Famous actors from California
OMDb
Famous actors from California
Admiring and envying the world’s biggest stars is easy to do on Instagram. From A-list movie stars and major musicians to pro ball players and comedians who landed their own sitcoms, there’s no shortage of evidence of just how good the good life is. They post pictures of themselves with other big shots on rooftop bars, at exclusive clubs, at backstage parties, and at restaurants where regular people can’t get a reservation.
But the vast majority of these celebrities were born and raised outside of Hollywood, finding their way to the bright lights and big money of superstardom from obscure beginnings in regular small towns or cities across the country.
Stacker compiled a list of actors that were born in California from IMDb’s most popular list. For each actor, we included a movie poster image from a film he is known for (all movie poster images from OMDb). Keep reading to see which favorite actors are from your home state.
OMDb
Cole Hauser
– Born: Santa Barbara (3/22/1975)
– Known for:
— Carter Verone in “2 Fast 2 Furious” (2003)
— Benny in “Dazed and Confused” (1993)
— Billy in “Good Will Hunting” (1997)
OMDb
Ryan Hansen
– Born: San Diego (7/5/1981)
– Known for:
— Dick Casablancas in “Veronica Mars” (2014)
— Nolan in “Friday the 13th” (2009)
— Lance Landers in “Superhero Movie” (2008)
OMDb
Jack Dylan Grazer
– Born: Los Angeles (9/3/2003)
– Known for:
— Eddie Kaspbrak in “It” (2017)
— Freddy Freeman in “Shazam!” (2019)
— Young Eddie Kaspbrak in “It Chapter Two” (2019)
OMDb
Val Kilmer
– Born: Los Angeles (12/31/1959)
– Known for:
— Jim Morrison in “The Doors” (1991)
— Simon Templar in “The Saint” (1997)
— Gay Perry in “Kiss Kiss Bang Bang” (2005)
OMDb
Ryan Hurst
– Born: Santa Monica (6/19/1976)
– Known for:
— Gerry Bertier in “Remember the Titans” (2000)
— Lump Hudson in “The Ladykillers” (2004)
— Sgt. Ernie Savage in “We Were Soldiers” (2002)
OMDb
Leonardo DiCaprio
– Born: Hollywood (11/11/1974)
– Known for:
— Cobb in “Inception” (2010)
— Billy in “The Departed” (2006)
— Jordan Belfort in “The Wolf of Wall Street” (2013)
OMDb
Ashley Zukerman
– Born: Santa Monica (12/30/1983)
– Known for:
— Nick Goode in “Fear Street: Part One – 1994” (2021)
— Charlie Isaacs in “Manhattan” (2014-2015)
— Nate Sofrelli in “Succession” (2018-2019)
OMDb
Dwayne Johnson
– Born: Hayward (5/2/1972)
– Known for:
— Spencer in “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle” (2017)
— Hank in “Journey 2: The Mysterious Island” (2012)
— Maui in “Moana” (2016)
OMDb
Nicolas Cage
– Born: Long Beach (1/7/1964)
– Known for:
— Castor Troy in “Face/Off” (1997)
— Ben Sanderson in “Leaving Las Vegas” (1995)
— Stanley Goodspeed in “The Rock” (1996)
OMDb
Kevin Costner
– Born: Lynwood (1/18/1955)
– Known for:
— The Postman in “The Postman” (1997)
— Lieutenant Dunbar in “Dances with Wolves” (1990)
— Robin of Locksley in “Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves” (1991)
OMDb
Clint Eastwood
– Born: San Francisco (5/31/1930)
– Known for:
— Frankie Dunn in “Million Dollar Baby” (2004)
— Walt Kowalski in “Gran Torino” (2008)
— Bill Munny in “Unforgiven” (1992)
OMDb
John David Washington
– Born: Los Angeles (7/28/1984)
– Known for:
— Ron Stallworth in “BlacKkKlansman” (2018)
— Protagonist in “Tenet” (2020)
— Malcolm in “Malcolm & Marie” (2021)
OMDb
Adam Driver
– Born: San Diego (11/19/1983)
– Known for:
— Kylo Ren in “Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens” (2015)
— Paterson in “Paterson” (2016)
— Kylo Ren in “Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi” (2017)
OMDb
Chris Pine
– Born: Los Angeles (8/26/1980)
– Known for:
— Kirk in “Star Trek” (2009)
— Steve Trevor in “Wonder Woman” (2017)
— Captain James T. Kirk in “Star Trek Beyond” (2016)
OMDb
Paul Walker
– Born: Glendale (9/12/1973)
– Died: 9/12/1973
– Known for:
— Brian O’Conner in “The Fast and the Furious” (2001)
— Brian O’Conner in “Furious 7” (2015)
— Joey Gazelle in “Running Scared” (2006)
OMDb
Shia LaBeouf
– Born: Los Angeles (6/11/1986)
– Known for:
— James in “Honey Boy” (2019)
— Tyler in “The Peanut Butter Falcon” (2019)
— Boyd ‘Bible’ Swan in “Fury” (2014)
OMDb
Jake Gyllenhaal
– Born: Los Angeles (12/19/1980)
– Known for:
— Louis Bloom in “Nightcrawler” (2014)
— Jack Twist in “Brokeback Mountain” (2005)
— Donnie Darko in “Donnie Darko” (2001)
OMDb
Milo Ventimiglia
– Born: Anaheim (7/8/1977)
– Known for:
— Peter Petrelli in “Heroes” (2006-2010)
— Jack Pearson in “This Is Us” (2016-2022)
— Ted Grey in “Pathology” (2008)
OMDb
Edward Furlong
– Born: Glendale (8/2/1977)
– Known for:
— John Connor in “Terminator 2: Judgment Day” (1991)
— Hawk in “Detroit Rock City” (1999)
— Danny in “American History X” (1998)
OMDb
Harry Hamlin
– Born: Pasadena (10/30/1951)
– Known for:
— Perseus in “Clash of the Titans” (1981)
— Michael Kuzak in “L.A. Law” (1986-1991)
— Joey Popchik (segment “Dynamite Hands”) in “Movie Movie” (1978)
OMDb
Josh Brolin
– Born: Santa Monica (2/12/1968)
– Known for:
— Thanos in “Avengers: Endgame” (2019)
— Llewelyn Moss in “No Country for Old Men” (2007)
— Thanos in “Avengers: Infinity War” (2018)
OMDb
Haley Joel Osment
– Born: Los Angeles (4/10/1988)
– Known for:
— Cole Sear in “The Sixth Sense” (1999)
— David in “A.I. Artificial Intelligence” (2001)
— Trevor McKinney in “Pay It Forward” (2000)
OMDb
Joseph Gordon-Levitt
– Born: Los Angeles (2/17/1981)
– Known for:
— Arthur in “Inception” (2010)
— Joe in “Looper” (2012)
— Jon in “Don Jon” (2013)
OMDb
Wyatt Russell
– Born: Los Angeles (7/10/1986)
– Known for:
— Ford in “Overlord” (2018)
— Willoughby in “Everybody Wants Some!!” (2016)
— Zook in “22 Jump Street” (2014)
OMDb
Tyler Hoechlin
– Born: Corona (9/11/1987)
– Known for:
— Michael Sullivan Jr. in “Road to Perdition” (2002)
— Superman / Clark Kent in “Supergirl” (2016-2020)
— McReynolds in “Everybody Wants Some!!” (2016)
OMDb
Jeremy Renner
– Born: Modesto (1/7/1971)
– Known for:
— Staff Sergeant William James in “The Hurt Locker” (2008)
— James Coughlin in “The Town” (2010)
— Cory Lambert in “Wind River” (2017)
OMDb
Adam Brody
– Born: San Diego (12/15/1979)
– Known for:
— Seth Cohen in “The O.C.” (2003-2007)
— Nikolai in “Jennifer’s Body” (2009)
— Daniel in “Ready or Not” (2019)
OMDb
Zac Efron
– Born: San Luis Obispo (10/18/1987)
– Known for:
— Phillip Carlyle in “The Greatest Showman” (2017)
— Link Larkin in “Hairspray” (2007)
— Mike O’Donnell in “17 Again” (2009)
OMDb
Michael B. Jordan
– Born: Santa Ana (2/9/1987)
– Known for:
— Erik Killmonger in “Black Panther” (2018)
— Oscar Grant in “Fruitvale Station” (2013)
— Adonis Johnson in “Creed” (2015)
OMDb
David Denman
– Born: Newport Beach (7/25/1973)
– Known for:
— Frank Sheehan in “Mare of Easttown” (2021)
— Kyle Breyer in “Brightburn” (2019)
— Louie in “Puzzle” (2018)
OMDb
Ross Bagley
– Born: Los Angeles (12/5/1988)
– Known for:
— Buckwheat in “The Little Rascals” (1994)
— Dylan in “Independence Day” (1996)
— Puppy in “Babe” (1995)
OMDb
Ryan Eggold
– Born: Los Angeles County (8/10/1984)
– Known for:
— Walter Breachway in “BlacKkKlansman” (2018)
— Composer in “Literally, Right Before Aaron” (2012)
— Dr. Max Goodwin in “New Amsterdam” (2018-2021)
OMDb
Tim Matheson
– Born: Glendale (12/31/1947)
– Known for:
— Eric Stratton in “National Lampoon’s Animal House” (1978)
— Vice President John Hoynes / John Hoynes / Senator John Hoynes in “The West Wing” (1999-2006)
— Dr. Brick Breeland in “Hart of Dixie” (2011-2015)
OMDb
Mike Vitar
– Born: Los Angeles (12/21/1978)
– Known for:
— Benjamin Franklin Rodriguez in “The Sandlot” (1993)
— Luis in “D3: The Mighty Ducks” (1996)
— Luis in “D2: The Mighty Ducks” (1994)
OMDb
James Franco
– Born: Palo Alto (4/19/1978)
– Known for:
— Tommy / ‘Johnny’ in “The Disaster Artist” (2017)
— Aron Ralston in “127 Hours” (2010)
— Alien in “Spring Breakers” (2012)
OMDb
Bryan Cranston
– Born: Hollywood (3/7/1956)
– Known for:
— Walter White in “Breaking Bad” (2008-2013)
— Hal / Hal Wilkerson in “Malcolm in the Middle” (2000-2006)
— Jack O’Donnell in “Argo” (2012)
OMDb
Danny Trejo
– Born: Echo Park (5/16/1944)
– Known for:
— Machete in “Machete” (2010)
— Razor Charlie in “From Dusk Till Dawn” (1996)
— Machete in “Machete Kills” (2013)
OMDb
Jack Black
– Born: Hermosa Beach (8/28/1969)
– Known for:
— Dewey Finn in “School of Rock” (2003)
— Barry Judd in “High Fidelity” (2000)
— Nacho in “Nacho Libre” (2006)
OMDb
Mahershala Ali
– Born: Oakland (2/16/1974)
– Known for:
— Remy Danton in “House of Cards” (2013-2016)
— Cornell ‘Cottonmouth’ Stokes in “Luke Cage” (2016)
— Tizzy in “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (2008)
OMDb
Tobey Maguire
– Born: Santa Monica (6/27/1975)
– Known for:
— Capt. Sam Cahill in “Brothers” (2009)
— Spider-Man / Peter Parker in “Spider-Man” (2002)
— James Leer in “Wonder Boys” (2000)
OMDb
Michael Stuhlbarg
– Born: Long Beach (7/5/1968)
– Known for:
— Larry Gopnik in “A Serious Man” (2009)
— Mr. Perlman in “Call Me by Your Name” (2017)
— Dr. Robert Hoffstetler in “The Shape of Water” (2017)
OMDb
Rami Malek
– Born: Los Angeles (5/12/1981)
– Known for:
— Freddie Mercury in “Bohemian Rhapsody” (2018)
— Elliot Alderson in “Mr. Robot” (2015-2019)
— Louis Dega in “Papillon” (2017)
OMDb
Burt Ward
– Born: Los Angeles (7/6/1945)
– Known for:
— Robin / Dick Grayson in “Batman” (1966-1968)
— Robin / Dick Grayson in “Batman: the Movie” (1966)
— Visual Effects in “Out of Time” (2003)
OMDb
Sean Penn
– Born: Santa Monica (8/17/1960)
– Known for:
— Jimmy Markum in “Mystic River” (2003)
— Paul Rivers in “21 Grams” (2003)
— Harvey Milk in “Milk” (2008)
OMDb
Jeff Bridges
– Born: Los Angeles (12/4/1949)
– Known for:
— The Dude in “The Big Lebowski” (1998)
— Bad Blake in “Crazy Heart” (2009)
— Marcus Hamilton in “Hell or High Water” (2016)
OMDb
Andy Samberg
– Born: Berkeley (8/18/1978)
– Known for:
— Various / Nicolas Cage / Rick Santorum / T’Shane / Admiral Spaceship / Blizzard Man / Jack Johnson / Mark Zuckerberg / Prince William / Rahm Emanuel / Self / Danny Hoover / Hugh Jackman / Kevin Federline / Quasimodo / Sanjaya Malakar / Shy Ronnie / Singer / ‘Weird Al’ Yankovic / Aaron Carter / Adam Duritz / Andy Lewis / Avatar Jake / Batman / Billy Bob Thornton / Bono / Brody / Buddha / Carl / Cecil Barrymore / Chris Barron / Chuck Norris / Conner4Real / Crispin Glover / DJ Davvincii / David Blaine / David Bryan / Declan / Dennis / Detective John / Dr. Matthews / Dustin Diamond / Dylan Sprouse / Howard K. Stern / Jacob / James Blunt / Jeff Sessler / Jeremy / Jewish Willy Wonka / Jimmy Fallon / Josh Drimmer / Josh Groban / Kathy-Beth Kerry / Keanu Reeves / Ken Mehlman / Keven Federline / Kid Rock / Kris Humphries / Kurt Hummel / Legolas / Mark Wahlberg / Matt Prater / Matthew Lesko / Mayim Bialik / Michael Sessions / Peter Goldstein / Phil O’Brien / Poseidon / Prince Harry / Rolfe von Trapp / Scarecrow / Scott Walken / Scrooge McDuck / Self – Host / Stephen / Swedish Chef / Taboo / The Falconer / The Harkin Brotherss / The Lonely Island / Theodore / Thomas Beatie / Tightrope Guy / Troy Bolton / Troy Polamalu / Tweedle-Dee / Wedding Planner / Youngest Vogelcheck / out-of-breath jogger in “Saturday Night Live” (2005-2018)
— Conner in “Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping” (2016)
— Nyles in “Palm Springs” (2020)
OMDb
Scott Eastwood
– Born: Carmel (3/21/1986)
– Known for:
— Lieutenant GQ Edwards in “Suicide Squad” (2016)
— Little Nobody in “The Fate of the Furious” (2017)
— Nate Lambert in “Pacific Rim: Uprising” (2018)
OMDb
Armie Hammer
– Born: Los Angeles (8/28/1986)
– Known for:
— Cameron Winklevoss / Tyler Winklevoss in “The Social Network” (2010)
— Oliver in “Call Me by Your Name” (2017)
— John Reid (Lone Ranger) in “The Lone Ranger” (2013)
OMDb
James Brolin
– Born: Los Angeles (7/18/1940)
– Known for:
— General Ralph Landry in “Traffic” (2000)
— George Lutz in “The Amityville Horror” (1979)
— John Blane in “Westworld” (1973)
OMDb
Gene Hackman
– Born: San Bernardino (1/30/1930)
– Known for:
— Jimmy Doyle in “The French Connection” (1971)
— Royal Tenenbaum in “The Royal Tenenbaums” (2001)
— Little Bill Daggett in “Unforgiven” (1992)
