Newton, Massachusetts has been the home of many notable people.

Academics

Daron Acemoglu, economist and professor of economics at MIT Frederick M. Ausubel, molecular biologist, professor at Harvard Medical School David Berson, neurobiologist, professor at Brown University Jean Briggs, anthropologist and expert on Inuit languages, raised in Newton J. Walter Fewkes, ethnologist and archaeologist Stanley Fischer, former governor of the Bank of Israel, former professor at the MIT Department of Economics Alexandra I. Forsythe, author of the first computer science textbook; helped found the Stanford University Department of Computer Science William Tudor Gardiner, 55th governor of Maine, 1929–1933 Caroline D. Gentile, associate professor emeritus of education, University of Maine at Presque Isle Michael Hammer, a founder of the management theory of business process reengineering H. Robert Horvitz, MIT professor of biology; won the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine in 2002 together with Sydney Brenner and John Sulston Steven Hyman, neuroscientist and provost of Harvard University Ruth Langer, professor of theology at Boston College; expert on Jewish liturgy and on Christian-Jewish relations Robert C. Lieberman, political scientist and provost of the Johns Hopkins University William Stetson Merrill, classifier at Newberry Library; expert on classification of library books, author of A Code for Classifiers Arnold A. Offner, historian, author, and former professor Rosalind Picard, director of the Affective Computing Research Group at the MIT Media Lab Michael Rosbash, geneticist and chronobiologist at Brandeis University, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2017 Jeffrey Sachs, Harvard professor, 1980–2002; current director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University Ruggero Santilli, Center for Theoretical Physics of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Jonathan Sarna, Joseph H. Braun and Belle R. Braun Professor of American Jewish History in the department of Near Eastern and Judaic Studies at Brandeis University Andrei Shleifer, economist and professor of economics at Harvard Isadore Singer, mathematician, recipient of the Abel Prize (2004) and National Medal of Science (1983), and Institute Professor in the Department of Mathematics at MIT Scott Sumner, economist and professor of economics at Bentley University Susumu Tonegawa, MIT professor; won the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine in 1987 Edward Wagenknecht, literary critic, prolific writer and Boston University professor, lived on Otis Street in West Newton Melvin M. Weiner, electrical engineer, author, inventor, the first to reduce pass-bands and stop-bands in photonic crystals to practice Victor Weisskopf, theoretical physicist; worked with Heisenberg, Schrödinger and Niels Bohr; group leader of the Theoretical Division of the Manhattan Project at Los Alamos Howard Zinn, radical historian and author of A People's History of the United States

Actors and actresses

Peggy Bernier, actress and comedienne Virginia Bosler, actress Louis C.K., born Louis Szekely, stand-up comedian, Louie TV series, actor and writer Jessica Chaffin, actress, comedienne, and writer Priyanka Chopra, actress Matt Damon, actor, film producer, philanthropist and screenwriter Dimitri Diatchenko, actor and musician Jennifer Dundas, actress Anne Dudek, actress, played Dr. Amber Volakis in TV series House Kathryn Erbe, actress, star of Law & Order: Criminal Intent Marin Hinkle, actress, best known for playing Judith Harper on CBS's Two and a Half Men Josephine Hull, actress Alex Karpovsky, actor, best known for playing Ray Ploshansky on HBO's Girls Jonathan Katz, actor, best known for his starring role on the animated sitcom Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist Karen Kondazian, actress and author John Krasinski, actor, best known for playing Jim Halpert on NBC's The Office Ben Kurland, actor Matt LeBlanc, actor, best known for playing Joey Tribbiani on Friends Jack Lemmon, Oscar-winning actor Christopher Lloyd, actor, best known for playing Rev. Jim in TV series Taxi and as "Doc" (Emmett Brown) in Back to the Future films Robert Morse, actor, star of How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying and Mad Men Olga C. Nardone, actress, best known for playing three parts in The Wizard of Oz Hari Nef, actress, model, and writer B. J. Novak, comedian, writer, best known for playing Ryan Howard on The Office Rebecca Pidgeon, actress, singer and songwriter, wife of playwright David Mamet Amy Poehler, actress and comedian, Saturday Night Live and Parks and Recreation Robert Preston, actor, "Professor" Harold Hill in The Music Man James Remar, actor, known for many films and TV series Dexter Joe Rogan, actor and comedian Eli Roth, film director, producer, writer and actor John Slattery, actor, best known for playing Roger Sterling in Mad Men Arnold Stang, comic actor Brian J. White, actor, best known for his role in The Shield

Artists

Morgan Bassichis, comedic performer, writer, and artist David Bowes, painter Mickie Caspi, artist, calligrapher Tama Hochbaum, artist and photographer Plane Jane (Andrew Dunayevsky), drag performer and competitor on season 16 of RuPaul's Drag Race Roger Kellaway, Oscar-nominated and Grammy-winning composer, arranger, and pianist Bow Sim Mark, wushu practitioner; mother of actor Donnie Yen Florence Maynard, photographer Arthur Polonsky, draughtsman, painter and academic Nancy Schön, sculptor of the Make Way for Ducklings statues on Boston Common; also did statues of Winnie-the-Pooh, Piglet, and Eeyore at the Newton Free Library Sidewalk Sam (Robert Guillemin), folk artist Edwin Lord Weeks, painter

Authors, writers, journalists, and poets

Binyamin Appelbaum, journalist Tom Ashbrook, journalist and radio broadcaster Isaac Asimov, prolific science fiction and non-fiction writer Russell Banks, writer of fiction and poetry Alex Beam, columnist for the Boston Globe Thomas Bulfinch, author of Bulfinch's Mythology Ty Burr, film critic for the Boston Globe Virginia Lee Burton, illustrator and author of children's books Russell Gordon Carter, writer Anita Diamant, author of fiction and nonfiction books Ralph Waldo Emerson, essayist, poet, lecturer, philosopher Bill Everett, comic book writer, artist (creator of Sub-Mariner, co-creator of Daredevil) Isabella Gardner, poet Ellen Goodman, Pulitzer Prize-winning syndicated columnist Ann Warren Griffith, writer Dan Harris, correspondent for ABC News; anchor for Nightline; co-anchor for the weekend edition of Good Morning America Dan Katz, Barstool Sports contributor Nate Kenyon, author Raymond Kurzweil, writer, futurist, inventor Don Lessem, author Barry Levy, screenwriter, best known for the 2008 film Vantage Point Bill Lichtenstein, Peabody Award-winning journalist and filmmaker Melissa Lozada-Oliva, poet and spoken word artist David Mamet, playwright, screenwriter and film director Adam Mansbach, novelist Elizabeth McCracken, author Tova Mirvis, novelist Diana Muir, writer and historian Charles J.V. Murphy, journalist and author Michael Novak, author William Novak, author Robert Pinsky, former Poet Laureate of the United States Caroline Mehitable Fisher Sawyer, writer, editor Anne Sexton, poet, writer Edward Sheehan, journalist and author Samuel Shem, playwright Harriet Beecher Stowe, author of Uncle Tom's Cabin Andrew Szanton, collaborative memoirist Celia Thaxter, poet and writer Ben Ames Williams, novelist Jonathan Wilson, novelist and critic

Business and industry

Roger Berkowitz, owner of Legal Sea Foods Charles Bilezikian, co-founder of Christmas Tree Shops Elizabeth Boit, textile manufacturer Richard B. Carter, head of Carter's Ink Company 1905–1949 Jim Davis, CEO of New Balance Semyon Dukach, professional gambler, entrepreneur, writer Leo Kahn, co-founder of Staples Jim Koch, co-founder and chairman of the Boston Beer Company Louis K. Liggett, drug store magnate Eddie Lowery, golf caddy, auto dealer Peter Lynch, mutual fund manager and philanthropistOne Up On Wall Street John Palmer Parker, early Hawaiian rancher, married into Hawaiian royal family Sumner Redstone, global media businessman Francis Edgar Stanley (1849–1918), co-inventor of the Stanley Steamer Freelan Oscar Stanley (1849–1940), co-inventor of the Stanley Steamer and builder of the Stanley Hotel Donald Valle, founder and owner of Valle's Steak House Richard Valle, restaurateur; son of Donald Valle; owner of Valle's Steak House

Colonial figures

Waban, 17th-century American Indian tribal chief; lived in Nonantum Ephraim Williams, colonel in the colonial militia during the French and Indian War and benefactor of Williams College Thomas Wiswall (1601–1683), prominent early citizen of the Massachusetts Bay Colony and Cambridge Village, Massachusetts

Environmentalists

Francis P. Farquhar (1887–1974), former president of the Sierra Club

Government, education and politics

Benigno Aquino Jr. and Corazon Aquino, Filipino public intellectual and political figures; lived with their five children in Newton, 1980–1983; she became the first female president of the Philippines (1986–1992); their third child and only son, Benigno III or "Noynoy", was elected president in 2010 Benigno Aquino III, 15th president of the Philippines 2010–2016, lived in Newton 1980–1983 Jake Auchincloss, member of the U.S. House of Representatives for Massachusetts's 4th congressional district Thomas Cardozo, first African-American State superintendent of Education in Mississippi (1874–1876) Evan Falchuk, founder of the United Independent Party and candidate for governor of Massachusetts in 2014 Barney Frank, former U.S. representative for Massachusetts's 4th congressional district Joseph Healy, U.S. representative from New Hampshire Joseph Kennedy III, son of Joseph P. Kennedy II and former U.S. representative for Massachusetts's 4th congressional district Richard Lakin, Freedom Rider, school principal, terrorism victim Horace Mann, public educator, college president (Antioch College) and U.S. representative from Massachusetts Lisa Monaco, United States deputy attorney general and former Homeland Security advisor Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, shah of Iran; exiled after Ayatollah Khomeini took power; briefly lived in Newton Cyrus Peirce, public educator, college president of Framingham State College (once located in West Newton); namesake of the Peirce School in West Newton John Pigeon, representative of Newton to the Massachusetts Provincial Congress and served as Massachusetts commissary general while a resident Roger Sherman, only person to have signed all four basic documents of American sovereignty: the Continental Association of 1774, the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation, and the United States Constitution; born and spent his first two years in Newton Henry Lawrence Southwick, author, actor and 3rd president of Emerson College (1908–1932) Harry F. Stimpson Jr., lawyer who was the U.S. ambassador to Paraguay Nguyen Van Thieu, exiled president of South Vietnam Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Setti Warren, former mayor of Newton and director of the Harvard Kennedy School Institute of Politics John W. Weeks, mayor of Newton; U.S. congressman and U.S. senator from Massachusetts; U.S. Secretary of War under Harding Sinclair Weeks, son of John W. Weeks; born in West Newton; like his father, served as mayor of Newton and U.S. senator; U.S. secretary of commerce under President Dwight Eisenhower

Military James S. Gracey, commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard

Music

Robert Beaser, composer, professor, the Juilliard School Leonard Bernstein, composer, conductor, pedagogue, pianist Dai Buell, pianist, performed the first piano recital on radio in 1921, lived at the Aloha Bungalow