List of people from Harlem, New York

People from Harlem, New York.

The early period (pre-1920)

*John James Audubon - Naturalist
*Frederic Alexander Birmingham - Editor of "Esquire Magazine" from 1945-1957, grew up in Harlem ["It Was Fun While it Lasted," Frederic Alexander Birmingham, 1960]
*Richard Croker - Tammany Hall politician ["Malcolm," Bruce Perry, Station Hill, 1991. page 154]
*F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald - Author and wife"Star Map," "New York" Magazine, August 14, 2006, p.35]
*George and Ira Gershwin: Composers, grew up in Harlem. George wrote his first hit song, "Swanee," at his home at 520 W. 144 street in 1919. [http://www.harlemonestop.com/organization.php?id=115 Harlem One-Stop] ]
*Alexander Hamilton - Politician, lived in Harlem at the end of his life
*Oscar Hammerstein I - Lived at 333 Edgecombe Avenue
*Harry Houdini - Magician, lived at 278 West 113th Street from 1904 until his death in 1926 ["The Top of the Park," "New York" Magazine, February 5, 2007, p.44]
*Scott Joplin - Pianist/composer, lived at 133 West 138th Street in 1916, then at 163 West 131st Street until his death in 1917. Had a studio at 160 West 133rd Street. ["Tracing Scott Joplin's Life Through His Addresses," "New York Times," Real Estate, p.2, February 4, 2007]
*Arthur Miller - Playwright [Arthur Miller Files, at University of Michigan]
*Norman Rockwell - Lived as a child at 789 St. Nicholas Avenue.

The Harlem Renaissance and World War II (1920-1945)

*Louis Armstrong - Musician"My Early Days in Harlem," Langston Hughes, in "Harlem U.S.A.," ed. John Henrick Clarke, 1971 edition, p.58]
*Count Basie - Bandleader and pianist. Lived at 555 Edgecombe Avenue."Manhattan African-American History and Culture Guide," Museum of the City of New York]
*George Wilson Becton - Religious cult leader ["Four Men of Harlem -- The Movers and the Shakers," in "Harlem, U.S.A.," John Henrik Clarke, 1971 edition, p.251]
*Julius Bledsoe - Singer, lived at 409 Edgecombe Avenue [http://www.westharlemcpo.org/history/history_2.shtml Hamilton Heights - West Harlem Community Preservation Organization] ]
*Arna Bontemps - Writer
*William Stanley Braithwaite - Poet and essayist, lived at 409 Edgecombe Avenue
*Eunice Carter - New York state judge, lived at 409 Edgecombe Avenue
*John Henrik Clarke - Editor of "Freedomways Magazine" and of several books, sometime professor. Moved to Harlem in 1933."Harlem U.S.A," introductory essay to 1993 edition, John Henrik Clarke, A&B Book Publishers]
*Collyer brothers - Compulsive hoarders, lived in a townhouse at 128th Street and Fifth Avenue in Harlem their entire adult lives
*Countee Cullen - Poet
*Aaron Douglas - Painter, lived at 409 Edgecombe Avenue
*W.E.B. DuBois - Activist, writer. Lived at 409 Edgecombe.
*Duke Ellington - Composer, band leader. Lived on Riverside Drive in Harlem and, at another point, at 555 Edgecombe."To Live In Harlem," Frank Hercules, "National Geographic," February 1977, p.178+]
*Father Divine - Religious leader Lived in several locations in Harlem, including on Astor Row, and maintained offices at 20 West 115th Street ["Four Men of Harlem -- The Movers and the Shakers," in "Harlem, U.S.A.," John Henrik Clarke, 1971 edition, p.256]
*Jesse Fauset - Poet
*Rudolph Fisher - Writer
*Willie Gant - Pianist
*Charles "Sweet Daddy" Grace – Evangelist, born in Cape Verde Islands but became prominent in Harlem in the 1920s
*Lillian Harris Dean - Entrepreneur known as Pigfoot Mary
*Lionel Hampton - Jazz musician. Lived in Harlem through WWII and for some years thereafter.
*Coleman Hawkins - Musician, saxophone player. Lived at 555 Edgecombe Avenue."Making a Home, and a Haven for Books," Jim Dwyer, "New York Times," August 11, 2007]
*Johnnie Hodges - Musician, lived at 555 Edgecombe.
*Billie Holiday - Singer, lived with her mother at 108 West 139th Street"The New Heyday of Harlem," Tessa Souter, The Independent on Sunday, June 8, 1997]
*Casper Holstein - Gangster
*Lena Horne - Singer and actress. Lived at 555 Edgecombe Avenue.
*Langston Hughes - Writer
*Zora Neale Hurston - Writer
*Bumpy Johnson - Gangster, lived in Lenox Terrace at 132nd Street and Lenox Avenue near the end of his life."Chairman of the Money," "New York Magazine," January 15, 2007, p.20]
*James P. Johnson - Pianist
*James Weldon Johnson - Author, activist, composer. Lived at 187 West 135th Street.
*Fiorello La Guardia - New York Mayor, from East Harlem
*Cora La Redd - Dancer
*Alain Locke - Editor
*Joe Louis - Boxer, lived at 555 Edgecombe Avenue
*Claude McKay - Poet and novelist. Born in Jamaica but moved to Harlem and wrote the famous novel "Home to Harlem"
*Florence Mills - Entertainer
*Adam Clayton Powell, Sr. - Priest, civic leader
*A. Philip Randolph - Activist, labor organizer
*Paul Robeson - Singer and actor, lived at 555 Edgecombe Avenue.
*Bill "Bojangles" Robinson - Dancer, lived on Strivers' Row.
*Willie "The Lion" Smith - Pianist
*Stephanie St. Clair - Criminal leader, lived at 409 Edgecombe Avenue. ["409 Edgecombe, Baseball, and Madame St. Clair," Katherine Butler Jones, in "The Harlem Reader," 2003]
*Wallace Thurman - Writer
*Jean Toomer - Writer
*James Van Der Zee - Photographer
*Fats Waller - Pianist
*Madam C.J. Walker - Philanthropist and tycoon
*A'Lelia Walker - Socialite and businesswoman
*Ethel Waters - Singer, actress. Born in Chester, PA
*Walter Francis White - Civil rights leader"How Bootsie Was Born," Ollie Harrison, in "Harlem U.S.A.", John Henrik Clarke, ed., 1971, p.75 (note, this is a weak source, as it is a reference in a fictional story. A better source should be found.)]
*Bert Williams - Vaudeville actor. Born in Antigua. Died in 1922, near the start of the Harlem Renaissance.
*Mary Lou Williams - Pianist, lived at 63 Hamilton Terrace

Famous after WWII

*Emmanuel Abdul-Rahim Jazz drummer, born in Harlem
*James Baldwin - Novelist, lived at one time at 131st Street and Adam Clayton Powell Blvd. (which was called "seventh avenue" when Baldwin still lived there) ["A Talk to Harlem Teachers," James Baldwin, in "Harlem USA," ed. John Henrik Clarke, 1971, p.173]
*Romare Bearden - Artist, primarily working in collage.
*Harry Belafonte - Calypso musician
*Ron Brown - U.S. Secretary of Commerce, grew up in the Hotel Theresa. ["Meet Me at the Theresa : The Story of Harlem's Most Famous Hotel," Sondra Kathryn Wilson, 2004]
*Jimmy Castor - R&B/funk bandleader
*Claude Brown - Novelist, wrote "Manchild in the Promised Land"
*Chevy Chase - comedian, raised in East Harlem. ["Bah Humbug," Cindy Adams, "The New York Post," December 6, 2007]
*Dr. Kenneth Clark - Psychologist and activist, lived at 555 Edgecombe Avenue.
*Benjamin J. Davis - New York city councilman, ultimately sent to jail for violations of the Smith Act
*Ossie Davis - Actor, lived in Harlem in the late 1930s and mid-1940s
*Sammy Davis, Jr. - Singer, member of Rat Pack, born in Harlem Hospital in 1925. [plaque outside the Harlem Hospital]
*Ralph Ellison - Novelist, wrote "Invisible Man," about a man who moves from the deep south to Harlem. Lived at 730 Riverside Drive in Harlem. [monument outside 730 Riverside Drive]
*Erik Estrada - Actor, from East Harlem
*Jack Geiger - Physician, cofounder of Physicians for Social Responsibility; lived with Canada Lee for a year at 555 Edgecombe Avenue."Kindness of Strangers," "This American Life," September 12, 1997]
*Althea Gibson - Professional tennis player. Lived at 115 West 143rd Street.
*W. C. Handy - Composer and bandleader, lived on Strivers' Row in Harlem towards the end of his life.
*Bennie Harris - Musician, trumpet
*Roy Innis - Head of the Congress of Racial Equality. Lived in Harlem but ultimately moved to Brooklyn. "Forget Harlem. Brooklyn is now the world's black capital." ["City Hall Holds The Key. Harlem's renaissance finds lots of friends, and a few foes," "Christian Science Monitor," March 12, 1987]
*LeRoi Jones/Amiri Baraka - Dancer/poet/activist
*Charles Kenyatta - Activist, pastor, bodyguard and confidant of Malcolm X
*Canada Lee - Actor, lived at 555 Edgecombe Avenue.
*Frankie Lymon - Lead tenor of The Teenagers, best known for the song, "Why Do Fools Fall in Love?"
*Ben E. King - Soul singer and former lead tenor of The Drifters, best known for the song, "Stand By Me"
*Frank Lucas - Drug dealer
*Malcolm X - Preacher, revolutionary
*Earl Manigault - Basketball player
*Thurgood Marshall - Supreme Court justice, lived at 409 Edgecombe Avenue.
*Carl McCall - One-time New York State Senator, and Comptroller of New York State
*Jackie McLean - Musician, alto saxophone
*Eleanor Holmes Norton - One-time head of the Commission of Human Rights for New York City, now non-voting Delegate from the District of Columbia to the United States House of Representatives. "There is something magical about Harlem."
*Gordon Parks - Film director and photographer
*Basil Patterson - New York state senator, New York City deputy mayor for labor relations, Vice-Chairman of the Democratic National Committee ["Harlem's Dreams Have Died in Last Decade, Leaders Say," "New York Times," March 1, 1978. p.A1]
*Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. - Politician
*Bud Powell - Musician, pianist"The Music of Harlem," William R. Dixon, in "Harlem USA," ed. John Henrik Clarke, 1971, p.136]
*Isiah Robinson, one-time president of the New York City Board of Education
*Gene Anthony Ray - Dancer and actor [ [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0712833/bio IMDb bio for Gene Anthony Ray] ]
*Sugar Ray Robinson - Boxer, Harlem entrepreneur. Moved to Harlem at age 12.
*Sonny Rollins - Musician, tenor saxophone
*Steve Rossi - Comedian, former manager for Howard Stern [ [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0744326/bio Steve Rossi IMDB page] ]
*Hazel Scott - Pianist, one-time wife of Adam Clayton Powell, Jr., first African American woman with her own television show.
*Nina Simone - Singer. Lived, for a time, in Duke Ellington's old house in Harlem.
*Percy Sutton - One-time Borough President of Manhattan. "If I were offered a million dollars, I wouldn't leave Harlem."
*Dinah Washington - "Queen of the Blues", born in Alabama but became famous when she lived in Harlem.
*Roy Wilkins - Civil rights leader, lived at 409 Edgecombe.
*Louis T. Wright - Influential physician, chairman of the board of the NAACP

Rap, hip hop, R&B and reality TV

*Damon Dash - CEO
*D.J. Hollywood - VH-1 Hip Hop Honoree, & Rap/Hip Hop Pioneer
*Tupac Shakur - Deceased rapper
*Big L - Deceased rapper
*Dametrice Cunningham - Rapper, Songwriter, Entrepreneur
*Spade un Pala - Rapper
*Cam'ron - Rapper (Co-CEO of The Diplomats)
*Alicia Keys - R&B/soul singer-songwriter/pianist
*P. Diddy - Rapper/producer
*Da'ron Tyrae Burrows - R&B Singer/Actor/Talent
*Doug E. Fresh - 80's rapper
*Acechek - Rapper
*Jae Millz - Rapper
*Lil Mama - Rapper and America's Best Dance Crew judge
*J. R. Writer - Rapper
*Juelz Santana - Rapper
*Joe Budden - Rapper
*Mase - Rapper
*Freekey Zekey - Rapper (President of Diplomat Records)
*Jim Jones - Rapper (Co-CEO of The Diplomats)
*Immortal Technique - Rapper
*Murda Mook - Battle rapper
*Kelis - R&B singer-songwriter
*Biz Markie - Rapper/disc jockey
*Cannibal Ox - Rap duo
*Kurtis Blow - Rapper
*40 Cal - Rapper
*DukeDaGod - Dipset A&R
*Bloodshed - Deceased Rapper
*Prah'Ject - Rapper
*Yaya DaCosta -ANTM contestant/model
*Bre Scullark -ANTM contestant/model
*Ebony Haith -ANTM contestant/model
*Cameron Mathison - All My Children actor and contestant on Dancing with the Stars
*Sheena Sakai -ANTM contestant/model

21st century residents

*Kareem Abdul-Jabbar - Basketball player, moved into a Mount Morris brownstone in September, 2006. ["Kareem's Harlem digs," New York Daily News, September 10, 2006]
*Alimoe aka Tyrone Evans - Streetballer
*Maya Angelou - Author, owns a home on 120th Street in Mount Morris Park district. "I never agreed with Thomas Wolfe. I never thought you can’t go home again. I've been coming home to Harlem for 50 years." ["A Revised Edition," Louis Tutelian, "New York Times," January 5, 2007]
*Anthony Ash - Poet, born and raised in Harlem.
*Jonathan Franzen - Author, lived on 125th Street when he wrote his book "The Corrections" [ [http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20031018.HARLEM18/TPStory/Travel "Catching up with Harlem," Jean Cumming, TheGlobeAndMail.com Travel, October 18, 2003] ]
*Marcia Gay Harden - Actress ["Between Film Sets, Life on Gossamer Lake," Jill Capuzzo, "The New York Times," September 14, 2007]
*S. Epatha Merkerson - Actress
*Mandy Patinkin - Actor
*Adam Clayton Powell IV - New York City council member
*Akhnaten Spencer-El - Olympic fencer
*Stephen Spinella - Tony Award-winning actor ["Stephen Spinella’s Real Estate Angels," Celia Barbour, "New York Times," July 1, 2007]
*Joel Steinberg - Famously killed his adopted daughter, moved to Harlem after his 2004 release from prison ["The monster now," The New York "Daily News," July 10, 2006]

Representatives

* Charles B. Rangel - United States House of Representatives, lives in Lenox Terrace at 132nd Street and Lenox Avenue. "I've always lived in Harlem. Never wanted to go anywhere else."
* David Paterson - New York State Governor
* Jose M. Serrano - New York State Senate
* Keith L.T. Wright - New York State Assembly
* Adam Clayton Powell IV - New York State Assembly
* Robert Jackson - New York City council
* Inez Dickens- New York City Council

References