Did you know these celebrities were born near Rochester?
Did you know these celebrities were born and raised right here in the Flower City?
Known for providing the voice of Phineas Flynn on the Disney Channel animated series 'Phineas and Ferb' and playing the role of Chris Rock's best friend 'Greg' on 'Everybody Hates Chris,' Vincent Martella was born in Rochester before moving to central Florida during his childhood — according to the star's IMDB page.
But the Martella family has stayed in the area — Captain Tony's Pizza & Pasta Emporium has been serving guests for more than 45 years, after Martella's relative Antonio opened in 1972. Vincent stopped by the pizza shop in 2017 for a special meet and greet before emceeing the Special Olympics that year.
A new season of 'Phineas and Ferb' premiered on Disney+ on June 5.
Did you know these movies were filmed around Rochester?
His heart is a stereo — that was born and raised just 45 minutes from Rochester. Travie McCoy, co-founder and lead vocalist of the group 'Gym Class Heroes' was born in Geneva in 1981.
McCoy formed the group with his friend, Matt McGinley, who he met in ninth grade at a Geneva High School.
Gym Class Heroes has had top 20 albums on the Billboard 200 chart, and hit singles 'Cupid's Chokehold,' 'Stereo Hearts' with Maroon 5's Adam Levine and 'The Fighter' with OneRepublic's front man Ryan Tedder.
McCoy was inducted into the Rochester Music Hall of Fame in April 2025.
One of YouTube's first stars, Jenna Mourey — better known as Jenna Marbles — grew up in Rochester, New York and attended Brighton High School.
Marbles' YouTube channel accumulated nearly 2 billion views, and 20 million subscribers at its peak. Marbles announced an indefinite hiatus on her YouTube account in 2020.
Not born in Rochester, but spending a majority of his early years here, Gene Cornish is an original member of the popular 1960s group 'The Young Rascals.' The band recorded eight albums within five years, and had thirteen singles that reached Billboard's Top 40 chart.
Cornish was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as a founding member of The Rascals in 1997.
Dubbed the greatest actor of the 21st century in 2014, Philip Seymour Hoffman was born to Rochester's nearby town — Fairport — in 1967.
Hoffman attended Fairport High School, and before walking the stage, was accepted to New York University's Tisch School of the Arts.
Hoffman won an Academy Award for 'Best Actor' in recognition of playing the role of author Truman Capote in 'Capote.' Other notable titles for Hoffman include 'Magnolia,' 'Charlie Wilson's War,' and 'The Master.' He died in 2014.
'Live from New York' comes naturally to the 'Saturday Night Live' star, since she was born near Rochester in Canandaigua in 1973!
Kristen Wiig had a seven-season tenure on the hit TV show from 2005 to 2012, where she received four nominations for Primetime Emmy awards. Time Magazine named Wiig as one of the 100 most influential people in the world twice — in 2012 and 2025.
After moving to Pennsylvania at the age of three, Wiig and her family returned to Rochester where she went to school at Allendale Columbia School and graduated from Brighton High School.
Wiig's family has even closer ties as well. Wiig's paternal grandfather was a formed executive here at WROC-TV! Her mother ran a lake marina in Western New York, as well.
These are just a few of the thousands of stars whose early days were spent in Rochester. Know someone who should be added? Reach out to WROCDigital@nexstar.tv for consideration.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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