Jennifer Connelly started out as a model, doing several T.V. ads, magazine covers, and newspaper pieces. She landed her first significant role in Sergio Leone’s 1980 masterpiece film, ‘Once Upon a Time in America.’ That was the jump start of what would become an incredibly successful career, acting in films like ‘Labyrinth,’ ‘Requiem for a Dream,’ ‘A Beautiful Mind,’ ‘Blood Diamond,’ and countless others.
Jennifer was born in Cairo, New York, in the Catskill Mountains. Connelly was raised primarily in Brooklyn Heights, near the Brooklyn Bridge, where she attended Saint Ann’s, a private school specializing in the arts. After graduating from high school, Jennifer went to Yale University in 1988 to study English literature. After two years at Yale, Connelly transferred to Stanford University in 1990 to study drama.
Tommy Lee Jones - Texas
Tommy Lee Jones is a famous filmmaker and actor who is known as one of the last great actors that can effectively play the "strong, silent type." He has received four Academy Award nominations, and one win on Best Supporting Actor, for the movie, "The Fugitive," as U.S Marshal Samuel Gerard.
As an eighth-generation Texan, Jones grew up in the Southwestern state of Texas, where he attended Robert E. Lee High School in Midland. Tommy Lee Jones eventually moved to New York. He still loves his home state as he owns a 3,000-acre cattle ranch in San Saba County, Texas, and a ranch near Van Horn, Texas.
Sylvester Stallone - New York
If you don't know him from the legendary Rocky series, you will surely remember him from any of the five Rambo films. Both Rocky and Rambo are echos of Stallone's personal life and the experiences he had during his transition from a poor kid in Hell's Kitchen, New York to one of the world's most popular stars.
According to Stallone, he did not have a happy childhood. Michael Sylvester Gardenzio Stallone was born in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of Manhattan, New York, on July 6, 1946. When he was five, his parents moved their family to Silver Spring, Maryland. At age 15, his parents got divorced, and Stallone moved to Philadelphia to be with his mother and her new husband.
Robin Williams - Illinois
The late Robin McLaurin Williams was a legendary actor and celebrated comedian known for his iconic roles like Genie in Disney's Aladdin and Mrs. Doubtfire. It's incredible to know that all that fame started as a stand-up comedian in San Francisco and Los Angeles.
Robin Williams was born at St. Luke's Hospital in Chicago, Illinois, in 1951. When he turned 16, his father took early retirement, and the family moved to Tiburon, California. After they moved, Robin attended High School in nearby Larkspur. How fitting that he was voted "Most Likely Not to Succeed" and "Funniest" by his classmates.
Dik Van Dyke - Missouri
"Bye Bye Birdie" and "Marry Poppins" are only some of the classic movies that are synonymous with Dick Van Dyke. Richard Wayne Van Dyke was born in West Plains, Missouri. In 1944, Van Dyke left school with intent on joining the United States Army Air Forces for pilot training during World War II.
He was denied enlistment several times but was eventually accepted as a radio announcer, which would then go on to help him jumpstart his career. Though he found success, he never gave up on graduating high school, and at age 78, Van Dyke received his high school diploma in 2004.