From rapper Post Malone beginning his music career in Syracuse before writing his hit song “Congratulations” to journalist Megyn Kelly developing her reporting skills at Syracuse University, these celebrities and more have roots in Syracuse.

Samuel Bayer

A renowned director, Samuel Bayer is from the Syracuse area. After graduating from New York City’s School of Visual Arts, Bayer moved to Los Angeles to pursue filmmaking and is now a well-known director, according to his Facebook page.

His most notable work is the 2010 remake of “A Nightmare on Elm Street,” but he also directed music videos like Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” and commercials for Coca-Cola and Nike. Alongside directing, Bayer works in photography, opening his first exhibition in Beverly Hills in 2013.

Robert De Niro, Sr.

Robert De Niro, Sr. grew up in Syracuse and was an aspiring painter, but he is more commonly known as the father to the famous actor Robert De Niro. He died due to prostate cancer on his 71st birthday, and is survived by his son, who owns the artist’s studio in New York City, according to his obituary in The New York Times.

Richard Gere

Actor Richard Gere was born in Philadelphia, but moved to Syracuse and graduated from North Syracuse Central High. After attending college in Massachusetts, he went on to perform in theater until he was cast in Hollywood films in the 1970s, according to biography.com.

Along with being one of the first notable actors to play a gay character in the Broadway production of “Bent,” Gere is well-known for his movies along with his social activism. He was – and still is – a human right’s activist, using his fame to bring awareness to serious issues.

Grace Jones

Grace Jones is a singer/songwriter, actress, model and record producer who grew up in Syracuse. She attended Onondaga Community College, majoring in Spanish, but her career as a young adult took off when she began to model, according to biography.com 

She started modeling in New York, beginning as a model for Yves Saint Laurent, and gracing the front pages of magazines like Vogue. She then became a singer, getting a deal with a New York City label and forming her own style of music. After dabbling in music, she became an actress, making it big as the character Zula in “Conan the Destroyer” in 1984.

Megyn Kelly

Born in Syracuse, Megyn Kelly graduated from Syracuse University after studying in the Maxwell School School of Citizenship and Public Affairs. After her time at the university, she went to Albany Law School and was a lawyer until she switched to being a journalist in Washington, D.C., according to biography.com.

Kelly then transitioned to Fox News, and is now a journalist for NBC News, with her own news show “Megyn Kelly Today.” Kelly is most well-known for her role on Fox News during the most recent presidential election, when Donald Trump began a feud with her because of her reporting.

Tom Kenny

Better known as the voice actor of Spongebob Squarepants, Tom Kenny was born and raised in East Syracuse. He followed another comedian to San Francisco, where Robin Williams commended him for his humor and was convinced Kenny was going to be successful in his comedy career, according to a syracuse.com article.

Although he is most well-known as Spongebob, his voice appears on many other cartoons like “Scooby-Doo,” “The Powerpuff Girls” and “Futurama.”

Post Malone

American rapper and singer Post Malone grew up in the Salt City, and while he experimented with music through high school, he dropped out of Syracuse University to pursue music more. His first big hit was “White Iverson” in 2016, and he’s gained more popularity in the past year with songs like “Congratulations” and “Rockstar.”

His given name is Austin Richard Post, but chose the stage name “Post Malone” when he was a teenager, using his last name and a name generator to create it. He first posted his music on SoundCloud, where his rap career took off.

Gym Class Heroes

A popular American band stemming from upstate New York is Gym Class Heroes. The origin of the group’s name stems from when two of the members met in high school gym class.

They then went on to form the music group, signing to Fueled by Ramen. Their best performing song most recently was “Stereo Hearts” featuring Maroon 5’s Adam Levine, which gained them popularity in 2011, but since, the group has been on hiatus but never officially broke up.

Published on November 28, 2017 at 9:57 pm

Contact Brooke: bnkato@syr.edu