The 30 most famous celebrities hailing from Tampa Bay

Sarah Paulson

The American Horror Story star was born in Tampa and lived here until age five, when her parents got divorced. She spent summers here with her father, but went to school in New York City.

Photo by Gage Skidmore via Wikimedia Commons

John Cena

Even if you can’t see him (because his time is now), John Cena is a Land O’ Lakes resident and has been spotted at several spots throughout Tampa, including Ocean Prime. Cena is mostly known for his wrestling career, but he has become quite active in the movies, with major roles in movies such as Trainwreck and a role in the upcoming Suicide Squad sequel.

Photo via wwe.com

Angela Bassett

Even though Bassett was born in New York City, the Black Panther star attended Boca Ciega high school in Gulfport after moving to St. Pete. Bassett’s most recognized role is when she played Tina Turner in the biopic “What’s Love Got to Do With It,” where Bassett was the first African-American to win the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy.

Photo by David Shankbone via Wikimedia Commons

Owen Teague

A graduate of Blake High School, Blake Teague is mostly known for his role as Patrick Hockstetter in It: Chapter Two, as well as a role in the episode “Arkangel” in the hit Netflix series Black Mirror. Teague was even a member of the orchestra at Blake, as well as being a member of the thespian club.

Screengrab via YouTube

Ray Charles

Although he may have Georgia on his mind, Ray Charles lived in Tampa for a short time in his life before he became known for his work as a piano player. Charles spent his time in Tampa playing for Charlie Brantley’s “Original Honey Dippers,” a local legendary R&B group.

Photo by Victor Diaz Lamich via Wikimedia Commons

Jimmy Wales

One of the founders of Wikipedia, Jimmy Wales lived in St. Pete from 2002 until he moved to London in 2012. Wales claims to be the sole founder of Wikipedia, but “co-founders” of the website such as Larry Sanger, dispute this claim.

Photo Joi Ito via Wikimedia Commons

Channing Tatum

The star of Magic Mike, which was filmed around Tampa, is a graduate of Tampa Catholic and attended Gaither before transferring to the private school. Tatum has starred in other movies such as the 21 Jump Street series and Step Up.

Photo by Gage Skidmore via Wikimedia Commons

Dwight Gooden

Dwight Gooden may mostly be known for his sick curveball (nicknamed “Lord Charles.” Badass, right?), but the former New York Met and NL Rookie of the Year is a Tampa native. He played for Hillsborough High’s baseball team his final two years of high school, and was drafted fifth overall in the 1982 MLB draft.

Photo by Jeff Marquis via Wikimedia Commons

Rhonda Shear

One of the Fonz’ girlfriends in the hit show Happy Days, Rhonda Shear, is currently a resident of St. Pete. Shear lives here with her husband, Van Fagen, and was Miss Louisiana in 1975.

Photo by Rhonda Shear via Wikimedia Commons

Shock G

If you ever find yourself around HCC or Chamberlain High, do the humpty dance, because Shock G was a student at both schools. He may have been born in New York City, but he moved to Tampa in middle school. He dropped out of Chamberlain, but he studied music theory at HCC.

Photo by Gregory E. Jacobs via Wikimedia Commons

Derek Jeter

While he was born in New Jersey, “The Captain” resides in Tampa on Davis Islands in that extravagantly big house of his. He was the shortstop for the New York Yankees and has over 3,000 hits in his career (his 3,000th coming off of David Price, who was pitching for the Rays at the time. How fitting). He is currently running the Miami Marlins as their CEO.

Photo by Keith Allison via Wikimedia Commons

Dreama Walker

One of the co-stars of the short-lived TV series “Doubt,” Dreama Walker was born and raised in Tampa, having graduated from Plant High School. Her roles also include Connie Stevens in the recent Quentin Tarantino film “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.”

Photo by Chohyeri via Wikimedia Commons

Al Downing

Not to be confused with the Al Downing that gave up Hank Aaron’s record-breaking 715th home run, Tampa’s Al Downing was a member of the Tuskegee Airmen, and eventually became the first African-American to perform in the St. Petersburg Symphony Orchestra. Downing passed away in 2000 from heart failure.

Photo Jpieniazek via Wikimedia Commons

Jack Kerouac

Considered a pioneer of the “Beat Generation,” Jack Kerouac spent the later part of his life in the St. Pete area, as he passed away at St. Anthony’s Hospital. His work as a writer includes “On the Road,” “The Dharma Bums,” and “Big Sur.”

Photo Tom Palumbo via Wikimedia Commons

Robin Zander

The lead singer and guitarist of the band Cheap Trick, Robin Zander, is currently a resident of Safety Harbor. Zander was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2016 with the other members of Cheap Trick.

Photo by Matt Becker via Wikimedia Commons

Stephen Stills

Saint Leo gets a shoutout here, as one of the members of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young went to the liberal arts school before his music career took off. He also attended Admiral Farragut Academy in St. Pete.

Photo by Eva Rinaldi via Wikimedia Commons

Billy Mays

Remember that guy from all those OxiClean commercials? Yeah, Billy Mays actually passed away in Tampa from heart disease. There were complications in the autopsy though, as the medical examiner determined that cocaine was a contributing factor to Mays’ death. Mays’ family disputes this claim, and criticized the medical examiner for revealing the information.

Photo by Sharese Ann Frederick via Wikimedia Commons

Tom Cruise

“Jerry Maguire” star and known Scientologist Tom Cruise owns a penthouse in Clearwater near the Scientology Headquarters in the downtown area. Cruise is also known for his roles in the Mission Impossible movies.

Photo Gage Skidmore via Wikimedia Commons

Brian Johnson

Brian Johnson, better known as the lead singer of AC/DC, owns a home on Bird Key in Sarasota. The British singer was actually the third lead singer of the band, and he followed Bon Scott after Scott’s death in 1980.

Photo by Matt Becker via Wikimedia Commons

Gary Shefflied

That dude with the crazy batting stance, Gary Sheffield, was an alumnus of Hillsborough High. There was recently a viral video of the slugger hitting bombs while casually smoking a cigar with his son throwing batting practice. Pretty dope.

Photo by UCinterntational via Wikimedia Commons