Celebrities You Probably Didn’t Know Were From Brooklyn

Sure, you know about Jay-Z, Joan Rivers, and Woody Allen, but there are other celebrities who were born, and even raised, here and most people have no clue.

1. Michael Jordan

Yes, the ultimate game-changer played for the Chicago Bulls for the majority of his NBA career, which is what he’s most known for. However, he was born in the former Cumberland Hospital in Fort Greene, and was moved to North Carolina as a toddler.

2. Anne Hathaway 

This Academy Award-winning actress might’ve been raised in New Jersey, but her life began in Bk. She even moved back for some time (after becoming a household name), and was living in DUMBO.

3. Nia Long 

Before moving to Iowa and then L.A. at a young age, this stunning actress and music video director (who’s been the subject of many a song) was born in Brooklyn in 1970. It’s hard to believe that she’s about to turn 44 next month, but she doesn’t look a day over 30.

4. David Blaine 

The 41-yr-old record-breaking magician and illusionist was born and raised in this great borough, before moving to NJ during high school and then settling in Manhattan.

5. Ken Burns 

1/3 of the directing team for the Central Park Five documentary, he found his beginning in Brooklyn. He won an Academy Award for his documentary on the Brooklyn Bridge in 1981.

6. Janice Dickinson 

The “world’s first supermodel” (self-described) has roots in Brooklyn. She even coined the term “supermodel”. She is no doubt one of the most successful models in history, and isn’t anywhere near done yet.

1. Daymond John 

The CEO & Founder of the huge FUBU clothing line and investor on ABC’s Shark Tank was born in Bk, but raised in Queens. His entrepreneurship set the stage for hip-hop oriented clothing, and he began by selling low-cost fishing hats outside of New York Coliseum.

2. Ntozake Shange 

Everyone knows about the For Colored Girls film, but she is the mastermind behind the original Obie Award-winning choreopoem (play) “For colored girls who have considered suicide / when the rainbow is enuf” (sic). While she was not born or raised in Brooklyn, she has been a resident for almost 30 years, and so is granted this exception.

Which ones were a complete surprise to you?