger and composer, was born in Norwalk.
Farrad Mullins (b. 1976), a musician and performer based in New York City, was born in Norwalk.
Christopher Schreiner (b. 1983), guitarist born in Norwalk.
Artie Shaw (1910–2004), Big Band composer, lived in Norwalk in the 1950s^[5]
Horace Silver (b. 1928), jazz pianist and composer, was born in the city.
John Simon (b. 1941) a musician, record producer, and composer, was born in Norwalk.
Joan Wasser (b. 1970), violinist and singer-songwriter, was raised in the city.
Bruce Weitz (b. 1943), actor, was born in Norwalk.
Treat Williams (b. 1951), actor, Rowayton resident.
Remy Zaken (b. 1989), stage and television actress.^[6]

Sports

Érik Bédard (b. 1979), pitcher for the Baltimore Orioles, went to Norwalk Community College.
Paul Gerken (b. 1950), professional tennis player
Mickey Kydes, soccer player for the NY/NJ MetroStars of Major League Soccer.
Randy LaJoie (b. 1961), Two-time champion driver in the NASCAR Busch Series (now the Nationwide Series)
Bob Miller (1929–2006), NFL Detroit Lions football player (1952–1958) was born in the city.
Marie Corridon Mortell (b. 1930), won a gold medal in the 4 x 100 m relay in Swimming at the 1948 Summer Olympics in London.^[7]
Kevin Morton, former pitcher for the Boston Red Sox.
Calvin Murphy (b. 1948), former NBA basketball player, grew up in town.
Idris Price (b. 1976), football player for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Scott Sharp (b. 1968), auto racer, Indy Racing League champion, currently an American Le Mans Series owner-driver in the GT class.
Leif Shiras (b. 1959), former tennis player and tennis journalist.
Tarvis Simms (b. 1971), middleweight boxer, Golden Gloves champion, South Norwalk native.
Travis Simms (b. 1971), welterweight champion of the World Boxing Association (as of January 2007), South Norwalk native.
Luke Vercollone (b. 1982), professional soccer player with the Charleston Battery, grew up in Norwalk.
Mo Vaughn (b. 1967), former baseball player.
Daniel Walsh (b. 1979), rower and winner of a Bronze medal in rowing at the 2008 Summer Olympics.^[8]

Government and politics

Brien McMahon stamp issued 1962

John Magrath

William Benton (1900–1973), U.S. Senator and later publisher of the Encyclopædia Britannica, lived in the city.
Thaddeus Betts (1789–1840), a United States Senator from Connecticut.
William Thomas Clark (1831–1905), an American Civil War general, U.S. Congressman, and abolitionist.
Darius N. Couch (1822–1897), a naturalist and Union general in the Civil War, died in Norwalk.
Jeremiah Donovan (1857–1935), mayor and U.S. Congressman.
Thomas Fitch (1696–1774), colonial Governor of Connecticut.
Thomas Fitch, V (1725–1795), state representative, and widely believed to be the original "Yankee Doodle Dandy."
Irving Freese, five term mayor of Norwalk, and one of the few Socialists ever elected mayor in the United States.
Alex Knopp, was the two-term mayor of Norwalk from 2001–2005.
Brien McMahon (1903–1952), United States Senator (D-CT), authored the Atomic Energy Act of 1946. McMahon was born, raised, and is buried in Norwalk. One of the city's high schools is named after him.
Dick Moccia, was elected mayor of Norwalk, Connecticut on November 8, 2005.
Isaac Sears (1729 or 1730–1786), a merchant, sailor, and political figure during the American Revolution, was raised in Norwalk.
Levi Warner (1831–1911), was a United States Representative from Connecticut.
Peter Willcox (b. 1953), a Greenpeace activist and former captain of the Rainbow Warrior, was raised in the city.

Other

Daniel Shea

Daniel T. Barry (b. 1953), retired NASA astronaut, was born in Norwalk.
Cirie Fields (b. 1970), contestant on Survivor: Panama, Survivor: Micronesia, and Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains.
Sarah Louise Bouton Felt (1850—1928), was the first general president of the children's Primary organization of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Francis Gregory (1780–1866), a U.S. Navy officer in the War of 1812 and the American Civil War, was born in Norwalk.
Edward Calvin Kendall (1886–1972), chemist and Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine winner in 1950, was born in South Norwalk.
LeGrand Lockwood (died February 1872), Wall Street financier, builder of the Lockwood-Mathews Mansion in Norwalk.
John D. Magrath (1924–1945), a World War II Medal of Honor recipient was born in East Norwalk and is buried in Norwalk.
Alexander Rummler (1867–1959), American painter, lived in the city for 35 years painting many scenes of Norwalk life.
Daniel J. Shea (1947–1969), a recipient of the Medal of Honor in the Vietnam War. Shea Island in the Norwalk Islands has been renamed in his honor.
Charles Robert Sherman (1788–1829), a lawyer, Ohio public servant, and the father of William Tecumseh Sherman was born in Norwalk.^[9]
Mary Emma Woolley (1863–1947), president of Mount Holyoke College, 1901–1937, born in South Norwalk.^[10]

Footnotes

↑ Moskin, Julia. "Sheila Lukins, 66, Dies; Awakened Taste Buds", The New York Times, August 30, 2009. Accessed August 31, 2009.
↑ Kobak, Steve (July 28, 2008). "Author in search of real life character for next novel". The Hour. p. A3.
↑ "Aynsley Bubbico". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved July 4, 2008.
↑ Wright, Chase (May 7, 2011). "Norwalk native turned Broadway star nominated for Tony Award". Stamford Times. Retrieved 2011-05-28.
↑ Grudens, Richard, Jukebox Saturday Night: More Memories of the Big Band Era and Beyond, (1999) Pine Hill Press, Freeman, S.D., ISBN 1-57579-142-0, page 29, accessed through Google Books (free registration required) on August 4, 2006
↑ "Remy Zaken". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved July 4, 2008.
↑ Geoghegan, Steve (September 25, 2008). "Norwalk honors its Olympian". The Hour. p. B1.
↑ Hine, Tommy (August 22, 2008). "Summer Bronze: Norwalk's Walsh Garners Olympic Medal". Norwalk Citizen~News 12 (34): A1,A15. Retrieved August 27, 2008.
↑ Hirshson, Stanley P., The White Tecumseh: A Biography of General William T. Sherman, John Wiley & Sons, 1997, ISBN 0-471-17578-1
↑ Web page titled "Mary Emma Wolley" at Encyclopædia Britannica Web site, accessed May 4, 2007