List of people from Brooklyn

This is a list of people who were either born or have lived in Brooklyn, a borough of New York City at some time in their lives.

A

 * Aaliyah (1979–2001) – actress, dancer and singer
 * Cal Abrams (1924–1997) – Major League Baseball player (Madison)
 * Monica Aksamit (born 1990), saber fencer; won a bronze medal at the 2016 Summer Olympics in the women's saber team competition
 * Romeo Alaeff (born 1970) – visual artist
 * Marv Albert (born 1941) – sportscaster (Manhattan Beach)
 * Tatyana Ali (born 1979) – actress
 * Rawle Alkins (born 1997) – basketball player in the NBA and Israeli Basketball Premier League
 * Woody Allen (born 1935) – film director, actor and screenwriter (Midwood)
 * Lyle Alzado (1949–1992) – NFL All-Pro football player
 * Franco Ambriz – playwright
 * Barbara Anderson (born 1945) – actress
 * Carmelo Anthony (born 1984) – National Basketball Association player (Red Hook)
 * Alan Arkin (1934–2023) – actor, director and screenwriter
 * Jack Armstrong (born 1963) – sportscaster Toronto Raptors; former coach Niagara University
 * Darren Aronofsky (born 1969) – film director
 * Robert Asencio (born 1963) – Florida politician
 * Isaac Asimov (1920–1992) – author and biochemist
 * Madeline Astor (1893–1970) – Titanic survivor, wife of John Jacob Astor IV
 * W.H. Auden (1907–1973) – poet
 * Red Auerbach (1917–2006) – National Basketball Association coach and general manager, member of Hall of Fame (Williamsburg)
 * Ken Auletta (born 1942) – journalist and writer
 * Paul Auster (born 1947) – author (Park Slope)

B

 * John Badalamenti (born 1973) – federal judge (Gravesend)
 * Adrienne Bailon (born 1983) – actress
 * Scott Baio (born 1960) – actor (Dyker Heights)
 * Ralph Bakshi (born 1938) – film director (Haifa, Israel–born and Brownsville-reared)
 * Folarin Balogun (born 2001) – soccer player
 * Jean-Michel Basquiat (1960–1988) – artist
 * Noah Baumbach (born 1969) – film director and writer (Midwood)
 * Gary Becker (1930–2014) – economist; Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences (1992) (Madison)
 * Francis J. Beckwith (born 1960) – philosopher at Baylor University
 * Henry Ward Beecher (1813–1887) – clergyman and social reformer
 * Lyman Beecher (1775–1863) – clergyman and father of Henry Ward Beecher, Thomas K. Beecher and Harriet Beecher Stowe
 * Begushkin – folk rock band
 * Joy Behar (born 1942) – comedian and talk-show host (Williamsburg)
 * Paul Ben-Victor (born 1965) – actor (Midwood)
 * Pat Benatar (born 1953) – singer (Greenpoint)
 * Randy E. Bennett – educational researcher (Flatbush)
 * Mary Crowell Van Benschoten (1840–1921), author, newspaper publisher, clubwoman
 * Bill Benulis (1928–2011) – penciller and inker
 * David Berkowitz (born 1953) – serial killer known as "Son of Sam"
 * Walter Berndt (1899–1979) – cartoonist
 * Paul Bettany (born 1971) – actor (Brooklyn Heights)
 * Lloyd Blankfein (born 1954) – investment banker; chief executive officer of Goldman Sachs
 * Corbin Bleu (born 1989) – actor
 * George G. Bloomer (born 1963) – televangelist
 * Emily Blunt (born 1983) – actress
 * Joseph Bologna (1934–2017) – actor
 * Clara Bow (1905–1965) – actress (Prospect Heights)
 * Riddick Bowe (born 1967) – boxer, heavyweight champion (Brownsville)
 * Barbara Boxer (born 1940) – politician; U.S. Senator from California (since 1993)
 * Harry Boykoff (1922–2001) – basketball player
 * Steve Bracey (1950–2006) — basketball player
 * Scott Brady (1924–1985) – actor
 * Mark Breland (born 1963) – boxer; five-time New York Golden Gloves champion
 * Shannon Briggs (born 1971) – boxer, heavyweight champion
 * Gail Brodsky (born 1991) – tennis player
 * Mel Brooks (born 1926) – actor, comedian, film director, film producer and screenwriter (Williamsburg)
 * Foxy Brown (born 1978) – actress, model and rap artist (Park Slope)
 * Larry Brown (born 1940) – basketball player and coach, point guard, three-time All-Star, three-time assists leader, Olympic champion, NCAA and NBA head coach
 * Elliott Buckmaster (1889–1976) – U.S. Navy officer; naval aviator during World War I and World War II
 * Buckshot (born 1974) – rapper (Crown Heights)
 * Terry Burrus – musician; composer, conductor, producer
 * Steve Buscemi (born 1957) – actor, film director and screenwriter
 * Busta Rhymes (born 1972) – rapper (East Flatbush and Bedford–Stuyvesant)

C



 * Red Cafe (born 1976) – rapper (Flatbush)
 * Charlie Callas (1927–2011) – comedian
 * Duncan Candler (1873–1949) – architect
 * Giovanni Capitello (born 1979) – actor/filmmaker
 * Al Capone (1899–1947) – gangster (Red Hook)
 * Truman Capote (1924–1984) – writer (Brooklyn Heights)
 * Jack Carter (1922–2015) – comedian
 * Fabiano Caruana (born 1992) – youngest chess grandmaster in United States history (Park Slope)
 * Jack Catran (1918–2001) – industrial designer and linguist (Bensonhurst)
 * Jasmine Cephas Jones (born 1989) – actress, singer, songwriter
 * George S. Chase (1909–1972) – composer
 * Roz Chast (born 1954) – cartoonist
 * Bea Chester – All-American Girls Professional Baseball League player
 * Shirley Chisholm (1924–2005) – first female African American U.S. Representative and first African American major-party candidate for U.S. President
 * Andrew Dice Clay (born 1957) – comedian (Sheepshead Bay)
 * Cheryl "Coko" Clemons (born 1970) – gospel singer and lead singer of R&B group SWV
 * Abram Cohen (1924–2016) – Olympic fencer
 * David Cohen (1917–2020) – member of the US Army, a liberator of the Ohrdruf concentration camp, and schoolteacher
 * Herbert Cohen (born 1940) – Olympic fencer
 * Norm Coleman (born 1949) – U.S. Senator from Minnesota, 2003–2009 (Madison)
 * Kim Coles (born 1962) – comedian, actress from Living Single
 * Jennifer Connelly (born 1970) – actress (Brooklyn Heights)
 * Chuck Connors (1921–1992) – actor
 * Omar Cook (born 1982) – professional basketball player
 * George H. Cooper (1821–1891) – United States Navy rear admiral
 * Pat Cooper (1929–2023) – comedian (Red Hook)
 * Aaron Copland (1900–1990) – composer
 * Larry Corcoran (1859–1891) – Major League Baseball player
 * John Corigliano (born 1938) – Academy Award-, Pulitzer Prize for Music- and Grammy Award-winning composer (Midwood)
 * Howard Cosell (1918–1995) – sportscaster
 * William R. Cosentini – mechanical engineer and founder of Cosentini Associates
 * Delilah Cotto – dancer, model and actress (Coney Island)
 * Jonathan Coulton (born 1970) – musician
 * Hart Crane (1899–1932) – poet (The Bridge)
 * Melora Creager (born 1966) – singer
 * Jimmy Crespo (born 1954) – former Aerosmith guitarist
 * Peter Criss (born 1945) – musician
 * Billy Cunningham (born 1942) – NBA player and coach

D



 * Da Beatminerz – hip-hop production team
 * Da Bush Babees – hip-hop group (Flatbush)
 * Dana Dane (born 1965) – rapper (Fort Greene)
 * Tony Danza (born 1951) – actor
 * John D'Aquino (born 1958) – actor
 * Thomas Darden (1900–1961) – U.S. Navy rear admiral, 37th Governor of American Samoa
 * Jonathan David (born 2000) – soccer player
 * Larry David (born 1947) – writer, producer, actor, and comedian (Sheepshead Bay)
 * John Henry Davis (1921–1984) – U.S. weightlifter, 6-time world champion and 2-time Olympic gold medalist
 * Noach Dear (1953–2020) – New York Supreme Court judge
 * Mos Def (born 1973) – actor and rapper (Bedford–Stuyvesant)
 * Ronald DeFeo Jr. (1951–2021) – mass murderer who killed his family in 1974; inspiration for The Amityville Horror
 * David DeJesus (born 1979) – MLB player
 * Dom DeLuise (1933–2009) – comedian and actor
 * Alan Dershowitz (born 1938) – lawyer, professor, author (Williamsburg)
 * C.C. Deville (Bruce Johannesson) (born 1962) – musician
 * Kevin Devine (born 1979) – musician
 * Danny Devito (born 1944) – actor, comedian, filmmaker
 * Neil Diamond (born 1941) – singer
 * Mary E. Dillon (1886–1983) – engineer and president of Brooklyn Borough Gas Company
 * Michael A. DiSpezio (born 1953) – writer, performer, and broadcast host
 * Chris DiStefano (born 1984) – comedian
 * Vincent D'Onofrio (born 1959) – actor
 * Valerie D'Orazio (born 1974) – writer and blogger
 * Irvin Dorfman (1924–2006) – tennis player
 * Doug E. Doug (born 1970) – comedian
 * David Draiman (born 1973) – singer
 * Richard Dreyfuss (born 1947) – actor
 * Jim Drucker (born 1952/1953) – former Commissioner of the Continental Basketball Association, former Commissioner of the Arena Football League, and founder of NewKadia Comics
 * Don Dubbins (1928–1991) – actor
 * Lena Dunham (born 1986) – actress and writer (Brooklyn Heights)
 * Kyle Bobby Dunn (born 1986) – composer, musician, artist (RAMBO)
 * Jimmy Durante (1893–1980) – actor and comedian

E

 * Easy Mo Bee (born 1965) – hip-hop and R&B producer
 * William J. Ecker – U.S. Coast Guard rear admiral
 * Harry Eisenstat (1915–2003) – Major League Baseball player (Madison)
 * Erick Arc Elliott (born 1990) – rapper, producer
 * The Epochs – rock band, formed in 2002
 * Jeffrey Epstein – wealthy businessman and longtime child sex trafficker
 * Etika (1990–2019) – YouTuber and online streamer

F



 * Fab 5 Freddy (born 1959) – hip-hop pioneer
 * Fabolous (born 1977) – rapper (Bedford-Stuyvesant)
 * Edie Falco (born 1963) – actress
 * Jimmy Fallon (born 1974) – actor and comedian
 * Anthony Fauci (born 1940) – infectious disease expert, director of NIAD at National Institutes of Health
 * Lotta Faust (1880–1910) – musical comedy actress
 * Lillian Feickert (1877–1945) – suffragette and politician
 * Bob Ferguson (1845–1894) – MLB player ("Death to Flying Things")
 * Jerry Ferrara (born 1979) – actor
 * Frank Ferrer (born 1966) – Guns N' Roses drummer
 * Suzi Ferrer (1940–2006) – US/Puerto-Rican visual artist and feminist
 * Lou Ferrigno (born 1951) – former bodybuilder, actor (Midwood)
 * Martin Fettman (born 1956) – astronaut (Midwood)
 * Ailene Fields (born 1948) – sculptor
 * Harvey Fierstein (born 1954) – actor and playwright (Bensonhurst)
 * Bobby Fischer (1943–2008) – champion chess player (Flatbush)
 * Mickey Fisher (1904/05–1963) – basketball coach
 * Robert William Fisher (born 1961) – murderer and fugitive (FBI Ten Most Wanted)
 * Percy Keese Fitzhugh (1876–1950) – author of children's books
 * Rolf G. Fjelde (1926–2002) – playwright, educator and poet
 * Farrah Fleurimond – singer-songwriter and member of R&B group Lyric
 * James Florio (1937–2022) – 49th governor of New Jersey, 1990–1994
 * Cristina Fontanelli – opera singer
 * Yuri Foreman (born 1980) – world champion boxer
 * John Forsythe (1918–2010) – actor
 * Steve Franken (1932–2012) – actor
 * Bruce Franklin (born 1934) – professor
 * Frank Frazetta (1928–2010) – artist
 * Gary William Friedman – composer
 * Milton Friedman (1912–2006) – Nobel Prize-winning economist
 * Fu-Schnickens – rapper
 * Full Force – 1980s R&B and production group

G



 * Vincent Gardenia (1920–1992) – actor (Bensonhurst)
 * M. Elsa Gardner (1894–1963) – Engineer
 * Ina Garten (born 1948) – Food Network television chef, cookbook author; known as the Barefoot Contessa
 * Shad Gaspard (1981–2020) – professional wrestler
 * David Geffen (born 1943) – media mogul (Borough Park)
 * Sylvia Gerrish (1860–1906) – 19th-century musical comedy performer
 * George Gershwin (1898–1937) – composer and younger brother of Ira Gershwin
 * Murray Gerstenhaber (1927–2024) – mathematician and lawyer
 * Deborah Gibson (born 1970) – singer and songwriter
 * Taj Gibson (born 1985) – NBA player
 * Ruth Bader Ginsburg (1933–2020) – Associate Justice, United States Supreme Court (Madison)
 * Johnny Gioeli (born 1967) – singer (Crush 40, Hardline, Axel Rudi Pell)
 * Rudy Giuliani (born 1944) – former United States Attorney, former mayor of New York; 2008 Republican presidential candidate
 * Jackie Gleason (1916–1987) – actor and comedian (Bushwick/ Bedford–Stuyvesant)
 * Marty Glickman (1917–2001) – Olympian and broadcaster (Madison)
 * James Newton Gloucester – African-American abolitionist
 * Baruch Goldstein (1956–1994) – American-Israel extremist and perpetrator of the 1994 Cave of the Patriarchs massacre
 * Jerry Goldstein (born 1970) – physicist
 * Ben Goldwasser (born 1982) – member of the band MGMT
 * Eric Gonzalez (born 1969) – politician
 * Norman Gorbaty (1932–2020) – artist
 * Sid Gordon (1917–1975) – two-time All-Star baseball player
 * Louis Gossett Jr. (born 1936) – Oscar-winning actor (Sheepshead Bay)
 * Gilbert Gottfried (1955–2022) – stand-up comedian, actor
 * Alfred Gottschalk (1930–2009) – president of Hebrew Union College and leader in the Reform Judaism movement
 * Elliott Gould (born 1938) – actor
 * George E. Green (born 1932) – cardiac surgeon
 * Yossi Green (born 1955) – composer
 * Kai Greene (born 1975) – bodybuilder
 * Adrian Grenier (born 1976) – actor (Clinton Hill)
 * Bill Griffith (born 1944) – cartoonist (Zippy)
 * David Grimm (born 1965) – award-winning playwright and screenwriter
 * Leib Groner (1931–2020) – Chabad-Lubavitch Rabbai and secretary to Menachem Schneerson (Crown Heights)
 * Karl Grossman (born 1942) – professor, journalist, author, TV program host
 * Robert Grossman (1940–2018) – illustrator
 * Bob Guccione (1930–2010) – adult-magazine publisher
 * Louise Gunning (1879–1960) – singer, actress
 * Sigrid Gurie (1911–1969) – actress
 * Arlo Guthrie (born 1947) – singer (Coney Island)
 * Maggie Gyllenhaal (born 1970) – actress
 * GZA (born 1966) – rapper (Bedford–Stuyvesant)

H



 * Buddy Hackett (1924–2003) – actor and comedian (Williamsburg)
 * Adelaide Hall (1901–1993) – jazz singer, songwriter, actress
 * Jimmy Hall (born 1994), basketball player in the Israeli National League
 * Bobby Hambel – guitarist, Biohazard
 * Marvin Hamlisch (1944–2012) – Oscar-winning composer of film scores (Midwood)
 * Andrew P. Harris (born 1957) – Maryland politician
 * Barbara Grizzuti Harrison (1934–2002) – author
 * Anne Hathaway (born 1982) – Oscar-winning actress
 * Knut Haukelid (1911–1994) – Norwegian resistance movement soldier
 * Richie Havens (1941– 2013) – folk singer-songwriter, actor; first performer at the original Woodstock (Bedford–Stuyvesant)
 * Susan Hayward (1917–1975) – Oscar-winning actress (Flatbush)
 * Rita Hayworth (1918–1987) – actress
 * Leona Helmsley (1920–2007) – businessperson and real estate investor
 * Heltah Skeltah – hip-hop duo (Brownsville)
 * Sidney Hertzberg (1922–2005) – pro basketball player
 * Robert Hess (1935–2014) – sculptor
 * Robert Hess (1938–1994) – President of Brooklyn College
 * Henry Hill (1943–2012) – mobster, subject of Goodfellas
 * Russel Hobbs – drummer; member of Gorillaz
 * William E. Hoehle – member of the Wisconsin State Assembly
 * Steven Hoffenberg – fraudster
 * Zander Hollander (1923–2014) – sportswriter, journalist, editor and archivist
 * Red Holzman (1920–1998) – Hall of Fame NBA two-time All-Star and coach
 * Homicide (born 1977) – ring name of Nelson Erazo, professional wrestler signed to Ring of Honor (Bedford-Stuyvesant)
 * Lena Horne (1917–2010) – singer and actress (Bedford–Stuyvesant)
 * Curly Howard (Jerome Lester Horwitz; 1903–1952) – comedian; member of The Three Stooges (Brownsville)
 * Moe Howard (Moses Harry Horwitz; 1897–1975) – comedian; leader of The Three Stooges (Brownsville)
 * Shemp Howard (Samuel Horwitz; 1895–1955) – comedian; member of The Three Stooges (Brownsville)
 * William G. Hundley (1925–2006) – criminal defense attorney for high-profile clients, reared in Brooklyn
 * Hezekiah Hunter (1837–1894) – teacher, minister, and politician; born in Brooklyn

I

 * Anthony Ingrassia (1944–1995) – playwright, producer and director
 * Jimmy Iovine (born 1953) – entrepreneur, record producer and film producer (Red Hook)
 * Breuk Iversen (born 1964) – designer and writer

J



 * Mark Jackson (born 1965) – basketball player
 * Cheryl James (born 1966) – rapper and actress
 * Shawn James (born 1983) – basketball player for Maccabi Tel Aviv
 * Tama Janowitz (born 1957) – novelist
 * Jay-Z (born 1969) – rapper and entrepreneur (Bedford–Stuyvesant)
 * Jaz-O (born 1964) – rapper (Bedford–Stuyvesant)
 * Charles Jenkins (born 1989) – NBA player
 * Jennie Jerome (1854–1921) – Lady Randolph Churchill, mother of Winston Churchill (Cobble Hill)
 * Jeru the Damaja (born 1972) – rapper (East New York)
 * Joey Badass (born 1995) – rapper
 * Evan M. Johnson – US Army brigadier general
 * Evan Malbone Johnson (1791–1865) – clergyman
 * Tamara "Taj" Johnson-George (born 1971) – member of R&B group SWV (Bedford–Stuyvesant)
 * Lamont Jones (born 1972) – basketball player
 * Norah Jones (born 1979) – musician, actress
 * Susannah Mushatt Jones (1899–2016) – oldest living New Yorker
 * E. Bernard Jordan (born 1959) – founder of Zoe Ministries
 * Michael Jordan (born 1963) – basketball player
 * Zab Judah (born 1977) – professional boxer
 * Just-Ice (born 1965) – rapper

K



 * KA (born 1972) – rapper (Brownsville, Brooklyn)
 * Meir Kahane (1932–1990) – Orthodox Jewish rabbi, activist and founder of the Jewish Defense League
 * Roger Kahn (1927–2020) – sportswriter and author of The Boys of Summer
 * Big Daddy Kane (born 1968) – rapper (Bedford–Stuyvesant)
 * Eric Kaplan (born 1971) – writer (Flatbush)
 * Gabe Kaplan (born 1943) – actor and comedian
 * Abraham Katz (1926–2013) - diplomat, United States Ambassador to the OECD
 * Kaves – fine art painter, graffiti artist, illustrator, director, actor, author, rapper, and entrepreneur (Bay Ridge, Brooklyn)
 * KAWS, born Brian Donnelly – graffiti artist, limited-edition clothing and toy designer
 * Danny Kaye (1911–1987) – actor and comedian (East New York)
 * Lainie Kazan (born 1940) – actress and singer
 * Ezra Jack Keats (1916–1983) – author and illustrator
 * Monica Keena (born 1979) – actress
 * Harvey Keitel (born 1939) – actor
 * Steven G. Kellman (born 1947) – author and critic
 * Patsy Kelly (1910–1981) – actress
 * David M. Kennedy (born 1958) – professor of criminology at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, author of Don't Shoot
 * The Kid Gashi (born 1989) – rapper
 * Jimmy Kimmel (born 1967) – comedian and television talk-show host
 * Bernard King (born 1956) – NBA Hall of Famer (Fort Greene)
 * Carole King (born 1942) – singer-songwriter (Madison)
 * Larry King (1933–2021) – television talk-show host and interviewer
 * Marvin Kitman (1929–2023) – television critic, humorist, and author
 * Brian Kokoska (born 1988) – artist
 * C. Everett Koop (1916–2013) – U.S. Surgeon General
 * Sandy Koufax (born 1935) – Hall of Fame baseball pitcher for Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers (Borough Park)
 * Martin Kove (born 1946) – actor
 * John Krasinski (born 1979) – actor and director
 * Talib Kweli (born 1975) – rapper and producer (Park Slope)

L

 * Jeffrey Laitman (born 1951) – anatomist
 * Pierre Lallement (1843–1891) – inventor
 * Sylven Landesberg (born 1990) – American-Israeli basketball shooting guard (Maccabi Tel Aviv)
 * Michael Landon – actor, director, producer
 * Abbe Lane (born 1932) – singer, dancer, actress
 * Dulcinea Langfelder (born 1955) – multidisciplinary artist (drama, dance, song, mime, multimedia)
 * Rudy LaRusso (1937–2004) – five-time All-Star NBA basketball player (Madison)
 * Reuben Lasker (1929–1988) – marine biologist
 * Cyndi Lauper (born 1953) – singer and activist
 * Arthur Laurents (1917–2011) – writer and director
 * Steve Lawrence (1935–2024) – singer and actor
 * Heath Ledger (1979–2008) – actor
 * Ivan Lee (born 1981) – Olympic saber fencer
 * Roy Lee (born 1969) – film producer
 * Spike Lee (born 1957) – film director, screenwriter and actor (lived in Fort Greene)
 * Shulem Lemmer (born 1990) – singer (Borough Park)
 * Ivan Leshinsky (born 1947) – American-Israeli basketball player (Midwood)
 * Jonathan Lethem (born 1964) – author (Boerum Hill)
 * Andrew Levane (1920–2012) – NBA basketball player (Madison)
 * Lewis (alive 1890) – former 19th-century professional baseball player
 * Emmanuel Lewis (born 1971) – actor (Midwood)
 * Richard Lewis (1947–2024) – actor and comedian
 * Tillie Ehrlich Lewis (1901–1977) – businesswoman
 * Nancy Lieberman (born 1958) – WNBA basketball player, coach and broadcaster; Hall of Fame
 * Lil' Kim, born Kimberly Denise Jones (born 1974/1975) – Grammy Award-winning rapper (Bedford–Stuyvesant )
 * Lil Mama (born 1989) – rapper
 * O. Winston Link (1914–2001) – photographer
 * Paul Lo Duca (born 1972) – MLB baseball player
 * Edie Locke – fashion journalist
 * Robert Logan (born 1941) – actor
 * Robert K. Logan (born 1939) – scientist
 * Steve Lombardi (born 1961) – professional wrestler, ring name "The Brooklyn Brawler"
 * Vince Lombardi (1913–1970) – Pro Football Hall of Fame coach (Sheepshead Bay)
 * Nia Long (born 1970) – actress
 * Jackie Loughery (1930–2024) – Miss New York USA 1952, Miss USA 1952
 * Mynette Louie – film producer
 * Low Ki (born 1979) – ring name of Brandon Silvestry, professional wrestler
 * Sid Luckman (1916–1998) – NFL quarterback and Pro Football Hall of Fame
 * MC Lyte (born 1970) – actress and rapper

M



 * M.O.P. – hip-hop duo (Brownsville)
 * John Buffalo Mailer (born 1978) – playwright and youngest child of author Norman Mailer
 * Norman Mailer (1923–2007) – author and playwright
 * Maino (born 1973) – rapper (Bedford–Stuyvesant)
 * Romany Malco (born 1968) – actor
 * Paul Malignaggi (born 1980) – boxer (Bensonhurst)
 * Barry Manilow (born 1943) – singer-songwriter (Williamsburg)
 * Stephon Marbury (born 1977) – NBA player (Coney Island)
 * Mario – fictional video-game character
 * Marty Markowitz (born 1945) – Borough President of Brooklyn, New York City
 * Constantine Maroulis (born 1975) – singer
 * Branford Marsalis (born 1960) – saxophonist (Clinton Hill)
 * Duane Martin (born 1965) – actor (All of Us)
 * George Willard Martin (1886–1971) – mycologist
 * Angie Martinez (born 1971) – radio personality, former rapper and actress
 * Masta Ace (born 1966) – rapper (Brownsville)
 * Maxwell (born 1973) – singer-songwriter, producer, musician (East Brooklyn)
 * Lee Mazzilli – professional baseball player, coach, and manager; part of the 1986 World Series Champion New York Mets
 * Carson McCullers (1917–1967) – writer
 * Joseph McGoldrick (1901–1978) – NYC Comptroller and NY State Residential Rent Control Commissioner, lawyer, and professor
 * Amy Upham Thomson McKean (1893–1972) – pianist, songwriter and composer
 * Triston McKenzie – professional baseball pitcher for The Cleveland Indians
 * Meechy Darko (born 1990) – rapper (Flatbush)
 * Ronald Mellor (born 1940) – historian
 * Boyd Melson (born 1981) – boxer
 * Richard Merkin (1938–2009) – painter and illustrator
 * Robert Merrill (1917–2004) – opera singer
 * Debra Messing (born 1968) – actress
 * Sean Michaels (born 1958) – pornographic actor and director
 * Thomas Mignone – film director, music video director, screenwriter
 * Alyssa Milano (born 1972) – actress
 * Arthur Miller (1915–2005) – Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright (Gravesend)
 * Henry Miller (1891–1980) – author and raconteur (Williamsburg)
 * Jarrell Miller (born 1988) – kickboxer
 * Matthew Paul Miller (born 1979) – reggae singer
 * Walter Miller (1890–1959) – jockey
 * Wentworth Miller (born 1972) – actor
 * William J. Millican (1904–1944) – double Navy Cross recipient
 * Stephanie Mills (born 1957) – singer (Bedford–Stuyvesant)
 * Irv Mondschein (1924–2015) – track and field champion
 * Lenny Montana (1926–1992) – actor and professional wrestler
 * Mary Tyler Moore (1936–2017) – actor
 * Esai Morales (born 1962) – actor
 * Ed Morris (1862–1937) – 19th-century MLB pitcher
 * Joel Moses (1941–2022) – former provost, MIT (Midwood)
 * Mr. Muthafuckin' eXquire (born 1986) – rapper (Crown Heights)
 * Chris Mullin (born 1963) – NBA player and executive, Hall of Fame
 * Charlie Murphy (1959–2017) – actor and comedian
 * Eddie Murphy (born 1961) – actor and comedian

N

 * Boris Nachamkin (1933–2018) – NBA basketball player
 * Sam Nahem (1915–2004) – Major League Baseball pitcher
 * Larry Namer (born 1948) – founder of E! Entertainment TV networks
 * Lia Neal (born 1995) – competitive swimmer and Olympic medalist
 * Nikita Nesterenko (born 2001), professional ice hockey center who plays in the National Hockey League for the Anaheim Ducks
 * Jack Newfield (1938–2004) – writer
 * Mark Newgarden (born 1959) – artist, cartoonist, writer, creator of Garbage Pail Kids, author of We All Die Alone and How to Read Nancy (Williamsburg)
 * Ed Newman (born 1951) – NFL All-Pro football player
 * Harry Nilsson (1941–1994) – singer-songwriter (Bushwick)
 * Joakim Noah (born 1985) – NBA basketball player
 * Peggy Noonan (born 1950) – author, columnist
 * The Notorious B.I.G. (1972–1997) – rapper, born Christopher George Latore Wallace; Biggie, Biggie Smalls
 * Lupita Nyong'o (born 1983) – actress

O

 * O.C. (born 1971) – rapper (Bushwick)
 * Henry Obst (1906–1975) – football player
 * Tasker Oddie (1870–1950) – 12th Governor of Nevada and a United States Senator; born in Brooklyn
 * Dennis J. Patrick O'Grady (1943–1972) – Florida state senator
 * Ol' Dirty Bastard (1968–2004) – rapper (Fort Greene)
 * Originoo Gunn Clappaz – hip-hop group (Brownsville)
 * Dave Orr (1859–1915) – MLB player, born in Brooklyn
 * Joell Ortiz (born 1980) – rapper and producer (Williamsburg)
 * Adam Ottavino (born 1985) – MLB pitcher for the New York Yankees

P

 * Peter Pace (born 1945) – Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
 * Shemuel Pagan (born 1988) – professional boxer
 * Papoose (born 1978) – rapper
 * Joseph Papp (1921–1991) – theatrical impresario who created New York City's Public Theater
 * Lana Parrilla (born 1977) – actress
 * Ben Parris (born 1961) – author
 * Joe Paterno (1926–2012) – football coach at Penn State in College Football Hall of Fame
 * Angela Paton (1930–2016) – theatre, TV and film actress
 * Jayson Paul (born 1984) – professional wrestler
 * Dickey Pearce (1836–1908) – MLB player
 * Nelson Peltz (born 1942) – billionaire businessman and investor
 * Rosie Perez (born 1964) – actress and choreographer (Bushwick and later Clinton Hill)
 * Rhea Perlman (born 1948) – actress
 * Harold Perrineau (born 1963) – actor
 * Lip Pike – home run champion baseball player
 * Michael Pitt (born 1981) – actor and musician
 * Stacey Plaskett (born 1966) – politician and attorney
 * Suzanne Pleshette (1937–2008) – actress (Brooklyn Heights)
 * Robert Pollack (born 1940) – professor of biological sciences
 * Mark F. Pomerantz (born 1951) – attorney, prosecutor
 * Martin Pope (1918–2022) – physical chemist
 * Charles Millard Pratt (1855–1935) – oil industrialist and philanthropist
 * Frederic B. Pratt (1865–1945) – president of Brooklyn's Pratt Institute (1893–1937)
 * George Dupont Pratt (1869–1935) – conservationist and philanthropist
 * Harold Pratt (1877–1939) – oil industrialist
 * Herbert L. Pratt (1871–1945) – oil industrialist
 * John Pratt (1873–1927) – lawyer, philanthropist, music impresario and financier
 * Marianne Preger-Simon (born 1929) – dancer, choreographer, writer, and psychotherapist
 * DJ Premier (born 1966) – hip-hop disc jockey, producer, co-founder and member of hip-hop duo Gang Starr
 * Priscilla Presley (born 1945) – businesswoman, actress
 * Sean Price (1972–2015) – rapper (Brownsville)

R



 * Eddie Rabbitt (1941–1998) – singer-songwriter
 * Marky Ramone (born 1956) – drummer of the punk band The Ramones
 * Anthony Ramos (born 1991) – actor, singer-songwriter (Bushwick)
 * Florence Ravenel (1896–1975) – actress; born in Minnesota, raised in Brooklyn
 * Lou Reed (1942–2013) – singer-songwriter
 * Paul Regina (1956–2006) – actor
 * Leah Remini (born 1970) – actress (Bensonhurst)
 * Bebe Rexha (born 1989) – singer-songwriter and record producer
 * Buddy Rich (1917–1987) – drummer and big-band leader
 * Adam Richman – actor, host of reality-television series Man vs. Food
 * Thomas Ridgway – U.S. Army officer and father of General Matthew Ridgway
 * Joan Rivers (1933–2014) – comedian
 * Phil Rizzuto (1917–2007) – Major League Baseball player and broadcaster
 * Mary Fanton Roberts (1864–1956) – journalist, writer
 * Jackie Robinson – Major League Baseball player and pioneer, Brooklyn Dodgers
 * Chris Rock (born 1965) – actor and comedian (Bedford–Stuyvesant)
 * Tony Rock (born 1974) – actor and comedian (Bedford–Stuyvesant)
 * Steve Rogers (born 1920) – fictional superhero, federal official, intelligence operative, former soldier
 * Mortimer Rogoff (1921–2008) – inventor and businessman
 * Saul Rogovin (1923–1995) – Major League Baseball pitcher
 * Mickey Rooney (1920–2014) – five-time Oscar-nominated actor
 * Mike Rosen (born 1944) – radio talk show host and newspaper columnist
 * Aaron "Rosy" Rosenberg (1912–1979) – two-time "All-American" college football player, and film and television producer
 * Wayne Rosenthal (born 1965) – Major League Baseball pitcher and coach (Canarsie)
 * Steve Ross (1927–1992) – chairman of Time Warner
 * Mark Roth (born 1951) – bowler
 * Rowdy Rebel (born 1991) – rapper from GS9 (East Flatbush)
 * Ed Rubinoff (born 1935) – tennis player
 * David Ruggerio (born 1962) – chef
 * Chris Rush (born 1946) – stand-up comedian
 * Brenda Russell (born 1949) – singer
 * Sam Rutigliano (born 1933) – football coach
 * Carl Hancock Rux – writer, actor, and director (Fort Greene)
 * RZA (born 1969) – rapper

S



 * Jonathan Safran Foer (born 1977) – novelist
 * Carl Sagan (1934–1996) – scientist, author, educator (Bensonhurst)
 * Saigon (born 1977) – actor and rapper
 * Stephanie Saland – ballet dancer and teacher
 * Dmitri Salita (born 1982) – boxer
 * Bernie Sanders (born 1941) – Independent U.S. Senator from Vermont (Madison)
 * Adam Sandler (born 1966) – actor and comedian
 * Evie Sands (born 1946) – singer-songwriter and musician
 * Peter Sarsgaard (born 1971) – actor
 * Roger Schank (born 1946) – education reformer, artificial-intelligence expert
 * Kenny Scharf (born 1958) – graffiti artist
 * Ossie Schectman (1919–2013) – NBA basketball guard
 * Thomas D. Schiano (born 1962) – organ-transplantation specialist
 * Vincent Schiavelli (1948–2005) − actor, food writer
 * Steve Schirripa (born 1957) – actor (Bensonhurst)
 * Andre-Michel Schub (born 1952) – pianist (Midwood)
 * Chuck Schumer (born 1950) – U.S. Senator from New York (Flatbush)
 * Gary Schwartz (born 1940) – art historian
 * Seymour Schwartzman (1930–2009) – opera singer and cantor
 * Chris Matthew Sciabarra (born 1960) – political theorist
 * Raymond Scott (born Harry Warnow, 1908–1994) – composer, bandleader, pianist, electronic-music pioneer
 * Neil Sedaka (born 1939) – singer-songwriter
 * Alonzo Bertram See (1849–1941) – businessman
 * Erich Segal (1937–2010) – author, Academy Award-nominated screenwriter, and educator (Midwood)
 * Jerry Seinfeld (born 1954) – actor and comedian (Borough Park)
 * Hubert Selby, Jr. (1928–2004) – author
 * Cletus Seldin (born 1986) – boxer
 * Phil Sellers (born 1953) – former NBA player
 * Greg Serano (born 1974) – actor
 * Shabazz the Disciple (born 1973) – rapper (Red Hook)
 * Ruth Shafer (1912 –1972) – engineer
 * Neal Shapiro (born 1945) – equestrian and Olympic medalist
 * Judy Shapiro-Ikenberry (born 1942) – long-distance runner
 * Francis Ethelbert Sharkey – fictional character played by Terry Becker in the 1964–68 ABC television series Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea
 * Judith Sheindlin (born 1942) – television personality, Judge Judy (Madison / Bedford–Stuyvesant)
 * Allie Sherman (1923–2015) – NFL player and coach
 * Art Sherman (born 1937) – horse trainer and jockey
 * Bobby Shmurda (born 1994) – rapper from GS9 (East Flatbush)
 * Michael Showalter (born 1970) – actor and comedian
 * Shyne (born Jamal Michael Barrow; 1978), Belizean rapper and politician
 * Gabourey Sidibe (born 1983) – actress (Bedford–Stuyvesant)
 * Bugsy Siegel (1906–1947) – gangster
 * Raymond Siller (born 1939) – television writer, political consultant
 * Beverly Sills (1929–2007) – opera singer
 * Dean Silvers – film director, film producer, screenwriter, and author (East Flatbush)
 * Phil Silvers (1911–1985) – actor and comedian
 * David Sive (1922–2014) – attorney, environmentalist, and professor of environmental law
 * Skoob – half of rap duo Das EFX
 * Justine Skye (born 1995) – singer-songwriter, dancer and model
 * Smif-n-Wessun – hip-hop duo
 * Jimmy Smits (born 1955) – actor
 * Pop Smoke (1999–2020) from Canarsie – rapper
 * Ralph Snyderman (born 1940) – physician, scientist, administrator (Bensonhurst)
 * Robert Solow (1924–2023) – economist; winner of the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences (Madison)
 * Paul Sorvino (1939–2022) – actor
 * Carl Søyland (1894–1978) – editor-in-chief of Nordisk Tidende
 * Paul Spatola – musician
 * DJ Spinderella (born 1971) – DJ and rapper
 * Barbara Stanwyck (1907–1990) – Oscar-winning actress
 * Peter Steele (1962–2010) – bassist and singer (Type O Negative, Carnivore) (Midwood)
 * Gary Stephan (born 1942) – artist
 * Lance Stephenson (born 1990) – basketball player
 * Stuart Sternberg (born 1959) – owner of the Tampa Bay Rays
 * Connie Stevens (born 1938) – actress and singer
 * Neil M. Stevenson (1930–2009) – Chief of Chaplains of the U.S. Navy
 * Sticky Fingaz (born 1973), born Kirk Jones, member of the rap group Onyx
 * Jerry Stiller (1927–2020) – actor, father of Ben Stiller
 * David Stones (born 1988) – rapper
 * Barbra Streisand (born 1942) – Oscar-winning actress, singer, director, political activist (Williamsburg)
 * Eric Stuart (born 1967) – voice actor, voice director, musician, singer and songwriter
 * Ray Suarez (born 1957) – journalist (Bensonhurst)
 * Jason Sudeikis (born 1975) – actor and comedian (Clinton Hill)
 * Harold Syrett (1913–1984) – president of Brooklyn College

T



 * Sid Tannenbaum (1925–1986) – professional basketball player
 * Tazz (born 1967) – ring name of Peter Senerchia, former professional wrestler
 * Sebastian Telfair (born 1985) – NBA player
 * Roy M. Terry (1915–1988) – Chief of Chaplains of the U.S. Air Force
 * Tanisha Thomas (born 1985) – reality television participant, television show host
 * Adrianne Tolsch (1938–2016) – comedian, writer and graphic artist
 * Marisa Tomei (born 1964) – Oscar-winning actress
 * Joe Torre (born 1940) – Major League Baseball player, New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers manager, Hall of Fame (Marine Park)
 * Rachel Trachtenburg (born 1993) – actress, singer, musician (Bushwick)
 * Kathy Troccoli (born 1955) – gospel singer
 * Richard Tucker (1884–1942) – actor
 * Mark Turenshine (1944–2016) – American-Israeli basketball player
 * John Turturro (born 1957) – actor and director
 * Nicholas Turturro (born 1962) – actor
 * Mike Tyson (born 1966) – heavyweight boxing champion

U

 * Uncle Murda (born 1980) – gangster rapper (East New York)
 * UTFO – 1980s rap group

V

 * Lou Vairo (born 1945) – ice hockey coach and inductee into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame
 * Mary Crowell Van Benschoten (1840–1921), author, newspaper publisher, clubwoman
 * Andrew VanWyngarden (born 1983) – member of MGMT
 * Alan Veingrad (born 1963) – NFL player
 * Guido Verbeck (1830–1898) – political advisor, educator, and missionary
 * Edward Vick (born 1944) – former CEO of Young & Rubicam
 * Idara Victor – actress
 * Abe Vigoda – actor
 * Tony Visconti (born 1944) – musician, producer

W



 * Kaci Walfall (born 2004) – actress
 * Eli Wallach (1915–2014) – actor
 * Timothy Weah (born 2000) – soccer player
 * Shatzi Weisberger (1930–2022) – nurse, activist, and death educator
 * Mickey Welch (1859–1941) – MLB player
 * Mae West (1893–1980) – actress, playwright, and comedian (Williamsburg/Greenpoint)
 * Randy Weston (1926–2018) – pianist and composer
 * Colson Whitehead (born 1969) – novelist and MacArthur Fellow
 * Isaiah Whitehead (born 1995), basketball player for the Brooklyn Nets (NBA), now in the Israeli Basketball Premier League
 * Walt Whitman (1819–1892) – poet, best known for Leaves of Grass; journalist and Brooklyn Eagle editor; essayist and humanist
 * Whodini – 1980s rap group
 * Olivia Wilde (born 1984) – actress (Clinton Hill)
 * Michael K. Williams (1966–2021) – actor
 * Michelle Williams (born 1980) – actress
 * Jan Wilsgaard (1930–2016) – chief automotive designer, Volvo Cars, 1950–1990
 * Robert Anton Wilson (1932–2007) – author
 * Amelia Kempshall Wing (1837–1927) – author and philanthropist
 * Shelley Winters (1920–2006) – Oscar-winning actress
 * Paula Wolfert (born 1938) – cookbook author, specialist in Mediterranean cuisines
 * Wolfman Jack (1938–1995) – 1970s disc jockey
 * BD Wong (born 1960) – actor (Bedford Stuyvesant)
 * Lloyd R. Woodson (born 1966) – arrested in 2010 with military-grade weapons and a detailed map of the Fort Drum military installation
 * Harold Wren (1921–2016) – dean of three law schools

Y

 * Adam Yauch (1964–2012) – rapper, founding member of the Beastie Boys
 * Janet Yellen (born 1946) – economist and U.S. secretary of the treasury
 * Henny Youngman (1906–1998) – comedian

Z

 * Max Zaslofsky (1925–1985) – NBA guard/forward, one-time FT% leader, one-time points leader, All-Star, ABA coach
 * Zombie Juice (born 1990) – rapper (Flatbush)
 * Shirley Zussman (1914–2021) – sex therapist
 * Shlomo Zev Zweigenhaft (1915–2005) – rabbi