The following is a list of notable people from Luzerne County, Pennsylvania.
Arts, Fashion, & Entertainment
Edie Adams, singer, actress, and comedian; wife of Ernie Kovacs Nick Adams, actor (Mister Roberts, Rebel Without a Cause), best known to audiences as Johnny Yuma of the TV series The Rebel Banana Joe (Joseph Montione), radio personality Douglas Carter Beane, playwright Frank Borzage, Academy Award-winning film director Benjamin Burnley, lead singer and guitarist for rock band Breaking Benjamin George Catlin, artist Catherine Chandler, poet Mark Cohen, street photographer Flick Colby, choreographer Colleen Corby, 1960s fashion modelKahn, S. "Modeling: Money and Madness!", Teen, December 1963 David Evans, Hollywood filmmaker most known for the movie The Sandlot Pat Finn, game show host whose shows include Lifetime's, The Family Channel's, and PAX's Shop 'til You Drop Ham Fisher, cartoonist best known for the Joe Palooka comic strip Harry Livingston French, architect Tess Gardella, actress Dan Harris, Hollywood director and screenwriter Donora Hillard, author Raye Hollitt, bodybuilder, American Gladiators; actress, Skin Deep Florence Foster Jenkins, unconventional operatic soprano, subject of film starring Meryl Streep Russell Johnson, actor best known as The Professor on Gilligan's Island Candy Jones, fashion model, writer, radio personalityFlint, Peter B. "Candy Jones Dies; Ex-Model, Teacher, And Writer Was 64", The New York Times, January 19, 1990. Retrieved December 20, 2007. James Karen, actor Mary Holland Kinkaid, novelist and journalist Franz Kline, abstract expressionist painter Shawn Klush, Elvis tribute artist Harley Jane Kozak, actress and author Matthew Lesko, infomercial personality Sherrie Levine, photographer and appropriation artist Jan Lewan, Polish-American songwriter and polka band leader, portrayed by actor Jack Black in the comedy film The Polka King Santo Loquasto, Tony Award-winning Broadway production designer Marion Lorne, actress best known as Aunt Clara on the sitcom Bewitched Don Malkames, cinematographer Herman Mankiewicz, screenwriter of Citizen Kane Joseph L. Mankiewicz, Academy Award-winning director and producer Al Markim, actor (Tom Corbett, Space Cadet) Jay McCarroll, fashion designer Mary McDonnell, actress, twice nominated for Academy Award Tom McHale, Novelist Edward Meneeley, painter Albert Mudrian, author and magazine editor Claudette Nevins, actress Rose O'Neill, cartoonist, illustrator, artist, and writer. Jerry Orbach, Tony Award-winning actor Jack Palance (Hazle Township), Oscar-winning actor Anthony Petrosky, poet Suzie Plakson, actress Eddie Rambeau, singer, songwriter, and actor. Krysten Ritter, actress Anne Sargent, actress Sam Savitt, equestrian artist, author Michael Schoeffling, actor, played Jake Ryan in film Sixteen Candles Jonathan Slavin, character actor Jason Spisak, voice actor Jacob Sullum, journalist and author, featured in Academy Award-nominated documentary Super Size MeSullum, Jacob (2011-01-04) First Wine, Now Beer in (Some) Pennsylvania Supermarkets; Coming Soon: Cats and Dogs Living Together, Reason Louis Teicher, pianist; member of the duo Ferrante & Teicher Dan Terry, trumpet player and big band leader Michael Whalen, actor Stacey Williams, fashion model June Winters, actress and singer
Sports
Joe Amato, 5-time NHRA Top Fuel champion Al Bedner, NFL player Martin Bibla, NFL player Steve Bilko, 20 years old when he broke into professional baseball on September 22, 1949, with the St. Louis Cardinals Ray Black, Pitcher for the Milwaukee Brewers Hubie Brown, basketball coach and television analyst Lou Butera, professional pool player Russ Canzler, Major League Baseball player in the New York Yankees minor league organization Jimmy Cefalo, Penn State football player, Miami Dolphins wide receiver, radio voice of the Miami Dolphins Britton Chance, bio-physicist and Olympic sailor Abe Cohen, professional football player Ed Cole, Major League Baseball pitcher Adam Comorosky, MLB outfielder Michael Costello, racing driver Red Davis, Third baseman for The New York Giants (baseball) 1941 Dominic DeLuca, Penn State Linebacker signed as an undrafted free agent by the Baltimore Ravens Harry Dorish, MLB pitcher Mark Duda, NFL player, Lackawanna College football head coach Francis A. "Mother" Dunn, football player for the Canton Bulldogs Carl Duser, baseball player Pete Elko, Major League Baseball third baseman Steamer Flanagan, professional baseball player Billy Goeckel, baseball player Pete Gray, one of two men ever to play major league baseball having lost his right arm; his life is depicted in the 1986 television movie A Winner Never Quits; historical marker in the Hanover section of Nanticoke at Front and Center St. denotes his birthplace Kevin Gryboski, Retired Major League Baseball pitcher Harry Hamilton, former NFL player William Harmatz, jockey, winner of 1959 Preakness Stakes Bucky Harris, former Major League Baseball player Mickey Haslin, Major League Baseball infielder Joe Hergert, former professional football player Jim Hettes, UFC fighter Joe Holup, former NBA basketball player Mike Hudock, professional football player Qadry Ismail, former NFL wide receiver on the Baltimore Ravens Raghib Ismail, former NFL player and Heisman Trophy runner-up Stephanie Jallen, Paralympic skier Hughie Jennings, Major League Baseball player and manager Ben Johnson, track athlete and one of the first African-American colonels in the U.S. Army Joe Katchik, professional football player Kelsey Kolojejchick, field hockey player for the US Olympic Team Mike Konnick, former MLB player Al Klawitter, Major League Baseball pitcher Norm Larker (Beaver Meadows), National League All-Star player for the LA Dodgers Bob MacKinnon Jr., basketball coach Joe Maddon, current manager of Major League Baseball's Los Angeles Angels and former manager of the Tampa Bay Rays and Chicago Cubs Diane Madl, Olympic field hockey player Greg Manusky, former NFL player Tom Matchick, MLB player for the Detroit Tigers, Boston Red Sox, Kansas City Royals, Milwaukee Brewers, Baltimore Orioles Connor McGovern, NFL offensive lineman Tommy McMillan, Major League Baseball outfielder and shortstop John Mellus, former NFL player David Micahnik (born 1938), Olympic fencer Lou Michaels, former NFL player Walt Michaels, former head coach of the NFL's New York Jets Joe Murray, left-handed pitcher for the Philadelphia A's Kid O'Hara, baseball player Phil Ostrowski, NFL player Joe Palooka, Comic strip boxer created by Ham Fisher John Paluck, football player for Washington Redskins and Pro Bowl selection Simon F. Pauxtis, professional baseball player and college football coach Bob Patton, former NFL pLayer Joe Pisarcik, former NFL quarterback Dave Popson, former NBA basketball player Packy Rogers, infielder with the Brooklyn Dodgers Mendy Rudolph, NBA referee 1953–1975 Don Schwall, MLB pitcher Paige Selenski, field hockey player for the U.S. Olympic team Chuck Sieminski, former NFL player Greg Skrepenak, former NFL player Ron Solt, former NFL player Bob Sura, basketball player, Houston Rockets Mike Tresh, MLB catcher Charley Trippi, University of Georgia football player, 1943 Rose Bowl MVP, College Football Hall of Fame inductee, Chicago Cardinals quarterback and Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee; namesake of football stadium at Pittston Area High School in Yatesville Bob Tucker, NFL tight end with the New York Giants Ty Tyson, MLB outfielder Ed Walsh, Hall of Fame pitcher; major league baseball's all-time ERA leader John Walsh, MLB third baseman Hal Woodeshick, professional baseball player Tom Woodeshick, professional football player Matt Wotherspoon, Major League Baseball player Frank Zane, bodybuilder, three-time Mr. Olympia, won Mr. America, Mr. Universe, Mr. World; donated gym at Wilkes University
Politics, Law, & Military
Jane Alexander, lawyer and Pennsylvania state representative Lisa Baker, State Senator from Pennsylvania Lou Barletta, congressman representing the 11th District of Pennsylvania Edward Bonin, former mayor of Hazleton and former U.S. congressman Fletcher C. Booker Jr., U.S. Army major general Charles Calvin Bowman, mayor of Pittston and U.S. representative from Pennsylvania Rob Bresnahan, U.S. Congressman Amasa Dana, former U.S. congressman John Dapcevich, former mayor of Juneau, Alaska Stanley Woodward Davenport, U.S. congressman (Democrat), 1899–1901 Charles B. Dougherty, Army National Guard major general who commanded the 28th Infantry Division Todd A. Eachus, former state representative of the 116th District and House majority leader of Pennsylvania Benjamin F. Evans Jr. (1912–1991), U.S. Army major general, U.S. military's chief of joint U.S. military aid mission in TurkeyThe Washington Post. "BENJAMIN F. EVANS JR. Army Major General". https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/1991/09/06/col-robert-b-burke-dies/9c748214-1f0d-4641-98d6-84f45f3a8327/ Joseph James Farnan, Jr., United States federal judge John S. Fine, 35th governor of Pennsylvania 1951–1955 J. Harold Flannery, U.S. representative from Pennsylvania Dan Flood, former U.S. congressman Bob Good, U.S. congressman James L. Hallock, Wisconsin state legislator Frank G. Harrison, former United States Congressman Laning Harvey, Pennsylvania state senator William Henry Hines, U.S. Representative for Pennsylvania's 12th congressional district from 1893 to 1895 Henry M. Hoyt, early governor of Pennsylvania Arthur Horace James, Superior Court judge; governor and lieutenant governor of Pennsylvania Mitchell Jenkins, former Republican U.S. congressman from Pennsylvania; lived in Shavertown toward the end of his life Dorothy Andrews Elston Kabis, treasurer of the United States Paul E. Kanjorski, former U.S. representative for Pennsylvania's 11th congressional district (which includes Nanticoke) Michael J. Kirwan, represented Youngstown, Ohio in Congress, 1938–1970 Thomas R. Kline, lawyer Thomas M. Leighton, former Wilkes-Barre mayor Charles Lemmond, former state senator H. Craig Lewis, former state senator Dan Meuser, U.S. congressman Asher Miner, U.S. Army brigadier general and prominent businessman Leo C. Mundy, Pennsylvania state senator and physician Patrick J. Murphy, Under Secretary of the Army and Chief Management Officer (CMO); former United States Congressman Ray Musto, U.S. representative from Pennsylvania James L. Nelligan, former United States Congressman Paul F. Nichols, former member of the Virginia House of Delegates Joseph F. Perugino, US Army major general Maryanne Petrilla, served on the Luzerne County Board of Commissioners; second female commissioner chairperson in the county's history M. Gerald Schwartzbach, California criminal defense attorney Fred Shupnik, former member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives Harold Raynsford Stark, Chief of Naval Operations 1939–1942 Thomas Tigue, Pennsylvania state legislator Stephen Urban, served on the Luzerne County Board of Commissioners and the Luzerne County Council G. Harold Wagner, Pennsylvania state treasurer and Pennsylvania state auditor general Frank Comerford Walker, lawyer and politician Faustin E. Wirkus, U.S. Marine allegedly crowned as king of La Gonâve, a Haitian island west of Hispaniola Ira W. Wood, represented 1904–1913Ira Wells Wood, Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved September 6, 2007. T. Newell Wood, Pennsylvania State Senator Hendrick Bradley Wright, lawyer and politician
Business & Industry
James Joseph Brown, mining innovator Lillian Cahn, co-founder of Coach, Inc. and Coach handbag designer Jesse Fell, early experimenter with anthracite coal George Washington Helme, businessman and founder of Helmetta, New Jersey John D. MacArthur, businessman and philanthropist