by Michael LelloWeekender Editor
by Nikki M. MascaliStaff Writer
What do The Professor from “Gilligan’s Island,” an award-winning porn actress and the pitcher with the lowest career ERA in Major League Baseball history have in common? All are from Northeastern Pennsylvania. Other famous and infamous individuals passed through our area on the way to stardom, like one of the country’s most controversial political commentators and the late star of “Law & Order.”
Here’s a list of some — but not all — of the current and former NEPA residents that have become celebrities in the realms of sports, music, film, politics and beyond.
Joseph Biden
The Vice President and former U.S. Senator was born in Scranton’s Green Ridge section.
Julie Bidwell Banderas
Before becoming Fox News Channel’s weekend anchor, Banderas was a local news anchor at WBRE-TV in Wilkes-Barre.
The Badlees
Three of the current lineup’s four members live in NEPA. The band achieved national chart success in the mid-’90s.
Breaking Benjamin
All of the members of the multi-platinum rock band live in the Wilkes-Barre area.
PJ Carlesimo
The former NBA and Seton Hall coach and current TV commentator was born in Scranton and is the son of former University of Scranton basketball coach Peter Carlesimo. The younger Carlesimo is known for being choked by then-Golden State Warriors player Latrell Sprewell in 1997.
Jimmy Cefalo
The former Penn State star played for the Miami Dolphins, including two Super Bowls. His 76-yard touchdown reception in Super Bowl XVII is the fifth-longest in Super Bowl history. He starred at Pittston Area High School, was an award-winning TV broadcaster in Miami and now runs a wine business in that area.
Joe Collins
Born Joseph Kollonige in Scranton, Collins played for 10 seasons with the Yankees, including seven World Series appearances.
Gene Guarilia
The Duryea native starred for the George Washington University basketball team before being drafted in the second round by the Boston Celtics, with whom he earned four NBA championship rings.
Zane Grey
This writer of the Old West often camped in Lackawaxen and was buried there following his death in 1939.
The Ismails
Raghib “The Rocket” Ismail and his brother Qadry “The Missile” Ismail were born in New Jersey, raised in Wilkes-Barre and starred at Meyers High School. Raghib went on to star for Notre Dame’s football team and later played in the Canadian Football League and the NFL. Qadry starred at Syracuse University and played for many NFL teams, including as a member of the Super Bowl XXXV champion Baltimore Ravens.
Hughie Jennings
Born in Pittston, Jennings played and managed in the Major Leagues. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame posthumously in 1945.
Russell Johnson
Born in Ashley, he played The Professor on “Gilligan’s Island.” He acted in several other movies and TV shows, including “The Twilight Zone.” As a member of the Air Force, he was awarded many medals, including a Purple Heart.
Jean Kerr
Kerr, who grew up on Electric Street in Scranton, is best known for her essay book “Please Don’t Eat the Daisies” which was made into a movie starring Doris Day and David Niven.
John Legend
The multiple Grammy winner was the choir director, pianist and head of the music department at Bethel AME Church in Scranton from 1995-2004.
Matthew Lesko
The author and infomercial host, known for his question-mark-emblazoned jacket, graduated from Wyoming Valley West High School.
Jeanne Madden
Born in Scranton, Madden was in her first film at age 18, which premiered at the city’s Strand Theater in 1936. She lived in the Hamlin area and was the mother of former WBRE-TV anchorman and Director of Pennsylvania Homeland Security Keith Martin.
Joe Madden
The Hazleton native manages the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, whom he led to the 2007 World Series.
Christy Mathewson
From Factoryville, Mathewson — aka “Big Six,” “The Christian Gentleman” and “Matty” — is an inaugural member of the Baseball Hall of Fame. Only two pitchers in Major League history compiled more wins than Mathewson. Christy Mathewson Days are held each August in Factoryville to celebrate his legacy.
Gino J. Merli
This Peckville native received a Congressional Medal of Honor from President Truman during World War II and was a source of inspiration for Tom Brokaw’s “The Greatest Generation.” The Veterans’ Center in Scranton was named after him in 2002, and one of Peckville’s main roads also bears his name.
Gerry McNamara
One of the best basketball players to ever play in our region, McNamara led Bishop Hannan High School to a state title in 2002. At Syracuse, he helped lead the team to the 2002-03 national title when he was a freshman and went on to be one of the best players in school history.
Jason Miller
This playwright lived in Scranton, won a Pulitzer Prize for “That Championship Season,” which was set in the city, and played Father Damien Karras in 1973’s “The Exorcist.” He died of a heart attack in 2001 at Farley’s in Scranton, and a bronze bust of him is now on display on Scranton’s Courthouse Square.
Kelly Monaco
The 1994 grad of Pocono Mountain High School won the first season of “Dancing with the Stars” in 2005 and has been on “General Hospital” since 2003. Her first claim to fame was making her Playboy debut as Miss April 1997.
Judith Nathan
Coming under scrutiny for being then-Mayor Rudy Guiliani’s gal pal before his divorce from Donna Hanover, this 1972 Hazleton High School graduate married Giuliani in 2003.
Jerry Orbach
“Law & Order’s” Detective Lennie Briscoe lived in Wilkes-Barre, Nanticoke and Scranton as a child. Playing Baby’s father in “Dirty Dancing” is among his many film credits.
Joe Ostrowski
The West Wyoming native played for the Yankees and St. Louis Browns in the 1940s and ’50s.
Bill O’Reilly
The popular FOX News commentator worked for WNEP in the mid-1970s as a consumer affairs reporter and a writer for “Uncle Ted’s Ghoul School.”
Jack Palance
This rugged actor was born in the Lattimer Mines section of Hazle Twp. and appeared in “City Slickers,” which garnered him a Best Supporting Actor Academy Award.
Jay Parini
The Scranton-born writer co-founded the New England Review and was appointed literary executor for author Gore Vidal. “The Last Station,” a movie based on his 1990 novel of the same name, opened recently in limited release.
Bronson Pinchot
Since 1999, the former “Perfect Strangers” actor has been restoring homes in Harford, including the circa 1839 mansion of former state Sen. Edward Jones.
Dave Popson
After a standout career at Bishop O’Reilly High School, the highly recruited Popson played alongside Michael Jordan at the University of North Carolina. The 6-foot-10 center played briefly in the NBA.
Robert Reich
Born in Scranton in 1946, Reich was the 22nd U.S. Secretary of Labor serving under President Bill Clinton.
Paul Richards
This Dunmore High School class of 1982 graduate has been with NASA since 1996 and logged hundreds of hours in space. His first was on the STS-102 mission to the International Space Station in 2001.
Adam Rippon
The 10th ranked figure skater in the world and a member of the US Olympic team, Rippon is from Clarks Summit.
Hugh Ellsworth Rodham
The father of Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton was born in Scranton, christened his children there and had a summer cottage in Lake Winola that he built with his father in 1921. Following his death in 1993, he was buried at Washburn Street Cemetery in Scranton.
Michael Schoeffling
The actor, who played Jake Ryan in “Sixteen Candles,” was born in Wilkes-Barre.
Nicole Sheridan
The pornography actress from Clarks Summit won Adult Video News Awards in 2002 for Best Anal Sex Scene and in 2007 for Best Group Sex Scene.
B.F. Skinner
This psychologist, author/poet and advocate for social reform was born in Susquehanna and invented the Skinner box, which is used in lab experiments to study animal behavior.
Greg Skrepenak
A two-time All American at University of Michigan, the former G.A.R. High School football player went on to play in the NFL for the Los Angeles and Oakland Raiders as well as the Carolina Panthers. Recently, he resigned as a Luzerne County Commissioner and pleaded guilty in federal court to accepting a $5,000 bribe in exchange for helping a developer secure tax funding for a construction project.
G.E. Smith
This former lead guitarist for Hall & Oates and former “Saturday Night Live” musical director was born in Stroudsburg and cut his teeth playing at Pocono resorts. He currently tours with the band Moonalice.
Paul Sorvino
The actor appeared in pal Jason Miller’s Broadway play “That Championship Season.” He filmed the yet-to-be-released “The Trouble with Cali” in NEPA, which was partially funded by Lackawanna County. He splits his time between Los Angeles and a home in the Poconos.
Bob Sura
After playing for G.A.R., Sura had a standout basketball career for Florida State, where he became the leading scorer in school history. He played in the NBA from 1995 until 2007.
Ed Walsh
Born in Plains Twp., Walsh was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1946 and was nominated as a finalist for the Major League Baseball All-Century Team. He played from 1904 through 1917, compiling the lowest career ERA in baseball history.
Ned Washington
Born in Scranton in 1947, Washington wrote the lyrics to “When You Wish Upon A Star” “Rawhide” and more. He is a member of the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
Lauren Weisberger
This bestselling author of “The Devil Wears Prada” lived in Clarks Summit until age 11. Her time as Vogue Editor-in-Chief Anna Wintour’s assistant was the basis of the 2003 book which was made into a movie in 2006.
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