You May Be Surprised to Learn These 20 People are From Northern California
By Joanne Kraft|Updated on August 21, 2021(Originally published August 18, 2021)
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Joanne Kraft
Author
Joanne is a fourth-generation Northern Californian. She knows good sour dough bread when she tastes it and understands the best parts of the Golden State are nowhere near Los Angeles.
In case you didn’t have any fun facts about Northern California that you could throw out at social gatherings when the conversation dwindled, don’t worry, we have you covered. A perfect ice breaker in any situation involves asking your fellow party-goers what famous people from Northern California they are aware of! Believe it or not, there are quite a few celebrities in North California, whether they were born here and found their way back, or just ventured north to escape the hustle and bustle of Hollywood. From celebrities and politicians to famous musicians, you may be incredibly surprised to see which famous people from Northern California call this gorgeous part of the state home.
Actor Thomas Jeffrey Hanks was born on July 9, 1956, in Concord, California and his family settled not long after in Oakland, California where he attended high school. His junior college years he attended Chabot College in Hayward, later transferring to Cal State Sacramento where he began to seriously pursue acting and enrolled in the theater program there. How about that for some Northern California trivia!
Willie Howard Mays, Jr. (born May 6, 1931), nicknamed "The Say Hey Kid", is an American former Major League Baseball (MLB) center fielder who spent almost all of his 22 season career playing for the New York and San Francisco Giants and finishing his career with the New York Mets. He may have been born in Alabama, but after bringing The Giants to the forefront of baseball with numerous wins and records--we consider him a hometown boy!
Tom Brady may be the quarterback for the New England Patriots, but he got his start in Northern California. Born in San Mateo, he attended high school there before going to the University of Michigan. As far as famous people in North California go, this one might surprise many.
Even a great place like Northern California has a few bad apples. O.J. Simpson was born in San Francisco and is a cautionary tale for anyone who thinks their celebrity or pocketbook divorces them from the law.
Mel Blanc is the father of the Looney Tunes and creator of Bugs Bunny and a whole lot of other favorites of ours. He was born in San Francisco in 1908, just two years after the big earthquake.
Ben was born in Berkeley, California. Northern California is where he learned to walk and talk. At two years old his family moved to Boston. Did you expect to see Ben Affleck on a list of celebrities in Northern California?!
Romantic novelist, Nicholas Sparks may not have been born on NORCAL soil but called the Sacramento area home when he was six years old. His family settled in the city of Fair Oaks. He graduated valedictorian from his high school and later settled in Sacramento after marrying his wife. His first novel was written here before he picked up and moved to South Carolina. So, we consider him part of the Northern California family.
George Lucas, legendary movie maker and creator of Star Wars was born in Modesto. His "Skywalker Ranch" is a movie ranch and workplace located in a secluded, yet open area near Nicasio, California, in Marin County. He's kind of a big deal.
Bruce Lee was born on November 27, 1940, at the Chinese Hospital in San Francisco's Chinatown. According to the Chinese zodiac, Lee was born in both the hour and the year of the Dragon, which according to tradition is a strong and fortuitous omen. Still, it seems to have missed his suspicious death.
Johnson was born in Hayward, California, the son of professional wrestler Rocky Johnson. Later, the family moved to Hawaii. He may not have been here long, but we'll definitely take him.
The creator of all things "Apple," Steve Jobs will always be known as a Northern Californian. Out of all of the famous people from North California, this one might be the most influential of them all.
Jerry Brown was the son of California Governor Pat Brown. Before throwing his own hat into the political ring, Governor "Moonbeam" was originally looking at joining the priesthood.
Would you believe Wolverine's brother was born in Northern California? Yep, Liev Schreiber was born in San Francisco before moving to Canada with his parents, then to New York.
Born in San Francisco in 1938, actress Natalie Wood starred in the films Rebel Without a Cause with James Dean and in West Side Story as Maria. She drowned during a boating trip in 1981.
A born and bred gentleman from Sacramento. He graduated high school from Sacramento and went on to attend Stanford. After law school, he opened his own practice and sat as a professor of constitutional law at the University of the Pacific's McGeorge School of Law, where he taught from 1963 to 1988.
The band Journey was formed in 1973 in San Francisco. Originally known as "The Golden Gate Rhythm Section," we're glad that name didn't catch on.
We hate to brag, but when it comes to amazingly gifted people – we win. To be honest, we haven’t even begun to scratch the surface of the list of famous people from Northern California. There are many more to include! Impress us in the comments and share a few names of folks we missed!
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Famous People From Northern California
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What stereotypes are there about Northern California?
In case you’re looking for some more fun facts about Northern California, one big one involves all of the stereotypes this part of the state gets. But what might not be made apparent is the fact that many of these stereotypes are true! For instance, yes, people in Northern California have a different language than other parts of the state. Additionally, we’re a pretty laid-back crowd around here, whether we hug trees or not. Check out more of the 9 Totally True Stereotypes About Northern California.
What is Northern California known for?
Here’s some fun Northern California trivia for you - what do you think this area of the state is most known for? Redwoods? San Francisco? The Gold Rush? Our coastline? Perhaps all of the above. When most people think about Northern California they likely picture things like Mt. Whitney, the Golden Gate Bridge, plus some of the oldest trees alive. Take a look at this list of 12 Things You Probably Didn’t Know About Northern California.
What are the weirdest things about Northern California?
The random list of celebrities in Northern California isn’t the only weird thing about this area. In fact, Northern California has some pretty weird laws that you might now even know existed. For example, did you know there is a NorCal law stating that bowling on the sidewalk is illegal? In addition, detonating a nuclear device within city limits is a $500 fine. You would think it would be more expensive, but…
