On-Screen Ohioans

Steven Spielberg Internet Movie Database
One of Hollywood’s best-known directors and producers began his life in Ohio’s Queen City: Cincinnati. Spielberg’s creative genius led to some of the most beloved box office hits of all time, including  “E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial,” “Jaws,” the Indiana Jones movie series, “Schindler's List,” and “The Color Purple.” An Eagle Scout, Spielberg purchased Clark Gables’s (another Ohioan) Oscar in 1996 and returned it to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for safe keeping.
Sarah Jessica Parker Internet Movie Database
Before she became a fashion icon as Carrie Bradshaw in “Sex and the City,” Sarah Jessica Parker was born in Nelsonville and cut her acting teeth at the School for Creative and Performing Arts in Cincinnati. The starlet later appeared on the big screen in films including “Footloose” and “Honeymoon in Vegas.” More recently, she researched her Cincinnati roots on the NBC show “Who Do You Think You Are?” with trips to the Cincinnati Museum Center at Union Terminal and the Clifton Branch of the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County.
Nick Lachey Internet Movie Database
Capturing girls’ hearts everywhere as one of the smooth-voiced crooners in the late 1990s boy band 98 Degrees, Nick Lachey attended Cincinnati’s School for Creative and Performing Arts and Miami University in Ohio before breaking into show business. He later starred in the reality show “Newlyweds: Nick & Jessica,” and now hosts the NBC hot TV show, “The Sing-Off.” A die-hard Skyline Chili connoisseur, Lachey makes a beeline to the Cincinnati staple whenever he’s in town, and even keeps a stash of Skyline Chili cans in his cupboard at home.
Halle Berry Internet Movie Database
Long before becoming the first African American actress to win an Academy Award for Best Actress (for her role in Monster’s Ball), Halle Berry graced the pageant world as Miss Ohio and a runner-up to Miss USA. The Cleveland native, who was named after the city’s Halle Building, graduated from Bedford High School and attended Cuyahoga Community College. While researching Dorothy Dandridge for her role in the biopic “Introducing Dorothy Dandridge,” Berry was surprised to find that she and the 1950s African American actress (and fellow Ohioan) were born in the same Cleveland hospital.
Drew Carey Internet Movie Database
Proud Parma native Drew Carey rocked Cleveland on “The Drew Carey Show” – even using the city’s Halle Building as the setting for the show’s fictional Winfred-Louder Department Store, and the Memphis Plaza Lounge as the inspiration for his favorite after-work hangout, Warsaw Tavern. He’s so proud of his Ohio roots, Carey reportedly used his first paycheck from his self-titled sitcom to purchase his childhood home. Later he hosted the popular improv TV show “Whose Line Is It Anyway?" and more recently took over Bob Barker’s post as host of “The Price Is Right.” 
Bow Wow Internet Movie Database
A Columbus native, Bow Wow (formerly known as Lil’ Bow Wow) started rapping as a kindergartener, ascending to stardom when he caught the eye of legendary Snoop Dogg at age 13. That same year, he earned a spot in the Guinness Book of World Records as the youngest rapper to have a No. 1 hit, with the track "Bounce with Me." Shad Gregory Moss, as he’s known in real life, has since made appearances in movies and TV shows like “The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift” and “Entourage.”
Martin Sheen Internet Movie Database
Martin Sheen’s Irish mother and Spanish father met in citizenship class in Dayton, spawning one of Hollywood’s most celebrated actors – best known for his roles in classic 1970s movies like “Badlands” and “Apocalypse Now.” Born Ramón Gerardo Antonio Estévez, the Chaminade Catholic High School graduate is the father of actors Charlie Sheen and Emilio Estévez. Hailing from the state known as the “Mother of Presidents,” it’s only fitting that Sheen has portrayed American presidents in roles on “The West Wing,” “Medusa’s Child,” “Kennedy,” and “The Dead Zone.”
Carmen Electra Internet Movie Database
Hollywood vixen Carmen Electra, whose real name is Tara Patrick, landed in the spotlight at just 18 years old as a backup singer and dancer for Prince. The Cincinnati-area native was a classmate of Nick Lachey’s at the School for Creative and Performing Arts in Cincinnati and has since been seen in TV shows including “Baywatch” and a string of parody movies like “Scary Movie.” She pinpoints Kings Island as her favorite summer job, saying, “I was the girl they‘d saw in half.” 
Katie Holmes Internet Movie Database
Before becoming Mrs. Tom Cruise, Katie Holmes spent her life in Toledo – born two months premature (because of her strong-willed personality, her parents have said), and starring in various theater productions at her all-girl high school, Notre Dame Academy. She rose to fame as the girl-next-door, Joey Potter, on the popular teen TV drama “Dawson’s Creek,” and later appeared in films including “Batman Begins” and “Thank You For Smoking.” Holmes shares a birthday with fellow Ohioan Steven Spielberg (December 18), and lists his beloved film, “E.T.: The Extra Terrestrial,” as the first movie she ever saw.
Doris Day Internet Movie Database

Dubbed America’s sweetheart in the 1950s, Doris Day – originally known as Doris Kappelhoff – was born and raised in Cincinnati and got her start singing with local bands before auditioning with Warner Bros and starring in hit films including “The Man Who Knew Too Much” and “Pillow Talk.” Early in her career, she toured extensively with fellow Ohioan, Bob Hope, singing and entertaining the troops.
Patricia Heaton Internet Movie Database
The daughter of legendary Plain Dealer sports columnist Chuck Heaton, Patricia Heaton ironically landed in the small-screen spotlight for her role as a sports writer’s wife (Debra Barone) on the popular TV sitcom “Everybody Loves Raymond.” The actress and former Ohio State Buckeye, whose brother now writes for the Plain Dealer, grew up in Bay Village and recently snagged a starring role in another TV sitcom: “The Middle.” A self-proclaimed foodie, Heaton is part-owner of Vento La Trattoria and Wine Bar in her hometown, and says she can’t resist the chocolate coconut bars from Vera’s Nationality Bakery at the West Side Market.
Josh Radnor Internet Movie Database
Best known for his leading role on the CBS TV show “How I Met Your Mother,” where he ironically plays an Ohioan transplanted in New York City, Josh Radnor grew up in Columbus and is a graduate of Bexley High School. Before snagging his small screen role, Radnor attended Ohio’s Kenyon College and was recognized with the Paul Newman Trophy – named for the late Ohioan, actor and Kenyon graduate. Still a huge fan of Rubino’s Pizza, Radnor debuted his self-written indie film “Happythankyoumoreplease” at the Drexel Theater in his hometown (just a block from where his parents still live).
Dean Martin Internet Movie Database

Best known as a member of the iconic Rat Pack, Dean Martin spent his childhood in the Ohio River town of Steubenville before striking it big in Hollywood movies like “Rio Bravo” and the original “Ocean’s Eleven” – as well as hosting one of the most successful TV series in history, “The Dean Martin Comedy Hour.” Fans still flock to Steubenville each June to celebrate the life of Dino Crocetti, Martin’s birth name, at the Dean Martin Festival.
Paul Newman Internet Movie Database

Shaker Heights native Paul Newman has a rich Ohio past, having been allegedly kicked out of Ohio University for partying a little too much, and later finishing his undergraduate studies at Kenyon College after a stint in the U.S. Navy during World War II. Newman, who was known for his good looks and piercing blue eyes, later starred in films including “Somebody Up There Likes Me” and “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.”
Jack Hanna Internet Movie Database
Jack Hanna’s zany animal antics on TV shows like the “Late Show with David Letterman” have made him a household name, but some would be surprised to know that Hanna got his start at – and still serves as director emeritus of – the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium. The Muskingum College graduate traded his home state of Tennessee to be closer to Nationwide Children’s Hospital for his daughter’s leukemia treatment, and for a chance to transform the Columbus Zoo into the No. 1 attraction of its kind in the country. Hanna, who appears on “Jack Hanna’s Into the Wild” and “Jack Hanna’s Wild Countdown,” lists people-watching in the Short North and exploring German Village as two of his favorite activities.
Clark Gable Internet Movie Database

Before cementing his Hollywood notoriety as Rhett Butler in “Gone with the Wind,” Clark Gable was born in the tiny town of Cadiz and spent time working at a tire factory in Akron. Cadiz is so proud of its native son, the town – which boasts fewer than 4,000 residents – has reconstructed his childhood home into the Clark Gable Birth Home Gift Shop and Museum, complete with Gable’s boyhood sled and his prized 1954 Cadillac. Super fans can even stay in the Clark Gable Bed and Breakfast next door, stocked with Gable’s movies and decorated in early 1900s style.

Bob Hope Internet Movie Database

Although he was born abroad, Bob Hope spent most of his life in Cleveland and became a part-owner of the Cleveland Indians in the 1950s – even starring in a 1951 “I Love Lucy” episode focusing on a Yankees-Indians baseball game. Hope was most well known for his comedic acting career, which spanned nearly 70 years and included hosting “The Bob Hope Show” and entertaining the troops with fellow Ohioan, Doris Day.
Beverly D’Angelo Internet Movie Database

Columbus native Beverly D’Angelo, whose grandfather was the architect behind the iconic horseshoe-shaped Ohio Stadium, tried her hand at a singing career before she was bitten by the acting bug – securing a longtime role as the matriarch in “National Lampoon’s Vacation” and its three sequels, as well as more serious roles in films like “American History X.” Before gaining fame, D’Angelo attended Upper Arlington High School and her father managed the local CBS television station, WBNS.