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.
Here is a list of 25 actors that were born in Florida 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.
Wesley Snipes
Andrea Raffin // Shutterstock
– Born: Orlando, Florida (7/31/1962)
– Known for:
— Blade in “Blade” (1998)
— Nino Brown in “New Jack City” (1991)
— Simon Phoenix in “Demolition Man” (1993)Stephen Root
OMDb
– Born: Sarasota, Florida (11/17/1951)
– Known for:
— Milton in “Office Space” (1999)
— Gordon in “Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story” (2004)
— Bill Dauterive in “King of the Hill” (1997-2010)Skyler Gisondo
OMDb
– Born: Palm Beach County, Florida (7/22/1996)
– Known for:
— James Griswold in “Vacation” (2015)
— Nick Daley in “Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb” (2014)
— Howard Stacy in “The Amazing Spider-Man” (2012)Josh Gad
Alberto E. Rodriguez // Getty Images
– Born: Hollywood, Florida (2/23/1981)
– Known for:
— Olaf in “Frozen” (2013)
— LeFou in “Beauty and the Beast” (2017)
— Miles in “21” (2008)RJ Cyler
OMDb
– Born: Jacksonville, Florida (3/21/1995)
– Known for:
— Earl in “Me and Earl and the Dying Girl” (2015)
— Billy (Blue Ranger) in “Power Rangers” (2017)
— Jim Beckwourth in “The Harder They Fall” (2021)James Morosini
OMDb
– Born: Tampa Bay, Florida (7/5/1990)
– Known for:
— Franklin in “I Love My Dad” (2022)
— R.J. in “American Horror Story” (2016-2017)
— Dalton in “The Sex Lives of College Girls” (2021)Norman Reedus
OMDb
– Born: Hollywood, Florida (1/6/1969)
– Known for:
— Daryl Dixon in “The Walking Dead” (2010-2022)
— Murphy MacManus in “The Boondock Saints” (1999)
— Scud in “Blade II” (2002)Wilmer Valderrama
OMDb
– Born: Miami, Florida (1/30/1980)
– Known for:
— Fez in “That ’70s Show” (1998-2006)
— Dell Gordo in “Larry Crowne” (2011)
— Nick Torres in “NCIS” (2016-2021)William H. Macy
OMDb
– Born: Miami, Florida (3/13/1950)
– Known for:
— Jerry Lundegaard in “Fargo” (1996)
— Quiz Kid Donnie Smith in “Magnolia” (1999)
— Frank Gallagher in “Shameless” (2011-2021)Noah Centineo
Axelle/Bauer-Griffin // Getty Images
– Born: Miami, Florida (5/9/1996)
– Known for:
— Peter in “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before” (2018)
— Brooks Rattigan in “The Perfect Date” (2019)
— Jamey in “Sierra Burgess Is a Loser” (2018)Austin Abrams
OMDb
– Born: Sarasota, Florida (9/2/1996)
– Known for:
— Ben in “Paper Towns” (2015)
— Tommy Milner in “Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark” (2019)
— Pete in “Gangster Squad” (2013)Andrew Leeds
OMDb
– Born: Clearwater, Florida (9/24/1981)
– Known for:
— Leo Cousineau in “Barry” (2019)
— Jackson in “Veep” (2014)
— David in “Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist” (2020-2021)Allen Covert
OMDb
– Born: West Palm Beach, Florida (10/13/1964)
– Known for:
— Alex in “Grandma’s Boy” (2006)
— Ten Second Tom in “50 First Dates” (2004)
— Sammy in “The Wedding Singer” (1998)Shea Whigham
Russell Einhorn // Shutterstock
– Born: Tallahassee, Florida (1/5/1969)
– Known for:
— Dewart in “Take Shelter” (2011)
— Dennis Farell in “Splinter” (2008)
— James Turner in “Death Note” (2017)Casper Van Dien
OMDb
– Born: Milton, Florida (12/18/1968)
– Known for:
— Johnny Rico in “Starship Troopers” (1997)
— Amok in “Alita: Battle Angel” (2019)
— Brom Van Brunt in “Sleepy Hollow” (1999)Chris Marquette
OMDb
– Born: Stuart, Florida (10/3/1984)
– Known for:
— Chris Lucado in “Barry” (2018)
— Linus in “Fanboys” (2009)
— Eli in “The Girl Next Door” (2004)Mel Rodriguez
OMDb
– Born: Miami, Florida (6/12/1973)
– Known for:
— Officer Martinez in “Little Miss Sunshine” (2006)
— Officer Morales in “Panic Room” (2002)
— Captain Gomez in “The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada” (2005)Sidney Poitier
Bettman // Getty Images
– Born: Miami, Florida (2/20/1927)
– Known for:
— Det. Virgil Tibbs in “In the Heat of the Night” (1967)
— Homer Smith in “Lilies of the Field” (1963)
— Noah Cullen in “The Defiant Ones” (1958)Josh Segarra
OMDb
– Born: Orlando, Florida (6/3/1986)
– Known for:
— Adrian Chase in “Arrow” (2016-2019)
— Staten Island Oli in “Trainwreck” (2015)
— Jason in “Overboard” (2018)Danny Pino
OMDb
– Born: Miami, Florida (4/15/1974)
– Known for:
— Scotty Valens in “Cold Case” (2003-2010)
— Nick Amaro in “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” (2011-2021)
— Adam Scott in “Burn Notice” (2010)Blake Jenner
OMDb
– Born: Miami, Florida (8/27/1992)
– Known for:
— Darian in “The Edge of Seventeen” (2016)
— Jake in “Everybody Wants Some!!” (2016)
— Ryder Lynn in “Glee” (2012-2015)Emjay Anthony
Allen Berezovsky // Getty Images
– Born: Clearwater Beach, Florida (6/1/2003)
– Known for:
— Percy in “Chef” (2014)
— Young Wolf in “The Jungle Book” (2016)
— Dylan in “Bad Moms” (2016)Jonathan Jackson
OMDb
– Born: Orlando, Florida (5/11/1982)
– Known for:
— Jesse Tuck in “Tuck Everlasting” (2002)
— James Phelps in “Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights” (2004)
— Lucky Spencer in “General Hospital” (1993-2015)Owen Teague
OMDb
– Born: Tampa, Florida (12/8/1998)
– Known for:
— Patrick Hockstetter in “It” (2017)
— Dead Hocksstetter in “It Chapter Two” (2019)
— Nolan Rayburn in “Bloodline” (2015-2017)Carter Jenkins
OMDb
– Born: Tampa, Florida (9/4/1991)
– Known for:
— Robert in “After We Fell” (2021)
— Roy Bryant in “Women of the Movement” (2021-2022)
— Rainer Devon in “Famous in Love” (2017-2018)
