10 Famous People from Youngstown, OH

Youngstown, Ohio, is a town located halfway between New York City and Chicago. While it may be best known for its steel production, you might be surprised by the range of famous people who also call Youngstown home. Celebrities from Youngstown range from actors and sports stars to successful business owners and activists. Here are a few famous people born or raised in Youngstown who you may recognize.

Jim Cummings

Jim Cummings is an American actor best known for voicing Winnie the Pooh. He is also the voice of Tigger in the Winnie the Pooh franchise and the voice of Darkwing Duck in the animated series “Darkwing Duck” and “DuckTales.” Cummings was born on November 3, 1952, in Youngstown, OH, under the name James Jonah Cummings. He later moved to New Orleans, then to Anaheim, California, where he began his career as a voiceover artist in 1984.

Omarosa Onee Manigault Newman

Omarosa Onee Manigault Newman was born in Youngstown on February 5, 1974. Omarosa, as she is widely known, rose to fame following her appearance on the first season of the television show “The Apprentice.” She is best known as a reality television personality, published author, and former aide to former U.S. President Donald Trump. After being fired from her position by White House Chief of Staff John Kelley, she became a critic of the Trump administration and released writing and recordings detailing her time there.

Mary Wells Lawrence

Mary Wells Lawrence is a former American advertising executive and the founding president of the Wells, Rich, Greene advertising agency, which created the “I Love NY” slogan along with many other famous advertising campaigns. She was born in Youngstown under the name Mary George Berg on May 25, 1928, and later attended Carnegie Institute of Technology, where she met her husband-to-be, Burt Wells. Lawrence was the first female CEO listed by the New York Stock Exchange and the youngest member ever to be inducted into the Copywriter’s Hall of Fame.

James Traficant

James Anthony Traficant Jr. was an American politician who served in the House of Representatives. He was born in Youngstown on May 8, 1941, to a working-class, Catholic family. He attended the University of Pittsburgh, where he earned a master’s degree in educational counseling, and later graduated from Youngstown State University with an additional master’s degree in counseling.

Traficant served as Sheriff of Mahoning County from 1981 to 1985. He was elected and reelected to the House of Representatives eight times before being dismissed as a Representative following 10 felony convictions in 2002. Traficant died in 2014 in a farming accident. 

Anthony Peck

Anthony Peck was an American actor who was born in Youngstown on March 20, 1947, under the name Carmen Anthony Pecchio. Peck earned a master’s degree in acting from Temple University and went on to appear in such notable films as Die Hard (1988), The Hunt For Red October (1990), and Last Action Hero (1993). He died of cancer in Beverly Hills, California, on July 30, 1996.

Maurice Clarett

Maurice Clarett is a former American football player who has played for the Ohio State Buckeyes, the Omaha Nighthawks, and the Denver Broncos. Clarett was born in Youngstown on October 29, 1983. He is best known for helping the Buckeyes win a national championship in 2002, and for a rocky private life that has included arrest and incarceration. Following his football career, Clarett returned to Youngstown where he founded a behavioral health agency called The Red Zone. He is now a public speaker and activist for mental health, addiction, and criminal justice reform.

Ray Mancini

Ray Mancini, also known as “Boom Boom Mancini,” was an American boxer born in Youngstown under the name Raymond Michael Mancino on March 4, 1961. Rey is the son of former boxer Lenny Mancini, from whom he inherited his boxing nickname. At just over five feet and four inches tall, Mancini was a lightweight champion who competed between 1979 and 1992. Since his retirement from boxing, he has worked as an actor, sports commentator, and philanthropist. Mancini was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2015.

Pat Bilon

Pat Bilon, born Michael Patrick Bilon, was an American actor born in Youngstown on August 29, 1947. He’s best known for helping perform the role of E.T. in the 1982 film E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial and in the 1981 comedy film Under the Rainbow. Bilon studied acting at Youngstown State University before moving to Hollywood to pursue his career. Pat Bilon was known for his short stature and was an active member of the Little People of America organization. He died in 1983 at age 35.

Jennifer Walcott

American model and actress Jennifer Walcott was born in Youngstown on May 8, 1977. She was a cheerleader in high school and moved to Los Angeles at the age of 19. She began modeling in 2001 and was selected as the Playboy Playmate of the Month later that year. Since then, she has appeared in numerous photoshoots, music videos, and television shows. She has acted in two feature films, American Pie Presents: Band Camp (2005) and The Pool Boys (2008). Walcott is also a mother and an award-winning poet.

Bob Walker

Robert John Walker was an American photographer and environmental activist. He was born on January 6, 1952, in Syracuse, New York, but grew up in Youngstown, Ohio. He graduated from Oberlin College and moved to San Francisco, where he lived and worked for most of his life. Walker began his photography after buying his first camera from a friend in 1982. The work often focused on the natural world, and Walker supplemented his photography with activism, working with many local conservation organizations. He died on September 19, 1992, at the age of 40.

There we have it! 10 surprising celebrities you may not have known were from Youngstown, OH. The next time you pass the #1 Cochran storefronts ask about the other famous people from Youngstown, OH, that we can tell you about.