# List of people from Bridgeport, Connecticut

This is a list of notable people associated with Bridgeport, Connecticut who achieved great public distinction, listed in the category for which they are best known.

## Athletes
### Baseball players

These baseball players were born in or lived in the city:
* Howard Baker, Major League baseball player
* Cornelius "Neal" Ball, credited with the first unassisted triple play in the major leagues
* George Bryant, MLB player for Detroit Wolverines
* George "Kiddo" Davis, who in the 1933 World Series against the Washington Senators had 7 hits in 19 at-bats, and batted .368, helping the New York Giants win the championship
* Rob Dibble, pitcher for Cincinnati Reds, Chicago White Sox, and Milwaukee Brewers
* Angel Echevarria, played in National League for Colorado Rockies, Milwaukee Brewers, and Chicago Cubs
* Ray Keating, pitched for the New York Highlanders, New York Yankees, and Boston Braves
* Kurt Kepshire, or Kurt David Kepshire, pitched for the St. Louis Cardinals
* Charles Nagy, pitcher for Cleveland Indians and San Diego Padres, pitched in the 1995 and 1997 World Series
* Tricky Nichols, pitcher for the Boston Red Caps, St. Louis Brown Stockings, Providence Grays, Worcester Ruby Legs and Baltimore Orioles
* Jim O'Rourke (James Henry O'Rourke), first player to be credited with a hit and single in a professional baseball game
* Ed Rowen, 19th-century baseball player for the Boston Red Caps and Philadelphia Athletics
* Dan Shannon, played second base for the Louisville Colonels and the Philadelphia Quakers, and second base and shortstop for the New York Giants and the Washington Senators
* Ed Wojna, pitcher for the San Diego Padres and Cleveland Indians

### Basketball players

* Courtney Alexander, played three seasons in the NBA and is currently an assistant coach of the College Park Skyhawks of the NBA G League
* John Bagley, played for eleven seasons in the NBA
* Walter Luckett, star high school and college player in the 1970s
* Wes Matthews, played ten seasons in the NBA
* Frank Oleynick, played two years for NBA in Seattle
* Charles D. Smith, University of Pittsburgh and New York Knicks
* Chris Smith, University of Connecticut and Minnesota Timberwolves
* Harper Williams, basketball player

### Football players

* Kevin Belcher, NFL player
* Keith Dudzinski, college football player and coach
* Tony Elliott, played six seasons in the NFL
* Nick Giaquinto, played four seasons in the NFL
* Ching Hammill, football player
* Mike L. Jones, NFL player for Minnesota Vikings, Indianapolis Colts and Seattle Seahawks
* Alex Joseph, pro football player

### Soccer players

* Alyssa Naeher, goalkeeper for the Chicago Red Stars in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) and United States women's national soccer team (USWNT)

### Hockey players

* Julie Chu, three-time Olympic ice hockey medalist

### Tennis players

* Sidney Wood, tennis player, won at Wimbledon in 1931, reached Davis Cup finals in 1934

### Boxers

* Jack Delaney, world light heavyweight boxing champion

## Business people

* Kenton Clarke, founder of Computer Consulting Associates International Inc.
* Fred DeLuca, founder of Subway
* George Gilman, founder of the Great Atlantic and Pacific Tea Company
* Edwin H. Land, founder of Polaroid Corporation
* James Murren (born 1961), banker
* Nathaniel Wheeler, manufacturer of Wheeler & Wilson; state legislator
* Vincent Zarrilli, founder of The Pot Shop

## Entertainers, artists, writers

* Emma Dunning Banks (1856-1931), actress, dramatic reader, teacher, and writer
* P.T. Barnum, circus owner, entrepreneur and mayor of Bridgeport
* Madeline Blair, prostitute and naval stowaway
* Robert O. Bowen, novelist
* Al Capp, cartoonist, creator of comic strip Li'l Abner
* Adriana Caselotti, voice of Snow White
* Adger Cowans, fine arts photographer and abstract painter
* Perry DeAngelis, co-founder and executive director of NESS, co-founder of The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe
* Sally Haley, artist and painter
* Maureen Howard, author
* Walt Kelly, cartoonist, creator of Pogo
* Larry Kramer, playwright and gay rights activist, writer of The Normal Heart
* Roy Neuberger, art collector and donor
* Charles Schnee, screenwriter and film producer
* Jim Shepard, author
* Cyndy Szekeres, children's book author and illustrator
* General Tom Thumb (Charles Stratton), performer, little person

### Actors

* Richard Belzer, actor and comedian who once worked as a reporter for The Connecticut Post
* Alexandra Breckenridge, actress
* Adriana Caselotti, actress
* Bob Crane, actor known for his lead role in Hogan's Heroes; radio host on WICC-AM in Bridgeport, 1950–1955
* Brian Dennehy, actor
* John Forrest, actor
* Arline Judge, actress
* John Mitchum, actor
* Robert Mitchum, actor
* Tony Musante, actor
* Kevin Nealon, comedian and actor
* John Ratzenberger, actor known for role of Cliff Clavin in TV series Cheers
* Bill Smitrovich, actor
* Deborah Walley, actress
* Michael Jai White, actor

### Musicians

* Art Baron, jazz trombonist
* Mimi Benzell, Metropolitan Opera soprano
* Joseph Celli, oboist
* Fanny Crosby, composer of more than 8,000 Christian hymns; lived here for the last fifteen years of her life; buried in the Mountain Grove Cemetery
* Vernon Dalhart, singer-songwriter
* Jessica Delfino, musician, comedian
* Jin Hi Kim, geomungo player and composer
* Deon Kipping, gospel singer
* Paul Leka, singer-songwriter, composer, member of band Steam, known for "Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye"
* Angus Maclise, experimental musician and poet, founding member of The Velvet Underground
* John Mayer, singer-songwriter, born in Bridgeport, largely grew up in neighboring Fairfield
* Peter McCann, singer-songwriter, "Do You Wanna Make Love", "Right Time of the Night"
* Syesha Mercado, singer, actress and American Idol contestant
* Lou "Boulder" Richards, guitarist (Hatebreed)
* Vinnie Vincent, guitarist (KISS)
* Robert Wendel, composer, musician
* Justin Quiles, singer, songwriter

### Musical groups

* The Alternate Routes (2002–present), rock band
* Hatebreed (1994–present), metallic hardcore band
* Last Common Ancestor (2018–present), punk grunge band
* The Skinny Boys, 1980s rap group
* Steam, late 1960s pop band
* The Stepkids (2009–present), psych soul band
* Youthful Praise (2001–present), gospel choir

## Government service

* David H. Burr, cartographer
* Robert E. De Forest, Mayor, Congressman
* Paul Gottfried, former professor of Elizabethtown College
* Robert A. Hurley (1895–1968), Connecticut governor (first Roman Catholic to hold that office in Connecticut)
* Leonard Mastroni (1949–2020), Kansas state representative and judge
* Anita McBride, chief of staff to the First Lady of the United States, 2005–2009
* Jasper McLevy (1933–1957), Mayor
* Margaret E. Morton (1924–2012), first African American woman to serve in the Connecticut General Assembly
* Mae Schmidle, Connecticut state representative
* William Shaler, U.S. Consul in Mexico, Algiers and Havana
* James C. Shannon (1896–1980), Connecticut governor
* Christopher Shays, Fourth District Congressman
* Samuel Simons (1792–1847), United States Representative from Connecticut

## Inventors

* Harvey Hubbell, inventor of the electric plug and the pull-chain light socket
* Louis Latimer, inventor
* Charles F. Ritchel, inventor
* Gustave Whitehead, inventor
* William Higinbotham, worked on the nuclear bomb, created one of the first video games Tennis For Two.

## Medical

* Alfred Fones, dentist credited with founding the profession of dental hygiene in 1906

## Military

* David Hawley, Naval commander and privateer during the American Revolution
* Raymond Jacobs, claimed to be in photo of first flag raised on Iwo Jima in World War II
* Henry A. Mucci, led the raid that rescued survivors of the Bataan Death March in World War II

## Religious

* Edward Egan, former Roman Catholic bishop of Bridgeport, later became the cardinal archbishop of New York

## Other

* Victoria Leigh Soto, born in Bridgeport, former school teacher, victim of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, died at age 27