Many celebrities, athletes, actors and musicians have hailed from the great Queen City. From historic names to superstars, these incredibly talented bunch of individuals attended Greater Cincinnati high schools and went on to make us proud.
Carmen Electra Otherwise known by her real name Tara Leigh Patrick, the actress, singer, model and dancer was born in Sharonville, Ohio in 1972 and attended both the School for Creative and Performing Arts and Princeton High School. She is well-known for her role in television series Baywatch, and several movies including a couple of the Scary Movie franchises and Meet the Spartans. Photo via © Glenn Francis, PacificProDigital.com
Sarah Jessica Parker Popular actress, producer and designer well-known for her starring role in hit HBO television series Sex and the City as Carrie Bradshaw. She was born in Nelsonville, Ohio in 1965 and attended the School for Creative and Performing Arts. Photo: Georges Biard/Wikimedia Commons
Nick Lachey Kentucky-born actor, television personality and host, but most well-known for being a part of popular boy band 98 Degrees. Nick Lachey attended the School for Creative and Performing Arts in Over-the-Rhine and formerly owned a sports bar in Cincinnati called Lachey’s. He also won Season 5 of The Masked Singer. Photo via Wikimedia Commons
Bootsy Collins Cincinnati Funk legend William Earl “Bootsy” Collins was born in 1951 and got his foot in the door of the music scene early in life at Evanston’s iconic King Records. Bootsy toured with the “Godfather of Soul,” James Brown, when he was just 17 years old, alongside his brother and their band the Pacemakers. Collins attended Sawyer Junior High but dropped out to pursue his music career before graduating. Photo: Hailey Bollinger
Doris Day Formerly known as Doris Mary Anne Kappelhoff, Day was a well-known actress, singer and animal welfare activist. She was born in Cincinnati in 1922 and went to Our Lady of Angels High School in St. Bernard. Some of the most popular films she starred in include Pillow Talk and The Man Who Knew Too Much. Day passed away in 2019. Photo via Wikimedia Commons
William Howard Taft The 27th president of the United States, Taft was born in 1857 and attended Woodward High School. He passed away in 1930 when he was 72 years old. Photo via Wikimedia Commons
Pete Rose Rose is a former professional baseball player for the Reds who was a part of the Big Red Machine. He’s also known as the “hit king,” with 4,256 career hits. Rose was born on the West Side of Cincinnati in 1941 and attended Western Hills High School. Photo via Kjunstorm/Flickr
Rocky Carroll A graduate of the School for Creative and Performing Arts, Carroll is known for his role as Director Leon Vance on CBS’ NCIS. Photo: CC BY-SA 3.0
Theda Bara Walnut Hills High School graduate Bara was a popular stage and silent film-era actress and was known as an early sex symbol of cinema. Born in 1885 in Avondale, the actress’s birth name was Theodosia Goodman. Photo via Wikimedia Commons
Ken Griffey Jr. Former Major League Baseball player, Griffey attended Moeller High School and played for the Cincinnati Reds and Seattle Mariners for the majority of his 22-year professional baseball career. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2016. Photo: SD Dirk/Flickr
Rosemary Clooney The beloved singer and actress was born in 1928 in Maysville, Kentucky and attended Our Lady of Mercy in Cincinnati’s West End. A few of her most popular songs were “Come-On-a My House,” “Mambo Italiano,” and “Botch-a-Me.” She also starred in the famous holiday film White Christmas. Photo: Jesse Fox
Barry Larkin This former Major League Baseball player played for the Reds for nearly two decades as a shortstop. Larkin was born in 1964 and attended Moeller High School. Photo via Gage Skidmore/Creative Commons Photo via Gage Skidmore/Creative Commons
Justin Jeffre Another 98 Degrees band member, Jeffre attended the School for Creative and Performing Arts where he met Nick Lachey.
Jerry Rubin Rubin was a well-known social and political activist throughout the 1960s and 1970s who later became a successful businessman after investing in Apple. He then embarked on a career as a stockbroker on Wall Street. Rubin attended Walnut Hills High School. Photo via Wikimedia Commons
Mary Wineberg A track and field athlete, Wineberg attended Walnut Hills High School and the University of Cincinnati before becoming an Olympic Gold Medalist in 2008. She is now a motivational speaker and author. Photo: Provided
Evelyn Venable A Cincinnati-born actress and voice actor, Venable was born in 1913 and attended Walnut Hills High School. Venable starred in a few films throughout the 1930s and 1940s, as well as voiced the Blue Fairy in Walt Disney’s Pinocchio. Photo via Wikimedia Commons
DeHart Hubbard Born in Cincinnati in 1903, Hubbard was a track and field athlete who attended Walnut Hills High School. Hubbard was recorded in history as the first African American to win an Olympic gold medal in an individual event, which he won at the 1924 Paris Summer games for running the long jump. Photo via Wikimedia Commons
Don Zimmer A former professional baseball player hailing from Cincinnati’s West Side, Zimmer was born in 1931 and attended Western Hills High School. He played on a number of Major League baseball teams including the Cincinnati Reds, Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Mets. He also managed and coached several teams before passing away in 2014. Photo via Wikimedia Commons
Bill Hemmer Cincinnati-born, Hemmer has been involved in the live television field since he was a senior in college. While he is most well-known as the host of Fox News program Bill Hemmer Reports, he has worked on several networks in different roles including WLWT, WCPO and CNN. Hemmer attended Elder High School. Cropped photo via Tim Rodenberg/Flickr
Andrew Biersack Andrew Biersack, also known as Andy Six or Andy Black, is a musician and founder of Rock band the Black Veil Brides. He is also a solo artist. Now based in California, Biersack graduated from SCPA. Photo: Elle Lea Hartman/CC
Todd Louiso Known for his roles in films including High Fidelty, Apollo 13 and Jerry Maguire, Louiso is a graduate of SCPA and also a director. His version of Macbeth starred Michael Fassbender and Marion Cotillard. Photo via