Knowing which famous people came from your part of the world can not only be inspiring, but it is also a great conversation starter and is just plain fun. You can see where their famous personalities were shaped, perhaps at the same school you went to, and imagine how their life pursuits were inspired by your town and places you know. Here are 10 celebrities who are from New Hampshire.
Alan Shepard
Alan Shepard was an astronaut, a naval aviator, test pilot, and businessman. He was born on November 18th, 1923, in Derry, New Hampshire. In 1961 Alan became the second man and first American to go into space! In 1971 he walked on the moon! His father worked at Derry National Bank, a family-owned business.
Adam Sandler
Adam Sandler is a comedian and actor. He was born in Brooklyn, New York September 9th, 1966, and then moved to Manchester, New Hampshire, at the age of 6. He grew up there and attended Manchester Central High School. Adam became a successful comedian and was cast on Saturday Night Live from 1990 to 1995, after which he continued to star in many films.
Seth Meyers
Seth Meyers is a comedian, writer, producer, and television host. He is known for being a cast member and head writer for Saturday Night Live and his own talk show, Late Night with Seth Meyers! Meyers was born in Evanston, Illinois, and moved to New Hampshire around the age of 10, where he attended Edgewood Elementary. He then graduated from Manchester High School West in New Hampshire. Meyers has helped raise money for the Bedford Education Association.
Matt Bonner
Matt Bonner is known as the Red Rocket or Red Mamba during his time as an NBA basketball player. Bonner was born in Concord, New Hampshire. In his teens, he played basketball at Concord High School and helped to lead them to three state championships. He was also valedictorian of his graduating class. Bonner played college basketball for the University of Florida until the Chicago Bulls chose him with the 45th overall pick in 2003 for the NBA draft. Bonner played 12 seasons in the NBA. He won two NBA championships with the Spurs in 2007 and 2014.
Mandy Moore
Mandy Moore is a talented singer, songwriter, and actress. She was born in 1984 in Nashua, New Hampshire. In 1999 Moore rose to fame with her debut single, “candy.” She has performed in many Hollywood films such as Princess Diaries and A Walk To Remember. She did the voice work for the loved animated classic, Tangled. Moore is currently starring in the popular NBC tv show 'This Is Us.'
Sarah Silverman
Sarah Silverman is a successful comedian. She was born in Bedford, New Hampshire, in 1970. Silverman attended Derryfield School in Manchester, where she graduated in 1989. She performed her first stand-up comedy routine when she was 17 and performed in Greenwich Village for a time. She is best known for jokes addressing different social taboos and controversial topics. She has been on SNL and has created her own comedy show, The Sarah Silverman Show. Silverman has been nominated for two Emmy awards.
John Irving
John Irving is a great American novelist and screenwriter. He was born in Exeter, New Hampshire, in 1942. He grew up there and was a part of the Exeter wrestling program in High School. In much of his later work, you can see wrestling shown in his books and stories. When Irving was 26, he published his first novel called Setting Free the Bears. He is known for TheWorld According to Garp and his Oscar award-winning screenplay, The Cider House Rules.
J.D. Salinger
Salinger is a writer and best known for the American classic, The Catcher in the Rye. Salinger grew up in New York City. He was drafted into World War II and landed at Utah Beach in France during the Normandy Invasion, and was a part of the Battle of the Bulge. During this time, Salinger continued to write. Two years after his book, The Catcher in the Rye, Salinger retreated to Cornish, New Hampshire, where he lived out the remainder of his days.
Dan Brown
Dan Brown is a writer and best known for his book, The DaVinci Code, and Angels and Demons. Brown was born in Exeter, New Hampshire, in 1964, where he grew up. He attended Phillips Exeter Academy. After a time in California where he focused on writing music, he moved back to Exeter in 1993. He joined the faculty at the Exeter High School and taught English and creative writing. He continued writing his own thriller books during this time and in 2009 rose to fame with the DaVinci Code, at which point 80 million copies have been sold, and editions were available in around 40 languages.
Jodi Picoult
Jodi Picoult has had major success as the author of books such as
My Sister’s Keeper and
The Seventh Circle, her work has also been adapted to film. Picoult was born in New York and moved to New Hampshire when she was 13 years old. Many of her books take place with a New England backdrop. Today Picoult lives in Hanover, New Hampshire, where she continues to write and is involved in many charitable organizations.
